Fluttershy's Garden

by SilentWanderer

Reconciliation

I am not alone anymore.

I know what I was doing at the Everfree Forest that day. I gave my life to save the life of others.

Spring Egg stole my home. She stole my animals. She stole my love. But she could not steal my friends, no matter how hard she tried.

I leave the crowd behind, and fly towards my house.

-*-*-*-

I enter my house through the closed door. I'm happy to see that all my animals are healthy. Well, perhaps a bit overfed.

I look carefully at each one. I notice the small telltale signs of good quality care on all of them. Except Angel, so knowing him he is probably still not letting her touch him. I smile at that thought.

Spring Egg opens the door, and enters my house.

Followed by Script Letter.

Both are making small talk with a wide open smile.

What does he see in her?

Some of the animals line up in front of her, waiting for food. She pets them, goes to the kitchen, gets a box of generic pet food, and gives it to them.

That is not the correct amount of food for this hour of the day.

Spring Egg and Script Letter walk to the bedroom on the upper floor. She gets closer to him and puts her wing over his back.

You two are disgusting!

I leave the house, not bothering to use the door.

-*-*-*-

Rainbow Dash is sitting on a cloud, thinking.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Spring Egg approaches him. “Want to fly around?”

“Sure!”

They fly fast over the town. Rainbow Dash is much faster, of course. She waits for Spring Egg over a distant cloud.

When Spring Egg arrives, Rainbow Dash asks her:

“I have been thinking. Why do you like flying around with me so much?”

“Why not? It's fun, isn't it?”

“I always get the feeling that it's not the whole story.”

“Come on, Rainbow Dash, don't be such a grump.” She turns around. “Last one to get to that cloud has to pay the other a sundae,” she says as she takes off.

-*-*-*-

“Stay still...”

Rarity puts a set of pins on the dress Spring Egg is modeling for her.

“There! It's perfect!”

Spring Egg moves a bit.

Rarity pauses to think.

“What are you thinking about, Rarity?”

Rarity is startled from her daydream. “Oh, it's nothing.” She takes off Spring Egg's dress. “Let's try another one.”

-*-*-*-

I follow Spring Egg as she arrives at my house. She bought some different vegetables at the market, and I'm curious about what she will do with them.

She gets a bowl from the kitchen, and makes a salad with the vegetables.

She goes to the living room, where Angel is at a corner resting.

She delicately pushes the bowl towards Angel.

Angel kicks the bowl, as I watch smiling. She collects the contents of the bowl, and tries again.

Angel punches her.

She looks at Angel. Her eyes start to water. She falls to the ground, crying loudly.

Script Letter, who was seated on the sofa writing a novel, stands up.

“I can't! I just can't!”

“What is it, dear?” He embraces her.

“Fluttershy was amazing. She could tame any creature. And I? I cannot tame even a bunny!

“Her friends told me that she tamed a manticore. She frightened a dragon. She stared down a cockatrice. If I saw any of these, I would run away in fear.

“Her friends loved her. I can see that they are in pain. I want to help them. I try to take their minds off the pain. But I can't. It does not matter what I try. The moment I get away from them, they are hurting again.

“I go flying with Rainbow Dash. She is one of the fastest flyers in Equestria. Do you know what Twilight told me? That once, Fluttershy flew faster than Rainbow Dash.

“I can model for Rarity. But I cannot compare with Fluttershy. I was told that she once was a fashion model. Do you think a pony as plain as me could do it?

“And I'm bad even at doing her work. I found a sick ferret, and I had no idea how to cure him! He died in my hoofs! I'm sure that Fluttershy would know what to do!

“All my training, all my experience at the zoo, and what good did it do? It was all for nothing! Why did Celestia choose me? Why didn't she choose somepony else? Somepony who could actually do their work? Somepony who could actually help Fluttershy's friends?”

Script Letter hugs her tighter. “It's all right, dear. You do not have to replace her.”

“I'm not trying to replace her. I'm trying to be worthy as her successor. I'm trying to be someone that her friends can depend on. I'm trying to make them happy again. But I'm failing at everything.”

“That's not true, dear. Do you remember what you told me about the first time you met her friends?”

She nods.

Script Letter continues to talk. “Twilight Sparkle had not slept for days. Rarity had lost her inspiration. Rainbow Dash did not talk to anyone.

“Is that how they are now? They are better, aren't they? They will not get back to their former selves in an instant. Wounds take time to heal. If you can be a balsam to their wounds, even if it does not help as much as you want, you will have done good enough. Fluttershy would be proud of you for at least trying to help her friends.”

She continues to cry, while he strokes her mane.

Angel comes near them, and pets her.

-*-*-*-

I thought she had stolen my house. I thought she had stolen my animals. I thought she had stolen my friends. I thought she had stolen my love.

I was wrong.

I hug them tight. I know that they cannot feel me, but it does not matter.

Celestia gave her my house, which I had no use for anymore. She was only trying to take care of my animals. She was only trying to help my friends. She did not know Script Letter was my love.

I was blind.

-*-*-*-

She wakes up. The morning sun shines through the window of our house. Our little birds are playing a happy tune.

She gets out of the bed, careful to not wake up her love. She goes to the dresser, and brushes her mane.

She goes down to the kitchen, to greet another beautiful day.

Comments

[JazzyWaffles]

I was wrong.

*sarcastic exclamations of shock and awe indicating that I am neither shocked nor awed*

I'm surprised that some readers were fooled, honestly. It's like they've never heard of an unreliable narrator.