Why Did Equestria Shrink?

by Monsieur-Flatterer

Day 3

“Did you ever have the feeling that you should be somewhere else? Like...That you should be taking care of somepony, instead of being asleep? I have that feeling...well, I had that feeling. I start feeling more and more at home, strangely. But I still can’t decide where my real home is. here, or in that hospital? I’m lonely, back in the hospital. The only ponies that I know there are Doctor Terryn and Nurse Redheart. I’m too scared to make friends in that asylum. Even though, yesterday, I noticed this pegasus... he seemed nice to me and I think he wants to be my friend. His cutiemark was a quill writing on parchment, so maybe he was a writer? Or a journalist? I wonder why he’s in the hospital...

“Maybe I should say hello to him tomorrow? After my therapy with Doctor Terryn? Yes...maybe I should do that... If I meet him on the way to my room, of course. But, look at me, trailing off. Where are we going to today, Spera?” Fluttershy asked, laying in the grass as she looked at the silver fox. But the fox had fallen asleep. Fluttershy blushed and stood, glancing around. She had always been traveling in to space, so she figured, why not take a stroll here, on Equestria?

And so the pegasus started trotting along. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so talkative. But, she just felt like talking to someone. It didn’t matter if her chattering made Spera fall asleep, but she felt okay that she was able to share her thoughts with somepony. Fluttershy had been thinking about a lot, lately. Especially the question ‘Why did Equestria shrink?’ was still echoeing through her mind, but also other things. She wondered who the brown-coated and blue-coated ponies were, however, finding out who the blue-coated pegasus is going to be easier. She just needed to gather her courage to talk to him. There were a few reasons why the pegasus was suddenly so interested in that one stallion. Reason one would be that he was the only patient in the whole hospital that had actually acknowledged her presence in the hospital. Another reason was, well, she needed contact. She might be shy, and might be mentally ill, but Fluttershy couldn’t go on without any contact with anypony else. even though her friends came visiting, it wasn’t enough.

But most of all she still wanted to get out of that hospital. Just...away. She was lonely, scared, confused, missed her friends. But mostly scared.

Always scared.

“Hello, miss.” A voice spoke. Fluttershy gasped and turned her head. There he was again, the brown-coated stallion. But this time, with wings. He was a pegasus now, but Fluttershy swore that that same stallion was a normal earth pony last time. She placed a hoof on her head, so many thoughts and so many worries. It wasn’t good for her. She was indecisive about him. She didn’t know whether he was friendly, but she assumed he was. She helped him before, why wouldn’t he be happy about her? “I see you’re taking a nice stroll...” He said to Fluttershy.

“Uh...yeah...” Fluttershy said softly, gulping. She looked at the stallion’s flank, seeing that it was just blank. “Have we met before?” The mare asked, her gaze trailing back to his eyes. The stallion frowned as he walked alongside Fluttershy, shaking his head and making his mane mave slightly.

“Don’t believe we have.” He answered. Fluttershy found this situation just a tad too strange. But she gulped and kept trotting alongside him. She was about to ask something again, but the very ground suddenly started to shake. Both Fluttershy and the stallion gasped as they raised themselves from the ground, using their wings of course. But the two were still shaking. Fluttershy squeaked and yelped in slight panic, hoping Spera would be okay. After a few seconds, the trembling stopped and both landed back on their hooves.

“Oh, it shrunk again.” The brown stallion simply said, acting like this was an everyday event. He looked at Fluttershy, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Would he know the answer?

“W-Why did it shrink?” She asked. Obviously very curious as she was standing very close to the stallion. He stepped backwards slightly, letting out a chuckle.

“Everypony knows!” He said. He looked at the mare, who was still standing there with full excitement.

“Fluttershy.”

“Equestria shrinks because-”

“Fluttershy!”

The mare opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was nurse Redheart with her hooves on Fluttershy’s shoulders. She seemed worried, and Fluttershy could understand why. The yellow mare was sweating a lot, and panting like she had just run a marathon. The nurse raised a hoof to Fluttershy’s forehead, to check her temperature.

“You were squirming and yelling in your dreams, darling...are you alright?” She asked. But Fluttershy’s face became an image of pure sadness, before bursting out crying. She slapped Redhearts hoof away and rolled on to her side, sobbing softly. She was so close to finding out. So close, but yet so far. Redheart gulped and backed away slightly, feeling rather guilty. Fluttershy remained to quietly sob to herself, so Redheart decided to leave for now.

Fluttershy’s whimpering and sobbing remained to continue for a good few minutes, before she calmed down and sniffled. She sat up and wiped her cheeks. Maybe she’d have the chance to ask next time. She then proceeded to rub her tired eyes. She didn’t like being woken up, screaming or not. The pegasus squinted her eyes as the door opened again, letting the uninvited light in. Redheart entered, who gulped.

“Feeling better, dear?” She asked. She walked in with a tray, containing Fluttershy’s breakfast. But Fluttershy gulped and squirmed slightly.

“Uh...can I eat at the cafetaria today?” She asked very quietly. Redheart’s eyes widened, as if a miracle had just happened. Well, a miracle did actually just happen. Fluttershy talked! And not only that, but she also wanted to join the others in the cafetaria.

“Of course you can, dear.” Redheart answered after a few seconds, which she needed to realise Fluttershy had answered. The mare was showing progress, and that while she hasn’t been long in the hospital at all. Terryn would probably fix her up in no time! But she shouldn’t be going overhead like that, just a little progress didn’t mean the case was immediatly solved. Fluttershy stood up from her bed with a smile and trotted to Redheart slowly. The nurse smiled and led the pegasus to the cafeteria. The mare entered and glanced around, trying to find the pony she was searching for. But it didn’t take long for her to realise he was already waving shyly. Fluttershy squeaked and shyly trotted over to the blue pegasus.

Fluttershy sat down next to the pegasus, blushing deeply. However, the stallion was the first to speak to Fluttershy. A simple introduction, but just the thing Fluttershy was looking for.

“Uh...hi...” He started. “I’m...Cobalt...Cobalt Ink.” He said softly. He spoke almost as soft as Fluttershy, who introduced herself with a squeak. She spoke out her name softly, as usual, but it was a wonder the pegasus could actually understand her. He smiled softly, before speaking again. “I’m a bit like you...” His speech was smooth, yet very shy. “Terryn told me to talk to you...”

Fluttershy gulped slightly. So Terryn had told him to speak to her. He hadn’t done it out of free will. It disappointed Fluttershy greatly, but she sighed as the stallion continued.
“He always couples ponies with similiar problems...He thinks it helps...” He said softly. “I’m a bit like you...nightmares and such...” Fluttershy was just listening, of course. She hadn’t said anything to the stallion except for her own name. Redheart smiled to Fluttershy as she placed the tray of breakfast in front of the yellow mare, who started eating her meal slowly. She wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, not with all the worries and thoughts she had. Also, she felt scared. Terrified even. But of what, She didn’t know. She never knew, but she was always scared. Cobalt also received his tray, and started happily eating. Although, he continued his explanation, doing it as shy and soft as Fluttershy would before she fell ill.

“He’ll probably ask you to write or draw your problems down...” He said softly. “But as I’ve heard...Terryn is the best therapist in this hospital...” The pegasus told, receiving a gentle nod from Fluttershy as she kept eating. She looked at the stallion, and opened her mouth slightly.

“I...Have therapy today...” She said, her voice so quiet that Cobalt needed a few seconds to figure out what she said, but he simply nodded. The two remained quiet for the rest of their breakfast, for they weren’t much of conversationalists. However, Fluttershy was happy that she could find out who he actually was. After finishing half her breakfast, the mare stood and left without saying any goodbye. She returned to her room and lay down on her bed, pulling the blanket close as she gazed at the picture of her and her friends. Her eyes started watering, the missing was getting to her. Sure, she’s only been her for a couple of days, but still she missed them. She thought back to all the good moments, when they defeated Nightmare Moon together, the gala, Discord, the wedding, the time she stood up against a dragon. All by herself. But now she wondered. What happened to her? Why was she so scared?

Why did Equestria shrink?

-

Fluttershy had fallen asleep again, in a desperate attempt to find out the answer to her biggest question. But it was fruitless, for she did not dream. It was only a quick nap. She was expecting Redheart to enter any moment now, telling Fluttershy it was time for her therapy. The mare rubbed her eyes as she sighed, still holding her blanket close to her. Then the door opened, but it wasn’t Redheart that entered. No, it was Nurse Grunt.

“Time for therapy.” He said. Fluttershy whimpered at the appearance the large stallion. He looked as though he could break her, snap her like a twig. She was terrified of him, but she slowly stood up from her bed. She walked towards the nurse, who stepped back to make space for Fluttershy to pass through the door. The mare squeaked slightly as she trotted through, wondering why Redheart didn’t pick Fluttershy up this time. The mare slowly proceeded forward. She knew where Terryn’s office was by now and so she walked towards it, with Nurse Grunt following her. As per usual, they passed through the lobby with red carpet, but to Fluttershy’s surprise, Twilight was there, waiting for her. Fluttershy gasped and ran to Twilight, almost pouncing the unicorn as she embraced her in a tight hug. Once again, the mare started sobbing, but this time out of pure happiness. Twilight smiled and held her friend close, sighing.

“I asked the doctor if I could be with you during your therapy today... He said yes.” The unicorn said with a smile. Fluttershy squeaked in response, not showing any signs of letting Twilight go any time soon. “Alright...you need to let go, Fluttershy...” Twilight said, chuckling slightly. Fluttershy sniffled and released Twilight from her tight embrace, stepping back a bit and shyly shuffling a hoof over the carpet. Twilight trotted past Fluttershy, gesturing her to follow, and Fluttershy followed the unicorn to Terryn’s office. Twilight knocked on the door twice, before opening it and entering the room together with Fluttershy. Terryn cast a friendly smile to both Fluttershy and Twilight as they took a seat.

It was only then that Fluttershy started wondering what Terryn’s first name was, and she also realised that she hadn’t seen his cutiemark before. She wondered about her therapist now, there was so much she didn’t know about him, but yet she had to explain everything to him. Wasn’t that a bit weird, knowing nothing about the pony she had to open herself up to?

“Good day, Twilight, Fluttershy.” Terryn said, placing his clipboard down. Really, Fluttershy wondered how many clipboards one unicorn could have. “How are you feeling, Fluttershy?” The doctor asked, looking at the mare from behind his glasses. Fluttershy blushed lightly, her gaze looking down to the floor.

“F-Fine...” She lied. In all honesty, she didn’t really feel fine. Once again, she was scared. She was confused. She was worried. But she didn’t feel like sharing any of that with Doctor Terryn. Not now, while Twilight was next to her, at least. She didn’t want to worry the mare more than she always did. Fluttershy was just going to obey, maybe that would be the best and fastest way to get out of this hospital.

“I’ve heard from nurse Redheart that you’ve met Cobalt.” Terryn said with a smile, leaning forward on his desk as he looked at Fluttershy. “He’s like you, you know? He had nightmares and he stopped talking to his friends. But he’s almost finished his therapy.” Terryn told Fluttershy. Fluttershy had lifted her head to look at Terryn, but avoided eye contact. “He didn’t talk, at first. But he’s a writer. So instead of having him talk about what was bothering him, I let him write it down in the form of a story.” Terryn explained. Fluttershy simply nodded, but Twilight seemed to be rather interested of what Terryn was telling them. “That’s why I’d like to ask, Fluttershy, if you want to write it down? Or draw it, maybe?”

Fluttershy gulped. She would like to draw it, but she just gave a simple nod. Terryn smiled, a piece of paper and a pencil floating on the desk, in front of Fluttershy. Twilight was quiet, watching Fluttershy with a smile.

“Why don’t you draw down something you dreamt about last night?” Terryn asked. Fluttershy nodded and grabbed the paper and pencil between her teeth. She hopped off the chair and turned her back to Twilight and Terryn, placingthe paper down, as if she didn’t want them looking. However, the pegasus stood up again, but only to pull a complete set of colored pencils off of Terryn’s desk. And so she started drawing. Terryn and Twilight were curious, trying to peek over Fluttershy’s shoulder. But only after a few minutes, when Fluttershy finished her drawing, she sat back down on her chair and placed the paper on the desk.

Before Twilight had the chance to look at the drawing, it floated towards Terryn, who took a good look. On the paper was now a brown-coated stallion with black mane. His wings were outspread and his flank was blank, showing no sign of a cutiemark. The therapist frowned and placed a hoof on his chain, drowning in his thoughts as his brow furrowed in to a frown.

“Who is this?” He asked, curiousity mixed in his voice. But all Fluttershy could do was shrug. She didn’t know herself. That stallion was just...there. She could never remember his name, but was sure it always changed. And the stallion himself seems to never remember Fluttershy, although she met him every time. But Fluttershy was not done yet. She grabbed another piece of paper and started drawing again. Terryn and Twilight frowned, waiting for the result, which came soon. This drawing was representing Spera, the silver fox. Terryn studied the piece of art Fluttershy had created. “This is your plushie, isn’t it? Is he in your dreams then?”

“She...” Fluttershy muttered, before nodding and looking at Twilight, who casted a soft smile to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus smiled back to Twilight. But Terryn spoke once more.

“I’m going to take a good look at these drawings, they might help me come to a conclusion, or at least a clue to it.” He explained. “Your therapy is over for today, Fluttershy. I’ll see you next Thursday. You can have a chat with your friend in the lobby, if you want.”

Fluttershy trotted out of the office. The therapy always seemed to be no more then 10 minutes, which was confusing. She hoped that the doctor knew what he was actually doing. Twilight followed Fluttershy in to the lobby, smiling as she hugged her.

“I see you’re doing well here...” Twilight said softly. “Pinkie’s coming over for visit tomorrow. But I can’t stay long, I need to deliver a friendship letter and I don’t want to be tardy again.” Fluttershy once again only nodded in response, looking at Twilight. “It’s going to be about you, you know... No matter what happens, your friends will always be there for you...” Twilight said softly. Fluttershy nodded and sniffled, trying her best not to cry again. She didn’t want Twilight to go. She wanted to go with her. Away from this place. But she couldn’t. She had to stay here. To find out. To find out everything she’s been questioning. Twilight hugged the mare close, sighing. “Hold in there, Flutershy...you’ll get though it...” She said softly. “I believe in you...all your friends believe in you...” Twilight said, retreating from the hug and smiling, before turning and walking out of the hospital. Fluttershy stood there, sniffling. She looked up at the clock, it was four PM now. Maybe the therapy did last longer then Fluttershy thought?

But then Fluttershy noticed that there was no one but her in the lobby. Nurse Grunt wasn’t guarding the exit, as usual, so Fluttershy could just run out. She could be free, away from the hospital, away from her worries. But she didn’t. She just turned around and slowly made her way towards her room. She closed her eyes, tears dripping from her cheeks and on to the carpet. Freedom meant nothing to her anymore. The only thing she wanted was answers...

The mare opened the door and trotted in to her room. She lay down on her bed and let out a soft sob, grabbing her plushie and pulling it close to her. She curled up, her cheeks moist from tears as she began singing.

“Hush now, quiet now...It’s time to lay your sleepy head...
Hush now, quiet now...it’s time to wonder....

Equestria, why did you shrink?”

Comments

[Jade Curtiss]

This fic is extremely underrated! Nice work! Keep it up

[AstonMartinLover]

Damnitt. You've hooked me. Update soon please!!!

[Flutterstrucked]

Darnet EARTH! WHY DID'JA STRETCH?! And oh, loved the way this story is going so much.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Fluttershy_lolface.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/yay_red.png

[SeriousFluttershy]

This story is REALLY good! I'm hooked and can't wait to read more!

[Monsieur-Flatterer]

Hello, dear readers of Why Did Equestria Shrink!

If you're reading this, you're probably practically yelling the following sentence at your screen: "Yo, mister writer, where is day 4? I want it!"

Well, do not be afraid. I haven't given up on this story, at all. I wouldn't even think about it, I love what I'm doing with this story. However, day 4 has been taking so long because I'm going through some problems at the moment. Also, school is killing me. But do not be afraid, you can expect a new chapter of WDES soon! (probably during the next week or so.)

Regards,
- Mr. F.

P.S.: Don't forget to have a look at my FB account, linked somewhere on my page on FIMfiction! I post regular updates on there.

[dawn seeker]

ok this time i don't see a connection but just because i don't see it doesn't mean its not there it just means its getting more complex

do you see the connection?