“Come now, everyone. It’s time for lunch!”
The animals that took shelter around the Everfree Forest approached Fluttershy, eagerly waiting to sample what she made for them. They all surrounded her at the chicken coop along with all the animals that reside with the yellow pegasus. Each had their fill of a meal made especially for them. Angel was also waiting for her daily serving of cabbages and carrots.
The day had gone uneventfully. The sun was shining and not a cloud was seen in the sky. It made Fluttershy think that the pegasi in Cloudsdale got a little lazy that day but what is to be expected from anypony who wouldn’t pass up a chance to enjoy a beautiful day. Angel was still waiting for her food but Fluttershy took no notice as she tended to the chickens and the field mice. In total frustration, he ran in front of his owner and thumped his hind leg on the ground to get her attention.
“Oh! I’m sorry I forgot about you, Angel. Here, have a nice, juicy carrot!” The yellow pony handed a carrot to her pet. Angel’s face was filled with disappointment but he accepted his meal regardless. “Enjoy your meals, everyone! There’s plenty to go around so don’t hesitate to ask for more”, Fluttershy said as she walked back into her cottage. All the animals smiled back for a while before indulging themselves in the pegasus’ cooking.
The yellow pony was just about to take a seat in her living room until she was interrupted by the sight of something whizzing past her window. Fluttershy took a step outside and was met with a cyan pegasus flying straight towards her.
“Look out!” A thunderous crash rocked the whole house as Rainbow Dash flew in and messed up the furniture. “Oops. Sorry about the living room, Fluttershy”, the pegasus told her friend as she recovers from her accident.
“It’s okay. I was just planning on re-arranging it later. What brings you here, Dash?”
“Well, since there’s nothing much going on in Ponyville, I thought about paying you a visit. Before I forget, I also got the gang to come over. I hope you don’t mind us hanging out here for the afternoon would you?”
“Oh not at all. It’s getting lonely here really.”
Just as she expected, three more figures came walking down the road towards her cottage. Their silhouettes made them discernible from the distance. Two had horns and the other wore a hat.
“Hello, Fluttershy! Wonderful weather today!”
“Hi, Twilight. It’s indeed a nice day”, Fluttershy responded with an almost inaudible voice that her friend can still hear.
“Yes it is, dear. A perfect day to go for a stroll around Ponyville, don’t you think”, the white unicorn added just as the yellow pegasus finished her sentence.
“Y’know, Ah was gonna buck some apples today until Big Mac decided to do it. Guess I got lucky there.” Applejack looked a little stressed out due to applebucking three days straight but was happy to take a break and hang out with her friends. Strangely, Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen. Everyone didn’t mind, mostly because they were so caught up in the moment to not even notice that she isn’t present. “Come inside, everyone. Make yourselves at home.” Fluttershy led her friends inside her cottage and proceeded to get them some beverages.
Rarity took notice of the furniture out of place and quickly put them back in place. The yellow pegasus came back and noticed the living room organized once again. “Thank you, Rarity. I was going to rearrange the furniture again but I guess I won’t have to.”
“You’re quite welcome, my dear. I wouldn’t want your home to be a mess considering that you have guests.” Rarity returned to the couch and took a seat with Twilight Sparkle while Applejack and Rainbow Dash made themselves comfortable on the floor. It was only then that everypony in the room took notice of Fluttershy’s ceiling. They saw a dark figure crawling around the corners of the ceiling until it halted just above the yellow pegasus.
“Hi, Fluttershy! It’s good to see you! You know, I was planning on throwing a party here because Rainbow Dash asked if I wanted to hang out with you and I just couldn’t resist. I even came here with my party cannon! It’s going to be so fun with cake and games and pu-”
“Hold it, Pinkie! We’re just hanging out with Fluttershy. Can we tone down the energy even if it’s just a little bit? I mean, I don’t think we’ll need to throw a party for Fluttershy” the cyan pegasus interrupted.
“Oh. Okay! No problemo! Maybe a party next time?” The energetic pink pony dropped from the ceiling without making a noise, stopping in mid-air and turning her body around 180 degrees so that her feet now hover above the ground. She then landed on the ground without injuring herself. Everyone was baffled at her strange act but no one dared question her about how she did it. They all knew it was just Pinkie being Pinkie.
“You know, girls, I’ve always wondered how it would feel like to fly. I’m sure Rarity knows about that and I have yet to perfect the spell that gave Rarity her wings.” Twilight began the conversation while taking a sip from her glass of water.
“It’s easy, Twilight! When I was a filly, flying always made my day. Feeling the wind in your mane, not being bound to rules when flying. Those were the good ol’ days.” Rainbow Dash commented on her friend’s inquiry. “It was really fun in flight camp where I met Fluttershy. She turned her attention to her pegasus friend and noticed her grin turn into a sad face.
“What’s wrong ‘Shy? You don’t seem to be interested in this kind of thing huh?” Applejack asked her friend, thinking something might be bothering her. “Was it because of something Rainbow said?”
“It’s not that. I’ve been thinking lately. All that time I could have done to make myself a better pony was wasted. I mean, being shy, timid, socially awkward, I could have been a different pony but this is what I’ve become and all that time I could have been able to help to resolve a situation sooner, I could have done it faster but I was just too scared to act. It’s just like that time when we needed to get the water from the reservoir to Cloudsdale. I could have done better but I didn’t. The past few days felt like weeks to me. All I could think about was how much of a failure I am. Even my parents thought it was unnecessary to be shy but I just can’t help it.”
“Don’t say that, Fluttershy”, Rarity intervened. “You know that’s not true.”
“Oh but it is. I just wished I could have been different.”
Twilight soon approached the yellow pegasus and took a seat beside her. “Come on Fluttershy, let us help you.”
“Please, Twilight. I just want to be alone now.”
“But-”, the purple unicorn was unable to finish her sentence as Fluttershy stormed out of the house and into the Everfree Forest. Everyone else proceeded to follow her, screaming at the top of their lungs to get her to come back. “Fluttershy!”
“What are we gonna do, Twi? Fluttershy has never been like this.”
“I know I’ve read something about this but what was it?”
Twilight now needed to find out how Fluttershy became so frustrated with herself. She had read something in a medical journal that seems to describe what’s happening with her friend but she can’t put her hoof on it. She immediately ran back to the library to find that journal and find out what it is, leaving her friends behind who are still calling out to their friend.
“Now where is she going?”
Twilight arrived at the library, exhausted but desperate to help Fluttershy. She started looking through volumes of encyclopedias and medical journals dealing with mental disorders and other related topics that could explain what was going on with her friend.
“Spike! Do you know where I put that medical journal?”
The purple unicorn’s faithful assistant arrived with one eye still shut. “Seriously, Twilight? I was just having a wonderful dream where I was surrounded by gemstones larger than myself. I felt like I was in paradise.”
“There’s no time for that, Spike. Something’s wrong with Fluttershy and I really need that medical journal.”
Hearing those words, the little dragon was immediately awakened with fear gripping his heart and found himself almost unable to stomach what he just heard. “Did something happen to her? Is she alright?”
“I can’t say for sure what’s going on with her but she isn’t feeling like herself. She keeps saying that she is worthless and guilty. I really need that journal, Spike.” Skimming through the all the journals she and her assistant could find, she found herself at the point where the situation was hopeless until she chanced upon the issue she was looking for.
“Found it! Okay, I think Fluttershy is depressed. It is characterized by feelings of anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, worthlessness, etc.”
“Don’t you think that Fluttershy could just be sad?” The purple dragon rubbed his eye as he put down two journals. “I mean, doesn’t this stuff go away in time?”
“I don’t know but if left unchecked, things could get worse for anypony who is depressed. If we let this persist, I can’t imagine what could follow. I have to get back to the others.” Twilight hurriedly left the library to look for her friends while her assistant is left with a large pile of books and periodicals lying on the floor. He began to pick them up one by one and put them back where they belong.
Applejack and the others searched high and low through the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash flew up high and searched the foliage but couldn’t find the yellow pegasus. She thought that her pink mane and yellow body would be easy to find but she was proven wrong. The dense forest easily concealed Fluttershy even if her colors would be easy to spot.
The group was now hopeless and exhausted. They had given up on their search and decided to call it a day until Twilight arrived. “We couldn’t find her, Twi. It’s like she disappeared or somethin’. I hope she’s alright.”
“Applejack, Fluttershy’s depressed.”
“Say what?” The rest of the group arrived and were all bewildered at what the unicorn had told the orange earth pony.
“She feels worthless because of who she is, girls. I don’t know how this happened but we need to help her.”
Pinkie Pie grabbed her party cannon and was about to return to the Everfree Forest until she was stopped by Rainbow Dash. “Wait a minute, Pinkie. I don’t think parties will help Fluttershy.”
The pink pony loudly gasped but quickly regained her composure. “We need to cheer her up somehow. Maybe you can do something else and leave the partying to me.”
Twilight let out a loud cough that caught the attention of the two ponies. “If I may continue. We need to cheer up Fluttershy but I doubt we can all do it with just one method so I suggest we all do something different. Maybe one of us could cheer her up. I’ll stay here and wait for her. Fluttershy’s going to have to come back home at some point.”
“You sure yer gonna be alright, Twi?”
“Yeah. I wish I could say the same for Fluttershy.”
Everypony left except Twilight who decided to wait a little longer near Fluttershy’s cottage.
Fluttershy was sitting alone in the hedge, the would-be meeting point of the Cutie Mark Crusaders until they decided to use Applejack’s old clubhouse. She thought about how miserable she was and how she wished things would be different. All she could do was close her eyes and let her tears roll down her cheeks, lamenting on what she had become and no one was there to comfort her. A slight breeze filled the air but the coolness of the wind had no effect on the lonely pony. She had been thinking about all her failures many days before and the more she tried to forget about them, the more she thought about them. She didn’t want her friends to worry about her so she tried to hide them but the feelings of guilt overwhelmed her and she let it all out.
As the light of day began to give way for the night, Fluttershy left the hedge and returned home. Along the way back, she saw a pony standing outside her home. She approached slowly, wiping the tears from her face and made her way to the front door.
“Fluttershy”, said the purple unicorn as she walked towards the yellow pegasus. “I know you’re feeling down right now but I want to help you. All your friends want to help you. Please, let us help you. I don’t want this to go on forever and neither do you.”
“I’m sure of that, Twilight.”
“So, how about I fix you up some dinner? Or maybe we can go to a restaurant. It’s up to you.”
“I’m alright with just home-cooked meals. Thanks Twilight but I don’t want you to do all this.”
Twilight responded in a joyful manner almost similar to when she had gone berserk with trying to make a friendship problem that caught the attention of Princess Celestia. This time however, she kept her cool. “I don’t want you to be bothered by a lot of work. Let me make you some dinner. I read about this one recipe on making a very delicious daffodil and hay sandwich.”
The unicorn gathered all the ingredients she needed and proceeded to making the sandwich. She used only the freshest ingredients coupled with spices, salt, pepper, and put them all together. She handed it to Fluttershy, who took a bite out of it.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, Twilight but eating doesn’t make me any happier. Thank you but I’m still not feeling well. I think I’ll just go to bed now.”
“Oh. Uhh, okay then. Goodnight Fluttershy. Sweet dreams.”
Twilight Sparkle left the house looking even more worried than before. She knew she needed to cheer her up but with what just happened, she knows its going to take more than just simple acts of kindness to brighten Fluttershy’s day.
The next morning, Fluttershy was awakened by the sound of knocking on the door. She got up and opened it. To her surprise, it was Rarity. She wouldn’t expect her to be up and about so early in the morning.
“Good morning, dear. Ready to go to the spa? Today’s our weekly get-together you know.”
“Umm. Well...I don’t really feel like going. I don’t want to intrude into your schedule. I’m sorry if i offended you. I just can’t help thinking about how much I am wasting your time.”
“Don’t say that, darling. You know I can always make adjustments to my schedule. Besides, I always make it a point to spend some time with you at the spa. Don’t you want to relax and unwind? Maybe that can clear your mind.”
“I’m sorry, Rarity but I am going to have to say no to your offer.”
Just as Rarity was about to rebuke her friend’s statement, Rainbow Dash arrived. She was with Tank the tortoise. “Fluttershy, how about a pet play date? Tank wants to hang out with Angel. Oh, hi Rarity. What brings you here?”
“I was just going to ask Fluttershy to accompany me to the spa for our weekly get-together but she doesn’t seem interested. I will just stay here with you then. A playdate sounds like fun. Wish I could have brought Opalescence.
The three went to the backyard and watched Angel and Tank play together although the other animals in Fluttershy’s yard were more interested with seeing the tortoise again. Angel didn’t mind all the attention Dash’s pet was getting, he wasn’t in the mood to play anyway. Rainbow suddenly flew up into the sky and started sculpting images with the clouds. The first one was a bunny. Two more images appeared. One was a butterfly and the second had two pegasi with one of them giving the other a high hoof.
Rainbow came back down and showed these to the yellow pony. “Do you like them?”
“Yes but it just doesn’t appeal to me. I normally enjoy watching the animals or looking at cloud sculptures but I just can’t appreciate their beauty.”
“C’mon, Fluttershy. Just look at the one with the two pegasi giving one a high hoof. You know, that’s actually me giving you a high hoof. I thought it would make you feel better.”
“That’s nice, Rainbow, but I still don’t feel better. I guess I’m just too sad to care.”
The morning was slow but as soon as it was time for lunch, another pony arrived. “Howdy, everypony. I thought about bringing y’all some food. I’ve got apple pie, apple fritters, caramel apples, and some apple cider.”
“Wow, those sure look great, dear! I can’t wait to dig in,” the unicorn trotted towards the cart and picked out which one she wanted to eat. Rainbow Dash followed shortly after. Rarity and Rainbow Dash had each an apple fritter. “These are just delicious, Fluttershy! You should really try some,” the white unicorn invited Fluttershy to join them.
With a sad face and turning her head away, she began to walk towards her house. “Sorry. I lost my appetite.” She went inside her cottage and was met by a large booming sound accompanied by streamers and glitter. It was Pinkie Pie and her party cannon. She had instantaneously decorated the interior of Fluttershy’s house. The yellow pegasus was left slack-jawed at the sight before her.
‘Pinkie, I didn’t ask for this.”
“Of course not but I’m here to cheer you up. What better way to put that smile upside down than a party! Tell me you enjoy parties.”
“Well, I do like them, especially yours, Pinkie, but I don’t know how it feels like to have a party to call my own. You see, I haven’t had a birthday party. It makes me feel sad and jealous of the other fillies and colts who have birthday parties.”
Pinkie’s smile quickly disappeared. “Oh. I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”
“It’s okay.”
Everyone who visited Fluttershy said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Fluttershy was still feeling sad and worthless inside and she can’t handle it anymore. She grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper and began writing on it. She called for one of her pigeons and asked it to send the letter to Twilight.
The group went to the library to talk to Twilight about what had happened. Rainbow Dash knocked on the door. As usual, Twilight opened it.
“Twilight, we need to talk. Fluttershy’s is far from normal. She doesn’t want to go to the spa with Rarity, she didn’t eat a single treat Applejack brought for her and she can’t appreciate my cloud sculptures.”
“I think I know why. When somepony is depressed, they usually don’t engage in activities that they like. It’s like it lost its appeal. They don’t seem interested in doing the things they do.”
Spike was out buying paper and ink for Twilight when he noticed a pigeon dropping off what appears to be a scroll outside the library. He ran and took a look at it. What came next was so unprecedented that he had to tell Twilight immediately.
“Twilight! You need to read this now! It’s from Fluttershy.”
“Let me see that, Spike.” The dragon handed the unicorn the note and everypony in the library gathered around Twilight to read the note as well.
Dearest Twilight,
I don’t think I can take much more of this. You should know that for over a week, I can’t help but think of how worthless I am to you, to my friends, and to everyone. I don’t think Ponyville deserves me because I can’t do anything for them. I admit that I am shy and timid but these things hinder me from being able to help everyone. I believe that it would be better if I had not been a part of this community because no pony wants shy or scared Fluttershy around to mess things up. I hope you receive this note because this may be the last time you will ever hear from me. Goodbye, Twilight. Tell the others I said goodbye.
Your Friend,
Fluttershy
Everyone present was shocked and worried sick. They couldn’t believe that Fluttershy was really contemplating on leaving her friends behind. At this point, Twilight’s fears started to come true. She had previously conceived a thought that Fluttershy would resort to drastic measures. Rarity fainted, Pinkie Pie let out a loud gasp and Applejack’s jaw was left hanging. Rainbow Dash finally had enough and spoke up.
“We gotta find Fluttershy. There’s no doubt that she is seriously going to leave Ponyville.”
“But that is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING”, the white unicorn spoke as she got back up.
“But where do we start looking? For all we know, she could have left Ponyville by now.”
“We’ll start at her house. There’s a good chance Fluttershy will still be there.” Twilight now made her way to the door with her friends right behind her. Everyone ran hastily outside and was met by Angel who was making lots of gestures that confused the group. Twilight examined his actions and movements carefully as if Angel is directing them to go somewhere. With a little bit of patience and careful observation, the purple unicorn finally knows where to go.
“Girls, Fluttershy’s at the cliff. The one overlooking the town.”
Rainbow Dash quickly threw in a follow-up question. “You don’t think Fluttershy will-”
“I think she will. We must hurry if we are going to stop her.” The unicorn replied to the cyan pegasus as she began to run to the cliff. The rest of her friends and Angel followed closely behind Twilight Sparkle, who now knows what her yellow friend will do.
Fluttershy stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at the town from a bird’s eye view. In the distance, she can see a few familiar landmarks well known to her. Sugarcube Corner, Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight’s library, and Carousel Boutique. She bent down and picked up one end of the rope she brought with her and tied it a rock at the end of the cliff. The other end is made into a loop that she slipped around her neck. She took one last look at her home and then at the town. It is clear that she will be leaving everything and everyone she knew behind. What she didn’t tell her friends however, was how she was going to do it.
Clearing her mind, she began to count down. “Three. Two. One-”
“Fluttershy!”
The yellow pony halted and turned around. Before her stood her friends. Twilight walked towards her friend, extending her right hoof to the pegasus’ back.
“Don’t do it Fluttershy. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Fluttershy removed her friend’s hoof and returned her response. “I’m sorry, Twilight. There’s nothing more I can offer for everypony here. Besides, nopony wants a shy and timid pony like myself. I can’t be counted on and I don’t want to be a burden to you all. I am doing this so everypony can be happy. If it makes life easier for everyone else, then I must do this.”
Twilight is now desperate, hoping that she can convince her friend to reconsider. “Fluttershy, please don’t do this. It’s not the right thing to do. I know you’re upset that you didn’t turn out to be the pony that you hoped to be but this is not the answer. You may think that you are a setback and worthless to all of us but that’s not true.”
Each of Fluttershy’s friends walked up to her and began to help the unicorn plead. The first to speak was Rainbow Dash. “I wouldn’t have met Tank if you hadn’t shown me all of the animals living with you.”
“And it makes my day much more special whenever you join me at the spa. It gets really lonely there if I have no one to share the delight of relaxing in a hot tub filled with aromas that calm the nerves”, Rarity added.
“My parties wouldn’t be special if you aren’t around to enjoy them. Parties are for everypony and whenever you are enjoying yourself, it makes me happy. I know sometimes I can get carried away but the truth is, I want everyone to enjoy themselves and I don’t ask for anything in return. The smiles on everyone’s faces are like a pat on the back.” Pinkie Pie’s energetic state subsided but she reassured her friend that everything’s going to be fine.
Applejack soon walked up to the pegasus. “Don’t forget all the animals you’ve taken care of. They all think you’re a special pony, warming up to them and doing them all sorts of favors. It makes them really happy to have you around. Ah know you may not have done anythin’ special for me but that’s alright. There’s no need to go through all that trouble. A simple greeting is enough to make me happy.”
“Don’t you see, Fluttershy? You’ve made all of us happy. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been able to give your best every time we needed you but you have to put it behind you. Ending your life isn’t going to make the problem go away for all of us. You may think that we would be better off without you but things won’t be the same without you.”
The yellow pegasus looked at the ground for a moment and turned her back against the group. She closed her eyes and contemplated. Twilight and the rest of her friends are at a standstill, praying that their messages didn’t fall on deaf ears. At last, the yellow pegasus removed the noose around her neck and ran towards her friends. She gave them a hug and gripped them tightly but even though they felt like they are being constricted, they returned her hug with one of their own.
“I’m so sorry I had you all worried.” A fountain of tears gushed out of Fluttershy’s eyes as she never thought that she made a difference in her friends. “Thank you, everyone. I didn’t know that I am really important to you all. I promise to be better to all of you whenever you need me.”
Pinkie Pie raised her voice as she was overjoyed at her friend’s newfound insight. “You know what this calls for? A PARTY!!!” The group agreed to have a party at Sugarcube Corner, indulging themselves at the delicious pastries the confectionery could offer thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Everyone was having a good time. Rainbow Dash and Applejack bobbed for apples, Rarity was sampling a slice of chocolate cake and Twilight toasted a glass of punch with Fluttershy. Even Spike was busting some moves on the dance floor with Pinkie Pie.
“You feeling better, Fluttershy?”
“Oh yes, Twilight. I would like to tell Princess Celestia something that is, if you don’t mind me doing so.”
“Not at all. Spike?” The young dragon swiftly arrived at the unicorn’s side and pulled out a quill and an sheet of paper. “Spike, take a note from Fluttershy.”
“Alright Fluttershy, what would you like to tell the Princess?”
"Dear Princess Celestia,
The past few days have been difficult for me. I know that I may not be the pony everypony expects me to be and that I may not be the perfect pony but it’s what makes me unique. I don’t know if there are others who are as shy and timid as I am but I guess it’s what makes me unique. I learned that I am a special pony and that if I were gone, there wouldn’t be any other pony who can replace me. I also learned that there are ponies who still love me for who I am even if I am not perfect and although I cannot please everypony, it is still better to have friends who accept you for who you are regardless of imperfections."
“That is a wonderful lesson, Fluttershy. I guess I wouldn’t need Spike to send it to me.”
The yellow pony turned around and was speechless. Standing before her was Princess Celestia herself and she was not alone. Philomeena the phoenix was on her back.
“P-P-Princess Celestia!? What brings you here?”
“I wanted to visit Ponyville and the Cakes were gracious enough to let me spend the day here. Philomeena also wanted to see you.”
“It’s an honor to see you today, your highness.”
“I am delighted that you’ve learned something important, Fluttershy. Remember, you are a very special pony. Even though you may think of yourself as a disgrace, we can’t be perfect. That, however, doesn’t mean that you are worthless to those who love you. Your imperfections and shortcomings aren’t worth your life so there is no need to take it away. You are a priceless treasure to your friends and no pony can ever take your place in their hearts.”
“Thank you for those kind words, princess. They really mean a lot to me.”
“You’re quite welcome, Fluttershy.”
Everypony joined the princess at the table and enjoyed the cakes and pastries the Cakes prepared for them. Philomeena and Fluttershy played together and the others were merrily dancing the day away. Pinkie’s party put a smile on everyone’s faces that day but Fluttershy was just more than happy, she learned a very valuable lesson that changed the way she saw herself forever.
