The Visit
“Twilight? What the hay is going on? What’s wrong with Fluttershy?”
Rainbow Dash was annoyed with Twilight as they trotted down the path which led to Fluttershy’s house. And rightly so, as all Twilight had told her was, “She’s worried about something.”
“So what? She’s always worried about something,” Rainbow retorted. Twilight twisted her head back and fixed Rainbow with a pointed look.
“This is... different,” she corrected herself sombrely.
“And that still doesn’t help,” Rainbow said shortly, “You dragged me out here, now tell me- what happened to Fluttershy?”
Initially, Twilight opened her mouth to answer. But she hesitated, realising she didn’t know exactly how to describe what she saw, and closed it again.
“Maybe it would be best if you saw this yourself.”
* * *
Twilight Sparkle loved words. Any of her friends would tell you that she was happiest when she was reading. So wide was her vocabulary that she could find just the right words for any given situation. Even so, when she walked into Fluttershy’s home, it took her slightly longer than usually to find those words.
Turbulent chaos.
It was as if she had walked into a localised storm. Fluttershy sped around the room, frantically observing the job her animals were doing as well as attending to her own tasks. She didn’t even acknowledge her friends when they entered the room. All the while she babbled incoherently, sometimes to her animals but mostly to herself. However it was the worried creases in her brow that made Twilight sit up and take note. Out of all the places in Ponyville, Fluttershy’s home was her comfort zone. If she wasn’t relaxed here, then there was something seriously wrong.
“See,” Twilight said, indicating to the activity in the room in general, “She was like this when I arrived. She didn’t stop to tell me what was going on. That’s when I went looking for you.”
Casually, Rainbow floated into the centre of the room, very much at odds with the whirling storm around her, and placed a hoof thoughtfully to her chin.
“Uh-huh, I’ve seen this before,” she said knowingly.
Then as Fluttershy charged past again, Rainbow dropped a hoof on her pink tail. Fluttershy’s legs shot out from under her and the mare let out a startled ‘eep!’ as she landing heavily on her hindquarters.
“Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, sounding genuinely disappointed, “Why didn’t you tell any of us your parents were coming?”
Now, Twilight wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it had certainly hadn’t been that.
“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy exclaimed, noticing her cyan friend for the first time. Then, she tensed up again. “Oh, um-.” She looked around way out. As it happened, a distraction wasn’t hard to find. “Oh my, Mr. Beaver, do you want a hoof with that?”
“Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy winced at the sound of Rainbow Dash shouting too close her ear.
“You’re not going anywhere just yet,” Rainbow finished this part more calmly.
Meanwhile, Twilight looked on in absolute bewilderment. Here was an aspect of Fluttershy’s life that she realised she knew nothing about. In fact, she suddenly realised that for all the time she had known them, she knew very little about either of the pegasi’s early lives. With this realisation came a deluge of questions.
“I don’t get it,” Twilight said, “Why are you so worried about your parents coming over?”
“Well, let’s just say that Fluttershy’s parents are kind of pushy,” Rainbow explained, much too cryptically to sate Twilight’s curiosity.
“Pushy?” Twilight repeated, confusion wrinkling her face, “How so?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, as she realised Twilight had missed the hint to leave it alone.
“They’re important ponies, Twi,” Rainbow began to expand, “They-”
Even with this chatter, even with all the other animals shuffling about, the knock on the door still cut through everything.
The room fell silence.
“Fluttershy,” Rainbow started, “When’re your parents meant to get here?”
Once more, Fluttershy tensed up again, as she looked at Rainbow Dash.
“Today, this afternoon,” she replied. She shrunk slightly, “Right now...” And with that, she was off again, directing her animals around while shouting at the door “Just a minute!”
“Crap!” Rainbow swore, her voice a loud whisper as she took to the air again, “I have to get out of here!”
Twilight’s ears shot up when Rainbow said this. She turned to see Rainbow looking around desperately, which only put Twilight on edge.
“Why?” she asked, her tone confused, “Surely they’ll have known you the longest.”
“Well, y’know, they never really approved of me hanging out with their daughter,” Rainbow chuckled humourlessly, “Thought I was a bad influence.”
She floated over to the back window as she said this and pulled the two frames open.
“Wait, should I leave too?” Twilight asked. Rainbow paused for a moment and glanced back, giving her unicorn a look over.
“Hm, nah, they’ll love you. A student to Princess Celestia herself? Trust me, you’ll be fine.”
And then with a brisk billow of her wings, she was gone.
Twilight turned back to Fluttershy, who was currently herding the mice into their little alcove in the wall. She was desperate to have things neat and tidy before letting her parents in. She was certainly stressed enough without having to balance her family and her friends.
Maybe I should go, Twilight thought, shuffling slightly to the window Rainbow Dash had just left through. But then she saw Fluttershy and how her entire body exuded worry from every pore.
As her friend, it was only right that she find out whether or not she wanted help or not first, before bailing on her.
“Fluttershy, do you mind me staying, or...?”
“Oh, I’d love if you stayed,” Fluttershy suddenly piped in, zipping by with a family of hedgehogs on her back, “I’ll give them something to talk about, besides me, of course.”
Twilight groaned inwardly. That was the clincher. Normally, Fluttershy would have said ‘Oh, you don’t have to” or the like. She hadn’t, however, and that change was so unusual for Fluttershy that Twilight couldn’t ignore it. This visit was different and she was sure it had something to do with what Rainbow Dash had been about to say.
In a moment, she bit down her worries and made up her mind; she was going to stay. Besides, it would be interesting to see the ponies who raised Fluttershy.
“Alright, in that case, I’d be happy to stay,” Twilight answered, a bright smile across her face.
Fluttershy managed to give her friend a weak, but heartfelt smile back, letting the hedgehogs slid off her onto a bed of pillows. Then she turned to the door and, taking a deep breath and putting on her best smile, opened it.
“Mom! Daddy! How nice to see you.”
Fluttershy stepped back and two pegasi walked in. Fluttershy’s mother was a lean, stunning mare, especially for her age, her white coat brushed to a gloss with her strawberry-pink mane styled in a bun. It was easy to see where Fluttershy had gotten her looks from. Her father, on the other hoof, was a big stallion, making the pale yellow coat look particular odd looking on him. His mane was deep blue, but age had streaked it with lines of light grey.
“Why hello, ‘Shy,” Fluttershy’s father said, giving his daughter a hug, “It’s lovely to see you too.”
“Although, you could at least try and clean up for us,” her mother added, rubbing her hoof again a spot on Fluttershy’s face.
“Mom, please! I’ve a friend here,” Fluttershy begged, embarrassed by her mother’s doting.
Fluttershy’s mother looked surprised when she noticed Twilight standing towards the back of the living room. Realising she was now the centre of attention, Twilight gave a short wave and an awkward smile. Fluttershy’s father, as well, seemed to be surprised by the fact that others were there.
“Well, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” he asked, nodding towards Twilight.
“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy realised, “Mommy, Daddy, this is Twilight Sparkle. She runs the library here in Ponyville.”
“Charmed,” Fluttershy’s father said, approaching the unicorn and offering his hoof. He hesitating for only a split second, but it was just long enough that Twilight noticed it. “I’m Lightning Drop. This is my wife, Posey.”
As she touched his hoof with her own, Twilight noticed how Posey straightened up slightly as she was introduced. Between that and Lightning Drop’s hesitance, she wasn’t sure what to make of the two pegasi. Perhaps it was just shyness; she couldn’t say her first meeting with Fluttershy had gone smoothly. Who was to say they wouldn’t warm up to her in time?
“And this is our youngest daughter...” Lightning Drop trailed off at this point, realising only his wife was standing there. “Flitterbye? Where are you? Get in here, filly!”
Twilight could have sworn she saw Fluttershy’s smile falter for a moment when she heard that name. Suddenly, the slow clop of hooves drifted in the door and a filly, no older than fifteen or so, walked in.
“Flitterbye, you came too?” Fluttershy asked the newest arrival, the good mood in her voice now strained.
It was like looking at a miniature Fluttershy; Twilight could imagine this would have what Fluttershy would have looked like during her teenage years. The filly’s pale yellow coat was groomed to perfection, while her strawberry-pink mane hung steadily over her left eye.
And she wore the biggest puss Twilight had ever seen in her life. Seriously, the filly looked like she had taken a bite out of a lemon.
“Mom made me come,” she said curtly, trotting past her sister with barely more than a glance.
With Flitterbye inside, Fluttershy closed the door and turned to face the small crowd.
“Well, uh, the dining room is this way,” Fluttershy finally said, pointing towards the corner. With a little indication to follow, she led the way into the alcove where she normally ate. There were a couple of more chairs than she usually had, but not enough for all of them. Going to a nearby cupboard, Fluttershy pulled out one more chair for Twilight. They all sat down in silence.
“So,” Posey began, once they were ‘comfortable,’ “How have you been, dear?”
“Fine...” Fluttershy replied quietly.
And the silence resumed.
After only about a minute of this, Twilight was already fighting down the urge to excuse herself. She was surprised and, frankly, disconcerted with the tension at the table. She felt like an invader and quickly began having second thoughts about accepting Fluttershy’s invite. Fluttershy herself didn’t seem to be any more at ease in the situation. Twilight could see how straight her friend sat, spine locked stiff. And while she never took an eye of her family, she never quite met their gaze.
Her own family... Twilight just couldn’t understand. It was so far from her definition of ‘family’ that it bordered on the alien. For her family was warm and loving, a place you belonged and an institute of support. Now, it wasn’t perfect. She’d had her fair share of fiery arguments with her parents over the years; it wasn’t as if she had been the perfect daughter. But her relationship with her parents had never been this... cold. She was now abandoning the idea that they would warm up to her, if their own daughter couldn’t stoke their hearts.
She was almost relieved when Flitterbye spoke up, despite the jump it gave her.
“I’m starved!” Flitterbye suddenly exclaimed, “What the hay is there to eat?”
“Flitterbye! Mind you’re language!” Posey chastised her daughter, but the filly’s outburst only caused Fluttershy to leap up from the table in wide-eyed realisation as she noted the table was bare.
“Oh! Of course! Lunch, I’m sorry.” And with that she walked briskly into the kitchen, looking relieved to have an excuse to go.
While happy for her friend, Twilight did find that this had the unfortunate implication of redirecting Lightning and Posey’s attention towards her. Twilight scuffed her hoof against the floor as the four remaining ponies looked at each other.
“So,” Lightning Drop began, “You’re friends with Fluttershy?” Twilight could hear the wariness in his voice; it wasn’t a statement, it was a question.
“Yes,” Twilight answered as politely as possible, “One of my closest, as well. One of the kindest ponies I’ve ever met. Oh, but I wouldn’t need to tell you that.”
She laughed, sounding much more nervous than she had meant to.
“So, what does she do here... on the ground?” Posey asked, either not noticing or not caring about Twilight’s slip.
“Oh, she’s a vet,” Twilight said, recovering and trying to sound casual, although Posey’s apathetic attitude towards her was making that a challenge, “Takes care of all the local wildlife. Does a great job too.”
“Oh, right,” she said, sounding... Disappointed? Sceptical? Twilight couldn’t quite figure it out. It certainly wasn’t pride, or even understanding for that matter.
“And what about you?” she pressed on, “What is it that you do?”
“Oh, we both work in the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. I’m the Head of Precipitation Research,” Lightning explained. Twilight couldn’t deny, she was surprised by this revelation. Head of Research in any Weather Factory was a lofty position. But if this stunned her, the next fact knocked her flat. Lightning inclined his head towards Posey, “She’s the Director.”
Twilight felt her brain blow out slightly.
“Director?” Twilight repeated, “As in, Director of the entire factory?”
Posey seemed to puff herself at Twilight’s word.
“Of course.” The message was clear; she was telling her ‘and you’d best remember that, librarian.’
For a brief moment, she wondered if she should pull the ‘Celestia’s student’ card. She didn’t need to, though, as thankfully Fluttershy came back a moment later, this time with a tray of freshly cut sandwiches balanced daintily between her wings.
* * *
As Fluttershy placed the plate down onto the table, three faces fell so suddenly it couldn’t go unnoticed by her.
“Oh... thank you, dear,” Posey said, although her tone betrayed her disappointment.
Lightning, meanwhile, took one of the sandwiches in hoof and opened it up to view its contents.
“Well,” he began, trying to sound as neutral as possible, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a daisy sandwich.”
To Fluttershy’s relief, once her father had taken one, Twilight had taken this as a sign that she could dig in. Taking a sandwich from the tray, and with no hesitation, she tucked in with exquisite Canterlot manners. For a brief moment, Fluttershy nursed the hope that the rest would go with the flow.
“Uh! Daisy!?” Flitterbye spat, “Really!? Is that all there is?! Can you not afford tomatoes? At least some corn?”
Fluttershy groaned inwardly. How foolish was she to hope Flitterbye would be content with plain, old sandwiches?
“Well... I...” she began.
“Dear, your sister’s manner may be a bit crude, but she’s right,” Lightning spoke up, concern prevalent in his tone, “You should be able to eat better than this. Are you sure your trust fund is enough?”
Upon hearing this, Twilight almost choked on the bite of daisy sandwich she was chewing on. “Trust fund?”
Fluttershy’s ears flattened against her head at the sound of Twilight’s voice. Slowly, the unicorn turned to stare at Fluttershy, a dazed look plastered across her face as she processed this new information. Fluttershy could see a dozen questions starting to bubble underneath the surface.
“I...” They her just stared at each other until Fluttershy broke her gaze and turned back to her father. She could explain this to her friend later, when she wasn’t under so much pressure. “No, daddy, it’s enough.”
“Well obviously it isn’t, if this is all there is,” Flitterbye added bitterly, as she tossed the sandwich back on the plate.
Fluttershy swallowed her bitter disappointment. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t trying, but her tastes had always been more simple. Not that she didn’t enjoy and extravagant treat when it was offered, but left to her own devices, she could live on plain sandwiches for months at a time. Her turquoise eyes slid towards her father. Time was, he used to be able to as well.
“So, how have you all been?” she asked, eager to move on from the bitter prologue.
“Good, factory is working to capacity. Might have to replace the old vaporiser soon before it becomes a hazard,” Posey said, sounding happy to be listing off odd facts, “But production has been high since the last delivery of water,” “I believe one of your old friends made that delivery. What was her name? Rainbow Dancer?”
“Rainbow Dash, mom,” Fluttershy couldn’t help but correct, “And I’m still friends with her.”
The mood still wasn’t relaxed, especially with the mention of Rainbow Dash, but the common topic was casual, inclusive. Even Twilight picked up on the conversation.
“Oh, was that your factory the water was sent to?” the unicorn asked, “I saw the event. It was amazing! I’ve never seen such a method before; using an induced vacuum to draw water up from its source and sending it straight to the factory for processing. Sure beats the old method of hauling the water up in troughs. Whoever thought of it must be a genius!”
At this compliment, the edges of Lightning’s mouth rose into a small smirk.
“Well, a genius might be a bit much,” he told Twilight, “It was more of accidental discovery.”
Despite her intelligence, Twilight took a moment to put the two and two together. When the revelation did hit, the hinge of her jaw failed.
“You came up with that?” Twilight yelled gleefully, jumping up from her chair.
And while the rest of her family were taken aback by the unbound enthusiasm of the mare, it came as no surprise to Fluttershy.
“How? Were you in the bath when you realised it? Oh, no, you were at the Neighagra Whirlpool and-! No-!”
“It was a race, actually.”
Twilight’s verbal assault ceased and she stared at the stallion with a puzzled expression. Fluttershy let the flicker of a smile touch her lips; she knew Twilight would be underwhelmed by the true tale.
“Well, not even a race, really, more like a competition,” her father continued, “Me and a couple of friends were out near Neighagra and we were trying to see who could fly circles the longest without getting sick.” He chuckled, turning away from the table to look out the window, taken away by nostalgia. “It was Crescent Moon, I think. Just so happened that we chose to do it over the Neighagra Whirlpool. Lot of turning room, you see.”
Twilight nodded in acknowledgement.
“It was while we were there that I noticed the water bulge as we spun. Didn’t think much of it at the time, of course.” He laughed, “I was more concerned with the fact that I’d lost. It was only later on that I figured out a more practical use for it.”
“Wow,” Twilight said, sounding kind of underwhelmed, “That’s quite a story. So it was... completely by accident that you figured it out?”
Lightning just shrugged at this.
“The best discoveries are, isn’t that what they say?” he answered, a humble note to it.
Fluttershy was surprised at how easily she could read Twilight. She could just tell the unicorn was in contention with herself over this philosophy and wanted to argue it, but in the end she just let it go.
“But even with that, it must be hard to have built a company like that from scratch,” Twilight pointed out, eager to change the subject.
Lightning chuckled lightly.
“That was all Posey,” he laughed, “She has a head for business that I could never wrap mine around.
She keeps everything running smoothly.
She keeps everything running smoothly. Something which I hope these two,” he indicated to Fluttershy and Flitterbye, “Have inherited from her.”
Fluttershy felt a twinge pull at her stomach.
“And you’ll just hand over the company to them?” Twilight asked, her intellectual curiosity overriding everything else.
“No, of course not,” Posey picked up the conversation, “They’ll work their way up. That way, when they become manager, they’ll be ready to be a manager. And someday, maybe even director.”
At her mother’s words, Fluttershy blanched. Her mother wasn’t even trying to be subtle now... Air, she needed air. Oh Celestia, she needed to get out of there.
“Um, actually, I might have some better ingredients out back,” Fluttershy said hurriedly, “Twilight, could you... would you...”
“Huh? Oh! Of course, Fluttershy.” Twilight said, broken from her entranced state. With a nod, Fluttershy started out the back door, Twilight close behind. It was only when they were outside that Twilight noticed Fluttershy taking a deep, gasping breath. And another. And another.
“Fluttershy? Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“No! My parents are in there! And my mother is already starting with the ‘when will you give up on this ground idea and come home?’ talk. They never listen! They just keep making plans for when I’ll come back and my sister’s out there! We haven’t gotten along in years!” As she spoke, her speech degenerated into wild babbling.
“Woah, slow down, Fluttershy” Twilight cut in, “C’mon, deep breaths.” Although Twilight had gotten the gist of the tirade, she wouldn’t have been able to repeat it.
Fluttershy did as she was asked, stopping and taking a few slow, deep breaths. After she let it out, she then turned to Twilight, eyes brimming with tears.
“Help me,” she muttered.
Now, Fluttershy had the ability to melt even the most cynical hearts, so Twilight stood no chance. She just tucked her hoof around the distraught pegasus’ shoulders and gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
“Of course, just tell me what I can do.”
Fluttershy wiped her eyes with her foreleg and snuggled up close to Twilight, nuzzling her cheek.
“Just be there. Make sure I don’t agree to anything I’ll regret later.”
“Alright. I promise,” Twilight agreed, giving Fluttershy a reassuring squeeze before letting go.
With these words, her heart slowed and the whole affair began to feel almost tolerable. Fluttershy felt settled once more. Maybe now she could get through this without fear of freaking out.
“Good, let’s... let’s go back inside.”
* * *
“This is getting to be a joke.”
Fluttershy stopped short as her mother’s low voice met her at the door.
“I know, honey, but maybe we should just let this run its course,” Lightning tried to reason, “She’s a grown mare, her own pony.”
Posey could only scoff at this.
“That doesn’t mean she knows what’s best for herself,” she replied, “I mean she’s living next to the Everfree Forest! What if a bear, or... or a manticore wandered out?! She wouldn’t stand a chance against one of those beasts!”
A touch of guilt brushed at Fluttershy’s heart. She knew listening in was wrong, but she couldn’t help herself. They wouldn’t tell her these thoughts on their own, that was for sure. Twilight, meanwhile, had returned to being uncomfortable and, despite her promise to Fluttershy, was casting anxious glances towards the backdoor.
“And that’s not even getting into the ‘quirks’ that the ground has to offer.”
“But...” Lightning tried to argue.
“No,” Posey hissed, “I’m not letting this ground life poison my girl’s mind any more than it has.”
Okay, that was it. She couldn’t listen to this anymore. Fluttershy stepped back into the dining room. Both Lightning and Posey sat up in shock, looking like foals that had just been caught with their hooves in the cookie jar. Posey recovered first.
“Fluttershy, dear? We need to talk,” Posey said, her tone business-like. How appropriate.
“Honey, please,” Lightning began with a pleading tone, but his wife was resolute.
“No, honey, she needs to hear this,” she answered firmly. Fluttershy stiffened when her mother’s green eyes met her own. “Dear, we’re worried about this ground thing.”
Fluttershy bit down on the inside of her cheek. Oh, she had wanted to avoid this. No, she still wanted to avoid this. Immediately, she began looking around for something to distract from the current topic.
“It can’t be healthy, especially for your wings. You need thermals, and other pegasi. And it’s been so long since you even visited,” Posey paused a moment, the words Fluttershy dread on the tip of her tongue, “What I’m saying is... Maybe, it would be a good idea if got your head up out of the pollen for a while, and come home.”
“No!”
Fluttershy’s rebuttal brought the room to a stunned silence. The three Cloudsdale pegasi fixed a numb gaze on the normally reserved pegasus. To say it came as a surprise would be an understatement; they had never seen Fluttershy when she was forceful.
But the hot-blooded flash of rage quickly receded and Fluttershy quickly found her hooves growing cold under her. She had defied her parents! To their faces! She looked around again, for an escape, a distraction, anything!
That’s when she found that Twilight were still there, giving her supportive, if slightly uncomfortable smiles. Suddenly she felt... relieved. Using the shocked silence to rally her thoughts, Fluttershy waited until she knew exactly what she wanted to say before continuing.
“Mommy, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go home. And there is nothing you can say that will change my mind,” she explained slowly, deliberately, “I... love it down here.”
“Love it?! Why would you want to live down here? It’s filthy!?” Flitterbye spat. The youngest pegasus walked around the table and up to her sister, so she was right in Fluttershy’s face, “Is it a colt? Are you hanging around here because you've fallen for a colt?”
“No,” Fluttershy said as calmly as possible, but she couldn't suppress the hard edge building in it.
“Then what is it?!” Flitterbye shouted, frustrated. The filly then turned on Twilight so fast and with such disgust, they couldn’t help but flinch. “What would you want to do with any of these stupid, dirt ponies?!”
Fluttershy couldn’t believe she was hearing this. Her own sister using the term ‘dirt ponies...’
A fire lit in her belly.
“Well, maybe I’d prefer it if I’d been born a dirt pony!”
And this was the final insult. If they hadn’t reached the point of no return before, they had now. A total muteness fell across the room. Each pony turned the words through their head, tossing and turning them to see if they could look at them in any other way. But, slowly, each of them realised what Fluttershy had just said.
She had just denied her heritage.
Even to Fluttershy, the thought sent a shudder through the tips of her wings. And all around her, every expression was a varied image of either shock or surprise, but out of all of them Posey was the only one to look positively heartbroken.
“D-Dearie,” Posey stuttered, “Don’t say such a thing.”
Fluttershy turned to her mother, and she almost stopped. Her mother’s eyes were brimming with tears. It very nearly broke her own heart and made her want to take back her word. But... then what would have been the point of saying it in the first place? No, she’d said it, now she had to back it up.
“It’s the truth, mommy,” she replied truthfully, “I... These wings have never been of much use to me. I was never that good a flyer.” With each word she spoke she became more confident. “And I was never interested in taking over the company. I wouldn’t have the qualities you’d need to run such a place.”
“But...” Posey started, but whatever she had wanted to say failed at her lips.
“But I am good at other things,” Fluttershy continued. She turned her flank towards her them. “You see my cutie mark? This is what I’m good at: taking care of animals! That’s when I’m at my best. And that’s also why I can’t go back and join the company. It’s not where I’m needed.”
Posey just stared at her daughter, her expression so forlorn that Fluttershy had to force herself not to back down. But it hurt; it felt like she was kicking her mother while she was down.
But it seemed she only had to hold out for a few seconds, as Posey’s face took a stern demeanour. Her mouth became a harsh line and her green eyes hardened.
“Well, if that’s the way you feel,” Posey answered. Fluttershy was taken aback; her mother’s voice sounded so hard. “I... We should be going now. I... I have a lot to think about.”
And with that, she turned and made straight for the door. Flitterbye, without even a goodbye, trotted out with her mother. Lightning lingered after.
“Honey,” he began, his voice resigned, “You know we can’t support you forever.” Fluttershy nodded, though she had kind of hurt that her parting words with her father would be monetary. “Now, I won’t cut you off entirely, but do find a way to subsidise yourself.”
Fluttershy nodded, it was the only thing she could do. She didn’t trust her voice.
Then, after a moment that lingered longer than necessary, her father leaned in and nuzzled her. “Good bye, ‘Shy.”
Then, he was gone too, pulling the door behind him.
Fluttershy and Twilight stared at the worn, wooden door. And despite all the pain and worry they had given her over the years, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel that her heart had went with them.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight spoke up, her tone concerned but hesitant, “Are you okay?”
She wasn’t surprised when Fluttershy burst into tears and slumped onto her tail, but the suddenness of it did catch her off-guard.
Twilight walked over to her and wrapped her foreleg around her. Pulling the pegasus close, she gave her a mane to cry into, but didn’t dare speak a single word. There was nothing she could say that wouldn’t sound meaningless or hollow.
Author's Note
I would like to give out I huge thanks to HeavyMetalViking for putting up with editing this for two weeks. You are brilliant, man!
The Few Days After
Fluttershy lay on her couch, head resting against her forelegs as, to her left, Twilight was sat with a book propped up between her forelegs. Twilight was calm and relaxed as her voice brought the story alive; Fluttershy had lost herself in the adventures of Plain Trotter as she travelled down through the Zebrican continent. It was a welcome escape.
To her right, lay Rainbow Dash, evidently bored out of her mind by the lack of action. But she was staying because her friend needed her, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at that.
It had been a couple of days since her family had left, leaving her with a gaping hole in her heart.
After Fluttershy’s family had left, Twilight had stayed with Fluttershy. Rainbow had arrived shortly after, having seen the family’s carriage heading back towards Cloudsdale, and found Fluttershy on the floor with Twilight trying to comfort her. It had been a rough couple of hours. Fluttershy had spent the first few hours afterwards crying, muttering in between sobs that she had ruined her relationship with her family. Eventually, Twilight and Rainbow saw her through back to calmness.
They had even spent the night. For once, Fluttershy was glad they had ignored her dismissals; she found that once Luna’s night had settled over the world, she was happy not to be alone. Her friends kept the dark thoughts at bay. They even said they would visit for a few days to make sure she was alright. They had both made good on that promise.
This evening they had both come, Twilight even brought the book that she was now reading. Fluttershy was only too glad to lose herself in the book’s world; it was a good book, not too exciting, just a pony exploring a place new to her. Kind of like Fluttershy herself...
A knock on the door stopped Twilight’s reading and Fluttershy found herself jarred from her imagination.
“Mail call!” called a bubbly voice beyond the wood of the door.
Fluttershy got up from the couch, trotted over to the door and opened it.
“Hello, Ditzy,” Fluttershy said to the mail mare. Ditzy ‘Derpy’ Doo smiled at the yellow Pegasus.
“Hi, Fluttershy,” she replied, “Got a letter for you today.” Ditzy reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. Turning back with a smile, she hoofed it to Fluttershy.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said.
“No problem,” Ditzy answered. And with a tip of her hat, she was gone.
Fluttershy closed the door and looked the letter over.
“What’s that?” Rainbow asked.
Fluttershy studied the face of the envelope and noticed the return address in the top left corner, written in free, quick strokes.
“It’s from my father,” she answered.
Trotting back to the couch, Fluttershy settled down between her friends and peeled open the letter.
Dear Shy
I’m writing to you to talk about the other day. I have to explain that your revelation gave us all a shock. Your mother was devastated, even if it didn’t seem that way when she left. She threw herself into work the moment she got back. I’ve been able to calm her since, but
There was an ink blot where the quill had lingered too long.
she cannot understand your decision. I can only just understand it. Being able to achieve something by yourself. I can see where you are coming from.
You’re not alone, sweetie. I’ll be there to help. I’ll try to talk your mother around, get her to understand what you want to do. I can’t promise I’ll be able to make her understand, but she still loves you. Maybe that will help.
Now, it’s a sour topic, but it has to be mentioned. Your trust fund. In light of your decision, we will have to lower it. You’re not going to be cut off, but you will have to be earning some of your own bits soon. But I believe you can. You are a strong, young mare. And if your friend Twilight was anything to go by, you have good friends too.
I’m sorry, Shy. For all of this.
Love,
Dad
In the wake of the letter’s word, Fluttershy just stared at the piece of paper. This was real, a real reminder that what had occurred a couple of days ago had actually happened.
“Fluttershy, are you alright?”
Fluttershy nodded with more confidence than she felt, but she knew whatever her response was, her friends would take it with a pinch of salt.
“I’ll be alright,” Fluttershy answered, folding up the letter and placing it down, “It’s just... I’m not sure how to feel.”
“Well you know what I say you should do?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously, “Toss it!”
“Rainbow Dash!”
Fluttershy winced as Twilight snapped right in her ear.
“What?” Rainbow asked, slightly annoyed, “She’s free of them now! She doesn’t need to go back. That’s good right?”
“No, it’s not,” Twilight bit back, “It’s not good for Fluttershy to be estranged from her family.”
“Girls.”
“Well, I say it good for her! They’ve only ever held her down!”
“Girls.”
“How can you say that? They gave birth to her! They raised her!”
“GIRLS!”
Both ponies stopped and slowly blushed as they realised they had been arguing over Fluttershy with her still there. Fluttershy took a long, deep breath before speaking.
“I... really don’t know what to do,” she admitted. Both the ponies opened their mouths to speak, but Fluttershy had a hoof to each of their mouths before they could say anything.
“But I need to figure this out on my own. I have options.” She picked up the letter again and looked at it. “What I would like you to do... is respect my decision. When I make it.”
Then she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, the only noise is the ensuing quiet.
She was surprised when she felt a warmth press to each of her sides. She opened her eyes to see that her friends had shuffled in close to her, both with supportive smiles in their faces.
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Twilight assured, “Whatever you decide, we’ll be there for you.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed, “Whatever you decide, I’ll stand by you. Whether I agree with it or not.”
Fluttershy felt warmth spread throughout their chest before spreading to her face. Her eyes started to well with tears again, causing Twilight and Rainbow to shoot worried looks. But their worries were quickly dispelled when Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around each of them.
“Thank you,” she said, “Thank you.”
As the three mares embraced, Fluttershy smiled to herself. The future was uncertain, yes, and just couldn’t leave thing as they were. But she consoled herself with the thought that whatever happened, she wouldn’t be alone.
