Fluttershy Flips the Bird

by ThePhoenixrising

Enter White Rose

A loud shrill resounded throughout the small white room full of wooden picture frames with a purple carpet floor. With a wooden unused easel in the corner, fresh and desolate, as if she just moved in. It was a struggle to move the covers, as they felt heavy against her white coat. But eventually, she found the strength to move her forehoof over to her bedside table and pressed the shaking bell.

Then, there was a brief silence, before the white Earthpony stirred from her sanctuary of her dreams that was her single post, purple bed. She eventually getting to her hooves that she placed on the carpet. Her eyes felt heavy and her legs and weak. With those feelings of lacking strength, slowly, she trotted to her bathroom just next door to her minuscule room.
She walked in and observed her face; her indigo eyes would have been beautiful if it weren’t for the heavy bags under them. White couldn’t remember a time when she looked fully rested. Her purple mane was frazzled and messy, yet lacklustre and everyday, for a few minutes she would force herself to smile. But in some of those days, she wouldn’t be successful and she would conceal her face in a grey reminiscent to the style of a local celebrity that excels in music. “What was her name again?” She asked herself in the mirror.

Her only reply was the confused look she gave herself, asking the same question back to her. “I remember she was a DJ though.” She took a small inhale and exhaled very slowly. Every day she does this in hopes that it would somehow alleviate her from her pressures.
Unfortunately, her shoulders still felt heavy. With that, she returned to her routine, of brushing her teeth and showering, planning out her day of work ahead of her. When she was done, she put on a pink apron on with an abundance of multi-coloured flowers scattered all over it, with a small orange name tag that said her name, that would at least, stop ponies from asking for it and on it, it said her name, White Rose.

She gave the coat on her hunches a few last brushes, highlighting her cutie mark of a beautiful white rose, with emerald thorns that really made the mark look so distinctive. She glanced over at her alarm clock again, 8:30. Good. She thought to herself, punctual as always. Perhaps today that her silent prayers would be answered, that today would be her payday, and she really needs one.
With that, she tied her apron properly, tried to force a fake smile, gritting as hard as she could. It stayed on her face this time. When she was content with her fabricated smile, voice and mannerisms, she went over her bronze key from her bedside table, picked it up. With the key in her apron pocket she trotted out the door.

She looked to the wooden floor when she exited her small apartment room she trotted down the stairs when she saw a small white letter. She picked it up and examined every detail, every edge and folded piece of paper. She gave a few small sniffs at it, before letting out an execrated sigh, “Another bill.”
It was almost tempting to break down and cry for her, as she stared down at the letter, and that was all she could do at that moment. Eventually, her brain prodded at her, reminding her that she’s got work.
She sighed with a sense of melancholy and threw the letter over her shoulder. It would be nice for her to have a break, time for her to relax and enjoy life with friends. But her just voice whimpered and cracked. She flicked through every letter that was mundane or another bill with tears in her eyes but trying to keep her composure until she noticed another note from Roseluck, her employer. “Look after the shop while I’m gone.”

Her mind was then clouded, her fake smile faded and there was almost a scowl at her face, and if her coat could change colour, at that moment, it would be green. “So my boss gets a holiday, time to enjoy family and friends but not me?!”
Her eyes widened in realisation after those words. “Calm yourself, Whitey. You don’t want another incident. Just repress and it will go away in time.” She locked her white door and trotted down to a scarlet one, walked through it and locking it with her over key kept in her other pocket when she did this, she observed her surroundings, eventually walking out into Celestia’s sun. White Rose eventually woken up fully and thought to herself, it’s hard to believe my words nowadays.
White Rose absentmindedly walked around Ponyville, vaguely towards her destination. She’ll be there at Roseluck’s shop as usual. It’s been like that for days, months, maybe even years. It was going for so long. She would look around at all the smiling faces around her, and she just imagined being them for a while as she continued walking.

Of course, she had smiled before, and still does every so often. But unfortunately those times seemed more and more scarce. But in a strange way, it made the times when White Rose did smile, much more special. She was about to reach the bustling Ponyville market, full of merchants and crowding ponies from all over Equestria, purchasing goods and watching sideshow entertainments like black and white Pegasus doing tricks midair as he juggled bowling pins. Such a thing White Rose couldn’t help but pause and observe his movements, as he floated and flipped and twisted his body. “I guess some aren’t meant to find their true talent.”

She said quietly to herself looking down, forlorn. At least, it was like that momentarily until a bright pink blob of fur tackled her, taking her to the ground. Her vision impaired with a jarring wall of Pink. “Is that you again, Flufflepuff?” White Rose inquired with a hint of exaggeration. She pushed softly just so she could see again and before her, wasn’t Flufflepuff. On her haunches sat the town’s local entertainer Pinkie Pie, but what she’s wearing left her to only stare and blink, trying to make out what she’s seeing.
There was a momentary and awkward silence between the two. “Um… Why are you wearing a moustache?” Pinkie gave an awkward giggle scratching the back of her head. “Oh. Sorry, it’s for a friend of mine, and I’m so, so, so very sorry that I bumped into you!” Pinkie got up from the ground trying to brush away any dust or dirt off White Rose. But she just batted her away looking at Pinkie sternly. “It’s okay, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look so fine to me.” Pinkie’s frow burrowed and placed her hoof on her chin. “You look like you need some cheering up! So it’s a good thing you bumped into little ol’ me!” She finished the sentence with a musical giggle. White could only give her a deadpanned stare.
“Trust me, Miss Pie. If I could be cheered up, I would have asked years ago.” At that, Pinkie gave a confident smirk, the pink mare has come across mares like White Rose before, and she has the tenancy to call them “grumps” ever since he met up with Yankee Doodle almost a year ago.

“Trust me when I say, there’s nopony on this planet, no! The universe, no! The multiverse! That I could-” Pinkie inhaled a large almost inconceivable inhale in realisation. The dumbstruck Floweriest could only stare at complete bemusement, almost tilting her head to the side. “What if, I am making beings the multiverse happy just by existing?!”
Pinkie then glomped at White Rose, her sapphire eyes staring straight down into Rose’s Indigo and there, White saw in the Pink mare’s eyes showed nothing but summarized like this, Pinkie Pie: the ponyfication of joy. “Do you know how supertastically, epically awesome that would be?!” White Rose could only twitch her left eye in the mixture of complete confusion and frustration. “Um… No.”

Barely listening to Pinkie’s speaking frenzy, something about the multiverse? She didn’t know, but she was sweating profusely. White could almost swear that the crowds are starting to dissipate, the sun is quickly descending. Of course she’s aware that it’s just her active imagination, but the image of a broken Roseluck crying outside a closed shop, boarded up and desolate, was too much. The very thought, gave White shivers. She was sure she could never take such a terrible thing. She stopped Pinkie mid-speech quickly “I’m sorry, Pinkie! But I need to go!”
“Oh… right. I have something to do too.” Pinkie slowly moved backwards off the clear coloured mare, brushed herself off and got back on her all fours. “Oh, and before I forget…” Pinkie pulled out the animal talent competition poster from her bag and pulled it up with her mouth, showing it to White.

“I don’t need this anymore, who knows? You might compete, Ohhh!! Who knows? You might even win!” White wanted to crack a smile and accept such a thing straight away, but all she could muster was a deadpan, tired look and mutter “I don’t think I’m competing. I got work to do.”
“Oh…” Pinkie looked forlorn for just a moment, staring into White’s eyes in which widened from the reaction. Does Pinkie know about my current state? She asked herself, if she does that’s impossible! But then again, it’s Pinkie. “Well… in case you do want to compete…” The young entertainer pushed herself up on her hind legs and tried to remember what Trixie was like, and incorporated that into her character.

With a slight cough, she changed into a canterloian accent “You best bewarey of the legendary Pinktella!” And with that she went off in the speed Rainbow Dash would be proud off, leaving a pink trail at her wake. White looked at the white bricked bridged behind her, and there stood Pinkie with the largest of grins, she seemed to really love her character.
“It’s not you by any chance?” White called to her. “No! What makes you think that?!” She said shifting her eyes and pulled a face akin to that of Applejacks lying face. Oh no, that mare is on to me! Maybe that mask would have been a good idea. Pinkie surveyed the area, sweating. Pulling out a napkin and wiped across her forehead, constantly reciting the mantra in her head, she must not be recognized.

A few moments passed before she saw that White Rose was gone. With that, she cantered her way towards the outskirts of town. “No, must stay focused! Must help Flutters!” with a tinted blush, in which made her want to dig up a hole and hide. She just kept on running, everything almost becoming a blur to her she controlled her breathing with a determined look on her face, onwards to Fluttershy’s Cottage.