Fluttershy's Garden

by SilentWanderer

Kindness

My house is a mess.

It is now two days since I was buried. The animals have not been fed. They broke all the furniture, and they are angry.

They do not see me. They do not hear me. I cannot touch anything. I pass through anything that I try to touch.

Two days ago, I did not notice. When I left my house, and later Rarity's house, I did not open the door.

I sit on a corner of my living room, watching my animals fight each other for scraps of barely edible food.

I hear hoofsteps outside. I see the door open.

A pegasus enters carefully, laden with two pairs of overflowing saddlebags.

I don't recall seeing her before. She has a white coat, a light blue mane, and green eyes.

Angel is the first to attack her. He punches her and tries to steal one of her saddlebags.

She calmly pushes him away with her hoof, which he promptly bites.

“You are hungry, aren't you? Here, have a snack.”

She opens one of the saddlebags on her other side, and pulls out a box of generic pet food.

She is in trouble now. Angel does not like that brand of pet food.

To my surprise, Angel accepts it.

Before she has a chance to react, she is attacked by all the other animals. They savagely take the saddlebags from her, rip them open, and fight among themselves for their contents.

“Please, don't fight. There is more than enough for everyone.”

The animals ignore her, focused only on the food. Angel looks at her, kicks her, and joins the fight.

One by one, the animals leave the fight, having eaten enough food to lessen their hunger. In the end, all that is left is pieces of cardboard from the pet food boxes, and parts of the destroyed saddlebags.

The animals now aggressively surround her. Angel grabs a part of one of the food boxes, points at it, and taps his foot.

“Do you want more?” Angel nods. “But I don't have any more. You ate everything that I brought.”

The animals get closer to her. A few of them bare their fangs. Angel points again at the box piece, glares at her, and taps his foot.

“Is it all right if I go to the market now to buy more food for you all?”

Angel continues to glare at her and to tap his foot.

“Can I take that as a yes?”

Angel continues to glare at her and to tap his foot.

“I'm going then. Please behave yourselves while I'm not here.”

Angel continues to glare at her and to tap his foot.

She opens the door, and retreats cautiously through it. I decide to follow her.

She flaps her wings, checks them for damage, and takes off. I notice her cutie mark, which is a simple bird nest.

She does not go to the market. Instead, she goes directly to Twilight's library.

She knocks on the door. Twilight answers, her eyes red from crying. “Who is it?”

“Are you Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Spring Egg. Celestia sent me to take care of this town's animals.”

So, she is my replacement.

“I saw the letter.”

“Are you all right? You do not seem well.”

“No, I'm fine.”

Twilight, have you been crying all this time?

“May I come in?”

“Sure. I will tell Spike to make us some tea. Spike!”

“Coming.”

I don't recall ever seeing Spike so down. He walks morosely to the door, and asks Twilight what she wants.

Spring Egg is surprised at seeing Spike. “Celestia didn't tell me that I would meet a baby dragon.”

“Yeah, I hatched him.”

She comes in. Before they are seated, Spike is already back with the tea. I have no idea how he can prepare it so fast.

I seat myself too. Not that it matters.

“Celestia told me that the first thing to do when I arrive at this town, after feeding the starving animals, should be to meet Fluttershy's friends.”

You didn't finish feeding them. You said you would go to the market.

“She was the kindest, gentlest pony who ever lived. I'm not sure how we will live without her.”

“Could you tell me more about her?”

Twilight speaks about me to Spring Egg for hours. She cries a lot. Spring Egg only listens, at times asking small questions to encourage Twilight to continue with the story. Spring Egg gives Twilight a warm wing in the moments when she is too emotional to continue.

She is my friend, not yours.

After the stories finish, Twilight is calmer. She gives Spring Egg a small saddlebag, and Spring Egg leaves. I follow her.

She doesn't go to the market. Instead, she asks for directions to the Carousel Boutique.

“May I come in?”

The Carousel Boutique is a mess. Incomplete designs are strewn all over the room. In the corner, Rarity is working on her sewing machine.

“Sorry about the mess. I have not been in the mood to organize it lately. What can I help you with?” Before giving Spring Egg a chance to answer, she is already taking her measurements.

“Oh dear, what happened here near your wing root?” She pokes a spot, making Spring Egg give her a pained look.

“It's nothing. Just a scratch.”

“That is not ‘just a scratch’.” Rarity pokes it again, leading to another pained look. “If you don't fix it right away, you will end up with an ugly scar. How did that happen?”

“A saddlebag accident.”

“Only if your saddlebags have claws. Go see Nurse Redheart now.”

“I don't have the time for that. I have to meet the rest of Fluttershy's friends.”

Rarity pauses at the mention of my name.

“I will not take a ‘no’ for an answer.” She drags Spring Egg with her magic.

-*-*-*-

“It didn't take long, did it? Now, you were talking about Fluttershy...?”

“Celestia sent me to care for this town's animals. She told me to talk to Fluttershy's friends.”

“So Celestia sent you?”

“Yes, I worked at the Canterlot zoo. Yesterday, she told me personally that they needed someone to take care of the animals at Ponyville, and that I should immediately transfer to here permanently. She said that I was the best qualified pony for this mission.”

So far, you are doing a bad job at it.

“Who did you meet already?”

“Only Twilight Sparkle and you. I still have to talk to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.”

“Applejack should be working on her farm. It's a large apple orchard, around this direction. Rainbow Dash has been sulking at her cloud home, it's around this direction. And Pinkie Pie lives at the Sugarcube Corner, it's a bakery around this direction, but you might meet her when you least expect. She's a bit unpredictable.”

“Many thanks. I will meet you later.”

-*-*-*-

“So, Celestia sent you to take care of Fluttershy's animals.” Applejack gives the tree a well-aimed kick.

“And she also said that I had to talk to all of her friends.”

“I can see why she did that.” Applejack pushes the apple buckets towards the next tree. “I lost my parents some time ago, but for the rest of her friends, it was the first time that they had to face that kind of loss. They need somepony to listen to them. Specially Twilight. That girl has been hit real hard.”

Applejack stops her work.

“Her death left us with a hole in our hearts. Perhaps she has sent you to fill that hole.”

She sent you to steal all my friends.

-*-*-*-

“Do you think you can take her place?”

“That's not what I said, Rainbow Dash. I...”

“Yeah, that is not what you said. That is what you meant. You come to me all innocent-like, ‘Celestia sent me to take care of her animals. Celestia sent me to talk to her friends.’ You. Are. Not. Fluttershy. Go away before I kick you out.”

Spring Egg goes away from Rainbow Dash's cloud home. I follow her. At least one of my friends still defends me.

-*-*-*-

Spring Egg arrives at the Sugarcube Corner. The store is dark. I know where this is going.

She enters, and is greeted by the usual newcomer welcoming party. Pinkie Pie can be so predictable at times.

What surprises me is how she managed to drag even Rainbow Dash to the party. Rainbow Dash does not look at Spring Egg, pretending that she does not exist.

“Welcome! To! Ponyville! When I saw you flying around, I just thought, ‘hey, someone new to the town!’ And you know what that means? It means that we do not know you, and if we do not know you, it means that you are new here, and if you are new here, that calls for a newcomer party! We have not had a party since—”

Pinkie Pie stops, staring at the wall. She stays still for a few seconds.

“—and you know, Twilight says that she has already met you, and that Celestia sent you, so it means we are already friends! Isn't it exciting?”

THEY. ARE. NOT. YOUR. FRIENDS.

-*-*-*-

Spring Egg excuses herself from the party, saying that she has to go to the market before it closes.

You should have done it sonner.

First, she buys a new pair of saddlebags. Then, she buys several kinds of food. The money that she uses comes from the saddlebag that Twilight Sparkle gave her.

In a corner of the market, she meets a shady-looking pegasus, who gives her a heavy cart covered with a tarp.

She goes to my home, pulling the cart.

She leaves the cart outside, and carefully opens the door.

“Please, form a line.”

The animals are calmer. She feeds them, one by one. Only Angel rejects her food.

While the animals eat, she puts the broken furniture in place. She then goes outside, takes her personal belongings from the cart, and moves them inside.

THIS IS MY HOUSE! THIS IS NOT YOUR HOUSE!

She notices something. She looks, and finds a ferret, who is struggling to breathe.

-*-*-*-

It was past noon. The ferret was getting worse.

The reference book that I consulted about the disease mentioned a cure. It was an herb, which could only be found deep within the Everfree Forest.

I made a decision. I filled my saddlebags with a map, food, and water.

I went into the forest.

-*-*-*-

There is a new grave on my backyard.

The intruder cries for an animal that she did not have the chance to know.