Fluttershy woke up, feeling dread in the pit of her stomach. She both did and did not want to go to Canterlot High today. She did not want to go because of all of the fighting, but at the same time she did want to go because she'd managed to survive it when the Dazzlings used their spell. Not to mention she had the feeling that Sunset could use some support, especially after what happened yesterday.
Narrowing her eyes in determination, Fluttershy got up out of bed. She had to go. What kind of friend would she be to Sunset if she stayed at home just so she could feel safer? The two of them had been through worse together, and Fluttershy owed it to not just herself, but her friend as well! Once fully dressed, she ran downstairs to head to the bus stop.
Once Fluttershy reached the bus stop, she looked around, then grumbled. Zephyr was probably sleeping in. Again. If that was the case, then her mom or dad would take time out of their day just to get him to school right before the bell rang. Again. She loved her brother, but sometimes he could be so infuriating! Shaking her head with a sigh, she resolved to have another talk with him after the school day. Oh, who was she kidding? He'd more than likely just nod his head and pretend to listen! She took a deep breath, then exhaled. There were more important things to worry about right now.
The bus had arrived, and Fluttershy got on board, flinching as the shouting of her fellow classmates assaulted her ears. There was no turning back now, not even if she wanted to. She closed her eyes, thinking happy thoughts. Images of cute puppies trying not to fall asleep and failing adorably appeared in her mind. Smiling and giggling to herself, she felt better.
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The bus stopped and Fluttershy disembarked, making a beeline for Canterlot High. She would have preferred to spend some time outside where it was nice and quiet, but Sunset needed her and the rest of their friends! Entering the school, she sighed as students shouting even louder than the ones on the bus assaulted her ears.
"You okay," asked an all too familiar raspy voice behind Fluttershy.
Fluttershy turned around to see Rainbow Dash, eyeing her with concern. She sighed again. "I want all this fighting to end, Dashie."
Rainbow Dash smiled warmly as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We all do, Fluttershy. We all do."
Fluttershy returned the smile, which slowly faded. "I'm worried about Sunset..."
Rainbow tightened her grip on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You don't have to worry. With friends as awesome as we are, she'll be just fine."
Fluttershy's smile returned, feeling reassured by Rainbow's words. "You know what? You're right!"
Rainbow grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "Of course I am!" The warning bell for first period rang, and she let go of Fluttershy's shoulder. "Trust me," she said. "Everything's going to be just fine."
The two went their separate ways.
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First period had ended, and Fluttershy walked the halls, ignoring the shouting as best she could. At least their anger wasn't directed at her. That would have been too much for her to take, even though she knew she'd done nothing to provoke anyone. Running a hand through her hair, she pressed on. Today would have been a little easier to deal with had she brought Angel Bunny or any of her other numerous comfort animals.
"Dude, what the hell?!"
Fluttershy blinked in surprise, recognizing the voice. She made her way towards the noise to see a student with thick green dreadlocks and a vest staring down a purple bespectacled student with suspenders. "Micro Chips! ...S-Sandalwood!" She ran a hand through her hair nervously. "What's wrong?"
Sandalwood turned around to face Fluttershy and pointed at Micro Chips. "He said that spirit animals aren't real!"
"While I genuinely believe that to be true," Micro Chips said as he adjusted his glasses. "I haven't said it before because I knew you'd get angry!"
Sandalwood turned to face Micro Chips, glowering at him. "You just admitted it!"
Micro Chips heaved a sigh as he reached into his pocket, producing a phone. "I did," he said as he accessed the MyStable app. "But I never told that to anyone else!" he held out his phone and pointed at it.
Micro Chips thinks spirit animals are a fabrication!
- Anon-A-Miss
"Enough!" Fluttershy yelled, surprising herself and the two before her. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with a gasp.
Sandalwood and Micro Chips stared at Fluttershy, then at each other.
Fluttershy regained her composure a moment later. "You two shouldn't be fighting like this," she said softly. "You're best friends. Don't let the little things become big things, like I and my friends almost did during the Battle of the Bands..."
Sandalwood and Micro Chips continued staring at each other until their expressions softened.
"She's right," Micro Chips conceded. "We can have a perfectly rational conversation about this instead of going at each other's throats."
Sandalwood nodded, then turned to Fluttershy. "Thanks, Butterfly."
Fluttershy blinked. "Um, my name is Fluttershy."
Sandalwood snickered. "I know. 'Butterfly' is a nickname I'm giving you." He put a hand on her head. "As thanks for keeping the peace between us." He gestured to himself and Micro Chips.
"Y-Y-Y-You're W-" Fluttershy stammered until the warning bell for the next period rang.
"See ya later, Butterfly." Sandalwood took his hand off of Fluttershy's head and walked off with Micro Chips. She stood still for several moments as heat rose to her face. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute!
"Hey!"
A new voice snapped Fluttershy out of her reverie. She turned around and saw Watchful Eye, the hall monitor.
"Class is about to start. Wouldn't want to be late, would you?"
Fluttershy gasped. "No, I wouldn't. Thank you!" She waved to the hall monitor and ran off to her next class.
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Second period ended, and Fluttershy found that she couldn't keep her interaction with Sandalwood out of her mind.
"See ya later, Butterfly."
The recollection alone caused her to smile.
"Fluttershy..."
Fluttershy turned around and gasped in shock. Sunset Shimmer stood before her, hugging herself tightly as her eyes darted around. "Goodness, Sunset! What happened?"
Sunset shuddered. "I... I've been having a rough morning." She proceeded to tell Fluttershy everything that had happened to her up until this very moment. "I-I think I'm starting to hear voices..."
Fluttershy gasped. "What are they saying?"
Sunset looked away, as though she was deeply ashamed of herself. "...That I'm a monster..." Her whisper was barely audible, but still loud enough for Fluttershy to hear.
"Oh, Sunset..."
The warning bell for third period rang.
Sunset turned back around to give Fluttershy a sad smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," she said. Fluttershy hesitated momentarily, then Sunset put a hand on her shoulder with a genuine smile. "I promise."
Feeling slightly reassured, Fluttershy nodded and went to her next class.
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Fluttershy left her third period class with a lot on her mind. Sunset did tell her not to worry, but she couldn't help it! That, along with the quadratic equations that were drilled into her head in math class... Not to mention these confusing feelings for Sandalwood that were surfacing. She sighed. I really, really should have brought Angel Bunny with me! She decided to go outside for some fresh air to clear her head.
Upon reaching the exit, Fluttershy walked out and closed her eyes, focusing on the background noises. The chirping of the birds. Cars passing by. The light breeze flowing through her hair... She sighed happily, finding peace in a moment of mental respite. The moment was not long, however, as the warning bell for fourth period rang.
Fluttershy smiled and walked back inside.
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After fourth period, Fluttershy left her class to more screaming and shouting in the hallways. With a grimace of pain, she covered her ears and ran to her next class.
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Fifth period ended, and Fluttershy bolted out of her classroom. She didn't know how much more of this madness she could take! If the halls were this bad, she could only imagine how intense the cafeteria atmosphere was! Still, her friends were going to be in there. Sunset would be in there, and something told her she'd be in dire need.
Fluttershy grit her teeth as she neared the cafeteria, and fervently hoped that this mess would end today!