Adopting Fluttershy

by Flutterpriest

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, Anon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Thriller, Fluttershy, Sex, Cheerilee, Slice of Life, Human
Length: 50782

Anon decides to adopt a filly and record his experience as a Dad in a journal to do something with his life in Equestria. Except, being a father is hard work and comes at a great personal sacrifice. This is his quest to become a good father.

Anon decides to adopt a filly and record his experience as a Dad in a journal to do something with his life in Equestria. Except, being a father is hard work and comes at a great personal sacrifice. This is his quest to become a good father.

Published 2014-06-10 03:00:07 UTC
Last updated 2015-10-25 18:38:47 UTC

Days 1 - 9

Day 1 - Morning

I decided to begin keeping a journal now that I've decided to make something of my life here in Equestria. I figured the best thing to do would be to adopt some filly that's less fortunate than I. So, I went down to the orphanage and was introduced to all the little fillies and colts that were there. While I admit that there were more than a few I would have been willing to take home, none were as memorable as the yellow pegasus with long pink hair. Her shyness was probably the most adorable thing ever, Journal.

I told the owner of the orphanage that I needed a day to think about it and now my mind is made up. I'm going back there today and I'm adopting Fluttershy, that perfect little angel. A part of my heart warms from the thought that she might call me Daddy...

Anyway, no time to waste! I'll be back later journal to tell you about the adoption process!

Day 1 – Afternoon

Alright Journal, I'm back. Looking at the clock, I can't believe it took so long to get the process done.

It was probably cause I'm a human.

Damn ponies.

Anyway, I charged into that orphanage like nobody's business and demanded that I wasn't leaving without Fluttershy. Then I was informed I needed to get paperwork from city hall.

So I left and came back.

THEN I demanded I wasn't leaving without Fluttershy.

You should have seen her face Journal. Her little tears of joy... That wide smile. Absolutely amazing. I'll never forget it as long as I live. I picked her up, put her on my shoulder and we walked out of there.

The owner seemed really enthusiastic that I was taking her. It's touching to see that the orphanage gets so excited for a new adoption. It's like they really care.

Anyway, I brought her home to my little cottage outside of Ponyville. Her shyness still hasn't wore off, but I'm sure she will just need some time to get used to me. I am a six foot human anyway. I made her some lunch, and now she's down for a small nap.
Poor girl must be tuckered out from such a long, exciting day. I also can't help but feel that... maybe I've jumped in a bit too deep, Journal...

Maybe I should have waited for someone special in my life to help me take care of this filly.

Ugh. I can't think like this.

I'm going to be a good father! I won't mess this up. I'm going to do my best to learn more and more about her for the rest of the day. Apparently she's already set to go to school, so all I need to do is focus on raising her.

Instilling good values.

Answering the hard questions.

Teaching her how to be a good adult.

I'll talk to you more later, Journal.

I can do this.

P.S. SHIT. ANON. DON'T FORGET. RESEARCH HOW TO TEACH FILLIES TO FLY.

Day 1 - Evening

I'm exhausted, Journal.

Not because she's a little ball of energy. Thank God for that.

I spent the afternoon helping her paint her room. She wanted the room to look just like outside and have little animals everywhere! Fluttershy loved every moment of it.

"I want little animals all over the walls of my first room!" She exclaimed.

I just did the best I could to smile and nod. When she says little things like 'her first room', I have to do everything I can to keep myself composed. It's little moments like that which make me realize I'm all she has.

...

I know I can be a good father.

Once we were done painting her room, I made her the best salad I could scramble up from my bachelor fridge. The weird thing was that I bought a huge carrot just for salads... And it just disappeared.

I don't remember eating it....

Eh. Oh well. She still liked it. That's what matters.

Reminder- Grocery store.

I talked to one of my neighbors while Fluttershy watched squirrels in the yard. She said she would be happy to teach her how to fly when she's ready. Which is a huge load off of my back. She also said something about a flight Academy in Cloudsdale. That could be good too. She could make more friends.

Anyway I suppose it's about time for me to hit the sack, but before I go, I want to tell you about when she went to bed. I tucked her into her bed, which she said was so soft and comfy. I read her a story about a little bunny that she really, really enjoyed. Then I gave her a big hug and told her sweet dreams. Without missing a beat, she said "I love you, Daddy."

I can't even describe what it felt like, Journal. So, I replied "I love you too, Shy."

She closed her eyes and quietly fell asleep. As I tip toed out and turned off the lights... I felt so warm... And happy. I have no doubts anymore, Journal.

I'm going to be the best Dad ever.

For my little Fluttershy.

Day 2 - Morning

I'm not sure who was more excited to wake up and spend our first big day together, me or her. It might have been her, considering I pretended to be asleep when I heard come into my room this morning to wake me up. She lept up on the bed, yelling "Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! The sun is out!" Naturally the only suitable punishment for waking up Dad that early would be a tickle attack.

Listening to her giggle just seems to add purpose to my life. It's hard to explain, Journal.

After making her a quick breakfast, she said she wanted to see the animals out by the forest in the back. Well, I knew it would come eventually.I had to warn her about the Everfree forest, and the dangerous creatures within. She smiled and listened to every word, and promised not to go there.

But she did have a question I didn't have an answer to.

"What if they are just misunderstood, Daddy?"

I'll confess that I dodged the question by reminding her to make her bed and wash her teeth. It's scary how smart little ones can be sometimes.

Today will be a packed day, Journal. We have to get some supplies for her before she goes to school to the young, new teacher Miss Cherilee. I also want to stop by the library for a few small reasons. First, to get some more nighttime books for her. Second, to see if there are any young fillies there that Fluttershy can make friends with. Finally... And guiltily. To find some sort of idiots guide to parenting.

I can do this, Journal.

If you believe in me, at least that will make three.

You, me and the little filly.

Day 2 - Afternoon

Maybe I shouldn't have done this, Journal. Maybe I'm not ready to be a father. Maybe I--

If you were real, this would be the part where you cut me off and ask me what happened.

Ugh. I'll do my best to explain it.

The grocery store went great. If anything, too well. Fluttershy's... Well, shyness, really shined today as we were out and about. If we were in a big crowd, she wanted to be on my shoulders so she wouldn't lose me. As cute as it was, I'm a six foot human in a town of four foot ponies. I'm a little hard to lose. It doesn't matter though. Once we began shopping, she didn't really say anything, just walked behind me and looked at items on the shelves. Finally, it clicked in my head, and I asked if she wanted the item she was looking at.

Her reply was a slow nod. After that, she wasn't as afraid to ask daddy if we could get something. I was shocked at how many different things she wanted. Oats, carrots, other vegetables. Not even a single piece of junk food.

Sometimes this parenting stuff is easy.

However, what plagued me all day today, was the way the ponies looked at me.

"What is he doing with that little filly?" Their judging eyes seemed to say.

They don't know me. I can be a good dad. I think...

Journal, do you think - -

Sorry, she woke up from her nap. I'll tell you more later, Journal.

Day 2 - Evening

Alright, I'm back.

I guess the cat is out of the bag about us now, Journal. She wanted to know why Daddy kept a diary. Don't worry, I defended your honor.

But, I will keep you hidden. I can't let my little girl see your contents. At least, not till she's older. Dad needs to be strong, confident, sure of himself and a solid rock.

Or at least appear to be.

Anyway, I've been thinking over it and I don't care what the other ponies think. I feel like I'm finally doing something good in this world.

I also realized I forgot to talk about the library. I was able to get the books I wanted and even found a few extra ones. What was unsuccessful, was introducing Shy to some of the other fillies there. She would quietly introduce herself, but other times just squeak. It was adorable, but I gotta work up this filly's confidence. Life is too short to be so shy that you can't make friends.

What I did find is I think she might have a natural affinity for animals. When I showed her some of the books I found, it was the animal ones that she was most interested in. She loves to be outside, in fact she was playing with birds after we got home. Normally birds aren't super friendly here... Even to pegasus ponies that have wings like them.

Not that they are mean, but they are skittish.

The birds landed RIGHT on her wing. I was shocked. They like her, and she likes them. It certainly gives me an idea, Journal.

Tomorrow while she's at school I'll have to see if I can execute the plan. I've also been reading the parenting guide I borrowed... and so far... Nothing eye opening.

Progress is progress though.

I can do this. As long as she's happy.

Day 3 - Morning

Morning, Journal.

It's funny, but I had the worst night's sleep. I heard Shy moaning in her sleep last night, just as I laid down. After a few minutes, I got worried and went to check on her.Right as I got to her door, she stopped. I'm guessing she must have had a bad dream or something

Yet, when I asked her how she slept this morning, she said she slept wonderfully and how much better her new bed is from the old one. I'll have to keep an eye on her sleep habits, to see if the nightmares are persistent. Otherwise, I asked her if she wanted me to walk her to school, but she said she knew the way. Most fillies her age are beginning walk to school on their own, so I'm not going to force it on her. Plus Ponyville is such a nice place.

It's not like you are worried something bad would happen. What could possibly go wrong?

Anyway, I'm off to work myself. The massage parlor isn't glamorous work, but at least I can put my hands to good use. Plus, I've been able to keep my integrity in tact. No 'happy endings' for any of the ponies. See ya later tonight, Journal.

I'm going to spend all day wondering if Fluttershy will like the special lunch I packed her.

Hi Daddy's diawy. My name is Fluttershy, but daddy calls me Shy for short. I like that name very much. My favorite color is pink, just like my hair and there is a squirrel in the front yard I named Mr. Nibbles. Today I went to school. It was a little scary, because I was called on in class to answer a question and everypony looked at me. I'm happy my answer was right. The best part was at lunch when I read Daddy's note! He's the best daddy in the whole world. I know reading Daddy's diary would be bad, so I'm just gunna draw him a picture instead. It's a flower! I love you Daddy! I hope you won't be mad I found your diary.

Day 3 - Evening

I have no idea how she found you, Journal, but in the bookcase clearly wasn't a good enough hiding place. At least it looks like no serious damage was done. I'll change your home to my desk for security.

I have to admit though, every few lines, I flip back a page to look at the drawing she made me. It warms my heart in ways I can't fully explain. I'm writing your entry a little later tonight so I can wait to see if Shy is having another nightmare. So far, so good.

I asked Shy's teacher what her performance has been like in school. Cherilee mentioned that she's a good student, she just never talks in class. At all for that matter.

In fact, she thought she was mute for the first few weeks.

She mentioned that she will volunteer her sometimes in class, to try and break her shy streak. I about gave that teacher a hug. Otherwise, it was an uneventful night. I read Shy a story about a squirrel tonight. She wanted him to be called Mr. Nibbles instead of Scurry, like the book said. After what she wrote, I could Hardily say--

...

There it is again.

...

Alright I'm back.

I tapped on her door and asked if she was having a bad dream. She sounded sleepy when she said yes. I asked if she wanted to sleep with Daddy, and she said she wanted to be a big girl. I couldn't really fight that, so I left her be, letting her know that she just hard to call if she needed anything. Everything seems to be quiet now though.

Another day of work tomorrow. Honestly, this parenting thing is a little fun... Kinda. I don't think I've ever did something this fulfilling in my entire life.

Night, Journal.

Day 4 - Morning

Another typical morning, but today I had to get miss lazy flank out of bed.

I can't believe how tired she was. I wonder if I fell asleep before she did and she had another nightmare. I'll have to stay up a little later to see what happens tonight. I can't keep that habit up too much though, it might make my work performance suffer. However, if I could look as adorable as she did waking up, maybe I could make it work to my advantage. Her tiny yawn and stretch, combined with her bedhead in her tiny pink bed.

Man, I really picked the best little filly possible.

Plus I know she is in good hands at school too. She just headed off a few minutes ago, an apple in her saddle bag so she wouldn't be late for school. Speaking of late, if I don't run now, I'll be late for work!

See ya, Journal.

Day 4 - Evening

Not much to say today journal. Shy was so tired when she got home, she could barely keep her eyes open. She fell asleep on my lap as I was reading the paper. Naturally, I carried her into her room and tucked her in. I also found that she likes to snack on carrots.

For some reason she hid it under her pillow.

I just had to smile and I put it back under her pillow. I'll have to remember to keep more around the house. Better carrots than junk food. Other than that, nothing has been on my mind.

...

Damn it, Journal. Why can't I lie to you?

I've been feeling off ever since work yesterday. It must have been when I was taking care of the newly engaged Miss Cake. She's nice, because she's one of the few that doesn't ask for 'extras'. Anyway, she got talking about how excited she was to try and have children soon.

So I mentioned how I adopted Shy.

All there was... Was a cold silence. Then she said two words. "Poor thing." I asked her what she meant, but she wouldn't elaborate.

....

There isn't anything wrong with being a single father? Is there journal? Does Shy need a mother figure?

I suppose that's why I slept so terribly last night. I can't stop asking myself that question. I just keep looking at the picture she made me... Looking for some form of answer.

If you find it before me, Journal, be sure to tell me.

I need all the help I can get.

Day 5 - Morning

Morning, Journal.

I feel a lot better today. I was so down in the dumps, maybe all I needed was a good night's sleep. Fluttershy seems to be a lot more awake today too! She seemed really excited about school today. Apparently, it's an art's and crafts project, but she wanted to keep it secret.

As dumb as it sounds, I'm excited for her to bring it home. Was my life really this boring before? It didn't seem so. Oh well.

Anyway, I told Shy do I might as well tell you too, Journal. I gotta work a little late tonight. Work has a new perspective client, and I'm the only one who can take care of her. However, it has to be right when I normally get off. I asked Fluttershy if she was okay being home alone for a bit, and she said she would just play with the squirrel in the front yard.

Works for me.

More later, Journal.

Day 5 - Evening

Fuck.

What have I done?

It was her teacher, Journal. They assigned me Shy's teacher, Cherilee.

When she walked into my workroom, I don't know who's face was redder, mine or hers. We were able to have some small talk and get to know each other a bit better, but the topic of Shy was brought up a lot. She became a teacher because of how much she loves kids. I asked her why she hadn't found Somepony special, and she just got all quiet. It was weird for her AND I asked a bad question.

I screwed it all up, Journal.

Ugh.

I gotta admit though, I did like our chat while it lasted. She didn't ask for anything 'special' ... But we both smelled the aroma in the room. It sure wasn't scented flowers. I know what she was hoping for.

I hate to imagine what I'm facing when I get in tomorrow. When I got home today, Shy was in her room, which was good. I needed to seriously cool down. When Shy came out, she looked like she had a great day.

I asked her about the arts and crafts project, and she said it wasn't done yet. Other than that, we read the paper together. She's been learning all sorts of words that way. Maybe soon, I'll have her read the good night story.

It never fails that she adds a little light to my day.

My little angel.

Well Journal, I better get some rest. Hopefully the bosses won't skin me alive.

Day 6 - Morning

Everything is going to be fine Anon. I'm keeping as positive as possible for Fluttershy.

....

I'm worried.

I was looking at the wanted ads last night. I just gotta breathe it through and take it like a man.

I just realized how she might treat Fluttershy differently now.

...

This is bad. What am I going to do? Shit.

Here goes nothing.

Day 6 - Evening

Where do I even begin.

The minute I got into work, I was called into the bosses office. I can't say I wasn't prepared for it... But I was nervous as hell. First, she wanted to know everything that I did. She didn't care about what I said to her... She cared about the techniques I did. So I did my best to explain what I do with my fingers... And she tried to replicate them with her magic. Close, but not perfect.

After that, she informed me that when Cherilee was done, she went straight to the front desk. I braced myself for the worst. She booked me for two months.

I sat there, dumb founded.

Since I'd technically be doing over time now, she gave me vacation days and a raise.

I think my jaw literally dropped.

After that, everything was amazing. I ran and picked up Fluttershy from school after I was done with work, who seemed surprised I was there. I said "Tonight, we are going out for a change." She seemed excited, and I caught a glimpse of Cherilee as I left. We both shared a smile and a wave. She seems really nice, that Cherilee.

...

Journal, I swear if you are thinking what you are thinking, you are crazy.

Anyway, Fluttershy and I went out to dinner and I have to say for a child, her manners are astonishing. She seemed squirmy though, as if there were some itch she needed to scratch. When we got home, which was a little late, she just wanted to go to her room and go to sleep. No story or anything.

I thought it was weird, but I tucked her in and next thing you know, out like a light. She's so cute when she sleeps. As tempted as I was to watch, I thought I'd leave her be. I decided I'd hit the sack early too. What an amazing day.

Day 7 - Morning

It's officially been one week since I adopted Shy, Journal. It feels like it was just yesterday... it's crazy how time flies.

I awoke from a terrible dream in the middle of the night. I dreamt that Shy was older and going out with a stallion! Heh. Thank goodness time doesn't fly that fast. I looked in my parenting book on when is the right time to teach about... Well, Stallions.

It looks like I got five more good years.

I'm telling ya Journal, I'm going to enjoy every second of this innocent filly that I can. Anyway, it's the weekend today! Thank God. I'm trying to knock out this entry early, before-

There she is, just peeking through my door. She didn't want to disturb me. So adorable. I'll make an entry later this afternoon.

See ya, Journal.

Day 7 - Afternoon

This morning was nice. I made pancakes for Shy and I. She was so excited.

She mentioned she only got Pancakes on her birthday back at the orphanage, and she would usually feed them to the birds. So, naturally, we got a loaf of bread and went for a walk. However, I think I know what this fillies cutie mark is supposed to be for now.

I noticed that as we were walking, Fluttershy not only was able to name the breed of every bird, but a name that she gave them. Normally kids name things and then forget it a few days later. But she called some of the birds, by name, and they landed on her wing.

Okay, fine. Cool.

Then she talked to them.

And they chirped back.

And she understood them.

...

Normally, I would probably freak out that my child has some form of super power, but I know ponies well enough by now to only freak out a little bit. I can nudge what her talent might be, but she has to realize it on her own to get her mark. This filly also asked me the craziest question today. She asked me-

Oh, she's up from her nap. I wrote downstairs so I wouldn't disturb her and keep things quiet. I can't believe how important naps are to this filly. Time for the afternoon!

See ya, Journal.

Day 7 - Evening

This little mare is way smarter than she let's on. Or, at least, she has some way of asking questions that eats at my mind. It all started when she asked why I didn't have a special somepony. I... Didn't have an answer really. So I told her I haven't found anyone special yet.

She thought about that for a while and didn't bring it back up until after lunch. We were playing in the yard... When she said that she liked Cherilee. I said that it was good that she liked her teacher. Then she asked if I liked her.

I could have simply answered yes, or teased her... But something in my chest swelled up... And I wasn't sure what to say.
I said I liked her, and that she seemed really nice. Then, she said I should ask her to be my special Somepony.

I laughed and played it off... But the idea has been stuck in the back of my head. I won't deny that Shy could use a mother figure in her life... But I don't need to be dating a mare in order to have that.

Ugh.

Plus it would make work so weird. However... For a pony... She is kind of cute.

Gah. Shut up, Journal.

...

Well there is no way I can make a decision tonight... Even if I'm finding myself unable to think about anything else. I might as well try to get some rest.

Day 7 - Night

I can't sleep. It feels like I've laid in bed for hours. I can't get the thought of Cherilee out of my head. I barely even know the mare.

But I mean... After that appointment....

What am I supposed to think? She probably just likes my hands. She hardily even knows me. I keep running through all the scenarios in my head, and there isn't a way I can pull this off without it being weird to Shy.

You know... There is one other thing too, Journal. I know you hate it when I keep you out of the loop, but my sleeping has been weird lately. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and something just feels weird. Ever since the adoption... I feel like something has been off. Maybe I'm just not used to---//

I think I jumped 10 feet in the air when Shy tapped on my door. She said she had a bad dream and wanted to sleep with Daddy. Can't keep her waiting. We'll continue this later.

Day 8 - Morning

Holding her in my arms last night gave me the answer I needed. The selfless answer is that if I do try, and it works, then we will have to be responsible adults about it.The selfish answer is ~- - - - - - - - - - - - ~

Another lie. Sorry, Journal. The real selfish answer is that I'm tired of feeling alone.

Plus... I'm so stressed about Shy. I don't want to mess this up. She's so young, amazing, and impressionable. I want her to do well and have a beautiful, bright future. So, I'm going to go on a limb and ask Cherilee on a date.

...

How the hell do I do that? Ugh. More things to think about.

Later, Journal.

P.S. Weird. I went to make the bed, and it looks like Shy might have wet the bed a little. No problem... Except it's not really yellow. Huh... I better check her bed too. I hope she isn't sick.

Day 8 - Afternoon

Holy. Shit.

Here sheets are weirdly discolored.... According to the guide... Definitely bed wetting. I gotta do this smart.

If I approach her about it, I don't want her to feel embarrassed... I put them in the wash, since I've just been doing chores and stuff today anyway. I'll just have to see how they come out after they air dry. She's been biting her lip and looking at them as she plays with her animal friends in the yard.

She definitely knows.

How do I do this?

...

I have an idea. I'm going to give it a shot.

If only getting an idea on how to ask out Cherilee were this easy.

Day 8 - Evening

There's nothing like a plan that works.

I think I also may have succeeded in being a cool dad.

So, I had Shy take down the sheets with me. The stains seemed pretty much gone, but I asked her if she knew where they came from and she nodded. I asked her if she was having a little trouble at night and she nodded guiltily. I told her that there was nothing wrong with it and that everyone has trouble when they are little. She seemed to be a little more relieved about it after I talked her through it. I also made a compromise with her.

If she works really hard to not let it happen in bed, then I'll let her adopt her own pet.

Her choice of animal too.

You should have seen her face, Journal. It was lit up like the morning sun. I've never seen a little filly that happy before. We made her bed together and I found her snack again. It looked like it was hardily touched and it started to smell a little weird. I told her she didn't have to hide a snack if she wanted one and threw it away.

Seriously. That thing reeked. I didn't know carrots could turn that bad.

Anyway, after that, things were good the rest of the night. Shy helped me make dinner, which was nice. I cut up the lettuce and she tossed the salad around in the big bowl.

We read the paper again. I can already tell her reading is getting better. I wonder if there is something else I can improve with her... I read the bunny story to her again tonight and that's when she said that bunnies are her favorite animal.

I simply smiled and asked 'What about butterflies?' She thought about it and was stumped. She couldn't decide! It was so cute.

...

Tomorrow I will see Cherilee after I pick up Shy. I don't know what to do...

Day 9 - Morning

Alright. Today I'll do it.

Today, I'll ask Cherilee out on a date.

Coffee. Nothing serious.

Deep breaths Anon.

It's only the first pony you ever asked out.

Focus on other things.

It seems like Fluttershy didn't wet the bed last night. She even showed me because she was so proud. She must really want that pet. Shy will probably want a bunny, guessing by our conversation last night.

I wonder if I should take Cherilee a flower...

Damn it. Maybe a day of hard work will get my mind off things. Keep your fingers crossed, Journal.

Or... Wait. Your pages.

Wait. That will make crease marks.

Nevermind, just wish me luck.

Day 9 - Evening

I couldn't bring myself to say it.

I thought through what I was going to say all day at work. Then, I get off, run to school to pick up Shy. Make direct eye contact with her. Then, boom.

My mind goes blank and I just manage to vomit out a "Hey!"

Her emerald eyes just grabbed a hold of me in a way I couldn't break free of.

Dammit Journal, What's my problem? Ugh. I'll have to try again tomorrow.

Why is this all so hard?

Shy has been acting a little squirmy today... I hope she isn't feeling awkward about this situation.

I'm too tired for this tonight. Taking two headache pills and hitting the sack. Night, Journal.

Author's Note

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading the first part of Adopting Fluttershy. Hopefully you enjoyed it. This is a big experiment on my part, so please give me any feedback you have. Are the installments too short? What parts do you like? Let me know what you think!

Days 10 - 15

Day 10 - Morning

I had a bad dream and overslept this morning. Running late for work. After that dream, I've never been more determined. I'm asking Cherilee on that date. Even if I make a fool out of myself doing it. I'll tell you everything tonight, Journal.

Day 11 - Morning

I feel like I haven't slept that well in days, Journal. Fluttershy seems like she stopped teasing me about Cherilee. Which is good, or else Dad would have to get out his patented tickle attack.

It's at times like this that I really just feel, serene. My date... Erm. Evening I guess.

...

Wait a second. Should I get her a babysitter on that night?

...

She should be old enough to take care of herself. I think.

Crap, I better ask around at work.

Day 11 - Evening

Alright, so I asked around at work. It seems like Fluttershy is old enough to be left on her own for a few hours. Heck, the town is so trusting, they let most of the fillies run around on their own most of the time. I have zero concerns about leaving Fluttershy alone.I mean, she's so well behaved! Clearly a result of my good parenting.

...

Let me live in denial, Journal. It feels great.

OH! Fluttershy brought home her arts and crafts project from school. She made me a macaroni necklace. She painted it yellow with pink stripes down it. There are also little flowers on every other noodle. I'll quote her:

"I wanted you to have something pretty to wear all the time so you look pretty for Cherilee."

If I didn't know better, I'd say this filly is trying to play matchmaker here. Little squirt. I wore it for her all night.

Now I got it sitting here on my desk. She wants me to wear it on my date. Heh.

I'm sure Cherilee will understand if I wear it out the door for her. She said she has a new arts and crafts project coming up soon, this time they are doing painting. I'm pretty excited to see the new picture. I think I stress myself out too much, Journal. I'm gunna get some rest. Just a few more days.

P. S. SHIT WHERE AM I TAKING HER FOR DINNER.

Day 12 - Morning

I shouldn't be this nervous. I can't afford to be this nervous. But I am.

I feel like I have butterflies that are eating out my stomach from the insides. The best thing I can do right now is internalize it and don't let it rub off to Fluttershy. She seems to be more focused on getting her bunny this weekend. The way she bounds down the steps every morning and goes "It's dry, Daddy!" never fails to bring a smile to my lips.

I'm so proud of her.

I've been digging through my book more and more to find anything about differences between raising children as a single parent versus a couple. So far I've found absolutely nothing. Which, I have to admit, is really disappointing. At the end of the day, I have to take this book back this weekend anyway. I might as well see if there is anything else I can find while I'm there. See you tonight, Journal.

Day 12 - Evening

Another quiet day at work giving massages to customers. My hands are really sore today. I swear, I dunno what some of these ponies do, but they really get locked up sometimes. Especially the earth ponies. After a few of them in a row today, I had to take a break and let them rest for a little bit.

While I was in the break room, I overheard a weird conversation. I heard my boss in the other room talking privately with one of my coworkers. I know I probably shouldn't have listened in... but curiosity got the better of me. As I approached, I listened carefully.

My coworker was getting a scolding. At first, I didn't really understand what they were talking about. Something about "How you spend your time outside of work is your business." Blah, blah, blah.

I was about to walk away, since I shouldn't have been listening anyway, until something caught my ear. "You have to break it off with him. We can't let you date a customer," My boss commanded. Instantly my throat seized up and I got out of there.

What am I going to do, Journal? If work finds out that I'm going to go on a date with Cherilee... Ugh. This isn't going to be easy. I'll figure something out. I always do. I just need to think carefully about my decisions.

Anyway, on a brighter note, I think I've finally got everything I need out of this book. Tomorrow I'm going to turn it back in to the library and see if I can find something more specific to my situation. I know I'll think of something. Fluttershy seemed extremely tired today when she got home from school. She even got home a little late. I asked her if everything was okay and she said she was just sleepy. She even went to bed without supper.

I hope that filly is okay...

I need that new book. I'm worried I'm messing up somewhere. Everything has been going great so far, so I've thought. Good meals. Strict bedtime. Healthy snacks. Playing outside. Bedtime stories. Positive reinforcement. I should be -nailing- this!

...

But I still have this gut feeling I'm doing something wrong. Well, no sense brooding over it. I better get some rest.

Night, Journal.

Day 13 - Morning

No appointments this morning! Hooray! I'm going to take the time to get some cleaning and errands done. I had to wake lazyflank up this morning. She seemed... almost delirious. Is she not getting enough sleep? She slept so long last night...

I asked her if she was feeling sick and she said no. I trust that if she were sick, that she would have told me. It's official. Time to find that other book. If there is one.

See ya, Journal.

Day 13 - Evening

I'm a bundle of stress right now, Journal. It's probably pathetic. Sincerely, it's probably is. Thank god you can't judge me. Or, at least I don't think a book can judge me. This -is- ponyland anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if it could happen.

None of that is the point.

Tomorrow night is the date with Cherilee. I've got everything all planned out. Appointment. Dinner. Walk. Simple.Yet, now I'm worried about if my boss finds out. After what I overheard the other day... I just don't want to put my job at stake.

It was hard enough finding a job here in town that the ponies would give me. It's not like I have a special talent like all the others. I'm just a human. Jack of all trades and master of none.

...

I just have to have faith that it will all turn out okay. I've hardily had any time to think about that though. Fluttershy collapsed on her way inside today. She said it was because of how tired she was. I instantly picked her up and tucked her in bed. I'm so concerned, Journal.

Should I cancel tomorrow? If she's sick, then I won't be able to stop thinking about her. I don't know if I can find a sitter on such short notice either. What am I supposed to do?

I'm going to talk to the next door neighbor tomorrow and see if she would mind checking in on her now and then. Hopefully she won't mind. The only real positive thing was that I was able to head to the bookstore today and pick up a new book. It turns out they dohave a book on filly adoption. Yet, I haven't even had the chance to crack it open yet. I'm just so bundled up in this decision.

...

If I don't get some rest, I'll be miserable tomorrow no matter what happens.

Good Night, Journal. Wish me luck.

Day 14 - Morning

Fluttershy is staying home sick from school today. My neighbor said she would check in on her occasionally. I owe her so much. I gotta get to work and try to stay calm about tonight. I'll tell you everything when I get back, Journal.

I promise.

The following is a condensed police report, made on [Day 15] at 1:03 AM.

Anonymous, the human who lives in town, ran into the station in distress at 11:18 PM on [Day 14] reporting a missing filly by the name of Fluttershy. Reportedly, he had been out on a date earlier in the evening with a Miss Cherilee, who works as a teacher at the local schoolhouse.

The search began through town at 11:30 PM, but no reports have been made to have seen the missing filly. Anonymous informed us that his neighbor, a Miss Rosemary, informed him that she would check on his sick child throughout the day while he went to work. Miss Rosemary reported that she checked consistently on the top of the hour until 7PM when she accidentally fell asleep reading a book. When she awoke around 10:30 PM, she ran into the home of Anonymous and the filly was missing from her bed.There are no signs of forced entry and the front door was not locked throughout the day. Evidence shows no sign of a kidnapping. We informed Anonymous to return to his home until further evidence arises.

As of this moment, we believe the filly may have entered the Everfree Forest, due to Anonymous informing us that she had a fascination for the inside of the forest, in part of her love for animals. We are readying an armed search party to search the forest for signs of the filly. More information will be delivered to Anonymous on a need to know basis.

Day 15, I think - Really Early.

I don't know who to talk to, Journal. The police won't tell me anything.

Cherilee left about an ho- -r ago. I can't sleep. She's gone and I have no idea where she went. When I got home she was just... gone, and my neighbor was in a panic, screaming she was sorry. I just want to know where she is right now... Maybe the Eve- -ee Forest.

...

I'm shaking, Jo- -rnal. I'm getting tears all over your pages. I don't k- -ow what to do. I just wish there was something I can do to help. What if some- -ne took her, Journal? What if she's out in the woods, alone, with nobody to protect her? Yelling out in vain for me, as she's tired, hun- -ry and cold.

I can't bear the the thought of it.

I can't concentrate.

I can barely form co- -ant sentences to tell you what's going on.

... I have to do something.

The following is a condensed police report, made on [Day 15] at 6:27 AM.

As our squad prepared to enter the Everfree Forest in search of the missing filly, Fluttershy, they stopped as a creature exited the forest with the missing party. They prepared their magic to attack the creature, but on closer inspection it was the human, Anonymous. He was covered in scratches and bruises, but no life threatening injuries. The filly reportedly went into the forest to play with her animal friends, which she had been doing every night for nearly a week and fell asleep. As of 6:10 AM, the case of the missing filly is closed.

Day 15 - Evening.

I'm very disappointed. In fact, that phrase doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how I feel right now. When we got home, I sat her down on the couch and scolded her. I had to.

She had no idea how worried sick I was. I'll tell you what happened, Journal. I entered the Everfree forest with my fists balled and adrenaline coursing through my veins. The thick foliage made it near black, but once my eyes adjusted, I could see a little bit.
Finally, after what felt like hours, I found a small clearing where dozens of animals were sleeping. Then, there she was, curled up in a little ball. Beside a goddamn bear.

I thought she was hurt. Or worse.

I sprinted to her, not thinking about the animals surrounding her. I was too worried Kneeling down beside her, I picked her up in my arms and she gently woke up.

"Daddy?" She said in a daze.

I instantly broke into tears and held her close to my chest.I thought I might have lost her for forever. That's when I whispered that we were going to go home. I turned around and began to walk out of the forest.

What I didn't expect was to be attacked by the fucking bear.

The bear, or Beary, as Fluttershy called him when she told him not to hurt me, was worried I was kidnapping her from him. I suppose there is something ironic in there, but I was too busy being attacked by a bear to notice. Once she said goodbye to all of her little animal friends, we made our way out of the woods.

I was furious.

Relieved, but furious.

We saw the police on the way out of the forest. After informing them of what happened, I took her home. Which brings us back to here. I had to scold her, even when her little face turned to the ground and tears welled in her eyes. I can't let her run off like that. No more nightly play time. She can play with her animal friends, but only during the day and in the back yard.

We are lucky that Miss Rosemary still lives quite a bit away from the cottage or else she might faint that I'm letting my daughter play with a goddamn bear.

I mean seriously. A bear. How did that even happen.

She tried to explain it, but she was halfway in-between sobbing and choking out apologies. I did my best to stay resolute and be strong, but that's when she said it.

"You aren't going to take me back," She sniffed. "Are you, Daddy?"

That's when I lost it. I just about cried on the spot. I sat down on the couch and held her in my arms.

"I would never take you back, Shy," I reassured my little filly. "I'm setting rules because I care about you, and I don't want to worry about losing you."

"I love you, Daddy," She choked out.

"I love you too, Fluttershy," I said in a calm tone, stroking her mane.

I'm so tired, we are both going to bed early tonight. She wants to sleep in my bed tonight. Honestly, I kind of want her too as well, for my own paranoia. I better not keep her waiting. I'll tell you about my failure of a date tomorrow morning.

Night, Journal.

Days 16 - 17 Morning

Day 16 – Sunday Morning

I've woken up early and began to thumb through the previous entries of you, Journal. It was getting a little mixed up in my head, so I'm gunna add days of the week onto you too. I look over to the curled little filly laying on my bed and I grow even more concerned that maybe I was too hard on her. I had her spend most of yesterday in time out after I woke up. Although, I don't think she was planning on leaving her room anyway...

My night's rest was the most sound that I've had in months. Was it because my little girl was sleeping beside me? I'm not sure, but I know it probably helped. I know that no amount of worrying and concern can make me a better father, but she went missing! I just don't know what to do.

…

I suppose you'd be interested to hear how the date went. I admit, that I think I probably ruined it. It started out well enough.

I watched the clock like a hawk, knowing the time for Cherilee's appointment was coming soon. Appointment. Dinner. Walk. This couldn't go wrong.

I even talked it over with a few of the mare coworkers and they thought it was a solid plan. I didn't let them know it was a client, of course. I knew at Shy should have been checked at least four times by our neighbor and that if the walk was timed right, she should be there in about five minutes. That thought stuck out vividly, because, that was when she walked through the door. The minute she trotted in, a look of excitement bringing out the finer points of her smile, my face lit up and I knew that everything was going to be fine.

She laid on the table and she immediately wondered why Shy hadn't been at school. I told her that she had been sick lately. She was worried about what she had, so I did my best to describe how she was so tired that she can barely get out of bed. I was honestly surprised that the first thing she talked about before getting into how each other's day was or small talk or even learning more about each other, is about Shy.

It's like this mare just knew me like a book. And... I liked that... in a way.

But as the massage went on, we moved onto more generic topics like the weather and what she liked to do in her spare time. What little spare time she had as a teacher, anyway. She said she loved reading books. When I asked what kind of books, she mentioned biographies and autobiographies were her favorite because they let the reader gain all sorts of insight into that pony's life. I never really saw it that way before.

I always thought biographies were boring and lacked the same sense of excitement than a fictional novel. No offense, Journal.

Anyway, I talked about some of the books I was reading and then she casually asked what the plan was for tonight. My boss's words to my coworker rang in my ears and I just froze. I moved to the door and locked it as she raised her head. As quietly as I could, I told her how I could get fired if anyone found out about me getting involved with a customer.

She eyed me curiously and asked the simple question. "Why was I putting my job on the line for her."

The problem was that logically I didn't have an answer. It was insane. It was crazy. Why was I doing this? However, a burning in the pit of my chest answered that for me, even if I couldn't find the right words
.

But, the way I looked into her eyes and she smiled, I knew she understood. I opened the door again and returned to the massage. We are only supposed to close the door if... well... If I need to earn a good tip.

Now that I have a daughter, I dunno if I should be doing that anymore... I suppose that's a different entry though.

After I finished, she rose from the table and stretched with cute little groans. She did seem to stick her flank out a bit more than... well, other clients. I'm almost positive she wanted me to notice. On the other hand, I wasn't exactly not looking.

I shouldn't have wrote that out where Fluttershy can see that. It's bad enough she found my journal once. I'm going to do my best to keep those. uhm. Details to myself. When I can.

Sorry Journal, I know you would love the juicy bits.

Anyway. She stretched and I began to clean up. Casually, I asked if I would see her next week as well. All she did was smile and nod. Bidding her goodbye, she made her way to the front to pay and... And then I realized we had no plan for how to meet up.

After I cleaned up, I walked out and saw the receptionist and a coworker talking. They seemed to hush up pretty fast once I approached them, but I tried not to put much thought into it. I said goodbye, and they suddenly asked if I had plans tonight. I told them that I was busy with that date, but tried to keep the details low. It seemed like they wanted to invite me to get a few drinks.

How is it that once you get one mare's affection, more seem to follow? Humans were like that on Earth, too. That's besides the point.

It seems like the bosses had gone home for the day, so I strode outside with confidence. I saw my date sitting on a park bench, reading the newspaper. With a smile, I walked over to her and was trying to think of something witty to say. Something, anything. But I became transfixed on her hair, and my mind went blank.

So, I went with, "Excuse me, would you mind if I treated you to delicious meal?" She looked up from the paper and smiled. "Why, I'd be honored," she replied in a playful tone. Naiiiled it! High five, Journal.

…

I'm sorry I just slapped your pages. Uh. Let's just pretend that didn't happen. Also, that may have just been what I -wanted- to have had happen.

…

Shy's waking up. I think I'm going to go see if she wants to go swimming today. I can't be mad at her for forever. It's not like she ran away... she had just been staying up late to go play with the animals. I didn't have any explicit rules for that... until now anyway. I'll add more details later in the day.

See ya, Journal.

Day 16 – Sunday Evening

After a nice breakfast of eggs, it seemed pretty clear that Shy was just scared of getting me mad again. She just sat at the table with her head down, silent. It crushed my heart to watch her... so I tried to talk with her like nothing ever happened. However, all I got were short little replies.

When I asked if she wanted to go to the lake, she looked up at me with that little familiar smile I love so much.

"Can we see the fishies?" she asked quietly.

How in the world could I say no to that? So I put a pair of shorts on and we headed to the lake with a few floaty tubes and pairs of goggles. We got around halfway there when something dawned on me. I had no idea of this filly knew how to swim. It was entirely possible that it was some sort of ability they were born with... but I wanted to air on the side of caution. So I simply asked her if she knew how to swim.

She shook her head as she walked along with me with her little yellow legs. "Well then, I'll just have to teach you then!" I said to her.

Man, Journal. That was MUCH easier said than done. I got to about chest depth in the pond and told her to come on in. Once she got up to her neck in the water, which wasn't too far, she just stopped and shook her head.

Right. Baby steps.

I came up closer and got to about waist height so I was much nearer. I assured her that if she came out deeper, then it would be easier to see the fishies. Holding out my arms, I told her that I was there to pick her up if anything happened. Everything would be okay.

She looked around and asked what she had to do to stay floating like I did. I thought to myself and tried my best to describe how a doggie paddle worked. There was no way I could ask a pony to tread water. She nodded, but still stayed in place, to scared to make the initial leap all by herself.

I headed up to where she was and lifted her by the underbelly. "Alright, let's go slowly, I'm going to slowly take you deeper, okay?" I said.

She began to lightly shake. "Promise you won't let go?" she asked, trembling.

"I promise," I said in the warmest tone I had.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as I began to slowly take her deeper, while keeping her head above water.

"Alright, now begin to lightly kick your legs. Just like I told you," I said. Shy began to do the paddling motion in the water and I simply gave her words of encouragement until we were about at my mid-rift. "You're doing it, Shy. Open your eyes. Look how far we are!" I said to her.

Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked back to shore.

"Did I swim that far all by myself?" she asked.

"Almost!" I said. "All that's left is to do it all by yourself."

Fluttershy looked up at me and back at the shore, and then back to me again. Conflict filled her contorted little face as she wanted to swim on her own, but was too scared to do it just yet.

"You don't have to right away. Take your time," I said to her. Fluttershy just smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Daddy," she said with a smile.

After that, some fish swam up to us and she -talked- to them. I still can't get over that. She talked about it just as if she thought I could hear them too. Sometimes, I wish I could.

Anyway. That was the highlight of my day. Onto more of the date. I'll see what I can add without falling asleep on your pages.

Right. So, I approached her outside the shop. I remember wondering if it would take too much time for us to swing back to the house and check on her...

However, when Cherilee walked out, my entire train of thought went somewhere else. It seemed like, she was wearing some sort of makeup, but not in a bad way. Nothing that was out of place... but you noticed her face seemed more radiant. Her eyes had a natural draw to them and she has a smile that could inspire world peace. For just a moment, my mind just went numb.

I remember thinking "Where had this pony been for this long? I'm going on a date with -her?-"

She walked right up to me and my words were just sitting at the edge of my tongue, but as they tried to jump off the diving board, they tried to do a backflip. a backflip that failed and crashed the board into my head.

All I could say was "You look pretty."

And instantly I felt like I set the tone for the whole night. Mr. Awkward. Cherilee just giggled and I smiled, trying roll with the punches the best I could. I had plans for us to go to this quaint little place that my coworkers told me about. It wasn't really the fanciest place in town, but it definitely had a sense of style.

"Well, uh. Should we head to our reservation?" I said.

"Sure," she replied. "Where are we headed to?"

There are two things that are my absolute vices. Garlic and Onions. And the Olive Branch had both in just about everything. Noodle dishes that were marinated in tomato and cream sauces from fresh ingredients from Ponyville itself, which came to a shock to most visitors.

Most people take the little town for an apple sort of place.

On the way there we just shot the breeze. She asked how long I've worked at the massage parlor and I replied honestly. I lost track. I had been in Equestria for a long time, but I never really tracked for how long. I wasn't even sure if I had had a birthday, since they don't operate on quite the same calendar system. At least they have seven days in a week. Weirdly, they are still named like our days... but I suppose I just need to learn to not question certain things.

…

Terrible tangent, sorry Journal. This place is weird.

Anyway, we arrived at the restaurant and I was doing my best to keep the conversation flowing and natural. I think it worked really well, especially once we began talking about her. Cherilee was more than happy to share about her childhood, what it was like for her to grow up and why she became a teacher. It was really nice to listen to the way she spoke.

She had a way of saying things in a calm, collected, and even motherly manner. I can see why people love her as the teacher for their children.

The waitress mare took our orders and I ordered something with the least amount of things in it to make my breath smell. Cherilee remarked on what a healthy choice I was making. I tried to repress the 'Oh? It was a healthy choice. Wasn't it?' and replied, "Well, you gotta do your best to eat right. Look good. Ya know?"

Cherilee smiled and nodded before dropping the bomb on me. "So, what was it like? Back where you came from, that is."

I immediately sipped my water, unsure on how to respond to her question. I hadn't been questioned like that since I first arrived. Sure, this was much more casual... and I wasn't being interrogated as some new crazy threat to the world around them... but I was still unsure of how to respond. She immediately redoubled and said if it was too hard, I didn't have to go into detail on it.

I immediately tried to correct the situation and assure her it was fine. I just wasn't sure what details to leave in and what to leave out. So, I told her about Earth, the people that lived on it, what it was like living in my country "The United States" and how much more fast paced life was there than in Ponyville. She seemed to be hanging off of my every word as I described to her what my life was like back in my home.

It was nice to have someone listen. I mean, really listen and not threatening you with a magical beam when you tell it. Or having to tell the story to a Princess ruler.

Anyway, then she asked me what I did back on Earth. I just laughed and shook my head. I tried to explain to her what a computer was. That was near hopeless to explain.

What I settled on was that I did a lot of complex math using a lot of complex machines that don't exist here. So, when I arrived here, I was essentially out of a career and had to restart from scratch. Then it was the string of the unknowns.

How did I arrive here? Am I able to go back? Just a few questions that I could only answer 'I don't know'. The more I thought of home, the more I missed it. However, there wasn't a known way for me to go back. So I was... stuck.

Then, of course, she asked why I adopted a daughter. That was probably the hardest one to answer. For simplicity's sake, I said I always wanted to be a father. Which was true. But then, the retort was, why a daughter? I'd like to say that it would be due to me being terrible at sports and that I would be a terrible dad for typical 'boy' things. But the thing is, I suppose in my mind, I thought a girl would be easier.

The more I read these parenting books... the more and more I've found out I was dead wrong. But that's a different discussion.

Speaking of different discussions, it's getting super late and I'm exhausted after today. I'll tell you more tomorrow morning, Journal. Night.

Day 17 – Monday Morning

I had the worst night's sleep, Journal. I saw I accidentally left my bedroom window open and I woke up to a freezing cold room. At least I had a good dream though. There is nothing like a good snuggle dream to give you a great start to the day. Is it bad that I'm dreaming about Cherilee? I hope not. I'm still not sure how to even confront her.

Shy is going back to school today and I'm a little nervous of what the fallout might be from the date. I've got some time, since I woke up early today, so I'll go into a bit more detail regarding what happened next. This is when things got a little more intense. After she asked me all of those questions about Shy, I got worried about her. Suddenly, I was concerned on how she was feeling and if she was doing any better. I immediately thought that going out that night might have been a mistake.

I tried to act like everything was okay, but I'm sure I wasn't very convincing. There was an intense debate in my mind on whether I should ask if I could go back and check on her. I was worried that if I did, I would ruin the date. But, suddenly, that didn't matter as much to me anymore. My duties as a father came first in my mind.

To my surprise, she didn't seem very upset by it, maybe a bit disappointed... but she seemed okay. I promised that we could still go on our walk afterward, but I just had to do it or I would be spacey all night. Once again, she seemed completely fine.

She admitted she admired that I cared so much for my daughter and it set my mind at ease. It was just supposed to be quick. Check in on Shy, and then back on the walk. However... when we got there, she was just... gone.

There weren't any signs of breaking or entering, but her bedroom window was open. I immediately panicked. My mind immediately became wholly focused on Fluttershy and where she was that I basically forgot about Cherilee. Now I just feel guilty.

I remember when I got home, I just ran through every room in the house, screaming Shy's name in a panic. Cherilee just watched on as I went through a near mental breakdown. Then I sprinted to the neighbor's house and screamed at her for letting this happen. Cherilee might have tried to stop me, but I really don't remember. My mind was red hot and numb.

I told her I was going to go to the police and she should wait at the house. So I sprinted into town without stopping for breath and told them everything. They said they would rally forces and be on the search in a few hours. I remember screaming at them that a few hours was too long. They assured me they had everything under control and told me to go home. So I did.

When I entered the house, I called out to hear if Cherilee was still there and she was. She was waiting in my bedroom. So I headed down the hall, not even thinking twice for why she would be in there. When I got in, she was sitting on the bedside, looking at me.

"Hey," she said in a voice of concern.

"Hey," I answered back solemnly.

I crossed the room and sat on the bedside beside her and held my head in my hands as she wrapped her hooves around me. I wasn't sure what to say as she rubbed my back.

"What did the police say?" she asked.

"They are going to start a search party," I replied.

"They'll find her," she said confidently.

I closed my eyes and just sat there as she held me. I couldn't think of anything else. She lifted my face with a hoof and looked into my eyes.

"They'll find her," she repeated with a smile. For some reason, that was what triggered it. Where was the one place Shy really, really wanted to explore? The Everfree forest.

Cherilee leaned in closer to me and I immediately jumped away, pacing the room.

"She's in the Everfree. I know it," I exclaimed.

"What?" she asked in shock.

"I've got to go find her," I said to her.

"Anon, it's dark and dangerous in those woods. You can't-"

"I don't care," I screamed at her. "And if you are going to be in my way, you might as well leave."

So... then she left. And I began my plan for attack. Then... you know the rest.

Journal, I was so stupid. If I could go back and take away those words. I would. Now here I am just wondering how to even talk to her again. She has another appointment on Friday. I'm going to have to try and make amends before then.

I can't even believe myself.

…

I suppose what's done is done. I better make Shy something for breakfast before school. Today won't be an easy day at work. I better just try to focus.

Wish me luck, Journal.

Days 17 Evening - 21

Day 17 – Monday Evening

Well, Journal. It looks like my hand is forced. A note from Cherilee came home with Fluttershy today. It said that she would like to talk. Nothing ever goes well when people say they want to talk. Now what do I do?

I've spent all evening holding the note while watching Fluttershy play with Angel. I swear that bunny hates me. I can't prove it, but I think he makes faces at me when I'm not looking. I asked Fluttershy if there was anything really weird happening at school today, hoping maybe I could get some sort of idea if Cherilee has been treating her differently. She acted like it was just another day. In that respect, I have to admire the mare. She's keeping work and personal life separate.

Cherilee has an appointment on Friday, so I suppose I will just talk to her then. I suppose my situation could be a lot worse. In the mean time, I'll just focus my attention on Fluttershy.

When I tucked her in, she looked up at me and promised that she would actually go to sleep. I didn't even think that she would consider going back to play with the animals. It's got me worried that maybe I'm being too lenient. Here's the real thing that's eating at my mind, Journal. Should I just focus on being a good father right now, rather than trying to find somepony to share my life with?

I mean, if I mess up raising this mare, that's entirely my fault. I don't know if I could sleep well at night knowing that Fluttershy ended up becoming a bad egg.

…

What am I even thinking? The innocent little girl that plays pretend tea parties with her pet bunny for fun? The young mare that sometimes still wants me to read to her? The tiny filly that calls me Daddy. She's an angel, through and through. How could she become a bad egg?

…

I've got plenty to think about. Night, Journal.

Day 18 – Tuesday Morning

Morning, Journal. I just woke up about 15 minutes ago. I had the worst dream. In the dream, I woke up one morning and Fluttershy was just... gone. What happened was I went into her room and she wasn't in bed. I paniced and called all of the help I could get. All of her animal friends were looking for her. She wasn't at school. The police couldn't get a dime on her. I woke up in a cold sweat and sprinted to her room.

I've never been more relieved to see that she was there.

Then, after I saw her sleeping peacefully, I just sat at her bedside and watched her for a little bit. She gently woke up and asked if it was time for breakfast, but I let her go back to sleep. With a drowsy "Nighty-night" she went back to sleep for another hour or two. There's no way I'm falling back asleep now. I think that was all of the convincing I needed, Journal. This was a sign, it has to be. If anything happened to this little filly, I couldn't forgive myself. She has to come first.

Even if it means sacrificing something I might want in order to make sure she comes first.

Maybe when she's older I can look at dating ~~a mare.~~ Cherilee.

Now I gotta figure out a way to tell her. I'm going to spend more time focusing on Fluttershy now. I mean, it's what any father would do, right? I sure hope so.

I wish there was another single father in town, but it appears that I'm a unique case in Ponyville. It could be worse, but I could sure use some advice from time to time. Maybe I should talk to my neighbor about my situation and see if she has any good advice. I also need to think about getting Fluttershy out for some flying lessons. I heard about a flight academy that I can send her to, but I don't think I have even the least number of bits to get her into that college.

Maybe if I just scrimp and save, then I can get her into it. How could flying be something I forgot about when choosing a filly. I suppose with magic I could have just gotten a few books. There isn't really a point of dwelling on it now.

Now I gotta figure out what I'm going to do with Cherilee. Maybe there is some way I can let her down easily. Hopefully she will understand.

Day 18 – Tuesday Evening

I think I need to do something soon. I asked again how things were going at school and she mentioned that Cherilee has been acting sad lately. She kept asking her if I saw her note, which she kept replying yes.

Shy asked if I was what was making Cherilee sad. I wasn't sure how to reply. The best I could do was simply reply that I hope I wasn't. You and I both know the reality, Journal.

She didn't bring anything up after that because Angel wanted to play with her outside. I watched her play for awhile and I watched the squirrels slowly creep out of the forest, wanting to play, but not sure if they should get close when I'm around. I waved them on in to play in the yard with her. I mean, it's just a few squirrels, right?

It's only a matter of time until she discovers how gifted she is. Maybe the more she is surrounded by the animals, the more of a chance she has to realize it. The bunny seemed to give me a slight nod after I did that. Maybe we have a temporary peace treaty now. Or the bunny is just managing his hatred.

I swear, I ran out of carrots again and I have no idea where they are going. It's gotta be him. I'm going to try and wake up early and write Cherilee a letter, saying we should talk on Friday. Looking over the situation with a clear head, I think the answer is clear now. I've decided that this is also better for my job, that way I don't get fired. I'm still unsure if I should come clean to my boss about the date.

A part of me is too concerned.

It took me forever to find a decent job in Ponyville that could pay my bills. Now that I have one, I really don't want to lose it. Especially since she's counting on me now. Anyway, I'm heading to bed.

Goodnight, Journal.

Hi Daddy's diary. This is Fluttershy again. Can you tell Daddy to make Cherilee happy again? It would make me very happy. I think the other kids at school are mad at me because of it. I'm not sure if they like me very much, but maybe if Cherilee is happy they will like me more. Thank you very much.

P.S. I've been practicing my spelling. Has it got better? Nighty-night.

Day 19 – Wednesday Morning

When I woke up to my bedroom door open, I panicked. But then I opened you, Journal, in order to write my morning entry and now I have more concerns. Fluttershy never said anything about kids at school not liking her?

What's happening? Is it her shyness coming though? Maybe if they just gave her time, then things will pan out. Actually. I got an idea.

What if I gave Fluttershy a diary of her own? Then, maybe I can sneak a peak at it every now and then and see what's really going on in her head. Is that underhanded? I might want to consult a book. If I ever got caught reading from it, it would severely hurt her trust in me. I think I'll just make sure that everything's okay and insure that if anything is wrong at school or outside of school, she can talk to me about it.

Yeah! Papa bear to the rescue. Not the other bear. Although, I probably couldn't take that other bear in a fight.

…

I hope this filly doesn't get rebellious in her teen years. If she gets mad and sends a bear at something... Yeesh. I don't even want to think about that.

I can't afford to think of those silly things anyway. Now I'm more worried that Fluttershy is getting bullied. Nothing indicates it, but if the other kids don't like her... Well, knowing kids on Earth, it'll just be a matter of time. They will try to find any reason to set her apart from the rest of the group. Children are vicious creatures, whether they are ponies or human.

At this point, I'm not sure what I should do as a parent. Do I intervene and find ways for the other children to like her? Or, would it be better for me to have her learn for herself how to deal with these sort of things to prepare her for the cruel world? Honestly, I'm not sure.

Maybe I should just play it by ear and intervene only if it becomes too serious. Until then, I just have to believe that she will come to me if she has any problems at school. Or ask probing questions. I'll keep you updated on that, Journal.

However, I think I need to write a letter to Cherilee, saying we should talk on Friday. So, I'm going to go do that since I woke up early. I think short and sweet might be better in this case. I can just explain to her everything that's been on my mind and say I realized a relationship might not be the best option for me right now. Hopefully this goes well.

See ya, Journal. Wish me luck.

A Letter from Anon to Cherilee

Cherilee,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get in touch with you since the way I acted on Saturday. My head wasn't in the right place and I acted harshly to you. I want to talk to you on Friday after your appointment. Is that okay?

Thanks, Anon.

Day 19 – Wednesday Evening

I think the letter worked, Journal. Fluttershy came home today and seemed to be smiling more than usual. I asked her if Cherilee liked the note and she violently nodded. Apparently it made her "More skippy." As in, skipping around the room.

Where this girl comes up with her vocabulary, I will never know. But the day she stops using the word "hoovsies" I'm going to be very sad.

Now all I have to do is think about how I'm going to break to her that I can't see her anymore. The fact that she's so happy that we are going to talk about it makes me worry that she won't take it very well. But, I suppose there isn't a lot I can do about that right now... I asked Fluttershy how her day at school was and she mentioned that there was going to be some new arts and crafts project that they were going to begin.

With the amount she talks about that, it's really apparent that it's her favorite subject. She said they were going to be doing painting and she wanted to paint me, her and angel at the lake with the fishies. I'm excited to see the result, but it wasn't really what I wanted to hear this time. The thought dawned on me at work. She never talks about her friends at school. So, that's what I asked.\

"Did you do anything fun with your friends at school."

She stopped mid bite and just stared into her salad. Shy didn't even say anything. I just felt helpless and instantly felt bad for bringing it up. I stood up and sat beside her at the dinner and asked her if everything was alright. She looked up with the most innocent eyes and muttered out with a cracking voice 'Why don't the fillies at school like me?'

I asked why she thought that. Her words were 'They never invite me to play with them. I think they call me names behind my back or make fun of me when I'm not looking at them. I try to be nice, but they don't want to talk to me...' I gently stroked her mane as she talked about how she just watched everypony else play as she sat on a swing and watched.

I asked if there was anypony at school that was nice to her and she only really came up with Cherilee. Maybe they don't like her because she's a bit of a teacher's pet. As I sat there and listened to her vent about how much she wanted to be friends with the fillies at school, I was trying to think of any possible way that I could help her, but I realized that I really couldn't even if I wanted to.

If Daddy came in and told the fillies to play nice, that could reflect even more poorly on her. If Daddy talked to the parents of the fillies, then that could get the children in trouble and reflect even worse. Or, then the parents could hate me. That could get even worse. Which then leaves...

Cherilee. It always seems to funnel back down to her.

If Cherilee indirectly helped by connecting Fluttershy with a few of the other fillies in class, maybe it can all fall back into place. Which means, I will have to handle the situation like an adult and ensure that she is okay with my decision.

Fuck, Journal. Maybe I should just keep up appearances for awhile. Through what Flutter has told me, it seems that Cherilee is still interested. I dunno.

Maybe it would be best if I just laid the situation out in front of her and we talked about it together. I have no clue. Maybe I should just sleep on it. I can't think when I feel this tired.

Night.

Day 20 – Thursday Morning

Morning, Journal. Shy just left for school. We had a little bit of a debate this morning, but I think it worked out in the end. She really, really wanted to take Angel to school with her. I was firm and told her she couldn't.

She argued that she didn't want to play all alone at recess anymore. After thinking over it through breakfast, I decided the best way to handle the situation was to remain resolute. If I let her take the bunny to school, then she wouldn't try to make friends there. Or, maybe worse, get distracted during class. I asked her to do her best to try and make a friend today. She sullenly agreed and left for school.

The rabbit just looked at me dirtily after she left. I just looked at him and asked him what he would do, sarcastically. Then I realized he couldn't understand me. Fluttershy talking to him around the house is beginning to make me talk to animals too.

The difference is that I can't understand them. They probably don't understand me either. Whatever. The bunny just wants her to be happy. I'm sure that she talks to him about her troubles at school. I'm more worried why she doesn't come to me with them.

However, this rabbit is beginning to grate on my nerves. I keep finding him stashing carrots in Fluttershy's room. Then, when I give them to him and point it out, he refuses to eat them and I have to throw them away. I've watched him take carrots from the fridge without thinking I'm watching. I'm onto him.

Anyway, today at work I need to figure out the conversation I'm going to have with Cherilee about everything that Shy and I are going through. I'll let you know what I figure out.

See ya, Journal.

Day 20 – Thursday Evening

It's been a long day, Journal. I'm just happy to be home. I spent all day thinking about Fluttershy and her friend problem. The only thing I could come up with for the conversation was that I thought I should ask about Fluttershy in school first before I asked about our relationship. Then, at the same time, she might take that as beating around the bush.

On the other hand, if she asks why we aren't talking about it as I work with her, I could stress that we can't talk about those things at work. That should handle that conversation. However, I think it would be important to reiterate that it's not that I don't have feelings for her, but that I need to do the right thing as a parent. Outside of that... all I can do is hope that she takes it well.

During dinner, I asked Shy about her attempt to make a friend today. Once again, she got quiet. Instantly, I was terrified. I asked her what happened and she looked up at me, extremely worried. After assuring her that she can tell me absolutely anything that's wrong, she muttered that she didn't do anything today. I asked her why and all she could say was that she froze up and was too scared. She didn't know what to say to the girls.

I asked her what she would like someone to say to her if they wanted to be her friend and she thought to herself a little bit. She answered that she didn't really know, maybe the filly would ask if Shy wanted to play with her. I then tried to instill the value of 'Treat others as you would like to be treated'.

I lead her into thinking that if she asked other fillies if they wanted to play with her, she might be surprised at the result. I'm not expecting change overnight, but I asked her to just try and do her best tomorrow. Shy pouted and said that it was scary, but I wouldn't have any if, and's or but's. It's so hard to tell a child 'No', but I think I'm beginning to get used to it.

All of this is in her best interest.

I watched her and Angel play tonight and I just tried to relax in the face of everything I have to face tomorrow. I'm also beginning to think of what Shy and I do this weekend. Maybe go swimming again? That could be fun. The more she works on it, the better she will get.

…

I'm just distracting myself at this point. I'm so nervous about the talk. Shit. There's no point in staying awake worrying about it. I'm going to need some sleep for tomorrow. That is, if I can get to sleep. Night, Journal.

Day 21 – Friday Morning

Morning, Journal.

I don't know what to say that I haven't already said. I told Fluttershy that I'll be a little late getting home. Fluttershy scuttled off to school and said she would try to do better today at making a friend. I have to go to work and stress all day about the conversation with Cherilee.

I might as well just go and get it over with. Maybe if I keep thinking that enough, I'll believe it. See ya, Journal.

Day 21 – Friday Evening

How can I even begin this entry, Journal? I'm not even sure how I feel right now. Some mixture between disappointed, sad, and relieved, I suppose. I suppose I should just start at the beginning.

It was just another day at work for everyone else, but I went into my masseuse room and just took care of the clients as they came in. I guess I was pretty much just watching the clock the whole time and my mind wasn't in it, cause I got some pretty lousy tips. I suppose the tips were the least of my concerns though. When the clock hit the end of the school day, my muscles were in a constant state of tenseness, knowing she would be here as soon as she could.

It was only a half-hour of pacing later that she arrived in my room with a wide smile. She closed the door behind her and gave me a wide smile that filled me with guilt. After exchanging a greeting, I got right to work. Her muscles were extremely tensed as I massaged her and we weren't very talkative at first. I think after a long silence, I asked her how her day was.

She began to talk about what she did with the students that day, how the kids are working on new paintings. I realized I had no idea how to handle entering the conversation of if Fluttershy is being bullied. So, I tried to ease in by asking what Fluttershy was doing for a painting. Cherilee said that Shy was trying to keep it a surprise, so was working all alone with it. I suppose my involuntary sigh tipped her off, cause she read directly through my disguise.

She immediately asked if I was worried Fluttershy wasn't making friends. I explained my concerns and told her what Shy told me concerning the other fillies. None of it seemed to really phase Cherilee.

“These sort of things always seem to happen. I haven't figured out a perfect way to have all of the children play nice in the schoolyard. Some will just naturally like or dislike others for almost no reason at all.”

That was extremely disheartening to hear. So, I asked if there was anything I could do, at all, to help Shy make friends. Cherilee laid in silence as I massaged her lower back.

"I mean, I'm already doing my best to be supportive. I'm challenging her to try and talk to some of the other fillies that are at school, but I don't even know where to begin. I don't know who is in her class and I wouldn't know where to start looking."

She laid on the table, still contemplative. Cherilee mentioned that there was a really nice filly in her class that she might get along with. The filly had the qualities of being a leader and was very outspoken at times. Based on how she's studied other children form friends, she thought they might make a good pair. Some filly from the Apple family?

I've never heard of the Apples before. Once she mentioned that she was the granddaughter of the mare that ran the Apple cart in the market, it all began to make sense. I asked why the parents didn't run the cart and got back an answer that changed my whole perspective.

The filly's parents never came back after trying to take a shipment to another town. They said that bandits were involved and the filly was too young to remember. The older brother stallion still has some trouble coping though. Between the older brother and the grandmother, they do their best to run the farm.

I asked if there was any way that she could group them together in group projects. Or just, something. Cherilee nodded and said she would do her best. That was one problem down.

Then we were in the room, still talking about my daughter and not how I blew her off that night. I suppose that I should have changed the subject or something... but it was like I began to just spew out all of my insecurities regarding being a father. Once I was done with the massage, Cherilee looked up at me and asked what it was I wanted to talk about. My words got caught in my throat and I struggled for what to say.

I ended up with: "Cherilee, I really like you. Sincerely. However, I'm really worried. I don't know how us seeing each other could affect Fluttershy. I'm stuck in the middle of doing what I want and doing what might be best for my daughter."

I paused, grabbed her hoof and then pushed on, her body trembling. "I don't think it would be right of me to adopt a filly and then neglect her because I found a mare I liked. I need to do the responsible thing and put her first. Which means, I can't see you. To make it worse, I could get fired if I began to see some of my clients romantically outside of work. I just... I can't see you anymore."

Cherilee looked back at me with tears in her eyes and shook her head. She swore she could keep us secret. She swore that the students wouldn't have to know. My inner resolve was trembling as I tried to be strong for Fluttershy. Here I was, with a mare I actually liked. A mare that I seemed to really connect with and I was shoving her away. I just tried to be strong as I affirmed to her that I couldn't keep doing this and putting my and daughter's lifestyle at stake.

She just cried and I wanted to hold her so badly, but I knew I couldn't. I sincerely wanted to still be friends with her and made sure that she knew. If anything, we would have to for Shy. But, it would have to stay there. She just stared at the floor, tears dripping down her face. Silently, she stood up and walked out of my room and left the door open behind her.

I just sat down in a chair and ran my fingers through my hair, stewing and hating myself. Just because it had to be done, didn't make it any less painful. After about ten minutes, one of my coworkers came in and asked if I was ready to lock up. I told her that I would do it and that I still had some papers I wanted to finish. She looked at me curiously, but said alright and left me to close up the shop. Once I was fully composed, or at least as composed as I could be, I left and locked the doors behind me.

For the first time, I was a little upset that I got rid of all my cider and beer before I adopted a filly. I coulda definitely have used one. Once I got home, I saw Fluttershy playing on the floor of the living room with Angel. I just sat down in my chair and watched her for awhile, thinking over my decisions. She looked up at me with the widest smile and asked how Daddy's day was.

Then, the warmth and pride swelled in my chest. That's the feeling that I sacrificed for. To know that I will be the best dad I can be. I stood up and sat by them on the floor and told them that it just got a lot better. I let Fluttershy choose what we ate for dinner. Her eyes lit up when she asked if I meant anything. So, we ended up going to get some pizza. I even let Angel come along.

When we got home, we read together and she fell asleep in my lap. I tucked her into bed and set the sleeping bunny next to her on the other pillow. He woke up once I set him down. He looked up at me with his judgmental gaze and I met his with a smile. I told him, "I'm just trying to be the best Dad possible, Angel. Will you help me try to make her happy?"

The bunny looked at me for awhile and I realized I was expecting the bunny to understand me. But then the weirdest thing happened. He nodded, then went back to sleep. Maybe he didn't understand my words, but maybe he's starting to understand through my actions. So now I'm here, talking to you, Journal.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel right now. There's a dull pain for doing what I had to do and I know I did it because I had to, but it's not what I wanted to do. At the same time, I'm happy that it's over and done with. So, I guess I just feel numb. And maybe a little bit down. I'm hiding you in a new spot so that Shy doesn't get into my journal again.

… Journal, thank you for listening to me. I'm happy I can have someone to turn to when something on my mind. I just wish you could talk back sometimes. …

Look at me, I'm pathetic. I better just get some rest. Everything seems brighter in the morning, and tomorrow Fluttershy and I are going to go swimming. That should pick up my spirits.

Days 22 - 27

Day 22 – Saturday Morning

Morning, Journal.

I suppose I feel a little better this morning. It's really hard to say. I'm getting these confusing dreams. I'll be lying there in bed, then suddenly, Cherilee is there. But when I wake up, she's gone. I mean, I guess this sort of thing happens when you get lonely... and I just blocked myself out of having a relationship. With someone I actually liked.

But I suppose my brain isn't going to let me live it down for awhile. Well, my subconscious is just going to have to deal with it. I need to blot her out of my mind for awhile. At least in that way.

The best thing I can do in the meantime, is keep myself busy and let things go back to normal. I'm letting Shy sleep in a little bit before we go out to the lake today to swim again. I'm pretty excited to see if I can get her to work up the courage to swim a little more on her own. I've also been debating having her take me to the woods with her to see the animals. I mean, I know it's against my previous words, but I've seen her glance out at the tree-line now and then...

If these animals are really her friends, and I'm keeping her from them, does that make me the bad guy? Maybe I should apologize to them in some way. But make them all know that she has to be in the yard when they play, unless I come too. For supervision.

I mean, as nervous as I am about letting my daughter hang around a bear... I mean, there wouldn't be a more protective body guard. I mean, it's a fucking bear. On the other hand, it's a fucking bear. If that thing got upset with me... Or worse... her. I dunno.

I still need to think over it more. I better get some stuff ready for the lake today. I hope the store has bunny sized inner tubes.

Day 22 – Saturday Evening

That might have been just what I needed.

I'm so proud of Fluttershy, she managed to swim all on her own! However, it wasn't thanks to my help. I got a little floating tube for Angel to rest on in the water, while she practiced. I thought it might boost her confidence a little bit. I suppose it did.

She was able to tread water for a little while with her eyes closed after I released her, but when she opened her eyes, she panicked. I was about to call it a day and decide progress was progress, but then Angel slipped off his tube and fell in the water. I've never seen someone react so fast. Fluttershy dove into the water after him, then swam him to safety. I just watched in amazement and shock.

Angel was completely fine. He just got a little lake water in his throat. After the little filly figured out what she did, she was so proud of herself. She swam herself out a little deeper in the lake, all by herself, and then talked to a few of the fish in the pond. I just watched with a smile on my face.

It sounds like she wants to come back every weekend and bring them some bread to nibble on. If it works out, it would be nice. I like watching the water ripple in time with the breeze of the wind. It's so relaxing and I'm able to completely clear my head. Maybe that's a reason why people liked to fish so much on Earth.

On second thought, beer was probably a factor too.

After we got done, Fluttershy's wing feathers were really dirty, so when we got home, I suggested she go to take a bath. She didn't seem to have a problem with it, but after about 5-10 minutes in the shower, she asked for my help. Needless to say, I was confused. She said she couldn't reach all the parts of her wing. I felt so stupid.

Being a guy, I had zero need for a shower brush. I mean, I had a hair brush covered, so we could get the tangles out of her mane, but I never thought about the wings. I would have never thought that wings were such a big deal.

Anyway, I went into the bathroom with her and helped her wash her wings. She was extremely quiet while I helped. She was probably so embarrassed. I think I did a really good job massaging and cleaning all of the lake junk out of her wings though. You could say I had a lot of practice.

The thought crossed my mind that the pegusai that I work on at the massage parlor usually really enjoy when I work on their wings. In an inappropriate way...

However, I wouldn't think Fluttershy would be old enough for that sorta thing yet. Needless to say, I went and got a shower brush before I went to bed that night. Anyway, I bring all of this up, cause after I dried her, all of her fur puffed out and I had to do everything I could not to smile to wide or giggle. It was adorable.

She was less than enthusiastic about it, but was happy I helped.

I brought up the idea at dinner to go into the forest the next day. She was shocked to say the least. I said I would be interested in meeting her animal friends. She didn't have to think too hard.
So, it's settled. Tomorrow we're going into the forest.

…

I hope that bear doesn't have any hard feelings.

Journal, if I don't write another entry. Keep being a book.

Day 23 – Sunday Morning

Morning, Journal.

This afternoon, Shy is taking me into the forest to meet the animal friends. I'm a little nervous... hopefully for obvious reasons. I'm also thinking this might make Shy come face-to-face with the fact that she can talk to animals and others can't. It might give her that highly coveted cutie mark of her's. When I get back, I'll be sure to tell you every detail.

It's been great doing some things to get Cherilee off my mind. Plus, it seems like Fluttershy is having an awesome weekend so far. Just gotta keep it up. I know they all can't be fun and interesting, but I can try for a little while. It hasn't even been a full month together yet. I still feel like I'm struggling for answers sometimes, but it's starting to feel more natural. Those books did say that fillies usually take to adopted parents better than colts do. They sure weren't kidding.

Anyway, I think I hear her waking up. Let's do this, Journal. I'll tell you everything when I get back.

Day 23 – Sunday Evening

Well, that went significantly better than expected.

After building a small pack of supplies, we set out on expedition. We walked into the forest together and I simply did my best to keep my cool. The woods weren't quite as dangerous feeling or oppressive in the middle of the day. Especially when we entered the clearing only about twenty feet into the woods or so. I must had gotten crazy lost that one night, cause it took much longer to find the spot when I found her. When we entered the clearing, at least 6 squirrels scurried up to her immediately, but backed off when they saw me.

Bunnies and birds made calls that made all sorts of woodland creatures hang on the edge of the clearing, but only a handful of bunnies and birds dared to make a cautious approach. I gave a small wave, but it seemed to only make them more wary. Once Fluttershy began to speak calming words to them, saying this was her daddy, they seemed to get more at ease.

I got out a handful of seeds that Fluttershy said were ones they liked, as well as a handful of acorns and knelt down with outstretched hands of munchies. Slowly, they came up to me and began to eat out of my hands. It was a really serene and calming experience.

Then, she tapped me on my shoulder and said exactly what I dreaded.

"Daddy, Harry is here."

The bear. So, what I knew about bears on Earth were a few simple things, Journal.

You do not want a bear hug. Ever.

Do not upset them.

If you do not have food, you are food.

So naturally, I was a little scared. I looked up, and he loomed over me on two feet. I set the food on the ground and slowly rose up. This is also another case where the uncanny 'littler' nature of this world worked in my favor, because we stood eye to eye. Reaching slowly into my pack, I pulled out something I had been saving for myself... but now that I have a filly, I can't particularly cook.
A freshly caught fish, descaled, deboned and ready for cooking.

Oh, right, I should go into that. That was an awkward conversation with Fluttershy. When I said I had a fish to give him, before we left, she imagined a nice, little critter. That was alive.

Then, her face erupted into shock when she saw it. I wasn't sure how to explain it...

The human conversation never really came up with her before. She asked if humans were kinda like bears. I wasn't sure how to really answer that, but I think that bears eat both berries and meat. So, an omnivore. So, I said yes, but that I wasn't going to eat meat while she was my little filly, because I knew she would hate to see me cook animals.

She smiled, but looked concerned at the same time. It was the last of my meat anyway, so it just worked out alright. Anyway, sorry for the detour, Journal. Back to Harry.

So, I give the bear this fish, and say "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just scared." He looks from me, to the fish, to Shy. Then he smiled, took it from my hand and ate it on the spot. So first Angel understood me, then the bear.

I was really curious, so I looked down and asked her if she thought they understood me. She nodded and said something that seemed to make a lot of sense. "Animals always hear us. Not the words, but they know what we are saying."

It made a lot of sense to me, anyway. In a way, I suppose it applies to them too. At least, I feel like I'm beginning to understand Angel, a little bit. After that, the two of us all just spent time in the forest, playing all sorts of games with her animal friends. It was refreshing to see her so unburdened by her school friend worries and playing with someone-

No, somepony? Well, no, someanimal? Not me or Angel.

It's a step in the right direction. With some luck, maybe the shyness will just disappear over time. Once we got home, she fell asleep on the couch, so I carried her up and tucked her into bed with Angel. Overall, today was a good day, Journal. Hopefully tomorrow she has a good day at-

School... Right. Hopefully Cherilee is alright. I just hope she won't be rough on Fluttershy cause she's angry at me or something. I'll find out tomorrow.

Night, Journal.

Day 24 – Monday Morning

Well, the weekend was a great way to get my mind off of things... but now is the moment of truth. I'm worried that Fluttershy is going to be treated differently. I hope Cherilee is okay. I hope Shy doesn't get bullied today... I just wish I could do something more.

I wish there was something I can do.

Day 24 – Monday Evening

Fluttershy made a friend today.

…

Let that sink in for a sec, Journal. It took me a moment too.

She bounded into the house today with a smile on her face and a skip in her step. The little filly was more than happy to tell me about her new partner in school, Applejack. Once she began to tell me about how they were working together and having a good time, I knew that it wasn't just a matter of coincidence that this happened. It had to be Cherilee.

The two of them are going to walk to school together every morning now. I don't think I could be any happier. I asked if there were any bullying problems today, and she shook her head. Now that she's friends with Applejack, everyone seems to like her, since everyone likes Applejack. I asked her to tell me about her new friend, and she didn't delve into too much that I didn't already know.

Filly that lives on the Apple farm, very confident and assertive, a bit of a leader. Good traits that I hope will rub off onto Fluttershy. She went into a lot of detail about how they ate lunch together and got to know each other better. Apparently Applejack went on and on about her Granny and her brother.

I already knew about the parents from Cherilee... so I didn't press and Fluttershy didn't think anything of it either. The topic of Shy's family must not have been brought up. You know... I never did know what happened to Shy's parents.

…

Wow, I'm bad at this whole adopting thing. I really should have known that. Should I ask her? What if there are painful memories? Then again, she didn't seem to have any painful memories...

I probably would have seen or guessed something that would have inclined to a troubled past. I would like to think that not a whole lot manages to get by me. Then again, most parents would like to think that, and I got away with sooo much when I was a kid.

…

I wonder what Fluttershy is getting away with? It doesn't really matter. I'm just happy to hear she made a friend. Maybe I can inject the idea of a sleepover to Fluttershy? Is that weird? I'm just curious about her new friend. Hopefully 'AJ' is a good influence on her.

Night, Journal.

Wait a minute. Does this mean I owe Cherilee? … I'm not going to think about it.

Day 25 – Tuesday Morning

Fluttershy ended up waking up and being ready for school half an hour early and waiting eagerly for her Apple friend. She was able to play with Angel to pass the time out in the yard as I cleaned cereal bowls and got my things ready for another day at the spa center, but I was watching through the windows like a hawk.

Sure enough, right around 20 minutes before school started, an orange filly with a long blond mane, held at the end with a ribbon, and emerald green eyes approached the house and talked to Fluttershy. I opened my window to listen, and Fluttershy introduced Angel to Applejack. She had one of the most distinct southern accents that I've heard. It must come from her family.

AJ mentioned she had a puppy named Winona, and it would be fun if they all played together sometime. Fluttershy agreed and then they headed off for school after Fluttershy waved at me. I locked eyes with her friend for just a second, and saw a deep look of confusion in her gaze.

I'd be willing to put money that they are going to have the adoption talk today. I hope that doesn't change anything for her new friend.

Day 25 – Tuesday Evening

Work sucked today. A frequent customer of mine wanted to be switched to one of the other masseuses. When I asked why, I wasn't given one. Weird, but I've been trying to not think about it. Shit happens. I'll get a new one eventually.

Anyway, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, Fluttershy came home and was really quiet, but smiley. So, I asked her about Applejack and if they did anything fun today. She said they played out on the playground at recess, played jump rope with a few fillies. Then, nothing else really until we sat down for dinner. Then she spoke up and said that Applejack asked her something a little weird today.

"Why isn't your Dad a stallion?" she asked. I asked her what she said. "I told her I was adopted and that you're my daddy," she replied.

I said something like "Oh! Well, that makes sense." Yet, she replied that it wasn't the weird part. AJ asked her what it was like, to have a Dad. And I just froze mid-bite.

I expected 'Why is he human?', 'What is he?', 'What happened to your birth parents', 'Can he speak our language?' But not that. I set my fork down and just looked over to her as she kept eating without even thinking she said something profound. "So what did you reply?" I asked.

She looked up at me and smiled. "It's like always having a best friend that you can talk to, except they also want you to be happy, grow up big and strong, and learn new things. Daddies have to make sure you don't break rules, and sometimes that's not fun, but they just want what's best for you."

…

When did my little girl get to be so smart? This filly is going to go places when she gets older. I swear.

Anyway, I just smiled and then asked why she thought she asked that.

Then she got quiet and looked down at her plate. She looked up at me and said "She made me promise not to tell anyone... would you keep it secret?" Of course, I nodded. "AJ told me today that she doesn't have parents. Just her granny and her brother. She doesn't remember what her Mommy and Daddy were like. Sometimes her brother tells her things, and her Granny tells her stories, but she doesn't remember."

I feigned a surprise and said that's terrible and that I felt sorry for her. Then, almost immediately... she looked up and asked: "Would you be Applejack's daddy too?" My heart about dropped.

I told her that I didn't know and would have to think about it. What in the world did I just get into, Journal? I'm sure this isn't going to be the last of that conversation. If that's what it takes to nurture Fluttershy's friendship, then maybe I can tell her yes. I don't really have a problem being a father figure for other fillies.

Fluttershy comes first, though.

Day 26 – Wednesday Morning

Another Morning, at least this time, Fluttershy didn't wake up at the crack of dawn to wait for her friend. I watched them off again and when I waved them goodbye, Applejack waved too. She seems friendly. It warmed my heart to see my little girl so ecstatic. Hopefully today is a better day at work. I'm dreading heading into the center today.

Day 26 – Wednesday Evening

Holy shit, work sucked today.

I had another client stop working with me on a regular basis. What in the hell is going on? My boss called me in and asked me if I've been doing anything to the customers or doing something different. I don't think I've been doing anything different...

Neither of the mares would give a reason why they wanted to stop working with me and go to someone else. Do I smell or something? I don't get it. Either way, it's left me exhausted and too tired to write.

Fluttershy seemed to have another good day this week. She told me that the Apple Family wanted to invite us over for Dinner on Friday. So, Two days from now. Jeez. When I first set out on this journaling... uh. Journey, I didn't think It would be so hard to keep track of time.

Anyway, I said it would be great for all of us to have dinner together. I wouldn't mind meeting Applejack's family, the Apple Farm, or seeing the kiddos interact a little more. I'm looking forward to it. And a meal from somepony that's a better cook than me.

I hope they have Apple Pie.

Hopefully I should be able to do it directly after....

Shit. Cherilee's appointment. She's probably going to quit too. Then what will I do?

I'll have to begin accepting walk in's again. Or do preening for the pegusai. Or do hoof cleanings. It's bad enough that I refuse to give happy endings now. Shit, Journal. I didn't think this far ahead. What if I'm out of a job while taking care of this filly? I might have to do more things in order to try and make ends meet or try to build a little savings fund to fall back on.

Great. Cause I needed more things to stress out about. I didn't need this too.

Day 27 – Thursday Morning

Hey, Journal.

I'm going to talk to the boss about getting some more responsibilities around work. Hopefully the extra income should let me begin to have a pillow in case an emergency happens. With some luck, I won't need to take too many extra hours. Applejack picked up Fluttershy again. This time I was outside to see them off. It felt a little weird to be named "Fluttershy's Dad", but I think I could get used to hearing it.

Sometimes I still forget that I have a little one coming home from school, or accidentally get out only one plate. Yet, I think I'm getting the hang of all of this.

I've poured over every book I've found. Now, I think the next thing to do is focus on what her -future- education will have to be like and see when to begin teaching her how to fly. So, I think I'm going to run by the library and check out a few more books. It should be a big day, Journal.

I'll see you later.

Day 27 – Thursday Evening

Well, the good news is that the boss will let me take on some more work around the center. I'm going to have to do some janitor like stuff, do walk ins, do more types of treatments and work through any sort of lunches, but I should be making a solid chunk of more bits. In fact, today they had me do some front end stuff.

The bad news is that I think I figured out why some ponies are leaving my treatments. One of the coworkers asked if I had a fling with Cherilee. The rumor apparently spread like wildfire. They made the connection that she was a customer of mine and that was what everypony thought happened.

I had three mares come in and asked if they could have my special. That was both simultaneously flattering and creepy. I'm sure after a few weeks, this will all die down. I'm sure that's why my boss called me in the other day, too. To see if I had been doing anything with the clients.

Good thing I just cut myself off from Cherilee. Things could have gotten bad fast. Ugh.

Enough about work though. You go to work so you can live your life, you don't live your life to go to work.

Fluttershy and I spent all night making a Carrot Cake for tomorrow. It took everything I had to ensure that Angel wasn't going to get into it. He kept jumping up to the refrigerator handle and trying to open the fridge. I had to laugh as he struggled so hard. That bunny will try to do anything for a carrot.

… Wait just a second. How are those carrots getting into Fluttershy's room. …

No, seriously Journal. Now I don't get it. If Angel can't open the fridge, he can't be taking the carrots. Is Fluttershy doing it? Her snacking? Weird... We had a talk about this. Good thing I just got my new books. One on Flight Training, and one on how to teach your children about adult topics like lying, standing up for yourself, and... well. The birds and the bees. I don't even want to think about that yet.

She has to be too young. Anyway, I'll be sure that she gets a talking to about doing things behind her Dad's back. Of all the things I have to deal with, I'm happy this is just a little thing. Anyway, we made a cake. It looks really nice.

… Okay fine, Journal. I'll stop beating around the bush. Tomorrow is an appointment with Cherilee and I don't know what the hell to do. Should I play it cool? Act like nothing's happened? How will she react? I better say a thank you for still setting up Fluttershy and Applejack together.

… I just hope she isn't mad and we can still be civil. I know I want to still keep things civil. Hell, she seems nice. I wouldn't even mind if she's a mother figure to Fluttershy... But I can't be in a relationship. Period.

I know, I know. It's the same old things I've said a thousand times... But one of these days it'll sink into my thick skull. I might as well try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day.

Night, Journal.

Days 28 - 35

Day 28 – Friday Morning

Well, Journal. This is going to be a big day.

Fluttershy and Applejack just headed off for school. I get to go into work and face Cherilee. Hopefully the new tasks will keep me busy enough to not notice the time. I've got less time in the morning's now, so I'll make this one quick. I'll tell you how everything went with that and the Apple dinner tonight.

See ya, Journal.

Day 28 – Friday Evening

Hey, Journal. Man it's been a packed day. Where do I even begin? The day at work flew by with all the new responsibilities I've taken up. I also might have nailed down some repeat customers with the walk ins I did today. You never know though, those can be flaky as hell.

Anyway, next thing I knew, it was time for Cherilee's appointment and she came to check in while I was at the receptionist table. I felt like a deer in the headlights when she looked at me with a wide smile and said she was ready for her appointment. The other workers eyed me weirdly as I checked her in and headed back to the room to set up for the massage. I had to admit, a part of me didn't expect her to come in. I mean, I need the business, but still, I imagined she would still be a little heartbroken. She came into my room and it just didn't feel right.

Cherilee hopped on the table as if nothing ever happened. She talked and made playful banter. She seemed as happy as could be. It was really, really weird.

I asked how Fluttershy was doing in school and she said she was doing great. Cherilee talked about how she grouped Applejack and Fluttershy in a group exercise and they really managed to take off. She added how the two would play together at the school yard and learn more about each other.

Fluttershy was slowly becoming a little more courageous in class and even raised her hoof once. I thanked her, but at the same time I wasn't sure what to say. I was so happy that Fluttershy was branching out more, but at the same time, something felt very off about Cherilee today.

Her muscles were extremely tense, and not like the stress that you get from a rough week. It was as if her muscles were being flexed, which made me have to put even more strength into every rub and stretch of her pelt as possible. Yet, she made these moans as I did it. I was... angry.

Was she getting something out of this? This didn't feel right. Finally, I just stopped. I sat down in a chair and asked what was up.

She just looked at me long and hard and I saw a look in her eye that I recognized. It was the gaze of someone who wanted something very, very badly, but knew they couldn't have it. I asked if she should really be here right now. She paused, when I heard a drip onto the floor. That was enough.

I politely asked her to leave and not come back until she was able to handle all of her emotions. Cherilee just lied on the table for a moment and gazed at the ground, full of reflective thought. Her tail drooped and her ears fell flat as she rose from the table and walked out the door. I can only wonder what in the world she was thinking. I had an idea, but it was a terrible idea.

Maybe she was trying to make sure Fluttershy's friendship with Applejack blossomed because she thought she could win me back? I can only hope that it's not the case. I wish I knew, I really do. I left the building in a huff. There were a few things that I hadn't gotten done today, but screw it.

At this point, I was mad. And... honestly, Journal. I was kinda sad. It hurt seeing her again. It really did. …

I don't want to get all mopey on you. I've already rehashed the Cherilee stuff till the end of time. Might as well focus on something that might be more interesting.

Once I got home, Fluttershy was all excited for the dinner with the Apples, and honestly I was too. I never really made a lot of pony friends in this world, for one reason or another. Either I wanted to be left alone, or couldn't find a pony that I could relate to, or there was only around eight stallions in town... You get the picture.

I was looking forward to seeing the orchard up close and meeting the family. Shy and I headed straight for their home as soon as I got back from work. Fluttershy was so excited that she was hopping around everywhere and her wings were flapping like crazy. Silly filly.

Once we got to the orchard, I was really taken back by the magnificence of the trees. There were so many and all were ripe with delicious fruit that was just ready to be harvested. Applejack scurried up to meet us before we even got halfway down the path to the home. She excitedly told us about the wonderful meal that Granny had been workin on all day just for us.

My mouth as already drooling at the idea of some home cooking. But my mind was still stuck on Cherilee.

As I entered the home, I told myself that I was going to fully invest myself into their hospitality if it was the last thing I did. For the most part, it worked. I immediately met Granny Smith, the custodian to Sweet Apple Acres. Granny is at that sweet spot in life where you can tell she's had a good number of years on her, but she isn't "Old" per-se. She was more than welcoming and very kind.

I could tell there was a slight shrillness in her voice, and perhaps a bit of wariness as well. I introduced myself and Fluttershy to her and brought our own token of hospitality, the carrot cake. She seemed to be surprised. Granny immediately commented that we didn't have to bring anything at all, that they had fresh apple cobbler that was in the oven and that Macintosh was working on churning some ice cream right now. At that point, I insisted they take it anyway.

We let the fillies run off to play as I offered Granny some assistance in the kitchen. She smiled and commented on my good manners, but she added she wouldn't mind the company. I sat at the table and started up conversation as Granny stirred several pots of mashed potatoes, corn and other delights. Of course, the same old questions came up.

She asked about what it was like to live in Equestria compared to Earth, what it was like to be human, and why I decided to become a father. Granny also regaled me with tales of her youth and talked extensively about the farm. Overall, it was a really, really nice chat, and it wasn't long before a young, red stallion entered the kitchen, holding a large bowl of ice cream on his back.

Wordlessly, he placed it into the freezer and turned to look at me. I said Hi, but he didn't respond. Granny piped up and said not to mind Mac. He was just a quiet boy. I couldn't help but feel concerned for him though. Cherilee told me this family's story, but they hadn't told me it directly yet. So, I tried to act as if I knew nothing. And I didn't intend on bringing up a sore subject. It was kind enough of them to invite me into their home as it was.

I remember walking to the window and watching the fillies outside play some sort of game of tag through all of the luscious apple trees. I asked how the farm was doing. It was the wrong thing to ask. Granny sighed and said that business wasn't doing well. Granny and Mac couldn't pick enough apples to meet demand, and some were going bad on the trees, but they couldn't afford to have a full-time helper.

So, they were just doing the best they could in the meantime. At least, until Applejack grew strong enough to buck trees. I turned back to Granny and assured her that if she needed anything, I'd be happy to help. She said that we didn't owe her anything, and that the Apple family had persevered for generations. A little hardship wasn't going to change anything now. But, I brought up that I did owe them. Applejack becoming Fluttershy's friend was a massive load off of your mind. It stopped Fluttershy's bullying at school and really picked up her spirits. So, if there was anything I could do to help out, I would be more than happy to do it.

Because, I did owe them.

Granny seemed to give me a cautious look and turned away from the food she was cooking to scrutinize me. I felt kinda... violated. What was this all about? She asked if I knew the rumors that were flying around about me. I looked at her curiously and told her that if it was about Cherilee, that it was all taken care of. I cared too much about Fluttershy to let my private desires get in the way of being a good father. She seemed kind of shocked by my words, and said she saw the truth in my face. She said the Apples have a knack of knowing if a pony is lying or hiding something.

Granny just said she was happy the rumors weren't true and began to set the food on the table.
I called in the girls for food and Mac followed behind the girls. We sat down to the spread of food and dug in.

Oh my God, Journal. The food was so good.

This was the best thing I've eaten since I've arrived here. I was instantly worried our cake wouldn't be good enough. Overall the dinner talk was mostly listening to Applejack and Fluttershy talk about all the games they play at school. Tag, Hide and Seek, Hopscotch, and Jump rope. Pretty standard stuff. Mac didn't say a single word.

But, he seemed to be casting glances outside to the trees and back to his food. At one point Granny told him to focus on dinner. That there were guests here tonight, so there wouldn't be anymore bucking today. He huffed and ate his food. I noticed Fluttershy kept giving him glances that...

Well. She's just a filly. Then again, fillies get crushes, right? It's possible she has her first crush. If so, that's kinda adorable. I looked up at Granny at one point and she seemed to give a knowing look as well.

After all the wonderful food, Mac went to his room, the girls went to their room while Granny and I worked on dishes together. I asked why Mac was so quiet and I got to hear the family's story straight from Granny's mouth. I nodded along and was as sympathetic as possible, trying to react in all the right places to ensure it sounded like it was the first time I heard it.

At least I don't have to pretend to not know anything anymore.

After we wrapped up the dishes, we both went and sat on the porch as Fluttershy and Applejack danced with the fireflies. Applejack slowly approached some and attempted to leap at them to claim her prize. But Fluttershy waved a hoof, walked up slowly to them, gently cooing to them. Then, two of them flew up and landed right on her hoof. Applejack just watched in astonishment as Fluttershy then told one of them to go to her friend, and it flew right on top of Applejack's nose. The orange filly went cross-eyed, trying to examine the green-blinking creature, but not wanting it to fly away. The inner turmoil was written all over her face, and I had to keep myself from giggling.

Fluttershy, did not. Neither did Applejack after her friend started. Watching the two of them interact just warms my soul. I found myself nodding off in one of the wooden rocking chairs that was on the porch. I figured that meant it was about time to call it a night.

The girls said their good byes and promised to see each other soon and I assured to Granny that if they needed anything to let me know. She nodded and wished us a good night. I could see the tiredness written all over Fluttershy, so I picked her up and held her in my arms as we returned home. I asked her if she had a great time, and she sleepily muttered a 'Mhm.'

About halfway home she was fast asleep. I'm sure she was just tuckered out after such a long day. I tucked her into bed again and just sat at her bedside, watching her for a little bit as she slept soundly. A part of me wondered what she was dreaming about. Whatever it was, it was making her smile awful wide. Maybe I'll be sure to ask her about it tomorrow.

I'm going to make sure she has a good weekend. I think I could use a good weekend too.

Day 29 – Saturday Morning

Morning, Journal.

I can't tell you how refreshing it was to do something different last night. You know, be social. And stuff. I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I'm pretty boring, all things considered. Well, actually, I'm sure you do. I've written in you ever since I came to Equestria.

You know first-hand how much I keep myself inside and rarely do anything social.

I really like this Apple family though. I think they would be some really good influences for Fluttershy. I'm still worried about that Macintosh though. I wonder if I can get him to open up a little more. I suppose it's not really my place, but I wouldn't mind the guy out. In a way, he reminds me of myself. You know, the quiet, reclusive type. Anyway, onto other things.

I have no idea what Fluttershy wants to do today. In typical fashion, I figured we'd take today to have fun and then take tomorrow to get some work around the house done. For all I know, she could want to play with Applejack again. In fact, it would only make sense. She smiles so much more now that she has a friend.

I also noticed the shy streak is still strong around new ponies she doesn't recognize though. It must just be a matter of putting her in social situations. I should be able to do that, right? Right?

Shut up, Journal.

I can be social if I want. I just don't typically want to.

Anyway. I think I'm going to make some pancakes and see what Fluttershy wants to do today. Talk to you later, Journal.

Day 29 – Saturday Evening

Well, today was a roller-coaster. Let's start with the highs.

I asked Fluttershy if she wanted to go to the lake again and her ears perked up. With a smile she asked if Applejack could come, to which, of course I agreed. After changing into a bathing suit and getting Shy's floaties, we headed off to the Apple's farm to see if Applejack would like to join us. I noticed as Fluttershy trotted along, she would leap into the air and flutter her wings a bit, as if testing if she were able to take off.

I asked her if she was trying to fly and she nodded eagerly. Looks like those flying lessons will be coming sooner than I thought.

When we got to the farm, Applejack ran out to greet us. The two fillies leaped about playfully as I spotted Granny and Mac in the field, working up a sweat. I approached them and asked if we could abduct AJ for the day and spend some time at the lake. Granny smiled and said it 'Wouldn't hurt nuthin,' which made the girls squee with excitement.

Waving goodbye, the two girls trotted eagerly to the lake, talking to each other about what sort of water games they could play. I had to jog just to do my best to keep up with them. We finally got to the lake and I noticed that with AJ by her side, Fluttershy had no fears about immediately getting in the water and swimming. I honestly was shocked and a little worried that she didn't have her floaties, but honestly, I figured that if I kept a close eye on the two of them, that everything would be fine.

I called out to them to not swim out too far, just in case.

The two girls splashed at each other, giggled wildly and played water tag with each other. Applejack ended up losing her red-hair scrunchie in the water, but she didn't seem to be too worried about it. I was pretty proud when Fluttershy's fishy friends swam up to her and said hi.

Fluttershy introduced each of them to Applejack by name, and it seemed like AJ felt a little awkward talking to fish that she wasn't sure quite understood her or not. Watching them is so serene, and occasionally Fluttershy would look back at me and just give me this warm smile. I'd wave my hand and then the two of them would continue playing.

As I acted as the lifeguard for the two girls, I couldn't help but feel like something was amiss. It was a nagging feeling. Something in between the stove being on and being unsure if you had everything you needed to pick up from the grocery store. Except, it was focused hard on my back, and gave me the chills, even in the middle of the warm summer day. I looked around, but I didn't really see anypony else around. Just me and the two girls.

I scanned the water to see if there was any sort of weird creatures, but I didn't see any. To be fair, if there was a weird creature threatening to attack us, I doubt just looking at 3-4 feet deep water would reveal it's presence. That's not really the point though. Despite the girls were having a great time, I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.

As I scanned the horizon of trees that lined the lake, I ended up seeing something move in the distance. I watched it carefully to see if it might have been an animal or something like that. Well, a non-pony animal. I thought I saw it slowly move just behind the tree lines closer towards us. Just about the time I thought I had a good bearing on where the figure was, I looked to the girls. Both of which were underwater.

I panicked and immediately dove in.

I tried to open my eyes under the murky lake water, which I immediately regretted as a mistake. Rising to the surface, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Extending my arms forward in the water, I felt around to find any sort of form as my heart raced. I cursed under my breath, upset that they didn't listen to me. I cursed myself for not forcing them to wear the-

And then they rose to the surface.

"I held my breath the longest!" said AJ.

"N-no I did!" replied Fluttershy.

Freezing in place, I looked at the two and felt the world slow back down. Immediately I felt a little silly, but I was still upset. I suppose if I was paying them my full attention, then that wouldn't have happened. Shaking my head, I told the girls that they went out too far and to come in closer to the shore. They agreed, not thinking twice, until I saw my swimming trunks float slowly past me. I gasped, grabbing them and forcing them on. The two girls giggled as I laughed, passing it all off as a big joke.

At least everyone was able to laugh it off instead of being embarrassed. I mean, I'm not embarrassed. Why would I be embarrassed? That's just silly.

Anyway. After the two were tuckered out from the lake, we invited AJ over for dinner.
Shy and AJ ended up pulling out a few board games while I prepped dinner for us. I could still feel a bit of a sting for not paying enough attention to them at the lake. I began to wonder to myself how in the world I could do that...

Sure, it ended up fine today, but what about in the future? What if I'm not paying attention when it counts? What if I haven't been paying enough attention before today in general?

Maybe I'm just getting myself into a fuss over nothing, but I'm concerned I could be messing something up here. Dinner wasn't anything special. Just breakfast food. Eggs and Bagels. Besides, the girls were deep into their game.

I knew when I was a kid, that I'd want to eat and then get right back to play. After dishes, I sat down in the living room with them, and watched as they played a 2 player game. If it were three, maybe I would have asked if I could have joined. Then again, I wouldn't want to make the game 'boring' by a grown-up joining. Heh, maybe they are still a bit too young for that.

So, I spent my time watching them reading more of my parenting book. I've been learning a lot of interesting things about filly development, and especially pegasai. It looks like what Shy was doing on the way to the farm was a natural sign of showing that a filly is ready for flight lessons. I might have to talk to my neighbor about that soon. I lost track of the time and realized it was time for AJ to be heading home.

Being the party-pooper, I told the two girls pack up their game and get ready to take AJ home. However, AJ said she was fine going home alone. I was about to retort, when I realized that it really was common for the young ponies in town to walk around without any sort of supervision. Isn't that kinda weird? How could they go unattended for so long? Couldn't they get in trouble? Or what if trouble struck? Wouldn't they be vulnerable?

She seemed more than confident, so I thought... well, why not?

The filly walks to the Apple Farm everyday from school and it wasn't too far from my home. I decided not to argue and decided that if it was the wrong move, then I'd just have to face the consequences. I'd do the same for Fluttershy anyway.

Except, Fluttershy is more introverted and much more nervous. She likes having the companionship. After Applejack left, both of us got ready for bed and now I'm just about to read more of my book before I head to bed.

Night, Journal. Today was just what I needed.

Okay, Journal. It's been, like, an hour. I was reading my parent book... when I came across something that just hurt a little part of my soul. I got to the area about the birds and the bees for fillies... and. Well.

The book says fillies usually attain sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months of age, but some reach puberty as early as 9 to 10 months and others as late as 18. …

Fluttershy is 5. I feel like I could throw up. How is her body ready for these things? That's not okay. It's not okay. I'm sitting here thinking about those glances she gave Macintosh at the dinner table with the Apples. And... those carrots. Those freakin carrots. It's so wrong. She's so young! SHE'S SO INNOCENT! WHAT IS THIS?! WHY IS THIS A THING?

… I don't know if she's gotten the talk. Apparently it's supposed to happen early in their development. You never know with orphanages. I-I... don't know what to do. This is going to be awkward. I'm going to have to talk to her about the birds and the bees. Maybe I can just to it tomorrow and get it over with. Oh God. Why? I wasn't ready for this!

IT'S ONLY BEEN A MONTH SINCE I ADOPTED HER? I get that ponies age faster. I do. And then they "level out" at some point. But I did not think I would have to do this. I thought about asking the nice neighbor... but this should be something I do. …

Anyway. I thought you should know. I'm just gunna go to bed. Night, Journal.

Day 30 – Sunday Morning

Okay Journal. Okay. I can do this. Apparently this talk needed to be done a long time ago. But I can do this. I mean. I have parenting books. I have development books. They have diagrams. I mean, worst case, I can just read to her what the book says, right?

And inject whatever else needs to be said. I just need to give her the talk. IT FEELS SO WRONG THOUGH. HUMANS NEVER GET TOLD THESE THINGS AT SUCH AN EARLY AGE.

I mean, she's not a human. But it's like she has the personality of one. I guess I've just been here long enough to just think of them as people. …

I gotta do it though. As a single father, it's my duty. Right?

Wish me luck. I am totally not uncomfortable. I totally got this. I will make a good breakfast, then get it out of the way immediately.

Day 30 – Sunday Evening

Well. I learned a lot today. And I really, really did not expect that. I sat down at the table with her as she ate the oatmeal I made. Once she finished, I said that we needed to have a talk. Her ears perked, she looked at me curiously, and asked 'what about'?

I sighed and explained that she was a growing filly, and that she needed to learn about some of the facts of life. She then looked at me weirdly.

"Uhm... Dad, a-are we going to talk about... sex?" she asked.

I sighed and nodded.

"Uhm. The ladies at the orphanage already told all the fillies about that when I was really little," she said meekly.

I just stared at her in amazement. She was clearly uncomfortable about the topic, and kept looking away. I confirmed if it was true, and she said that even school went over it and stuff. I looked down at the table and thought carefully.

"Well, I don't want you doing that till you're older," I said confidently.

She looked at me in shock and said that was gross. Shy explained that most of the ponies wait until they are older or married until they began to think about doing those things with somepony else.
Just because their bodies were ready for it, didn't mean they were going to. I just kinda stared at her, feeling like everything she told me should have been obvious. With a sigh, I placed my head on the table. And began to laugh.

I told her she had no idea how nervous I was to have that talk. Shy asked if that was everything, and I told her that it was. She smiled and flicked away her hair from her eyes, getting ready to do her Sunday chores. Then I realized one last thing. I told her that if she got urges and needed something... that she should throw away the carrot when she's done. Her face went flat red. I mean, cherry red.

Her ears folded and her eyes went wide.

"O-okay," she whispered.

Then I told her that it was okay and she wasn't in trouble... it would just make me a lot more... well. Comfortable. The last thing I want to do is walk around the house and randomly bump into... that. She agreed nervously, then scurried off to do her chores. The rest of the day was a little awkward between us, but at least I can rest with that load off of my mind. I'm still not going to try and think of Shy as... well. Mature.

But, at least I know that she knows what she's doing. And what's happening to her body. In fact, she probably has a better idea of what's going on than I do. Time to read up, I guess. But, all of this talk has me really really curious about something. I get the feeling she likes boys, cause of that glance at Macintosh. However... the amount of mares in Equestria outnumber stallions at least 60/40.

Do ponies only fall in love with the opposite gender?

Is bisexuality and homosexuality a thing in Equestria? I suppose that's something that's in my book too.

…

You know what? On second thought, it really doesn't matter, Journal. At the end of the day, she's my daughter. I don't care if she prefers a different species. I'm going to love her for who she is. I mean, sure, I hope that species can at least talk and be sentient. Well. To me.

Since she can talk to animals and stuff. … On second thought, scratch all that. I hope it's another pony.

Day 31 – Monday Morning

Mornin, Journal. Last night, I had the worst night sleep. It was like... I'm not sure. I had this feeling that something was wrong. That something was wrong in the house. I got up multiple times to check the house and checked on Fluttershy even more times.

When I finally woke up in the morning, the living room window was open. I didn't remember it being open. It's so weird. I'm going to have to do a better job really watching the house and making sure everything's closed. Anyway, today's the first real day of my new responsibilities at work. Hopefully I can do a good job and get to a point where my boss isn't concerned about me being a loose cannon. It's all a game of trust, and I'm willing to play it.

Wish me luck, Journal.

Day 31 – Monday Evening

Evening, Journal. God, I'm tired.

I might just call it an early night. I had no idea that the boss would have so many different manual labor jobs to do. They make it look so easy with unicorn magic. My muscles feel like they are about to burst. Anyway.

At dinner Fluttershy was telling me about a new friend she and Applejack made. Apparently there is some filly in the class that the others consider to be a bit hard to get along with. The new filly friend got into a bit of a fight during recess and ended up eating alone at lunch. Fluttershy decided that they should invite the unicorn to eat lunch with them. She mentioned that Applejack wasn't really keen on the idea, since the unicorn rubbed her a bit the wrong way, but Fluttershy insisted that they give the girl a chance. So, that was how Fluttershy made a new friend today. I'm going to be interested and hearing more about this 'Rarity' unicorn.

From what I can capture, it sounds like she's very fru-fru and can be a bit of a drama seeker. It seemed like Shy did a good job at making the unicorn feel welcome, though. I wasn't sure when I might get the chance to meet this filly, so I tried to subtly inject the idea of a sleepover to Fluttershy. I think she got the hint. Especially when I said 'You know, you should invite them both over some night. Maybe even have a sleep over.'

I should get a medal or something.

Fluttershy said she would ask if this weekend worked for them and I said if she wanted it to be this weekend, then it would be perfect. Well then, I'm exhausted, Journal. If I think of anything I left out, I'll try to add it into tomorrow's entry. Night.

Day 32 – Tuesday Morning

Hey, Journal. Another night of that feeling. I wish I knew what it was. At this rate, I'm gunna be late.

See ya.

Day 32 – Tuesday Evening

Evening, Journal. It was a hell of a day. Got into work late and I just seemed to work non-stop.
I'm not sure how much I really got to say.

Fluttershy mentioned at dinner that she'd like to do a sleepover this coming weekend with the girls. I said that wouldn't be a problem at all. I think it would be nice. Fluttershy told me about her day and more about the Rarity filly.

Apparently she had been joining up with the dynamic duo and have been meshing together as a trio. Applejack apparently isn't sure how much she likes the frilly, delicate unicorn and I got the impression that she bossed Fluttershy around. Was she the one bullying Fluttershy?

It wouldn't really make sense... that she would want Rarity to be friends with the two of them if Rarity was a bully. Wouldn't the two of them want to distance themselves from bullies? Maybe it's one of those 'turn the other cheek' things. Either way, I'm sure I'll find out eventually. I didn't really press at dinner.

My mind was a bit focused on a note from Cherilee that Fluttershy brought to me. All it said was: "We should really talk soon."

And I had to reread it a few times. What was this? How am I supposed to take this? I dunno, Journal. I'm not sure if this is a good sign. Should I talk to her? Maybe it's something important.

Or... maybe she's mad after what happened last Friday. I dunno, it's hard to think. I'm tired too. I'm sure tomorrow is going to be a big day.

Maybe some sleep will give me the answer.

Day 33 – Wednesday Morning

Morning, Journal. I can't seem to get myself moving at the right speed this morning.

I've been thinking about Cherilee's note. I've decided that the best action to take right now is to not respond. Maybe she doesn't mean it like I thought she did. Whatever. Time for work.

Day 33 – Wednesday Evening

Hey. It was a hard day at work. Fluttershy went to go play at the farm and came back as it got dark. I sat at home and read for awhile. Honestly, I tried to read, but kept nodding off. I keep getting stuck with all the shitty things at work. What am I? A janitor?

Even janitors don't get treated this way.

But I need the money to ensure food gets on the table. I have a filly now. I can't afford to quit. Calling it a night.

Day 34 – Thursday Morning

Shit. I'm running so late for work. At least Shy will be on time for school. Entry tonight.

Day 34 – Friday Morning

I hate my job. I seriously do. I'm so tired of this bullshit and being pushed around by my boss.

When I got home, I sat down on the couch, since I managed to get home before Shy. Since I've been so tired lately, I thought I'd just close my eyes for a little bit. When I woke up, there was a lamp on and the clock was ticking towards 3AM.

I checked my surroundings, sitting up and wiping drool from my chin. I was covered in a blanket from the closet and laying beside me was my little yellow pegasus, tucked into a little ball. Sitting on the coffee table was a half full glass of room-temperature orange juice along with a, nearly overflowing, soggy bowl of cereal. A little note sat beside it, that, with crude red crayon, said 'Dinner for Daddy in case he wakes up.'

My heart stopped a little when I saw that. I fell asleep and didn't make her dinner. I didn't ask her how her day was.

Only after I began writing this entry did I realize that the girls were going to have their sleepover at the house tomorrow. I couldn't believe it was Friday. I had to go back and reread the old entries of the journal to see what happened this week. Honestly, I don't remember. Parts of it was a blur...

Nothing in here talked about how Shy's day was... In fact. Going back even further... I've talked so much about myself and my own private fears... you almost wouldn't guess I had a filly.

It's like I'm not even taking this seriously.

After I got up off the couch, I began to clean up Shy's spills in the kitchen, when I saw a drawing on the refrigerator done in watercolor of Fluttershy and I at the lake. I sat down in my chair when I realized I had no idea when it was put up there. I don't think it was earlier this week. It wasn't in any of the other entries...

How could I have possibly have paid so little attention. I ended up going back through the journal to see if there was anything else I might have done wrong. In fact, I have.

Day 32 in the evening, why didn't I just ask Fluttershy more about Rarity?! Or, even worse! On Day 12, here she comes home, and I can clearly tell something is wrong with her.

She goes to bed without supper. And I do fucking nothing. Nothing. What is wrong with me?

Well, no more. The passiveness ends now. I need to pay more attention to my daughter and do this shit right. I went to the couch and picked her up carefully, as not to wake her. Her hair was frazzled like crazy from where she nuzzled her head on my lap. I gently placed Shy in her bed and pulled the covers up over her. She gave a light yawn and opened her eyes a little and let out a light groan.

'Daddy?' she asked.

I told her to go back to sleep, in the softest voice I could. My little sweetheart asked if I liked my dinner. I told her it was fabulous, which gave her that smile that I love to see. She looked up at me and asked why I was crying. I wiped away tear streaks from my eyes and smiled as I looked down at her.

"Because Daddy loves you very, very much," I said.

"I love you too, Daddy," she replied.

I told that silly filly to go back to sleep and she rolled over as I sat beside her, studying her features carefully. I made my decision. I'm going to begin searching for something else to do for money. I can't do this job anymore. It's taking too much away from me. I will be a good father. Life comes first.

Family comes first.

Day 35 – Friday Afternoon

I'm fucking done. Fuck waiting. I'm drawing the line. There is no way in hell that I'm going to be forced to do favors for Cherilee under the table. I'll find a new job.

My savings will be enough to tide us by for awhile. I'm taking Shy out to dinner tonight and then calling it an early night. I'll talk to you in the morning.

Days 36 - 53

Day 36 – Saturday Late Morning

Hi, Journal. I realize I didn't really provide a lot of details about yesterday. To be frank, I'd rather not go it, but I might as well tell you.

I've done some regretful things at work to get money, the last week or so. The business has some stuff on the side that…

No, I'm not going to write anything incriminating about Lily's Masseuse parlor. She's a good mare, and she has twins. But, apparently word got out about what I was doing under the table.

Cherilee waltzed in and told me that if I refused, she would tell my boss. It was such a shock. She was so... stoic about it. And, she didn't explicitly say it, but she was very passive aggressive.

I decided I'd rather quit. I know Lily needs the business anyway. So, here I am. Jobless.

The mares in this town talk quickly, so it'll just be a matter of time till everypony knows. I have no idea where to begin looking for a new job. I know that there's that new bakery in town, I could try there. The bulletin board usually has some good leads too.

I'm beginning to realize just how drastic my move was, but I don't regret it. Cherilee is really rubbing the wrong nerve. At this point, if there were any other teacher in town, I'd send Fluttershy to her. But, I don't have a choice.

Anyway. Who cares about that?

Today is the big sleepover, as Fluttershy is still persistently reminding me. She's been skipping around the whole house as we prep to make this place hospitable for two more fillies. And Fluttershy keeps emphasizing that everything needs to be clean, or else this 'Rarity' might be revolted.

I'm curious about Fluttershy's new friend. I haven't had the chance to meet this unicorn yet, so I'm interested to see what she's like in person, and not just from Fluttershy's stories. Honestly, she sounds like a bit of a high-class snob.

However, I think I've seen her parents around town before. They certainly don't give off that vibe. The plot thickens.

Anyway, I think Fluttershy's gone from 'the house is not clean yet' mode to 'now I don't know what to do, but I'm still so excited' mode. She keeps bouncing around and asking Angel what the girls would want to do tonight. I just plan to sit back and watch, making sure the girls get enough space to explore and have fun, but not so much distance that they get out of hand.

Awww yeah. I get to be the -cool- dad.

I think.

Is that something a cool dad would say? Not the point.

Anyway, the girls should be here in a few hours. I'm going to find some way to keep this excited filly occupied. I think... maybe I'll take advantage of this energy and see if she'd like to give her wings a stretch. Aw yeah. Let's try a flying lesson.

See ya later, Journal.

Day 36 – Saturday Early Evening

Hey, Journal. The girls are all playing a game, and I'll probably put them to bed here in about an hour or two. Of course, I'm letting them stay up a little later.

I'm sure once I put them to "sleep" they won't really be going to bed anyway. Girl talk is a very real thing. Anyway.

So, Rarity.

Rarity is a sweet little unicorn with a pale white coat and quite a shrill voice. She seems to be obsessed with all things fashion and fancy. I can tell that she tries to talk with an air of sophistication that there is -no way- she learned from her family.

That said, her manners are impeccable.

The little trio seems to really balance well with each other, now that I see them all in the same room. AJ seems to be the louder, leader type that's daring and impulsive. Rarity is more the reserved, calculating type that plans her every move. Then, Shy comes in and fills in the gap, finding a graceful compromise between all of their ideas. I get the feeling that if my little filly wasn't here, these two might not get along at all.

The two just contrast so much.

That said, I'm happy to see that Shy is able to make friends with such different personalities. It must be her kind personality and how she works out differences with other ponies. If there's one thing I -can't- get over, is how competitive Rarity and AJ are. The three have just been sitting at the table, all playing a card game... that I guess they must have invented.

At least, I had no clue how the game worked when they explained it.

Fluttershy is sitting at the table with a smile, saying "This is so nice. What a fun game!" and such, while AJ and Rarity just stare at their hands intently, trying to figure out how to beat the pegasus. I don't think Shy realized that she could have been indirectly shit-talking with her comments.

Either way, the whole scene made me giggle.

Then, every time one of the two take the lead, they leap into the air and yell their moves triumphantly. I've had to tell them to get off the table, like, three times already. It's so adorable. I'm just happy they are so well behaved.

OH! I think the pizza's-

Day 36 – Saturday Late Evening

Not burnt. Thank god. Just crispy.

Anyway, after they ate, I let the girls finish their game, then sent their sleepy flanks to bed. It's kinda unreal to watch fillies when they are young. You begin to see what sort of talents and abilities they have, but they are so oblivious to their own skills. For example: Fluttershy doesn't think her skills with animals are special. Rarity has an obsession with clothing. That's apparent by her seeming endless bag of dress up stuff she brought with her. Meanwhile, it seems like the AJ always seems to relate things to apples, and can't shake thoughts of the farm if she tried.

It's so easy to see what they are good at, but if you tell them, they don't get it. The cutie mark must be a journey of self-discovery. I suppose all I can do is sit back and wait. I'm not particularly seeing other families push children into what their destiny is.

I suppose, some things just have to be learned the hard way. I'm not sure why this concept is so difficult for me to accept. I want to take the reins and really focus on pushing her through this portion of her life, but I suppose this is just what's normal.

Oh well, It could be worse.

At very least, I'm planning on meeting up with our Pegasus neighbor tomorrow to begin some flight training. I think Shy will be happy to be able to fly with the birds. The clock is creeping close to midnight. I can still hear the girls muttering in the next room. Time to bring down the hammer and force them to go to bed.

Be right back, Journal.

Well, shit. I know I shouldn't have, Journal, but I listened in on their conversation for a little bit. Rarity brought up the topic of crushes for the fillies. Rarity went into vivid detail about some dark furred and green maned pegasus colt that she had her eye on.

Applejack just chuckled at Rarity's conversation, saying there ain’t nopony strong enough to beat her in a race' in school, so why would she fancy somepony? That said, Applejack is a very fast runner, I've watched her play with Shy. She's going to be hard pressed to find somepony faster than her.

After enough bickering, and Rarity ran out of colts that Applejack 'would be dashing with', the two finally set their eyes on Fluttershy. She nervously stuttered out that she thought Macintosh was nice. Which forced Rarity into guffaws of laughter and I can only imagine what was on Applejack's face behind that closed door. Rarity asked why she could possibly be interested in that silent colt, and Shy didn't answer. Applejack promptly stated that she wasn't okay with this conversation and suggested that they all go to bed.

After that and a few good-nights, their room was silent. So now I'm sitting here, trying to figure out how I feel. Happy? I guess? But, then why does the pit of my stomach feel heavy?

It can't be jealousy. At least, I don't think so…

I suppose it's a sense of... protectiveness. I know what it's like to have a heart broken, especially at a young age. The first time that I ended up confessing some form of love for a girl in grade school, everyone laughed and it was a huge joke for weeks. Plus, the poor girl wouldn't even look at me anymore. I suppose, I just don't want her to get hurt.

She's my little girl, and I don't want her to have to suffer needlessly. But, I also suppose somethings have to be learned the hard way, huh? Just... food for thought.

Night, Journal.

Day 37 – Sunday Morning

Morning, Journal. I didn't sleep particularly well. I was trying to keep an open ear for the girls in case they got into any mischief while I was a sleep. It seems like I got lucky.

This time.

I got enough ingredients downstairs for some blueberry pancakes for the girls. After that... it's going to be a tight ship for the week. I have some savings, but there's simply not enough to eat really well every single night. We will have to keep to simple salads with some dressing. I'll make Fluttershy a lunch, and... well. If I earn bits, maybe I'll get something for lunch.

I've needed to lose a little weight anyway. It'll be fine, Journal.

After they get done with breakfast, I'll ask them to clean up, but they will have to skedaddle around noon. I'm going to try and give Fluttershy her first flight lesson today. Our pegasus neighbor next door, Miss Rosemary, offered to help a long time ago, however we kinda stopped speaking for awhile.

I suppose that's one thing I forgot to add. Last Friday, I stopped at her home and apologized for acting so harshly. The poor mare was surprised. She thought she needed to come and apologize to me.
At this point, while I'm disappointed that she couldn't watch over my daughter, my number of winged friends are quite... small.

I mean, the birds might be able to teach Fluttershy how to fly, but I know I can't always do it. It's just good to know that there's one less person in town that seems to be hating me or judging me. I want to trust Miss Rosemary. But, for my own sake, baby steps.

Anyway! This should be an awesome day. I'll hit you up tonight, Journal. See ya!!!

Day 37 – Sunday Evening

I've stared at your pages for about an hour now. Shy's asleep and I feel... conflicted.

Cherilee stopped at the house today.

She asked if we could talk in private, and I agreed. I didn't want to lose my cool and scream at somepony in front of Shy. How dare she?

She makes me quit my job and now she has the balls to come to my home and try to- Ugh. Anyway.

Cherilee tried to apologize for what she did at the massage parlor. It took everything in my power just to remain silent, with my arms folded. If she just apologized, maybe I would have considered it. Except, she did the worst thing possible.

She asked if we would just be able to put it all behind us and start over.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked angrily.

I told her a million times, I wasn't going to date someone while Shy was young. Cherilee was a nice mare.

Was. This is getting ridiculous.

I've heard of addictive relationships before, but this was one date that we are talking about. I don't understand. Ugh.

I politely asked Cherilee to leave, and trust me, that was a task. Then, I returned to Fluttershy's lesson with Miss Rosemary. Rose was kinda surprised that Fluttershy was able to learn to hover so quickly. Of course, Shy perked up and said, "It's just like being a hummingbird!" Which made my heart melt.

Now with hovering down, she should be able to build enough strength to take off and fly. As I watched, it was kinda like the reverse of learning how to swim. Swim in the sky, that is. She's progressing really, really fast. I'm so proud of her.

Let's see, what else can I say, so I don't go to bed feeling frustrated, angry and confused. Oh, Rarity had a dream about a big gem. I knew this because she -would- -not- -stop- -talking- about it all morning. God bless her parents.

That filly is obsessive about fashion on a level that I don't even know how to understand. Thank goodness Fluttershy is into animals. Ugh.

Okay. I can't get any better than this. Tomorrow begins my job search, I'll keep it brief so I can get out of the house early.

Night, Journal.

Day 38 – Monday Morning

Hi Journal.

This week's budget is four bits. Fluttershy's meal is packed and she's on her way. I think I'm going to check out the bulletin board for jobs and ask around the shops. Here goes nothing.

Day 38 – Monday Evening

Well, I'm up to 5 bits. I spent one bit on a small loaf of bread, and got 2 bits for a job on the bulletin board for picking up the trash in the town square. I'm surprised how many ponies litter. Usually they are such a clean species. Once there wasn't any more visible litter, I got a few spare bits from town hall.

Although. I feel dirty for taking it.

I didn't realize that some of these jobs with low pay are meant for homeless ponies. Now I feel like shit. I could have just stolen somepony's load of bread. I'm not that desperate yet.

I can try to find a job that doesn't require me hurting somepony else's livelihood. I stopped at the bakery and talked to Cake and Icing, a couple that have been dating for a long time and decided to open a bakery together. They seem like such nice people, but when I asked for jobs, they were all out of room. I asked city hall if they needed a librarian, but they said they don't mind that the town library runs on a "good faith" checkout system.

That just sounds like terrible planning to me, but I suppose it's what the mayor wants.

Shy came home and we had salad for dinner. I was exhausted, but I sat at the table with shy and helped drill her on her math questions. Some of my books came with punch-out flash cards, so we were able to put them to good use. I'm confident that I was a help tonight. Now I just gotta do all of this tomorrow.

Wish me luck.

Day 39 – Tuesday Morning

Okay, Journal.

Back to the four bit budget. The extra bit went into my savings, and I'm trying to keep all of that fairly hidden. I think today I'm going to hit up the mayor's office and see if they need any sort of, I dunno, data entry. Or something. I'm not excited about it, but it might be my best shot.

See ya, Journal.

Day 39 – Tuesday Evening

Of course. Of course there is a pony with a typewriter as a cutie mark that is amazing at data entry. You know, that's one thing I really, really hate about this world. It's so hard to find a job when everyone in society already has a task that they can just do so much better than any other pony.

What the hell am I supposed to do then? Scoop shit off the ground? Ugh.

Sorry. I'm just upset. I'm down to three bits for the whole week. It's not really... bad, but I'm going to have to be more careful with my bits. Fluttershy came home and got an A on her pop math-quiz. She was so happy to show it off to me. I complimented her on doing such a great job, and rewarded her by reading one of her favorite books to her.

Salad again tonight.

Shy didn't say anything, just ate happily and talked about how Cherilee had some big surprise announcement for tomorrow. I hope it's that she's quitting.

… Wow, that was spiteful out of nowhere. I, uh. I'm sorry, Journal. I guess I'm just... mad.

The idea of somepony like that who is just not getting the hint is eating at me. Do I really want this mare teaching my children? Ugh.

Let's just say, if the new job needs me to move to another city, I might not be so upset. It might be worth it. Anyway, I'm exhausted, Journal. Tomorrow's another day. Night.

Day 40 – Wednesday Morning

Alright. Shy is on her way to school. She skipped her way out the door in the blink of an eye, all excited about the new big announcement.

I'm going to hit up the board today and see if there's something I can do to keep in budget. At this point, I just need to get something, anything.

Day 40 – Wednesday Evening

Almost got a job at the Quills and Sofa's shop, but they turned me away at last minute when I couldn't identify the furniture by name. It's not my fault they have all sorts of fancy names.

Who actually cares what a pouf is anyway? If ponies can sit, or lay down on it, isn't it good enough? Seriously. It's just a-

Okay. I need to calm down.

I did a job on the bulletin board and hauled some wagons of waste and trash outside of town. After I got done with the job, I got three bits, but I saw some poor stallion in rags looking on the board for something to do. I gave him a bit and he smiled very thankfully at me.

So, after I got a loaf of bread, I'm back up to 4. Not terrible, but still not a real job. I'll get there, I just have to keep looking. Fluttershy was a whole new level of excited when she got home.

She barged through the door, chanting "Field trip! Field trip!"

Recognizing that phrase from my own childhood, I asked her to tell me about it. Apparently, it's normal in Ponyville for the class to take a trip to a larger city so they can examine the differences between urban and rural life. And go to an amusement park. She's so excited and I can't bear to break her little heart.

I told her I'd have the money she needed for her class trip on Friday morning.

The whole trip costs her 10 bits. I can always take it out of savings, but I'd really prefer not to do that. I suppose that if there is no other choice, then I will, but I think I can raise up enough money for her trip. Fluttershy has a lesson with Miss Rosemary tomorrow after school, which buys me some more time.

I just wish the trip wasn't this coming weekend, then I'd have more time to prepare. Time for some rest. Night, Journal.

Day 41 – Thursday Early Morning

Morning, Journal.

I woke Shy up early and made sure she had her breakfast, that way both of us would be out the door early. Keeping this one short. Gotta make some dough.

Day 41 – Thursday Evening

I'm speechless right now, Journal. It's been a hell of a day. I earned 8 extra bits today, going door to door and doing home repairs for anything the residents could spare. I got to 12 bits.

Then, as I was getting ready to head home when the sun was setting, that homeless stallion came up to me and... well. He took my wallet. I chased him across town, but he ducked into an alley and was gone. When I couldn't find him I just sat down at a bench in the market, trying to figure out what in the world I try to do next.

Did I go home and tell Shy we couldn't afford her weekend trip? I didn't care about the bills, the mortgage, the savings or anything... What I cared about was how disappointed she was going to be because I failed.

I messed up.

I tried to recompose myself in the center of Ponyville when I heard a familiar voice come up to me. Accompanied by a barren cart with a squeaky wheel was Granny Smith, who was eying me with concern and asking what was wrong. I told her my woes about the trip, losing my job, Cherilee and how I had to go home and tell Fluttershy she couldn't go on the trip with Applejack and Rarity.

There was silence as I stared at the dirt, when I finally raised my voice again.

"Granny Smith... do you think I'm a bad father?"

I felt something hard smack into the side of my head and it caught me off guard. It bounced off and landed on the ground in a small little heap.

"Don't you dare ask me that question again," Granny replied. "Yer all that filly has in her life. Yeh can't afford to be second guessin yerself every chance you get. Next thing yeh know, she'll be second guessin' you."

I looked up at her in surprise at the spontaneous lecture. Her voice wasn't one of anger, but of wizened concern. She spoke from experience, rather than thinking that something was actually wrong with you. Did this mean-

"I want you at the farm directly after the filly goes to school, and early on the weekends so that the two of yeh can spend the afternoon together. You hear me?" she said. I looked down at what rested on the ground, and it was a small coin-purse.

"But-"

"I'll see yeh tomorrow, Anonymous," Granny said, pulling her cart back towards home. I sat on the bench, dumbfounded at her actions, but smiling wider than I had all week.

I found a job.

Grabbing my, I guess... advance pay, I checked it out to find 30 bits sitting inside. Not as much as my old job, but it'll do. It'll pay bills and put food on the table. Even if it's... still salads.

Maybe if I work at the orchard, I can take home some of the bad apples. Cutting out the bruised and rotten parts, of course. I better get permission for that first though, before I do it.

I got home and Fluttershy I could already tell was eagerly anticipating if I had a new job. She leaped from the kitchen table where she was doing her homework, and asked with concerned eyes if I had a good day. I love my little girl so much.

So, of course, I told her yes, and that I'd be working on Applejack's farm. The lights on her face just seemed to all turn on high-blast at the same time.

"Does this mean I get to play with Applejack -everyday-?!" she asked.

"Of cour-... Well, I think so," I answered, trying to be cautious.

Honestly, I got no idea what Granny will or won't let me do. At this point, I'm just happy for the opportunity. We had salads for the fourth night in a row, then hit the hay. Tomorrow's my first day back to work, and Fluttershy will be on her class trip all weekend.

Wait. Fluttershy will be gone all weekend. … How will I know if she will be safe?

I'm trusting Cherilee with Fluttershy in Manehattan for three days. What the hell did I just agree to? Shit. I can still pull out now. Maybe. Shit. I need to sleep on this.

Day 42 – Friday Morning

Alright. I decided I would leave the decision up to Fluttershy. It wouldn't really be fair for me to get this far saying "yes, you can go," and then decide at last second that "no, you can't."

Except, here's what I keep getting hung up on. Sometimes it's not always about what's fair or what seems right in the child's eyes, it's about doing the thing that will keep them safe. So, I asked myself an honest question: Would Fluttershy not be safe?

All of the other parents in town are trusting their little ponies into Cherilee's hooves. They trust her. She's done, what seems like, an excellent job at separating personal life and professional life. Cherilee seems to do everything she can for her students, which I suppose I would call a healthy professional life. So, even if her personal life seems to be a bit focused on me, I think I can trust her to take care of my child.

At that point, I asked Fluttershy over breakfast what she was looking forward to. Apparently they were going to be going by this massive fashion emporium that Rarity couldn't stop gushing over, they would be trying some of the city's nicer foods, which Applejack was excited for, and she was excited to see what sort of animals existed in the city.

I opened my mouth to explain that the city didn't really have animals, when I decided that maybe I shouldn't crush her hopes before she even left the house. She'll find out herself.

I could tell how excited and how badly she wanted to go on this trip, so, I took a deep breath and trusted that Rarity's parents and Granny Smith knew what they were doing. After breakfast, the three fillies all met up outside the house and jumped about, excited for their weekend.

I called back Fluttershy and gave her one last big hug and kiss before she left. So, now here I am, wondering if I did the right thing. Well, I have job to go do now. Time to see what's in store for me at the farm. See ya, Journal.

Day 42 – Friday Evening

Morning, Journal. It's... empty here.

I even called out for Fluttershy once I got home. Then, I remembered. A slight melancholy overwhelmed me and sorta took over my evening as I wrapped up the rest of the salad for the week.
I suppose now I can grocery shop like normal. Today was my first day at work with the Apples. The work is hard, but it's fulfilling and really gives a hell of an endorphin rush. My task is simple.

Go up the tree and pick fruit.

The ponies have it easy, they can just buck the trees and all the apples fall down. However, I'm not as lucky. The trees here go up to about 9 or 10 feet, thanks to everything being remarkably smaller than me. Thank goodness this is a world of little ponies.

So, I have to climb up and pick the apples up one by one. I've found that shaking the branches will knock down most of the apples on that limb, which sped up the process. However, I was so exhausted half way through the day that I nearly collapsed at lunch break. Which wasn't long, mind you. The sun was hot and bore down on me. I might have a sunburn, but I'm not sure. Although... I gotta admit, Granny is extremely kind.

I didn't bring anything out for lunch, trying to save money and count calories. Which was a terrible idea. So, she brought out lunch for both Macintosh and I. And, intends to keep doing it.

I'm not sure how to feel about this, but apparently, the employment situation all works out for the Apples. Granny had to alternate days of selling in the market and bucking trees to try and have enough apples to send to market. Now, with me picking during the day, Granny can take a cart into town to sell. Which, in turn, means more profit for the farm.

So, my paycheck comes out of whatever extra profit the farm is making. Which, I mean, is pretty simple logic there. So, I worked all day with Macintosh. He's a good kid, but his silence unnerves me. The colt kept giving me odd glances underneath his stetson. I tried to start conversation with him a few times, but nothing seemed to really pan out. The best answer I got of the day was a grunt, when I asked if you get better at this apple picking stuff over time. Still, it's something.

I think maybe, I'll try to get a word out of him.

…

This house is so empty without her. It's absolutely cutting. I didn't realize how much different it would be without her around. I'm not really sure how I used to live day to day before. Anyway, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep, put in some good hours tomorrow, and try to get another early night of rest.

Night, Journal.

Day 43 – Saturday Morning

Fell back into old routine Late to orchard. More later

Day 43 – Saturday Evening

Home.

Holy shit, my muscles.

I feel like every step is testing my ability to function as a human being.

To walk makes my legs shake and uneasy. I admit, I stayed way, way later than I should have. I felt bad for being late, but I more than doubled the hour that I was late for. At about 3 hours of overtime, I guess Macintosh thought I was trying to show him up, so we both worked late.

About the time I was about to collapse on the ground and the sunset was fading away, Granny came out, called us dimwits and sent us inside for dinner. I resisted, saying I had dinner at home, but when these Apples have their mind set on something, it's impossible to get their mind off of it. Kinda like... southern hospitality from back home.

Is that stereotyping? I dunno. If it is, I don't mean it harshly.

Granny prepared a feast for us, and trust me, I had my fill. I probably ate like a pig. Granny didn't seem to mind though. She mentioned I looked gaunt earlier today.

Well, maybe not quite like that, it was more like: "With a body like that, I could snap you in two even even though I got old." Heh.

Macintosh ended up passing out on the couch right after dinner. I'm sure the exhaustion and warm, delicious food all hit him at the same time.

I helped Granny with the dishes, and when that was done, she said she had to check on little Bloom. It was a name I hadn't heard before, so I pressed for more info. Granny nodded to me to follow, so I went upstairs with her. In the back of their upstairs hallway was a room with a small crib, no taller than maybe my waist. Snuggled up in the center of the crib was a small yellow filly, just a baby, with the beginnings of a red mane.

"That's our little Applebloom," she said. "Ambrosia didn't like to stay down long. As soon as she could walk, it meant she could buck. If she could buck, she was going with Jazz on that trip." Granny sighed.

"Your daughter?"

"The stubbornness comes from me. It passes through the mares," she chuckled.

We closed the door to Applebloom's room carefully and headed down to the kitchen so we wouldn't disturb Mac. I had to admit, I was curious about Ambrosia and Jazz Apple, so I asked.
Granny sighed, but wore a weary smile. She told me how she married into the Apple Family from a long line of bakers. Of course, she gave everything up to join the farm, and it wasn't long before they had Ambrosia.

Ambrosia spent almost all of her time on the farm, creating a wake of Apple picking and bucking like no pony else on the farm. However, that meant that she had very little time to go out and do anything special or find a special somepony. It was fate that one day, a stallion with a guitar, who went by the name of Jazz, got lost and stopped by the Farm. After that small hour exchange, she daydreamed while out on the farm. She took more interest in going into town.

It took a week for her to find him again. It took two more weeks for her to bring him to the farm for dinner. Ambrosia's grandparents were outraged.

A stallion with almost no strength, that couldn't take over the farm? There was no way they could bless it. Until one day, he perched himself outside the stall with his guitar and played music for the town.

The stall had such a surge of sales, they had to go back to the farm and get another cart. Or, they would have, if Jazz didn't follow them. Along with the listeners. After that day, Jazz said he would sacrifice his last name, and work on the farm if it meant the blessing of the family. Well, those lovebirds got their blessing. Granny smiled and looked at the ceiling.

"If there's one thing that stays the same, no matter where you go, love makes you do crazy things," she said. That's so true.

I remember being young and putting on a big scene in high school to profess my crush on a girl I liked. There were flowers and the whole bit. And I was turned down. I felt so silly. I bet the ponies have their own form of hopeless romance as well.

I talked with Granny for awhile, who seemed to enjoy the company, and then I took my leave. Once I got home, I kinda just dawdled for awhile, until I found myself sitting on Shy's bed, feeding Angel a carrot. I could tell he missed Shy. He sat at the door most of the time, waiting.

When I got home, he had the most hopeful look, just to have it dashed. The way his ears are hanging are just heartbreaking. Honestly, I kinda feel my ears hung low too. I'm just happy she's coming back Sunday. At least, she should be.

No. She is.

And I shouldn't be staying up so late anymore. I have to wake up to pick apples now. I'm going to try to fall asleep and not worry about Shy so much. Although, I dunno how successful I'll be. It was so hard to fall asleep last night.

I kept worrying that maybe... Maybe Cherilee is doing something devious. I just have to stay calm and accept that it'll be okay. It has to be. If anything funny happens, I swear to god I'll kill Cherilee.

Night, Journal.

Day 44 – Sunday Morning

Morning, Journal. Didn't really sleep well, but at least I'm up at the right time. Just another bowl of cereal. Uhhh.

Man my life is boring without Shy around. Off to work.

Day 44 – Sunday Evening

Just an average day at the farm, I guess. It's an eerie silence out in the fields with just Macintosh and I. He clearly isn't going to talk to me, so I didn't bother too much. So, I found myself humming some tunes from back home. Humming, cause, honestly, I don't remember all the words.

I just remember getting really, really into it and at one point, I looked over at Macintosh, and he was just staring at me. His stetson was pulled up, and he was looking at me with some odd form of curiosity. I asked him if something was wrong and he just shook his head and went back to work. I have no idea what it was all about. But, I just tried to get more and more work done.

And like hell I was gonna stop humming.

If I'm going to have 'Apologize' stuck in my head, I'm going to hum it, and nopony is going to stop me.

I gotta admit, having the Apples partially pay me with meals is a bigger help than I thought it would. I can feel myself get stronger each day and I can see my number of bushels increase. You know, something dawned on me as I wrote that line. Was that hat something that was passed down from their parents? Now I'm very, very curious.

Either way, I came home and sat down to pick up a book, when I realized I was out of parenting books to read. You know, honestly? I'm just not that enthralled by them anymore.

Most of them all go over the same things every time, and their written so... basic. Most of the problems I've ran into from my experience so far are nothing like what's outlined in the book. So far, I've had to go almost entirely by the seat of my pants.

Sure, it told me when to teach about the birds and the bees and WAY, WAY more about how a filly's maturation works more than I EVER wanted to know, however the books haven't been massively helpful. I'm not quite sure why I devoured them so hard.

Everything in here seems to make... I dunno. Sense. Like, I would just guess that this is what I should do. I glanced back at some of my older entries, and I can't believe just how little confidence I had in myself.

Now, I'm not even really thinking about being a bad Dad anymore. I suppose I'm just building confidence. Once you do this stuff long enough, you get the hang of it.

…

I miss my little girl so much. I hope she got enough to eat. I hope she's safe. I hope she didn't get lost or break off from the group. I hope she got to see one animal in the city. At least one.

Okay. I should probably go to bed. Take it easy, Journal.

Keep being... well. A book.

Day 45 – Monday Morning

Morning, Journal.

I can't wait for Fluttershy to get back. Hopefully work goes by quickly. See ya.

Day 45 – Monday Evening

My little girl is home. All is right with the world. Work was boring, whatever. Fluttershy told me at length all about her trip.

They went to a zoo, journal. They went to a zoo in Manehattan. She couldn't stop talking about all the rare and exotic creatures she talked to. There were tigers, peacocks, rhinos, penguins and all sorts of animals she talked to. I asked about some animals she encountered off the top of my head, and she said she saw every one... but monkeys.

Apparently, they didn't go see the monkeys. I was more than confused. When I asked about them, Fluttershy's ears went down and she tried to dodge around the question. I wasn't going to have that.

I asked if something happened at the monkey area. She nodded. I knew instantly why. I'd been here long enough to have heard the ponies judge me before. I asked if it was because of me, and she nodded. I picked her up and gave her a warm hug and told her I was sorry.

She snuggled her head into my chest. "I missed you bunches," she said.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," I replied.

I made her favorite meal tonight. I know I should have probably made it when she got her A, but I was worried that we wouldn't be able to make ends meet. Not that we're poor or anything.

… Okay, we're kinda poor. But, I can do this. It just takes scrimping. Maybe I'll still do odd jobs in town. I dunno. I'll make it happen. If I have to…

… If I have to, I'll go back to the parlor. At least there I could save some money for a rainy day. I don't want to, but, I mean. Ugh. ANYWAY.

I asked what the other girls thought of the class trip. Shy told me that Rarity was up in arms... uh. Up in hooves? She was extremely excited to see all the clothing in Manehattan. On that trip, Rarity decided that she was going to try to make her own fancy clothes when she got home. Also, Applejack seemed to be completely enamored by all things fancy. The hair styles, the dresses, the food that she saw from far off, but never got to try, the way that the others talked all intrigued her.

Apparently she wants to learn all about it and try to live the fancy life. AJ told her that she had relatives in Manehattan so it would be easy to-

Then she trailed off. I filled in the gaps. AJ wants to move, I think. As much as I'd love to sit here and worry that AJ might leave Fluttershy, I don't think the Apples could do that. I mean, they have too much going on at the farm. So, I'm not going to spend any more time worrying that Fluttershy could lose half of her friends. Especially her closest one.

…

Okay, I'm entitled to worry a little bit. But, still, it seems unlikely. It's just so nice to have her back. Just knowing she's in the other room, sound asleep, is relaxing. And, maybe I'll be the first to admit that I might have doubted Cherilee too much. I don't think she would hurt Shy.

I don't think she's even trying to hurt me.

I just think her heart is hurting and she doesn't know what to do. Maybe it's some of that hopeless romantic pony-logic coming out. Maybe I should cut her a little more slack. I mean, who hasn't been there before?

Either way, I gotta get to the orchard tomorrow. I just needed to tell you about Shy's trip. I'm so happy she had a good time. A ZOO! Perfect.

Anyway, good night.

Day 46 – Tuesday Morning

It's an early morning, but I just saw Shy and AJ head off to school. Time to get some work done at the apple farm. I slept really well last night. I'm just so happy she's safe. See ya, Journal.

Day 46 – Tuesday Evening

Howdy, Journal.

It was a big day today. I had my highest bushel count ever today. I watched some of what Mac was doing and tried to find some of the tree weak points. It's not like I can kung-fu the tree and knock the apples down, but the limbs... maybe. Time will tell.

I noticed that whenever I hum, Macintosh likes it. AJ got home about when I was leaving the orchard, and I overheard them talking about Manehattan. As much as I wanted to eavesdrop, it's not my place. Hopefully it's just a phase that will pass.

I got home and Fluttershy was already deep in her homework. She seemed a little down, so I sat down at the table with her and asked her what was wrong. Shy sighed and didn't raise her gaze. She was disappointed that all Rarity and AJ wanted to talk about today was... fancy things. Dresses, Manehattan high life, fine dining. It was all those two fillies could have their mind on.

She was quick to say that she sort of expected it from Rarity, but from Applejack? It seemed like Applejack was just... trying to be somepony she's not. I asked her why she thought that and she sort of shrugged. Shy said that it was just way too different.

Applejack usually exclusively talked about the farm, and how much she loved it. To her, seeing AJ somewhere outside of a farm felt... out of place. She didn't want to be unsupportive to her friend, but she didn't know what to do. She asked me if she should tell AJ about how she felt about the farm filly's idea to move to Manehattan with her extended family.

Honestly, I wasn't sure.

I told her that... sometimes our friends and family have to learn things the hard way, because they need to learn things for themselves. Yet, that doesn't mean we can't try to help them before they get hurt. She nodded her head, and said she was going to try to tell AJ tomorrow. I hope this doesn't implode in her face. I'm concerned for her.

I'll talk to you later, Journal. If you get any good ideas about how to handle this, be sure to tell me.

Day 47 – Wednesday Morning

Morning, Journal. I think I'm beginning to get used to this 'get up early' thing.

Today I even get to write down a few words before I head off to work. I slept pretty well, but I found another window open. This time, downstairs in the kitchen. I never open the kitchen window. Unless something's burnt. So, I'm a little bit weirded out. I have no idea why this has been happening. I'm making a mental note to lock every window before I begin writing in you tonight. Actually, hell with it...

NOTE TO SELF: LOCK ALL WINDOWS AND DOORS.

See ya, Journal.

Day 47 – Wednesday Evening

Okay, everything's locked.

Now then, Shy came home even more defeated today. I'm so worried about her. She told me that she talked to the other girls about their latest obsessions today during lunch. Both of them really, really didn't take it well. They didn't know why Fluttershy wasn't more supportive of the things they wanted to do.

The two fillies moved to other tables and left Shy all alone. I told her to just be patient, they will come around. It'll all be okay. Except…

I know it's not going to really be okay, Journal. I was at work today and saw AJ come back in a huff. I knew it couldn't be good, so today I -did- eavesdrop. She's going to Manehattan to stay with her Aunt and Uncle Orange this Friday. And... it sounds permanent.

I'm worried for Shy, Journal. I don't want those bullies to come back for her. In the time I've stayed here, I've noticed that ponies have a pretty interesting trait. When they have their minds set on something, or they have a goal in mind, they will stop at nothing in order to achieve it.

So, Applejack wants to get fancy. Rarity, I guess, wants to be good at making dresses? Both of those are major skills that take years and years to master.

I just... I hope they don't sacrifice their friendship with Shy in order to accomplish their goal. She's so crushed, Journal. We read four stories together tonight, just because she didn't want there to be school tomorrow. I'm going to talk to Granny tomorrow and tell her what I've seen and my concerns.

I hope she can do something. Anything.

Day 48 – Thursday Morning

The fucking front door was open. The front door. What the hell is going on. I checked the entire house. Nothing is missing.

Holy shit. I'm really nervous right now. Should I get a weapon or something? Change the locks? Nothing is stolen.

A few bookshelves turned inside and out, but nothing that couldn't be picked up. That's not the point. I don't feel safe here. I don't feel safe having Shy here.

I have a lot to talk about with Granny. See ya.

Day 48 – Thursday Evening

I've decided it's not best to tell Shy about the break in. It might just make things worse for her. She was all alone today at school. Nobody sat by her in class anymore. Her head is constantly down and she can't work up the passion for anything. All evening, she's just sat on the couch silently, petting Angel with a brush.

I asked if she wanted to play a game or read a book, but she didn't want to. I even tried my patented tickle attack, but it didn't work. I tucked her into bed and tried to talk through what she's going through, but she's inconsolable. I tried going to Granny today to ask about working with AJ, but Granny says she doesn't want the Manehattan trip either. In fact, she doesn't want it at all.

The last time one of her girls went there, they never game back. But, the Apple blood runs strong in AJ, she said. There's no setting her mind off it. Knowing that filly, granny figures that AJ will either run away or leave with Granny's blessing. At least with Granny's blessing, the filly can come back if she's unhappy.

As for Fluttershy, Granny said she would try to convince AJ to make amends before she left. As for Rarity…

Well, Rarity went back to the teasers. When she came to school today, she had an elegant dress, just like one she saw in Manehattan. All the other students 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed at the custom creation, and got Rarity all the popularity she needed to be considered 'in' again. Fluttershy got the note, which helped her though the afternoon, according to her.

It's unnerving how determined these ponies are once they made their minds up. Hopefully Granny's words strike a chord in AJ. I don't know what else to say. I just wish I could swoop in and make everything better for her.

It hurts so much to see her so down. To see her dawdle the last few mornings, hoping AJ will come to walk with her. It hurts to see her not want to go to sleep, meaning that she'd have to go back to school tomorrow. I love her so much, Journal.

What do I do? I'm going to check the doors and windows a third time, then head to bed. Hopefully I get some other idea.

Day 49 – Friday Morning

Okay. Nothing.

No open doors or windows. Everything was still locked. Everything was in it's proper place. I don't get it, if someone broke in, why? I can't get it out of my head. What if they weren't looking for valuables, but something specific? If so, what were they looking for?

I can't wrap my head around it.

I packed Shy a special lunch with a note. Hopefully it makes up for having to eat alone again. I'm so worried about her. It's not like I have Cherilee to ask for help anymore. Fluttershy just went to school alone. Off to the orchard, I guess.

Day 49 – Friday Evening

Apparently, AJ sat with Fluttershy at lunch today. They didn't talk though. Fluttershy wanted to say things, but her voice didn't co-operate.

She said it made her feel kind of better though, in a way. Maybe it meant AJ could be friends again. She wanted to see if she could invite her to the pond this weekend. I told her... we'll see. I didn't want to get her hopes up. AJ leaves tomorrow.

I feel the filly should tell her in person, not me. She seemed a little perkier tonight. I'll take what I can get.

Also, on a personal note, Macintosh said something to me today. During lunch today, he asked me why I haven't been humming lately. When it happened, I was shocked. I turned to him and he just looked at back at me like it was something completely normal. I haven't heard this kid say a word in, what, 20 days?

And out of nowhere he asks: "Why haven't you been humming?"

So, I shrugged and said that I've been thinkin. Then, the silence returned.

"Why?" I asked.

"It was nice," he replied. Then the silence continued. I sat there, munching on Granny's sandwich, wondering how I could continue this conversation.

"It reminded me of Pa," he said. And instantly my throat swelled. I hummed during the afternoon. Triple checked all the locks and doors. Maybe I can sleep soundly.

Day 50 – Saturday Morning

I had to panic clean the place. Stuff was upturned everywhere this morning. All the doors and windows were still locked. I'm beyond words. I took a baseball bat out of the closet and I have it by my bed. Just in case.

When Fluttershy went outside to go to school, AJ was waiting for her. They apologized to each other and AJ told her that it was her last day in Ponyville. So, they agreed to make it the best day they could. I'm happy they are on good terms again.

Day 50 – Saturday Evening

It seems like Fluttershy had a good day at school today. The other girls even invited her out to play with them while I'm at the orchard. Which is perfect, because Rosemary is remarkably hard to get in contact with lately. I wonder if she went on vacation or something.

I can't get this intruder out of my head. Who is it? Why? What do they want? It would be easier if they just stole something and stopped. Then at least I could feel safe in my own home. I'm going to try to sleep. I don't know what else to say.

Day 51 – Sunday Morning

Fluttershy just ran off to go play with Rarity and the girls. I hope she has fun and makes some friends. The house looks clean. Nothing out of place, nothing moved. It must not be an every night thing.

Who is breaking into my home? What are they looking for? Is... is it Cherilee? Perhaps that's a bit too hasty. I'll figure this out.

Day 51 – Sunday Evening

Fluttershy came home with a bruise on her face late into the evening. I could tell she was crying. The girls tricked her. Apparently it was Rarity that finally got the girls to stop. I wanted to go scream at Rarity's parents, but Rarity is the one that did the good deed here. Shy doesn't even know all the names of the other girls. I have nothing to go off of.

I can't go to Cherilee, I think she's breaking in my home. I don't know what to do.

Day 52 – Monday Morning

The last place I used to hide you was torn apart. It was next to my bed. I began hiding you under my pillow to keep you safe. I think the intruder is trying to get you, Journal.

Why? What do they want you for? This only raises more questions than answers. I can't focus.

Day 52 – Monday Evening

Fluttershy is depressed and reclusive. She doesn't even want to play with her animal friends. The filly isn't even talking to Angel. We're going to sleep in the same bed tonight. I'm veiling it as something that will make her feel better. I don't feel safe having her out of my sight.

Day 53 – Tuesday Morning

Shy woke me up in the middle of the night. She said somepony was in the house. I had her stay there and I grabbed my bat. I raced downstairs to find a pony rushing out of my house. The silhouette looked just like Cherilee.

Why does Cherilee want my journal? I'm going to the station today. Shy just left for school. I wish the swelling on her eye went down. Just gotta push through. This will get better.

Day 53 – Tuesday Evening

Journal. I swear to god. Every window is closed. The door is locked. I'm going crazy. The cops laughed me out of the station.

I have no other options.

I'm going to try and stay awake as long as I can. If someone is breaking into this house tonight, I'm going to destroy them. I won't let anything happen to Shy. Wish me luck.

This is the conclusion of Exhibit A, evidence found in the case of Ponyville v Anonymous the Human.

The Case of Ponyville vs Anonymous the Human

Day 54 – Tuesday Morning

The journal was taken. It was under my pillow. Why didn't I wake up?

Day 54 – Tuesday Afternoon

I didn't let Shy to go to school. I told her that Daddy wanted her to be home for awhile. I didn't go to work. I just can't think of what to do next. I don't feel safe here anymore.

Day 54 – Tuesday Evening

We have to move. There's no other choice. Manehattan seems nice. Canterlot seems nicer, but way more expensive. I'm sure there are better job markets anyway. There's gotta be some job somewhere that needs an office drone or something.

I told Shy we begin packing tomorrow, but I've already started tonight. It's not like I have a lot of things I care about. I don't even own the house. Plus, it saves on moving costs.

Nothing I'm doing is getting Shy to smile.

Goodnight, Jo- Uh. Thanks, Notebook.

Day 55 – Wednesday Morning

Manehattan it is. It's closer to Cloudsdale, which has a great pegasus school. Higher pegasus population would mean better flight training for Shy. I can get us on a train, and I called a job service there that has a job lined up for me to begin working this weekend.

We just need out of this town. I can't do this anymore.

Day 55 – Wednesday Afternoon

I have tickets for tomorrow morning's train, it was the first ones I could get. It's done. Tomorrow, We're gone.

The following is a condensed police report, made on [Day 55] at 9:17 PM.

Police forces were sent to the home of Anonymous the Human in light of presented evidence of Felony charges of Foal Abuse, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Sexual Assault of a Minor, which was disclosed by source who chose to not disclose their name. The human answered the door in an aggravated state. When asked to accompany teams to the station, he refused to comply. Anonymous disclosed his intent to leave the town of Ponyville and the team forcefully detained and arrested him. Two officers were sent into the home to recover the filly, Fluttershy, who went missing just over a month ago. She was found on Anonymous's bed, 'tucked in for a nap.' A baseball bat was observed next to the bed and was not moved. The filly was taken from the home from a black eye and refused to speak above a whisper. Her eyes were glued to the ground until we informed that we were taking her away from Anonymous. At this, she became distraught. Currently, Anonymous has been placed into holding and Fluttershy is being temporarily held at the orphanage that she was originally admitted to.

This is the conclusion of Exhibit B, evidence found in the case of Ponyville v Anonymous The Human

The following is a voice transcript taken from a Ponyville Police tape recorder on [Day 55] at 11:32 PM.

Anonymous: "You can't keep me here. I didn't do anything."

Silence goes on. Sound of hoofsteps in room.

Guard: "Oh, I'm sure. Just like everypony else."
Anonymous: "I would -never- do anything to my little girl."
Guard: "A Jury will be the judge of that. Until then, we're recording everything you say to try and get every drip of evidence we can get on you."
Anonymous: "Evidence? What EVIDENCE? There can't be EVIDENCE of something I didn't do!"

A throaty chuckle from the guard.

Guard: "Don't worry, you'll get a lawyer. At least you won't get completely butchered in court."
Guard(quietly muffled): "Not that you deserve it."
Anonymous: "What was that?"
Guard: "I didn't say anything."

Silence in the room. More hoofsteps.

Guard: "Just be patient. Your lawyer will be here soon."

Silence in the room goes on for several minutes. The silence is only broken by a deep cough, likely from the guard, a quiet sniffle and quiet curse words.

The following is a voice transcript taken from the tape recorder of Robin Wrong on [Day 56] at 06:45 PM.

Robin: "Is... Is this working? I hope so. "

The ruffling of fabric and quiet settling.

Robin: "Okay. You can do this."

Hoofsteps for roughly two minutes, then a door opening.

Guard: "Looked who decided to show up."
Robin: "I'm here for my client."
Guard: "Psh. Take him. I'm sure the town would do worse to him than what we're allowed to do in here."

A pair of hoofsteps for 10 seconds, followed by a rustle of keys.

Guard: "Your savior is here, human."

Silence.

Robin: "Anon? I was appointed to be your attorney. If you'd follow me, I think we should take a trip to my office and we can discuss how to proceed with your case."
Anonymous(Quietly): "Alright."

A cluster of footsteps and hoofsteps.

Guard: "Sign this please."

The scratches of pen on paper.

Robin: "Alright, let's get you out of here."

Hoofsteps accompanied with footsteps for several minutes.

Robin: "It sure is nice weather today, huh?"

Hoofsteps and footsteps continue. A clearing of the throat is heard. After a minute, a door is heard opening.

Robin: "Step on in. We can get down to business."
Anonymous: "Please."

The door closes and a latch is heard clicking. Assumed to be the locking of the door.

Robin: "First door on the left."
Anonymous: "This is your house."
Robin: "Ponyville doesn't do many trials."

Silence. Footsteps, followed by hoofsteps. A door closes.

Robin: "Alright."

Rustling of fabric.

Anonymous: "More tape recorders?"
Robin: "Yeah. An idea I lifted from the police. They try to take all the evidence they can, so I try to counter them with the same logic."
Anonymous: "Has it ever worked yet?"

Silence.

Anonymous: "Great."
Robin: "Well, you never know. Anything could happen. Let me change the tape and we can begin."

The following is a voice transcript taken from the tape recorder of Robin Wrong on [Day 56] at 07:02 PM.

Robin: "There. Now, tell me what you know."
Anonymous: "What I know? I know that Cheerilee was breaking into my house the last two nights, trying to steal my journal. And she succeeded. The police wouldn't believe me, then next thing I know, they're arresting ME!"

A Short Pause.

Robin: "What else?"
Anonymous: "I know all these police keep calling me sick and twisted. Apparently I'm being tried for..."
Robin: "Rape and Sexual Assault on a Minor."

Anonymous groans.

Anonymous: "Would never touch her."
Robin: "I know. That's why I'm making you my client."
Anonymous: "Why? We've never even met before."

Silence.

Robin: "If I had a kid, especially one I adopted if I couldn't have kids... There's no way I could have done something like that. And, I don't think anypony else in this world would either."

Silence

Robin: "So, I suppose I'm banking that there's some hope still in this world."
Anonymous: "Have you ever taken a case like this before?"

Robin sighs.

Robin: "No. Honestly, the worst we get into around these parts is maybe a bad trade, an uncollected debt or a fight that got out of control. These sort of crimes... just don't happen here."
Anonymous: "So, it's cause I'm human?"
Robin: "Well, yes, but-"
Anonymous: "Isn't there some sort of law against race discrimination? I mean, There's at least three different kinds of ponies, and all sorts of animals that can talk."
Robin: "Well, yes. There are laws, but if a pony has a bad feeling or believes something false against somepony else, then that label sticks with them. We recently had a similar issue with a zebra not too long ago."
Anonymous: "So, the whole town thinks I'm some sort of molester, and there's nothing I can do about it? Is that what you're saying?"
Robin: "Now, Anon."
Anonymous: "Oh, cut the bullshit. How screwed am I? Do we have any chance of winning this thing?"
Robin: "Well, it's slim. We have to put some sort of reasonable doubt into the jury and ensure we can explain away the evidence."
Anonymous: "What evidence do they have?"
Robin: "Well, they have a baseball bat by your bed, and photos of Fluttershy with a black eye."
Anonymous: "She's being BULLIED!"
Robin: "Is there anypony that can vouch for that?"

Anonymous groans and clicks his tongue.

Anonymous: "Rarity. The white unicorn filly with a purple mane."
Robin: "Good. We can use her as a witness. If her parents allow it. Anypony else?"
Anonymous: "Well, she had another friend, Applejack, but she's off in Manehattan right now."
Robin: "Shoot. We probably don't have any time for her to come then... they want to have this trial done in a day."
Anonymous: "A DAY?!"

Silence

Robin: "I appealed to-"
Anonymous: "You've got to be kidding me-"
Robin: "Since nothing like this ever-"
Anonymous: "This type of shit would NEVER go down on-"
Robin: "I HAD TO FIGHT JUST TO GET YOU A TRIAL."

Silence.

Robin: "They were going to try and sentence you on the spot, but I fought to get you a fair trial."

Silence

Anonymous: "Thank you."
Robin: "Don't thank me yet. They have your Journal."

Silence.

Robin: "Now, if there is -anything- in that Journal that could compromise this case, you need to tell me. Right now."

Silence.

Anonymous: "I didn't learn until very, very recently that fillies mature so quickly. On Earth, children take a lot longer to mature... so I just thought, she was.."
Robin: "Was what?"
Anonymous: "I dunno. Younger than she was. I helped her in the bath once."

Silence

Robin: "Well, it's not... abnormal. Maybe a little old for her but-"
Anonymous: "I cleaned her wings. I'm pretty sure she used carrots to take care of her... urges. I can't tell you how wrong I felt after I read in a parenting book that they were too old for all of that."
Robin: "I'm sure... Ugh. Well, that's not great. Wings are certainly a sensitive part of a pegasus... but, did you touch or violate her."
Anonymous: "On my life, I swear. No. I would never, ever touch or hurt her."
Robin: "Good. Anything else I should know?"
Anonymous: "Uhm. She ran away once. A month ago, I think. Something like that. Yeah. I was on a date with Cheerilee when that happened."
Robin: "A date with Cheerilee?"
Anonymous: "Yeah, she's a long story."
Robin: "Well, I need to hear it, if she's going to be testifying against you."

Silence.

Anonymous: "Of course, of fucking course. That's how they got the Journal."
Robin: "Except, the police claim the Journal was right on your bed."
Anonymous: "What? There's no way."
Robin: "That's where they found it."

Silence

Anonymous: "Wait wait wait. But, I said as much in my notebook. After the Journal got stolen, I began writing in a notebook."
Robin: "There weren't any notebooks found at your home. At least, none deemed worthy of evidence for them."
Anonymous: "Then we have to go get it."
Robin: "I'm afraid we can't really afford to let you go anywhere right now, Anon. The whole town has it out for you."
Anonymous: "...so I get to sit here and do nothing."
Robin: "Well, at this point, yes. There isn't much we can do."
Anonymous: "And the trial is when?"
Robin: "Two days."
Anonymous: "So, we have two days to prepare a case."
Robin: "Well, there's one other option."
Anonymous: "What?"
Robin: "You won't like it, but it's available to you."

Silence.

Robin: "120 hours of community service, 3 months in jail and loss of custody to Fluttershy."
Anonymous: "Not an option. I'm not going to lose her."
Robin: "Well, it's settled. Let's get to work."

Day 58 – The Trial

This is Ariel Fontt and this is my first time doing court transcribing. Mayor Mare asked me to come into the court room and write down everything that happens and everypony's reactions to the case. So, I suppose that's sort of like writing s a story! I'm so excited. But, she wants me to write as if I don't exist. Wait-

Ponies packed themselves into the courtroom today for the highly anticipated and controversial case of Anonymous vs Ponyville. Right now, everypony is simply waiting for 8:00 AM, when Mayor Mare will take the stand and begin judgment of the case. Ponyville isn't big enough to have their own dedicated judge pony, so the role was automatically delegated to the town's leader as per Celestia's decree.

A police pony guards the door where Mayor will enter. At precisely 8AM, The Bailiff stands up straight, as if he heard something.

"All rise for the Honorable Mayor Mare," he says.

The entire courtroom does as it's asked and Mayor mare enters. She moves to her chair and turns to the full room, and pauses.

"Please be seated," she calls to the room.

All of the ponies sit, as she looks over her town. It's as if every citizen of Ponyville attended today's trial.

"Now, before we begin, I understand that many of you in presence today may have never attended a court case before. So, I will make this very clear right now, especially with the sensitive nature of this case. There will be no interruptions by the audience. Anypony who does, for any reason, will be immediately escorted out of the building and moved to a holding cell. If anypony in attendance feels that cannot heed this warning, I invite you to leave now."

None of the ponies in the room move, and somepony in the back coughs.

"This will be your only warning. If anypony in attendance interrupts this case, for any reason, they will be held in contempt of court. One last chance."

Two ponies in the back rise from their seats and make their way out of the room, while two standing mares take their vacated seats.

"Very well. Please bring in the Defendant," the Mayor asks.

The two large doors in the back of the room open, and down the middle aisle walks the tall monkey-like human, Anonymous, and his lawyer Robin Wrong. Grumbles come from the ponies sitting in their seats as they make their way to the front of the room. Anonymous, further referred to as Anon, keeps his head forward, and focused on what's in front of him. He wears a stern expression and there doesn't seem to be any sort of guilt or nervousness on his face.

Moving past the swinging gate into the actual court-area, Anon stands directly in front of Mayor Mare as she shuffles through some papers. A quiet moment passes as Mayor reads a sheet of paper in front of her.

"Forgive me, it's been such a long time that we've done of these that I'm rusty on the process," Mayor Mare says while looking at the human.

Anon squints his eyes, but says nothing. Mayor Mare clears her throat and sits up straight.

"Will the defendant state their name?"

"Anonymous, the Human, of Earth."

"Anonymous, you have broken the rules of the land and have been summoned here to be tried of the following crimes: Two counts rape of a minor, assault and battery of a young filly, two counts of foal neglect and abuse. How do you plead to these crimes?"

Without any hesitation, Anon replies.

"Not guilty."

"By declaring not guilty, you understand that you will be tried for your crimes by the Town Prosecutor and may be subject to the maximum penalty for those crimes."

"Yes, your honor."

Mayor Mare looks at Anonymous carefully, a look of suspicion in her face.

"You understand that we wish to hold this trial immediately."

"Yes, your honor," Anon replies.

"Then, it is what it is," she says setting her paper aside, a hint of disappointment in her tone. "Bring in the Prosecution."

From the back of the room, a tall, teal-green unicorn with a long black mane and dark horn-rimmed glasses trots into the court room, levitating a stack of papers along with her. Mayor Mare continues to read her papers as the mare sits down at a table on the opposite side of the room as the defendant's. The mayor looks up at the Prosecution.

"This is really long. I'm just going to sum it up, Ms. Turney, if you don't mind," Mayor asks.

"That's fine," she replies.

"Anna, do you feel prepared for today? Do we need to push this off any longer?"

"No, your Honor," Ms. Turney replies. "We feel we have everything we need to prove the Defendant of his crimes beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Has all of your evidence been submitted?"

"Yes, your Honor."

"Mr. Wrong, do you have all of your evidence submitted?"

"Yes, your honor," he replies.

"Anonymous, you may be seated. Please allow the jury to enter."

As the human takes a seat beside Mr. Wrong, twelve ponies walk side-by-side into the already crowded courtroom. Each take a seat in a seating area behind m- the transcriber. Mayor Mare turns to the jury and looks over them.

"The twelve of you have been chosen for this case because you have been considered the most neutral opinioned parties in town regarding the rather infamous nature of these events. I would like to take a moment to explain briefly what will happen. The two sides of the case are going to present what they believe happened as well as try to explain why the other side is incorrect. Given all of the information that will be presented in this case, it will be the task of you twelve to decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, if he is guilty or not guilty. This means, you can have absolutely zero doubt that the defendant did what he did in order to render a guilty verdict. Is that understood."

Quiet mutters and gentle nods come from the jury box. Mayor looks back down at he papers and shuffles a few aside.

"We'll be here all day if we go through every single step. Do any involved mind if we move to opening statements?"

"Not at all," Robin answers.

"No, your honor," Turney replies.

"Very well, Robin, would you please begin?" Mayor Mare asks.

"With pleasure."

The defense rises and moves in front of the jury.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts of the jury. The case that you will be observing today is of the utmost importance to parents everywhere. Almost everypony has the dream of having a little one someday. It's not because it's easy, but it's because it's fulfilling. Bringing life into the world and guiding it is one of the most rewarding experiences that exists. Nopony should be at fault for wanting to partake in this part of the equestrian experience. The only thing that separates this case from the countless others, is the fact that the accused is a human. A rarity in this world. Possibly the only one. Had this been a griffin and a pony, no pony would have batted an eye. Had this been a donkey and a unicorn, nopony would have cared. But, for some reason, we stand here, scrutinizing every action that Anonymous has made. We've made stories. We've made rumors. But how much of it is fact, and how much of it is hearsay? Can you honestly tell me that every rumor you've ever heard is true?"

Robin takes a moment to calm himself and turns away.

"But, here we are. Placing charges on a man that is simply trying to do his best to be a good father, while a whole town has teamed up on him to convince the world that he's terrible. At the end of this trial, you will be asked to decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, if this man committed unspeakable acts against his daughter. Adopted, yes, but no less loved. Which means, if one of you. Any one of you. Have any doubt what-so-ever of Anon's guilt, you cannot name this man guilty."

He turns and inspects them carefully, then returns to his seat. The prosecution makes a soft grunt, and Mayor Mare turns her attention to her.

"Next."

"Thank you, your honor."

Ms. Tourney rises confidently from her seat and moves to the jury. Anon sits up straight upon observing that Turney is carrying a book in the magic of her horn.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, I welcome you today to a decision that must not be taken lightly. Things will be discussed in this courtroom that will make those with weak stomachs queasy, and you will be asked to decide if the defendant did or did not do it. However, we are faced with a problem. Even with testimony and all of the witnesses in the world, a few tears and a well-crafted story can strike doubt in even the most open-minded juries. So. How are we able to examine what the real source of the truth is? Thus, I have in my grasp, what we've called Exhibit A. This is the journal of the accused, which has been a written record of his actions since he adopted the victim, Fluttershy. Who he considers his daughter. There are acts described in this journal that has made me lie awake at night and may continue to haunt me, if this... human is allowed to go free. The defense will attempt to prove he is a kind man. A gentle man. However, let the written word be your proof. The decision is yours, but I hope you think carefully before letting a guilty man go free."

Robin rises at the word guilty, but Mayor Mare holds a hoof up.

"Ms. Turney, there is no proof presented yet that the accused is guilty."

"Oh, my mistake your honor. Shall I rectify that?" Turney says slyly.

Mayor looks over a few papers in front of her.

"Well, you are allowed to call witnesses first. You may call your first witness."

"Thank you, your honor. I would like to begin by calling the accused's neighbor to the stand, Miss Rosemary Flowers to the stand."

Anon looks to his lawyer, and then back to the door where Mayor Mare entered. Through the door enters a light blue pegasus mare with a light brown mane that extends down to her back. He trots carefully to the stand, while the Bailiff holds up a book for her to swear over. Rosemary holds a hoof over it nervously.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help Celestia?" asks the Mayor.

"I swear," she responds.

The Bailiff moves away and Anna moves towards her witness with a smile.

"Could you please state your name for the court?" she asks.

"Rosemary Flowers."

"Thank you so much, Rosemary. Now, what is it that you do for a living?"

"Well, I help out down at the flower shop. Roseluck, their daughter, has been a handful for the owners lately, so I applied for their part-time position."

"Anything outside that?"

"Other than that? No. I retired a few years ago from the same flower shop and sold it to the current owners."

"I see, thank you for that. Now then, today we've asked you here to discuss your neighbor, Anonymous. Tell us, how did you meet Anonymous for the first time?"

"Well, when he first arrived in Equestria, he was quite a spectacle for the whole town. At first, we thought he was some sort of beast from the Everfree, but he turned out to be more docile than that. We were all concerned when he talked about consuming meat, but we seemed to chock it up to being more akin to a griffin than a pony."

"Thank you for the history lesson, but I mean, more specifically, you personally."

"Oh, heh. Sorry. Well, the first time I met Anonymous was later on his first day in Equestria. Mayor Mare gave him a house to rent out of, which happened to be directly next to my home."

"And how was your first impression of him?"

"Well, he seemed a little shaken. I suppose if I was transported to another world, I would be too. But he didn't seem bad."

"You say, 'seem bad'?"

"Well, yes," Rosemary added, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Did things get worse?"

"Well, not right at first. I noticed he seemed to say quite a large number of swears on a normal basis. He would also accidentally leave his windows open to his bedroom open quite often. I wasn't trying to snoop, but our windows just happen to line up."

"So, you are able to see into his room clearly?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Was there anything in there that you saw?"

Rosemary shifts in her seat and sighs.

"He'd pleasure himself. Quite often. Multiple times a day. At one point, I went to his home and asked him to be more mindful of his own privacy, and it seemed to resolve it for awhile."

"But, did you have the impression of him being a bad person?"

"No, but I did get the impression he was very... uhm. Unsatisfied? I suppose that's the most polite word."

"I see... unsatisfied. A polite word for horny?"

"I-I suppose so. Yes."

"I see. Now then, how does Fluttershy come into the picture?"

"Oh! Well, one day, he comes to me and begins asking me all sorts of questions about the Ponyville Orphanage. I answered all of the questions I could, and next thing I knew, he came home with a little yellow filly following behind him."

"I see. What was your impression of the filly?"

"She was a very quiet and shy little thing, but she was so happy to be around him. I'm sure with great reason, if she was just adopted."

"Surely. What orphan wouldn't want to be adopted?" Ms Turney asks.

"Objection. This line of question is irrelevant, your honor," Robin states.

"Withdrawn, your honor. My mistake," the prosecution states, walking away from the witness. "Tell me then, Rosemary, what happened the few weeks after Fluttershy entered Anon's home?"

"Well, it was quiet at first. The two stayed inside quite a lot, or I simply missed them going in or out. I didn't really take the time to try to spy. It would have felt wrong if I did. But, one day, he comes to me asking if I would watch her for the night while he went on a date. I agreed and babysat her for the night."

"Was there anything odd that you noticed that night?"

"Well, not really. Fluttershy was very, well, shy and quiet. But she loved to talk about animals. She could have spent the whole evening talking about animals if I allowed her to. She told me about Anon going on a date with Miss Cheerilee and I did my best not to pry too deep."

"I see. Did anything else happen that night?"

"I did find a carrot in Fluttershy's room as I began to put her to bed. I noticed it was covered in, well, fluids."

"What sort of fluids, Rosemary. Be specific," Turney drills.

Rosemary looked to her hooves and looked back to the prosecution.

"It made me gag, because it sort of smelled like, uhm, mare juices."

Turney smiled as murmuring filled the courtroom and Mayor Mare slammed her gavel for silence.

"What did you think when you saw this item, Miss Rosemary?"

"Uhm. I didn't know what to think. I suppose, I sort of... thought, maybe he was using the carrot on her to pleasure her."

"OBJECTION, your honor. There is no proof to support her claims," Robin adds.

"Your honor, the witness is merely stating her theory on what she thought was happening, she is not claiming it as fact," says Anna.

"Then it's hearsay, your honor!"

"I'm going to allow this, Mr. Wrong. Please continue," Mayor answers.

"Thank you, your honor. Now then, did you notice anything else about Fluttershy later on?" Turney asks.

"Well, at first, she was the same bright, eager young filly that I saw on day one. But the last few weeks? She's been quiet. Distant. I noticed she had a large bruise on her eye. She used to spend time with her friends a lot, but they stopped coming around. The poor little thing has just seemed sad. I wasn't sure what to do, so I called the police with what I thought."

"What did the police say?" asks Turney.

"That they were already watching Anonymous and Fluttershy based on a few other calls they
had, so they added my notes to their file," she adds.

"I see. Now then, I'll get blunt for my last question. Do you think Anon had been performing sexual acts with his daughter?"

Rosemary shifts in her seat and looks over to Anon. He gives her a stern look and his muscles are tense.

"Uhm. Uhm. I don't know. Yes. I think so. I mean I don't know for sure, but I think so."

"I see. Thank you for your time Miss Flowers."

Turney returns to her table and sits down, wearing an expression of pride and triumph. Robin looks from her to Mayor Mare.

"Would you care to cross-examine the witness, Mr Wrong?" her honor asks.

"Yes, your honor," he says, rising to his hooves.

He trots to the witness, wearing a wide smile.

"Miss Flowers, I have just a few small questions, so I'm going to do my very best to keep it as brief as possible for you. First, I wanted to go back to the topic of the carrot, if you don't mind."

"Sure."

"Now, did you ever see Anonymous use this carrot on Fluttershy?"

"Well, No."

"Did you ever see Anonymous ever do anything TO Fluttershy?"

"Even though he had serious problems with closing his blinds, and you had a direct view into his bedroom?"

"Yes."

"Not once did you see them perform any sort of sexual act together.

"No. I did not."

"I see. Thank you for clarifying that for me. Now then, I wanted to also touch back on the rest of that evening. What happened after you put Fluttershy to bed?"

"Well, I went back home. I figured I'd check on her in a few hours."

"Did you?"

"Well, no."

"What happened?"

"Well, I woke up a few hours later to a knock on my door. It was Anon, who began screaming at me that his child was missing."

"So, she ran away while under your care."

"Yes."

Rosemary looks to the floor and sighs.

"I made a terrible mistake. I never had any children of my own, and I... I'm still sorry about it. I'm very thankful that Anon forgave me."

"So, you lost Anonymous's daughter, and he still found it in his heart to forgive you?"

"Yes."

"And you believe that sort of person would rape his own daughter?"

"Uhm, well. I-I..."

Silence fills the court room.

"Answer the question."

"Objection! Badgering the witness!" calls Miss Turney.

"Withdrawn. No further questions, your honor," he says, walking back to his seat.

Rosemary looks from Anon to the prosecution, then to the judge.

"You're free to go for now, Rosemary. Thank you for your time," Mayor says.

"N-no problem," she says weakly.

Rosemary steps down from the platform and exits the same way she entered. A few quiet minutes pass through the room as ponies shift in their seats and Anon whispers a few things to Robin.

"Had to be harsh" was about the only few things that was heard from Robin in response.

Miss Turney rose to her hooves and brought her attention back to the judge.

"The prosecution would like to call their next witness."

"You may proceed, Miss Turney," Mayor Mare replies.

"The prosecution would like to call Miss Cheerilee to the stand."

Anonymous's fingers curl around his palms, forming tiny balls and his face grows redder. Robin places a hoof on Anon's fist. The purple earth mare enters the courtroom from the same door that Rosemary entered from. She takes the stand without even a glance at Anon. After performing the same oath that Rosemary took, Turney moves up to inspect the witness.

"Would you please state your name for the court."

"Miss Cheerilee," she replies.

"Is that your full name?"

"Yes," she replies tersely.

"Thank you, Cheerilee. Now then, what is your profession?"

"I'm the current Ponyville school teacher."

"I'm surprised. You're quite young to be a teacher."

"I did get my teaching license early, and I've only had it for about a year. I moved to Ponyville when I heard the position of school teacher was open."

"I see, so, a somewhat new teacher."

"I'm not sure if I'd say that. Part of earning a teaching license involves doing part-time teaching and substitution for at least a year as well. So I have plenty of experience with children. Plus I came from a family with many brothers and sisters."

"So, you have worked with children a lot then?" Turney asks bluntly.

"Almost all my life," she replies.

"I see, then, how did you come to know the filly, Fluttershy?"

"She was admitted to my class after she was adopted from the human, Anonymous."

"Does the orphanage's children not go to the schoolhouse for classes?"

"No, they get self taught by the mares that run it. I only found that out after I took the school teacher position."

"So, this was the first time you met the filly."

"Yes it was."

"What was your impression of the little one?"

"She was very, very shy, but very bright. She loved to read and knew all the answers, but wouldn't participate in class. I tried calling on her involuntarily a few times, but she would only stutter and hide her head."

"Did this change as she got to know the students?"

"It's funny you mention that. After a conversation with Anonymous, who asked if I could get her more integrated with the students and help her learn to make friends, she became quite friendly with Applejack, the Apple Family's filly."

"The two became friendly then?"

"Yes! Very much. The two were nearly inseparable. It boosted Fluttershy's confidence. Her grades went up. She wasn't being picked on by the other students. She was just... so much happier."

"That's really warming to hear," Turney said. "What happened as time went by?"

"Well, it was peculiar. One of the other fillies of the school joined them, Rarity, and the three began to all plan their first sleepover."

"Sounds normal for children."

"Yes, they would be having it at Fluttershy's home. Anonymous's home."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, after that... the three began to drift apart. Their friendship seemed to hit a bit of a rough tide. Especially after the school field trip. Applejack asked me several times what Manehattan was like, and Rarity wouldn't even interact with them. I had just assumed at first that something happened at the sleepover that hurt their friendship, but after Applejack began to ask about moving away, I began to think it was more than that."

"Wait, are you saying that something at the sleepover caused a change in the fillies?"

"Definitely. Without a doubt. At very least, Fluttershy became quiet. Even more quiet than usual. Her grades began slipping very quickly. Her friends left her completely alone and she didn't want to interact with anypony. I was very worried."

"Well, did you do anything about this?"

"Well... I called the police."

"The police? Isn't that quite a large step?"

"Well, I didn't think so. And I'll explain why. I did a lot of my substitute teaching in some of the rougher parts of Manehattan. And all of these signs were usually cases of foal abuse. And, well. Based on my previous interactions with Anonymous, I had my suspicions."

"Suspicions?"

"Yes. See, whenever I interacted with Anonymous, there seemed to be two... sort of sides to him. Aggressive and defensive, or quiet and aloof. I was here in town when he first arrived you see. I talked to him a little on his first day and then quite a few times after he sent Fluttershy to school."

"How did these give you suspicions?"

"It just reminded me of Manehattan, is all. Plus, I remembered hearing a rumor about some underground things happening at the massage parlor he worked at."

"Objection! Speculation your honor," Robin calls.

"Your honor, this is relevant to Anonymous's character. Showing capability to perform the acts. This can be considered an expert witness," Turney replies.

"Overruled. The prosecution may continue," the judge answers.

"Was there anything else that struck you as odd, Miss Cheerilee?" Turney continues.

"Yes, actually. Before calling the police, I tried to approach Anonymous directly about Fluttershy's recent changes."

"Why did you do this? Couldn't it have been dangerous if he really was abusive?"

"Yes, it could have been dangerous, but I was more worried about Fluttershy, honestly. I didn't want to see her get hurt. When I approached him, he was having his neighbor give Fluttershy a flying lesson."

"Could you point out this neighbor, if they are here today?"

Cheerilee points to Miss Rosemary, who is now standing in the back of the courtroom, watching. Her eyes grow wide and the crowd mutters in response.

"Then what happened?" Turney asks.

"He pulled me aside and yelled at me."

"I see. Did he threaten you?"

"No. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I see. Well thank you so much for your time. No further questions, your honor."

Mayor Mare turns her head to Robin and nods her head. Robin rises to his hooves and looks to Cheerilee, who's expression is serious and stern.

"That's quite a lot to take in, Miss Cheerilee. Quite a lot of deduction based on past professional experience there. It's rare we get quite such a helpful witness for either side of a case."

"I just care about the children," she replies. "I'd do it for anypony."

"I see. Then I'll make my questions quick. You mentioned meeting Anonymous on the first day he arrived in Ponyville."

"That's correct."

"Then, did you interact with him at all after that day and before he enrolled Fluttershy?"

Cheerilee sighs, but her expression remains serious.

"Yes."

"How so?"

"I attended the spa once a week, every week. Most weeks, I even had him as my masseuse. I'm sure the records there would have a more accurate number than I do."

"That's quite a lot. Did you develop feelings for him?"

"Yes. We even dated for a short period of time."

"Well, thank you. You saved me a few questions. When was this?"

"I think... Fluttershy's second week of school? Around that time."

"Well, isn't that sweet. So, what tore the two of you apart?"

"He decided he couldn't be a good father and a good boyfriend at the same time. So he called it off."

"I see... that must have hurt."

"It did," he answered, her voice wavering.

"Did you keep going to the massage parlor?" he asked.

"Yes. I did. It was a mistake. I made the mistake of trying to keep it all together. He quit his job because I wouldn't leave him alone. I got the picture. I felt guilty. Extremely guilty. So I decided I wouldn't interact with him anymore. I was going to keep my distance and just do my job as a teacher. I had to keep my personal life and professional life separate."

"I see. Now, I have one last question. Were you able to keep those lives separate?"

Silence in the courtroom.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Well, it's quite simple. You're mad at Anon. Feel the need for revenge, so you make things harder at school for Fluttershy. You did mention that their friendships began falling apart right around the time you held a class field trip to Manehattan."

Cheerilee stares at the stallion intently, her brow furrowing.

"Then," he continues. "With no friends to protect her, perhaps some bullies begin to pick on Fluttershy while you aren't looking. Or, maybe you are looking, but you look the other way."

"Are you accusing me of taking revenge at Anon, through Fluttershy?" Cheerilee asks.

"Your honor, Objections up the wall," Turney interjects.

"Wrong, you better have a darn good reason, or else I'm going to have to ask all of this be struck from the record. Do you have any proof to back this claim up?" The Mayor asks.

"Why, yes, your honor. If it would please the court to cross examine the evidence taken from Anonymous's house, the bat and examine the forensics taken to Fluttershy's eye. If you compare them, you'll notice the bat is much, much larger in diameter than the bruising on Fluttershy's face. It's much more akin to the size of, say a hoof?" Robin asks.

"Objection. The size of the bruising on Fluttershy's face also matches the size of Anonymous's closed hand. This line of question is going nowhere," Turney replies.

"Sustained. Do you have any other questions to the witness, Robin?"

The defense looks at the Judge in shock, then back to Anonymous, and then back to Cheerilee.

"I would never, ever take revenge at a child's parent, by hurting their child. That stands against every single principle I have as an educator," Cheerilee says.

Robin opens his mouth, then closes it and turns away.

"No further questions," he says with a sigh.

He sits down besides Anon, and looks to him with a weak expression.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

The sound of papers shift through the room as Mayor Mare looks to Anna Turney.

"Would you like a moment for recess, or would you like to call your final witness," Mayor Mare asks.

"I'm not getting any younger," she replies. "I'd like to get this done as soon as possible."

"Fair enough," Mayor Mare says. "I'd like to remind the court to remain silent during this testimony. I will have order in this room at all times."

Anon looks to Robin, shaking his head lightly.

"I'd like to call the filly, Fluttershy to the stand," the prosecution calls.

Escorted by a large guard, a small yellow filly enters the courtroom. Her head is down and she takes the stand. Anon's face becomes pale white and the crowd whispers to themselves. Anna's entire demeanor changes, and the doors in the back of the room open, showing Cheerilee into the courtroom. She walks up to the podium after Mayor Mare receives a weak nod from Fluttershy to the oath.

"Here, dear. I have a little microphone you can speak into instead of having to talk loud for everyone," Anna says, levitating a microphone in front of the filly."

"Uhm, thank you," she says, her voice being picked up in the speakers.

"Thank you so much for talking to me and the other grown ups today. It's very, very brave."

Fluttershy remains quiet and looks over to Anon. Upon seeing her dad, she sits up a little straighter and smiles.

"T-thank you," Fluttershy replies.

"First, the Prosecution would like to draw attention to the brusing on the filly's eye, which still has not fully healed. She still has trouble keeping the eye fully open."

The legalmare clears her throat.

"Now then. I have a few questions for you about your Daddy, okay?"

"Okay."

"Tell me, how did you meet him?"

"He adopted me from the orphanage. He said he liked me very, very much."

Whispers and murmurs erupt from the back as Mayor Mare slams her gavel.

"I see. Now, did your Daddy ever get mad at you?"

Fluttershy got very quiet and looked down.

"Daddy grounded me once, for playing with the animals. He was very, very mad. He raised his voice and... and... I was so scared."

She becomes silent as Anon places his head in his hands and sighs.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, I didn't mean to make you remember something so bad. I'll ask about something else. Can you tell me about your class field trip to Manehattan?"

"O-oh. It was a lot of fun. We went to the zoo! There was lot of animals there! Like Rhinos, and Toucans, and Penguins, and Tigers."

Tourney looked away and smiled to the jury.

"Looks like we have a budding Veterinarian right here."

Those in the attendance began to smile.

"I-is that bad?" Fluttershy asked.

"Not at all, dear. I was just interested if anything bad happened on the trip."

"Oh, uhm. No. I don't think so," she says.

"I see. Well, thank you, Fluttershy. I only have two more questions. Now, they are going to be very, very hard. So I'm going to need you to be a big girl and be brave for me, okay?"

"Okay," she answers.

"I have a little pegasus pony doll here," Turney says, levitating a small doll off her desk. "Now then, I want you to point, move or tell me any part of this doll that your Daddy could have touched you that you didn't like, or made you feel funny."

The entire courtroom went silent and stared at the small doll in the air. Fluttershy took the doll and looked down at it. She looked to her Dad, who was watching her. She looked back to Turney.

"I don't want Daddy to get in trouble."

"This won't get Daddy in trouble my dear," she says. "We just need to know."

The filly looks back to Anonymous. The human sighs, and nods to her. Fluttershy turns the doll, and moves the wings. The entire courtroom breaks into shouts of anger. Stallions jump out of their seats and try to leap for Anonymous. Robin pulls Anon out of their grasp and somepony in the back faints. The guards in the room all convene on the rabid crowd and begin to escort ponies out of the room that began to pull punches.

After 10 minutes, the room becomes calm again. Fluttershy is still quietly shaking and keeps repeating "Sorry" over and over again.

"Thank you so much, dear," Turney said, re-approaching her witness. "You've done a very good job, but I need you to answer one last question."

Fluttershy remains quiet and keep looking to her Father.

"Objection your honor. The witness is in no shape for further questioning," Robin interjects.

"This is the most important testimony of the entire case, overruled," Mayor Mare says. "Turney, keep it to one question."

"Yes, your honor."

Anna paces the room, thinking carefully then stops directly in front of the bench.

"Alright dear, one last question," she says. "What were the carrots for?"

Fluttershy shivers, and then lets out a tiny squeak. Another still, uncomfortable silence fills the room.

"I promise dear, this is my last question, and then I'm all done. What were the carrots for?"

The filly takes a deep breath then moves closer to the microphone.

"F-for making me feel good."

Somepony from the back rises to their hooves. A rock across the room and it collides with Anonymous's head. Anger and yelling breaks out as the rock hits the floor, a trickle of blood on it. Guards enter again and calm the crowd, escorting out the stallion who through the stone.

10 more minutes later, the case resumes. The filly has stopped crying, but hasn't stopped trembling. Her ears are down and her hair completely covers her face. The judge looks to Robin with a glare.

"I have three questions, your honor. That's it," he says.

"I trust that you will use your questions wisely, Robin," Mayor says. "If a riot starts in this courtroom, I will not be afraid to take further action."

"I will."

Robin rises to his feet, and approaches Fluttershy.

"Hi there, Fluttershy. My name's Robin. I'm here for your Daddy, and I'm trying to make sure he doesn't get in trouble or hurt. Okay?"

She nods with a sniffle.

"Now, I have three questions, and then you can leave, okay?"

Fluttershy continues to tremble.

"Do you love your Daddy?" he asks.

She sits up straighter and the trembling weakens.

"Y-yes. Very much. Very, very much."

She smiles and her ears begin to become more relaxed.

"He's the best Daddy in the whole world," she says.

"Has your Daddy ever hurt you?" he asks.

"No! Never. I've never seen him hurt anything. Not even flies. Except, there was once he killed a spider. But, I got mad, so we don't kill spiders anymore."

Anon chuckles and smiles, wiping a tear from his face.

"Yep," he says under his breath.

"Do you want to keep living with your Daddy?" Robin asks.

"Mhm! Very much," she says with a smile. "It's been lonely back at the orphanage. I like sleepovers, but I want to go home now."

Robin smiles and steps away.

"There we go. I'm happy to see that you're feeling better now, Fluttershy. No more questions."

The stallion returns to his table and sits down with a smile on his face as Fluttershy descends the stairs and waives at Anonymous on the way out.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Sweetheart," Anonymous chokes back, waiving.

Once the filly leaves. The prosecution stands.

"I have no further witnesses to call your honor," she says.

"Alright then," Mayor Mare says. "If it pleases the Defense, I believe should break for lunch."

"Your honor, with all due respect, we would like to call our first witness."

Mayor Mare groans.

"Fine, Fine. One witness."

"Thank you," Robin says, rising to his hooves. "The defense would like to call Granny Smith of the Apple Family to the stand."

Silence fills the courtroom. A guard comes out of the door where all of the witnesses have walked out of so far and approaches Mayor Mare. He mutters to her a few sentences and she nods.

"She will not be able to testify due to a family obligation," says Mayor Mare.

"WHAT?!" Robin yells.

The audience erupts into mutterings and chatter as the Mayor calls for order.

"She is not able to be called at this time, and this needs resolution today. You may either postpone for another day or continue with your... short, witness list."

Robin sits down, rubbing his head. Anon rises from his seat, catching the judge's attention.

“Excuse me your honor, why is she unavailable?”

The Mayor smiles.

"She's picking up her grand daughter from the Manehattan train. Says Applejack was feeling homesick and wanted to come home."

“I see, thank you," Anon says, and retakes his seat.

"May the defense call for a recess with this recent development?" Robin asks.

"I'll grant the motion. I need to stretch my hooves anyway. We will call for a 30 minute recess."

With the bang of a gavel, the recess begins.

"Has the defense come to a decision?" Mayor Mare asks, after reconvening.

"Yes, your honor. We would like to proceed. The point of the testimony of Granny Smith was to display Anonymous's character."

"I see," she replies. "Then, you may call your next witness."

"We'd like to call our last witness, Anonymous the Human."

The crowd of ponies erupts into chatter and discussion. Mayor Mare brings down the gavel, but even her shouts are not enough to quiet the ponies in the room. Guards move into the crowd and begin to ask those in attendance to be quiet and be seated.

"I will evacuate this courtroom if I need to. I will not warn this room one more time."

Anonymous rises to his feet and takes the stand. Sweat forms on his forehead as one pony from the back yells "Monster!" and is escorted out. He ascends the stand and sits down. The Bailiff approaches him with the book, and he swears his oath. Robin approaches Anon with a serious look, and takes a deep breath.

"Please state your name for the record," he says.

“Anonymous."

He pauses.

"Uh. The Human. I guess."

"Thank you," Robin says. "Now then. I'm going to ask you about specific events and specific times, so, I'd like you to do your best to fill the gaps in-between, but try to keep it short."

“Alright," Anon says.

"Tell me about your first day in Equestria."

"Well, I sorta just appeared. I don't remember much before that point, but when I arrived there were just so many ponies. I was immediately brought to City Hall where I met the Mayor. I got a house and a job... then... that's pretty much it. I met a lot of ponies."

"Alright. Summarize the events up until you decided to adopt Fluttershy."

"Well, I think that's kinda the point of why I adopted her. There was a whole lot of nothing. I worked. Came home. Read books. Went to bed. Then repeated it. I was a bit of a hermit. So I decided to adopt a filly. I figured I could at least try to make someone's life here a little better while I'm here."

"So, you adopted a filly to try to make a child's life better."

"Yes."

"Not as a measure for personal fulfillment?"

“Well, I won't deny that wasn't a factor. I wanted to feel like I was doing something with my life, but I feel like everyone would want that."

"True, true. I don't blame you, I just want to make sure everyone here hears the whole truth," Robin says. "Now then, tell me about Cheerilee."

“Well, Cheerilee was Fluttershy's teacher. I sorta... developed a bit of a crush on her. But I was nervous. I realized she was one of my patrons at the parlor, and that made it a little awkward. I asked her out on a date, and it went mostly well."

"I feel like there is a 'but' coming on."

“Well, yes. That night, Fluttershy decided it would be a good idea to fake falling asleep to her babysitter, Miss Rosemary, then go play with the animals in the Everfree."

"Did you go to the Police?"

"Yes, they filed a missing filly report, but I ended up finding her myself."

"I see, that must have been a tough time."

"Yes. I had to give my first punishment to Fluttershy, and... I realized I went a bit too overboard. I was still emotional regarding the event, so I raised my voice too high. I apologized profusely the next day. Later on, I allowed her to play with the animals, but it had to be in the yard and during the day."

"I see. Now, I'm fuzzy on chronology, but tell me about Fluttershy's time at school."

"Well, that's a mixed bag. After Fluttershy's 'forest sleepover' I decided to cut things off with Cheerilee. I wanted to focus on being the best dad I could be, and that meant putting her first. She didn't take it very well, but I'll explain that later. I asked her to try and make sure Fluttershy made friends in school, and next thing I knew, she was talking about a filly from the Apple family. I was just happy she made a friend."

"Now, forgive me for being blunt, but we need to be blunt for a moment. Did you touch her wings before or after she made her friend, Applejack."

"Uhm, I believe after. But, that's sounds way worse than it was."

"Oh? Then inform me."

"Well, see, you can check my library records, I've been checking out books on how to be a good parent. How-to parent books, foal development and stuff. If my memory serves me right, we were... at the lake? Something where she got her fur all dirty and she needed to get cleaned up. I had her take a bath, and I helped her get clean."

Rumbles come from the crowd.

"This was something normal in my world," Anon continues, "Adults would help their young get clean, because they can't get every single spot themselves. So, that's what I did. Only after reading my book did I learn that what I did was wrong. Really, really wrong. And I couldn't tell you how guilty I felt. After I read that, I actually tried to give her the talk about the birds and the bees, only to find out they taught her that at the orphanage. I felt silly, but still pretty guilty. I deeply regret what I did, but I didn't think I was doing anything wrong at the time. Parents do things that they regret all the time. I didn't think I'd have to go turn myself in for that."

"I understand. You're right. All parents make mistakes sometimes. Now then, tell me about this sleepover."

"Well, there wasn't much to it. I made food for all of them. They played games. I read a book. I sent them to bed. I went to bed. Made breakfast the next morning for all of them. That's it."

"Nothing else."

"Absolutely nothing else," Anon says firmly.

"Tell me about a police report you sent a few weeks later.”

"Well, someone was breaking into my house, night after night, but wouldn't take anything. Then four days ago, my journal was stolen, and it stopped."

"Somepony was breaking into your house, to steal your Journal?"

“That's what I believe."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I have absolutely no idea. It's not like there was anything important in there. Just ramblings about my day to day business. I suppose, right now, that journal is my key alibi though."

"That's correct, a key alibi that the prosecution never made available to us to review prior to this case, your honor."

Mayor Mare looks to Robin.

"It's a journal, he wrote it himself. He should know it inside and out. I doubt the defense would have needed to review it too thoroughly in order to build a truthful case."

"But, your honor-"

"Please continue questioning, Robin, so prosecution can have their turn," Mayor states.

Robin looks to Anon, thinking carefully. He paces the room, and Anon looks to Ms. Turney, who levitates the book, while wearing a smile of victory.

"I. Uhm. N-... No further questions," he hesitantly says, and retakes his seat.

Mayor Mare turns her head to Turney, who smiles and rises from her seat.

"Anonymous. It's nice to actually speak to you. I've pored over this Journal for so long, that I almost didn't think it was the same person."

Anon looks at Anna and glares.

"I don't know how you want me to answer that."

"Well, I'm going to make it very, very easy for you to answer these next questions. All you have to tell me is 'Yes' or 'No'. Undestand?"

"Yes."

"Perfect! Off to a fantastic start then. Now, do you recognize this?" she asks, gesturing to the book.

“Yes."

"Does this look like your journal?"

“Yes."

"Do you believe this is your journal?

Anonymous remains quiet.

"I don't know."

"Well, then let's crack this open. I'll read a section, and you tell me if you wrote this. Sound good?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

She opens the book and begins to pour over the pages.

"Here we go. Day 1: 'I decided to begin keeping a journal now that I've decided to make something of my life here in Equestria. I figured the best thing to do would be to adopt some filly that's less fortunate than I.'"

"Yes."

"Good. How about... Day 5: 'When Shy came out, she looked like she had a great day.I asked her about the arts and crafts project, and she said it wasn't done yet. Other than that, we read the paper together. She's been learning all sorts of words that way. Maybe soon, I'll have her read the good night story.'"

"Yes," he said with a smile.

"Fantastic. How about Day 13: 'I'm a bundle of stress right now, Journal. It's probably pathetic. Sincerely, it's probably is. Thank god you can't judge me. Or, at least I don't think a book can judge me.'"

"Yes."

"So, do you believe this is your journal?"

"I believe so, yes."

"I see. Shall we keep reading then?"

"I don't think I have much choice, do I?"

"Day 8: So, I had Shy take down the sheets with me. The stains seemed pretty much gone."

"Yes, but that's out of context. She was having a bed wetting problem."

"Oh really? Day 22: 'I think I did a really good job massaging and cleaning all of the lake junk out of her wings though. You could say I had a lot of practice.'"

"Yes. I did. But once again I-"

"OH! But that same day you put 'The thought crossed my mind that the pegusai that I work on at the massage parlor usually really enjoy when I work on their wings.'"

"Yes."

"So, tell me, what WAS the under the table dealings you did at the parlor."

"OBJECTION! That is not relevant to the trial, your hon-" Robin starts.

"Withdrawn. Fine. Let's keep going forward in time. Day 24: 'Fluttershy made a friend today.'"

"Yes."

"You realize that contradicts with your previous statement, saying she was a friend with Applejack before you touched her wings the first time."

“Excuse me? The first time?"

"Oh, sorry, did I say that?"

"I made a mistake once."

"I think you're lying."

"What?"

"Let's keep reading, shall we? This is when it begins to get juicy. Day 24 - "Now that she has a friend, I have two little girls to play with."

"Uhh. No."

"Oh? You didn't write that? But you wrote everything else?"

“Yes."

"How about Day 25: 'Fluttershy ended up waking up and being ready for school half an hour early and waiting eagerly for her Apple friend.'"

"Yes, I believe I wrote that."

"So, just that ONE part of Day 24."

"Yes."

"Day 27: 'I gotta find some way to get her to put out.'"

"What?! NO!"

"Day 28: 'Once I got home, Fluttershy was all excited for the dinner with the Apples, and honestly I was too.'"

"Yes," he said, anger rising in their face.

"Same Day: 'Oh my God, Journal. They felt so good.'"

"No."

"Day 29: 'The book says fillies usually attain sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months of age, but some reach puberty as early as 9 to 10 months and others as late as 18. '"

Anonymous went silent, his breathing heavy and face red. He looked as if he could attack Turney at any moment, but she stood firm, staring directly at him.

"Yes."

"SO YOU KNEW."

I learned it late. It was a mistake."

"YES. OR. NO."

"NO, I DID NOT KNOW."

Turney flips through the pages viciously.

"Day 32: 'Fluttershy mentioned at dinner that she'd like to do a sleepover this coming weekend with the girls. I said that wouldn't be a problem at all.' "

"Yes."

"'Can you say Foursome, Journal?'"

“I WOULD NEVER, HAVE EVER, TOUCHED FLUTTERSHY OR ANY OTHER FILLY!"

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ADMIT IT?"

"OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR!" Robin screams as the room erupts into anger.

Mayor slams her gavel three times.

"I will have some order in this courtroom!"

Turney and Anonymous stare each other down as she flips towards the back of the book.

"Day 52: 'Fluttershy is depressed and reclusive. She doesn't even want to play with her animal friends. The filly isn't even talking to Angel. We're going to sleep in the same bed tonight.'"

"Yes, she was having a rough-"

"Day 53: 'Shy just left for school. I wish the swelling on her eye went down. Just gotta push through. This will get better.'"

"Yes."

"Day 51: 'I had to hit her to finally get what I wanted. That'll teach her to refuse me."

"I WOULD -NEVER- HIT MY DAUGHTER."

Silence fills the room.

"Well, either you're telling the truth, and this journal is fake. The journal found on the bed of your home. The journal that perfectly matches every witness testimony that was presented today. Or, you're lying to us under oath. Frankly. I don't care. But if You're hurting that young filly, I don't think it's worth letting you see the light of day."

"Your HONOR!" Robin yells.

"I withdraw my statement," Turney states.

“I would -never- hurt my daughter."

Only silence replies to Anonymous.

"I would never hurt Fluttershy."

Ponies in the audience look away from him.

"I'd Never..."

"I'd like to request a recess," calls Mr. Wrong.

Anonymous hangs his head in his hands as he stares at the ground. He continues to mutter his last words over and over. Mayor Mare sighs and looks over the court room of ponies who looks as if they may snap at any given moment.

"I'm going to grant that request. We will recess for one half-hour."

Mayor Mare brings down her gavel and Anon immediately rises from his seat. Robin moves to get in Anon's way, but he tries to push past him. He gives to the human, what looks like may be a tape recorder, which he snatches from Robin's hoof as he pushes past him. Anon storms out of the court room, letting the doors swing behind him.

The time is 1:47 and the recess has ended, as all of the ponies re-enter the room. Anon and Robin sit politely at their desk, Anon with his hands in his lap, and Robin staring down at his tape recorder. The Bailiff asks all ponies to rise as Mayor returns to her chair and instructs everypony to sit down. Mayor Mare looks to the defendants with an expression of exhaustion.

"The defense has not registered any other witnesses or evidence to present. I believe, since this is the case, we may move to closing statements."

"Your honor, I do have one last piece of evidence," Robin replies, standing up.

"Objection," cries the prosecution. "We were not made aware of this evidence prior to trial, your honor, we have not prepared for-"

Mayor Mare raises a hoof to Ms. Turney and looks back to Robin.

"Mr. Wrong. The last time that you pulled this stunt, the evidence was completely irrelevant and you still lost your case," the Mayor said.

"I realize, your honor."

"Do you remember what I warned you?" she asked.

"If I wasted your time, anymore with irrelevant evidence or publicity stunts, that I would no longer be able to do law in Ponyville."

"Then you do. Good. Then, if I allow you to do this, then you realize the risk."

Wrong sighs and looks down to his tape recorder, then looks back to the judge.

"Yes, your honor."

"Well, I have no idea how this case could be changed in anyway, since all of the evidence fits to the prosecution's case, but I'll let you have your last chance. Go on. Make it quick."

Robin moves to the center of the court room and looks to the jury.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts of the jury. If you've watched me during these proceedings, you'll notice that I've been fiddling with my tape recorder the whole case. I have a bit of a fascination for the recorded medium. It's extremely hard to fake. It's even harder to create in a short period of time. This tape I'm about to play for you, was on record for the first twenty minutes of recess. I asked my client to take it with him as he traveled outside to calm himself during recess. I'm going to play this tape for you, and I would like for the guards to ensure that nopony leaves the courtroom while this is being played."

Robin presses the play button. A full transcript of the recording will be added and amended to audience reactions at a later date.

The following is a voice transcript taken from the tape recorder of Robin Wrong on [Day 58] at 01:17 PM.

The click for the beginning of a new recording is heard.

Robin: "I'd like to request a recess."

Mumbles are heard in the background for a few moments.

Mayor Mare: "I'm going to grant that request, we will recess for one half-hour."

A gavel pounds.

Robin: "Anon, Anon come here."
Anonymous: "Leave me alone."
Robin: "Listen to me, this isn't over."
Anonymous: "Listen. I just need a few moments to gather my bearings."

Silence, except for court muttering.

Robin: "Fine. Just take this with you."

Rustle.

Anonymous: "Whatever."

Rustle and sounds of fabric. Footsteps, a door creaking, and then more footsteps. The murmur of the courtroom quiets. Another creak of a door, and then the chirping of birds. Anonymous takes a deep breath, but continues walking.

Anonymous: "Fuck."

A few seconds pass.

Anonymous: "Goddamnit."

The rustle of grass. Anonymous's voice grows much quieter.

Anonymous: "God fucking damnit."

Labored, shallow breaths are heard, followed by deep breaths. Anonymous sniffs his nose.

Anonymous: "You fucked it up this time. You fucked it up something royally."

More deep breaths.

Anonymous: "Great fucking job me. Great job. I should have KNOWN I would have fucked this up."

Silence, the sound of grass rustling. Perhaps Anonymous is sitting? A bird chirps close by.

Anonymous: "I've ruined everything. I'll never have her back. I made a few stupid mistakes, and now she's gone. Hell, I'll be lucky if I ever see outside again."

Silence.

Anonymous: "Right when I thought I was beginning to get the hang of it, too. I thought I might actually be cut out to be a Dad, and now look at all this."

A sigh.

Anonymous: "What do I even do?"

Silence. A quiet rustle of grass.

The jury and all parties in the court room remain still and silent. A pin could be dropped in the room, and all could hear it with ease.

???: "Well, if you really want options. I can give you one."

Prolonged Silence.

Anonymous: "What do you want."
???: "To be fair, you're actually great with kids."
Anonymous: "What the fuck do you want, Cheerilee."
Cheerilee: "There's no need to be rude, Anonymous. Especially to the pony who can make all of this go away."

Murmurs fill the courtroom as eyes scan the room and line up on the school teacher, who sits in the front row.

Cheerilee: "Oh please. Don't tell me you haven't added it up yet?"
Anonymous: "You stole my diary, and replaced it with a different one."
Cheerilee: "It's true."
Anonymous: "How did you copy my handwriting?"
Cheerilee: "Helping little ponies practice their handwriting every day makes it easy to mimic other handwriting styles. All I needed was a story that the town would believe."
Anonymous: "Then where's the original?"
Cheerilee: "Somewhere safe. Somewhere I can get it easily. If I turn that in, it sure makes the police look silly now doesn't it? It almost looks as if they planted evidence. Which would render the case invalid."

Silence.

Anonymous: "What do you want?"
Cheerilee: "On, Anon... please don't tell me you're being serious."

Silence. Cheerilee sighs.

Cheerilee: "The same thing I wanted from the beginning. The only thing I ever wanted since you moved in. The first time I finally saw the ability to take it was when you adopted that filly. You."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "Can't you see how much I've tried to do for you, Anon? I helped your daughter make friends. I gave her good grades. I made her belong. I boosted her confidence. I did this all for you. Even when you pushed me away I tried to do this for you to show how faithful and loyal I can be. I proved my love for you, Anon."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "Of course, when you pushed me away again, I had to show you just how MUCH I've done for you. I taught the Apple filly about Manehattan and her family's past. She became obsessed with the idea, just like all fillies do at that age. Then, I filled Rarity with ideas of fashion, high society and jewels. I knew that Fluttershy wouldn't share the same enjoyment, but I still took her to a zoo. Just for you, Anon.

Silence.

Cheerilee: "But I already knew what would happen. The inseparable trio got into a fight. The Applejack left and Rarity couldn't bear not being popular. So then you're little filly was all alone again. After calling on her a few times in class when I knew she didn't have the answer, that confidence was gone too. Not enough to be irrepairable, but enough to question herself. Enough for the other students to question her. The last thing to do was to send a fake letter to the Apples saying that Applejack wanted to come back home."
Anonymous: "You used. My Daughter. To attack me."
Cheerilee: "Not attack, my love. Remind."
Anonymous: "Remind me of how much of a psycho you are?"
Cheerilee: "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. For your sake."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "So, don't tell me you aren't curious."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "I can make all of this go away, you know. I can make this disappear. You can have your daughter back."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "You have to ask, Anon."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "Well in that case-"
Anonymous: "What?"
Cheerilee: "Ask politely, my love."

Anonymous growls under his breath.

Anonymous: "What do I have to do?"

Silence.

Anonymous: "Hon."
Cheerilee: "See, now was that so hard?"

Silence.

Cheerilee: "I'll make all of this go away, right here and now, if you ask me to marry you in the courtroom, in front of all of Ponyville. Then there will be no backing out. I'll give the evidence. You'll be free. We'll be married and we can live as one happy family. Then, you'll have your daughter back and a loving wife who will always take care of you. Who will always do what's best for you."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "It's just four words, Anon."

Silence.

Cheerilee: "We'll finally be together. Wasn't that what you wanted in the beginning?"

Cheerilee grunts.

Cheerilee: "Well, so be it. I will see you answer as soon as the recess is over. I just hope you choose wisely."

Grass rustles as hoofsteps trot off into the distance. A nearby bird chirps as a call is sounded for 10 remaining minutes to the recess. Anonymous chokes for air and sniffles. A dragging sound is heard on the tape, then a clunk.

Anonymous: "Hm?"

Silence.

Anonymous: "Oh god, the tape. Oh god.

Anonymous chuckles.

Anonymous: "Oh my god. Robin. You pushed record. You goddamn genius. I gotta get inside."

The tape cuts off.

The entire room remains silent, as the previous witness, Cheerilee, looks to be on the brink of tears. Anonymous sits in his chair, looking straight forward. The prosecution simply stares at Miss Cheerilee with her mouth agape. Miss Cheerilee looks around the room, then stands up.

" Bailiff, would you please place Miss Cheerilee in contempt of court," Mayor Mare says.

The school teacher steps out into the main aisle of the courtroom and looks back to the entrance doors. She takes a step back, but stops as the official gallops towards her. Cheerilee looks back at Anon, tears in her eyes, as the Bailiff grabs one of her hooves and pulls her towards the door where Mayor Mare was brought in. The prosecution looks down at her papers and flips through them, scattering them on her table and placing a hoof to her face. Once the door closes, marking the exit of Cheerilee and the Bailiff, Mayor Mare clears her throat.

"Wrong, Turney. Come up please."

The two rise and approach the bench. A few words are exchanged and a large smile grows on Wrong's face. With a nod from Mayor Mare, the two return their tables and Robin places a hoof on Anon's shoulder. Anna Tourney stands and looks to Mayor.

"Your Honor, the town of Ponyville would like to drop all charges on the Defendant. Clearly there has been a tampering of evidence and a large number of misconceptions regarding the character of the accused."

Mayor leans forward in her chair and smiles.

"I believe, what we've seen here today, is a large number of misconceptions added on top of poor circumstance. It's quite natural for anypony to jump to conclusions, especially when children are involved. Many ponies believe that they could raise a child better or differently than another. I believe, this is one of those cases. There's no point in hiding the elephant in the room. This town was distressed that a pony was being raised by a human. They felt is was unnatural. Wrong, even. So, the town... we've, looked for every opportunity to prove that Anonymous was not cut out to be a father. We've seen that the concerns we've witness and observed as a town have been a case of making stories, exaggerated rumors and jumping to conclusions."

Mayor Mare clears her throat as a few ponies in the back lower their heads.

"However, I do know there will be some that will argue that he still has made a mistake regarding touching his daughter's wings," she continues. "Well, I'm not going to say it's unforgivable, but we heard him attest to this with guilt. He was not aware of the cultural differences or the aging processes of ponies. He claimed to have a desire to change his ways. I'm inclined to say that if his true journal reflects his words of penance, I will overlook this."

The judge sighs and smiles.

"Believe it or not, I used to be a mother. My young ones have since moved away and are living well in Canterlot. I've done some things to my children that I'm not happy with. Things I've said, punishments I've assigned. But I did it all because I thought, at the time, that it was what was best for them. I didn't make the decisions lightly. I've seen the parents that do. I know how they act. I know how they treat their children and how some of these children will act. Perhaps... I'm being nieve, but I don't see that in the acc-... In Anon. I see a father just as I was as a mother. Caring. Concerned. Simply doing what they think is best for their child. As far as I'm concerned. I will accept the charges being dropped, and in addition, would like to give you the most heartfelt apology that Ponyville can offer."

Mayor Mare raises her gavel and slams it down.A smile curls on Anonymous's face.

"Case dismissed. Now can somepony PLEASE bring this man his daughter?" she says.

The prosecution begins packing their papers together as Mayor Mare rises, and Anon looks around the courtroom. His face grows red as he begins to chuckle. A guard steps out of the courtroom for a few minutes as a few ponies beginning to clap their hooves together.

Anon stands and turns to face all of those in attendance, and there isn't a frowning face in the room. The guard quickly steps back in, a tiny yellow pegasus with a long pink mane following him. Anon pushes past his lawyer, who's grinning from ear to ear, and steps into the main aisle. A smile curls on Fluttershy's face as she gallops to her dad. The filly leaps into Anon's arms and he holds her tight.

Verdict of the case of Ponyville vs Anonymous the Human – Not Guilty.

Day 58 – Evening

Hi, Journal.

Well, New Journal. Journal 2.0.

I don't... quite know how to put today into words. But, I'm laying in bed right now, with my little filly sleeping soundly, cuddling up close to me.

I'm not mad at her. I'm not mad at anypony.

Except Cheerilee. But, I hear she probably won't be out until Fluttershy is all grown up.

Maybe around that time, I'll move away and leave this place for Fluttershy to live in. But, that's a plan for another day. I'm sitting here, remembering all of the events of the last two months, and simply reminiscing on what I could have done better or worse. Nothing I could have done would have prepared me for what has happened in these last 58 days.

However, I think it all, sort of, worked out.

The town now sees me differently. Everypony seems to be a lot more open and kind to us now.

Especially after we left the court room. I realize that Fluttershy and I aren't really the most... conventional family, but we love each other.

She's my little girl, and I'm her dad. And speaking of all of that, I remember back to my very first entry in this Journal.

The afternoon after I adopted Fluttershy, I wrote "I can do this." When I wrote it, I was doing my best to reassure myself that I could be a good father. I thought that it meant that I wouldn't make any mistakes. I thought that it meant I would be able to become a natural at all of this, and some magic day would come where being a parent would be easy.

Only now do I see how silly I was to think that.

The fact of the matter is, that I will make mistakes. Everyone does.

It's how we react to those mistakes and learn from them to become better people is what makes us good or bad. There isn't going to be a day where being a parent will be easier. Some decisions might be more simple than others, but being a Dad is always going to be hard work. I suppose the difference is that, now I fully realize that.

Back then, I thought that if I just pushed through it, it would all get easy. And, that idea of it getting easier was what pushed me forward. But, now I really understand. It's never going to be easy.

One day, everything could be simple, and you're taking trips to the lake to relax, and the next you could be counting bits and trying to survive on old bread. But, the one thing that will always remain the same is that I'm Fluttershy's father.

So, I know I'll make mistakes. I know that there will be hard times ahead.

But, I'll take them a day at a time, prepare where I can and deal with it when the day comes. And, because of that, I don't doubt myself about being good or bad anymore. Sure, the future is uncertain, but I'm not going to let it eat me alive.

I'm Fluttershy's father. I love her more than anything else in the world. I would do anything for her.

And in my book, that's a good parent.

So, thank you, Journal. Thank you for being there for me when I was at my lowest. Thanks for helping me learn the lesson I needed to. Tomorrow is a brand new day. Quite literally, for you, a new chapter. And, I can't wait to see what's in store for us.

Take it easy, Journal.

Good night.

Author's Note

One year later, and it's finished. Thank you all for your support. If you liked this story, please hit subscribe! I love writing serious dramas and Fluttershy stories. I'm kinda exhausted after this finale, so I'll keep it brief. Thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think about it in the comments. I love the feedback.