"That'll be two bits, ma'am" said the red stallion, depositing five large strawberries into Fluttershy's saddlebag. She hoofed over the money and, with a curt thanks, quietly shuffled away. The stallion squinted at the departing mare, confused. She didn't normally act like this.
Ok. I've got the strawberries, the corn, the oranges and the milk. All I need now is lettuce and some apples.
She glanced in the direction of her friend's farm.
Maybe I can miss out on apples.
Ponies trotted through the market place, saddlebags resting atop their backs. Bits jangled inside the bags as the mares, stallions and fillies chatted amongst themselves, grabbing food and checking lists. Lyra and BonBon were sat outside the café, drinking smoothies. Listening in on conversations was thought lowly of by everypony, including Fluttershy, but she couldn't help herself when she heard her name being mentioned.
"Hey, Lyra, have you seen Fluttershy lately? She's been acting really strange. I hope everything's ok" said BonBon. Lyra gulped down the rest of her smoothie and replied,
"Yeah I have seen her. When you were in Canterlot yesterday, she came flying down the street like a rocket, as if she was fleeing from some kind of monster. I got knocked straight off my hooves and flew into the tomato stand. Lemme tell you, Polished Tomato was not happy with all his precious vegetables being crushed underneath my flank. Or are they fruits? I can never tell"
With this statement, BonBon burst out laughing, spitting the contents of her mouth all over the Unicorn opposite. Lyra yelped in surprise and fell backwards and off her chair, falling into Berry Punch, who was carrying three pints of apple cider.
"Sweet Celestia!" cried Berry as her drinks flew up into the air and threatened to drench anypony underneath. Lyra's horn lit up and she caught the drinks in mid-air. Only a few drops of cider fell from the now upright cups and Berry Punch quickly ran underneath to try and catch them on her tongue. BonBon finished laughing and quickly descended into a violent coughing spasm, slamming her hooves down on the table and making her drink wobble precariously on the edge.
Fluttershy managed to release a small smile and trotted over to one of the empty tables in a small alcove that was close to Lyra's table. Deciding to not draw any attention to herself, she beckoned a waiter over quietly and ordered only a single blueberry smoothie. Her stomach grumbled but she didn't notice. The small writing at the bottom of her shopping list distracted her. Squinting, she read the fine print and the smile on her face vanished in an instant.
Corn
Oranges
Milk
Strawberries
Apples
Lettuce
Anti Vomit Pills
She had forgotten about that. Stuffing the list underneath a napkin, she waited for her drink and leaned in closer to hear the rest of what the two mares were saying.
"Lyra! Oh, Luna, I can't breath!" coughed BonBon. Lyra chuckled and engulfed a napkin in her magic, bringing it over and wiping her face clean of any of BonBon's drink.
"Just for that, you're paying for my drink" she laughed. BonBon nodded and rummaged inside her bag for a few bits. As she searched, Lyra continued to talk.
"I was going to visit her but I saw Rainbow Dash walking out of the restaurant looking so hurt. I'm surprised she didn't have any tears in her eyes. I know that pony doesn't cry but you should've seen the look on her face. It was enough to make Celestia sob!"
Shocked, BonBon pulled her hoof out of her saddlebag and stared at Lyra.
"Really? I didn't think she really got upset about anything except maybe her tortoise hibernating and still, that was only for one winter! Who could've done that to her? She's such a strong character!"
"I know! I don't want to spread rumours," Lyra started, looking around nervously, not noticing the yellow Pegasus listening in a few tables away, tucked behind a wall "but I think that it was Fluttershy"
"FLUTTERSHY?!" BonBon yelled, drawing confused looks from everypony around her. Lyra facehoofed.
"Oh. Sorry everypony" she said meekly.
"Way to be subtle!" BonBon scraped her hoof across her chair, a sheepish grin on her face.
"As I was saying, yes, I think it was Fluttershy. She ran out of the same restaurant that Dash came out of and even though she was mostly a blur as she flew past, I could tell she was upset about something. Also, I've never seen her fly that fast except in a crisis so that adds on another piece of evidence. AND Daisy was waiting outside the bathroom when she heard the confrontation. She heard Dash say something about how 'maybe Fluttershy should go to the hospital' and then there was a huge bang, like someone throwing a rock at the toilet and Fluttershy bolted out the door while Rainbow Dash shouted after her. Surprisingly, she didn't need to go to the bathroom after that"
BonBon pulled a hoof through her mane, trying to make sense of the situation. She sipped her smoothie, deep in thought. Coins were pulled from her saddlebag by Lyra and given to the waiter, who had been standing by the table while the Unicorn had spoken. After a few minutes, the mare looked up to see her friend standing beside her chair with her bags being held aloft telekinetically.
"So?"
"So what you're saying is...Fluttershy, the quiet, scared Pegasus, made Rainbow Dash, the direct, loud Pegasus, almost cry?" BonBon enquired incredulously.
"Yeah, pretty much" replied Lyra, placing BonBon's bags on her back. They turned and began to walk in the other direction, the sound of their voices fading into the background.
Fluttershy sat silently, her drink still. Her whole body shook. She stared after the departing ponies in shock.
I made...I made Rainbow almost cry? No...I didn't want this to happen. Any of it! I'm a terrible pony. She probably hates me...maybe I should just take up her offer of going to the hospital, to make her feel better...no, no, no! What am I thinking? I can't go to the hospital! No matter what. I don't blame her if she hates me. I hate myself. I'm so clever, going around with him and doing what I did. I'm an embarrassment. To all of my friends. To everypony. She should hate me! I hurt her, not just mentally but physically. I threw her across the room! What kind of friend am I?
With that, the dejected mare left the establishment, her smoothie sitting untouched next to a few bits.
***
Rainbow Dash sat down on the cafe's stool heavily, flinging her saddlebag under the table. She wasn't in a good mood. Her head hurt and was bruised, she didn't feel like flying and she had been late for work. Nothing was going her way.
Picking up the menu silently, she pored over the options, not noticing the smoothie sitting opposite her. Not a single waiter was around. The mare sighed.
None of the food seemed appetising to her. In her frustration, she brought her hoof heavily down on the table, knocking over the smoothie. Liquefied blueberry flowed from the glass and stained Dash's fur, causing the mare to throw the glass at the wall opposite her.
"Are you KIDDING ME?" She yelled, exasperated. The napkin beside her was lifted up and she noticed a crumpled piece of paper tucked underneath. Observing the handwriting and reading the list, she instantly knew who it belonged to.
Fluttershy.
The menu was discarded and fell to the floor as the rainbow-haired Pegasus got to her feet, stuffing the list inside her bag and walking off, grumbling to herself as she made her way towards a certain mare's library.
***
Today seemed to be the day that everypony wanted to buy lettuce. At least, it seemed like that to Fluttershy. As she had approached the vegetable stand, about fourteen ponies had rushed forward and formed a line. Not much lettuce was there and some ponies took more than one.
Time seemed to slow down as the line slowly moved forwards. Each time a pony left, the pony behind seemed to take more lettuce than before. The vegetable was disappearing and fast. Luckily, when Fluttershy finally arrived at the stand, there was one remaining lettuce. Handing over the money, she watched as the mare took the bits and pulled down the closed sign.
"At least it got one" said the Pegasus, relieved. But, before she could put the vegetable in her bag, a red Earth pony mare with broom for a cutie mark appeared behind her and pulled it from her grasp.
"I'll be taking that, thank you!" she declared. Fluttershy stood in shock and tried to control the fury that was boiling up inside of her. Clearing her throat, she stepped forward and tried to take the lettuce. It didn't work. The mare recoiled and shot Fluttershy a glare.
"I paid for that. Give it back. Now" she whispered, a hint of anger in her voice.
The mare cackled and smirked at her.
"Or what? You're gonna set your bunny on me? Oh, please! Unless you have an extra piece of lettuce, you ain't getting this back. I need it for my tea tonight" she laughed, shoving the lettuce inside her saddlebag.
A crowd had surrounded the pair, ponies wondering what was going on after hearing the conversation. The all stood in anticipated silence, waiting for what was going to come next.
Just stay calm. You don't possess anger. Calm. An outburst will draw attention to you. An outburst from you is a dead giveaway that something is wrong. Breathe, Flutters, breathe. Just get the lettuce back in a calm manner. In an adult manner.
Everypony was silent. Nopony made a sound. They all stood with bated breath, not wanting to miss what was about to happen. The cool spring breeze and the birds overhead were the only things that were audible.
With gritted teeth, Fluttershy spoke.
"Please give me back what is mine. I paid for that lettuce with my own money and I would appreciate it if you gave it back to me. I waited in line for that lettuce and I'm sorry that you didn't get any but that doesn't give you an excuse to steal mine. So please, return it to me and we can both go our separate ways"
"Well, since you asked so nicely, of course...NOT" she said, her cackling shattering the quiet atmosphere.
A collective gasp echoed through the gathering of ponies, shock registering across their faces. Many were angry. Stealing! How awful!
Fluttershy dug her hooves into the ground, trying to control her fury. But all she could see was that stupid, rude smirk, all she could hear was that infuriating, ugly laugh. Those cold blue eyes stared into hers and she couldn't help herself. Screw staying calm. Screw being nice. This mare deserved everything that was coming to her.
Buck it.
The mare's laughing continued to spew from her mouth but was cut short when a yellow hoof connected with her muzzle. She let out a yelp of pain and fell onto the floor, her saddlebag spilling its contents and the lettuce rolling towards the furious, yellow Pegasus' front hoof.
Blood trickled from the fallen mare's nose and she tried to back away from Fluttershy, who had kicked all her stuff inside the discarded saddlebag.
"When I say give me back what's mine, I expect to you to give it back? Are we clear?" Fluttershy sneered. Grabbing her bag, the mare nodded and galloped off in the opposite direction.
They're all looking at me. Buck.
Her hoof drifted back and forth through the mud and she couldn't take her eyes off the ground. She heard whispering and could feel the eyes on her.
"Please go away now" she murmured. The crowd slowly began to disperse and the market place started up it's usual noise. It still felt like somepony was watching her though.
Something wet touched her hoof and she looked down, seeing blood attach itself to her fur. Trying to rub it off only made it worse and soon, she looked like she'd been hoofpainting with tomato juice.
Deciding to head to the pond and wash the blood off, she looked up and saw who was watching her. Her face displayed guilt, anger, sadness and embarrassment, all at the same time. Fluttershy couldn't pull her gaze away from those cold, magenta eyes. The blood began to harden and would be a nightmare to wash off but she didn't notice. Nothing was more important than those huge eyes, full of resentment and sorrow. And that huge bruise on her forehead.
"Oh, Fluttershy" Rainbow Dash muttered, "What is wrong with you?"
***
Rainbow Dash had been walking towards Twilight's library before she saw the crowd of ponies gathered in the square. She heard the voices. And the mumbling of the crowd.
As she arrived, she heard the voice of Sweeping, a rude pony that lived at the far end of town. She had little to no patience and would resort to deceiving others or stealing what she couldn't get.
But to Dash's surprise, a soft voice echoed through the square. Fluttershy's. She ignored the annoyed outbursts from the ponies around her as she pushed through the crowd, accidentally trampling on the ponies around her and shoving through. The Pegasus stayed low, avoiding flying as Fluttershy would see her for sure and stop whatever she was doing. Craning her neck, she looked over Carrot Top and watched the confrontation. She heard what had happened. She heard the cackling laughter. She saw the lettuce. And she saw the hoof flying towards Sweeping's face.
***
A book floated in the air, covered in a purple aura. A bookshelf lay on the floor with a visible dent in it. Books were strewn across the floor and others began to circle the one that was already airborne. Spike struggled to lift bookshelf up as Twilight rushed around the room, lifting multiple books in front of her face and groaning in frustration when she didn't find what she wanted. Sweat trickled down her face as she added more books to the cloud of paper and pushed the bookcase back up into standing position. Spike ran into the kitchen and turned off the heat on the oven as a dozen brownies burned.
"Spike! I need your help in here!" Twilight's voice shouted from the front room.
"Coming Twilight!" he replied, dropping the baking tray on the floor and running smack into the wall in his haste. A gasp escaped his lips as he entered the room, books obscuring his view and Twilight shouting as she dodged flying hardbacks.
Suddenly, the door flew open and Rainbow Dash flew in, instantly smashing into a pile of books and flying back out the door.
"WOAH!" she yelled in surprise as she flew back out the entrance.
At that same moment, every book fell to the floor and Spike leapt behind one of the bookcases, cowering in fear of another book attack.
"Rainbow Dash!" she exclaimed, running towards the door and dragging her friend inside.
"W-What happened in here?" Dash said, rubbing her head. Her chest was stained purple. Twilight looked sheepish and pushed a few books away to clear a path. Spike was pulled from his corner and placed on the stairs, which were free of books. Rainbow Dash gasped when she saw that the dragon had a cutie mark! It was a closed, black book, decorated with Twilight's cutie mark.
"Oh, Celestia! You see the cutie mark too, right?"
"Yeah! It's pretty cool, huh? But, turns out, I can't find a book that can help me get rid of it"
Rainbow Dash just looked confused.
"So I was trying a spell that could turn Spike into a pony like us but even for an Alicorn, transformation spells are SUPER difficult and it knocked over the bookshelf and left a dent. I have searched the entire library and displaced loads of books but I'm only concerned about changing him back to normal as I read that partial transformation spells can damage the, shall we say, victims growth and development and since he's a baby dragon, that could mess him up really bad"
Dash nodded, figuring out the situation quickly.
"I've looked all over for a book but I still cannot find one. Half of these," She gestured towards the hundreds of books on the floor "are from Celestia or the basement. Yet, still no cure. I was just about to send a letter the princess and then you arrived. What do you need?"
Rainbow Dash processed all the information and closed the door, glad to be moving onto her subject. Twilight's happy demeanour vanished when she saw the solemn look on her friend's face. She tried to speak but Dash held up a hoof for silence.
"There's something wrong with Fluttershy"
Twilight frowned and brought a table and two chairs through the mess and indicated for Rainbow Dash to sit down, which she did.
"Spike, fetch us some tea" she said, her voice monotone.
***
"Fluttershy, darling! I haven't seen you in ages!" said Rarity, trotting towards the silent mare.
"Hi, Rarity"
Rarity frowned, realising that Fluttershy was not herself today.
"Well, I was expecting more of a greeting but I can tell you're not happy. A bit for your thoughts?"
Fluttershy continued walking, trying to avoid talking. Rarity's frown deepened and her brow creased in confusion and she quickened her pace so she could catch up with her friend. Studying her body language, the white mare's eyes reached her front hoof. She saw the red marks and stopped. Fluttershy felt a somepony pat her back.
"Fluttershy is that...blood?" she whispered in horror. Dejectedly, Fluttershy nodded and turned to look at Rarity.
"How did yo-"
"I punched somepony in the face, ok?" she interrupted.
"Oh...wait, why? That doesn't seem like you at all!"
"Well, maybe there's something different about me! You don't know everything!" she said, almost yelling before drawing a hoof up towards her face.
I've said too much.
"Fluttershy, I'm sorry for being so direct. Come with me and we can get some tea at the boutique" she offered, drawing Fluttershy into a hug. She nodded, not wanting to be rude and reject her offer.
***
Silence reigned as Rarity used her magic to pour the Pegasus sitting opposite her some tea. It poured perfectly into her cup, not a single drop out of place. After placing a small array of cakes on the table and removing a hissing Opalescence from her chair, Rarity sat down.
"There's something different about you, dear. You missed our spa day! You've never missed one. You can tell me if something's wrong"
"There's nothing...nothing at all! I'm fine!"
Rarity stirred her tea, taking in the Pegasus' stance and attitude. She hadn't touched anything on the table but seemed like she wanted to eat a lot from the way her eyes had lit up at the sight of them, similar to the behaviour of Pinkie Pie when somepony brought out a cake. She also didn't speak the entire journey or at all up until this point and seemed anxious to leave. She had punched somepony in the face! How unlike her! Mood swings were obvious but Fluttershy never had them before. There were certain situations that made mares have mood swings, become angry a lot and become very, very hungry. None of these seemed to fit the situation...except one.
That can't possibly be what's going on, can it?
"Are you sure?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Ok. Oh! I cannot believe I forgot! Since you missed our spa day and have seemed down lately, I made you a dress! It's simply divine and I'm sure it'll fit you perfectly! I'll fetch it for you" Rarity galloped out the room. Fluttershy felt sick.
It won't fit me. Not now.
A few seconds later, the mare trotted happily into the room, a marvellous dress held aloft in her delicate, magical grip. It was green silk, the colour of grass, decorated with blue gems. It was simple yet complex with the gems forming multiple butterflies. They were positioned as if they were flying across the material and Fluttershy instantly fell in love with it. Too bad it wouldn't fit her.
Placing the dress over her friend's back, Rarity brought a privacy screen into the room and placed Fluttershy behind it. She smiled at Rarity but as soon as she couldn't see her, Fluttershy's mouth drooped and she stared at the dress.
Guess I should at least try.
Attempting to pull on the dress, she shoved her head through the hole and desperately tried to pull it over her body. Her slight figure had been destroyed by what was happening to her and she felt tears leak from her eyes as she pulled on the material. In her struggle, Fluttershy pulled hard on the hem of the dress and an audible tear came from the dress. Staring at the rip in horror, Fluttershy dropped the dress and tried to step back, hitting her head on the wall.
The privacy screen was suddenly pulled away and there stood Rarity with fear in her eyes. Fluttershy watched as the mare's eyes drifted from the dress to herself and froze when she noticed Rarity staring at her. Not at her eyes, at her body. She tried to shield herself from Rarity's vision but she couldn't stop her from picking up a roll of measuring tape and placing it around her stomach. She squirmed but Rarity held her still with her magic.
"I honestly thought it would fit...Fluttershy, you seemed to have...put on a few, erm, pounds" she said awkwardly. Fluttershy nodded and sat down, not meeting her eyes.
"There is something wrong, isn't there?"
Fluttershy nodded again.
"Extra weight, mood swings, anger, hunger...pills"
"You know about those?!" she said, nervous. "How?"
"I couldn't help seeing a prescription for 'Anti Vomit Pills' sticking out of your saddlebag" Rarity answered, shooting her a sympathetic look. "Fluttershy, I've seen it all before. I take pride in knowing these kinds of things. Mares come into the boutique, wanting a dress that would not usually fit them. Many answered honestly, some didn't. Like you"
Fluttershy cringed.
"They'd put down their saddlebags and the honest ones would tell me all about what was happening, many showed me prescriptions similar to yours. I'd reassure them that I would make them an outfit that would fit their new figure. They all possessed the same attitude that you have. Fluttershy, please tell me the truth"
Fluttershy unfurled her wings and promptly closed them. She tapped the floor and batted her hair.
"I swear, Rarity. I-I'm fine. I don't need to explain anything to you"
Rarity sighed and hugged the Pegasus, before putting a hoof on her chest and looking into her scared eyes.
"No, you don't need to explain anything, dear. I already know"