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Mixed Emotions

"I am not going!" said Fluttershy in louder tone than normal. "I've been doing this for almost a year, Scratchie. It just isn't working."

Vinyl Scratch looked at her paraplegic marefriend and just sighed. Fluttershy needed to go to her physical therapy appointments to try to build strength in her wings and hind legs, even if she's not able to use them again.

"I know you feel like it ain't working but it's for your own good, critter lover." Vinyl responded calmly.

"The only thing I've been able to do is learn how to drag my butt across a glorified yoga mat!" Fluttershy shouted in frustration. "I can never fly again, nor will I be able to walk. So what. Is. The. Point?!"

After taking a deep breath Vinyl responded, "Do we really need to have this argument again? I love you, Fluttershy but I'm really tired of having this discussion before every therapy session. You need to go."

"Ugh, fine," was the only response Fluttershy could come up with as she shifted from the sofa to her wheelchair.

"Do I need to follow you again to make sure you go?" Vinyl whispered in her marefriend's ear.

Fluttershy's only response was a slow passionate kiss on Vinyl's lips.

"Good. I’ll have a rockin' dinner ready when you get home then, critter lover." smiled Vinyl as they broke their kiss.

"I love you Scratchie, see you in a few hours."

Twilight Sparkle was sitting in the royal chambers of her castle tending to her royal duties when a loud knock came from the chamber doors. She knew who it was immediately due to the rhythm of the knock.

"Come on in!" she hollered across the room.

The famed DJ trotted into the room and gave Twilight a friendly hug before levitating a chair up to the throne from the wall and sitting down.

"So how is everything going, Vinyl?" Twilight asked Vinyl with a smile.

"It's rockin' for the most part," Vinyl replied before showing a little hesitation.

"But...?" Twilight pried.

"Well... it's about Fluttershy." Vinyl told her.

A worried looked came across the alicorn's face as Vinyl began to express her concern. "What about Fluttershy?"

"I don't know what the hay to do. We have the same argument every time she's supposed to go to rehab." Vinyl sighed. "She needs to go so it don't screw her internal plumbing up. There's been a couple times I've had to follow her to make sure she went."

"Does she get mad a lot?" Twilight asked.

"Actually, yeah. She's been getting mad a lot lately. Sometimes just for nothing at all."

"How long ago did this start?" inquired Twilight.

"Maybe four or five weeks ago" Vinyl answered after thinking for a moment.

"How's her depression doing?"

"It stopped shortly after she began getting mad at everything."

Twilight sat in silence for a few minutes while she tried making sense of what Vinyl Scratch was telling her. It almost sounded like the Kübler-Horse Model but she wasn't sure.

"The way you are describing her actions, it almost sounds like Fluttershy's going through the grief cycle." Twilight finally replied. "About the best anypony can do right now is stay calm and not get angry when she goes on a tirade. If you want, I'll talk to her about what's going on but it probably won't do any good."

"So I gotta stay chill when she goes off her rocker? I think I can handle that." Vinyl said with a small grin. "Thanks, boss! Catch ya on the flip side!"

"No problem, Vinyl" said Twilight with a smile. "See you later."

Fluttershy couldn't believe it. After three years of continuous therapy, she finally regained the ability to hover for a few minutes at a time. It took most of her strength to do so, but she knew she could do it.

I have to let Twilight know about this so she can tell Rainbow the next time she goes to the Hall of Elements, Fluttershy thought excitedly as she wheeled out of the therapy office.

She went to Vinyl Scratch's Music Outlet to surprise her marefriend with her accomplishment. She went up to the counter, intentionally out of her reach, and leaned forward rest her forelegs on the counter. When she did, Fluttershy fell face first on the floor.

"Critter lover! Are you ok?" shouted Vinyl as she galloped around the counter to help Fluttershy back into her chair.

"Yes. I need to show you something before I get up though," Fluttershy said with a big smile as she rubbed her muzzle with her right hoof.

Fluttershy sat up on her haunches so that she could balance herself properly and slowly unfurled her wings. Then, with all her might began to flap them hard enough to lift herself about foot off the floor. Fluttershy was only in the air a minute or two but the sight was enough to bring tears of happiness to Vinyl as she lifted her shades to wipe her eyes.

"That was radical" Vinyl said as she nearly knocked Fluttershy over to hug her.

"I... I'm... so glad... you... you made me... keep going to... to rehab, Scratchie." Fluttershy said as she panted for air.

The ponies that were shopping gathered around the two on the floor to see what happened. There was a collection of "awww" and "congratulations" from the small crowd as Vinyl helped the weakened pegasus back into her wheelchair.

"I'm so proud of you, Fluttershy!" Vinyl told her as she wiped another tear from her face. "How about you stay with me until closing time and we'll go home together?"

"That... that sounds great," Fluttershy replied as she continued to catch her breath.

"Is it necessary to do this in front the whole town?" Fluttershy panicked.

"Darling, the whole town is not attending." Rarity said as she attempted to calm her friend down. "It's only your friends and family. Now can you please hold still while I get these diamond bands in your mane."

"Is Spirit dressed up for her part?" Fluttershy asked as she looked around for her pet bunny.

"Not yet, dear. For a pony that is paralyzed in her hindlegs, you sure do wiggle a lot you know,” Rarity fussed.

Fluttershy let a small smile show at Rarity's comment as she continued to squirm in her wheelchair. However that smile vanished as quickly as it appeared when Twilight entered the room, allowing Fluttershy to catch a glimpse of the crowd in the main hall.

"Eeep! I thought you said it was just friends and family?" said Fluttershy as she continued her meltdown.

"I did, that's only friends and family sitting out there." Rarity said as she flashed an exhausted smile toward the lavender alicorn.

"Fluttershy, I know you're nervous but you need to settle down so you're not a mess in front of everypony." Twilight calmly explained. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath and picture yourself someplace where you feel comfortable."

"Um, okay." Fluttershy said before following Twilight's instructions and imagining she was back in Cloudsdale playing with Rainbow Dash as a filly.

"Thank you, Twilight." said Rarity as she breathed a sigh of relief. "If you hadn't come in, we probably would've been in here until next week. We have how long until the ceremony and I haven't even started on myself yet."

"No problem, Rarity." Twilight giggled. "When I saw that there was a little over an hour and you were still in here, I knew I needed to check on you."

"An hour?! Sweet Celestia! There's no way I'm going to be ready by then!" Rarity shouted, snapping Fluttershy out of her mental tranquility and causing the yellow pegasus to resume her meltdown.

”Is there anything I can do to help?" Twilight asked.

"Can you get Spirit in her outfit for me, that way I can get this train fastened to the back of the dress properly." Rarity said frantically.

"Do you want me to put Fluttershy's makeup on her while you fight with the train?" Twilight calmly asked the fashionista.

"Oh that would be wonderful, Twilight." Rarity said happily. "We are using a lavender base with violet glitter for the eye shadow and a pale pink blush. Oh, and don't forget the eyeliner and mascara."

Twilight levitated the tray of eye shadow closer to where Fluttershy was sitting and began to carefully add the color to her friend's eyelids while Rarity finally got the train attached in the proper place. Rarity gave a quick glance to make sure the makeup was being properly applied to Fluttershy's face before putting her own dress, redoing her makeup so that it matched Fluttershy's without the glitter and finally plaiting her mane and tail with Twilight's help.

"Are you ready to do this?" Twilight asked Fluttershy with a warm smile.

"I think so." Fluttershy said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What's wrong, darling?" Rarity asked Fluttershy.

After taking a couple moments to compose herself Fluttershy responded, "It's, well, I wish I did this years ago so that Rainbow Dash and Applejack could've been here too."

"Rainbow told me she was proud of you when I talked her after you got engaged. If you remember, Applejack reinforced that before she passed four moons ago." Twilight reassured her.

"Yo, critter lover!” Vinyl shouted upstairs from the bathroom. "Can you get the door? I'm in the middle of my shower."

Spirit hopped off Fluttershy's bed into her lap before she made her way to the elevator. Fluttershy paused a moment on her way to the door

"Um, Scratchie, did you say something?" Fluttershy hollered softly.

Not getting a response from her wife, she continued to the door. When Fluttershy placed her hoof on the doorknob to turn it she heard somepony whisper something to her.

Goodbye Fluttershy. You have been a wonderful friend. I shall miss you dearly.

Author's Note:

Who was at the door and what did they want?

Kübler-Horse is a spoof name for the Kübler-Ross Model which is also known as The Five Stages of Grief/Death.

Plaiting is the braiding of a horse's (or pony's) mane and tail.

Thanks to Uncle Bob for editing.

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