It will all be alright!

by Silent Whisper

Fluttershy is happy to listen to you!

“Oh dear!” gasps Fluttershy as she opens the door for you after only a few moments of polite, quiet knocking. “Come in, please! You don’t look so well, and while I was just going to run off to the market, that can wait, it can all wait.” She holds open the door and watches as you shuffle past, biting her lip anxiously.

Around you, animals scurry and scuttle and soar, chittering to themselves quietly, but they leave you plenty of room to move about. It’s almost as though they can sense your emotional exhaustion, and give you more than enough space to figure it out yourself. The only critter that dares get within a few feet of you is Angel, who settles in front of you as you stand awkwardly in the center of Fluttershy’s living room. The rabbit stares at you, slowly munching on a lettuce leaf, maintaining uncomfortably prolonged eye contact as only Angel can.

“I don’t know what’s bothering you, but I’m here to listen, okay?” Fluttershy closes the door behind you before flapping her buttercup wings and leading you over to her couch. “Give them space, Angel bunny! They need to talk, and we’re the perfect ones to listen.” She beams as the rabbit begrudgingly listens and moves to let you pass. You sink down on the well-cushioned couch, settling against the plush fabric. A flurry of birds spiral around Fluttershy as she delicately flutters down to take a seat on a stool in front of you.

“Would you like something warm to drink? Sometimes, that helps me when I’m not feeling too good.” You nod, more out of habit than anything, and she stands up and trots off to the kitchen. One of the birds perched nearby twitters softly at you, and when you look over at it, it begins singing softly before fluffing up and tucking itself into a little ball of feathers. You manage a tentative smile at it as Fluttershy returns with your drink. She sets it down in front of you before tenderly picking up the bird and sets it on her shoulder.

She waits until you’ve had a chance to settle back with your drink before clearing her throat softly, her voice soothing and understanding. “Now, tell me everything, um, if you want to, of course. I’m happy to listen, even if you don’t feel like talking at all. Sometimes being quiet can be comforting too, so long as you’re quiet with a friend.” The pegasus hums and perks her ears attentively at you.

She sits patiently as you try to explain what’s been going on with your life. Occasionally, she nods or smiles, but she’s careful not to interrupt, and lets you speak at your own pace. When you get sidetracked for a moment and realize it, she doesn’t bat an eye. “It happens to everyone, and I’m sure that part was pretty important to you too. Besides, I’m in no rush.” The bird on her shoulder nestles into her neck, its eyes slowly closing.

As you speak, the animals in her peaceful cottage settle down, their chatter fading to a quiet murmur. Fluttershy occasionally interjects when you pause to collect your thoughts with encouraging statements, such as “That sounds really tough,” and “And then what happened?” Your voice cracks once or twice, and

Her gaze, you notice when your eyes meet hers, is gentle and empathetic. Her blue eyes seem to swim with tears as you wrap up your story. After you finish speaking, you notice the cottage has gone completely quiet. The silence isn’t intimidating, though; it’s calming, as though the cozy home itself has relaxed and sunk into deep thought.

After a moment or two, Fluttershy nods slowly. “It sounds like you’ve been through a whole lot. I’m not very good with advice, and I’m so very sorry that I can’t do more to help, but you do seem a little bit happier now that you’ve told me everything.” You smile weakly at her. It does feel a bit better, you suppose, talking it out, and it’s nice that somepony is here to just listen without judgement.

Fluttershy waits for a moment in case you have something to add, then she speaks up again. “I know it may not seem like a lot is going right at the moment, but I think we just have to believe that it’ll all get better soon. You’ve been through so much already, so it can only go up from here, right? And you’re so much stronger than you know. Since you’ve made it this far, I know you can keep going!”

You sigh and look away. It’s pretty easy to say that sort of thing, but it’s so much more difficult to keep pushing through all the things you’ve been putting up with. While you’re sure she understands that, does she really understand how hard everything has been for-

“Hey!” Fluttershy’s voice cuts through your negative thoughts, and you jerk your chin up to face her. Her expression is stern, as though she’s scolding a puppy who’s gotten into the cat food again, but her gaze is gentle and concerned. “Don’t get caught up in those nasty voices. I know what they’re like. I know how easy it is to listen to them, and I know how tempting it must be to give up. But you know what? You just can’t give in right now. That would mean you went through all of this for nothing, and you didn’t, did you?”

You shake your head slowly, a little startled by her assertive tone. “No, you didn’t, and you’re going to keep pushing through. I know it hurts, and I know it takes so much energy to keep going, but you’re going to make it. I know you will.” She smiles. “You’ll be okay, and I’ll always be here to listen, and I’m always here to support you.”

Her serene certainty in that makes you feel a little warmer inside. Fluttershy is here. She’s here for you, and that’s got to mean something. Maybe you can keep on going for her? The bird on her shoulder chirps quietly in its sleep, and you smile. Her gift for caring for others just might extend past the animal friends she loves so dearly.

“Your drink!” You blink at Fluttershy almost topples out of her chair in sudden realization. The animals in her cottage snap out of their quiet reviere and resume their chittering. “Your drink must be cold by now. Oh, dear! Here, let me get you another one!” She reaches out and gingerly picks up your cup before flying out of the room to fix you another warm drink.

You chuckle to yourself as you watch the flurry of activity in the room begin anew. You can hear Fluttershy fussing to herself in the next room over as she waits for your drink to heat up. Maybe things aren’t quite so bad, after all. And if they become tough again? Well, at least you know you have a friend who’s happy to help, no matter what.

Author's Note:

Need to talk? If you're feeling upset and want someone online to listen to you, I recommend the following resources.
7 Cups of Tea, an anonymous chat site where you can talk to trained volunteers. They aren't counselors, but if you just need to get something off your chest, they can be very understanding. Each listener has to pass a series of online lessons before they can help others. They also have quite a few helpful resources.
If you're just stressed out, this has helped me in the past calm down and figure out how to deal with it.
If you are in a crisis, and for some reason don't want to (or are unable to) call a hotline, this is an online crisis chat.
Here's a list of hotlines, sorted by need.
Be safe, you all.

Comments

[Cynewulf]

Aw this looks fun.

[AstralMouse]

This is so sweet... I've had times where I really wanted to talk, but didn't feel like I had anyone to talk to who I could be honest with. About 10 years ago, I met someone who I could really talk to without feeling judged or misunderstood. It was one of the most amazing feelings ever for me. Now, I have many people I feel comfortable talking to, and I am very grateful for them. I love the idea behind this story.