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// 01 - The Quiet Pair 
// Story: Do It For Her 
// by Cxcd 
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The impossible place of Ponyville.
It was Fluttershy’s home. The place she fell to all those years ago. Literally. For the most part, it was also the place she swore to never leave. It was, in her opinion, one of the greatest places in Equestria. It wasn’t violent, it wasn’t beautiful, it wasn’t exciting, and it wasn’t special.
That’s what made it so special. It was just a collection of houses.
Her home was far away from the populous city center. It was hidden and out of the way. Only a pony who knew of it’s existence would really be able to find it. That, and somehow the local post-mare found her way through the thick trees the first time. Then, when Fluttershy moved her mailbox to the front of her driveway, subsequently forgot where it was every time without fail. A river ran through her front yard, a bridge bridging the gap as slowly swaying trees covered the entire area in a shadow only best described as heavenly. The roof of the home was composed of grass, so even the flying Pegasi would have a hard time noticing the small discolored lump in the landscape.
Any passersbyer that did happen to notice the beige walls through the thick forest trees would assume the pony inside was retired, perhaps living out the rest of their days in peace. In reality, it was nothing but peace.
A small orange Pegasus rested peacefully on her belly underneath the swaying trees. Her orange coat illuminated a soft shade of green, the light bouncing off the grass, patches of the sun streaming through the canopy and creating a mesmerizing pattern on the floor.
Scootaloo’s attention wasn’t on the pattern, however. Her eyes were immensely focused on one… little… thing. Her head was resting on the ground, the cut grass tickling her nose as she stared intently at the offender, her brows furrowed in intense concentration. Slowly, she raised her back end, and started inching forwards like a cat. Stalking. Stalking that one little thing.
And then it jumped.
Quickly, Scootaloo jumped in parallel with the frog. She hit the ground a few hooves away, making one large swipe to grab it. Unfortunately, the green beast just jumped one more time, expertly avoiding her hoof. Scootaloo’s chin met grass as her hooves crossed her body, turning her upside-down. From her new found position of the ground, she watched as the frog merrily slid into the stream in her front yard.
Scootaloo let out a sigh of frustration, pushing her hooves up beneath her and standing up. She batted the dirt from her mane, letting the fine particulates fall and hit the ground. She looked up through the tree canopy, god rays beaming down and into her eyes. She let her eyelids flutter closed as she breathed in deeply.
This was peace. This was bliss. It was a stark contrast to how life used to be.
And it hadn’t always been like this.
…
Her thoughts were crudely interrupted as she felt the ground beneath her start to vibrate. Very, ever-so-slightly vibrated. Barely detectable to her, and certainly not detectable to any other pony. Years of listening to the floorboards in the orphanage for Doctor Sunshine had taught her how to feel for vibrations.
What day was it? Oh, right. He’s coming to visit.Scootaloo shuddered, turning around and galloping back to the house across the bridge, a grimace on her face of the now determined fate of awkwardness the stallion was going to bring.
It wasn’t necessarily that she hated the stallion. It was more the fact that every time he was around, he was always the bearer of bad news. Scootaloo, a new therapist is here to help you! He would torture her thoughts. Scootaloo, I know life hasn’t been the best to you, but we’re gonna cure you with this medicine!Perhaps the best thing he had ever done for her was introducing her to Fluttershy. And even that was apparently an unscheduled accident, so it was barely his doing to begin with.
Doctor Sunshine made her feel uncomfortable. Like he pretended to know Scootaloo, when in reality, she felt like he could barely remember the color of her coat.
The wooden door creaked open, and she slipped inside.
On the inside, the level of comfort observable from the outside only skyrocketed. It was a cozy two-bedroom cottage. The inside had it’s windows open, a gentle outside breeze fluttering through the home, making the curtains and loose paper wave in the wind. To her left was the kitchen, adjourned to a similar room with a dining table. In front of her was the living room, and above her was the two bedrooms and bathroom. A green sofa sat opposite of her, and an armchair. An empty armchair.
Which was peculiar, because usually, there would be a certain yellow Pegasus inhabiting that armchair. And Scootaloo would’ve likely noticed if she had sneaked out the back door. Plus, Fluttershy wouldn’t leave Scootaloo alone without informing her. Not on a day like this, anyways. When she wasn’t taking care of animals, coming down sick, or buying groceries, she would always find time to hang out with her friends. Or, more recently, care for Scootaloo.
It took Scootaloo all of two seconds to find Fluttershy. And, strangely enough, she wasn’t doing any of these things.
Fluttershy sat on a wooden chair by the front window overlooking the yard. It was obvious she was looking after Scootaloo while she played. But she also also wasn’t watching Scootaloo. She was slumped against the window, her eyes closed, and a light snoring coming from her throat. She had fallen asleep while watching Scootaloo.
Scootaloo didn’t know whether to feel offended, impressed, or sorry for the fact she had spent so much time worrying she fell asleep while watching her.
What does one do in this situation? Wake her up? There was still a pony coming down the driveway, so it would’ve been best. Scootaloo began to walk forwards when her ears twitched towards the sounds of a bunny’s feet jumping.
She turned around, looking at the bunny. The bunny had a furrowed brow. He patted the ground with a foot in an impatient manner, crossing his arms. Then, in one motion, he leaned forwards, and-
“A-HEM!” He cleared his throat. Louder than Scootaloo had ever heard a full-grown stallion clear their throat before. Scootaloo was left with her ears ringing at a high b-flat.
Fluttershy jumped up, her eyes shooting wide open as she looked around. She rubbed one eye with a hoof, looking around confusingly. Then, she spotted Scootaloo.
“O-Oh, dear!” She said, hopping down from the chair. “I-I’m sorry! I-I didn’t realize I fell asleep! Oh, how silly of me!” She rubbed a hoof over her eyes again. Scootaloo observed the concerningly dark bags under her eyes. Had this visit been tearing her up this much?
She didn’t know exactly what had caused it, but Fluttershy’s eyes were always… different. There was something behind them. Not like the cold and calculating eyes of a thousand different therapists, but nothing but unfiltered, raw, and blistering kindness. 
Even in her obviously weakened state, she was still being kind to the source of these problems. The kindness was a stark contrast to the orphanage. Scootaloo had turned into a bit of an urban legend, especially after she left. An orphan who had been there the longest, and had the most tragic backstory. Rumors ranged from Scootaloo’s father being a ruthless dictator in Stalliongrad to her mother being Princess Celestia herself. It didn’t help that Scootaloo never came out of her room.
“What’s wrong, Angel?” Fluttershy asked, watching as the bunny’s hoof tapped the ground harder and harder, his impatience growing. He made a wide variety of gestures with his paws, pointing up, to the side, foot taps, and ear flops. “Oh!” Fluttershy exclaimed. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Is he coming now?” She turned around, looking at the clock hung above the fireplace. “Oh dear! He’s two minutes early!” Fluttershy took a moment to gather herself, doing a quick breathing exercise. She redirected her attention to Scootaloo. “Why don’t you go play?” She asked kindly.
The yellow Pegasus obviously knew of Scootaloo’s disdain towards the stallion. That was probably why shy was currently getting out a set of drawing paper. She trotted towards a particularly deep bookcase, pushing apart a few books with her muzzle in order to gain access to a completely hidden cardboard box. She gripped the edge with her teeth, sliding it out and onto the floor.
It had the essentials. Nice construction paper worth of any foal’s drawings, properly adorned with a 24 box set of crayons. Each tip had been entirely worn down and reshaped into a finer point. Even a few of the wrappings had been tore off in order to gain more crayon. As barbaric as it sounded, it was a massive upgrade compared to her old crayons back at the orphanage.
Fluttershy had not been the one to hide the crayons. She had no reason to. It wasn’t even really hidden, as the only three beings who lived in the house were currently in the living room. It was Scootaloo who hid the crayons. It should’ve been concerning, and it was, but she had already gotten used to Scootaloo’s quirks. Lack of contact. Lack of talking. It was her personality, and it was enough of an excuse for Fluttershy to look over the ominous meaning behind Scootaloo hiding away her personal effects.
Scootaloo dug through the box, scooping up a piece of paper and box of crayons. She balanced them on her back, looking around the living room for a place to work. She smiled when she spotted it: a little end table by the sofa. It was a nice, dark crevice for her to work in. Hidden away so the damned Doctor Sunshine couldn’t find her.
If felt safer under here. Behind and to her right was a wall. To her left was a green sofa. Above her was a wooden surface. From her position, she could see the door clearly, and even watching as Fluttershy dashed around the home rapidly straightening every picture frame. The light streaming in was at such an angle that Scootaloo was able to see her paper quite clearly. It would only be broken by the occasional hoof gliding across the paper.
Finally, she plucked an exquisite red from the box of crayons. Placing the crayon on the paper, it was only a matter of moments when she began falling into a trance, feeling the wood grain bump below the paper-
As quickly as the trance came, it went faster than a rock rolling off a cliff. The sound of knocking filled the house, startling the filly and making her head come within half a hoof of hitting the underside of the table. She gave the door an angry glance, adding more to the list of reasons to hate the stallion who was probably on the other side.
Fluttershy pulled open the door, flashing the greatest smile she could possibly bear without looking like a lunatic. Scootaloo’s heart rate returned to normal after the sudden scare, forcing herself to mute the sounds of talking. She stared down at the blank piece of paper, noticing the huge red gash going across the front side. With a huff of hot air, she flipped it over, starting over on the blank side. She began anew.
Unfortunately for her, a pair of dull-yellow hoofsteps stopped no less than a hoof away from her table. Scootaloo cringed, biting her tongue as she slowly looked up. Her hiding spot had been for nothing, as the same stallion that she feared would be here… was here.
“I see she’s settled in, then?” Doctor Sunshine asked Fluttershy, leaning down and observing Scootaloo. She stared at her paper harder, feeling the crayon pushing harder into the paper.
“Of course.” Fluttershy stated, nodding. “She’s a sweet filly once you get to know her.” She said uncharacteristically flat and monotone. It was hard to gauge her emotion, especially like this, but the side-long glare she was giving the stallion was enough evidence to suggest Fluttershy wasn’t looking towards this visit either. Scootaloo tuned them out for the second time, almost beaming a hole through her paper as she tried focusing.
But, all good things must come to an end. Fluttershy left Scootaloo alone with Doctor Sunshine as she did something in the kitchen, the sounds of clinking cups being audible. The awkward silence was unbearable, Scootaloo began pushing the crayon painfully into the frog of her hoof, trying her absolute hardest to ignore the stallion.
“How’ve you been, Scoots?” He asked, in Scootaloo’s personal opinion, authoritarian-like. She didn’t mind the nickname. Just not from him. “Your mane’s growing out. That’s good, right?” Scootaloo bit her lip, suddenly wanting to shave her head bald.
It took a few moments longer for the stallion to laugh, shaking his head, apparently dissatisfied with not getting a response. Finally, Scootaloo stopped tensing, not even realizing she was in the first place. The doctor moved his gaze away from her and towards the room the two were residing in.
He walked towards a nearby fireplace, observing the pictures on the mantle. He gave a small smile, moving his eyes across. One big picture in the middle had Fluttershy along with her friends of different tribes and colors. For some reason, there didn’t seem to be many pictures of Fluttershy with her family. More specifically, very little of Fluttershy being young. There were a few, but outside of the outliers, it was almost like Fluttershy’s life didn’t exist before she came to Ponyville.
Maybe their family just wasn’t all that big into photographs.
But besides that, a new collection of photos were growing. Although it had been less than a month, the amount of photos with Scootaloo would make a visitor believe she had lived there her whole life. Fluttershy, Angel, and Scootaloo. Covering the rest of the fireplace was a collection of drawings, much like her old room back at the orphanage. The collection was in it’s infancy, but was growing fast.
“Tea, Doctor Sunshine.” Fluttershy said, her wings extended with two cups on her left, one on the right. She slid it off with a wing onto the coffee table. A cup was conveniently nudged into Scootaloo’s periphery, which she took a break from drawing to indulge on. Lemon. Which also happened to be her favorite.
Fluttershy sat on the sofa, watching as Doctor Sunshine invited himself onto the armchair. He sipped on his own tea.
“I see you’ve removed the- the-” He waved his free hoof, as if he was forgetting something. “-the small staircases. Why?”
Fluttershy clinked her cup onto the plate. “I don’t let the animals inside anymore. Well, besides Angel, but he’s my pet. I didn’t think you’d like Scootaloo living with wild animals, so I commissioned my friend to help build a farm.”
“That’s great!” Doctor Sunshine said enthusiastically. “I like it. You’re adapting for her. Shows your invested.” He downed the rest of his drink. “Right. I’ll still need to look around the home. If all goes well, this should be my last visit.”
“Hm.” Fluttershy hummed, watching as he put the cup onto the coffee table. He stood up, stretching.
“Being an Element of Harmony definitely helps speed up the court, tell you what.” He laughed, trotting towards the kitchen. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that judge look more scared in my life when Princess Celestia walked in to audit.” When not getting a response, Doctor Sunshine took a sharp breath in.
“Look…” He began. Fluttershy looked up to him. “Since I already know this is going to go over fine… I’m just gonna give you this.” He reached into his mane, grabbing a vanilla folder and placing it on the coffee table. Fluttershy leaned forwards, reading the title.
Her breath caught as she realized this was Scootaloo’s records.
“She’s had a hard life.” He started. “This will tell you everything. And- a fair warning…” He looked at Fluttershy in the eyes. “It’s not for the easy of heart.” He coughed, backing up. “Right. I’ll begin my look around.” He walked out of the room, leaving a confused and slightly scared Fluttershy.
She eyed the folder on the coffee table, like it had said something offensive. Slowly, a small orange filly came out from underneath the side-table, her head low as she stared at the folder back.
Fluttershy felt torn.
There, laying in an inconspicuous folder, was everything Fluttershy didn’t know she wanted to know. Scootaloo turned to look at Fluttershy, and strangely enough, flashing a comforting smile. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go- wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Wasn’t Fluttershy supposed to comfort her?
Fluttershy slid the folder off the table, picking it up in her hooves. It felt surprisingly light. For something holding all of the answers, she expected it to weight more. Instead, there must’ve been two or three lonely sheets of paper being contained inside.
Fluttershy looked down to Scootaloo once more.
“A-Are you sure?” She asked.
Scootaloo nodded.
Fluttershy flipped open the front cover.
There she was. Although it was full of static and black and white, displayed predominately on the front of the first page was a picture of when she was born. She was wrapped in a white towel, her presumably purple mane sticking to her coat as it appeared to be wet. On her hooves were wires, tubes, IVs, and a breathing mask connecting her to the outside world. Outside world, as the camera operator was behind a plastic box, evident by the white shine created by a nearby light bouncing off of it.
And then she closed the folder.
Scootaloo tilted her head to the side, looking up with confused yet silent eyes. Fluttershy smiled, putting the folder into the crack of the couch and turning back towards the stallion entering the room with an another smile.
“Well, Miss Fluttershy.” He said, stopping by the front door. “It seems you are able and willing to care for Scootaloo.” Sometime during his escapade around the home, he materialized a clipboard in his hooves. “I never had any doubt in the first place, you’ve been a gem.” He complimented. Fluttershy kept staring with an expectant smile.
“Well.” He sighed. “Guess this is the end of the road for you and me, Scootaloo.” He nodded his head, looking around the house one final time. “Seven years, you and me.” He let out a small chuckle. “And I think you can’t wait to get rid of me.” He sighed with a smile. “Take care, Miss Fluttershy. Scootaloo.”
He pushed open the door with his hooves, walking out into the blinding sunlight.
The door latched, leaving the two inside to ponder silently.
Scootaloo eyed the folder in the couch, while Fluttershy stood up, stretching like a cat and bouncing over to the kitchen.
“Oh, Scootaloo?” She asked, turning around. “Do you want some lunch?”
Scootaloo’s only response was a vulgar amount of nodding, not two seconds later hopping towards the kitchen. The folder could wait.