Fuzzies

by Palm Palette

Taking a Stand

Townsponies whispered and chattered amongst themselves as they slowly poured into the square. Spike hadn't told anypony what this was about, but they all knew. Well, they knew enough to place bets. Speculation put a hundred to one odds in favor of Fluttershy being banished, two to one odds in favor of her being locked up, even odds on her being locked up at the place she's being banished to, one in fifty odds of her being petrified or otherwise magically eradicated, and one in a million odds of her being cured somehow. Mass brainwashing was about one in eggplant, because how would you know if you were being mass brainwashed?

Twilight gathered with her friends behind stage as the crowd filled in. The curtains were drawn, shielding them from view. While they were all there, they didn't look particularly happy about it. Fluttershy's knees wobbled and she had a brown paper bag pulled over her head. Pinkie was busy drawing a smiley face on it, while the others kept their distance. Rainbow Dash hovered extra-high, Applejack kept her hat pulled low, shrouding her face in shadow, and Rarity was sweating, eyes darting about, inching to the very edge of the stage.

“Do we really need—” Applejack shrugged her shoulders in the direction of the terrified tiger-pony. “—y'know who here?”

“Yes. Absolutely. She's essential for this. I can't do it without her.” Twilight flipped through her note cards, neatly stacking them on a podium in the middle of the stage. She checked a wire leading to the microphone. That was on the other side of the curtain, being set up by Spike. A large coil offered plenty of slack in case she needed to swing it around.

A certain white unicorn hemmed and hawed, looking at the exit ramp off the stage. “W-well, I do believe that I left my sewing machine on, so if you'll excuse me, I should probably—”

“Rarity! I need you too. I need all of you. You're my friends and that's the most important thing in the world right now.” Twilight stood on her soap box, then stepped down and pushed it closer to the podium.

Rainbow Dash swooped low and asked, “Uh, I don't mean to pry, but what exactly are you planning to do here?”

“Ponies have been exiling fuzzies for generations, as long as anyone can remember, breaking apart friends and families. Don't you think it's about time that someone stood up and put a stop to it?”

They gasped, and Pinkie did too just for the fun of it. Fluttershy stopped trembling, going still.

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Rainbow asked, giving Fluttershy a long stare.

“By reasoning with them.” Twilight paced back and forth. She squinted and stared up at the sun. It seemed particularly lazy today, taking its sweet, sweet time to reach its noon apex. “How else?”

Rarity winced. “Don't you think this hasn't been done before? Ponies just don't listen, and anyone who tries gets banished along with them. You can't expect to change things with a lecture.”

Twilight put her hoof down. “Hey! I'll have you know that I defeated Nightmare Moon with a lecture.”

“Your lectures shoot magical rainbows now?” Pinkie asked.

“Rarity's right.” Applejack grunted. “This is foolhardy. Y'all can't reason with an angry mob.”

While the others argued, Fluttershy crouched low to the ground and whimpered. “I-I'm okay with being banished.”

“Fluttershy, we can't give up before we've even started.” Twilight clenched her teeth and groaned in frustration. “And take that thing off.” She snatched away the paper bag, crumpling it up and tossing it aside. Fluttershy promptly buried her head under her hooves. “Look, I have a plan. I think prior attempts just didn't try hard enough. You all need to hear what I have to say too.” She sighed. “I'm sorry for springing this on you so suddenly but if we want to save Fluttershy we'll have to act fast.”

“Save her?” Applejack raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head.

Scratching her head, Rainbow Dash glanced between Twilight and Fluttershy. She flew back to her spot, hovering as far from the tiger pony as she could reasonably get.

“Yes and—” A clock rang, chiming twelve times as it struck noon. Twilight gulped. “Wish me luck.” She dashed back to the podium.

Spike tapped on the mic to get the crowd's attention. He thanked them all for coming, and stated that Twilight had an important announcement to make. He then walked off and pulled open the curtain, revealing the loosely assembled group scattered on stage.

Twilight stood on her soap box to tower over the podium, giving a clear view of the hundreds of faces staring up at her. The crowd's collective sea of eyes bored into her mind, and her hackles started to rise. Averting her gaze, she grabbed the note cards with her magic and rapped them on the wood, perfectly aligning the edges. The others also got in position behind her, which mostly meant staying as far away from Fluttershy as possible. The shuddering, black-striped yellow and pink lump was isolated, as Pinkie Pie stood off in her own little world, grinning as loudly as the sun.

Twilight's heart raced and she took a deep breath. The hundreds of glossy eyes still stared at her, glistening in the bright sunlight. Clacks of claws on wood rang out as Spike ran over to pass the mic off. She grabbed it with her magic and gave a slight nod. Briefly returning the motion, he nodded then scampered off the stage. The townsponies were still watching her—mostly her. She gulped as eyes widened and brows furrowed.

Somepony pointed at Fluttershy, and a ripple seemed to pass over the crowd. Frowns grew, ears folded back, and ponies covered the eyes of their foals. The hostility made Twilight sweat, but they remained patient, waiting for her to speak.

She didn't look at them, instead reading directly from her notes. “Hello, and good afternoon, everypony,” she said, flipping to the next one. “We are here to discuss an important matter.” Flip. “As you all know, Fluttershy has—” Flip. “—most unfortunately turned into a fuzzy,” Flip. “but in the grand scheme of things,” Flip. “this may turn out to be—” Flip. “—a blessing in disguise.”

That caused a ruckus. She winced as ponies started yelling over each other. There were too many of them yelling at once to see who was talking, but it made her heart sink to know that she recognized many of the voices.

“Blessing!? Are you crazy!?” Was that Sparkler? Or some other light red unicorn?

“She's an abomination!” No idea.

“Get rid of her!” That sounded like Davenport, the sofa and quills salespony.

This was off to a horrible start. She needed ponies to listen, not boo her off the stage before she even had a chance to say anything! The din grew as loud shouts poured around her.

Fluttershy folded herself even lower on the ground, doing her best to pretend that she was a doormat.

Wincing, Twilight rubbed her forehead, wiping away cold sweat. This wasn't over yet. Gritting her teeth, she recalled how Sapphire Shores controlled the crowd at the concert and eyed the loudspeakers set up on poles next to the stage. She hated to play such a strong tactic right at the start, but she didn't have much choice. Covering her ears, she levitated the microphone, smacking it right into one. A sharp squeal of earsplitting feedback roared far louder than any complaint, cowing the field complaints with a roar of electrical fury. Ponies winced, grabbing their heads and groaning.

Yanking her mic back down, she placed it back on the stand. There was little noise aside from a lingering ringing in her ears. Dropping her notes, she leaned into the mic. “Sorry about that. You're right. This is an awful situation. But in the face of adversity, we can't just slink away and run off. If we did that, we never would have defeated Nightmare Moon. The town would still be choked in ash from a dragon. A cranky Ursa Minor would have flattened the village. We need to tackle our problems and face them head on.”

“You're facing the wrong way! The problem is behind you!” Somepony shouted. There were murmurs of agreement and nodding heads.

“What? No it's not! I am facing the problem!” Twilight stomped her hoof and snorted. The soap box rattled under her hoof. She folded her ears back and glared at the audience. This defiant gesture changed the atmosphere, reviving the aura of malice. The crowd grew hostile again, booing and hissing.

Fluttershy peeked out. She stopped shuddering, staring up at Twilight under the bright noon sky. Beads of sweat rolled down the unicorn's lavender fur. It was Twilight who was trembling now. The others on stage glanced among themselves, inching back towards the exits, except for Pinkie Pie, who sat there, grinning as loud as the sun.

Swinging the mic back towards the loudspeaker in a threatening manner, Twilight clenched her jaw. Many ponies winced and reflexively covered their ears. This brought a lull to the chaos.

She snapped the mic back to her face. “Listen to me! We've been going about this all wrong! Tell me what's more important: our friendships, our loved ones, or getting rid of fuzzies?”

“Getting rid of fuzzies!”

“She's dangerous!”

“She's degrading society! We're going back to the stone age here, folks. The stone age!”

“Who said that!?” Twilight screamed, trying to maintain control of a rapidly crumbling situation. “Who said that!?” Her screech was so loud that some ponies winced. Those who'd chosen to stand in the front of the crowd were deeply regretting it with ringing ears.

“You!” With a shaky hoof, Twilight pointed to the center of the audience. “Lyra Heartstrings!”

“M-me?” A mint pony glanced around, in the hopes that the angry unicorn might be pointing at some other pony named Lyra Heartstrings who happened to look just like her and be standing right next to her. No such luck. The crowd inched back, leaving her in a tiny, isolated bubble.

“Do you remember in sixth grade, you went through a phase where you idolized Mistmane? You even went so far as to carve little heart-shaped holes in your horseshoes, so that you too could spread a little love and joy wherever you walked.”

Twilight picked up her mic and walked out past the podium to the edge of the stage. She faced the crowd with a stern gaze. “Well, I went to Fluttershy's cottage and I saw the damage that had been done. There, in the middle of her tulip garden, amongst all of the hoofprints, were crimson petaled tulips trampled with heart-shaped imprints. Is this how you live up to your hero? Is this how you choose to define yourself? By stomping innocent flowers into the ground?”

Lyra hung her head. Her golden eyes watered.

“I thought not.” Shaking her head, Twilight stepped back to the podium. “Please. All I ask is that you listen long enough to let me explain myself,” she pleaded. Some ponies whispered, but the crowd seemed subdued, for now.

Behind her, her friends stepped back from the brink, gathering closer to the lavender unicorn. Fluttershy and Pinkie remained off by themselves. Rarity was still half a hoof from the nearest exit.

A trickle of down her face made Twilight's cheek tic. She wiped it, getting sweat on her hoof. When she reached for her notes, they slipped. Some flew, and the whole pile crumpled, scattering on the stage. She gulped, holding a single one. She stared at it. “Uh. The FFSBL community—”

“The what?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight glanced over her shoulder.

“Sorry. It's an acronym for Fuzzies, Fuggles, Sympathizers, and Beast Lovers.”

“They have a community now?” Somepony down below asked. Was that Carrot Top? Twilight couldn't spot the pale orange earth pony. In the back of the crowd faces seemed to blend together.

“What the hay do you think this is? Swamp Fugglytown of the Banished Lands?” Another yelled. Twilight's eyes darted around, but she couldn't spot that one either. She was going to get a headache if this kept up.

“Not a community so much as a shared problem.” Twilight shut her eyes and pulled the mic close. It scratched as the hairs of her chin brushed the surface. She had to move it back. “That acronym would be more appropriate with an 'I' at the end, as it fully encompasses the spectrum of all ponies, including you all down there.”

“What!? We're not some sort of perverted fuzzballs! You can't lump us with them!” a pony shouted. Twilight peered at the offender. This one stood up when she yelled: a blue earth pony with a silver mane. Other ponies murmured agreement, and the crowd started to grow raucous.

“Exactly!” Twilight yelled. They hushed in confusion. “You, me, and all of us normal ponies want nothing to do with fuzzies and anything to do with them. We shun them, cast them out, and discard them like broken toys. That's how society works. How it's been for thousands of years. I understand. It's how I felt as well. But it's a mistake. It doesn't have to be this way.”

Somepony started to boo, a richly-dressed tan stallion with a wide, black top hat and dark sunglasses. His clothing left him suspiciously covered, hiding his most defining features. Twilight was taken aback. Her mind backtracked to the conversation with Rarity. Was that another fuzzy in disguise? Why would he heckle her? But even Fluttershy hated fuzzies. She said so herself. They might be their own worst enemies.

The crowd's dissent was rising. She had to act. It seemed like each and every word she spoke was heating a pot teetering on the brink of its boiling point. One bad moment and everything she was working for would disintegrate, smothered as a steaming rage roiled out of control. “Please calm down! Hear me out. I know it's not what you want to hear, but all I'm giving you is an option, a choice to choose a different path. We can't keep moving forward if we're forever stuck in the same old rut. Fording a new way is hard, but worth it in the end.”

Ponies kept their glares, but with thin eyes, deep frowns, and chins held high she was in for a rough time. The crowd had already made its choice, and was merely being polite until it ripped her hopes and dreams apart.

She gulped. “I-I just want to say thank you. Thank you for giving me this chance. You're all intelligent individuals who are capable of making your own informed decisions.”

“Just get on with it already!”

Closing her eyes, she had to take a moment to calm her nerves and collect her thoughts. It did little good, as she felt like she was beating her head against a brick wall, but she needed to keep trying. “The one thing most important to a fuzzy is intolerance. That's what the 'I' stands for. From the very moment they change, it dominates their life. Friendships are severed, loved ones cast them aside, blinded by a deep-seated hatred for their kind. They look in a mirror, and the hatred boils in their own hearts as well. It's a huge tragedy, and it can happen to anypony.”

Shaking her head, she bit her lip and stared at the loose pile of notes on the floor. The crowd, for once, was staying silent. A brush of wind tickled her mane, and she risked a glance back. Rainbow Dash had moved closer, and Applejack was right behind her. With more confidence, she went on. “But its not their fault. Its not the fault of the friends or loved ones either. It's the fact that ponies are hard-wired to hate. We see a fuzzy, and we know we must reject it, lest some undefined unspeakable thing occur. But it won't. They're no more dangerous than any other pony. The thing that will happen if we refuse to reject them is love!”

Ponies gasped. She shocked them into losing their composure, and jaws dropped.

“I can envision a world without fear, one where fuzzies can live openly amongst us, playing with their friends, hugging their parents, siblings, and kin. No more will they be torn from us at a bright young age. No more will friends and families be ripped asunder by this curse. They are not monsters, but siblings, friends, people's cherished children. Do you not miss those who were cast out? Do you not wish you could have them back? You can! All you have to do is look into your heart, to feel the hatred that lurks within, and acknowledge that it is the real problem. The hate and the hate alone is what keeps you apart.

“Take that first step. Close your eyes. Picture them in your mind. Know that they're still out there, alone and miserable. Look beyond your hatred and know that you still love them. Know that they love you too. Know that you can be the stronger pony who braves that path less traveled. Friendship is everything and true friendship conquers all!”

Twilight put everything into her speech. Her heartfelt plea for compassion left her drained, small, vulnerable. She was desperate for a connection, to make a difference. Many eyes were wide, some misty, and others narrowed with teeth bared.

The crowd was divided. Many had seen that spark in her eyes and let themselves wonder. Was it true? Had they been the real problem all along? Was all this pain and suffering unnecessary? They were quiet, contemplative.

But for those who had not, their anger and fury had been stoked to a raging inferno. They saw not a vision of hope for a better world, but a hostile takeover by a fuzz lover. The hatred was ingrown, and it seemed like nothing could dislodge it. They were veritable fountains of fury, and this insult could not stand.

The bubble of silent contemplation was shattered by shouts of anger.

“Are you nuts!? These things are dangerous!”

“Fuzzies are the scum of the earth!”

“They deserve to be treated like trash because they are trash!”

Twilight seemed to deflate. The cries of anger were growing and those who'd listened to her seemed embarrassed or hung their heads. “B-but, I thought... Please! Just think for a minute. It doesn't have to be this way.”

“Don't listen to her!”

“Rotten sympathizer!”

“You're the real monster!”

Boos and hisses erupted as the crowd grew unruly. It was over. She'd lost control. Her heart sank with each red face and shaking hoof. She'd failed to make a difference. Everything was in shambles. They were all going to be driven from town, and it was all her fault. Thousands of years of hatred could not be erased by a speech. Why did she even try? Desperately, she wracked her mind for a spell to get her friends to safety before things got any worse.

“You all should be ashamed of yourselves!” Fluttershy's voice cut through the din. She'd taken center stage and ponies simply froze in her glare.

Her mixed nature was on full display, with wings spread wide and a striped tail flicking in the air. Her feline eyes were wide and hypnotic, stunning them with a ferocious stare. For all their lives, these ponies had been driving fuzzies away. They were nothings. Afterthoughts. But this was no afterthought reprimanding them.

“I felt like I'd lost everything—my life, my passion, my friends. I had no hope, but she's turned that around. Do you have any idea of how much that means to me? How much it should mean to you? Thanks to her I have a purpose again. Thanks to her, I can help out the animals without being afraid of myself. Thanks to her, I have friends. Look at them! And there she is, out of the kindness of her heart, spreading a message of hope and love and for that you call her a monster?”

Rainbow Dash swooped down and hovered by Fluttershy's shoulder. “The only monsters I've seen are the ones who smash windows and trample flowers. Look, this has not been easy for me, either. When I refused to give up on her and stayed by her side I felt like a horrible pony, but thanks to Twilight, I now know that was the right thing to do all along.”

“Rainbow Dash is right.” Applejack stepped up to join them. “Giving up honestly felt like the right thing to do, but now—” she shook her head “—I'd chose hope and friendship over hatred any day of the week.”

“If we have to give up what makes us comfortable to stay with those we love and cherish then so be it.” Rarity strode up, finally abandoning the edge of the stage to stand with her friends facing the crowd. “I know all too well what hatred can do and abandoning it is the best gift that anypony could give to the world.”

Still grinning, Pinkie Pie hopped up. “Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.”

Twilight sniffled. She was already smiling, but the audience was still a sea of doubt. Some eyes were downcast, heads low. Most were wide and mesmerized, while a few had stony grimaces, carved from the horrors of their own hearts. She felt a pang looking into the fires smoldering in those eyes, even as ponies around them seemed open to change. Fluttershy's stare was fading, and whispers started creeping in the air.

It felt like they were on the brink, teetering on the cusp, but she had nothing left to offer. The time for words was over. They needed something else. Something more. A sign.

Something was missing. Something important.

Back on the stage, her friends were close together, but Fluttershy was isolated. Nopony was touching her, even as they brushed each other. That tiny straw was too much. Something broke in her heart. A terrible blockage fell apart, and the realization that this fuzzy was her friend overpowered her. Dashing over the stage, she grabbed Fluttershy, black stripes and all, pulling her close for a hug.

The crowd gasped.

Fluttershy was startled, but she hugged back, and soon the others piled together for a group hug. Fuzz, fur, feathers and grins balled up in one great show of unity. Regardless of what others may think, Twilight and her friends would never be divided. Not by this—not by anything else.

They seemed to glow, lit by a sunbeam as if the very sun itself had blessed them with its approval. Off in the corner, a little dragon clapped his hands and cheered. Others joined in, slowly at first, but it spread like wildfire raising into a roar. Cameras flashed, capturing the moment for history.

It wasn't a universal show of support, though. While many were enthusiastic, most were reluctant, some did not clap or cheer at all, and a few stomped off. It was entirely possible in that trying to heal one divide, Twilight had torn asunder a new one. Only time would tell.

When the cheers died down, faster than they'd started, Spike yanked the chains to close the curtains. Beyond the thin, velvety veil, ponies were talking, and the crowd started to disperse. He ran over, a grin on his green, scaly face. “Congratulations, you did it.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight let out a contented sigh as their hug broke up. “It was a start, but I don't think we reached everypony. What matters most is that we've healed our own divisions, and whatever comes next, we'll face it together.”

“Face it together,” he echoed, writing on the back of a freshly printed image. A small camera hung around his neck. He took a deep breath and roasted the print with a bout of green flame. The ashes sparkled and wafted off. “I know you'll want to do a full report later, but for now, Celestia should get the picture.” He winked.

Twilight chuckled. “That she will.”

Comments

[JazzyWaffles]

She didn't look at them, instead reading directly from her notes. “Hello, and good afternoon, everypony,” she said, flipping to the next one. “We are here to discuss an important matter.” Flip. “As you all know, Fluttershy has—” Flip. “—most unfortunately turned into a fuzzy,” Flip. “but in the grand scheme of things,” Flip. “this may turn out to be—” Flip. “—a blessing in disguise.”

Twilight your notes are awful.

Twilight chuckled. “That she will.”

And then Twilight was imprisoned in the place she was banished to.