Becoming Fluttershy

by Hope

chapter 6. Soap Suds

We finally get home, laughing about the Dennys’ people asking me if I can really fly and being freaked out when I could.

“Well, that was great but I need to take a shower.” I say with a cringe.

After a full day of trotting around in the sun in fur and exerting myself quite a bit to hover all around, I smelled. Not bad, I don’t think ponies can have a “bad” smell, but I still smell of animals. That's right, the infamous shower scene, its gotta happen, it really does. Julien just laughs and goes into the bathroom, moving the brush, soap, and conditioner from the shelves down to the edge of the tub.

“I would recommend a bath.” He tells me. “But its your choice.”

I nod and he closes the door on his way out. I take off my hat and sunglasses, then stare at the daunting white tub. This thing doesn’t have a non slip mat, but my hooves have pretty good grip on most surfaces so far, maybe because of my minimal weight. I climb into the tub, awkwardly scrambling not to fall over as I slip over the edge and slide towards the drain. Luckily I do find purchase on the floor of the tub, but not in the form of a mat. Laying in front of me is a rubber drain stopper. I scoot it and its relative, the rubber hair filter, so I can step on them if I start slipping around.

“Ok. Now for the water.”

I brace myself and use my hooves to slowly turn the hot water on. It pours out cold at first but quickly turns scalding hot as I try to balance it with the cold. Hooves are not good for fine-tuned knob turning.

Eventually, soaked in alternating cold and scalding water, I get an even mix that is pleasant to the touch.

So I stick my head under it. I love the water running over my ears and down my neck, washing away the soreness that comes from subconsciously holding yourself at attention all day. I need a bath, just to relax. That much is obvious, but I need to clean first.

I then find out very quickly that bottles just don’t WORK with hooves. I try holding it in the crook of my leg as I use the other to try and open it, I try using my mouth to hold it and try to pop it open with a hoof, every attempt I can’t get it open.

“Julien!” I shout, although it sounds more like a mewl from a kitten.

The door cracks open a moment later, and Julien looks me over with an amused grin.

“Having trouble?” He asks.

“I need you to open these bottles.” I say over the gurgle of water.

He complies and leaves, chuckling; “You just yell again if you need any help.”

I huff but once he leaves I tip one of the soap bottles over, letting enough drip onto the sole of my hoof to easily work into my fur before I tip it upright. I manage to lather myself up pretty easily, although I avoid my wings like the plague. I have no clue what harsh soap will do to the feathers. Then I have to get the shower to turn on, so I can rinse off. This involves pulling up a little tab above the faucet, just like any other shower. But with my hooves covered in soap, I just can’t pull it up. So now I have a soap covered metal tab. I don’t want to call Julien so I do my best to pull it up with my teeth.

The showerhead spurts to life and I spend several minutes getting the soap off my hoof and then trying to scrape and gargle the soapy taste out of my mouth. The rain-like water falling over me is amazing once I get the bitter taste of soap out of my mouth, and I flit my wings experimentally, sending water droplets everywhere. I open them slower and let the water work its way through the feathers.

After working shampoo and conditioner through my mane and tail, I feel like I’m ready to get a good night’s rest, and I turn off the water, watching the last bits drain out of the white tub.

I watch the almost hypnotic flow of water for a bit.

What would it be like to fly in the rain? to dance through the water filled sky as lightning dances around you? To put your life on the end of a fishing line and tell the world “fetch”. That wasn't me, that will never be me, but that doesn't mean I don’t wonder what it would be like.

Finally I break myself out of my little trance to hover out of the now empty tub and onto the bathmat.

Drying myself off is a lot more complicated than I thought, drip dry isn’t a viable technique anymore since my fur holds the water to me. I pull down three or four towels and drape one over me, laying the others on the ground. I then proceed to roll around on them like a dog.

Hey, it works. Don’t judge me.

I finally am dry, and once I pop my hat back on, I take my glasses in my mouth and stare at the bedroom door. Right, doors. How did I go all day without dealing with doors?

I figure out very quickly that two hooves are needed, and shimmy my way backwards while pulling the door, right about then I remember I have a tail, that I stepped on, and that was making me fall backwards.

With a dull thud I fall back onto the tile floor as the door swings the rest of the way open, revealing my other roommate, Derek.

“Hey there.” I say from the floor next to the toilet.

“Hey. So... you’re a pony, huh?” He asks with an amused look on his face.

“Eeyup.” I say, deadpan.

Before I can react, he has his phone out and has taken a picture of me sprawled out on the bathroom floor, and is running down the stairs.

“Hey!” I struggle to get onto my hooves and sprint after him, but stop at the head of the stairs. “You’d better delete that!” I holler.

“This is revenge for taking pictures of me and my boyfriend while we were asleep!” He shouts back.

Huh, I suppose that did come back to bite me in the flank. I sigh and make my way into my room, flopping down on my bed.

“You kind of deserved that.” Julien chimes from his bed next to mine.

“I know.” I mutter.

“I set my alarm for 8AM. So far no one has friended the facebook account I set up, so we will be camping outside of salt lake city unless something changes.”

I nod, while wondering if I still wanted to go. Admittedly I couldn't live like this, not my current lifestyle, but how many times had I wondered what it would be like to find a meadow somewhere... To grow my own food and ignore all the terrible things in the world... But I would be turning my back on others. I would be letting suffering continue for my own selfish desires, and I couldn't do that.

“Ok.” Is my only response. I don’t know what else to say. I scoot over to my computer and pull up some music, turning it up until Julien looks over to me with an eyebrow raised.

I don’t want to think. I don’t want to realize how wrong my own thoughts are, how opposed to everything good and right they are. But in the chaos of the drumbeats and techno upticks I feel something.

I feel peace, I feel the order and rhythm of the world. My heart beats in time with the thumping of the sub-woofer as I turn the music back down, to a more tolerable level.

Everything will be ok.

A long time ago I made up a saying that I have let guide my every action since. It has never let me down, and it has given me only hope.

In the end, everything will be ok. If things aren't ok, its not the end.

I hold onto this saying because it promises a better future. It doesn't matter if I’m a butter yellow pegasus, doesn't matter if a few days from now I will be back to my ordinary life, uninspired and directionless, because it will get better.

Everything will be ok. I promise.

Comments

[MyLittleBurger]

[Mike the Red]

Definitely like this, keep it up, more please!

[jakol]

Philosophy? Yes. Oddly enough, me and my sick twisted mind were pleased by the Psycho reference. Keep it up!

[FlimFlamBros.]

here you go
lunachan.net/chat/src/135000272165.png
because someone had to

great chapter btw!

[Ranakastrasz]

Every single Time a Person who gets Ponified has issues with slipping in the shower, I always think "Lack of Adhesive ducks"

[Red Bomber]

This has more descriptive actions and details than any of the other chapters. That's pretty great, and also pretty funny when Erica gets her picture taken by her other roomate. I'm guessing all 3 had to pay the bills right?

[Hope]

1562086 We all share rent and electric

[Red Bomber]

1562107

I see, I wonder what it's going to be like when I get to the working world one day.

[Pinklestia]

So, is the change slowly brainwashing her?

[PficsFTW]

1562127 I wonder as well.

[Viper Pit]

Random song that I thought worked well with the story so far