Fluttershy squeaked at Twilight’s sudden outburst. She inspected her friend, only to see that same look on her face that only made Fluttershy nervous. Her head was held high, like she was ready to overcome yet another kingdom at the drop of a hat. She stared deep into the fog as if it were her worst mortal enemy. Twilight was determined to prevail over yet another obstacle in her life, and Fluttershy could not help but to admire her grit.
Fluttershy got shivers, and she was halfway sure that it was because of the cool mist that surrounded them. Inside, something was swirling around -- like a leaf through water. She stared back at the emptiness of Twilight’s library, and then back to her. Was it really that easy? she wondered. She let out another sigh. Once again, the words printed on her own cottage came back to haunt her. She knew sooner or later somepony would come by and read it. She could only try and hold it off for so long.
“I… I’m not too sure about this,” Fluttershy murmured. Twilight turned back towards her with a single, swishing motion. Fluttershy subconsciously flicked her tail.
“Wait, what? Why not?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy suddenly felt her body grow a little heavier. She had been resisting the urge to faint ever since this morning, but the silent wish was slowly trying to persuade her as time went on.
“Well… in order to do that… we’d have to… uh, read our friends secrets…” Fluttershy trailed off so much that it took Twilight a moment to realize just what the pegasus had actually said. She caught herself and refrained from asking her to repeat herself. Twilight took one examination of Fluttershy to know that she had not been thinking in the clear. “I’m not sure if I feel comfortable.”
“You’re right… that just might not be something that we’d want to do. But Fluttershy, you have to understand that if we don’t, the paint will not come off. If one of our friends denies or lies about their secret to another pony, then they risk the whole town seeing what they don’t want out into the open. We’re not reading secrets for personal satisfaction. We’re going to try and right the wrong that somepony in this town did.” Fluttershy looked down at the ground again, majority of her face hiding behind her mane.
Internally, Fluttershy was having a mini-heart attack. She did not judge others at all, even when she read Twilight’s secret. She was surprised more than anything. But she knew that if even one of her friends read her secret, the feelings would not be mutual.
“Who would do something like this?”
Twilight took Fluttershys change of subject as a subtle acceptance. She turned back towards the fog and began to somberly trot. Fluttershy reluctantly followed suit. Twilight would have moved faster, but she deemed that a bad idea after realizing that she could easily run into somepony if she was not careful. “I have no clue. Perhaps a certain God of Chaos thought that this would be a funny prank?” Twilight raised a single eyebrow, and Fluttershy put a hoof on her chest in realization.
“Discord may have been bad before, but he’s changed now. There is no way that he’d do something like this.” Fluttershy said in rebuttal.
Twilight bit the inside of her lip. Fluttershy had a point. Besides, Discord and Fluttershy were very good friends. It was very unlikely that he would do something to hurt her like that, much less her friends. Twilight had silently decided to walk towards Carousel Boutique first, considering that it was the closest of her friends’ houses.
They walked in a deafening silence after that, however that was for a multitude of reasons. Twilight and Fluttershy had been quietly staring at the beacons of words that had been shining through the fog. Even though the mist had cut their visibility, they could still see the damage that was being caused.
About halfway to the Carousel Boutique, the passed a bright pink house. Everything about it was normal, except for the writing on it. Outside, a bright yellow stallion and a magenta mare were fiercely arguing and screaming at each other. They threw their hooves in the air, and looked like they were seconds away from throwing punches. Fluttershy squeaked yet again in dismay as she read the words on the house behind the duo:
I DRINK MY PROBLEMS AWAY. GUESS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS PREGNANT
The stallion was absolutely furious, but the mare also had a reason to be angry. The mare’s words were written on the roof, while the stallion’s were written on the doors and windows:
I HAVE MADE A SILENT PACT WITH MYSELF THAT I WILL VERBALLY ABUSE MY FOAL
Fluttershy cringed as she read both of their secrets. She wanted to motion to Twilight. She wanted to help them resolve their problems so much, but she could not bring herself to do it. For some reason, she almost wanted to stay out of it. She did her best not to judge, and she was doing a fairly good job at it. However, she knew that mare. Fluttershy saw her around town pretty often buying berries and grapes. She just found it difficult to believe what she was reading was true. It did not take long for her to notice that she was being a gigantic hypocrite after remembering what she had told Twilight earlier. She quickly turned away.
Twilight was not looking in that general direction, and she had somehow managed not to hear the estranged yelling. She had been trying to ignore all those floating red words that surrounded her peripheral vision. She tried not to think about the pain and humiliation that her other friends were feeling. But she knew that they were all going to be shared at one point or another. She just hoped Rarity would understand.
Twilight had memorized the route from her library to the boutique so well that the fog did not hinder her trip. It had taken a mere ten minutes, tops. Twilight had honestly not been paying attention to time. “Rarity?” Twilight called as she slowly approached the boutique. The familiar feeling of the stones that lead up to the establishment hinted that the two were no more than fifty feet away. Fluttershy took notice that the fog seemed to be a little more dense in this area compared to that around the library. “Rarity, are you there?”
“Please, no!” A lightly accented voice called through the air, causing Fluttershy and Twilight to stop in their tracks. “Please don’t come any closer!”
“Rarity, it’s me! Something weird is going on!”
The same voice uttered a response from the fog. “Darling, I think that’s already been established!” Twilight turned to Fluttershy, who simply shrugged.
“Rarity, we need to talk to you! We have a way to fix this!” Twilight yelled back. She could honestly hear the shake of Rarity’s mane.
“I… I refuse! Don’t come any closer! Come back later when I get this blasted paint off my boutique!” Rarity replied. Twilight could hear a soft squish coming from further down the path, followed by a sorrowful grunt. “Sweetie Belle already saw the words, and she ran off crying! Everypony around me is going to leave… so just save yourselves the trouble!”
To Twilight’s surprise, Fluttershy spoke up from behind her. “Rarity, we’re not here to judge. We’re here to help you get through this!” Fluttershy’s holler only came out as a loud whisper, however it served its purpose.
“I don’t wish to get through this! I wish for you all to stay away! My life will be in ruins! Shambles! Pieces! Oh, this is the WORST. POSSIBLE-”
Twilight and Fluttershy both subconsciously tuned out the last part. They knew Rarity enough to know just what she was going to finish that with. “Rarity, we don’t have much time! We’re coming over there!” Twilight replied. Rarity’s begging was in vain as the sound of clopping hooves once again became apparent. Fluttershy followed her friend with a large frown on her face. “Don’t read it! It’s not true!”
Twilight knew that Rarity was lying when a loud ding was heard, and she could see the letters getting slightly brighter. She toned out Rarity’s desperate pleas. As much as she cared about her friend’s feelings, she knew what she had to do.
By the time Twilight and Fluttershy reached Rarity, they came across two things: Rarity, sitting on her haunches, her mane and makeup an absolute mess as tears stained most of her face and the scarlet words that peeked out from the boutique. Rarity let out an audible groan as the two simultaneously read her secret.
MY LIFESTYLE MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO RELAX, SO I LET THE PILLS DO IT FOR ME
Fluttershy shook violently upon reading the haunting words. Twilight was absolutely dumbstruck, and Rarity continued to be a wallowing, a crying mess on the ground. She sobbed in a manner that Twilight nor Fluttershy had ever seen before. Rarity was always one for being dramatic, but they both could tell that the tears and pain were real.
“Rarity…” Twilight murmured. Fluttershy refused to look down at Rarity, not because of her secret, but because she felt that same feeling a dread deep inside of her.
“There. Are you happy?” Rarity’s tear stained eyes glared up at the two. “Now you know…” Rarity stood up, and tried her best to compose herself. However the tears that slid down her face continued to give away how hurt she truly was.
“Rarity, what pills does the message mean?” Twilight asked. Rarity flipped her mane, and her ears flopped on the top of her head. With a new sense of independence and pride, she lifted her nose into the air.
“I don’t know what it’s talking about…” she spoke. Twilight and Fluttershy knew it was a lie after the performance she just recently gave. The icing on the cake was the loud ding, followed by the letters glowing a little brighter. Two sighs were heard, as well as a horrified scream.
“Please, Rarity. The more you deny the brighter the words get. Just talk to us. We’re here to help you.” Fluttershy practically begged the white unicorn to comply. Rarity simply looked away, unwilling.
“You got what you want. You know my secret. I assume that you’re going to run away, just like my sister.” Twilight and Fluttershy opened their mouths to interject, but Rarity continued. “Don’t let me suffer more than I already have.”
“Talk to us, please!” Twilight was becoming desperate. She knew that Rarity was a tough egg to crack at times, so she jumped ahead in her advances. Twilight’s begging almost came out as a pleading whine. “The words won’t come off until you explain yourself. Trust me. Fluttershy and I are both going through the same things you are. So is everypony else in town.” Twilight stepped forward a bit, her face showing no remorse for what she was speaking.
“The fact that I had a sexual experience with my brother was shown to almost everypony in town.” Rarity’s jaw dropped dramatically, while Fluttershy stared at Twilight with admiration. Twilight was on another roll, and nothing could stop her now.
“We all have secrets, Rarity. I had to explain mine, even though it hurt me deeply. I kept that secret hidden inside me for so long that I almost forgot about it myself. You have to understand that you’re not the only pony hurting here. Think about Sweetie Belle. Your secret has most likely changed her perception of her older sister. But you cannot let that hinder your relationship with her. You have to talk to us, and you have to make this right.”
There was a long pause. It was so silent that Fluttershy could actually hear the same couple a few blocks down arguing still. But she was sure that no one else could hear them. It was a few minutes until Rarity sighed, and nodded her head.
“Do not think of me as any different.” she mumbled, her defenses completely shattered. “But the words are true. I take pills to help me relax and sleep on a daily basis. If I didn't, I’d be even worse off. I can’t possibly sleep or rest without them, no matter how much I toss or turn…”
“Surely, you know those drugs are bad for you?” Fluttershy interjected. “What kind were they? If… uhm, you don’t mind answering.” Once again, Fluttershy took another step back. She was practically hiding behind Twilight at this point. She instantly regretted what she said, even though Rarity could not blame her for being curious.
“T-Terokain"
“What?” Twilight furrowed her brow just slightly upon hearing that word. Fluttershy tilted her head.
“Uhm… what’s that?” she asked. Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy, who was now beginning to slowly reappear from behind her. Twilight opened her mouth, and Rarity and Fluttershy got ready for a science lesson.
“Terokain is a drug that was created for ponies with Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. They can be inhaled or swallowed, it works either way. They numb the nervous system in an effort to calm down hyperactive ponies that suffer from said behavioral disorders. Some of the side effects only occur in minor cases, or barely at all. However sleepiness in one of the main side effects after the drug itself wears off. It’s also a fairly addictive… and they’re really quite hard to acquire without permission from a doctor…” Once Twilight made the realization, she turned back towards Rarity.
“Rarity, how did you get this medicine…?”
Rarity turned a bright red, and began to shy away from the two others. “Eheh… you see… very rarely when I take trips to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie sometimes leaves her bedroom door open…” This time, Rarity saw both Twilight and Fluttershy’s jaws simultaneously drop.
“You… steal Pinkie’s medication!?” Twilight’s mouth was open in shock, but after seeing yet another one of Rarity’s pained expressions, Twilight calmed herself down. Fluttershy was still slightly confused. She did not know enough about the medicine, and the only part she understood was that Rarity put bad things inside her body.
“Y-Yes! But only sometimes!” Rarity replied. Another loud ding was heard, and the letters grew just a little bit brighter. Twilight and Fluttershy looked back at Rarity, expectantly. The mare in question stomped her hoof in frustration.
“Fine! I do it when I get the chance to! But only then!”
Ding!
“Er, I take them more often than not!”
Ding!
“Ugh! Okay! I steal the medicine every chance I get!” A few more tears ran down the poor mare’s face. “I have a problem! I’ll get up in the middle of the night and sneak into her room and take a few!” Fluttershy was appalled, but even more so when another loud ding was heard.
“I take a hooful!” When no dinging was heard, Rarity let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the words on the front of her boutique were so bright at this point that Twilight was certain that it could be seen for at least a few blocks.
“But… but why? Why would you do that to yourself? To Pinkie? Is that why she’s been acting weird lately?” Twilight asked. Rarity lowered her gaze, feeling another tinge of self-pity.
“I could not, for the life of me, help myself.” She replied. She refused to turn her eyes upwards. “It started as an experiment to see if it would help me sleep. Needless to say, it worked. But… then I felt myself wanting them more and more, even when work was not in the way. I needed them to function, and it felt… nice.” Rarity cringed internally as the words exited her mouth. Fluttershy spoke next.
“Do you need professional help? We’re alway-”
“No!” Rarity suddenly exploded. Her yell frightened Fluttershy so much that she actually lowered herself to the ground. “Please! My image will be ruined! A drug addict will never make it big among the stars in Canterlot.” Twilight deadpanned at Rarity, who quickly caught her friend’s drift. “Also, I do not want to put my family through that… I can’t stop thinking about Sweetie.”
“Rarity, your image doesn't matter when you overdose on pills.” Twilight said, rather bluntly. Rarity’s eyes widened as another wave of realization swept over her. “You need help, and as your friend, I cannot let your addiction run your life any longer.”
“Same here.” Fluttershy echoed. “Would you rather Sweetie Belle know what you do, and the fact that you do not wish to change? Or would you rather that she knows that you left to go somewhere to get help for your problem?” Twilight and Rarity stared at Fluttershy, who slowly began to creep away. I need to stay more quiet…
Rarity let those words sink in. Her mind and heart knew exactly what she wanted to do, even though her body continued to betray her. “You’re… you’re absolutely right!” she exclaimed. “I must do something about this…” Her gaze dropped again. “For my dear sister, I need to go and find her.”
Twilight held up a hoof. “Let her calm down first. I’m sure Sweetie Belle’s all worked up at the moment.” she said. Rarity nodded in understanding, although she was not happy about it.
All of a sudden, Fluttershy smiled grandly. She raised up a hoof and pointed behind Rarity. Both mare’s followed the pegasus’ hoof. The letters on the Carousel Boutique were now gone. Rarity smiled, and let out another sigh of relief. “I… I feel so much better now. I’ve been holding that in for a while now.”
“Secrets can keep even the strongest ponies down,” Twilight spoke, “but those who embrace and recognize them are the only ones who can grow.” Fluttershy and Rarity nodded their heads. Rarity levitated a hairbrush out of seemingly nowhere, and got to work on fixing her disheveled mane. A brief thought had crossed Rarity’s mind, but she tossed it aside. If Twilight knew, surely she or Fluttershy would have mentioned it. She stared at the buttery mare for a moment, before going back to her mane.
“So… what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked. To be honest, she was just following what everypony else was doing at this point.
Twilight did a few mental calculations.
“Well, Sugarcube Corner isn't that far away… but then again, Fluttershy, your cottage is even closer…” Fluttershy shook violently in retaliation.
“Uhm, I’d really rather not… as much as I’d like the words to come off, I don’t want to.. uhm…” Fluttershy tried to look for a valid excuse, but her words failed her.
Twilight pursed her lips.
“Well, we’re going to have to go over there sooner or late-” Twilight was cut off as she noticed Rarity’s strange gaping. Fluttershy followed her gaze, only to completely mimic the unicorn’s face.
Twilight tilted her head. “What? What is it?” Twilight turned around, only to find a single, crimson sentence lighting up the fog. Twilight was almost blinded as she read those fateful words coming from the direction of the library:
I HAD AN INCESTUOUS EXPERIENCE WITH MY BROTHER