Paradise
By RarityRoyale
~0~0~0~0~0~
Summary: Fluttershy's friends are worried about her strange behaviour.
Word Count: ~3000
~0~0~0~0~0~
The market is bustling and busy. Hooves clip against the ground as the excited chatter of dozens of ponies babbles in the background. A vendor's voice breaks out over the crowd, urging customers to buy his produce. Cut grass and fresh bread fill the morning air with their scent. A tin can drops, the loud clang reverberating throughout.
The pegasus pony keeps her head low and focuses on the trough of shiny red apples in front of her, not daring to make eye contact despite the fact that the retailer is one of her closest friends. The faster she can finish her shopping, the faster she can return to home, to the whimsical, magical forest and her dear animal friends.
"So, ah, what can I get for you?" the tan earth pony asks her. Flinching, the pegasus lifts up her head.
"Good morning, Applejack," she breathes, her soft voice barely above a whisper. "I'd like ten apples, please."
Her friend shuffles uncomfortably. Taking a small step back, Fluttershy whimpers and lowers her head. "Is something wrong, Applejack? I didn't mean to upset you."
The country pony holds up her hooves defensively, flustered. "Oh, no, you didn't do anything! I'm just, ah… my thoughts are elsewhere, that's all." She talks quickly and loudly. "So… that was ten apples, right?"
The timid mare nods her head. Her long pink bangs are brushed over her face, obscuring her vision completely apart from one sliver that she can see her friend through. "Yes please, Applejack," she continues in the same quiet tone. "You see, they're for the animals. The little lambs just love to eat them."
The blonde mare nibbles her lower lip and squeezes her eyes shut. When she eventually opens them, she sees Fluttershy crouched on the ground, her smooth lemon coat getting matted and dirty from the earth. Sighing, Applejack picks out ten of the best apples in her supply and places them into her friend's shopping basket, taking care not to bruise any of them. The pegasus pays with a several small gold coins before turning away from the apple stand, her eyes cast towards the floor.
Applejack tries to swallow her fear. "I hope the lambs enjoy their apples," she calls softly, her voice feeling thick and heavy in her throat. "Have a nice day… F…Fluttershy." The yellow pony doesn't see the hot tears rolling down the tan mare's face, nor does she hear the choking sob escaping her friend's lips.
Eager to leave the harrowing hustle of the market, the pegasus walks quickly, keeping her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. A thump against her side knocks her off balance with a gasp. Wobbling, she manages not to fall over, and her fear-filled eyes turn towards the culprit.
"Watch where you're going, loser!" a confident, mocking voice calls from in front of her, and a few nearby ponies snicker. Tears prickling into the corner of her eyes, Fluttershy tries to shrink away from the callous bullies. It doesn't work, it never has. The laughter follows her, burning her ears, becoming embedded in her mind. It's taking its toll on the young mare, and she is unsure of how much more she can take.
A strong, comforting hoof is placed on her shoulder. "Take no notice of them," a sympathetic voice says. "They're all just big old meanie-heads who are too dumb to see how kind and beautiful you are."
Fluttershy lifts her head and smiles softly. "Thank you, Pinkie," she whispers sincerely. "But you don't need to do this. You don't need to keep looking after a weak and wimpy pony like me."
The party pony looks horrified. "Don't be ridiculous," she says firmly. "You've been a brilliant friend to me since we were tiny. I want to look after you." She frowns and looks away from her friend. "And I hate seeing one of my best friends so unhappy."
Fluttershy smiles and turns her head towards Pinkie. "I'm not unhappy!" She protests, attempting to sound bright. "Who cares about a few meanie-heads anyway? They're all too dumb to see how beautiful and kind I am!" She leans in closer towards her friend, her clearly forced grin distorting her face in an alarming way. "And as long as I have you guys and my animals as friends, I'll be the happiest pony in Equestria!"
Pinkie breathes in sharply and tries to edge away. "You're exactly right," she says hurriedly, sounding breathless. "Listen, Flu…"
The pink mare suddenly begins to cough and splutter as if she is choking on something. After taking a few deep breaths, and with Fluttershy lightly thumping her back, Pinkie Pie recovers from the fit as quickly as it had come on.
"Sorry. Listen, Flu… Fluttershy. If you ever need someone to talk to, for any reason at all, call me or any one of the other girls. Even if it's the middle of the night, we won't be mad. Promise me you'll do that, okay?"
The timid pony nods, unsure of what her friend is getting that. "Um, okay, Pinkie," she says. "I'll call you, if, um, I ever have to."
Pinkie Pie smiles and touches her friend's cheek. "Awesome. Would you like me to walk home with you?"
Fluttershy shakes her head. "Oh, no, thank you," she says. "I have to get back home as quickly as possible. Angel Bunny has a terrible cold, and I need to look after him." She picks up her shopping basket and turns back to the winding path she needs to take home. "Thank you, Pinkie Pie," she smiles, waving goodbye to her friend.
Pinkie smiles and waves back. As soon as the pegasus is out of her sight, she sits down on the ground and holds her two front hooves to her head, feeling at a complete loss as to what to do with her friend.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Rushing home as quickly as she can, Fluttershy is astounded by the natural beauty of Ponyville's fine nature and scenery. Blue sky stretches over the vast land like a cool blanket, with not a patch of cloud to be seen. Trees and shrubs of varying sizes line the road with their vivid green leaves and a paintbox of wildflowers brighten the earth with their pretty designs.
She sees her dear tree house a short distance away and her heart soars. The air is no longer suffocating like it was at the market but crisp and revitalizing. Tiny songbirds chirp happily from the trees above, she turns towards them and smiles. Her home is her paradise, and as long as she has warm sunshine above her head, and cool earth beneath her hooves, it shall stay paradise.
Galloping at full speed now, Fluttershy closes her eyes and feels the soft caress of the breeze on her pale yellow cheeks. Her paradise is everything she would want it to be, and more. No intimidation, no cruelty, no wrathful ponies eager to criticise her every move. There's only the tree house and the garden and the stream and the animals…
There's only love.
Pushing the heavy wooden front door open with her fore hooves, the pegasus calls for her beloved animal friends. "Angel Bunny, I'm home! I brought you some delicious, nutritious soup for you to get better on!"
When the bunny rabbit doesn't reply, Fluttershy decides that he must be sleeping. Several other squirrels and raccoons swarm at her hooves, their eyes playfully begging to be fed. The pony laughs. "Now, now, guys, your lunch will be ready soon. I brought some nice, tasty lettuce for you all, and some beautifully sweet baby tomatoes." She stepped into the kitchen to set the shopping down on the bench, smiling out the window at the young family of sparrows nested on a low hanging tree branch, the two sleeping babies tucked cosily into their mother's wings.
She pulled a large carrot out from her shopping bag and began to chop it up for the animal's meal. She could hear the animals communicating in the other room, cheerfully chattering away while waiting to be fed. She smiled softly to herself. As long as she had the animals she could survive, no matter what anypony else says.
Fluttershy couldn't deny that her friends had been acting strangely lately. It was always as if they were walking around on eggshells with her, treating her like a fragile ornament. They were afraid of touching her, because she could break. The timid mare felt warm wetness running down her face. Wiping away the stray tear with a hoof, she tried to push the bad thoughts out of her head and returned to her task, pulling the crisp lettuce out of her shopping basket.
Nopony would look her in the eye anymore. That was okay, because she couldn't look at them either. It was all too terrifying -if she looked at them, would they laugh at her? Push her over and spit in her face? She shuddered at the thought. It was all too much to handle, and sometimes the pegasus wished that she could stay in her tree house with the animals forever, permanently locked away in paradise where she could never be hurt by anypony, ever again.
The only reason she ever left the house now anyway was to do shopping, and to visit her friends. She had visited Rarity at the boutique yesterday, on the unicorn's insistence. Fluttershy had been very reluctant to go -Rarity lives on the other side of town! What if somepony sees me? - but found herself feeling surprisingly comfortable after arriving.
"Come in, darling, help yourself to a piece of lemon slice!" the fashion designer greeted, ushering her towards a large plush sofa. "It's been such a long time since we've chatted, how are you getting on?"
Fluttershy nibbled at a piece of slice. "I've been, um, fine." she told her unconvinced friend. "There was an accident yesterday, though, down by the forest. A squirrel tried to grab a berry from a high branch, but he misjudged the leap and fell to the ground. It was just terrible."
"Oh, how awful," the unicorn said sympathetically, sipping daintily from a teacup. "Is he alright?"
The lemon mare nodded. "Yes, he's injured, but I am positive that he will make a full recovery." She looked around the boutique, her eye catching something shiny hanging on a mannequin.
"Oh, Rarity, it's beautiful!" the awestruck pegasus breathed. Rarity glanced over her shoulder to where her friend was looking.
"Oh… you really think so?" she replied modestly. Fluttershy nodded and shifted off of the sofa to closely inspect the garment. "A beautiful design like this must have taken forever to create! You're so talented!"
Rarity held her breath and smiled. "Why, thank you, darling. I appreciate your… compliment. It means a lot… um, Fluttershy."
With stabbing realisation, Fluttershy finally manages to place what it is about the behaviour of her best friends that is so strange. She gasps, and losing her concentration, makes a slip with the knife. She holds her hoof up to her face, staring at the thin line of blood that is dripping onto the bench.
Her name. They always hesitate when they say her name.
~0~0~0~0~
Later that night, a figure rushes through the streets of the town, her rainbow hair streaking behind her as she sprints, shivering from the cold air.
She twists and turns through the various streets. It's dark, but she isn't worried at all. She knows exactly where she's going.
Leaning on the wall of the correct building, she pauses to catch her breath before opening the door, not bothering to knock.
Four familiar faces turn to stare at her, their eyes filled with worry.
"Well, we're all finally here," her friend says, breaking the silence. "Spike is asleep, so we're safe. We have privacy."
Rainbow Dash sits down on the floor, Applejack and Rarity shuffling over to make room. Pinkie Pie is sitting on a table, swinging her legs absently. Twilight clears her throat.
"Well, I trust that you all know why you're here." The other three girls nod their heads. "It seems that one of our friends is having somewhat of a …crisis. Actually, more like a breakdown. As good friends, we all know that it is our responsibility to look after her and her health, and it is clear that she is going through a rather… difficult period in her life."
"Can we stop beating around the bush here?" The blonde interjects. "She's not just 'going through a difficult period.' There's something wrong with her. In the head."
Twilight sighs. "Yes, you're right. She definitely has some kind of mental illness. But maybe it's not that bad. Maybe she's just stressed. Maybe she just needs a little holiday. Maybe she-"
"Twilight, darling, please," Rarity says, pulling herself up off the floor. "There's no way that this is just stress."
Rainbow stares at the floor, a clearly angry look on her face. "Those bastards," she mutters. "They did this to her, didn't they?" She looks up at her friends, scowling. "It's their fault! Always pushing her around. Always picking on her! Just because she's weak. I want to kill them."
Twilight laughs nervously. "Don't you think that's a little too far? But other than that, yes, I agree. Her tormentors are awful. I can't imagine what she must go through…"
Pinkie Pie leans back on her table and stares at the ceiling. "But what do you think we should do about it? This is serious, after all."
Twilight smiles wryly. "Well, I really don't want to do anything too drastic. I propose that we just keep an eye on her for a week or two, try and look after her."
"Sugarcube, we've been doing that for months now, and nothing's changed. In fact, she's gotten worse."
Twilight closes her eyes. "Yeah, I know. But I'm so scared… I just want it all to end…"
Rarity massages her hair. "We all do. But if we want anything to change, we can't just sit by and do nothing. She needs professional help."
The other three murmur in agreement. Twilight lifts her head up, tears pouring freely down her face.
"But if we do that, who knows what they'll do to her? They'll probably lock her away in some asylum! We might not ever see her again!" She collapses onto the floor, shaking. "They'll break her. She'll be more broken than she already is. You all know that she'll never be able to handle it."
Pinkie Pie looks at the floor. "You know that it will be for the best."
Twilight stands back up, glaring at her best friends. "Surely this can't be that big of a problem."
At this, Rainbow stands up and kicks a bookshelf in frustration. As pages shuffle to the floor, she turns around and points accusingly at her friend.
"Not that big of a problem? She thinks that we're fucking ponies!"
Nobody in the room says anything for a few moments.
The studious girl sits back down, holding her head in her hands. "I know, I know," she sobs. "This… this is all just too hard!"
The tall, fashionable girl tucks a strand of perfectly-curled hair behind her ear. "Darling, we all feel it." She squeezes her friends shoulder sympathetically.
The blonde stands up too. "Ya know, I used to think that she was just playing games with us," she says, her country accent still recognizable even after living in the town for so many years. "When she started callin' me Applejack, I just went along with it. It's kinda a cool nickname, anyway." She chuckled. "I didn't think that it was a big deal until she started demandin' that we call her Fluttershy, and refusin' to answer to her real name."
"Same here," the other blonde girl adds. "I like being called Pinkie, but then it just started getting weird."
The tallest girl sighed. "She came over to my house yesterday. I tried to be a good hostess, asking her about… you know, her 'animals', but then it got even stranger. I had been rather careless, in the morning, and I hadn't tidied up my bedroom. I had left my dressing gown hanging on the back of the door, and while we were talking, she suddenly got up and started rubbing it, telling me that it was beautiful and that I was very talented."
The studious girl fingers her blunt, black fringe. "All I really want is for her to call me Tess Spencer again, not… Twilight Sparkle."
The last girl bends down and starts picking up the scattered books. "I'm sorry for kicking your bookshelf, Tess. Her chin length, multi-coloured hair shimmies around her face whenever she moves. "So, what are we going to do about…" she sighs, "…Fluttershy?"
Tess lies down on her bed and stares up at the ceiling, her sore, red eyes welling up with tears once more.
"I have no idea. I honestly have no idea."
On the other side of Ponyville, a lemon-coated pegasus with a long pink mane is in paradise.
"I love you, guys," she whispers as she slides the bowl of salad in front of several eager animals. She looks around her home, her beautiful home, stopping to look at a photo of her and her best friends. Twilight, the star pupil of the Princess. The honest and outdoorsy Applejack, with a big smile on her face. Rarity, creator of some of the most stunning designs the world has ever seen. Rainbow Dash, easily the fastest flier in the land. And Pinkie Pie, who puts a smile on everypony's face.
The girl smiles to herself as she picks up the photograph, hugging it close to her chest.
This really is paradise.
Author's Note: Well that was the darkest thing I've ever written. The premise for the story was inspired and based on this fan-comic: http:/goo(dot)/qKTcp (replace the (dot) with a .).
Reviews are awesome, and any and all criticism is appreciated!