//------------------------------//
// 22 Agony at Dusk 
// Story: Alternate Beginnings: Year Four 
// by Doug Graves 
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Fluttershy winces in pain as she flies, the collie in her hooves starting to get heavier. She should be good for the rest of the hour long flight, but the pain gel on her flank is starting to wear off. She grimaces, looking back at her saddlebags; hopefully Angel Bunny is doing well. The rabbit had only looked out of the bag once before rapping its paw across her side, chittering about being too high and diving back inside. Her mind turns to her herdmates as she continues towards her cottage.

"Winona?"

The dog gives a short, nervous bark.

"Did you like staying with Rarity?

She stays silent for several seconds before uttering a low growl.

Fluttershy sighs, "It's okay, I can understand that you don't want to talk now; I can wait until we get home. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Several minutes pass before Winona releases a series of barks, growls, and a whimper.

A tear comes to her eye; the dog's confession about her time living with Rarity does nothing to help Fluttershy's nerves. "And, how is your time with Applejack?"

Winona gives a series of happy barks.

"Oh." Fluttershy sighs. "Did you ever talk with Opal?"

A bark, followed by silence, then a few barks.

"Yes, she doesn't get out much. That does sound like Rarity as well, at least among our friends." 

How did she misjudge her friends so badly? She thought she had done a good job, finding them pets that fit, that had the qualities they had asked for. Fluttershy spots her cottage, slowly gliding down. She announces, trying to keep up her happy tone, "Okay, you two, we're here!" Winona hops down as soon as the ground is in reach, Angel Bunny sticking his head out of the saddlebags and giving a sleepy nod. "Let's get you those carrots, hmm?" 

Angel Bunny hops down, impatiently tapping his injured foot on the ground before wincing and swapping feet. Fluttershy opens the door, holding it open while Angel Bunny stares at her. She smiles, "You're free to stay inside, if you like." Seeing the bunny still standing and tapping his foot she goes inside, grabbing two carrots and hoofing them over. He takes them, quickly chowing down before hopping inside.

Fluttershy follows the bunny inside, going upstairs to her bathroom. She carefully peels away the bandages; the wound on her flank already looks much better. She takes a bit more of the disinfectant, spreading it over and wincing at the sharp pricks. She takes her brush, combing the hair over to try to hide the marks, satisfied at the slight unevenness that remains. Back downstairs, and Angel Bunny is staring at her, arms crossed. Fluttershy smiles, finding a small basket and blanket and setting them near her couch. He walks over, a short assessment before shaking his head. Fluttershy gets a small pillow, the bunny nodding, ripping it from her hooves and laying down in the basket.

Fluttershy walks back outside, a quick glance to Winona gets the dog to walk along next to her, the two beginning the trek to Sweet Apple Acres. Her mind keeps circling back to why Applejack and Rarity hid, and are still hiding that they swapped pets from her. Her mind plays out how she thinks the encounter will go: they would have gathered the whole herd, or at least a majority; with just Rainbow the two of them would have enough to override Doug, though he certainly wouldn't be happy about it. The three of them would try to talk to her, and she would overreact, and raise her voice at them. And then their disappointment in her would be even more justified, and they would kick her out of the herd, even though she is with foal, and she'd... she'd...

Tears come to Fluttershy's eyes, Winona giving a worried look up as they continue walking. Fluttershy shakes her head; no, they wouldn't kick her out. They would just belittle her, make her feel useless and unappreciated like Rainbow did. The mare hadn't apologized for how she made Fluttershy feel at the start of the year, and it still hurts whenever Fluttershy thinks about it. Or watches Rainbow fly around, using those speed exercises Spitfire gave her. She even rubbed it in Fluttershy's muzzle when she tried to get Fluttershy to try them out with her, and occasionally still tries, despite her dropping hints that she is happy the way she is.

At least Pinkie Pie and Doug appreciate her; both are quick to complement her on how she is doing with the animals, asking about how her activities are going, or helping out with the projects around her cottage. It would be nice if Applejack, Rarity, or Rainbow helped out, but they are often busy with their own jobs. Doug and Pinkie Pie both work, but at least they make some time for her.

Fluttershy notices a few lights are on as she walks up to the front door of the Apple farmhouse, slowly opening it. She sees Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow all sitting at the dining room table as she makes her way inside, Winona giving a short bark in greeting. The three mares turn, looking at Fluttershy with tired expressions.

Applejack begins in a solemn voice, "Fluttershy, we need to talk." Words follow after, but Fluttershy doesn't comprehend, her mind replaying the worst case scenario that she could come up with. Tears flow freely as she crumples to the floor, her mane and hooves covering her muzzle and trying to hide her sobs.

The sound of hooves clopping against the wooden floor, drawing closer breaks Fluttershy from her nightmare, her despair, looking up to see Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow slowly moving towards her. Each of them has a worried look on their muzzle, and Fluttershy quickly babbles, "Oh, no, I'm sorry, you don't want me making a scene but I'm sorry, it's just that I can change, I can do better, I'll do anything you want me to and I'll try but please don't kick me out of the herd, I know you all don't want me in and I'm sorry but please, pretty pretty please!"

Rainbow gives a bewildered look to Applejack and Rarity; the unicorn does her best to give Fluttershy a reassuring smile while Applejack merely raises an eyebrow, saying, "Come again?"

Fluttershy wails, "Oh, please, Applejack, I don't know what you had to do to convince Doug, but please please please don't go through with this!" She holds up a shaking hoof to Applejack, but shies away when Applejack merely looks at it, confusion spreading over the earth pony's muzzle.

"Fluttershy, don't worry, it is okay," Rarity says, smiling at the pegasus, "There's no need to panic."

"What!" Fluttershy exclaims, looking up at Rarity, then Applejack and Rainbow, "This is the perfect time to panic! You're kicking me out of the herd, five months pregnant, and you say not to worry? I know I didn't give you the best pets, or the perfect instructions, but please, I can do better! Please, let me talk to Doug, if nothing else, and we can find a way to work past this!"

"Fluttershy, we ain't kicking you out of the herd."

"But, Applejack, please, I'm sorry for what I did, or didn't do, and-"

"Zip it." Rainbow says as she moves over, putting a hoof over Fluttershy's mouth. The pegasus looks up at her in shock, Rainbow continuing, "We are not, I repeat, we are not kicking you out of the herd. Please stop begging us, okay?" Fluttershy nods her head, a terrified look in her eyes, Rainbow's hoof still over her mouth. "Okay, good. Now, Applejack and Rarity are trying to apologize for Winona and Opal and how they treated you, and I apparently did something that I should apologize for as well but I'm not sure so I'm just going to stop talking and let them talk." Rainbow withdraws her hoof, smiling at Fluttershy.

The yellow pegasus looks down and to the side, a mumbled, "Okay."

Applejack gets down on her knees, resting her barrel on the floor, "Fluttershy? Are ya doing all right?" Fluttershy slowly nods, not making eye contact with anypony. "Alright, Fluttershy, Ah want to say that Ah'm sorry for not telling you about swapping pets with Rarity. Ah was afraid of how you would take it, and it just got harder and harder to bring up as time went by. Ah started avoiding you, trying to keep Winona out of sight, for fear that you would figure it out and react poorly."

Fluttershy mumbles something, hiding behind her mane.

Applejack sighs, "Look, maybe Ah was right, thinking that you might take it a little hard. Ah should have come to you when Ah was first having problems with Opal, but Ah saw how happy you were and Ah didn't want to take that away from you. It just got easier to conceal my problems with Opal than to bring them up to you. And after so many times of telling ya that everything was fine, Ah sure didn't want to go back and say that Ah had been having these problems for so long."

"It was the same for me, darling," Rarity says, lightly laying a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, "I was having difficulty with Winona, and how much she wanted to stay outside and go for walks. I should have brought that to your attention much earlier."

"And then, when Rarity went on her expedition with Doug, Ah had Winona stay with me for a week." Applejack sighs, looking down at the floor, "And Ah really enjoyed having Winona with me. Ah was mighty sad to think about watching her go, and it wasn't until Ah saw the problems Rarity was having with Winona that Ah really thought about it. And, Ah'm sad to admit, we kinda agreed to hide it from you."

Rarity nuzzles Fluttershy, shortly followed by Applejack, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, for keeping this from you. Please forgive me."

Fluttershy smiles as she looks up, seeing Doug standing in the doorway and watching silently. She nuzzles Applejack and Rarity, "I forgive you, of course I do. I, just, I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you two the perfect pets in the first place."

"But, Fluttershy, just because you ain't perfect doesn't mean you don't belong in the herd; Ah'd have to kick myself out first. And even then, you just gave us the pets we asked for. It's just as much our fault, more so in fact, as yours."

Rainbow joins in the nuzzling, aiming for Fluttershy, "Well, 'Shy, I'm sorry that I made you upset? But I'm still a little confused at what I did."

Fluttershy looks down at her hooves, "Oh, um, it's okay, Rainbow. You don't have to worry about it."

Rainbow sighs, rolling her eyes before a smirk comes over her muzzle, "Now, you aren't going to make me do to you what Doug does to me, are you?"

Fluttershy's eyes go wide, "You wouldn't!"

Rainbow cackles as Applejack and Rarity back up. She slowly pushes Fluttershy onto her back, exposing the mare's belly and moving her muzzle down. "Now, do you want to talk?"

Rarity whispers to Applejack, "I may need to borrow Doug out of turn after this."

Applejack whispers back, "You and Rainbow both, Ah imagine."

Fluttershy squirms, "Um, Rainbow, why are you here, anyway?" She looks to the side, Doug holding a hand across his mouth, a hard look in his eyes as he watches Rainbow, "Um, seeing as tonight is Applejack's and my turn."

Rainbow laughs, a sinister chuckling as she moves a hoof over Fluttershy's exposed belly, smiling as she brings her mouth close to her herdmate's, "Oh, they were just worried if you didn't show back up in time. They wanted somepony who would scout for you, sound the alarm. Now, spill!" Fluttershy shies away, holding up her hooves and tensing as Rainbow brings her hoof closer to Fluttershy's belly. At the yellow pegasus' soft sob Rainbow sighs, "Ah, come on, 'Shy, you know I'm just playing, right?" Rainbow sits back, releasing her hold and watching Fluttershy.

"But, Rainbow, you aren't taking into account how I'm feeling." Fluttershy sighs as she rolls to her hooves, "You really want me to tell you?" At Rainbow's nod she continues, "Rainbow, you really hurt me when you told me you didn't want to fly with me."

"What?" Rainbow exclaims, "How does that bother you? I-"

Rainbow is shut off as Applejack puts a hoof over Rainbow's mouth, the earth pony shaking her head no. "Rainbow, let Fluttershy say her piece. Fluttershy, Ah'm sorry for the interruption. You were saying?"

Rainbow sits, a grumpy look on her muzzle as Applejack pulls her hoof away, but remains quiet. Fluttershy pauses before saying, getting quieter as she goes, "Well, um, I think I said my piece, it's okay."

Applejack shakes her head, "No, Fluttershy, it ain't okay. Now, something else is bothering you, and it's gonna be better to get it all out there, clear the air for everypony, alright?"

Fluttershy nods, sighing, "Okay. Um, Rainbow, it hurt my feelings when you rubbed it in my muzzle that the speed lessons Spitfire gave you were working better for you than my help." Rainbow gives a confused look but manages to hold her tongue as Fluttershy looks over at Applejack and Rarity, "It really hurt that each of you asked me for help, and then found better help from somepony else."

Rainbow looks to Applejack for confirmation; at her nod she says, a bit forced, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, for making you feel unwanted and unappreciated. I'm sorry that I, um, rubbed it in your muzzle that the speed exercises were working better for me." Her smile seems to become more natural, "I didn't mean to make you upset. Friends?"

Fluttershy smiles at Rainbow, "It's okay, Rainbow, I forgive you." She smiles over at Applejack and Rarity, "And I know none of you meant to hurt me." Fluttershy looks over at the doorway, Doug still standing there and smiling at the four of them, "Now, it's late and I'm tired, what do you say we go to bed?"

Rainbow nuzzles Fluttershy, saying, "I hope you don't mind sharing the bed with a few extras, right?"

"Oh, um, I... I suppose I don't mind."