//------------------------------//
// S6 E12: Flutter Brutter (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 16 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
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Even though it hadn't been that long since she'd joined the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash was still glad to be given the opportunity to get away from it all for a while. And as such, she had accepted Fluttershy's invitation to come up to Cloudsdale and visit her (that is to say Fluttershy's parents) Spring Breeze and Gentle Breeze.

The house in which the two elderly pegasi lived was a relatively modest little house of cool blue and light purple bricks. And the interior was comprised of walls in gentle, earthly shades of green, yellow and orange.

Not long after Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived, they were treated to a delicious lunch prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Breeze themselves. Spring Breeze was the stallion with a greenish-copper coat and a light gray mane and tail in which the mane was styled in a way that it could be mistaken for an ice-cream sundae. He had grayish-turquoish eyes that looked gentle and peaceful, wore a blue sweater, had a light gray mustache, and a cutie mark depicting three clouds. And Gentle Breeze was the mare with a light grayish-amber coat and a moderate raspberry mane and tail styled into a set of lovely curls. She had deep red eyes hidden behind a pair of blueish-green glasses that also looked to be gentle and peaceful, a small necklace of yellow beads that hung around her neck, and a cutie mark depicting three flowers.

Gentle Breeze smiled as she set the plates on the table in the dining room. "We're so happy you could come have lunch with your father and I, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy smiled back. "Well, I'm glad you asked. It's always nice to get away and see family again."

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, added. "And it was super awesome of you to invite me too! I mean, you guys were practically a second family to me as it was, but it's still nice you invited me to be here," She then sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Things have been so busy with the Wonderbolts lately, so it's great to get a chance to just relax someplace quiet."

Spring Breeze happily nodded. "That's exactly what I plan to do now that I've retired. I was always jealous of your parents, Rainbow Dash. Their jobs made it so easy for them to save enough for retirement at a fairly early age. Me, I only just worked up enough seniority a year ago," Then he let out a content sigh. "Still, I don't plan to just sit around and do nothing. In fact, I converted the back house to showcase my cloud collection."

"I can't wait to see it, Dad," Fluttershy smiled again. "I'm sure it'll be beautiful, just like Mom's flower beds."

Spring Breeze nodded again. "Indeed it will be. I have my clouds, your mom has her flowers, you've got your animals, and your brother..." He paused, apparently trying to think of something nice to say about his son.

Gentle Breeze gently finished for her husband. "Zephyr Breeze has his... interests," She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, I'm sure he means well. Everypony has their rebellious and eccentric phase, he's just taking a little longer to grow out of his than most ponies. Come to think of it, he was kind of a late bloomer to a lot of things growing up."

Rainbow Dash giggled. "He really was the baby of the family, wasn't he? It's okay, not everypony can grow up as quickly as I did. Kind of had to with the way my parents were acting," Then she smirked as she added. "Hey, remember when Zephyr was convinced square clouds were going to be the next big thing? I kept trying to tell him he'd never make a living with 'em, but he was determined to prove me wrong. I almost feel bad for the fact that he went bust within a year."

Gentle Breeze sweetly commented. "Oh, he's matured a lot since then, really. After all, he's left the nest now. And he seems quite determined to get it right this time."

Then Spring Breeze added in a somewhat nervous tone as he joined his wife and held her hoof. "Actually, it's funny you bring Zephyr up now..."

Almost immediately, Fluttershy clued in to what her parents were implying. And when she did she could only groan and put a hoof to her head. "Oh no, not again! I thought he promised to take his education seriously this time!"

Gentle Breeze reassured her daughter. "He is, Fluttershy. He is. He just..." She paused before adding. "Is a little bit out there in his beliefs. He's always been assertive when challenged. Besides, it's only for a little while. Just until he gets back on his hooves."

A sense of dread filled Rainbow Dash as she nervously asked. "Wait, you don't mean..."

But nopony needed to have bothered asking. At that moment, the front door of the Breeze family house swung open. And a pegasus stallion of tall but lanky build strolled in, a large camp bag slung over his shoulders. He had a coat a pale sea green in color, eyes a shade of light grayish-purple, and a blonde mane and tail in which the mane was styled like a mop top while the tail hung loose. His cutie mark was an orange feather with two green flourishes on either side of it. Around his chin was a noticeable five o'clock shadow. This was the Zephyr Breeze Mr. and Mrs. Breeze had speaking of just recently.

"Guess who's home?!" Zephyr Breeze spoke in a loud and obnoxious tone of voice. And without waiting for a reply he declared to Fluttershy. "That's right, big sis, it's your one and only favorite little brother, moi."

"Oh joy." Rainbow remarked in noticeable displeasure. She and Fluttershy were most certainly not looking forward to entertaining Zephyr Breeze on short notice, especially when he had apparently just gotten into trouble once again. They were already beginning to wonder if there wasn't something they could do to help Zephyr get out of his family's house again, and this time for good.



Either not knowing or not caring how his abrupt return was being perceived by two of his guests, Zephyr Breeze immediately plopped his huge blue colored camp bag down on the table. "Hi, Flutterbutter! How's the bestest big sister ever?" He greeted and began ruffling (and subsequently playing with) her mane.

"Fine, which is more than I can say for you," Fluttershy muttered. "I can't believe you dropped out of mane styling school again!"

Zephyr Breeze immediately retorted. "I didn't drop out, the semester's not over yet. I just had some time off from classes, and I knew I had to get away. Go back to my roots as it were," He subsequently pulled out a huge book showing off pictures of various mane styles, and with a swish of his tail he retorted. "All these styles they want me to do. They're so... conformist. I've got my own style!" He proceeded to plop down the head of a ponyquin that displayed one of his "creations", a rather unappealing mane style in a tacky orange color. "Now, I know it's a work in progress. But be honest, it's not that bad, right? With the right inspiration, it could totally be just the thing to help me ace my final exam and pass the class."

Gentle Breeze blinked slowly, trying not to show how disgusted she was by the ugly mane style she was seeing. "O-Oh, that's uh... lovely, dear. I'm sure it's not your fault your grades are kind of in the toilet."

Rainbow Dash didn't bother to hide her displeasure. She turned her head and made a gag motion as she remarked. "Blugh!"

Just then, Zephyr happened to catch eye of the rainbow maned pegasus. And with a teasing smirk he greeted. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Rainbow 'The Best Flyer There Ever Was' Dash. Didn't expect to see you here."

Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh gee, this oughta be something." She groaned.

Zephyr seemed to ignore the rude remark. "Sorry, sorry," He appeared to be sincerely apologizing. "I know I shouldn't tease ya. You're not a flight school drop out anymore. I hear you made ot into the Wonderbolts as an official member. Never doubted you for a second, honest. 'Course, I'd still love and support you no matter what you ended up being, 'cause that's just who I am."

Rainbow arched an eyebrow upward. "Are you trying to flirt with me? You know you're not my type, right?"

The lanky stallion chuckled. "Well, either way, thanks for being here for my homecoming. Means a lot to me," Then he began to trot around the table while saying. "Although, shouldn't there be more of your friends here? What about your party planning friend? What's her name? Uh...Sprinkle Pie! She could've turned this into a real house party, am I right?" After that, he left the kitchen and went upstairs, but forgot to take his little "project" with him.

Fluttershy had seen more than enough, and she wasn't pleased at all. With a frown, she looked deep into her parents' eyes and not so secretly whispered to them. "Um, Mom, Dad, can I talk to you for a second? It's kind of important."





Mr. and Mrs. Breeze were not the kind of ponies who could say no to their children. So they agreed to Fluttershy's request, and adjourned from the kitchen to another part of the house so they could talk in private.

Gentle Breeze tried not to look intimidated as she asked her daughter. "What is it, honey?"

Fluttershy sighed and took a deep breath. She didn't want to sound upset with her parents, they weren't really the ones she was unhappy with. "I'm not so sure it's a good idea for Zephyr to come back home like this. He always does this: He keeps saying he's going to try, but as soon as it gets a little bit challenging he just quits and comes back home to live with you guys. I know you want to help, I know you're afraid of pushing him out before he's ready. But I think you're doing more harm than good by constantly coddling him."

"We're not coddling him," Gentle Breeze insisted while adjusting her glasses. "Zephyr's just trying to find his place in the world. You had just as much trouble finding your calling when you were his age. Remember how you wanted to be a veternarian, but you couldn't pass the exam to become one?"

The pegasus mare with gentle pink bangs only shook her head from side to side. "That's different. I actually tried! This is just like all the times you let Zephyr push you around when he was growing up, you never made him do anything if he didn't feel he was ready. And you know where that led. He realized he could get away with it, so he kept on doing it. And look where it's gotten him now! He's dependent on you two!"

Spring Breeze reassuringly replied. "Oh, don't worry yourself, Fluttershy. He turned out alright in the end, didn't he? You know how hard it is to make a living these days. He seems really passionate about mane styling, this doesn't seem like another one of his little fads. And you needn't worry about your mother and I. We may not be as bold as you are now, but we do now how to stand up for ourselves. We promise, if Zephyr does flunk out of mane styling school, he'll get no more free rides. This is the last time we're going to do this for him."

Fluttershy wasn't so convinced. "Just please promise me you won't let him walk all over you. This is reminding me an awful lot of my experience with the breezies. Sometimes, the best thing we can do for someone we love is send them away. Zephyr needs to get out into the real word, even if it means he'll get hurt."

Spring Breeze promised. "Trust me, Fluttershy, we know. If worse comes to worse, though, it may not be a bad idea for him to come to Ponyville and live with you. Ponyville seems like a far more... accepting place for a pony as out there as he is."

More or less satisfied with the conversation, Fluttershy and her parents returned to the kitchen only to find that Zephyr Breeze and Rainbow Dash had already left. They were now in the living room, Zephyr hanging over Rainbow on a green sofa chair and rambling on at length, all the while Rainbow was occupying herself with a Daring Do book.

Zephyr seemed to be in the middle of a rant if his tone of voice was any indication. "And my dormmates were all like: We love your free spirit, Zeph! And it would be wrong to cage that! Go follow your dreams! Be free, like a bird!"

Rainbow simply replied by giving the lanky stallion a shove. "Yeah yeah, tell it to somepony who cares." She replied with indifference.

"Oh, but you care, Rainbow. You couldn't stand to see anything bad happen to me," Zephyr said with a smile, before noticing Fluttershy. "Oh, hey big sis. All done having your chat with Mom and Pop? Rainbow and I were just having a little chat of her own. Weren't we, Rainbow?"

The brash speedster groaned and rolled her eyes. "Zeph was just telling me all about the ins and outs of mane therapy school. No wonder he needs to do good on that final exam. If he doesn't pass it with an above average score, he's never gonna graduate. He'll flunk right out."

Zephyr shrugged his hooves. "Hey, I can't help it. I design what I feel like designing. I go where the inspiration takes me, like any true artist," Then he let out a yawn. "Well, it was nice catchin' up with you all up. Nice to see somethings haven't changed. Now if you'll excuse me, this breeze needs his Z's." And he began to trot away towards a staircase.

Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes in surprise. "Uh, you know it's the middle of the day, right?"

The lanky pegasus stallion chuckled. "Just a little power nap, that's all. You know me. Siesta!" And after making a motion, he went upstairs, all the while leaving his bag and his mane styling project behind. He didn't bother to pick them up and take them with him.





Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy left for Ponyville not long afterward. The flight back home passed in silence, much to the surprise of Rainbow Dash. Looking across to Fluttershy when they drew near to Ponyville, she spoke up. "So, I know you weren't expecting to see your brother again and all, but you've been kind of quiet, even for you."

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed as she began to grit her teeth. "He always does this! I swear, he takes the title of 'Baby of the family' way too literally! It's like he never wanted to grow up at all! And Mom and Dad just let him do it!" She felt something begin to boil over inside of her as she remarked. "I'm sorry, but I am just so... so... peeved right now!" Then she gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves, realizing she had accidentally said that word within earshot of children. Doing her best to ignore the glares coming from the parents, she profusely apologized. "Oh, excuse my language!"

Just then, the two pegasi happened to fly right past both Pinkie Pie and Applejack without saying a word. Pinkie Pie, of course, wasn't about to let two of her friends pass by without at least saying hello. She waved and called to them. "Hey, Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! It's me, Pinkie Pie!" But she received no reply. It was as if the two pegasi couldn't hear her despite how loudly she was shouting.

Fortunately, Applejack knew how to get the attention of the pegasi. Putting her hooves to her lips, she gave a sharp whistle! That did the trick, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-flight and flew down to greet their friends.

Fluttershy was the first to speak up, and she apologized. "Oh, sorry about that. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

Rainbow Dash then explained. "Yeah. We just had lunch with Fluttershy's parents, and you'll never guess who showed up unannounced."

Pinkie Pie replied by pulling out a wallet lined with photos of various ponies and non-ponies. And she pointed to each of them one by one as she listed off. "Mayor Mare? Cranky Doodle Donkey? Cheese Sandwich? Ms. Harshwhinny?!"

Rainbow was quick to correct. "Zephyr Breeze."

Pinkie quickly realized her mistake. "Oh, yeah, that makes more sense," Then to Fluttershy she added. "I remember, you told us about him once. I think."

Applejack chuckled. "They can't all be like my big brother or Twilight's big brother, I suppose. I'm guessin' it's for another one of Zephyr's extended stays?"

The rainbow maned pegasus nodded and whispered. "Yup, and she's a bit peeved right now, if you'll pardon the language." She did her best to ignore the glare an earth pony mare was shooting her, apparently having overheard the foul language.

Fluttershy, however, took a deep breath and calmly stated. "Zephyr's my brother, and I love him. But he's never learned to do anything for himself. He promised me he'd take his education seriously, that he'd actually commit to it this time. But once again, he lets his ego take over and get him into trouble. One of these days, he's really going to get hurt, and he'll have no one to turn to. He's gotta learn to be able to fend for himself," Then she pondered. "If only there was some way to make him see what it's like not to have your parents to depend on for help."

The farm mare proposed. "Sounds to me like he needs a job, and maybe a change of scenery."

At that, the animal loving pegasus let out a gasp as an idea came into her mind! "Yes, of course! That's it! I'll invite him to spend his time off from school here in Ponyville, and then I'll make him get a job! With a little luck, it'll be just the thing to motivate him to finish that project of his and pass his class so he can graduate."





Sure enough, the very next day, Fluttershy flew back up to Cloudsdale and to her parents' house. She was ready and determined to confront her little brother head on and put her plan into action. One way or another, it was time for him to grow up.

Zephyr Breeze, for his part, was more than a little surprised to see his big sister again in so short a span of time. "H-hey sis," He greeted in a cheerful, unaware tone of voice. "You're just in time. I was just about to get Mom and Pop to convert that old shed back there," He gestured to a small little hut a ways away from the main house. "Into my new art studio. That way I can work on my project in peace. Of course, there'll need to be some changes. Dad's gonna have to relocate his cloud collection. But hey, they're just clouds. What's the big deal?"

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. "The big deal is that Dad worked long and hard building up that collection, Zephyr. You know that. You can't just come back home from school, and start trampling all over Mom and Dad like this. I don't care if they've always let you do whatever you want, you're not getting away with that anymore!"

The lanky pegasus stallion just innocently replied. "So, what are you gonna do about it, huh? Where else do you expect me to find time to gather my thoughts and create my art? My bedroom ain't gonna cut it, it's too cramped and messy."

Fluttershy replied by telling her brother in no uncertain terms. "You're going to stay with me at my place, in Ponyville. I've already talked it over with Mom and Dad, and they agreed."

"Oh, a trip to Ponyville? Just for me?" Zephyr chuckled. "Oh thank you, big sis! You're the best! You didn't have to do that, you know."

The animal loving pegasus threw up a hoof. "Not so fast, there's one condition you need to know about."

Zephyr Breeze frowned. "Should've known there'd be a catch," He swished his tail. "Fine, name your price."

Fluttershy then somberly and seriously stated. "You have to get a job. Just a part-time job, mind you. But a job neverthless. After all, you're gonna have to go back to mane styling school eventually. And when you do, that little final exam project of yours better be finished! Failure is not an option!"

The lanky pegasus stallion sighed as his frowned deepened. "Oh, you're no fun, big sis. I swear, you were always so bossy even when we were just foals." He promptly ran a hoof through his sister's mane.

Fluttershy brushed off the hoof and shot her brother a glare as she scolded him! "Zephyr Breeze! I'm not kidding! Get a job, or else you can forget about staying in Ponyville with me!"

Zephyr reluctantly folded. "Ok, fine. Can't you take a joke, sis? I promise, I will get a job in Ponyville while I work on finishing up my project for class."

The pegasus mare with a coat of buttery yellow finally relaxed her posture and smiled. "Excellent. Now go pack your things and say your goodbyes to Mom and Dad." And she watched as her brother went away to do just that. It had been surprisingly easy to sway him to her argument. Why couldn't he always be this cooperative?





The rest of the day flew by in a blur as Fluttershy helped Zephyr to move into her cottage, making sure that she had a guest bedroom well furbished for him while also giving him enough space to set up a small studio to work on turning that tacky mane style into something beautiful (or at least decent, as long as it was good enough to pass).

Early the next morning, however, the two pegasi woke bright and early. Zephyr Breeze was most puzzled by this, especialy once Fluttershy instructed him to follow her into Ponyville proper to an unknown destination. "Where are we goin' so early? You have no idea how bad morning sun is for your mane," He complained as he took a moment to style his mane of blonde locks, making sure it looked presentable. "Trust me, they insist on teaching that all the time at mane therapy."

"So you have been paying attention in those classes," Fluttershy noticed. "Funny how your grades don't seem to reflect that. Is there something you're not telling me, Zephyr?" She inquired, her tone of voice making it difficult to tell whether she really wanted to know.

Zephyr's response was most unusual. His usual confidence seemed to leave him as he flinched, freezing right on the spot. "Why would I keep secrets from you, sis? Mane styling school is hard! If you attended my classes, you'd know that. They expect you to demonstrate their techniques almost as soon as you've learned them. How's anypony supposed to do a good job when they don't have time to practice?!"

Fluttershy only shook her head. "I'm sure they announce ahead of time when the tests and exams are. Maybe you just need to pay more attention, and stop looking for excuses to slack off," Then she explained. "But that's not what we're going into town for. Remember how we talked yesterday about you getting a job?"

The lanky stallion reluctantly nodded. "It's totally on my to-do list, but you can't possibly expect me to find something befitting my awesomeness overnight. I just moved in here for pony's sake!"

The animal loving pegasus chuckled as she approached a very familiar (to her at least) building styled not unlike the carousel at a carnival or fair. "Thought you might say something like that, which is why I went ahead and found a job for you. You're welcome." She then trotted up to the front door and pushed it open, hearing the familiar jingling of the overheard bell when she did so.

Out trotted a pony Zephyr had never seen before. She was a unicorn mare with a majestic, snow white coat. Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, and her curly dark blue mane and tail were absolutely gorgeous. Fittingly, her cutie mark proudly displayed three diamonds in a roughly triangular shape.

"Hello Rarity," Fluttershy greeted the unicorn by name, thus identifying her. "This is Zephyr, my little brother."

Rarity nodded and smiled. "Ah yes, Fluttershy told me about you when she signed you up for this job yesterday," She gestured a hoof. "Right this way, please," She led the pegasi up the stairs to her workshop, proudly pushing open the door with her magic. "These fabrics all need to be dyed," She explained, pointing to a series of long, blank white fabrics. "There's a color sheet and paints right over there," She gestured to a small stand nearby. "Just follow the sheet to the letter for each fabric. Simple as that."

Fluttershy then asked her brother. "Think you can handle that? Every artist should know their colors."

Zephyr swallowed a lump in his throat. "True, true... I... I think I can manage."

The animal loving pegasus mare smiled. "Excellent! You go ahead and get started, and I'll be back later." She turned to leave.

Zephyr Breeze hesitantly called out. "You're not staying?"

Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. "Rarity will make sure you do it right. I've helped you as much as I can. The rest is up to you." And off she trotted.

Now alone with Zephyr in the workshop, Rarity put on her ruby red sewing glasses and cleared her throat. "Well then, shall we get started?"





At first, everything proceeded smoothly. Zephyr soon learned what he had to do, and Rarity was most definitely generous in explaining to him how best to do it.

The first two sheets of fabric were dyed with no trouble at all for pegasus or unicorn. It was clear that the stallion was indeed an artist and knew his colors. Rarity seemed to be impressed if the big smile on her face was any indication.

Unfortunately, when it came time to dye the third fabric, that's when the trouble began.

Rarity noticed a detail that she was a little surprised to see an artist as skilled as Zephyr make. "You're going to get your colors mixed up!" She sternly told him when she noticed he was carelessly getting the paints too close to one another, running the risk of some of them mixing together unintentionally.

"Huh, am I?" The lanky stallion blinked in confusion. "I thought I was leaving enough space. After all, sometimes art gets a little messy, know what I'm saying?"

The fashionista unicorn frowned and shook her head from side to side. "And how do you expect to dye the fabrics the way the client wants them when your blues are mixing with your oranges, and your greens are mixing with your reds? Stop what you're doing right now! I'll need to get a completely new color set out. And just look, you're starting to get paint where you're not supposed to get it. I thought you knew what you were doing."

Zephyr's response took Rarity completely by surprise. She expected a retort, or a reluctant agreement from her new employee. Instead, she watched as he froze right where he was standing. His eyes seemed to shrink and retreat to the furthest corners of his face. "I... I..."

"Is something the matter?" Rarity inquired in a concerned tone of voice. "I was simply trying to stop you from making a costly mistake. I didn't mean to be so strict, sometimes I just get a little frustated. But surely, you've heard worse. Art is subjective, as they say."

Zephyr didn't reply with words. Instead, he just turned around and bolted straight for the door! Within seconds, he had fled from the boutique altogether, leaving his employer most bewildered.

Fluttershy soon found out what had happened when her brother quite literally ran into her, looking like he'd just seen a ghost! "Zephyr, what's wrong?! Why aren't you with Rarity?!" She furiously demanded of him! "I can't believe you just quit your first job in... Celestia knows how long!"

The stallion blinked slowly. "Quit? What do you mean? I didn't quit. I was fired. She was going to fire me! I could tell!"

"Fire you? For what?" Fluttershy questioned with concern. "You weren't even on the job for one day."

"Yeah, and she already expects perfection!" Zephyr Breeze insisted. "I made one little mistake, and that was it!"

The animal loving pegasus frowned and shook her head in disapproval. "Rarity would never fire somepony she just hired. I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding, Zephyr," She looked him deep in the eyes as she pleaded. "Come on, let's go back to Carousel Boutique. I'm sure Rarity will be more than happy to give you another chance."

But Zephyr protested. "No way! I'm not going back there! I don't need a job in art, that's just gonna distract me from working on my project. I need a job that's so boring and so un-related to art that I'll have plenty of time to think about it. Time I can then spend on my project. Know what I'm saying?"

The pegasus mare simply sighed. "If that's what you want, Zephyr, I think I have a job that will suit you," She grabbed her brother by the hoof. "Come on."





Fluttershy led her brother across town to the crystal castle which Twilight called home. Then she brought him to the castle's throne room, where Spike and Twilight were already waiting for them. And Spike had a bucket of water and some other cleaning tools.

What caught Zephyr's eyes, however, was the sheer scale of the throne room's windows! "Whoa! Those are tall!" He exclaimed!

Twilight Sparkle suppressed a giggle as she told the stallion. "I'm glad you noticed, because they're your new job. You're going to be cleaning them."

The pegasus stallion could hardly believe his eyes and ears. "W...wha?" He blinked slowly, before turning to Fluttershy. "I thought you were taking me to tea with the princess."

Fluttershy quickly corrected. "Well, I'm having tea with her. You, on the other hoof, are going to work. And Spike is here to show you how to do it."

Spike nodded, before telling Zephyr. "Yeah, but I'm only gonna show you once, so you'd better pay attention. I have enough windows to clean in this castle as it is."

Twilight chimed in, telling Zephyr in a sweet tone of voice. "It's nice of you to take a little off Spike's plate, given how hard he works," And she reassured him. "Now don't worry, it's really quite simple: I just need a pegasus pony like yourself to fly up, and wipe down each window from top to bottom."

Fluttershy then cautioned her little brother. "And you better not run away again, Zephyr. This job is pretty simple and straightforward, even simpler than having to dye fabrics. Plus, Twilight's promised to pay you well. If you do run away," She ominously concluded. "You'll force me to take drastic measures. One way or another, I will find you a job that you'll stick to." Then she and Twilight left the throne room together, leaving Spike and Zephyr alone with each other.

The little dragon then gestured to his bucket and cleaning supplies. "Well, shall we get started?" He asked the pegasus.





All seemed to go well for Zephyr at first. Watching Spike as he hoisted himself up via a little harness and taught the pegasus how to clean the windows was simple. And it seemed so easy.

Eventually, Spike came back down. "Okay, you get the idea. Now get to work!" And he handed over the cleaning supplies.

Zephyr Breeze took the supplies, hastily strapping a small pouch around his hindquarters so he could better hold them all. It took him a minute to get used to flying with the added weight,  but once he did it was no trouble at all to fly up to where the tall windows were and start wiping them down.

Spike leaned back in his little chair and watched, all the while encouraging. "That's it, you're doing well. Keep it up."

Zephyr did so. And already, some ideas were starting to come into his mind. This window washing was just the thing to clear his head. He was certain he'd have no trouble at all finding a workable concept for his mane styling project. But would it be good enough to get him a passing grade? A lot was riding on it. What if he didn't do a good enough job? Would all his efforts up to this point be a waste? Would he be forced to take the entire class again, having to relearn everything he'd already spent so much time learning?

Spike suddenly noticed that Zephyr's mind seemed to be wandering. And soon, the body followed where the mind was going, wherever that was. "Hey, what are you doing?!" He shouted at the pegasus stallion! "You're just supposed to clean the windows!"

"Huh?" The lanky stallion blinked in surprise and spun around, apparently confused.

The little dragon put a claw to his face. "Will you pay attention?! You're wasting water and cleaning solutions cleaning things that don't need to be cleaned."

A knot formed in Zephyr's stomach as he swallowed hard. "I'm... I'm..." But he couldn't get the words out.

Spike just sighed. "It's okay, it's your first day on the job. I'm sure Twilight will understand. Just come down and take a break for a minute. Maybe clear your head."

Zephyr Breeze slowly but surely fluttered his way back down to the ground. But once he did so, he hurridely yanked off the pouch he'd strapped on earlier, and then took off again as fast as his hooves would let him!

"Hey! I said you could take a break! I didn't say you could leave!" Spike shouted, only to be ignored.

By chance, Zephyr again happened to bump into Fluttershy soon after fleeing from his job. And once again, Fluttershy was anything but amused. "Zephyr, come on! How hard can it be just to wash windows?!"

"Well apparently, what I want and what the princess wants are two entirely different things!" Zephyr insisted. "I thought I'd do her a favor and go above and beyond, and she apparently doesn't like that!"

The animal loving pegasus snarled and glared. "You didn't do it at all! You just looked for an excuse to get out of doing it! Zephyr, this is serious! You need a job! You can't keep slacking off and expect others to bail you out!" Then she paused to catch her breath and compose herself. "Well, it's a good thing I planned for this possibility," With a smirk she added. "I can guarantee there won't be any fooling around on the next job. And if you run away from this one, then you're on your own."

"And what is my 'next job'?" Zephyr nervously inquired as he wiped the sweat from his brows.

Just then, there came a whoosh. And then who should land in front of the pegasus siblings but Rainbow Dash in all her glory? "It's your lucky day, Zeph!" She proudly told him! "You're comin' with me! We've always got openings on the weather team for any able bodied pegasus."

Zephyr Breeze smirked as he teased. "Aw come on, Rainbow, you don't need to come up with an excuse just to hang out with me. Let's just go for a fly and see where the day takes us."

Rainbow was not amused in the slightest by Zephyr's attempts to flirt with her yet again. "It's taking us to Wonderbolt headquarters. There's a special weather problem, and I need some help getting it taken care of," Then she warned. "And know this: If you try to weasel your way out of this job, I'm gonna zap you with a storm cloud! Got it?"

The lanky stallion slowly nodded, forcing back a nervous gulp. "Y-yeah, I got it."

"Good, then let's not waste any time and get going!" Rainbow insisted as she unfolded her wings! "Come on! You don't wanna be late for your first day, do you?"

Zephyr reluctantly followed, waving goodbye to Fluttershy in the process.





Confident that Rainbow Dash would ensure Zephyr wouldn't try to get out of his latest job, Fluttershy returned to her cottage to do some much needed cleaning. She dusted, she swept, she picked up some discarded paper balls that had clearly belonged to her brother and put them in the trash. They were probably just doodles and sketches that he had done in what spare time he'd found yesterday.

Fluttershy sighed. She wished she didn't have to be so hard on her brother. If only he could hold down a part-time job without quitting out of the blue every time. If only he had kept his word and taken his education at mane styling school seriously from the start, rather than letting it get to the point where he had to pin his hopes on a project for a final exam.

Suddenly, a loud boom split the air! It sounded almost like the crackling of electricity! And the animal loving pegasus was certain that meant only one thing. "Oh no, please tell me he didn't do it again!" She thought to herself! "What's wrong with Zephyr?! Does he want to spend the rest of his life living in the gutter?! Does he really want to throw his life away like that?!"

Alas, the pegasus mare with lovely pink bangs had her worst fears confirmed a short time later. Strolling up to her cottage was a very battered looking Zephyr Breeze, his mane and tail standing up straight and his entire coat covered in black singe marks. "Rainbow Dash is crazy!" He complained! "I didn't think she'd actually try to fry me! I thought she was just saying that to keep me in line!"

Fluttershy groaned and narrowed her eyes. She was losing all patience she might have had. "Zephyr, I can't believe you! I have given you plenty of opportunities, plenty of part-time jobs that would pay nice while giving you time to work on your project! But all you've done since you've got here is slack off like you always do!"

"It's not like that at all!" Zephyr stomped a hoof down with tears in his eyes! "You wouldn't understand! You don't know what it's like to be mocked and teased just because a few ideas of yours don't work out! So what if I don't always follow the rules to the letter?! So what?! It's not like I'm doing anything illegal! Why do ponies have to get on my case?! Why can't they just let me live my life the way I wanna live it?!"

Fluttershy snapped. "Because the way you're living your life is unacceptable, Zephyr. You're not gonna make it in the real world if you keep acting like this. You'll end up on the streets, begging ponies for money," She then added. "We had a deal, Zephyr. I'd let you stay with me in Ponyville as long as you promised to get a job. But obviously, just like when you promised to take your education seriously, you didn't actually mean it. You were just saying it."

Zephyr Breeze wiped away the tears and did his best to brush off the soot clinging to his coat. "Oh, I see how it is!" He hurriedly went about gathering up the ponyquin displaying his mane styling project, and the bag he'd had when he came home from mane styling school the other day. "I'll go live in the woods like my forefathers before me! It's time for this breeze to fly solo, like all true artists!" Then he turned his back to his sister as he told her. "Just forget about me, big sis. And tell Mom and Dad not to worry. I won't be coming back until I've made a name for myself in mane styling! You can be sure of that!"

"Zephyr, wait!" Fluttershy frantically called as she tried to chase after her brother and prevent him from making a rash decision! Alas, her efforts were in vain as the door to her cottage slammed shut in her face. All she could do now was stare at the ground in shame. Her attempts to help her baby brother had only made a bad situation worse.





Rainbow Dash arrived at the cottage a short time later. One look at Fluttershy's face told her more than words what was going on. "So he actually decided to go through with it. He's really that desperate, huh?"

Fluttershy sorrowfully sighed. "I thought I was doing the right thing trying to help him like this. I just don't understand why he can't hold down a job, why he always tries to get out of doing anything."

Rainbow could only shrug her hooves. "I don't get it either," She then recalled. "He was doing a fine job with cloud busting, really. Then, all of a sudden, as soon as Spitfire told us to pick up the pace because we were taking so long, he just froze up. And then he decided to just quit. It was like he was a completely different pony, like all that confidence he was showing earlier meant nothing."

The animal loving pegasus' sigh deepened. "Doesn't he care at all about trying to make a decent living? Doesn't he realize that he can't be a good mane stylist if he always quits?"

Rainbow replied. "Look, Fluttershy, I know you're feeling guilty. But you did do the right thing. You gave him plenty of chances to do what he promised to do. It's not your fault he didn't want to keep that promise. You had to stand up for yourself, he needed to be told no."

"I just wish it didn't have to come to this," Fluttershy lamented. "He didn't even get started on his project like he said he was gonna do."

Just then, the brash speedster noticed something. "Hey, what's that?!" She asked and flew over to fetch that which had so caught her eye. It turned out to be a bright orange book of some kind. Opening it up, she was most surprised by its contents. "Hey, these are all different mane styles. Or at least sketches of them."

Fluttershy trotted over to her fellow pegasus. "He must've left it behind by mistake," Soon, she too was looking into the book, and was amazed at how detailed the sketches appeared to be. But more concerning was the fact that over each was written the word "FAILURE" in large letters. Suddenly, it dawned on her what those loose scraps of paper had been. "All this time, he was trying to come up with inspiration!"

Rainbow nodded and then said. "I don't see how could he just abandon them, they're not half bad, really. I mean yeah, they're not great but any one of them would be an improvement over that eyesore of a mane style he had on that little wig of his. It's like he didn't even try, he'd already given up on himself."

At that the animal loving pegasus realized. "And I call myself his big sister. I never tried to really understand what he was going through, aside from one occasion. If anypony knows what it's like to keep things to yourself for longer than you should, it's me," And she immediately decided then and there. "I have to find him! I need to get him back here, need to get him to take that first step! I just wish I knew where he was."

Just then, a bird with light red colored feathers flew onto a nearby windowsill and perched. Fluttershy trotted over to speak with it. "Oh, hello, Constance!" She greeted, and received a series of tweets in reply. "What's that? Oh?" She sighed. "Oh dear."

Rainbow Dash took one long at her fellow pegasus and immediately commented. "Let me guess..."





In the short amount of time he'd been left to himself, Zephyr Breeze had somehow managed to put together a rather hastily made campsite: His sleeping tent proped up by a single, large stick. He'd also surrounded some other sticks with small rocks to form a small fire pit. And of course, he still had his unfinished mane styling project, which he was now talking to as if it were alive.

"See, Wigford?" Zephyr spoke to the unfinished art. "The Breeze needs nopony! This whole forest is one giant, blank canvass. Free for me to do whatever I want! I'll show them, I'll show them all! They all think I'm just a failure, but together you and are I gonna prove 'em all wrong!" He gestured a hoof. "Just look around, we've got all the essentials: Food, water, shelter, you name it. Now, I just need to put the old kettle on, and the creative juices will be flowing in no time."

The lanky stallion proceeded to rub some rocks together for a bit, then threw them down at the sticks in the fire pit (above which was hanging a tea kettle). But nothing happened, the sticks did not ignite. The pegasus was most unhappy about this, frowning as he approached the pit and grabbed one of the sticks. "Come on, sticky-sticky, make with the sparks already!" He tried rubbing the stick against the others, to no avail. Frustrated, he started banging it against the tea kettle, which only served to spill its contents out! "Ugh, come on!" He complained aloud! "What's a pony got to do to find a decent stick around here?!" And in his anger, he accidentally knocked down his tent.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been watching the whole thing. The looks they shared conveyed just how worried they were that Zephyr was clearly not thinking straight. His self-imposed exile into the Everfree Forest was already adversly impacting his mental state.

"He's taking it even harder than I thought he would," Rainbow Dash whispered to Fluttershy. "As much as I think he needs to be able to fend for himself..."

Fluttershy threw a wing over her face to shield her eyes. "Oh, I can't watch! It's just too painful! I can't let him live like this."

Rainbow nervously agreed. "Yeah. At this rate, I don't think he'd survive the night. He'd freeze for sure." And that meant there was only one thing to do.

When Zephyr saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash approach him, he hastily retreated to his poorly propped up tent and tried to hide how poorly he was managing on his own. "O-oh!" He gasped and flashed a smile, trying not to look nervous. "Hey, ladies! I was uh... just, um, cozying up in my sleeping bag! Yeah, that's it! About ready to call it an early night!"

The rainbow maned pegasus mare frowned as she looked up at the sky and pointed out. "It's noon, Zephyr. You haven't even been gone for an hour."

Hastily, the lanky stallion tried to recover. "Oh, you know me. Siesta!" But his confidence left him completely when his tent collapsed on top of him. He whimpered and confessed. "I can't do this. I can't do anything. I'm a failure, just like always."

Fluttershy leaned down next to her brother, trying to reassure him. "You're not a failure, Zephyr. You're smart and talented, Rainbow and I saw those sketches you left behind. You already have plenty of inspiration. But your fears are holding you back."

Zephyr only whimpered further. "Everypony always looks down on me because everything I tried to do in my life was a failure. I thought maybe mane school would be different. Of course, that didn't turn out so well. I'm hanging by a thread. And if my project doesn't turn out good, I'm sure to fail. Then everypony will just have another reason to mock me. Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm just destined to fail no matter what I do."

Rainbow Dash shook her head from side to side. "If you keep thinking like that, then of course you're going to fail. And if you never try, you'll never succeed or do anything. You can't run away from your failures, they'll always catch up to you. Trust me, a friend of mine learned that lesson the hard way."

The lanky pegasus stallion only protested. "It's easy for you and Fluttershy to say things like that. You two are big heroes, you've saved Equestria countless time. You've never failed anypony."

"Not true, we've had our fair share of failures," Fluttershy pointed out. "I've always been afraid that I might fail, that I might not be up to the task of saving Equestria again. But the only real mistake I could make in those situations is giving up," She reassured her little brother. "Maybe you will fail even if you try your best. But if so, that doesn't have to be where it ends. You can try again. Mom and Dad will understand if you do have to take mane styling school over again. And there's still plenty of opportunities for part time jobs here in Ponyville that will help you make a decent living for yourself."

"But if you ask me, I'd say you're not likely to be a failure this time," Rainbow pointed out. "At least, not unless you give up. Then you'd be proving everypony right."

The animal loving pegasus then proposed. "Rainbow Dash and I would be more than happy to be your volunteers while you practice your mane styling and figure out a unique style that works for you. So, whaddya say, Zeph? Are you ready to come back to Ponyville with me?"

Reluctantly, Zephyr agreed. "Fine. Anything's better than staying here. This forest just isn't natural. How could anyone possibly survive out here?"

Fluttershy and Rainbow just snickered quietly to each other. They decided it wasn't necessary to tell Zephyr Breeze about the one creature they knew who called this forest home.





So it was that Zephyr Breeze returned with Fluttershy to her cottage. She soon went about modifying one of the rooms within her cottage so that it could serve as a sort of mini-saloon for her brother to practice his skills.

Rainbow Dash wasn't exactly thrilled with being a "test subject" for somepony still figuring out what they wanted to do, but nevertheless cooperated as best she could.

Slowly but surely, as he kept working on the two pegasus mares' manes, Zephyr felt his confident start to grow. Eventually, inspiration came to him! He knew what he wanted to do, and was certain it would be just the thing to help him pass his exam!

Grabbing scissors, a comb and some styling gel, Zephyr Breeze worked hard and fast to style the mane on his ponyquin head, until finally it had been molded into a unique, one of a kind style that combined curly and shaggy. The very next day, he packed up his things and set off back to mane styling school, ready to take his final exam.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were quite relieved when they heard the news from Spring and Gentle Breeze, Zephyr had passed his exam! He was officially a certified mane stylist!

"Thanks again for helping Zephyr get his confident back, Fluttershy." Gentle Breeze spoke to her daughter within a day of the announcement of Zephyr's success.

Spring Breeze nodded. "I almost don't recognize him now, it's like he's a completely different pony."

Rainbow Dash, for her part, just wiped the sweat from her brows. "I'm just glad I don't have to be a volunteer for him to keep experimenting. I'll never complain about the demanding schedule of the Wonderbolts ever again!"

Just then, the front door of the Breeze family home swung open. And in strolled Zephyr Breeze, wearing a black cape and gown. "Guess who just graduated with honors?!" He proudly proclaimed! "That's right, me! And I've got even better news! Apparently somepony," He turned to Fluttershy, looking at her. "Found a way to get word out to Sapphire Shores. And Sapphire's agreed to hire me to be her mane stylist for her upcoming tour."

"Oh, congratulations!" Fluttershy cheerfully exclaimed! "Looks like your dream is finally coming true after all, Zephyr. You're not a failure anymore."

Zephyr nodded. "All thanks to you, big sis. I couldn't have done it without you. Well, you and Rainbow of course." He flashed a wink at the rainbow maned speedster.

"Don't push it." Was all Rainbow Dash could bring herself to say in reply.