Chapter 47

Boba Bobble Bubble

Walking out the door, I can't help but think about how... fun that all was.

I hear the tea shop bell ring and Zecora walks away in the opposite direction that I do... She must have other things to do. Other ponies to see... Other stories of her own to make. That’s good. That’s what I want. I could see her face when she mentioned the day of Creativi-tea. I’m pretty sure that she’s the one that gave Twilight the tea...

However! Get that thought train back onto the rails! What happened in Lah-Tea-Dah! There was no pressure, save for maybe Earl Grey's little request at the end, but no real pressure. Maybe towards the end when I was really straining to figure out good rhymes for what I wanted to say... Otherwise? Just a little game of rhyming, some advice, a bit of punnery, and most importantly: good tea.

"Now for the hard parts: getting home, contacting Fluttershy, and writing the lett-"

The shop's door's bell interrupts me, bolting out of which is Subtle Brew with an urgent look on her face.

"Achi-Bi! ACHI-BI- Oh, there you are being! I am zo 'ap-pi to not have missed juu!" She exclaims.

"Uhm... why would you have? I just walked out... but what's wrong? I didn't leave anything behind did I?" Dang it, now I have to look around me. Walking in circles is such a drag. Saddlebag is still there, glasses, check... maybe she saw something I didn't. "Nothing fell out of my saddlebags, did it?"

"Oh... oh no... but..." she bites her lower lip and looks concerned. "Achi-Bi, please be telling me, just how are juu getting home?"

"Uhm... walking, I guess?"

She starts shaking her head. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" she waves her covered hooves. "In dis sun? With dis heat? Juur leg in a cast?" She gasps, continuing to shake her head.

"Uuuh..." Oh wow, she really turned anime girl on me really fast! "Maaaaybe?"

"No! No! No! Mm-Mm! Dat iz too far! Too hot! And juu are hasing broken leg!"

"It's-it's casted up..." I shake my head and push up my glasses. "Really, it's not that far and it's not like I have any other means of travel! Tire Spoke still has my bike... I think... Not that I could ride said bike..."

"Oooh! Juu be hasing no worry about dis!" She leaves a sleeve over her 'chest' and turns her head up, that curved horn of hers changing with pulsing colors as she smiles. "I, S.Bi will be helping my yuujin, Achi-Bi!"

Shit! She better not be...

"Hoooold up!"

"Hmmm?" She opens an eye.

"You're not going to be blasting me with magic or teleporting me away... right? Cause, I gotta level with ju- you. With you." Calm down Achi-Bi- H.B.! "I've... I've had more than my share of magical mishaps today..."

She gives me a knowing..sympathetic smile. "I be knowing dis, iz why I be giving juu special kirin transportation spell! No magic poofing! Juu travel by kirin boba bobble bubble!"

"Uuuh... what? You mean those little spheres of flavored tapioca that are sometimes in drinks?"

"Huh?" She giggles behind a sleeve while waving a hoof. "Oh, Achi-Bi! Juu are so silly! I have not heard of such a ting! No! Kirin boba bobble bubble is... sphere juu will be traveling in! Now, please, being the quiet, it takes much magic to be making!"

"Oh... okay. My bad, I didn't know, it's just, you really don't have to do this... I am fine with walki-" I suddenly feel something in my lips. It's kinda warm and feels fuzzy-tingly. Looking down I see that it's one of those many tendrils of magic coming off S.B.'s horn.

“Achi-Bi...” She sounds so sad in those syllables. “Please... Zo.. Zo many terrible tings have happen for juu dis week, it seems so many bad tings happen to juu all of zhe times, so much zo that I thinks... juu only expect tragic tings to happen!” the tendril falls away. “But...” she looks at me with those teary ebony eyes. “Good tings can happen for juu, Achi-Bi! In zhe tea leaves I being seeing them! Good tings can happen for juu! They may even fall out from zhe sky! But-”

I feel a tendril come close to my eye and... fuck! Is that wet? Is that a tear? Am I crying?!

“Juu has to let them happen. Let me, S.Bi do dis good ting for juu... Maybe den, may more will come juur way... Okay?”

Fuuuuuck, I’m barely holding it together!

“Yeah... okay...” I say in the tiniest voice I’ve heard come out of my mouth. “D-do you-” Come on! Pull yourself together! “Need me to do anyting- er anything?”

“Just... close juur eyes and imagine juur house... and zhe way dat juu take to get dere...” Ah, it’s one of those kinds of spells is it?

“Well, okay...” Take a deep breath and ugh, there’s suddenly so much snot. I discreetly rid myself of that as best as I can before doing as Subtle Brew has instructed, seeing the path I would have taken from here. Its many turns and twists and the plethora of possible short cuts that I sometimes take when I think, or hope, no... pony is watching...

Then I hear Subtle Brew let out a stressed gasp followed by the sound of wind chimes and then something akin to... rubber balloons moving against each other?

The anticipation of what’s happening to me grows too great and I sneak a peak.

Oddly, tea colored saddle shapes surround me in an interlocking way, much like a toy you’d get out of a kinder surprise or gumball machine.

“Eyes closed!” Subtle Brew commands.

An involuntary ‘Eep!’ escapes me and I go back to imagining my way back with my eyes tightly shut till I hear the pooping of the parts fitting together around me!

“All done!” Subtle Brew says with a sigh before she slumps next to the trunk of a nearby tree to steady herself.

“Are... Are you okay?” I try turning around, but this... jelly-like sphere around me... doesn’t seem to want to move. It’s also giving everything a... sepia? Tea-tone.

“Oh yes! As I had been saying, that spell takes much, much, much magic to be casting!” I try to look behind me again, but this thing seems to have a mind of its own as it starts to roll forwards with me somehow still standing upwards!

“Uhm... S.B.? This is normal, right? I’m gonna have enough air, right? How does this thing!?”

Well, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten yourself in!

“Yes, juu will have air! Dat is very normal! Just trust the boba bobble bubble! Also, ignore the usagi kangaekia!” She shouts. “Juu be hashing a goodnight and rest well!”

‘The rabbit... something? That sounded... japanese...ish. Oh! Call back!’

“Jya ane, S.B. chan!” It’s worth a shot.

“Oh!” I see her beam brightly out of the corner of my eye. “Jay ane, Achi-Bi chan!”

... I don’t know how to feel about that ‘chan’ part but ya know what? With all those things that just happened? I’ma gonna let it slide...

At least, this time I will.

=========

“Oh! That Achi-Bi! Zo full of surprises...” Subtle Brew said, still a little wobbly from how much magic she used. “Who knew she knew some kirin?”

“Darling, are you still-” Earl Grey cut his words short and trotted to his beloved’s side. “Are you alright? What in Celestia’s name did you do?”

Subtle Brew looked around and giggled. “Oh... nos-ting... I just cast a kirin boba bobble bubble...”

“The Bobble bubble spell?” He looked confused until he spotted the light brown sphere starting to make a turn, the occupant’s black broken heart placed on the pony shape from within. “Oh! So that H.B. had a way to get home?” He asked, lending a hoof and aiding her back into the tea shop.

“Ooooh, juu know me oh zo well...” Subtle Brew said, kissing Earl’s cheek.

“It’s one of the many reasons I wish to marry you, my dear. You’re always trying to make friends out of ponies... Especially the really troubled and misfit ones...”

Subtle Brew smiled and with a bit of a tendril she filled a cup with crisp, cold water before bringing it to her lips and then took a deep gulp.

“Ah...” she gasped with satisfaction. “Juu know as they say my soon to be husband, ‘Yūjō wa mahōda’” She took another thoughtful sip. “I will be definitely soon making a friend out of juu, Achi-Bi chan!” she proclaimed downing the rest of the cup.

“You and your wondrous plots...” Earl Grey said, kissing the spot just below her horn.

Suddenly he realized his mistake as he felt something greasy on his lips... Looking up, he saw the shine of something black in the shape of lip prints upon where he had planted a kiss on his Subtle Brew.

“Oh! I am so sorry!” He said pointing out the makeup on his mouth. “I seem to have-”

Subtle Brew reflexively put a hoof up over the bare black spot and only gave a forgiving smile. “Iz ok, Earl Grey... We are done for ze night, and I can reapply makeup to hide scales in the morning! Now juu should go! I will take care of all te zings!” she said, closing the blinds and turning the shop’s sign to ‘closed’ for the night.

=========

The boba bobble bubble came to a slow rolling stop before it playfully popped at the grass of Heartbreak’s yard.

“Ope!” she said, being dropped to the ground. Taking a moment to regain her bearing, she sniffed the air. “Huh... it smells like... sweet tea...” she said before smacking her lips. “Tastes like it too.”

Looking around the yard, she found it bustling with sudden activity.

The little red eyes of an unnumbered amount of spiders hid among the blades of grass, dotted the trees, and practically decorated the house awning, blinking like Hearth’s lights.

Joining them in the awning and rain gutters and under the stairs were the many heads of the snapdragons which seemed to add a barely visible greenish glow. However, what they lacked in luminescence, they made up for it in exciting animation.

Fronds and leaves quivered and shook! The heads snapped and paced about! Viney tendrils snaked through the grass to greet the tan mare like a pack of poinsettia puppies that missed their master!

If said puppies were made of vines, moss, and twigs; and said ‘master’ was actually a mare.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Heartbreak chuckled, smirking as her lawn lunged to life. “Did you all miss me?” she asked, trying not to choke up as she hobbled homeward.

The creatures calling this place home took notice of this aberration in Heartbreak’s strides and came to investigate! Fighty and Bitey sent curling vines around the lilac cast set upon her leg, while groups of spiderlings set up on the surface, little legs tap-tapping attempting to gather as much information about this... new thing placed upon their protector.

Heartbreak chuckled. “Tis’ but a scratch,” she bluffed. “Granted, a scratch that’s on my bones... that resulted in a break...” The spiders and vines looked towards the pony while quivering and quaking. “A little break! I’m fine!” she insisted. “Nothing that a little rest... and some pain pills won’t take care of...”

With those words, the yard became a hustle of assistance, with Fighty and Bitey curling their foliage around the door handle and allowing Heartbreak entry to her home.

“And here I thought you two didn’t like me...” she chuckled walking through the red door frame. “Is it because I’ve been gone for some time every day this week?” she asked, gently patting both the snapdragons’ heads before pulling on the buckle of her saddlebags.

“And what a week it has been...” she waxed nostalgically as she slowly let the saddlebags slip down her back and onto the floor. She jumped a little as the contents made the various clinks, ruffles, and curious noises.

Once assured nothing was broken, she pulled her tail from under the saddlebags and looked around her living room.

Everything was how she left it, though for some unknown reason, it all still felt... off.

“You’ve only been living here for what, less than two months?” She asked herself, pushing up her glasses after she fetched a leaf of paper and mechanical pencil from her saddlebags. “Maybe I can work on customizing this place more to-” Her eyes fell on the portrait of the pony provocatively posed near the door and she frowned. “My tastes...” she said, making a face. “Yeah... when I get a chance... you’re going into the attic.”

Sitting down at the couch, she took a deep break and stuck her pencil in her hoof hole.

“Alright, let’s get this tea ball rolling...” She giggled, adjusting the writing utensils’ tightness. “You can do this, H.B... S.B. believes in you, and besides this can be like a warm up for the letter to the cake eater... I mean, princess.”

=========

‘The Webless one has returned!’ was the vibration that swept through the strands of the colony.

“Returned? Returned! The Protector has returned!!” The strands cheered back into the Queen’s inner node.

“There is something wrong, My Queen! My queen something is wrong! The Protector’s leg! It is covered in... solid webs! There are... vibrations unpleasant when The Webless one moves!”

The Vaneighsain sad-faced spider queen took in the taps and clicks from the colony as they crept up and down the Webless One’s appendage, she began building a mental image from all this, and then from this she concluded that the hard inner structure of this appendage had suffered damage.

“What do we do?!” The colony asked, panicked, twitching, quivering through the strands. “Will The Protector lose this limb? Will it regrow when the molt happens? Does the protector molt?”

“Silence!” The Queen blasted through the webs. “The Protector/Webless One is much like a pony. Her... Skeleton is wrapped in meat. She only has one. It will heal in time, but it will not regenerate when she molts because The Webless One does not molt.”

“Does not molt?! How is the Protector expected to regain limbs?! Skeleton on the inside?! What a flawed design! Skeleton is hard! It protects soft inside! Why does The Protector keep returning harmed?” A spiderling inquired among her sisters chattering.

For a brief moment, the webs went quiet.

“This is not known...” The Queen answered. “It is a... troubling pattern you have noticed, little one.” The Queen tapped her palps together uneasily. “We... may have to start implementing preventative measures to protect our Protector if information regarding why these events keep recurring does not present itself.”

“Maybe we should investigate?”

“Leave the colony’s protective place? By Ananzi! Blanked and funnel webs make more sense than that!”

“Do not insult your siblings. We are a colony. All ideas are to be explored and probed. Their advantages and flaws brought to the strands.” The Queen explained. “Insults lead to nothing but division. We will investigate, but I am most certain that The Webless One will be the source, as they are prone to revealing the vibrations in their strands. Especially when in the company of the ponies...”

“The Protector is summoning a pony! The Kindness Pony! She is making solid vibrations on a blanket web! Taking it to the magical all-consumer and sending it!”

“My Queen! A pony approaches! Is it the kindness pony? Cannot be! The message was only sent a few jumps ago!”

“Is not Kindness Pony... Is Honesty Pony. There are harsh but repeating vibrations suggesting they are tether to... a rolling mass... vibrations are sharp and... liquid? Giving information now...”

Once again, the Queen’s spidery mind visualized what was fed to her... The Honesty Pony, behind her... rolling wheels... a crate... the high pitched clink of glass distorted by a... carbonated liquid inside. There was also the rustling of round objects, some spherical in shape, some irregular... the vibration suggested... plant based?

“They are walking down the stone path!”

“Nearting the entrance! What do we do? What if they are a danger!? Do we allow entrance!?”

“Allow entrance. The Honesty Pony brings sustenance for the Protector...”

Hesitantly, the colony parted from the door and kept themselves hidden in small places just out of sight, cautiously waiting, just in case the Honesty Pony’s intentions were not so... honest...

=========

I watch my message go up in a sparkle of green smoke and drift away to what I’m going to assume is Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Alright, now that that’s done, all we need to do is wa-” Just then, here’s a rapping, a tapping at my front door. “She couldn’t have gotten here that fast... could she?”

“H.B., ya in there? Ah saw smoke comin’ from yer fireplace! Ya ain’t tryin’ ta go an set a fire in this summer heat, now are ya?”

“Heh... Of course it isn’t Fluttershy... No! I’m just sending a letter to Flutters!” I hope my voice got-

“Yer sendin’ a what to ‘mutters’?!”

Damn it, no.

“Give me a second! I’ll be at the door!”

“Yer down on the floor?!”

“You can come in! Just open the door!” Ugh, this is a game of telephone I’m growing tired of.

With the swinging of the door, the applest of apple ponies makes her apple-y apple presence apple- I mean... known.

“Howdy there, H.B... Sorrah about comin’ all unanou- Sweet Uncle Waldorf Salad! What in the wide world of Equestria happened ta yer leg!?”

“Ha... Yeah, this? I just thought I would try something new...” Applejack’s curled up face says that that joke did not land. “Just a bit of a... mishap at the park involving Rainbow Dash, it’s a lot less serious than it looks...”

Applejack does a headshake, a double take, and snorts while stomping her hoof on the ground. “What sorta mishap has ya go an’ gettin’ yer leg broke?! Aw, that Dash! Ah bet she was pushin’ ya far too hard! Ah tell you wut, she ain’t been the same way since she was recruited by that there shady wonder bolt reserves recruiter!” She whinnies, shaking her at me before stomping her hoof again.

Aww... A.J. cares... I shake my head away from that... feeling...

“Aaactually, it was her and Fluttershy who saved me last-” I notice that the pony before is sweating rather profusely. “Ya know what? Why don’t ya bring yerself in an’ Ah’ll... regale you with this story and the events of what happened after you get yerself hydrated.” I turn and motion her to come in. “Wouldn’t want a repeat of yesterday, amirite?”

She rubs the back of her head and chuckles. “Yeeeah, Ah ain’t wanna do that again.. Though ah was thinkin’ Ah was just gonna drop all this here an’ be on ma-”

“Tut-tut-tut! I insist that you take a load off yer hooves, have a cold drink, and stay a while to listen, cause believe me... you might want to know what happened in the hospital today... Uhm... You or Big Mac haven’t been feeling any body chills or have any WhItE show up in your manes or coats, right?”

“None that Ah know of...” She says, clip-clopping up the stairs. “Should Ah-” she grunts and manages to get the wagon full of goods that I’m just now noticing up the stairs and into the house. “Should Ah be concerned?”

“Maybe? Oh and if you see any spiders? Please pay them no mind. There’s no killing spiders in my house.”

“Oh alright- Wait? Spiders?”

=========

The dishes were stacked in the drying rack and the sink was finally empty and clean.

It felt good to have... something done, even if it wasn’t what she was meant to be doing, it was still something. A small accomplishment among a sea of insurmountable things, Fluttershy told herself.

She thought about what Spike just said, that the first night she and Heartbreak had interacted, or rather the pony that would become Heartbreak wasn’t speaking out of a place of anger, but out of pain and after she had fled; a place of remorse. This along with a few other stray thoughts went through her head... Hmmm, stray thoughts...

“That’s the last of it!” Spike said, gingerly putting a dried dish into the dishrack before pushing it a little to a line with the other dishes. He looked up quizzically at Fluttershy. “Uhm, something else on your mind?”

“Well... uhm... you know how H.B. said that she had fingers?”

“Uhm... maybe?” Spike replied, more than a bit confused.

“I was just wondering... if maybe she was a cat-like species!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

Spike looked confused for a moment before he remembered and his hand promptly collided with his face. “Don’t tell me that you’re still trying to find out what she was before... everything.”

Fluttershy tapped a hoof on the ground and looked away sheepishly. “Twilight said that she thinks that knowing what she was before... would... uhm.. Give us insight into how... she acts... now... I think... maybe...”

Spike scoffed a bit. “I think Twilight only wants to know that because H.B. doesn’t want her to know it, and she thinks that she’d be more likely to slip up and tell you.” he said, a tang of bitterness in his voice.

“Are... are you okay, Spike?” Fluttershy asked, her keen ear definitely hearing the pain the little dragon was making into a part of his emotional hoard.

“Yeah... I’m fine...” He grumbled crossing his arms and looking down, only to glance back up to be greeted with Fluttershy’s ever concerned gaze. “What? I said I’m fine!” he protested, throwing his arms up and turning away. “I-I’m just fine...”

Fluttershy considered her phrasing with care. “This is the longest you’ve been away from Twilight, isn’t it?”

The little dragon found that he couldn’t hold it in any longer!

“Y-yeeees!” He sobbed, throwing down his arms. “I-I get why she’s gone, B-but-”

“Oh!” Flutershy gasped, holding her hooves to her chest before using them to give her favorite dragon a tight embrace. “I-I know, I’m sorry...”

“W-what are you?”

“Shhh, it’s my turn.” Fluttershy said gently.

Spike nodded. “I’m just...” he began tearing up, while his words escaped him.

“Upset? Angry? Frustrated?”

“Yeah... but more than anything, lonely!” He admitted. “I know it hasn’t been over two months and Twilight told me to stay here and take care of the library, but I miss her! Fet! I miss all of you! Yeah, ponies come in and get their books, but that's almost all most of them ever do!” He said, waving his hands. “Oh sure, some of them are like ‘Hey, Spike! How are you doing?’ but then, they’re out the door before I can even answer!” He held onto Fluttershy’s leg and looked at the floor. “I’m not used to being all alone for so long...”

Fluttershy continued her gentle hug therapy when a thought occurred to her. “You know Spike... you don’t have to go it alone...”

Spike blinked in confusion after mulling what he had just been told, as if the words weren’t in the right order. “Huh?”

“Uhm, well, what I mean is that... Well, you could... ask one of us for some help or you could even take a break... When you need to come and visit us!” she suggested. “Being cooped up in the library can’t be healthy for you! Especially in the summer when a growing dragon needs his sunshine!”

“I get my sunshine!” Spike said a big defensively pulling away... he then tapped his chin. “Though it would be nice to have some help or get out of the library...” he glanced back at Fluttershy. “So what about you?” he asked, hoping to redirect the conversation from himself.

“Uhm... What about me?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

“Now that I’ve given you my advice, what do you think you should do about H.B.?”

Fluttershy looked down thoughtfully. “Well... uhm... even if she wasn’t a cat-like creature before, she certainly acts like one...”

“I woulda thought she was dragon-like, cause she said she had fingers...” Spike interjected disjointedly.

“What?” Fluttershy asked, confused, her wings making microflaps.

“Nothing! Sorry! As you were saying...”

“As I was saying...” She paused to regain her train of thought. “Oh, right. If she’s cat-like, then I should respect her personal space, and let her come to me.”

Spike hmmmed at the pony’s assessment. It felt very counter intuitive and wouldn’t be helpful with the time schedule, but then again, he wasn’t the animal expert here. “Once H.B. has come to you... then what?”

“I... I suppose I would help her...” Fluttershy looked concerned. “Which is what I thought I was doing this whole time, but maybe... maybe H.B. needs more help than even I can give her...” A thought came to her. “Maybe Rarity was right...”

“Wait, what?” Spike scratched his little scaly head trying to remember what Rarity’s advice was again. “That H.B. needs a pet so that she’s not so lonely?”

“Not just that... I mean, yes, but...” She took a deep breath trying to bring her thoughts together. “I mean she could use a companion animal to help her with things. Even if those things are just getting some pony’s attention... She is after all... uhm... disabled.”

Spike grimaced at that word. “Are you sure that’s the right way to put it? Some ponies might not like...”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Just because some pony isn’t disabled from birth doesn’t mean that they can’t become disabled later in life, but that’s not the point. H.B. needs all day and night help... and a support animal can help do that.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean last time...” Spike began.

“Last time I... I did it wrong. I brought H.B. to my animal friends in an environment that she wasn’t comfortable in. Not only that, but those poor animals that I’m watching over weren’t prepared for her arrival!” Fluttershy said, her words starting to CrAcK under the memories of what had happened.

Spike said nothing, but put a comforting hand on her shoulder as his friend pulled herself together.

“If I could turn back time and do that over again. I would talk to H.B. in her house about it. Then I would talk to my animal friends and allow the ones that showed interest and could tolerate her to come over to her house- while telling her which animals had shown interest.” Fluttershy explained looking hopeful, of course that hope like a butterfly dipped down as if it were falling to the ground when she recalled how the two ponies had just parted. “That’s... if she would even want me to come over.”

“Of course she would want you to! Just give her-”

Suddenly, at that exact moment, there was a smokey, acrid, campfire smell that was followed by a twinkling of magic, and a dark cloud with green sparkles appeared over the two.

It then collapsed with a soft fireplace crackling pop before producing a loose leaf letter of paper that gently wafted down and landed on Fluttershy’s nose.

“Oh!” Fluttershy gasped once she had read the contents of the paper.

“What is it?” Spike asked, looking over to take a peek.

“H.B.- I mean, it’s from H.B!” Fluttershy explained all excitedly. “She says that she’s had some time to think and she’s changed her mind and wants me to come over so we can work on the lesson and the letter!”

“That’s great!” Spike said, crossing his arms and smiling. “See? Just like I just said! Do you want me to send her a reply telling her about your ideas?”

“Oh, that would be wonderful, Spike!” She tapped her chin. “Maybe you can even come with me to help...” She eeped and shrunk down shyly. “That’s if you want to of course...”

“Of course, I-”

Just then, there was an urgent knocking at the library door.

“Hello? Is anypony in?” A voice familiar to Fluttershy’s ear called out. “I have a book to return and one to pick up!”

Spike grumbled and sighted, but then went to answer the door. “The library is clos-”

Fluttershy realized who the mare that had come to the library at this hour was. “Robyn Goodfilly?” She asked the black wild maned mare. “Did they let you off your shift from the hospital early?”

“Oh! Fluttershy! Whatever are you doing here?” She asked, her hoof reaching up to fix her frazzled looking mane. “Uhm... Yes! It is I... Uhm...” She blinked as if she was trying to recall her own name for a moment. “Do- Nurse Robyn Goodfilly!” she placed a hoof on her puffed chest and gave a snaggletoothed grin. “Yes, the hospital couldn’t keep me containted!”

“Oh, really? I thought that there would be a lot more to clean up with what happened with H.B....” Spike interjected.

Robyn gave an empty stare. “What? How?”

“I hope it’s ok, but I told Spike everything about the ice wood splinter getting into H.B.'s skin, her nearly freezing the front of the hospital over, ... the needles involved, and how you helped save Cream puff with a net...” Fluttershy said.

“Oh... Oh! Oh yes... that.” Goodfilly replied, waving a hoof in a dismissive manner.

Fluttershy walked over to her friend and patted her shoulder. “I understand, it’s been a really, really, really long week for all of us and with the hospital being so busy, it’s really easy to forget things- even if they just happened!”

Robyn Goodfilly’s eyes widened and sparkled with a dazzling array of stars, hearts, and twisty symbols for eyeshines before she wrapped an arm around the yellow mare. “Oh, Fluttershy! Have I ever told you that it’s always such a... pleasure to see you? You always say and do the kindest things!”

“E-hem!” Spike cleared his throat looking as if he didn’t want to interrupt the interaction. “She was getting some advice from me...” He said, re-crossing his arms and attempting not to glower at this strange pony.

Robyn let go of the slightly blushing embarrassed Fluttershy. “Oh... Uh... I’m sorry?”

“I’m just wondering what you’re doing here...” Spike said rather impatiently.

“It’s quite alright,” Robyn replied, turning her attention back to the baby dragon. “I’m here because I have a book to return.” She plucked a book with an action packed covered book from her saddlebags. “Gaming Guardians.” She said, hoof obscuring most of the cover that had some intense action scene going on with two ponies fighting against a legion of monsters, who, even by Equestria’s standards, were quite bizarre.

Spike held up a hand in refusal. “You need to put it in the book return, because I-” he put a hand on his chest. “-am going to be goi-”

“Going somewhere?” Robyn tapped her chin. “Oh dear, that’s quite the problem for me... Because I really need to also be picking a book. It’s actually rather important that I do... Because... this is the last day that I can pick it up before it goes to the next pony for checkout!”

Spike sighed. “I guess I could help you...” He looked at Fluttershy. “Why don’t you go ahead? This might take a bit...”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I’ll send your letter to H.B. about working on that- uhm, you know what after I’m done with this.” Spike said, resignedly. “Besides, you still need to talk to your animal friends and see who actually wants to come with you!”

“That’s true...” Fluttershy said.

Robyn smiled. “Don’t worry, you can have him back when I’m done! Which won’t be too long, I’m sure! So, please go on and find that perfect animal companion for My Little Heartbreak to have!”

“H.B....” Spike corrected.

“Oh, Right. My Little H.B.!”

“Well... Ok...” Fluttershy paused. “I really hope that I can do this...” she said anxiously.

“Of course you can! I believe in you! Just remember to believe in the me that believes in you and you can get through-'' Robyn cheered, waving a hoof through the air. “All of this!” she added for dramatic effect.

Fluttershy felt... confused but uplifted by those words. “Alright...” she replied, going to fetch her saddlebags.

“So what advice did you bequeath upon our dear Flutters?” Robyn asked Spike as the pony in question headed to the door.

“Oh... My advice was that she shouldn’t take my advice!” Spike exclaimed.

“Oh! How delightfully paradoxal! You really should think about sending a letter to Celestia about it! I’m sure she would love to have somepony send her a letter. Especially with such wonderful advice that will really make her think about things!” Robyn said, trying to keep out a tone of amusement out of her voice.

Spike looked a bit confused. “You think she’d really like it?”

Robyn nodded. “Oh, of course she would!” she said tossing ‘Gaming Guardians’ into the book return basket. “Now, the book that I’m looking for is titled ‘More With a-”

Fluttershy smiled as the summer sun hit her coat and the door behind her closed. “Robyn is so good at uplifting somepony’s esteem and she’s right, I can do this...” She flapped her wings and started to head for her cottage. “I hope...”

Author's Note

Aaaaaaand that's three more chapters! How will this all end!? That's for all of you to find out and me to know! So get to guessing! Anyway, if you can spot the Gen 1 reference in all this, you get a prize! But as always, thank you to my editors Scared Ghost and The Psychopath for helping me, and readers like you for encouraging me!
Chapter art as always is here!