The sun was setting on the outlying fields of Ponyville as Fluttershy tried to pen up her hens for the night.
"Oh no, Ruth! You can't run that way!"
Ruth the hen tried to get away from Fluttershy by running back towards the open gate, so Fluttershy gave chase.
"No you don't, you naughty chicken! Come back here, please!" said Fluttershy, as she lunged for the hen.
Ruth was just out of her reach, and Fluttershy skidded along the dirt floor of the chicken pen.
She stood up, and quickened her pace after the hen, but it was too late; Ruth got out of the pen, and was running towards the Everfree Forest!
"Ruth! No! That's not a good place to go, sweetie!"
Fluttershy ran after the hen, but didn't get far before another creature intervene. A reindeer ran in front of the chicken, blocking her path.
The deer looked down at the chicken and smiled.
"Sorry, Ruth, but Fluttershy said you can't go that way."
He picked the chicken up in his mouth, and started back towards the pen.
Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief and walked alongside the reindeer.
"Thanks Chopper, you really are good with animals."
Chopper blushed, and smiled, dropping Ruth.
"Aw, saying I'm good with animals won't make me happy at all, you big silly!"
Fluttershy's eyes got big.
"Chopper! You dropped Ruth!"
"AAAAHHHHH!", screamed Chopper, as he ran after the now-fleeing chicken.
He snatched her up again, and resumed his short journey back to the pen.
Fluttershy laughed quietly.
"I'll just save the compliments for later, how's that?"
Chopper nodded, then dropped the chicken back in the pen. Fluttershy closed the door behind her, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, now that's done, how would you like to have a drink break before bed?"
"That's great!"
Fluttershy smiled, and led the way back to her cottage.
Tony Tony Chopper was a reindeer born on an island a long ways away from Equestria. He was gifted with the power of speech, as well as many other unique gifts, through consuming a fruit - the Human-Human Fruit. It was one of the many fruits called Devil Fruits, which gave the individual that consumed them amazing powers, at the cost of their ability to swim. This particular fruit allowed him to change form, as well. His "regular" reindeer form was known as Walk Point, but he usually portrayed himself as a toddler-sized anthropomorphic reindeer; this was called his Brain Point.
He was visiting Fluttershy because he had read about her skills in a medical journal. For the time he was staying there, he was residing in a spare room of her cottage.
"So Fluttershy, what kind of doctor are you, anyway?"
Fluttershy looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Now it was Chopper's turn to be confused.
"Well, the medical journal I read said you come highly recommended as a veterinarian, but you don't seem to be like most vets."
"Well, that's kind of a long story. I'm not really licensed as a veterinarian...."
Chopper's eyes grew big.
"WHAT?! You're not licensed to practice medicine?!"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Yes, but no one here minds since I do know what I'm doing, after all. You've been here only a few days, but you've seen what I can do."
"You do have a way with animals unlike anyone else I've seen, but you still need a license! You can't call yourself a veterinarian if you aren't licensed!!"
Fluttershy recoiled at Chopper's outburst. She hid her face behind her mane, and turned away.
"I'm sorry, I just...."
"Well," said Chopper, realizing he made a mistake being angry with Fluttershy, "as long as you promise to get your license soon, I guess it's all right."
Fluttershy peeked out from her mane and smiled.
"OK! I will!"
The two walked onto Fluttershy's porch, then into her house. Inside, the air felt much warmer than it did outside, despite the cool night breeze flowing.
Of course, Chopper knew why she had to keep it so warm - Fluttershy had reptiles in her house, and had to keep the temperature higher to prevent harming them.
"I'm going to have iced tea, but I have lemonade or water, too," said Fluttershy, as she walked into the kitchen.
"I'll have iced tea, too," said Chopper, as he changed to Brain Point.
He walked through past Fluttershy in the kitchen, then out her back door onto the patio. He breathed deeply of the night air, then sat down on one of her wicker chairs.
Minutes later, Fluttershy came out carrying a tray with two glasses of iced tea and a small bowl of lemons.
"Your tea is ready, Chopper."
Chopper looked up.
"Oh, good! Thank you, Fluttershy."
She set the tray down on an end table between the chair Chopper was sitting in, and the one she set herself into.
They sipped their tea quietly for some time until Fluttershy broke the silence.
"Chopper?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think that there's a way to fix a broken heart?"
Chopper looked confused.
"What do you mean? I suppose you could call a bypass fixing a broken heart, but what do you mean exactly?"
Fluttershy laughed.
"No, that's not what I meant, but I appreciate your humor. No, I meant more like a heart that's still intact, but filled with sadness...."
"That's not good! Only blood should be in your heart!"
Fluttershy laughed again.
"That's not what I mean, Chopper, not literally, anyway. I mean when your heart is filled with sadness figuratively."
"Oh."
Chopper looked at his feet , then back up at the sky.
"Well, I don't think I've ever encountered something like that before. What you're talking about is a condition a person should probably see a psychiatrist about."
Fluttershy looked around nervously before catching Chopper's gaze.
"What if this person has already seen a psychiatrist about it?"
"Well, then I'd say that person is out of luck As far as modern medicine has come, I don't think we can fix something like that."
Chopper folded his hooves and sat back in his chair.
"This person we're talking about....they're figurative too, right?"
Fluttershy sat up quickly.
"Oh, sure! They're figurative...."
Chopper laughed.
"Oh, good! This was starting to sound scary. I don't like talking about medical problems that can't be solved, it gives me the creeps."
They sat in silence once more, gazing out at the night together as the sky grew darker and darker. Finally Chopper stood up, and started to leave.
"Well, it's getting late, Fluttershy. I think we should turn in, don't you?"
Fluttershy nodded, and Chopper started to open the door.
"Chopper, that person wasn't figurative."
"Huh?" asked Chopper turning to face his friend, "Are you referring to what we were just talking about?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"The other day, Dash came to me and told me...." said Fluttershy, looking down at the cobblestone floor of the patio.
Chopper sat back down again.
"What did she tell you?"
Fluttershy looked up, tears streaming from her face.
"My mother and father....they're dead...."
Chopper grimaced.
"What happened, Fluttershy?"
"Mom and dad were....traveling. They were coming to see me, and tell me the good news...."
"What news?"
Fluttershy started bawling even harder.
"They....got attacked....outside of Manehattan....some thugs, they...."
"What happened? Please, tell me what happened."
"They....raped her first, and made my dad watch....they both....were....killed after they were....done...."
"Fluttershy...."
The yellow mare continued crying, and Chopper put his hoof on hers.
"There, there, it's going to be alright....Now, what was the good news they were bringing?" asked Chopper, trying his best to make her feel better.
"I never even got to meet him....they killed him, too...."
Chopper jumped back.
"Killed? Who else was killed?"
Fluttershy's tears slowed, and she sniffled.
"My....brother....my baby brother...."
"You have...."
Chopper stopped when he realized what he said. The moment he did, Fluttershy started crying again.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean...."
She sniffled some more before speaking.
"It's OK, I know you didn't mean it...."
"Well, how old was he?"
"Not very, my mother gave birth to him 3 weeks ago...."
Chopper became silent again, staring out into the night.
"I can fix the animals, no matter what's broken, but why can't I fix my own broken heart?" said Fluttershy, crying again.
Chopper thought carefully about what he was going to say next before speaking.
"I understand what you mean. You're good at lulling animals to sleep, calming them down after they've been startled, and I've even seen you help soothe other ponies' emotions, too."
Fluttershy nodded, and continued crying.
"I don't know what to do, Chopper! This is the first time this has ever happened to me, and all I've been able to do is cower and cry...."
Chopper placed his hoof on Fluttershy's.
"There's more than one kind of medicine in this world, Fluttershy, you know that."
"Like what?"
"Like this."
Chopper jumped off the chair, onto the table, and gave Fluttershy a full hug.
"It'll be OK, Fluttershy...."
Fluttershy cried some more, but returned the little reindeer's hug.
"Oh, Chopper, I don't know what I'd do without you...."
"Shh, don't talk...."
The two remained in an embrace for some time, until Fluttershy's tears receded.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy. I may not be that kind of doctor, but together we can mend your broken heart."
Fluttershy smiled.
"Thank you....Doctor Chopper...."
Author's Note
This was my first attempt at a tear-jerker, I hope you enjoyed it.
