Author's Note
This is for Lise Eclaire and I have no regrets. Get meme’d on.
Anxious
There are hundreds of ponies that live in the quiet, peaceful yet seemingly assaulted by supernatural forces every other month, town of Ponyville. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike all live in a symmetrical harmony in this iconic representation of Equestria, earning livelihoods, building families, and never backing down from a challenge. That is, with exception for one.
In a quiet cottage, just outside of town past the tree lined paths, over the babbling brook, a jog around the bunny holes, and left of the birdhouses lies the Element of Kindness herself. Fluttershy, also known as the pony who is terrified of literally everything.
Some ponies in town consider that to be an exaggeration, but for a pony who has a bear family who will happily do her dirty work (only if she asked of course) you'd think she'd learn not to scream when the toast pops up. Today, she's going to encounter something new, something relaxing, and something that she's sure will murder her in her sleep.
Fluttershy sits on her comfy green sofa, reading an entrancing book about this pony named Billy who has these two cute little dogs that just warms her heart. The yellow mare sighs to herself in contentment and her eyes move to the ceiling.
"Twilight suggested a wonderful little book," she muses to herself. "I really hope it has a happy ending. I just have to see how it ends!"
Just at that moment, there was a knock on Fluttershy's door, which made the Fluttershy toss the book in the air and yelp. The book collides with the ceiling, leaving a noticeable dent, then lands in her lap, still magically on the page she left off on.
"Coming!" she calls to the door, rising to her hooves and trotting to meet her guest. She throws open her front door, and a familiar blue pegasus stands at the other side, carrying a saddlebag.
"Heya, Fluttershy," says Rainbow Dash, flicking her tail. "Got a sec'?"
"Of course, Dashie," Fluttershy replies, relieved to see her childhood friend. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Not like that," the Rainbow-maned mare says, waving a hoof and shaking her hoof. "I got this awesome new impulse buy that I had to show you! I think it's totally right up your alley."
Fluttershy's ears perked up as Rainbow opened her saddlebag with her wing and reached in with her snout. Fluttershy leaned closer, interested in what her friend could possibly want to show her.
Just then, Rainbow Dash pulled a spinning death-saw from her bag, dangerously balanced on her snout, stained red from the blood of innocents.
Fluttershy's eyes grew wide and the blood drained from her face at seeing the horrifying weapon of destruction.
"Whatcha think?" Rainbow asked, a smile forming from ear to ear. "Isn't it cool? It was super cheap and it really helps me relax after a tough day."
"I-I..." Fluttershy stuttered, taking a step back. "I-It helps you relax?"
Images filled Fluttershy's head of Rainbow, laughing to herself, juggling the disc of death through the air. Then, tossing it towards an over-sized target, where a terrified Tank the tortoise is in tears and strapped in tightly.
"Oh yeah! And the kids just love them these days. They're supposed to help with anxious feelings."
Fluttershy envisioned Rainbow, face flecked with red, walking towards the Cutie Mark Crusader tree house.
"And then," Rainbow continued. "It hit me! Nopony would love one of these more than Fluttershy! The most anxious pony I know!"
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME RAINBOW DASH!" Fluttershy cried, tears falling from her eyes. She falls to the ground, with her ears folded tightly, and hooves covering her face.
Rainbow pauses, stops the spinning device on her snout with a hoof, and looks down at her terrified friend.
"Oookay. Fluttershy. This is where we use our words to explain what's going on," Rainbow says, unamused.
Fluttershy opens one of her closed eyes and looks at the red, plastic device. To her surprise, it wasn't a deathly sharp spinning knife. Rather, it was almost like a red, plastic three leaf clover.
"O-oh. U-uhm. Maybe I overreacted a little," Fluttershy says, her cheeks growing pink.
"Ya think?" Dash says. Fluttershy rises to her hooves as Rainbow puts the little disk on Fluttershy's snout, then gives it a small nudge.
Fluttershy watches as the spinner does what it does best, spin. The tiny metal bearings inside slide around, letting out a small whirring. Fluttershy couldn't help but feel slightly calmed by the slight vibrating feedback that the device gave as it spun. Yet, she couldn't help but be curious as it just kept spinning, and spinning, and spinning, without any sign of stopping.
"You're right Rainbow, this is pretty relaxing," she says with a smile. "B-but when does it stop?"
"You just stop it with your hoof, it won't bite you."
Fluttershy pauses, letting a silence fall between her and her friend.
"B-but it could bite me?"
"No, Fluttershy. It doesn't have a mouth."
"How do you know that?" Fluttershy asks, still letting it spin on her snout.
Rainbow sighs, shaking her head to herself.
"You know what? No. It's okay. I can see this isn't working like I thought it would."
She reaches out a hoof to take the spinner from Fluttershy's nose, but she shies away.
"Rainbow! Don't do that, it could bite you!"
Rainbow Dash glared at her friend in equal parts frustration and exhaustion.
"So, are you just going to let that thing spin on your nose for all of eternity then?" she asks Fluttershy.
"I'm sure the poor thing will get tired out eventually," Fluttershy says. "I'll be sure to tuck it in for a nap once it tires out. Then I can call you to pick him up."
"The fidget spinner isn't alive, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash groans.
"And that is the very mindset that gets animals extinct, Rainbow. Now run along. I'll take care of Fidgey here while you're gone."
And that's how Fluttershy adopted a fidget spinner. He gets three square meals a day and is rumored to still be spinning. The End.
