The Flock That Panics Together Stays Together
Fluttershy ducked around the stalls in the market, losing herself in the crowds of Ponies strolling through the sunlit town. A warm breeze wafted through her hair, lifted up the delicious scents of fresh vegetables and fruits. The crowd moved and Fluttershy moved with it. It was a very easy task set before her. Go stock up on the veggies. That's all. It shouldn't take that long. She waved to Applejack who was sitting at her stand, then scurried to the next stall, still looking around. Pausing, she thought about talking to Applejack, but stopped when she saw a yellow stallion walk up and purchase some apples.
Applejack was at work, so Fluttershy moved along not wanting to bother her. Her wings spread, the gentle breeze brushing through her feathers. The warm wind caressed each of her feathers, made her feel glad she had come out this day. She even briefly considered lifting up into the air and over the heads of her featherless fellow Ponies. But if she did that, she'd draw attention to herself. So, she hunkered down, darting around stalls. She halted at the stand where piles of delectable, light green cabbages, were stacked up. She purchased one, scooped the bag from her mouth from the merchant's, then placed it in her saddlebag. Getting a little more brave, she pranced up to the carrot stands. The orange vegetables were speckled with dirt, having been recently pulled up from the earth. She purchased a few, putting them next to the cabbage. Cabbage and carrots made a happy pony and a happy filly. Suddenly, her ears perked up. She thought she'd heard something, a cultured (though clearly fake, who did she think she was kidding?) voice.
Her wings snapped against her side, making her yelp from the painful sting and she bolted through the market place, shouting out soft apologies that she hoped were heard as she winded through the crowd, once glancing around and seeing Rarity chatting with Applejack. She darted around a cottage, away from the marketplace. Spreading her wings, she dived into the clear blue bowl of the sky, hiding inside a cloud, only a few strands of her pink tail poking out. The cloud was cool and comfortable, holding her inside its confines like a warm blanket that just happened to not be warm at all. She nestled deeper inside it.
"Hi Fluttershy!"
She yelped as her shelter vanished all around her, exploding in a burst of rainbow colors. Dash waved to her. "Sorry, Fluttershy! Bye Fluttershy!"
Not offering any further explanation, Dash soared away. Fluttershy slightly pouted, gently flapping her wings to keep in the air and then spinning around. Oh no! She was visible, somepony-well, one Pony in particular-might see her.
And that Pony would want to talk. That Pony would have questions. Questions she could not answer. Did not want to answer. The sky was open and clear today. The cloud Dash had just obliterated into vapor was probably a wild cloud hence its fate. The sudden openness of the vast sky seemed to stretch on forever. Fluttershy dived downward, hurtling down to the earth, snapping her wings open and gliding over the cobblestone. She was far away from the marketplace which was good.
She stepped into the narrow alleyway. With each step she took on the stone, the walls seemed to come closer to her, the shadows growing longer and deeper. Her breath hitched in her throat, her chest tightening, pounding like a drum against her chest. She needed to hide, needed to get away. Breaking off into a run, her very feathers trembling too much for her to take to the sky, she galloped down the street. The metal of her shoes clinked against the stone beneath her as she ran as far as she could.
Her chest was heaving, her breath coming out in short bursts as fear took over her mind. She knew she should fly on home, but that meant Rarity might see her and want to talk to her, but she didn't want to talk to Rarity, but she didn't want to not talk to Rarity because that would be rude and Rarity was a good friend, but not a friend she wanted to talk to right now!
She zoomed down the road, her wings spreading on their own in her panicked flapping and puffs of wind lifting her up. Her hooves stung from how hard they were coming down on the solid stone, but she kept pounding the rock, now unable to control her racing thoughts or the imagined drumbeat of impending doom. She was now running for the pure sake of running, drips of froth bubbling from her lips, her heart threatening to burst. At last, her body gave out and she collapsed in a heap.
Her heart would not slow. Her wings dropped at her side and for a few terrifying seconds she could not lift them. She unfurled them and brushed her mouth through them a few times. The panicked thoughts came back, crowding out rational thoughts. She wasn't even sure where she was right now, a part of town that was slightly run down (well, by Equestrian standards). Stray bits of garbage floated in the wind, a piece of paper brushing against her hooves and she realized that she was lost.
Spotting a stray dumpster, she darted behind it. This was a perfect place to hyperventilate which she promptly began to do. Hurling herself into a little ball, she let the anxious delusions wash over her, a bit like being in the ocean. She took control of her breathing, shuddering as she wrapped her wings tighter around herself in a self-comforting gesture, cursing herself as she curled up behind the dumpster. She was a Knight of Equestria, an animal caretaker (recently awarded Master rank in the guild!), a wife and mother and she was supposed to be a functioning adult!
Yet, here she was, curled up in a state of panic. Luckily, nopony she knew was seeing her.
That would be embarassing.
Why, she thought, just imagine if Scootaloo were to see her mother like this! The thought turned her face red.
Just as she thought it, she heard a crashing from further up and an upraised shout.
Oh dear, that didn't sound good.
Fluttershy had just been about to step out and head home, but she decided to go duck back behind the dumpster and bumped into something furry. Two Ponies yelped and whirled around.
They stared at each other, the big yellow Pegasus, her pink mane soaked with sweat and the little orange Pegasus filly, her purple mane a similar mess.
"Um..."
Both sat down and Scootaloo darted beneath Fluttershy's wing, curling up as tightly as she could against her mother's side. There were no questions, not yet. Though Fluttershy did peak around and notice both a broken window and Scootaloo's scooter having ran over a rock, now laying on its side. A big, grey stallion walked out and Scootaloo clang to her side. Fluttershy scooted down and held her tightly.
Scootaloo sighed in contentment and nestled closer beneath the blanket of Fluttershy's wing, still trembling. Fluttershy placed her soft muzzle against Scootaloo's cheek, nuzzling her and the trembling managed to subside somewhat. Both cuddled close, both trying to control their trembling, the young filly nestling against the older's side.
"What happened?" Fluttershy had now managed to get her panic completely under control.
Scootaloo sniffled, began to tremble again, stopped when Fluttershy pressed her cheek to hers. "Shh, shh. None of that. Mama's not mad. She knows you didn't mean to."
The upset little filly nuzzled back, taking comfort in the warm safety of the feathery embrace. "I was just riding my scooter..."
Fluttershy licked away her tears. "Then what happened?" She noted that the stallion had gone back inside. Oh dear, she was going to have to pay for that window. It might not have been Scootaloo's intent, but it was still the right thing to pay for the repair.
Scootaloo took in a breath, her body relaxing, resting her head against Fluttershy's heartbeat. The rhythm soothed her. "And then my scooter hit a rock and the ball on my muzzle flew through his window."
Fluttershy snorted at the mental image of Scootaloo zooming around balancing a ball on her nose. That was nothing short of adorable. She ran her wing over Scootaloo's back, feeling Scootaloo completely go slack beneath the appendage. "Alright. Well, it wasn't your fault, but you should still apologize."
Scootaloo pouted. "He'll yell at me."
"Oh dear. No, he won't. I'll be right there and if he yells, he'll have to answer to me."
Scootaloo remained curled up in a ball against her. Not being disobedient, just in a state of panic. Fluttershy cursed the fact that excessive spooking ran in the family. She began to hum a lullaby, the only way that Scootaloo would get through the terrible thoughts clawing at her mind. She wasn't being naughty and scolding her would make it worse, something she had to explain to Cheerilee. Scootaloo adjusted herself. "So, what are you doing here?"
Horse apples. Thought Fluttershy. The panic had subsided due her singing and now Scootaloo was in the right frame of mind to see that it was quite unusual that her mother was curled up in an alley behind a dumpster. Lying was out of the question. She looked away. "We're not talking about me, Scootaloo."
Scootaloo stared at her with those wide, purple eyes of hers. "Who are you hiding from?"
I am your MOTHER young filly and...you are one-hundred percent right. Fluttershy sighed. "Rarity."
Scootaloo cocked her head. "You're hiding from Rarity?" Her racing heart had slowed, though she stayed tucked under her mother's wing. "Why? I thought you and Rarity were friends."
"Oh, we are." Fluttershy looked down. "We're best friends even. Well, no, I have five best friends and she's one of them. I don't mean she's more of a best friend than my other best friends."
Scootaloo's eyelids were growing heavy as Fluttershy rambled on. She took a breath. "The reason I don't want to talk to her is because of the dress she made me."
The filly blinked. "Did you not like the dress?"
Fluttershy quickly shook her head. "Oh no, it was a great dress!"
"Then what was wrong with it?"
She avoided Scootaloo's gaze. "It had too many ruffles. But I didn't know how to tell her that!" She suddenly noted that Scootaloo's wings were a mess of broken feathers. The sight caused her to frown. "When was the last time you preened?"
Scootaloo spread her wings out, thought back. "Last week, but I guess they got messed up from me running."
Fluttershy folded her wing back, uncovering Scootaloo. "You need to do it every day. Haven't we discussed this?"
Scootaloo frowned at the gentle reprimand. "I know, but it hurts. Besides, it's not like I can fly."
Fluttershy felt more than a twinge of pity from the dejected tone, laid her wing back over her. "If you never preen, your wings will be weighed down and it makes it painful when you do preen. I had trouble flying too, but I preened every day. I think I'm going to start giving you a daily preening since you won't do it yourself. Spread that wing."
Scootaloo unfurled her tiny wing and Fluttershy bent down, burying her nose in the crowded mass of orange feathers. Scootaloo sighed in contentment, glad none of her friends were around to hear how absolutely uncool that was. She leaned closer to Fluttershy as she ran her muzzle through the wing. Very gently, she pulled out a broken feather, then gave a soft, soothing kiss to the empty socket. Not strictly necessary, but it eased the light sting. She brushed through the wing, straightening the feathers that had been knocked down. Many were broken beyond all repair, so Fluttershy had to pull them out one by one, placing her mouth around the feather and pulling as softly as she could, kissing the socket after the feather was pulled out. Once the wing was preened to her satisfaction, she trotted around and sat on Scootaloo's other side, Scootaloo obediently pushing her wing out.
Fluttershy pressed her lips to her wing, brushing through it with her muzzle. Once the feathers were straight, she began nosing any broken feathers, pulling them out and drizzling small kisses on Scootaloo's wing. Scootaloo yawned, growing sleepy. She brushed her muzzle through the wing one more time. "We're both being very silly Ponies right now, aren't we?"
Scootaloo considered this. "Yeah."
Fluttershy nodded. "Alright. We'll count to three and on three, we're going to come out from behind this dumpster. Right?"
"Yep."
"One."
"One."
They shared a look.
"Two."
"Two."
Both took a deep breath.
"Three."
"Three."
There they remained, curled up against each other in a fluffy ball of fur and feathers. Several minutes passed. Several more minutes passed and neither made any move to leave their cozy position.
Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Scootaloo, you need to go apologize to that nice stallion. I know you didn't mean to break his window, but you have to at least own up to it." The voice was firm, tolerating no argument.
Scootaloo shifted beneath the wing she was currently using as a comfort blanket. "But shouldn't you go talk to Rarity first? She won't yell at you."
Fluttershy lifted her wing, patted Scootaloo's back with it. "Now, now. No need to be scared of him yelling at you."
"But he will." Scootaloo's lips jutted out in an overly exaggerated sulk.
Fluttershy sighed. "He might. But I won't let him."
Scootaloo leaned into her. "But I wanna stay right here."
Fluttershy knew she was only putting off the onerous task of swallowing her pride (she spent too much time around Dash, but so did Fluttershy), and apologizing to the aggrieved stallion. But she was so snuggly, so she continued cuddling her. It actually helped her heart rate slow. At some point, she realized, she was going to have to talk to Rarity and Scootaloo was going to have to go talk to the stallion.
But it didn't have to be right now. This was an awfully comfortable position and Scootaloo was rarely this cuddly. She might as well take advantage of it. She closed her eyes, still feeling the warm bundle against her side. It wasn't long before she found herself drifting off. The adrenaline rush from the panic attack was subsiding and the warm affection of caring for Scootaloo had her soon drifting off.
Scootaloo's panic had similarly subsided, her own adrenaline rush from the panicked run melting away at the warm feeling that came from pressing her head against her mother's chest, Fluttershy having leaned onto her side to let Scootaloo snuggle up to her. The position was familiar and made her mind think of nap time, something she still occasionally did when she was particularly tired.
Both were soon snoring, their napping interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Fluttershy opened her eyes, blushed when Rarity looked down at her. "Um, hello Darling."
Fluttershy squeaked.
Rarity lowered down onto her barrel. "I was looking for you."
She pawed at the ground, disturbing Scootaloo who wiggled and yawned. Fluttershy blinked. "You were looking for me behind dumpsters?"
Rarity chewed on her lip. "Well, not exactly." She patted Fluttershy's shoulder. "I was quite worried when I saw you gallop off in such a panicked fashion. Are you alright?"
Fluttershy avoided Rarity's gaze. "I,um, need to talk to y-you. But, um, I didn't want to talk to you right then." Her ears drooped.
Rarity kept her hoof of Fluttershy's shoulder. "Go on. I'm your friend, Darling."
Fluttershy gulped, felt her throat go dry. She looked down at Scootaloo. What kind of example am I giving her? Mustering up her courage and swallowing down her fear, she spoke. "It's um, about the dress."
Rarity cocked her head. "The one I made for you?"
"Y-Yes, that one."
"Is there something wrong with it?"
Fluttershy hurriedly shook her head. "Oh, no. There's nothing wrong with it, it's perfect!"
Rarity pursed her lips. "Alright, then. So, what about the dress?"
"Ruffles." Fluttershy muttered the word.
"Ruffles?"
"It, um, it had too many ruffles. I-I'm sure it'd look great on somepony else!"
Her mouth twitched. "I see. And rather than tell me this, you galloped through the marketplace and hid behind a dumpster?"
Fluttershy squeaked. It was obvious Rarity was fighting back laughter, but quickly bit her lip."Oh my, Darling. Well, I must admit to having had fits of nerves myself."
"Like this?"
"No, not...not quite like this. If you give back the dress, I can sell it and make you a more suitable one."
Fluttershy smiled. "Th-thank you, Rarity."
Rarity drew away her hoof, stretched. "Now, I need to get back to the shop. Are we still on for tea tomorrow?"
"Of course."
They shared a nuzzle and Rarity trotted off. Fluttershy and Scootaloo stared after her. Getting back her usual spunk, Scootaloo bounced out from under Fluttershy. "So...guess it's my turn, huh?"
"Yes it is, young filly."
Scootaloo groaned. "Can I do it tomorrow?"
Fluttershy thought. "Well, if you really want to, we can go get ice cream-"
"Hooray!" Scootaloo jumped into the air, fluttering her wings which held her until gravity caught up to her and she came back down on her hooves.
"But wouldn't you rather get it over with?"
Fluttershy waited. Eventually, Scootaloo nodded. "Alright, fine."
"Let's go then."
Fluttershy tread along, Scootaloo trailing after her as if trying to hide behind her-or even under her as she had done as a much younger foal. Suddenly, she jumped away and bounded up the stairs to the cottage where her ball had broken the window. Fluttershy hurried to keep up with her and knocked on the door. Scootaloo shifted from side to side, twitching like she was about to bolt.
"Ice cream. Just think about the ice cream." Fluttershy whispered in her ear.
With that thought as her incentive, Scootaloo stayed put. The door creaked open and the grey stallion looked up. Fluttershy laid her hooves on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Go on, dear."
The stallion gave them a quizzical look. Scootaloo shifted. "I'm, um, sorry I broke your window! I didn't mean to!"
"Ah, Celestia, that was you?" The stallion growled. He shook his head. "Well, accidents happen, don't worry about it."
Scootaloo stared. That was it? "Well, uh, great. I promise to be more careful?"
"See that you do." He bounced her ball back to her which Scootaloo caught.
"And I'll pay for the window she broke."
The stallion grinned. "Thanks. I gotta get back ta some stuff."
He closed the door behind him. Scootaloo blinked. "Wow. He was really nice."
Fluttershy shrugged as they stepped away from the stairs. "Most Ponies are."
"So..." She jumped from the last step, let the breeze carry her to the ground. "I dived behind a dumpster and hid for no reason."
"Yep. So did I. Wanna go get some ice cream?"
"Please?"
"Of course."
Scootaloo righted her fallen scooter and Fluttershy fluttered after her as she rolled along, still trying to balance the ball on her nose.
