Fractured

by Briar Heart

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Discord, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Main 6, Drama, Original Character, Suri Polomare, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 11963

A shy, introverted mare with crippling anxiety struggles in a world of confident, friendly ponies. Briar strives to make others happy, but her fear of being used keeps holding her back.

Briar is a shy unicorn with many bad experiences with friendship and trust. Still, she tries to push past them and continue to live her life. Fear and hesitation still loom in the back of her mind and though she does her best to ignore it, those feelings often get the better of her.
After yet another bliss shattering reality check in Manehattan, Briar finds herself with no other option then to move back to Ponyville.
There, she hopes to recover what remains of her fragile heart and start a new chapter in her life.
Having experienced so many lows, downs and dark moments, Briar does her best to aid others in those times, being able to connect with those ponies in a way not many are able.
Battling Depression, Anxiety and struggling to find her purpose in life, Briar will face many lessons before she is finally able to begin healing properly.

Authors note;
This is set at the beginning of Season 4. Art done by me unless specified otherwise.

Published 2017-06-07 16:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-06-22 17:49:07 UTC

Brutal Reminder

Her green and gold eyes slowly opened as she began to take in the world around her. The sun wasn't shining in her window as it normally would though... That was rather odd, since rain had not been scheduled that day.

A pale green aura surrounded the black, rectangular glasses that lay on the nightstand beside her bed, lifting from their place as the brown coat mare began to rise from the comfort of her thick bedding. After placing her glasses on the bridge of her nose with an ease that came from doing this for years, Briar looked to the large window that granted her the view of the busy streets in Manehattan. Her mind still foggy from slumber, it took her a moment to register what she was looking at. The unicorn’s brow furrowed as she remained in her bed, not entirely sure how she should react. Just a day before the Summer Sun celebration and the sky was currently home to both the sun and the moon.

The first Summer Sun celebration with Princess Luna home - the festival was created to honour Nightmare Moon's banishment after all. Was it possible that the royal sisters did this as a statement of harmony? Showing the pony folk that they are united in their rule and are simply happy to be together once again?

The same pale green aura from earlier moved the curtains from her window, giving her a better view as she then levitated her sketchbook to her. Briar took a more comfortable position on her bed as she opened to a blank sheet in her book, keeping her eyes fixated on the sun and moon. She would look down on occasion to see where she was sketching, but she seemed so enamored with the sight she was currently presented with.

As the pencil worked on the page a clear form began to take shape; a baseline pony shape with a gown on it. The gown appeared to be regal; intended for formal occasions or something a fantasy princess would wear. As she began to swap out her pencil for colour she continued to work on her piece. Faint purples, rich golds, iridescent whites and shimmering blues decorated the once blank page as she commanded the illustration implements to her will.

Art was her escape; her get away. It offered so many things for so many ponies. Everypony could look at the same piece of art, listen to the same song or even wear the same dress and get a different feeling, sense of purpose or emotion from it. Some could see the joy in the bright colours while others saw it as a mask. Ponies comment on the message and the meaning in the lyrics while some would claim the rhythm held the true passion. No matter what you look at, no pony would ever see the same thing you do.

Briar Heart learned this the hard way growing up. She was gifted with a rather… interesting cutie mark. In a world where your life's purpose was literally printed on your flank, it was often a fear that a young filly or colt would not like what they got, or maybe they wouldn’t know what it meant. The latter was what happened in Briar’s case; a blue glass heart surrounded by intricate vines covered in thorns. Often getting one's cutie mark was the best day of their life - discovering what you were good at, something that made you happy, and being told your destiny in one moment of joy. The moment she gained her mark was far from the best memory she held. Briar could still feel the pain in her heart as she briefly recalled the experience. How she had never felt so small before in her life, and how she knew that moment was going to change her forever.

She would hear whispers from other ponies at school; What does it mean? What job is that for? Maybe it means she pretends to be nice, but is really mean? Lures ponies in with fake kindness just to hurt them…

Rumors would spread and eventually everypony would avoid the brown filly. She was an outcast. An oddity among her peers. She was such a dull colour with no real interesting traits… And when her interesting trait came, it only alienated her more.

A sudden knock at her door pulled her from these depressing memories and quickly grabbed her attention.

“Briar! Are you awake yet? We are falling behind on work! You can’t sleep the day away, m’kay?” a familiar voice called from the other side. “Sorry Suri! I’ll be out in a moment!” Briar called back to her roommate. Suri Polomare was an old classmate of hers. The two mares grew up in Ponyville but it wasn’t long until aspirations pulled them from their hometown. Both showed an interest in fashion and design and followed their passions to Manehattan to learn, study and pursue and career in the textile arts. As they moved forward with their lives they soon grew apart as many do. But one day Briar had noticed an ad in the paper looking for an assistant. Suri had began to grow her own business and gain a reputation in Manehattan as she entered contests and more to showcase her works. As such, she had started to fall behind on the flood of orders coming in and was in need off a second pair of hooves. This came as a blessing to Briar; though she had the passion and drive to create she simply couldn’t translate her designs to fabric. She knew the basics and could put garments together but they never looked anything like the concept. In exchange for teaching, and a place to stay, Briar offered to help Suri with her workload. Hemming, embroidering, cutting, gathering and other basics were simple enough on their own. Briar could work through them quickly and keep Suri on time with her tasks and deadlines. They had finally gotten to a point where she could enter competitions again!

Though Briar was happy that she had helped and that Suri was finally back on her feet, she felt a small twinge of concern. She had yet to receive the tutoring and mentoring that was originally promised to her. Briar worked late nights while Suri slept, moved through mountains of loose end projects while Suri met with clients, and even went above and beyond to keep the light pink mare’s workshop clean and organized. Suri had to be busy and simply didn’t have time to help Briar with her lacking skill set… That’s what Briar kept telling herself, anyway. She tried to be patient and wait, but a small voice in the back of her mind told her to talk to Suri about it. As time went on, she began to fear that Suri had forgotten her promise.

She levitated her sketchbook and pencil case as she finally rose from her bed and left her room. Briar made her way down the stairs, slowing as she laid eyes on the pink earth pony moving about her workshop. She watched as Suri began to put pieces of the garments Briar had been working on the night before on dress forms - stepping back and admiring the work. With tomorrow’s celebration she was surely worried the ordered designs wouldn’t be ready in time, and with the sun and moon the way they current were it was a little hard to tell what time of day it was.

It was true the two mares grew up in the same town and attended the same school, but Briar couldn’t really say they had ever been friends. Briar was cautious about making friends due to her past experiences so the idea of bluntly asking Suri to be her friend was out of the question, and the pink mare never really took an interest in her. It wasn’t until they both left for Manehattan that they really had any interaction outside of school. In the few months she had lived with Suri, Briar had quickly noticed that the earth pony had a rather short temper when she was under a lot of stress - which was often. Briar did her best to avoid conflict so she was often called boring and quiet. These comments bothered her, but she didn’t say anything; merely giving an awkward laugh when it came up.

She saw Suri struggling with a bolt of fabric which caused her to find the motivation to continue down the stairs. A familiar green surrounded the burgundy bolt as Briar levitated it and began to walk it over to the dressforms; her sketchbook landing neatly on the table. Being a unicorn often meant that she was able to gather tools and work faster than Suri; a gift that frequently came as a benefit to the mares in their work.

“Where do you want the bolt, Suri?” the timid brown mare asked as she continued towards the dressforms, keeping her gaze to Suri as she awaited an answer.

“Just on the cutting table next to them. I want to compare accent colours before the client picks it up, m’kay?”

Briar’s brow furrowed… She was cutting it rather close to the deadline. Why would she attempt to make any changes at this point? The cream and mahogany colour scheme with gold trim currently in place was fine. But, she kept her mouth shut. She was here to help, not to give advice.

As Briar looked to the dress form, something struck her as odd. She turned her head to the side as her pace slowed, stopping right before the gown on display. She felt a pang in her heart as she realized what was wrong. Briar had worked on this, yes, but she didn’t work on it in a completed scale. She was only privy to small pieces of it at a time as she hemmed, sewn on beads and other small details. Though the colours were different than the ones she originally picked, there was no doubt in her mind that this was a design from her sketchbook.

“Umm.. Suri…” Briar began as she looked over to the pink mare who was elbow deep in a rhinestone box.

“What is it, Briar?”

She slowly let the bolt of fabric down on the table as she was asked while she tried to gather the courage to address Suri about this plagiarism. “Did you…? Is this my design…?” she managed, her voice feeling dry from the panic she was trying to ignore. Suri looked up from her box and glanced back over to Briar and the dress. She gave an awkward smile and laugh while placing a hoof over her heart. “Oh, I must have forgotten to mention that. The client saw your design and demanded it, m’kay?”

Her heart wavered as she tried to process her reaction to this statement. How did the client get her sketchbook? Briar rarely left it lying around, embarrassed by her illustrations. She didn’t think the client would go about snooping around the apartment either. There were holes in Suri’s story and it didn’t sit right with her. But… She held her tongue.

“Well... If the client liked it… I am happy she gets to take it home…” Briar replied with a barely contained, sorrowful tone. She looked to the side and placed her right hoof over her left, seemingly fidgeting with something that was not there.

“Besides,” Suri began, causing Briar to look back up to her. Suri looked to her as she turned to face her, holding some golden beads in an upturned hoof. “Those designs are wasting away in that little book of yours. You should really be thanking me, m’kay?” she said with a smug chuckle. That made Briar’s stomach turn. The audacity of Suri was frustrating and outright insulting. But… What could she do? The dress was made and with her help… The client would be here any moment to gather it. She had worked on it this whole time and never noticed - it must have been like giving Suri silent permission. Not to mention that fighting Suri on this would likely strain their already less than ideal work relationship… She reminded herself that it was often just best to remain quiet and let things go; to choose her battles. Suri had promised to help her better her craft which is something she still needed. Not to mention Briar was living in her studio apartment still. Pissing her off might just end up with Briar being homeless.

You’re weak… Can’t even stand up for yourself.. She is using you and abused your trust… A small voice sounded in the back of her mind. The brown mares head hung low as she felt the silent self defeating words echo.

Soon, a knock caused both ponies to focus on the main door. Suri sighed, muttering that she was expecting the client a little later than this, but still trotted to answer the door. Briar froze. She was a swell of emotions at the moment and she honestly didn’t think that she could handle seeing the client; not after discovering that she would be wearing her design without her permission. She moved quickly towards the stairs once more and headed back up them to the safety of her room, remembering to take her sketchbook.

She paused at the threshold of her room as her ears moved back; listening to the sound of Suri and the client as they moved about the workshop. A small part of her was flattered and awe struck that the client ‘demanded’ her design. Though Briar was so upset about the whole situation, she still wanted to know what the client had to say about the completed product.

She moved back to the railing and laid down on her stomach; Briar kept low as she looked over the edge and watched as Suri brought the pale pink mare into the workspace. She moved her sketchbook to rest next to her as she flipped through the pages slowly. She landed on the page that contained the original design; looking to the earthy and vibrant greens that it had originally been sketched in. She recalled sitting in Central Park during her first week in Manehattan. Her green and gold eyes drifted to the words she had written next to the design as she thought back to the fond memories; ‘Wrapped in serene velvets that the garden has to offer; soft and temperate as the beauty that inspired them. Touches of rose gold to capture the flowers that decorate this landscape and complement the wearer. ’

Her ears twitched as she heard something odd. Though the words were read mentally and not out loud, she could have sworn she did hear them in the room. Briar’s eyes quickly darted down to the mares that were still unaware of her presence. She saw the client was already in the gown at this point and Suri was tending to small fittings as she spoke the words Briar had written on her sheet. Her eyes widened as she felt anger begin to boil inside her.

The client gave a chuckle as Suri spoke, saying that she was glad she didn’t go with the drab greens that her original sketch had. Suri had lied to her… Suri had lied to Briar when she said that the client simply saw the design in the sketchbook. She neglected to mention that Suri was the one who showed it to her.

She bit her bottom lip, looking to her hooves as Suri and the client talked a little bit more. Briar was hurt and betrayed. She wanted to yell - she wanted to scream. She longed to give Suri a piece of her mind without a care for the aftermath, but a small voice inside her told her to not overreact. She should talk to Suri about this calmly, ask if there was a reason she lied. Surely she had a good reason, right?

She waited out of sight, taking deep breaths. Briar needed to remain calm… She couldn’t let her hurt feelings get the better of her… She needed to enter this with a level head and not jump right to accusations.

She heard the client begin to leave; presumably happy with the gown she had paid for. Briar stood and slowly began down the stairs once more as Suri closed the main door. She took another deep, calming breath.

“Suri… Can I speak to you for a moment?” Briar asked in a soft tone. The light pink mare gave a sigh as she turned to face the somber unicorn. “What is it now, Briar? We still have work today. We have another client coming later toda-”

“And is she picking up another one of my dresses?” Briar said quickly with a firm tone. Suri’s ears went back in response to the sudden tonal shift. She looked down her snout at Briar, taking a sense of superiority.

The unicorn’s brow furrowed to this reaction; it basically told her that the answer to her question was ‘Yes’.

“How many of my designs have you taken without my permission?”

“If you really cared, you would have noticed, no?” the earth mare replied with venom. Briar was taken back by this sudden change in her roommate's demeanour, no longer trying to sugar coat or hide what she had done.

“Do you not understand why I am so bothered by this?” Briar asked, failing to hide a quiver in her voice as she spoke. She tried to keep a strong front while confronting Suri, but she felt herself breaking; fear of rejection and confrontation crept in the back of her pessimistic mind. She wanted to voice her troubles and why she felt as wronged as she did, but it was quickly becoming clear that Suri simply did not care. Briar still hoped that Suri would realize how much this affected her and hopefully apologize, or at least promise not to do it again. She didn’t want to assume the worse in ponies, but the small voice that haunted her inner thoughts told her to simply give up like she always did. Just lay your anger down and turn a blind eye. Was this issue really worth angering Suri? Was it worth the gap it would place in their work relationship?

“Oh - such a small town pony still. It seems you still haven’t learned how to make it in Manehattan,” Suri jested, giving a small giggle as Briar’s head had lowered during her wavering thoughts. The brown mare gritted her teeth as she felt the fire boil in her again. “I trusted you... “ she said softly, almost a whisper.

Briar quickly looked up with a livid expression on her features. “You honestly think that taking another's ideas and personal work and claiming it as your own is what will get you ahead in this industry?” she spat. Briar had finally reached her breaking point. “I have done so much for you; helped you out so much. I have not taken any credit and simply did all that I as asked and more. I worked so hard for you and you didn’t even keep your promises! Not only did you take my physical labour for granted but you also went behind my back and stole my ideas!”

Briar reared back and slammed her hooves onto the tiled floor. “We both grew up in the same town; taught the same things in school and yet you turned out so… so…!” Briar tried to hold back the venom she had bubbling in the back of her throat. She wanted nothing more at this point then to make Suri feel as small and pathetic as she made her feel, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She disliked confrontation like this; arguing in the heat of the moment. She often got lost and jumbled, losing sight of what she wanted to say and how to convey how she felt. Briar felt like a filly trying to offer opinions on a topic she did not understand, underprepared and under equipped to provide meaningful dialogue. She lacked the confidence to stand up for what she believed in and lost her fire too easily. The smallest bump, being interrupted, or not having a comeback quick enough left her defeated and discouraged.

The unicorn still feared what Suri would think of her and how this whole thing would eventually play out. She still held onto the fleeting hope that Suri would understand her feelings and make amends.

“Look… If you can’t handle big city life then just crawl back to Ponyville, m’kay? I don’t need to put up with this. There’s a million no talent, naive ponies like you looking for a place to belong around here.”

Her eyes widened. Briar knew this would happen even though she tried to deny it. She couldn’t really have thought that this would end in any positive way. Briar didn’t know why, but she felt a smile form onto her lips, She looked back up to Suri with tears beginning to well in her emerald and gold eyes.

“Thank you for this experience…”

Her heart was heavy as she waited at the station the next day. Briar didn’t take much with her when she left for Manehattan and she didn’t really buy much during her time there. She sat next to the pale blue luggage bag that laid next to her as she looked to her hooves. She moved her left hoof, causing the gold bangles that hung loosely on it to jingle. Though they were to help with anxiety and panic attacks, they offered little solace at this time. She was now technically homeless; putting all her eggs in one basket and heading back to Ponyville. Maybe Suri was right… Maybe she wasn’t meant to make it in this cut throat city. Her heart longed for familiar surroundings and easier living.

Her heart still felt so heavy. Why did it hurt so much? She had come to Manehattan in hopes to follow her passion and it blew up in her face. She struggled for so long on her own, and when she put her trust in somepony, it shattered in front of her.

Her chest was tight - almost suffocating. Her vision was dazed, though she couldn’t tell if it was because of tears or the lack of sleep she had last night. Between the sun and moon sharing the same sky, she spent the majority of her night packing; deciding what she needed and what could be left behind.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize the train had pulled up at first. She eventually gathered her things and walked on, finding a seat in an empty cart. Briar set her luggage under the seat and sat on the chair, leaning defeated against the window. Her darkened, depressed gaze looked to the landscape of Manehattan as the train began to pull away from the station, causing the scenery she had known for the past few months to glide by. She stifled a gasp as her inhale quivered, fighting back tears that she refused to let fall. Briar had done so much crying… It was so weak and pitiful to cry… She was sick and tired of how easy she was to crack and crumble; the mask she wore of a fake smile breaking under the pressure. She moved to wipe a loose tear as she bit down on her bottom lip.

No more… Now is the time to smile… You are heading home after all. No pony wants to see a sad face. She forced a smile on her lips, ignoring the tears that still slipped past her failing iron will.

...Crack…

She could almost feel the chipping in her metaphorical porcelain mask. I have dealt with worse… I will get past this… This is only temporary… she told herself. Briar was never good at taking her own words to heart, but she still tried. She had grown so numb to these comments; phrases she had heard over and over again.

Briar leaned back in her seat, closing her tired eyes for only a moment before shifting her gaze to the ceiling of her train cart as she continued her quivering breaths, attempting to hold back tears still. She knew she was hard on herself - toxic even. Briar knew that her words wouldn’t solve anything because it had literally been ingrained into her that it was improper to show weakness. There were days she wished she was strong, like her mother… But on those days she had to remind herself how terrifying her mother was when she stood up for herself. She feared what the mare would have to say if she discovered the real reason for Briar’s sudden return. It would likely be best to not mention the whole incident.

Defeated eyes drifted back to the window as the world of Equestria flew past it. Heavy lids slowly opened and closed, allowing little tears to fall as sleep weakened her resolve. Her head began to lower and fatigue finally consumed the brown mare, taking her away to the dark solace of her fragile mind.

Author's Note

Hello All! Not only if this my first MLP fanfic, but its my first fanfic in over 10 years. A friend of mine was rather persistent when I said I made an account on FIMFiction. He is writing one of his own so you should check it out! Learning to Fly - Alex the Bolt. He also did the art for this chapter!
I hope to do weekly releases, schedule allowing.

Picking up the pieces

A loud, blaring sound roused her from her rest as the train came to a slow halt. Briar sat upright, taking in her surroundings as the daze from her nap began to wear off. Adjusting her glasses and turning her gaze to the window, she saw Ponyville. Doubt loomed in her heavy heart as she found it difficult to move. She recalled feeling something similar when she boarded the train to leave for Manhattan months ago. It seemed so strange to have this flood of hesitation and concern when one returned to their hometown, but often when one returned it was under better circumstances. Finally, she took in a deep breath and stood from her seat. The gold metal bangles on her front left leg sounded as she slowly moved her way down the train cart and to the open doors.

The sounds, or lack thereof, were so foreign to the timid mare. She was used to the hustle and bustle of Manehattan, returning to the small town of Ponyville put her on edge. No pony had told her to watch where she was going, or rudely cut in front of her. Though it was pleasant surroundings, she felt so out of place; she hadn’t even left the station yet..
Emerald and gold eyes traveled the landscape as she drew closer and closer to the town's core. She raised a brow as something caught her attention. Large, withered husks of monstrous vines littered the once familiar setting. She watched as ponies of all types moved about to help clean up the remains of what had to been an epic event. Not wishing to hinder their progress, she was mindful of where she walked, hoping to not get in any pony’s way.

She had a sense of nostalgia and caution as she trotted through the unpaved streets of Ponyville. Taking in the visuals, taking note of how little the village had changed in her absence was comforting. At the same time she was worried, held up on what others might think about her homecoming. Briar’s eyes soon drifted from the buildings and landmarks and found themselves gazing to the ground.
She was never good at keeping in touch. During her few months in Manehattan she had possibly sent her mother one letter. And with her abrupt move she didn’t have time to get any form of warning to her mother before simply arriving, looking for a place to stay while she tried to get on her hooves.

Her attention was drawn to some noise of struggle caused by three fillies trying to move one of these vines. They had a rope tied around it and the other end tied to a scooter. “It’s not gonna budge!” The small earth pony called out as she pushed the vine alongside a small unicorn. A young pegasus was on the scooter trying to make it move, likely attempting to pull the vine. “Just push harder!” The pegasus called. “Well maybe if we didn’t try to move the BIGGEST vine around here, we wouldn’t be having this much trouble!” The young unicorn shouted back in protest. Briar moved from her path and trotted towards the young fillies. A pale green aura engulfed the vine as it began to lift from the ground, leaving the fillies in a state of shock and awe.

“Mind if I help?” Briar asked as the fillies soon took note of who was moving the vine. The unicorn and earth pony both looked up to Briar with a bit of a pleading smile as she awaited an answer, but everypony’s attention was drawn to the pegasus as she protested. “But then we won’t get credit for getting rid of the biggest one! What if we get our cutie marks for this?”
“For what? Debris removal?” The earth pony replied. Briar gave a soft smile. “I appreciate your tenacity. It is rather valiant that you want to tend to the largest vine. But, what if we take a look at the picture as a whole, hm?” Briar motioned that the fillies look at the rest of the town, still littered with the large black vines. “You’ve spent so much time worrying about this one large problem, I think you overlooked the overall issue. It is true this here is a mighty vine, but removing this one won’t fix everything.”
She moved over and looked at the young pegasus’ scooter and the rope they had employed to help with this problem. Briar used her magic to untie the rope from the vine and moved it in front of the smaller unicorn, gesturing for her to take it. “I think you will make a much bigger splash if you gathered a lot of smaller vines - use the rope to tie them all together. I am sure you’ll be able to gather them quickly with that scooter of yours. With you three working swiftly with the smaller ones, other ponies will have more time on their hooves to get the larger ones, thus cleaning Ponyville much faster.” She concluded with a smile.

The fillies took a moment to think on Briar’s words, but soon came to an agreement that she was right. As they spent so much time with this large vine, they were not contributing to the recovery. They were stuck on this one problem when their efforts could be better used elsewhere.
“Alright Cutie Mark Crusaders! New plan! Let’s do a speedy clean up of all the smaller vines!” The pegasus cheered with determination. The other two followed suit as they quickly darted towards the center of town. Briar soon looked to the vine she still had levitated, realizing that her journey to her mother’s would have to be put on hold temporarily. Not that she minded much; facing her mother in her current circumstances wasn’t something that she was eager to do.

By the time the cleanup was done, the sun had already set. Briar looked to the darkened sky with a sense of achievement. She was able to help out and make a difference - not to mention the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ from before seemed rather pleased with all they had managed to accomplish. Lanterns had been set up near town square and ponies of all types walked out with food and drink; a reward for today's hard work. Briar watched as these small town ponies began to socialize and enjoy themselves. She began to feel like a stranger again - all these ponies knew each other and had likely grown up together. It was true she had been here as a filly, but she wasn’t really the type to go seek out social interaction.
After the hard work and effort she had put in today, thirst called her to the table where a purple mare had set up what seemed to be a berry punch. Briar gave a shy smile as she made eye contact with the mare while accepting a glass, then quickly moved on. She sat in the corner away from the others who celebrated and simply watched. Her eyes followed their movements as some took to dancing and cheering. Sounds of enjoyment soon filled the air and brought a warmer smile to her lips. Briar moved the half finished glass down to a nearby table as she motioned to her suitcase, opening it and gathering her sketchbook and pencils. She opened the book to a blank page and began to make rough sketches of what she saw. The motions and movements seemed so natural and fluid to her. Her eyes acted almost like cameras as she captured each moment to memory and translating it quickly to the page. So immersed in this, Briar hadn’t noticed that she gained an audience. Laying down at her sketchbook by this point, a small gasp of amazement caused her to look up to her left. There, she saw the three fillies from before. A faint glimmer of blush ran under her cheeks as instinct spurred her to cover the page. “Aww! Don’t cover it up, I wanna see more!” The young unicorn spoke with a smile. Briar raised a brow, a little staggered by this eagerness. The earth pony then chimed in, giving a nod as she agreed with her friend and also added a compliment. Briar half looked down to her sketchbook as she soon gave in to the awkwardness, moving her hooves from the page. Her hasty actions had left dirt mixed with the charcoal sketches, leaving her sprawled works smudged and dirty.

“Oh no!” The pegasus gasped as she leaned down to look at the ruined lines. Briar gave a somber expression as she was a little saddened by this, mentally kicking herself for ruining these quick doodles. She leaned towards the page and blew on it, hoping to move some of the looser dirt. It did clean the page, but only slightly. “Sorry for startling you.” The unicorn offered in a guilty tone. She looked back to the fillies, their notions of guilt made her feel bad instantly.
“Oh no, it was my fault. I reacted without thinking,” Briar offered with an embarrassed smile; but that didn’t seem to ease the fillies
“Uh well… Here!” she started while flipping to a new page. Briar adjusted so she could face the fillies a little more head on. “H-How about I sketch you now?” she offered. She was hesitant, worried that she wouldn’t perform well under pressure but it was a little too late to take it back now as the fillies had instantly become excited. Briar gave a forced giggle as she faked a smile, hoping to mirror their amusement.

She moved the pencil to her will again, glancing up at the fillies mostly but looking down on occasion to make sure she was where she wanted to be in the sketch. The three seemed to be trying to hold a pose as though they were having their picture taken, but Briar assured them that they didn’t need to do that. She would rather that they act natural and talk to her. She felt more confident about portrait drawings when she was able to get a sense of the the pony she was illustrating.
She learned a little about them during these talks. Their names, what the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ meant and the crazy adventures they tackled to try and unlock their Cutie Marks. She began to ease and relax around them, no longer stiff and terrified, but now a little more natural. The excitement they expressed when talking about their potential Cutie Marks warmed her heart, even though her experience was not that pleasant, she was hopeful that these fillies would gain theirs on joyous terms.

After what didn’t seem like a long time, the illustration was done. Briar presented it to the Cutie Mark Crusaders looking for approval with a sheepish smile. This was often the hardest part - putting a piece of your soul onto paper to show the world and fearing its rejection. But, it seemed that she had done well this time around as the fillies gave gasps of astonishment. She felt her heart beat steady as her body eased; relief washing over her. Though it was only meant to be a small doodle, she had grown attached to the memories associated with this sketch. Briar placed her sketchbook back down as she took the pencil once more and signed the bottom of the page. She then took the page from the sketchbook, causing alarm in the fillies. Briar looked back up to them with a warm expression as she offered the page to the girls.
“Here. I think it will serve better in your hooves,” she smiled. Sweetie Belle’s horn lit up as she took the image from Briar’s control, bringing it closer to her and her friends. “Are you sure about this?” Scootaloo asked quickly, giving wide eyes to Briar. The brown mare nodded as their genuine gratitude lifted her spirits. She was touched that the Cutie Mark Crusaders liked how she captured their likeness.
“We should hang it in the clubhouse!” Apple Bloom cheered, a notion that was quickly accepted by the other two.

Briar began to stand on her own hooves as the fillies started to say it was getting rather late. She nodded, agreeing that the CMC should go back to their homes. Surely it was close to their bedtimes, if not passed it. With brief words of goodbye and goodnight, the three fillies ran off. Briar watched them go before she began to gather her things and pack them away in her luggage once more.
“Briar?!” her ears twitched about as she heard someone call her name. Briar looked about in a small panic as she tried to locate its origin, her emerald and gold eyes soon falling upon an older mare sporting a tan and white spotted colour scheme. Her greying, chocolate brown mane was pulled back into a messy bun and her voluminous tail braided. She wore elaborate jewellery; bracelets, a necklace, a metal jeweled clip at the base of her tail braid, and even rings in her ears. Pale green eyes fixated on Briar as she seemed to be frozen in place. The familiar unicorn soon walked towards the timid mare, causing her to lift a hoof as the temptation to flee ran through her. But the older unicorn simply wrapped a leg around her, pulling her into an embrace.

“H-Hi mom….” Briar stammered.

The brown mare watched from her seat at the table as her mother, Autumn Chain, moved quickly about the kitchen. Her horn glowed as she gathered tea cups and tea leaves, preparing them to be ready for when the kettle boiled. Though this was the home she grew up in and knew well, she felt like such a stranger. A heavy, thick air was between the mares as silence seemed to build a gap between them.
She eyed her luggage which sat in the corner. Her mind screamed at her to take it and run, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. She was simply at home with her mother… Nothing scary about that… Nothing to fear… But her heart pounded in her chest. Briar closed her eyes as she faced forwards once more, taking in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself.

Autumn soon slammed a cup down in front of Briar, causing her to practically jump out of her seat as her eyes shot open. “Raspberry and Rosehip - your favourite,” Autumn chimed as she circled the table to take her own seat.
Briar levitated the cup and brought it slowly to her lips. Her eyes locked onto her mother as she settled. “I must admit, I was rather surprised to see you in Ponyville! I thought you were working with that Suri girl in Manehattan,” she began, being rather straightforward as always. Briar gave a fake smile as she lowered her cup. “I was; until this morning.”
“Oh? What brings you home? Surprise visit?” her eager mother asked. Briar didn’t have a real chance to think about how she was going to explain her current situation to her mother. She knew she didn’t want to admit what Suri had done as it would cause Autumn to go on a warpath. But could she really lie to her mother? Was lying something she really had to do? It was possible that through colourful and tactful wording Briar could give a satisfactory explanation without revealing that ugly truth to her short tempered mother.
“I um… Well…” Briar looked down to her cup as though the deep red brew would give her some solace. “... I guess Manehattan was just not for me…”

“Oh?” the older mare commented instantly. “What happened to that drive and determination I saw when you left? Are you still sketching those designs?” she asked. Briar did her best to ignore the panic that swelled in her brought on by the seemingly never ending questions. She shifted back in her seat as though she was able to step away from the conversation. “I still sketch… I just don’t think I’m cut out to be a designer…”
“What makes you say that? Your sketches are lovely!” Autumn stated quickly, almost as if it was a reflex.
Why did these compliments always seem so easy? Why was it almost like second nature for Autumn to say them? Briar disliked that her mind took compliments from her mother as mere bias for her daughter's work. It was something she was obligated to do, she really didn’t mean it…

“I… got a glimpse of the industry… The fashion world is not what I thought it would be. Its cruel and unyielding… Ponies like me just can’t survive in a cut throat environment like that.”

Autumn eased in her seat as her eyes looked over the defeated Briar. The brown mare seemed to melt in her seat as though she was made of jelly. Autumn pursed her lips before giving a sigh. “You are always so easily discouraged, Briar. I am sure you would love being a designer if you just learn to put your hoof down from time to time. Be a pushover and everypony will treat you like a doormat.”
She felt a pang in her heart as her mother’s words washed over her. Briar froze, not even inhaling as she tried to contain her feelings. She was sure her mother meant well… Maybe she was right. Maybe if she learned to be cut throat and use other ponies as stepping stones she would be able to make it in the fashion world. But that would not make her happy… Being on the receiving end of such treatment, Briar knew that she would never want to treat another pony like that.

“You’re right mother… I’ll try harder next time.”

She was used to this. Though her mother surely had good intentions, Briar always felt like she was never good enough. All she did and what she was comfortable with was not good enough for Autumn. She told herself she was a disappointment; surely her mother had hoped for a daughter with more backbone and confidence. She would sit in silence as her mother berated her for her actions - or lack thereof, rather. It just seemed easier to let her get it out of her system. Briar learned early on that making excuses or explaining her actions only made this uncomfortable time longer. If she simply sat there and waited for her mother to be finished, the sooner she could leave.

She admired the strong, independent entrepreneur Autumn was. The warm coloured leaf that appeared to be made of metal was that Cutie Mark she had. It told her she was meant to be a jeweler, a pony who made beautiful, original accessories for others to admire and wear. All of her work was one of a kind and showed the excellent care put into every little detail. Briar would often design outfits based off of pieces she liked when she was a filly; looking at the colours and shape of the metal and gems used inspired her.

Her eyes fell to the gold bangles on her left hoof; their sound almost soothing as they resonated together. Autumn had made them for her when she was younger. What started as a meaningful gift turned into so much more as Briar had grown to find comfort in them. The sounds they made often helped her calm down when she felt panic setting in. Almost like they centered her - brought her back to reality.

“Well…” Autumn spoke, breaking the silence that seemed to drag on forever. “I suppose you’ll need a place to stay? I already repurposed your room for storage… But,” she paused. Briar looked up, seemingly not surprised by her mother's uncanny ability to read her mind. “I still haven’t done anything with your grandmother's home. It is in need of a little TLC, but it’s vacant. I can help you move your old bedroom stuff to it.”
Briar’s eyes lit up as Autumn offered her, her grandmother’s old home. Her grandmother had passed a few years back and the home was left to Autumn, but she simply didn’t know what to do with it. It was on the outskirts of town so setting up her shop there made no sense. And she was already happy in her current home, which was attached to her storefront so moving didn’t really appeal to her.
Briar was a little stunned and clearly at a loss for words. Her mother was offering her an entire house. Yes, it was a little on the smaller end, but it would be a place all her own. She would be able to live as she wished and not have to worry about the opinions of a roommate or a family member.

“Yes!” she said with excitement and enthusiasm. Briar soon felt embarrassment for her sudden out burst, so she eased back in her seat with a sheepish expression. “Yes… I would like that very much.”

The two mares worked late into the night getting Briar’s old things to her ‘new’ home. Briar was already working on little sleep as it was and she had worked hard removing vines during the day and now she was helping her mother move furniture. Needless to say she was running on fumes at this point.
The older home had clearly not been tended to in a few years. There was a layer of dust on every surface, cobwebs hiding on the corners, white fabric was draped over the furniture that remained and the whole home had a smell of stagnant air. Windows were opened when they made their first trip over and it seen began to remedy the problem, and it had.

Briar moved about the home the soon after her mother left for the night. Though faced with the large workload this home would require, she felt a sense of freedom and excitement. This was her home. She would be able to do with it as she pleased. Colours danced about Briar’s mind as she thought about what she would do with the neutral browns that homestead currently had to offer.
As she walked about the dim light rooms, she removed the coverings on the chairs and such, piling the fabric in the corner of the main room. Sleep deprivation might have contributed to her seemingly whimsical mood; her movements picked up as she seemed to be lighter on her hooves. Her slow walk soon turned into a skip as she almost danced about her new home. A large part of her wanted to grab the broom and start cleaning now, but there was a small voice that longed for rest. The little voice seemed to be a guiding presence as Briar found herself in her room, staring at her bed through tired eyes. A small sigh left her parted lips as she caved, lowering her head with a soft smile as she slowly trotted towards the inviting sheets. Briar placed her glasses and bangles on the nightstand beside her before climbing into the familiar plush of her childhood bed. It didn’t take long for sleep to consume her as she was a rather willing victim.

Good Intentions...

Morning found the mare in her new home. The sun glimmered through the window highlighting the dust that roamed about the air. Though this home was now her safe place, Briar still woke as soon as the sun graced her face. She never really felt entirely comfortable sleeping in an environment that she was not entirely familiar with. It would likely take her a month or two to finally feel like she could relax in this home but that did not diminish the joy she felt with having a place to call her own.
Briar began to rouse from her bed as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. The past few days had began to catch up with her and though being able to rest last night was wonderful, she still felt tired.She promised herself to try and sleep a little earlier tonight in hopes to wake up more refreshed tomorrow.

Her glasses levitated from the nightstand and moved closer to her. Briar’s eyes focused on her golden bangles that remained on the nightstand, pondering if she wanted to wear them today. She would only be in the house cleaning and they would likely get in the way. She pondered this for a moment and decided to leave them behind.
Briar had been wanting to become less and less reliant on them. She would never get past her anxiety if she always used those as a crutch… It would take a long time and a lot of baby steps, but in the long term she hoped that she would eventually be able to enjoy life without the constant fear and panic looming in her mind. She was in safe surroundings and shouldn’t be expecting anything she couldn’t handle today… This would be an exercise in trust and hopefully help her come to terms with her new reality.

She left her bedroom and began a steady trot towards the main living room once more. This whole house was one level which was something she enjoyed. It was a quaint, small enclosure that would need little maintenance in the long run. Briar turned the corner and levitated the broom from its corner.
Her eyes scanned the living room as she tried to assess all that needed to be done, now that she had natural light to illuminate everything. She inhaled deeply as the workload ahead of her began to set in. “Well…” she began. “No time like the present.”

Wrapped in the same delight that took her last night, Briar moved about the homestead light on her hooves. She hummed to herself as she cleaned, sweeping all the settled dust that had accumulated over the years the home remained vacant.
Hours passed as she cleaned and moved things about the home to make it her own. The furniture had all been shifted to make the space feel more welcoming. The secondary room was turned into a craft room which housed her sewing machine. It still had the guest bed that her grandmother originally had in there, leaving the option for overnight guests open still. Briar removed the bedding to wash it and left the window open to help air it all out. She would have to go to the market today and get some groceries once the kitchen was clean. Autumn mentioned bringing some sandwiches over today so Briar hoped to at least have the place tidy enough to sit down to lunch.
She wondered how her grandmother’s garden was. Surely it would need some tending to, but if she could get that going again she would love to plant some produce.
As she continued to dust the shelves in the pantry, Briar’s ears folded back when she heard a knock at the door. It was a little before lunch so she assumed it was her mother with the promised sandwiches. A smile formed on her lips as she began to realize how hungry she was. Briar put the duster down before trotting over to her front door.
Upon opening it however, she was not greeted by her mother’s gaze. Instead, a blur of pink seemingly lunged forward at her, stopping moments before her face. Briar was easily startled and this sudden, unexpected motion caused her to take a terrified step back. She brought a hoof up as her heart pounded in her chest; her ‘Fight or Flight’ instincts on the verge of kicking in. Her emerald and gold eyes focused on the earth pony before her - a pink mare with an unruly mane, blue eyes and a seemingly impossible large smile.
“Hello~!” she cheered, pulling back to stand flat on her hooves once more. The pink mare trotted in place, seemingly giddy and excited by this meeting. Briar eased slightly, her wide eyes scanning the mare still.
“Um… Hello?” she responded with clear confusion. “Do I, um.. Know you?”
“No, silly! We just met,” the earth pony quickly responded. Briar paused, waiting for a continuation but it started to seem like she wasn’t going to get one. As she inhaled to ask why this pony was at her doorstep, the cheerful mare spoke up once again. “I’m Pinkie Pie! But you can just call me Pinkie. I am Ponyville’s party planner!”
Briar finally placed her front hoof down as her heart rate began to settle down. “Okay…?” she began, trying to politely prompt more information without directly asking for it.
“... And this is when you tell me your name,” she pushed, continuing her large smile. “Oh. I’m Briar Heart…” she replied, trying to be social but it clearly wasn’t her strong suit.

“Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle mentioned that a pony they never seen before had arrived yesterday and I just had to come over and say Hi!”
Briar began to piece things together but she was still rather confused as to why Pinkie Pie felt the need to come to her door. “Okay… Well. You’ve said Hi, so I guess you’ll be going now-”
“That’s not all!”
“Of course not…” Briar muttered to herself while still trying to keep a forced smile on her lips. “It was a little rushed, but I put together a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ Party for you! I woulda been here earlier but I wanted to get everything ready first.”
The expression she returned to the happy mare was now that of shock. “Y-You didn’t have to-”
“I know I didn’t, but I did! I love to put parties together for everypony. It’s a nice way to take a break, relax and meet new friends!”
Panic began to take over against as Briar took a half step back into her home. She gave an awkward smile and a force giggle as she tried to think of a way to escape this situation. “That was nice and all but… I have a lot of work to do…”
“Ohh! I can bring everypony here if you want!”
Briar’s eyes shot open as she quickly shook her head. “No! Sweet Celestia please just… I-I’ll go. Just give me a mome-”
“Yay! Come on!” Pinkie Pie cheered, seemingly only hearing the acceptance and ignoring the rest of Briar’s sentence. The pink mare quickly grabbed hold of Briar and began to drag her from the safe confines of her home. The unicorns soft sounds of protest seemed to be drowned out by Pinkie Pies ramblings of all the things she had to go through to get the party ready. Briar’s eyes looked back to the homestead longingly - her heart raced again as she tried to fight the panic setting in. She was literally being dragged to a social gathering without her tether - her bangles. If she had her sketchbook she might be able to manage, but both of her means of comfort and calming remained in the rapidly shrinking cottage as her body couldn’t do anything to stop the earth ponies strength.

SugarCube Corner… She remembered coming to this shop when she was a filly. Her mother would often bring her in when she came to get treats to serve to friends or even customers on occasion. It hadn’t changed much from what she recalled… Well… It was full of ponies she did not know and party supplies at the moment.
She was like a deer in headlights as Pinkie Pie pushed her through the front door. She was rigid and clearly did not want to move. As soon as the door closed behind them, all eyes were on her. She felt her blood run cold as her heart beat nearly stopped. A soft ringing in the back of her ears drowned out the cheers and greetings as her eyes frantically scanned the crowd. Breathing was her main focus, followed closely by trying to find an empty corner to hide in and wait out this party. That was her usual tactic at least, but a small detail she seemed to overlook was that this party was for her.

“Hello everypony! This is Briar Heart!” Pinkie Pie introduced to the room. Briar felt herself going a little numb as the others started to focus more and more on her. She could only manage fake smiles and small nods as the others started to introduce themselves to her. She didn’t really retain any of their names, something she would kick herself for later. She was really just waiting now for this all to be over. If her experience with parties had told her anything, soon everypony will separate into groups of small, closely knit friends and begin to talk among themselves. Again; she forgot that this party was for her.

Though impossible, she tried even harder to curl back into herself as ponies began to approach her. Her ears went back as she lefted a hoof up.
“Briar Heart? That’s a lovely name!”
“Um, thank yo-”
“That’s an interesting cutie mark! How did you get it?” Briar turned to the side slightly as she tried to hide her flank, her cutie mark being a sore subject in general. “Well I don’t really wan-”
“What do you do for a living?”

She felt like she was being interrogated. So many ponies were approaching her, asking questions and not even waiting for the answer. She soon felt a familiar pressure on her back as Pinkie Pie began to push her into the crowd. “Now, now Everypony! Let her get in the door at least.”
Oh Sweet Celestia, please no…. Her mental pleas clearly went unheard but a small part of her wished that someone would realize how uncomfortable she was. Briar took a moment to close her eyes. She inhaled deeply and slowly, trying to calm herself. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest; painful. She moved her left hoof longing to hear the familiar jingle of her gold bangles but heard nothing. It took everything she had to not visibly tremble at the moment.

Briar opened her eyes to see she was surrounded by unknown ponies once more. They began to continue with questions; asking where she came from, what she did in Manehattan, why she moved to Ponyville. Briar did her best to explain that she was actually born in Ponyville; information that seemed to generate some shock. “I don’t remember you! What year did you go to school?”
That seemed to bother Briar more the she expected. “Well… I never really stood out much…” she replied disheartened. The next question was what she did in Manehattan, which was pursuing a career in Fashion. “You sew? You should see Rarity - she is the local dressmaker here.” Briar felt a pit in her stomach. The prospect of meeting another fashion pony who actually had the will to stick it out in the Fashion world made her uneasy. She politely declined and said that she had no real desire to sew anymore, partially answering the question as to why she was back in Ponyville.

“We didn’t know you sewed! Explains why your art is really good,” sounded a small familiar tone - Sweetie Belle. Briar looked down to her side to see the CMC sporting the large smiles she had seen from them last night. But fear washed over her as they mentioned her artistic hobby. The same thing happened every time; “You draw too? Can we see?”
Briar felt so vulnerable when others requested to see her illustrations. Experiences in her past have caused her to become self conscious about them. She often saw them as something very intimate - like a piece of her soul on paper for the world to see. Putting all of that work and soul into a drawing and then having it judged by ponies left her feeling raw.
“I- I left my sketchbook at home…”
“Well that’s no problem, silly!” Pinkie Pie spoke up cheerfully. “I can get you some paper and a pencil right now!”

Briar’s eyes widened as she quickly clenched her jaw. “N-No! That’s fine! I- Uh, I use special pencils! A regular old number 2 won’t do the trick,” she quickly said hoping that the pink mare would get the hint. Pinkie Pie leaned over the stair rail as she stopped her travels upstairs. “I have a wide variety of drawing tools! I’ve been known to be a little artsy,” she replied with what Briar assumed was supposed to be a comforting smile. Her heart sank as the bright palette mare vanished upstairs. Knowing that another illustrator was here only added to her suffocating panic. It’s not that she was worried that Pinkie Pie was better than her - she feared that others would compare the two….

In what seemed like seconds, Pinkie Pie was already down the stairs and standing before Briar with her illustration tools. The unicorn gave a nervous smile as a forced thanks as she levitated the sketchbook from the earth pony’s grasp. The book was much like her own - likely the same brand which provided a little comfort to the brown mare. She flipped through looking for a blank page, but to subtly check Pinkie Pie’s work. The pages were covered in crayon and vibrant colour splashes. Some seemed to be the work of children even - there was a clear difference in the art styles here.
“You’re art will be right at home here! Pumpkin and Pound Cake draw with me sometimes so it’s like a communal drawing pad.”
Briar assumed the two names mentioned were the ones behind the infant like doodles. This all made things a little more comforting, but she still felt so hesitant. So many eyes were on her as she set the sketchbook down on a nearby table and got a pencil ready.

What to draw, what to draw…? I don’t want to sketch somepony because that is really easy to screw up… What about still life? I am surrounded by balloons and snacks… I guess I’ll have to go with original creation… But my mind is such a mess right now, I can’t even think of something to draw…

She looked around frantically to find something to inspire her, but the longer she took the more panicked she became. Everypony was standing around her waiting for her to start and she couldn’t even think of something to draw.
M-Maybe if I just start… Something will happen…? She pondered, hoping that starting was just the hardest part right now. Briar turned her trembling gaze to the blank page before her and tried to think of a starting point. Where would she let the pencil tip fall…? Normally when she looked to a page, she could see an image in her mind of what she wanted to do. She would know where to put the pencil and the whole thing would move fluidly, without any real troubles. Briar gave in and simply took the plunge. She placed the pencil to the paper and began to sketch out some lines. Her mind was still blank and she still didn’t know what she wanted to do.

Her ears twitched as she heard murmurs from her assembled audience. “What will it be…?” “It’s just a bunch of lines right now…” “A little underwhelming, huh?” “The last pony who moved here became a Princess… Wonder if she will be amazing too…” “She’s been making the same line for awhile now…”

She felt a numbness in her ears as the ringing from before returned. Her breathing became ragged as she started to crumble under the pressure. Her body soon moved on its down. She felt faint as the pencil dropped. Briar’s eyes closed as her legs buckled, causing her to lay on the floor. The timid mare wrapped her legs inward and threw her front hooves over her head.
“P-Please just STOP!” she cried out as her body shook. “No more! NO MORE!”

Gasps and sounds of shock washed over the party members as they began to take startled steps back. Briar tried to fight the sobs that begged to fall from her tightly closed eyes but the fact that had made this big of a display already made her so embarrassed. She felt so weak - so small. Why was she so broken? Why couldn’t she handle social interaction like a normal pony? Why was this so hard for her? Why was she such a mess?

“That’s it! Everypony step back, please!” a fair and gentle voice called out. Briar looked up, tears falling from her slowly opening eyes. Standing over her was a light yellow pegasus with a pale pink mane and tail. Her soft, feathered wings were outstretched, making her stance seem larger and more protective. The startled, judgemental eyes of the other ponies shifted from the downed Briar and moved to fixate on this new mare as she turned to face her. The pegasus laid down to be on eye level with Briar, still giving her enough room to breath. She folded a wing over to shelter Briar’s eyes from the rest of the ponies gathered in the room, forcing her focus to remain solely on the yellow mare.
“Hi there… I’m Fluttershy,” she began in a gentle and soothing tone. Briar’s ears moved forward to catch it, focusing on her whisper like voice. “Are you okay to move…? How about we get you some fresh air, hm?”
Briar took no time accepting this offer, quickly nodding. She would be mad to not want to leave at this point. Fluttershy offered another warm smile before slowly standing once more. She helped Briar to her hooves and the two made their way to the front door of SugarCube Corner. The others moved to the sides to offer enough room for the mares to leave as silence fell over the party. The only thing to be heard was the faint sounds of music in the background and their hooves on the hardwood floors.

Briar felt sick. She inhaled deeply as the afternoon sun washed over her brown coat. Directing her gaze upward she closed her eyes and basked in the warmth that the open environment had to offer. The two mares walked in silence as Briar did her best to regain herself. As she had finally become calm she began to realize what just happened. Without a doubt those ponies now thought she was strange… Who else crumbles and screams in the middle of a party? Her stomach turned as toxic thoughts ran through her mind, worried about what the others thought of her now.
Fluttershy took note of this change in expression. She quickened her pace and kept her head on level with Briar’s.
“How are you feeling?” she asked in a comforting tone.
“... Do you want the honest answer or the socially acceptable one?” Briar replied with clear disdain.
“Well, the honest answer will help get a bit of this off of your chest, hm?” she replied with the same care she had provided thus far. Briar still didn’t know how to perceive this pony. She saved her and was still walking with her despite the deplorable conversation partner she had been. Her mind conditioned her to think that anyone being nice was only out to get something, but what could this pegasus want from her?

“I just… I don’t do well in crowds…” Briar began. That seemed to be the easiest thing to explain her outburst from earlier. “That’s fine. I understand that. It must have been hard being surrounded by a bunch of ponies you didn’t know…” the yellow mare tried to sympathize. “Yep… And now their first impression of me is screaming and crying while curling into a ball on the floor…” she said in a somber tone.

Her attention was quickly taken to the sound of an exasperated voice down the path behind her. "There you are! I had been waiting outside your door for a few minutes now! What happened to our lunch plans?"
Autumn Chain stood just in view on the road before Briar’s home that remained just out of site. She had a basket levitating next to her and a tired expression on her face - one that Briar knew all too well.
“I’m sorry Mother… I was pulled away unexpectedly…” she replied softly as her head hung low, a typical response of timid submission.
“Well, thank Celestia you caught me. I was about to give up and go home. Come now, Briar, while the sandwiches are still fresh.” Briar nodded and she slowly began up the path. Autumn gave a sigh. “Don’t be rude, Briar. Are you going to at least invite your friend?” The brown mare looked up from the dirt path. Her gaze shifted to Fluttershy. A small part of her did want to invite the yellow mare but she had only just met her, and her mother seemed rather agitated at the moment.

“I would be happy to accept the invite," Fluttershy replied with a smile as she turned back to Autumn and Briar. The timid unicorn started to feel lighter as the tightness in her chest eased off.
The two ponies began to follow Autumn back up the path and towards Briar’s homestead.

Author's Note

A little late so sorry^^; I've not only been working a lot lately but my husband has been home for the first time in 4 months AND he has been trying to plan my Birthday party hahaha

MADE SOME EDITS TO THIS CHAPTER! Looknig to start up again and wanted to take a different direction.