Pinkie Pie stood at Fluttershy’s door. She sighed. She tried everything she could think of to get Fluttershy to come out of her room but nothing had worked. Cakes, cupcakes, pies, parties, and all manner of gags had all fallen on deaf ears.
Pinkie wanted to help the pony inside smile. She felt Fluttershy needed to, but she knew mere distractions weren’t going to be enough for this one. She took a deep breath and spoke from the heart.
“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out,” Pinkie started. “I know you want to win every conflict with these things through conversation, but it’s going to get harder to do. Things are going to get tougher. I know you’re a lot stronger than you think, Fluttershy. You can’t beat yourself up for the way life turns out sometimes. But I bought something to cheer you up.”
Pinkie vanished from the door and reappeared wearing a hedgehog costume.
“This will help you get over your dilemma,” Pinkie declared hopefully. “Don’t think of me as a pony but as a fellow hedgehog. We can be like sister hedgehogs that ride off against the world on a party cannon. Right? Right?”
Fluttershy continued to lay there and failed to react. The song bird cassette switched sides. She barely acknowledged it.
Pinkie hung her head and shuffled away sadly. She felt defeated once again. Sometimes her need to make ponies smile overtook her need to be a good friend.
***
Pinkie’s sullen feeling followed her to work. She tried to figure out the best way to get Fluttershy to smile, but was at a loss. She found Twilight in the Cafe and explained her dilemma.
“Of course that didn’t work, Pinkie!” scolded the exasperated Twilight. “I told you it was a metaphor! She doesn’t actually feel like a hedgehog.”
“But hedgehogs are cute and Fluttershy needed something cute and cuddly,” explained Pinkie. “Most of the actual animals disappeared after the second impact. All that’s left are cicadas everywhere. They can be kind of a nuisance.”
“But the point was to approach Fluttershy carefully. Not attack her when she’s psychologically in shambles. How is she doing?”
“Still all moopy-loopy. She just sits there with those headphones on listening to bird songs. I don’t know where she got those things anyway.”
“So how about when she’s at school?” Twilight inquired after a sip of coffee.
“She hasn’t been going lately.”
Twilight spit out her latest sip.
“You left her at home! Alone!” she shouted. “Pinkie! She's in a highly unstable mental state. She has to be supervised. What if she needs some pony to talk to and you’re not there? You have to go home. Now! Otherwise she could leave.”
“Oh no!” shouted Pinkie and rushed toward home. She was most of the way there when she noticed a bake sale at the corner. Try as she might she couldn’t resist its call.
Later she returned home with a stack of cakes.
“Fluttershy,” shouted the excited party pony after she opened the door with the cakes. “I figured tonight would be a good night to find out which cake is your favorite. So I bought them all.”
The room echoed painfully as Pinkie spoke. She quickly trotted over to Fluttershy’s room but her Pinkie sense told her she was already gone.
“Oh horseapples.”
***
Fluttershy found herself wandering around the desolate city. She had her headphones in to help calm her but the birds chirping seemed empty in this place. Everywhere she turned she found rubble and destruction that reminded her of her recent battle. She felt like the very city’s buildings were swarming her and threatened to crush her under their weight. After a few streets it became overwhelming and she took off and flew a foot or two above the ground to the train station.
Fluttershy needed to get away. She needed the city to be quiet and to stop telling her how mean she was. She had killed some poor creature. Another one had exploded next to her. She even hurt a pony. Some pony’s sister. She couldn’t face that. So she ended up on a train leaving Ponyville 3.
Fluttershy locked herself in the furthest part of the train and listened to her headphones. Other ponies saw her but could tell she wanted to be alone and respected it. Soon the building-marred landscape turned to green grasses and meadows in the window.
A small part of her started to open up once again. She could feel the draw of nature redress the tension in her. The train stopped and Fluttershy had to get off. She flew to the platform and found the road that led to the closest forest. The little pegasus flapped her wings as fast they could go but ponies still strutted easily beside her.
She found a small opening into the woods and sailed through. As soon as the woods encompassed her she felt their warm embrace. She laid down in the leaf litter and smelled the deep scent of the soil. It felt like it rejuvenated her soul. She excitedly looked up in the trees to find them teaming with cicadas not birds. Fluttershy shrugged and tried to interact with all of them. She tried to apologize to them for the giant insect she killed but cicadas weren’t known for holding grudges.
Fluttershy noticed the light from the sky starting to fade and started to feel selfish. Pinkie had tried so hard to make her feel better and welcome, and she had run away. She toyed with the idea of returning but then shuddered when she remembered the Eva.
The guilt gave way to a wave of frustration and resentment. The Eva pilot tried to shout her anger out but only a little squeak emerged. It shocked her that she displayed such open hostility.
She decided to explore the woods a little further.
Fluttershy gently walked through the crunchy loam. Her ears caught the sound of something running. She slowly snuck to the edge of the woods and found a large open field. The wind wiped past and threw some leaves in her face.
To the timid mare’s surprise she was greeted by a familiar face. She watched an orange stallion galloping through the tall grass with a long wooden sword in his mouth. Sunburst swung it fiercely from side to side. Then to her further surprise, he began talking to himself using different voices for different characters.
“Little colt you have been given the great responsibility of uniting the kingdom in peace. In order to do so you must prove your battle prowess, ironically enough,” Sunburst cried in a brave sounding voice.
“How can one battle for peace?,”the orange colt asked himself in his regular tone.
“Peace comes at the cost of giving into fighting. One has to fight in order to obtain peace. Now go, you foal.”
“But master, no!”
Sunburst ran away from his invisible master with deep determination on his face. He seemed so serious after his conversation that Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle.
The sound quickly reached his ear and he ducked behind a small sapling that offered no cover whatsoever. He held his sword up in an awkward stance until he noticed the bright yellow pegasus peering at him.
“Oh it’s you,” Sunburst sighed in relief. “What are you doing here?”
Fluttershy tried to duck behind some nearby foliage but got stuck with her flank sticking out.
“Oh, I was just looking for, ummm, some birds in this bush,” the stuck mare said, sounding less convincing with every word.
“Birds? I’ve never seen them in these parts. Are you sure you’re ok?”
The khaki covered rump shifted and shook but remained where it was.
“Are you sure you’re not stuck?”
The back legs gave one solid useless kick outwards then remained stuck.
“I think I might be,” Fluttershy finally admitted.
Sunburst wrapped his hooves around her waist and pulled the light pegasus out.
“There. Are you hurt?” he asked with true concern.
“No, thank you. What are you doing here? Some sort of one pony theater?” Fluttershy timidly asked her hair.
“Oh,” Sunburst said, rubbing his neck with a trembling hoof. “I just like to fool around sometimes. Knights and magic and battles sound really fun to me. But not like the ones you were in. I’m, uh, sorry you had to go through that. But thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving Applejack and me. We would have been horse meat if you hadn’t fought.”
“Oh, uh, you’re welcome,” mumbled Fluttershy to the ground.
“Did you want to join my camp, Sir Fluttershy?” Sunburst giggled.
“Sure,” she smiled with a nod.
****
“The dragon is coming Sir Fluttershy, what must we do?” asked Sunburst with a wooden sword held close through telekinesis.
“Move the army of fuzzy wuzzy bunnies to the north flank to protect the fighters,” commanded Fluttershy with a stick as a wand.
“Oh no, the dragon is coming!”
The nearby foliage rustled in response and startled the two gamers. A group of grey ponies appeared wearing suits and fedora hats. They looked annoyed but calm.
“Ms. Fluttershy, could you come with us?” one of the larger ones asked.
“Ok,” Fluttershy, mumbled, looking at the ground. She recognized the CAKE security uniforms. “How did you find me?”
“We have to keep tabs on you ma’am,” the grey pony calmly explained. “You’re important to Equestria and CAKE. Sorry we couldn’t let you “play” longer but headquarters wants you back.”
Fluttershy turned and waved to the forlorn-looking Sunburst. She followed the group as they led her out of the woods towards the train station.
Sunburst watched them go and sighed. He meekly picked up his larping equipment and headed home.
***
At headquarters Pinkie ran over to hug Fluttershy. Her eyes were red and her normally perky hair hung limply. She placed on a strained smile and asked,” “How was your trip? You had us sooooo worried.”
“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy admitted, looking at the ground. She couldn’t handle that puffy pink face of Pinkie’s.
“Do you feel better now?” Pinkie asked, and wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye.
“I still feel pretty awful, but I understand that in order to be more useful I have to make harder choices. I will still pilot the Eva.”
“But does it hurt you? Does it make you feel all frowny?”
“Yes, it does. It’s a moving death machine. How could I be happy in something like that?” Fluttershy shouted.
“I can’t make you do something that makes you sad. It goes against everything I stand for. You don’t have to pilot anymore,” Pinkie said determinedly. “Go home and get ready to leave.”
“But what about…”
“Ahh ahh no buts. Don’t worry about the rest of us, we will manage.”
“Ok then, if you’re sure,” Fluttershy said uncertainly.
“I’m surely surely sure,” Pinkie emphasized by stomping her hoof.
Fluttershy left the complex confused. She thought she had been needed here but now it seemed she wasn’t wanted after all. She felt like she’d missed something. How could her friend Discord really not understand her that well? She still couldn’t remember why he left in the first place, but felt he had come to know her better than that. She shook her head and trotted home to pack.
She thought the burden of protecting Equestria would have fallen off by now, but it clung to her harder than ever.
***
Pinkie sat in the CAKE Cafe and stared out the window. Her hay fries and burger were barely touched. Twilight sat across from her still trying to comprehend how the situation had fallen apart so badly.
“So you let her go?” demanded Twilight.
“What choice did I have? She’s miserable,” muttered Pinkie.” Why would I keep a pony here who is miserable?”
“Because we need her, Pinkie. She is one of the few ponies in the world that can pilot it.”
“But it makes her so sad. Have you seen her sadness Twilight? It’s all moopy and droopy. It hurts my heart.”
“And that’s how Fluttershy feels normally every day when she’s around ponies,” explained Twilight. “It’s hard for her to connect with anypony. The Eva gave her a reason to talk to others. I know you’re upset because you couldn’t get her to smile, but ponies need time to process tragedy. You don’t have to go out of your way to make her feel better. You just have to be there.”
Pinkie gasped. “And I’m not! I have to go!”
Pinkie ran out of the cafe. Twilight smiled a little then reached for a hayfry on Pinkie’s tray only to find them gone. She blinked and noticed that all Pinkie’s food had been eaten. No matter how long she studied and how much tests she performed she would never understand how Pinkie did that.
***
Fluttershy arrived at the train station with a group of grey ponies to find Sunburst and Applejack there. She saw Applejack and looked at the ground.
“What are you two doing here?” Fluttershy asked meekly.
“We were worried ya might be heading home. After seeing ya so upset, Ah didn’t think you would want to pilot again,” answered Applejack sheepishly. She looked away, trying to not not look Fluttershy in the eye.
“It’s ok, Fluttershy, you did the best you could,” consoled Sunburst.
“But before you go,” demanded Applejack, puffing her chest out,” ya gotta push me.”
“No, I couldn’t possibly,” Fluttershy gasped, placing her hooves out in refusal.
“It’s only fair. Ah didn’t give enough benefit to your sufferin’ and now ya have ta make it right.”
“Once she gets like this there is no arguing with her,” explained Sunburst.
“But...” whined Fluttershy.
“Do it now,” the cow pony demanded.
Applejack stood rigid awaiting her fate. Fluttershy steeled herself and pushed with all her might.
The force slightly moved Applejack’s hat. The orange mare remained still but when nothing harder touched her she shook her head.
“I did it,” Fluttershy said excitedly.
“Right, well, good for you,” congratulated Applejack as a mother congratulated a foal on their first miserable looking art. “Ya show that same spunk whereever you go next, ok?”
“Yeah, Sir Fluttershy,” asserted Sunburst.
“Ok, time to go,” said the tough looking ponies in grey.
Fluttershy turned and started to leave with them.
“Wait,” Fluttershy shouted and turned,” I’m a coward and a doormat and...”
“We have to go, ma’am,” one of the grey ponies interrupted.
“Oh, okay...” the pegasus said as the force of her outburst completely disappeared.
Then Fluttershy left for the train. Applejack and Sunburst watched her go.
“What the hay was all that coward stuff ya reckon?,” asked Applejack as she adjusted her hat. Sunburst shrugged.
Suddenly Pinkie Pie screeched to a halt in the street on her party cannon.
“Who... who’s that?” shouted Applejack,” and why is she riding a cannon?”
“Run,” screamed Sunburst. The confused friends ran.
Pinkie ignored them as she saw the train pulling away. “Oh no,” she shouted, “I missed it!” She pulled out a bullhorn and shouted,” Fluttershy! Don’t leave!” The earth reverberated as the force of her voice shook it.
Pinkie put down the horn and looked at the platform. There stood a frazzled Fluttershy frozen in surprise.
Pinkie felt her body begin to run to her but remembered what Twilight said. Perhaps some ponies don’t want hugs. Instead she waited and watched Fluttershy for her reaction.
“Ok,” Fluttershy said as she smiled at Pinkie.