Fluttershy becomes a hoarder and it's up to her friends to find out how she got that way and to change her behavior.
Fluttershy has recently become fascinated with hoarding things, and it's up to her friends to find out how she got that way and to change her behavior before disaster strikes.
This is a follow up story to my other story called "Ain't Want No Yeller Ponies 'Round Here." You do not have to read that story to understand what happens here in this story.
Fluttershy was busy dragging a large crate inside the house. She suddenly stopped when she felt a tap on her hind leg and looked down.
Angel Bunny had a scroll in his mouth and wanted to give it to her.
"Oh, why, thank you Angel Bunny," Fluttershy said as she took the scroll away from him and began to read it.
Angel Bunny began thumping his right foot on the ground and had his paws on his front hips.
Fluttershy stopped reading and looked down. Her little pet bunny looked rather angry and impatient. "Oh, that's right sweetie, Mama is going to get you your carrot soup as soon as she's finished reading this letter."
Angel Bunny perked up and smiled. He then headed on his way into the kitchen.
Fluttershy went back to reading the letter. "It looks like this letter is sent from the Princess," she said as her eyes darted from left to right as she read the message. A smile crept up on her face as she realized just what the orders from Princess Celestia were. She put the letter down and said, "It looks like I have a major opportunity tomorrow."
Fluttershy, along with her five best friends, were each given a message about a special order from Princess Celestia. The six ponies had met up together and were walking over to the woods. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were pulling a wagon with a bunch of empty trash bags inside.
Princess Celestia had ordered the girls to clean up the woods because careless ponies were throwing trash into the woods and the garbage was piling up.
Fluttershy was wearing her saddle bag and her friends couldn't figure out why she was wearing it. They seemed to notice that if they ever caught glimpses of her outside of her cottage, she was always wearing it. She kept telling her friends that she had a new hobby and that she just didn't have time to hang out with them all until today.
Rarity stopped walking and look down at the ground. "Oh look! A bit! Somepony must have dropped it."
Fluttershy raced over and swatted Rarity's hoof away from the coin and said, "Give it to me! It's mine!"
All of Fluttershy's friends had stopped at the sudden outburst from their meek little friend. They were all staring at her.
Rarity put her hoof to her mouth and gasped that Fluttershy would do such a thing. She tried to speak, but words did not come out of her mouth. She knew Fluttershy had been acting very strange lately and that wherever she went, she had to bring her saddle bag with her just in case she found something lying around.
Fluttershy looked shyly away and said, "I mean, I would like to pick up this coin, if that's alright with you."
Rarity cautiously stepped back from Fluttershy and let her pick up the coin .
Fluttershy picked up the coin and put it inside her saddle bag.
Applejack gave an awkward smile at Fluttershy and said, "Hey Fluttershy, I reckon it ain't time to start pickin' things up yet. Ya might not wanna be over zealous with our mission here. C'mon, let's get movin'." Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to pull the wagon again.
Fluttershy let out a nervous little giggle and said, "Doesn't hurt to warm up a bit and get some practice in before we start, right girls?"
Nopony said anything. They just kept walking their way over to their destination.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash pulled the wagon over to the spot. When they got to the spot, Fluttershy ran over to where the two tom-boy ponies were standing. Her eyes opened wide and a drop of sweat trickled down her forehead. "I-I-I-I must have it.....all." Fluttershy muttered to herself.
"What was that my dear?" Rarity asked.
"Oh, it's nothing," Fluttershy said. "I was just um, mentally preparing myself for this task. That's all."
Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie, all walked by her and joined Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
Fluttershy grabbed an empty garbage bag and began to panic, she had to collect the most litter for herself. She began racing through the woods and stuffing as much junk inside of her bag as fast as she possibly could.
Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow at how fast Fluttershy was moving and said, "Hey Flutters! You do know that this is a good deed we are doing, but we're also supposed to relax and enjoy this experience, right?"
Fluttershy paused for a moment and thought to herself. "I guess that's right, but I'm sure the Princess would like her woods cleaned up as soon as possible," the yellow mare said.
Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "So does this mean you want to have a race? I bet I can collect more litter than you can! Ready? One, two, three, GO!"
Before Fluttershy could even object to her friend's request, Rainbow flew away from her and began to collect as much litter as fast as she could."
Fluttershy, being the slower and weaker pony, began to panic. She looked over and saw that Rarity was taking a small break and spraying herself with perfume. Rarity wanted to make sure that she didn't smell like trash while she was working. Fluttershy noticed that Rarity had left her trash bag in the woods and she currently had her back turned toward her friends at the wagon. Fluttershy raced over to Rarity's bag and began to pour all of the garbage into her own bag. She looked around frantically making sure that none of her friends would catch her in the act. Fluttershy felt a hoof tap on her shoulder and she let out an "Eeeep!"
"Pardon me Fluttershy, but what exactly are ya doin?" Applejack asked.
Fluttershy dropped Rarity's bag and said, "Um, I just thought this would make the clean up go faster, that's all."
Applejack scratched her head with her hoof and said, "I don't think I understand yer logic, but then again I often fail to understand Twilight's logic 'cause she always has these fancy scientific and mathematical ideas that I can't figure out. I guess I must be blind and don't git many things." Applejack trotted away and continued to pick up the litter.
Fluttershy went back to emptying Rarity's bag of trash into her own. Much of the trash the she was trying to put into her bag was missing the bag and falling onto the ground.
"Um, excuse me dear, but what exactly are you doing?" Rarity asked.
Fluttershy jumped a bit and turned around.
Rarity was back and looking at her with a rather concerned look on her face.
Fluttershy began to panic again and tried to think of a fraudulent excuse. "I-I-I-I'm just so inspired by you, because you represent the element of generosity and I wanted to do a generous deed for you by lightening your load so that it wouldn't be such a burden for you to carry."
"Why that is the most generous and lovely thing, sweetie! Thank you for doing that!" Rarity picked up her bag that was almost empty and trotted away.
Fluttershy began to pack as much trash, that was now scattered all over the ground, that she missed when pouring Rarity's bag into her own bag. When Fluttershy stuffed the last bit of trash into her bag, she heaved it onto her shoulder. The weight of the bag was so heavy for such a weak and gentle little Pegasus pony. Fluttershy's legs were shaking and her belly was almost touching the ground. She began to head back to the wagon. About half way there, the bag ripped and all of the litter inside fell back out onto the ground. Tears filled Fluttershy's eyes and she began to cry. She heard Rainbow Dash call out her name from a distance.
"Hey Flutters, what happened to your bag? How many bags were you able to collect? I got about twenty in the cart now!"
Fluttershy walked over to Rainbow Dash and said, "I um, I just couldn't beat you I guess. I tried my best."
Rainbow's ego was starting to become massively inflated and said, "Aw, don't take it too hard. You should get used to losing to me, just like everypony else!"
"Oh, that's um nice," Fluttershy said keeping her head down.
Rainbow Dash got out two more empty trash bags and handed one to Fluttershy. "Come on, we are almost done and I think we can clean up this entire area today.
The girls continued to clean up the rest of the litter and were done within a few hours.
Five of the mares stood at the wagon and were loading up the last few bags into it.
Twilight tapped her hoof impatiently on the ground when she saw that Fluttershy was still in the woods looking over every square inch of the area and was even picking up rocks and logs to make sure that there wasn't any trash to be collected. "Come on Fluttershy, we've got all of the trash and we need to get home, I am starving!"
Fluttershy grabbed her bag and pulled at it with all of her might. She made it up to the wagon and Applejack took the bag from her and tossed it on top of the pile.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked to the front of the wagon and began to fasten the straps to their bodies, getting ready to pull the massive mound.
Fluttershy came bounding over and said, "Oh wait! Please stop! I would like to take this wagon, and um, I'd like to take it to the garbage dump by myself, if that's ok with you."
Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy and then back to each other. They both started laughing.
'Um, what's so funny? I-I want to do this," Fluttershy said.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack stepped out of the way. "I can't imagine you being strong enough to pull this cart by yourself, but give it a shot," Rainbow Dash said.
Fluttershy walked over and strapped herself to the wagon. "It can't be that bad, all it needs is a little tug to get it going and..." Fluttershy pulled forward with all of her might. "Hnnnnnng!' she cried out as she grinded her teeth together and her eyes were as wide as saucers. Fluttershy's back got seriously strained and she collapsed to the ground.
Rarity used her magic and unstrapped Fluttershy from the wagon, and Twilight Sparkle used her magic and summoned an ice pack, when she realized that the yellow mare was holding her lower back and moaning in pain. Twilight trotted over and placed the pack of ice on Fluttershys back. "It looks like you'd better let the two tom-boy ponies take care of the work load," Twilight suggested.
Applejack walked over to Fluttershy and got low before her on the ground. "C'mon Fluttershy, hop up onto my back and I'll carry ya there."
"Um, are you sure it wouldn't be too much weight for you to handle?' Fluttershy asked.
"Too much weight? Fluttershy! Ya ain't nothin' but a light weight and carryin' ya on my back is like carryin' a feather! I could carry this wagon all by myself if I wanted too. I reckon ya don't know my strength. Now git up on my back missy," Applejack instructed.
Fluttershy very slowly got to her hooves and let out an "Ouch!" in pain. She wrapped her front legs around Applejack's neck and burrowed her face inside her mane. It was partly from embarrassment and partly because she didn't want other's to see her facial expressions were giving away just how much pain she was in.
Applejack stood up and Twilight helped strap Applejack and Rainbow Dash to the wagon. The two ponies began to pull and Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle walked by their sides.
When they got to the garbage dump, Fluttershy got off of Applejacks back.
"All of that work today has sure worked up my appetite. Let's go try that new buffet that opened up in town!" Applejack said.
All of the other girls murmured in approval and walked on over to join Applejack. They stopped and looked back at Fluttershy who was nervously looking away from them all.
"What's the matter, Fluttershy? Aren't you hungry? Pinkie Pie asked.
"Oh, she probably must still have that terrible back ache. Come on Fluttershy, I'll carry ya to the buffet," Applejack said.
Fluttershy shook her head no and said, "Um, I'm not very hungry and I need to go home and take care of my new pet that I got not too long ago. You all just go now. Have fun! Don't get a belly ache!" Fluttershy quickly waved goodbye at them and said a silent prayer hoping that they'd just go on their merry way without her.
Fluttershy's friends looked at each other and then back at Fluttershy.
"If you insist my dear, but please do spend some time with me at the spa for some pampering. It will be my treat if you decide to stop by," Rarity said.
"Oh, um, that's very generous of you, we'll have to wait and see though. Please leave and have a wonderful time. See you all later," the yellow Pegasus pony said as she waved her hoof goodbye to them once more.
Fluttershy's friends began to walk away. Fluttershy wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Phew!" Fluttershy heard the wagon wheels moving and she turned around quickly. That sharp turn sent a shooting pain through her lower back and she let out a holler in pain. Fluttershy hobbled over to the stallion that was carting the wagon off. "Wait! Please wait!" Fluttershy said.
The stallion turned around. He was a brown earth pony with a picture of a garbage can as his cutie mark. "Excuse me, but I'm quite busy here, what do you want?" he asked.
"I um, could you actually bring this wagon to my cottage? It's not terribly far from here," Fluttershy nervously asked.
"What's in it for me?"
"Ten bits?" Fluttershy asked.
The stallion grunted and shook his head no.
"Twenty bits?" Fluttershy asked again.
"Negative," The stallion said.
Fluttershy pounded her two front hooves several times on the ground in frustration and said, "Ok, fine! Fifty bits!"
The stallions eyes lit up. "Deal!" he said.
Fluttershy hobbled over and put her two front legs on the stallions back. She tried to climb up onto his back when suddenly, the stallion bucked her off of him.
Fluttershy hit the ground and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Um, why would you do that? I hurt my back and I need to be carried."
The stallion cringed and said, "That will cost you another fifty bits if you want me to carry you. You smell like trash and I don't want to get my coat dirty. I don't like to be touched either. You can hop in the wagon if you need a ride."
"Oh, um, I understand....I guess." Fluttershy walked to the back and looked at the pile of trash bags that seemed to stack up to the sky. She got inside the wagon and squeezed herself in between the bags of garbage. The stench of the rotting garbage made Fluttershy puff her cheeks out and put her hoof to her mouth as if she were about to hurl at any moment.
The stallion pulled away and Fluttershy did her best to keep her food down that she was digesting inside of her stomach.
When they arrived, Fluttershy got out of the wagon and went inside her house. She came back out with a bag of bits and gave it to the stallion.
The stallion looked inside, he didn't have the time to count it all out, but he estimated that it was about fifty bits. He turned the wagon around and waved goodbye to Fluttershy. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you," he said.
Fluttershy began to panic. "Oh no! I need you to help me unload the wagon please."
The stallion laughed and said, I'd normally ask for another fifty bits, but I'll cut you a break and only charge twenty."
Fluttershy bit her lower lip. She was running out of money, but she agreed and got the stallion another bag of bits.
When the stallion finished unloading the wagon, he took his money and strapped himself to the wagon. He then walked back to the garbage dump without saying another word to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy watched in disbelief and muttered the words, "Um, thanks." She quickly shook her head and began hoarding the bags of trash inside her house.
Fluttershy was starting to become a recluse more than ever now. The only time she really came out of her house was to simply collect trash when ponies put out their stuff on junk night. All of her animal friends had left her house, and even Angel Bunny couldn't stand the clutter anymore.
Rarity was trying to fall asleep when suddenly she heard a loud clamoring sound. Rarity grinded her teeth in frustration. "Stupid raccoons must have gotten into the garbage can again. I thought that raccoon repellent I bought was supposed to work well!"
Rarity got out of bed and walked over to the front door. She opened it up and lit up her horn to cast light. "All right you punks! You're not going to be so lucky this time!" Rarity took a few steps closer and was horrified to see a pony that had half their body inside of her trash can. Rarity put the beam of light that was shining from her horn onto the ponies flank and saw the cutie mark. It was a picture of three butterflies. Rarity began to stutter. "F-F-F-Fluttershy? That can't be you dear, can it?"
Fluttershy pulled her head out from the can and was holding the skeleton of a fish. "I, um, I'm sorry. I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Rarity cut her off and said, "Fluttershy! You don't have a hoarding problem, do you?"
Drops of sweat were trickling down the sides of Fluttershy's face and she gave her friend a very awkward smile. "I, um, well, you know as they say.....One pony's trash is another pony's treasure, right?" Fluttershy let out a nervous little giggle hoping that Rarity wouldn't be mad.
Rarity shined her light on her hoof that was holding the skeleton of the fish. "And what kind of treasure does a fish skeleton make, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy became nervous and said, "Um, it kind of looks pretty and I'm sure I can make some kind of art work out of it, that is, if I do decide to do that."
Rarity used her magic and levitated the fish skeleton out of Fluttershys hoof and back into the trash can. "Fluttershy, my dear. I think you need to get out more. In fact, I think you need a stallion in your life. That should fix most of your problems."
Fluttershy began to panic at that thought and said, "Oh, my, I um, I don't think I can date. I'm too shy and I'm sure there are other ponies who are much prettier than me."
"Nonsense!" Rarity said. "I have just the perfect stallion for you in mind."
"Who would you like to fix me up with?" Fluttershy asked.
"You need somepony who is strong! Works day and night! Somepony who tends to be a stallion of few words, but many actions. A pony who would compliment your coat. He would be the ketchup, and you could be the mustard! You need to date none other than Big Macintosh, Applejack's brother!"
Fluttershy almost choked and started to cough when Rarity revealed who she wanted Fluttershy to date.
Rarity came closer to her friend and patted her on the back. She then distanced herself away from her when her nostrils confirmed that Fluttershy smelled like....Fluttertrash.
Fluttershy recovered and said, "I don't think I could date him, Rarity! He's too big and strong and could hurt a weak pony like me. I think he's already dating Miss Cheerilee anyway, right?"
Rarity turned her head upwards and waved her hoof away as if to dismiss the words of Fluttershy. "Nonsense! Nothing is set in stone and I'm sure they have moved on in life. I am the romance and dating expert here and I can hook up anypony together. So, what do you say? Can I set up a date with you and Big Macintosh?" Rarity asked, as she batted her long eye lashes affectionately at her friend.
Fluttershy looked down at the ground and nervously pawed at the earth. "I guess I could give it a shot. He is rather um...." Fluttershys words traveld off into the distance and all that could be heard was mumbling.
"What was that my dear?" Rarity asked.
"Oh, I said he's rather...." Fluttershy pasued for a moment and said, "He's rather handsome."
Rarity giggled with glee and clapped her two front hooves together several times. "Tomorrow is the weekend, and that means I'll have a better chance at getting in touch with Big Macintosh. Rarity suddenly waved her hoof back and forth across her nose and said, "Fluttershy, my dear. I think it's time you went home and took a shower. I'll see you tomorrow."
Fluttershy thanked her and walked in toward her for a hug, but Rarity distanced herself and said, "How about we do that thing that Applejack and Rainbow Dash do? What is it called again? A hoof bump?"
"Oh," Fluttershy said. She put her hoof to her mouth and said, "I think they spit on their hooves first."
"Oh no my dear! That is not lady like at all. Let's do it without the spitting part." Rarity said as she stuck out her hoof.
Fluttershy tapped her hoof with Rarity's hoof and said, "Ok, I guess I'll be going home. Thanks for looking out for me."
Rarity waved goodbye and then ran around to the side of the house. She washed her hooves on the side of the house, because she didn't want to track in anything inside of her house from whatever garbage Fluttershy was digging around in.
Fluttershy heard somepony rapping at the door and scampered over the many bags of garbage that was leading up to the door way. After tripping over a few things, she managed to get to the door and open it.
There stood Big Macintosh with a bouquet of flowers. To the side of him stood Rarity.
Fluttershy put her hoof to her mouth and said, "Oh my, um, hi Big Macintosh. I uh, hope you came here willingly. You didn't force him to come did you, Rarity?"
Rarity coughed a few times and said, "Well I just had to give him a few death threats and told him that his farm might get burned down if he didn't come with me, but it was all for the motivational factor! No harm done."
Big Macintosh rolled his eyes.
"So I guess I'll just leave you two alone and let you do your thing! Have a good time now," Rarity said as she began to back away.
Fluttershy and Big Macintosh stared awkwardly into each other's eyes for a moment.
Fluttershy put her head down and nervously dragged her hoof across the door mat. "I uh, guess you can come inside and make yourself comfy," she said.
Big Macintosh stepped inside the cottage and his eyes grew wide at seeing the horrible mess that was before him.
"Uh, do be careful please. I have a lot of important things around the cottage and some things I haven't yet organized. Oh, I can take those pretty flowers. Thank you."
Big Macintosh let her take the flowers from him. He took a step and got his hoof caught in a garbage bag. His hoof opened up a hole in the bag. When he took his hoof out and looked at the bag, there were rusted metal bars inside of it. Big Macintosh looked a bit annoyed and asked, "What is so useful 'bout keepin' rusted bars inside yer cottage? Ya'll can get cut and get tetanus!"
"Oh, um, those can come in handy someday. You never know if you could use them for some kind of building project or something, even if they are a bit beat up and rusty."
Big Macintosh stared at her with confusion written all over his face.
"I guess you must be hungry since you're such a strong and hard worker. I can get make us some soup if you would like."
Big Macintosh nodded his head yes and said, "E-yup."
"Ok. Just please have a seat on the couch and make yourself comfortable." Fluttershy began to mutter some words as she tried to make her way into the kitchen over the heaping piles of trash.
Big Macintosh sighed and wondered just how sanitary Fluttershys kitchen was. He tried to make his way over to the couch. There was just barely enough room for him to squeeze in. He squeezed himself against the pile of trash bags that were piled up on the couch. Big Macintosh was rather tired. This was normally his day of rest and sometimes he enjoyed a nap on this day. He began to close his eyes and leaned against one of the trash bags. He quickly fell asleep.
Fluttershy came back into the room with two empty bowls that she carried in with her mouth. She was hovering towards the dining room table with the pot of soup that she was holding with her two front legs. Fluttershy mumbled a few words of disapproval as soup from the pot began to spill onto the floor, since she practically had an obstacle course of junk to fly through. When she got to the table, she almost tripped over something and the pot slammed down on the table that was filled with clutter. Fluttershy wiped the sweat from her forehead and placed the bowls on opposite sides of the table. She looked over and saw Big Macintosh sleeping. She came over and put her hoof to her mouth. She wasn't sure what she should do. She knew how much she hated soup getting cold when her beloved pet Angel Bunny refused to eat, but she was also very shy. She bit her lower lip and poked the side of Big Macintosh with her hoof.
There was no response.
Fluttershy poked his side several times and said, "Big Macintosh, please wake up....I um..." Fluttershy looked over to the pot of soup and could see that the steam was starting to fade away. Fluttershy put her head near his ear and screamed "WAKE UP! THE SOUP IS GETTING COLD!"
Big Macintosh jolted up.
"I mean, please have some soup, I don't want it to get cold." Fluttershy smiled and a squee sound was heard. Fluttershy hovered away from him and sat down at the table. She looked back over to her date who was standing still and said, "What's the matter? Aren't you hungry?"
Big Macintosh glared with anger at her and said, "I reckon I don't have wings to carry myself across this here mess."
Fluttershy put her hoof to her mouth and said, "Oh, I'm sorry about that. Just do your best to step around things. I won't mind if you step on the bags."
Big Macintosh sighed and began to step across the bags. There was so much junk scattered all across the floor that he couldn't even see the floor of her cottage. Big Macintosh stopped when he suddenly heard something that sounded like glass breaking.
Fluttershy grinded her teeth in anger and said, "That was my special mirror that I bought from an antique shop! Can't you watch where you step?!"
Big Macintosh rolled his eyes and said, "I reckon I can't even see the dern floor 'cause there's so much stuff 'round here."
Fluttershy shook her head several times and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry about that. Don't worry about it. I'm sure I can find something else to replace it when it's scavengers night."
Big Macintosh made it over to the table and sat down. "Scavengers night?" he said. "What is that all about?"
"It's just a very special time when ponies put out their collectables on the front of their lawns," Fluttershy said.
Big Macintosh scratched his head with his hoof and asked, "So ya like to collect other ponies trash too?"
Fluttershy's cheeks turned red with anger and said, "It's not trash! It's treasure! Maybe one day, the things I have collected will become great collectors items and I can make so much money from them!"
Big Macintosh put his hoof to his forehead and closed his eyes tightly. "If you say so Fluttershy, how about we at least try to enjoy our meal?"
Fluttershy picked up the ladle in the pot and poured some soup into Big Macintosh's bowl. Fluttershy perked up and said, "Oh, how could I forget the drinks! I'll be right back." Fluttershy turned her back and flew into the kitchen.
Big Macintosh listened as loud clamoring sounds came from the kitchen, followed by several harsh words. He watched her fly back in with two fancy glasses and a bottle of Champagne. Big Macintosh watched Fluttershy pour him some champagne in his glass. He looked closely at the glass and could see smeared streaks across the glass and specs of dirt on the side. "Um, Fluttershy, do you wash your dishes?"
Fluttershy began to panic. She didn't want to tell him that the entire sink was filled with her collections from other pony's junk, but she couldn't think of a excuse. "I-I-I don't have enough room to do the dishes anymore, but don't worry, the alcohol should be able to kill whatever germs might be on the cup!" Fluttershy tried to give a cheerful smile, but Big Macintosh did not look too happy.
Big Macintosh took the glass of champagne and sipped it on the side of the glass that looked the least dirty. He put the glass down and was getting ready to eat some soup when out of nowhere, a very foul smell had entered his nostrils. Big Macintosh puffed his cheeks out and put his hoof to his mouth. He took his hoof away from his mouth and said, "Fluttershy! What is that rancid smell? It smells like an animal friend of yours died beneath the surface of all of this junk and is rotting away! I have had my fair share of smellin' foul odors on the farm, but this is just ridiculous! How about we go eat inside the kitchen instead?"
"Oh, the kitchen is a bit messy right now, and I think it's actually cleaner to eat in here. I know how to take care of that odor." Fluttershy calmly took out a can of odor removing spray from under the table and said, "That's what sprays are for!" She then began to spray it all around the table.
Big Macintosh began to have a coughing fit as the toxic and cancerous chemicals filled his lungs. He waved his hoof in the air trying to shoo away the poison. "I think that's enough sprayin' Fluttershy. Ya don't wanna over do it." The mix of chemicals and the rotting stench combined, actually made everything worse.
Suddenly, some flies began to buzz around the table.
Big Macintosh swatted his hoof at them, but they started to increase in numbers and began to swarm his bowl of soup. "How do ya'll eat yer food if the flies keep harassin' ya? There are more flies here than when Granny Smith bakes her famous shoo fly pie and eats it outside."
Fluttershy took out a can of bug spray and a fly swatter. She began to spray and swat at the pesky little flies that buzzed all around them.
Big Macintosh faced hoofed and asked, "Where is yer bathroom? I need to excuse myself." Big Macintosh did have to use the bathroom, but he also couldn't bear to see the flies swarming around his food and the toxic chemicals being sprayed to try to repel them.
Fluttershy pointed her hoof towards the bathroom and said, "Second door on your left."
He got up and began to step through what seemed like a landfill of trash. He was silently praying that there would be no syringes laying around the cottage or in one of these bags. Big Macintosh made it to the door that was already opened because of all of the clutter that was in the way. He peeked inside and noticed that her bath tub was filled with junk that reached all the way to the top of the ceiling. He looked for the toilet, and realized that there was junk piled on top of that too, but at least he could move some of it aside. He tried to squeeze himself through, but there was far too much clutter, and big Macintosh was a far bigger pony than Fluttershy. He suddenly stopped when he felt something break through his skin. He quickly turned his head and noticed that a rusted bar on the ground had given him a cut. This was getting ridiculous and he began to swim back to Fluttershy in a sea full of garbage. Big Macintosh took his seat at the table and sighed.
"Oh, you're back so soon. Were you able to get inside?" Fluttershy asked.
Big Macintosh frowned and said, "No! I couldn't get inside, and when I tried, I got a nasty cut on my front leg!" Big Macintosh put his front leg on the table to show her. "I better not have to end up gettin' my leg amputated, Fluttershy."
"Oh, my!" Fluttershy said. "I have a spray that can fix that right up."
Big Macintosh face hoofed and said, "I'll be alright, don't worry about it. I think I had enough sprayin' for one day."
"Well, do you still have to use the bathroom?" she asked her date.
"Yes I do, but I don't think you can possibly clear out enough clutter for me," he said.
"Well, if you have to really go, you can relieve yourself on the side of my cottage. Just please try to be careful with your aim and not to uh, splash upon my daffodils."
Big Macintosh felt terribly awkward, but he really had to pee. He made it out the door and stood on the side of Fluttershy's cottage. He looked around several times making sure that no pony was around. Thankfully, Fluttershy's cottage was near the edge of the Everfree forest, and not too many ponies traveled near there because it was too dangerous. Big Macintosh began to relieve himself as he continued to dart his head around making sure that nopony would see him. When he finished taking care of his business, he went back inside the cottage and climbed over all of the clutter and back to the table.
"You didn't get my daffodils wet did you?" Fluttershy asked.
Big Macintosh glared at her with anger and said, "No, I made sure to aim away from them!" Big Macintosh looked in his bowl of soup and watched a fly buzz around inside of his meal. He couldn't eat his meal now, he had seen so much today. He looked back up and asked, "Where did all the flies go? How did you get rid of them?"
Fluttershy smiled and pushed away some junk and revealed a few candles that were lit around the table. "These are special bug repellent candles, and they smell quite good," she said in cheerful tone of voice.
Big Macintosh sighed and asked, "Fluttershy, do you even shower anymore? I saw that yer bathtub that was filled with all of your collections."
"I still practice good hygiene. Sometimes I may wash myself off with the hose outside, but normally I just use this body spray. It works quite well!" Fluttershy reached below the table and took out some body spray. She began to spray herself down with it and then turned the spray onto Big Macintosh. "Try some, it smells quite pleasant. " she said.
Big Macintosh put his back to the chair in shock and said, "No! Fluttershy, wait! That spray can is probably flammable and..." Big Macintosh's words were cut off when Fluttershys body spray vapors suddenly connected to one of the lit candles. It was almost like a miniature flame thrower, and a spew of fire shot out. The fire caught on to some of the papers on the table. The fire scattered around the table and quickly began to spread. Big Macintosh stomped his hoof on the flames, but there was no use because there was just too much clutter and the flames had spread so rapidly.
Fluttershy began to panic and tried to grab a hold of some of her possessions next to her, but Big Macintosh grabbed a hold of her tail with his mouth and pulled her away. She began screaming about losing her belongings, but Big Macintosh ignored her cries and pulled her out the door. Fluttershy perked up when she realized that there was one incredibly important critter left inside of her cottage that she needed to rescue. She raced back inside and ingored Big Macitnosh's cries to come back.
Big Macintosh stuck his head back inside of the cottage and called for her, but the smoke was obstructing his view and he began to choking on it.
Fluttershy came back outside and pushed passed him, just before he was able to enter the cottage to try to save her. She began to have a coughing fit and was cradling a little critter friend of hers in her front leg.
The critter happened to be holding onto something and hopped out of Fluttershy's grasp. It scampered away into a bush nearby.
"I'm sorry, but I had to do that. He means the world to me right now," Fluttershy said. Fluttershy was tempted to run back inside to grab some more belongings, but she felt Big Macintosh's hoof on her shoulder and he pulled her away.
"I don't think it's safe for us to be this close to the smoke, Fluttershy. Come on, let's move further away," he said.
Fluttershy fell to the ground and began to cry because her precious collections were being burned away to ashes.
Big Macintosh grabbed a hold of her tail and tugged her away from the burning cottage. He let go of her tail and sat next to her side as they both watched the cottage burn down quickly to the ground.
"I-I-I don't know what I'm going to do now. I have no place to go and I'm so scared," Fluttershy said as she leaned her head into Big Macintosh's side and cried.
Big Macintosh wrapped his front leg around her and said, "I can give ya a place to stay at Sweet Apple Acres. Perhaps Applejack and I can figure somethin' out." Big Macintosh turned his back to her and got low to the ground. "C'mon and hop up on my back, and I'll take ya there. I'm sure you had enough trauma fer one day."
Fluttershy instantly hopped onto the stallions back and laid the side of her face against his mane. The smell of stallion sweat from all of the hard work on the farm, filled her nostrils to her delight. Fluttershy wasn't much of a romantic pony like Rarity was, but there was something about Big Macintosh that she craved. Perhaps it was his big strong muscles, or how quiet he was, or maybe even how hard he worked, or the fact that every single mare in this town seemed to obsess over him. Fluttershy pondered these thoughts as the strong stallion carried her over to Sweet Apple Acres.
When they got there, Applejack put the last barrel of apples away and greeted them both. "Uh, howdy ya'll! What are ya doin' ridin' on my brother's back, Fluttershy?"
"Oh, it's just that well, we were dating and..." Fluttershy didn't even get to finish her sentence because Applejack had cut her off.
"What in tar-nations! Every single mare in this town is chasin' after my brother! I swear, he can't catch a break! Ya'll do look a bit cute together though. Ya'll remind me of the ketchup and mustard put together on a hot dog!" Applejack said.
"Applejack listen," Fluttershy said. "My cottage just burned down, and I have no where to stay, but Big Macintosh said that you all might be able to help me out."
Applejack stared at her for a moment and said, "Oh my gosh! I'm glad ya'll made it out ok. I'd be more than willin' to help ya out. We have an extra bedroom because our Apple family is so huge, and many times, they may travel by us and need a place to sleep. I actually think we can all do somethin' really nice for ya tomorrow, Fluttershy!"
"Oh, what would that be about?" Fluttershy asked.
"Tomorrow just so happens to be the Apple family reunion!" Applejack said proudly.
"And what significance does that have?" Fluttershy asked.
"You'll see tomorrow sugar cube!" Applejack said. "Ya'll reek of garbage! Why don't ya'll hit the shower and Granny Smith can git ya'll somethin' to eat!"
Fluttershy wasn't sure what Applejack meant by that, but she followed Big Macintosh inside of the house to get some grub since neither pony was really able to enjoy or eat their meal at what once was Fluttershy's former cottage.
After Big Macintosh and Fluttershy had some food, they went back outside. Big Macintosh felt like he wanted to do some extra chores around the farm since he had some free time, so he told Fluttershy to just chill out and try to recover from her stressful day.
Fluttershy found a hammock tied between two trees and laid on it. Big Macintosh got her some lemonade to sip too. She sipped her drink and sighed when she began to dwell on her special critter friends. She missed all of her animal friends terribly, ever since they all moved out, except that one special critter she had. She missed Angel Bunny the most, but she tried not to dwell on it now. She just kept her focus on the handsome and hardworking stallion who was now fixing a broken gutter on the side of the house. Fluttershy continued to hang around the Apple family until it was time for bed. She was guided upstairs by Applejack and sunk deep into the blankets on the bed. She fell asleep while thinking about Big Macintosh.
Applejack bucked the door open to the room Fluttershy was sleeping in. "Up and at 'em, missy!"
Fluttershy jolted up and put her hoof to her chest and looked outside of the window. "Um, Applejack, it's not even light out right now."
Applejack laughed and said, "We git up when the roosters call! Ya better come down stairs if ya want breakfast! Granny Smith made some fresh eggs that the hens had recently laid. Come on sugar cube!" Applejack turned around and began to head back downstairs.
Fluttershy yawned and rubbed her eyes with her front hooves. She got out of bed and made her way downstairs. She was a little bit wobbly on her hooves, but that was because she had never been up this early before. She sat down and had breakfast with the Apple family.
After breakfast, Applejack began to put away all of the things that she had planned for the Apple family reunion. She had a better idea about what to do for this years special reunion rather than just fun and games. When everything was dissembled and put away back into the barn, she began to wait for her family and welcomed them one by one as they came for the reunion.
When every Apple family member was standing around outside, Applejack stood above the crowd and yelled into a speaker phone. "Welcome Apple family. Today we are going to practice a little thing called lovin' thy neighbor! We ain't gonna be havin' fun palyin' games and doin' our traditional things, so we're gonna show some love to somepony who isn't in the Apple family, but a family member to me none the less. Big Macintosh, come on out!"
Big Macintosh came out of the farm door with the biggest wagon that the Apple family had. Inside, were all kinds of tools and building supplies.
"We got more wagons filled with supplies and we're gonna help rebuild a special friend's cottage!" Applejack proudly said.
Fluttershy flew up to Applejack and whispered in her ear. "Oh, Applejack, I don't want to ruin your family reunion. I want you to all have fun and not let me get in the way of what you normally do. You don't have to do this for me."
Applejack laughed and rubbed her hoof into Fluttershy's mane getting it all messy. "Don't have to worry about it Fluttershy! We need to reach out to others and lend each other a helpin' hoof when we can! Come on and let's git goin'"
Fluttershy nervously watched the entire Apple family assemble into the middle of the farm. There were many wagons filled with supplies.
Applejack got them ready and then lead the way with Big Macintosh over to where Fluttershy's cottage once stood.
Fluttershy hovered over the entire Apple family and watched them from the air. She was the only one with wings, and she also didn't want to get in their way as they marched across town to where her cottage once stood.
When they made it to the location, Applejack walked over to the burnt ground and said, "We're gonna git to it and fix up a new cottage fer one of my best friends, Fluttershy."
None of the Apple family members seemed to be motivated.
Fluttershy landed next to Applejack and said, "It doesn't look like they are too motivated to work."
Applejack laughed and said, "That's cause ya gotta know what makes em wanna move. Just sing a song and you'll get free labor out of anypony! Come on and sing a song with me, Fluttershy." Applejack cleared her throat and sang out, "Raise this cottage, raise this cottage, one, two, three, four! Together we can raise this cottage. One, two, three, four!"
The Apple family perked up a bit and started murmuring in approval.
Fluttershy looked over to Applejack and said, "Um, do you ever abuse this power and take advantage of their weakness when you sing to get them to do your own bidding often Applejack?"
Applejack laughed and said, "I guess I have to be truthful, huh?"
Fluttershy stared at her with confusion as she waited for an answer.
Applejack gave her a playful wink and said, "I do it all the time, darlin'." Applejack then gave a hard slap on the back of Fluttershy with her hoof and said, "Don't be shy now. Ya need to sing along to get them to work. It's like magic! Come on, just sing with me now!"
Fluttershy and Applejack began to sing, and all of the ponies began to work furiously.
Within no time, Fluttershy's cottage was rebuilt.
Applejack put her front leg around Fluttershy's neck and said, "There ya go, Fluttershy! Yer a very special friend, and were more than happy to help ya out! Yer very welcome fer the gift!"
Fluttershy looked up at her new cottage. Tears flooded her eyes and she turned around to the entire Apple family and said, "I thank you all so much for showing me such kindness! I don't know what else I can say. You all are wonderful ponies and I am so grateful for you all."
The ponies in the crowd began to stomp their hooves against the ground and cheered. When the cheering died down, Applejack spoke up and said, "Now who wants some dinner? We got lots of food back home that Granny Smith has been preparin' all day long! Let's git!"
The Apple family went wild and began to march away while bringing the wagons back to Sweet Apple Acres.
Fluttershy stayed for dinner and then headed back home when the night settled in. Applejack walked her back home.
Applejack opened up the door and stepped inside with her friend. "Now don't be settin' off anymore fires, missy! Big Macintosh said that ya had some kind of desire to hoard things, and I don't wanna see no more cottages get burned down, ya hear?"
Fluttershy smiled warmly at her friend and said, "It won't happen again! That was just a terrible mistake I made. I'll be fine now."
Applejack smiled at her friend and then walked out of the door.
The second she stepped out, a little animal friend of Fluttershys ran back inside of the cottage. He was holding onto something and placed it into the center of the room.
Fluttershy watched him as one of her eyes began to twitch like crazy.
"So like I was sayin', Fluttershy has a new cottage, and she won't be havin' no more problems with horadin' things," Applejack said to her four other friends that were coming along to see the new cottage.
When they got there, Applejack's friends stared at it and were amazed at how beautiful it looks.
"Oh my goodness, Applejack! What a marvelous job you did! It looks perfect!" Rarity said.
"Aw shucks, Rarity! I had a helpin' hoof and my entire family all helped out with this. I didn't do all this on my own. Let's go on in and I'll show ya around the place."
Applejack walked up to the door and knocked a few times with her front hoof. "Fluttershy? Ya home in there?"
Applejack and her friends could here some things being knocked over and they could hear Fluttershy mumbling some words of disapproval.
"Coming! Just a second!" Fluttershy called out to the door as she was pushing things around. Fluttershy slowly opened the door and stuck her head out. "Hi girls, what brings you all here today?"
"I just wanted to show our friends yer new cottage!" Applejack said proudly.
"Oh, well, you see it's a little bit messy right now, and maybe we could go out and get something to eat or something?" Fluttershy nervously asked.
"Nonsense, Fluttershy!" Applejack said. "I wanna come inside and show the others around."
"If you say so," Fluttershy said. "It's just a tad bit messy right now." Fluttershy pushed the door open and what appeared to be like an ocean wave of junk pushed Fluttershy out of the doorway and the junk covered all of her friends.
Applejack popped her head out of the pile and said, "Now gosh darn it, Fluttershy! Ya had made a special promise to me that ya weren't gonna do anythin' like this again! Why did ya have to go breakin' yer word to me? Ya know I can't stand hearin' a pony lie, because I represent the element of honesty!"
All the other girls popped their heads out of the pile of junk.
"Oh my goodness! I just came back from the spa and took a shower! My coat is now ruined and of all of the worst things that could happen, this is THE....WORST....POSSIBLE....THING!" Rarity put her hoof to her forehead and fell over in a dramatic manner.
Pinkie Pie swam by Rarity and was giggling madly. She was doing the back stroke in the pile of junk that was covering them all. No pony seemed to be able to figure out how she was staying a float or swimming through it, but this was Pinkie Pie, and she could do many strange things.
Rainbow Dash began to laugh and said, "Hey Fluttershy, maybe we can call you Cluttershy, or even better, Flutter Clutter!" Rainbow Dash began to chant, "Flutter Clutter, Flutter Clutter, sticks her hoof in peanut butter!"
Fluttershy picked her hoof up and realized that there happened to be an open jar of peanut butter stuck on her hoof. She frantically shook it a few times and the jar flew off. She turned back to Rainbow Dash and said, "Rainbow Dash, T-t-t-that's not nice of you to say that and it makes me want to cry."
Twilight Sparkle scratched the tip of her chin with her hoof and said, "Fluttershy, I know Applejack was telling us that you had a hoarding problem, but this is just ridiculous. Isn't it bad enough that you lost your cottage in the first place? Does your brand new cottage have to risk getting burned down too? What has gotten into you? Your animal friends don't even hang around your cottage anymore. Why are you behaving like this?"
Fluttershy put her head down and sighed. "I guess I can tell you how this all started," she said. Fluttershy put her hoof to her mouth and whistled. She put her hoof out and waited. Within a few moments, a new critter friend that none of Fluttershy's friends had seen before, came out and leapt onto her hoof. He was also clutching something against his chest. "This is my new animal critter friend and I have been studying him. I got so inspired by him and wanted to make him happy."
Twilight Sparkle squinted her eyes and stared at the little creature for a moment. "Is that a pack rat?" she asked.
"Yes. This is my newest friend, Pachy. He demands that we collect as much as we can because it pleases him."
"What about Angel Bunny?" Rarity asked. "He was your most favorite pet! What about all of the other animal critter friends you used to have around? Don't you miss them?"
Fluttershy looked down at her pet and patted him on the head with her hoof. "I do miss Angel Bunny and the rest of my critter friends, but this new critter fascinates me, and he demands that we collect things or else he's very unhappy. I know it's not fair to the other animals, but he threatens to leave me, and I just can't let him go because I have never seen a creature like this before."
"Fluttershy! This is crazy!" Twilight said. "This creature is ruining your life and all the other animals are suffering because they are not getting the proper care and love that you used to give them. I hate to tell you this, but I think you need to let him go! He's never going to be satisfied and he will always want more and more! We have to get rid of this junk too! It's a health and fire hazard!"
Fluttershy looked down at the innocent looking creature and said, "Um, Mister Pachy, would it be ok if we gave some of our collections away?"
The pack rat motioned for her to put her ear closer to him.
Fluttershy leaned closer and he began to whisper in her ear.
Fluttershy's friends watched and waited for her to tell them all what the pack rat was telling her.
Fluttershy straightened up and said, "He says it's either we keep the junk or he's out of here."
"Then you have to let him go, Fluttershy! All of the animals are suffering because he demands that you follow through with his will. Say goodbye to him. You have to do it," Twilight said.
Tears flooded Fluttershy's eyes as she looked down at her new critter friend. "I-I-I'm so sorry, but I have to let you go. My friends are right and I just don't think we can be together anymore."
The pack rat hopped off of Fluttershy's hoof and put on a small top hat. He grabbed a small sack of junk and headed his way back into the Everfree forest.
Fluttershy waved her hoof bye-bye at him as she watched him disappear from her sight. When she couldn't see him any longer, she covered her eyes in her front legs and began to sob.
Twilight Sparkle used her magic and teleported them all out of the junk and onto the side of the pile. Twilight came over and put her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Come on Fluttershy, you need to get over this and pick yourself up. He's gone now and we have to clean up this mess."
Fluttershy picked her head up and said, "That's the thing, Twilight. I don't want to get rid of my possessions. I worked so hard to collect all of this, and I don't want to change my ways."
Each one of her friends came forward. They all had some very important advice to give to their suffering friend.
"For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in their possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world, " Rarity said.
Applejack nudged the side of Rarity and said, "So does that mean ya learned yer lesson when ya tried to hoard that cheap rock that you thought was a bona fide diamond? What did ya call that rock again? Wasn't its name Tom or somethin'?"
Rarity's eyes opened wide with horror that Applejack would bring that up again. She grinded her teeth in anger and said, "I thought we agreed to never speak about that again."
Applejack laughed and said, "I didn't agree to anythin'! I'm just bein' honest and askin' ya a question."
"And I'm being generous by not bucking you in the face for your honesty!" Rarity said.
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down in excitement and said, "Oh! Oh! Oh! I know one too! For what will it profit a pony if he or she gains the whole world and forfeits their soul, or what shall a pony give in return for their soul?"
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge ponies into ruin and destruction," Rainbow Dash said.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Twilight Sparkle said.
Applejack stepped forward and said, "I got one fer ya too, Fluttershy! Each one must give as he or she has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Ya'll know what that means, right Fluttershy? I'm sure ninety percent of yer stuff is gonna git taken to the garbage dump, but we may be able to salvage somethin' here and there and we can give some of this stuff away."
"That's a wonderful idea, Applejack!" Twilight said. "We can set up a table and call it an altar for Fluttershy to sacrifice her belongings. Other ponies can come by and take it away for free!"
Fluttershy sighed and said, "I guess I forgot about doing the right thing. There's one verse that comes to mind. Each one must give as he has decided in his or her heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
"That's right, Fluttershy!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Let's start cleaning up this mess and putting aside items that other ponies in Ponyville could use."
"Say, ya'll can make a pile of stuff on Fluttershy's altar and I'll head back to Sweet Apple Acres to bring back a wagon. We can then load up all the useful things into the wagon, and I could go 'round town and give the stuff away to ponies who are in greater need. I'll be right back!" Applejack left to get the wagon and the rest of the girls began to clean up. They would have to clean up the clutter that was outside first, before they could even enter the cottage.
They had made two piles. One for stuff that would be carted away to the garbage dump, and another pile for items that they felt could be of good use for other ponies.
Fluttershy was shaking and biting her hooves at the things that were being thrown away. Nearly every item that was being thrown into the garbage pile was criticized by Fluttershy because in her mind, all of these things were valuable. Fluttershy learned to calm down after a few hours of working with her friends. She had to let it go. It was for the greater good.
Applejack came back with the wagon, and she began packing lots of items into it. The girls continued to work all through out the day. They would spend an entire week working with Fluttershy and also took all of their own personal free time to come back to help Fluttershy out.
Fluttershy and her friends were all standing inside the sparkling clean living room of Fluttershy's cottage.
Applejack took off her hat and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Phew! Seven whole days to git this work done! I hope ya learned yer lesson, Fluttershy. Don't ya ever let that pesky little pack rat creep his way back into yer heart again. Promise me that you'll never be tempted to search for him."
"Oh, I promise I will never take him back home, and I am so grateful that you all helped me out like this," Fluttershy said.
Twilight Sparkle smiled and brought out a scroll and a quill. "How about a letter to the Princess?" she asked.
Fluttershy sighed and looked out the window nearby as if the rays of sun would give her inspiration to speak. "Dear Princess Celestia," she said. "Today I learned that sometimes you have to let go of things even if you truly love them. I made a special animal critter friend, but he was destroying my life and the lives of my other critter friends because he felt the need to hoard things. I realized that I can't control his compulsive nature, and I can't change the way he is because he is hard wired to be that way. I had to let him go and I'm sorry for not tending to many of the other woodland creatures. I know I have caused a lot of pain and heartache, but I think I've learned my lesson now. Yours truly, Fluttershy."
Twilight Sparkle jotted everything down and then used her magic and sent the letter off to the Princess.
All the girls gasped.
"Twilight Sparkle? You can send letters to the Princess?" Rarity asked.
"Of course I can you silly fillies!" Twilight said. "I just always have Spike do it when he's around because I want him to feel useful. The magical dragon fire breath is pretty cool too. Although I can't even begin to tell you how many pages and books he's burned by mistake."
Pinkie Pie blinked several times and then grinned with a crazed smile. "Hey! I think I remember my favorite verse of all time! My heart rejoices in the Lord."
Applejack rolled her eyes and said, "There Pinkie Pie goes again, usin' scripture just to make an excuse to throw another party."
Pinkie Pie circled the room several times at blinding speeds. When she stopped, the entire room was covered in party decorations and every pony had a party hat on their head.
Rarity looked rather worried and said, "Pinkie Pie, how did you do that, and where did all these party supplies come from?"
Twilight sighed and said, "Let's not try to figure her out, Rarity. I'm sure you all remember what happened last time I tried to conduct scientific experiments on her to try to understand how she does these things. This pony can do things that we may never understand until we get to Heaven. Only God knows how this all works, and I plan on asking Him how Pinkie Pie is able to do all of these crazy things when I get to Heaven."
Pinkie Pie began to giggle madly and threw a party in Fluttershy's cottage.
They were all tired, but Pinkie Pie never lost any energy when it came to throwing a party, so they stayed awhile and had some fun.
After the party, they all discussed finding a place where they can relax and have fun since they spent an entire week working so hard.
Rarity was thinking for a moment as her friends continued to discuss where they would like to go. "Ah-hah!" she said. "Let's all take a trip to the beach! There is nothing more relaxing and satisfying than putting your hooves in the sand and listening to the ocean!"
All the other girls agreed, except for Rainbow Dash. She hovered in the air and put her two front hooves on the sides of her hips. "Rarity just wants to go to the beach so she can hit on all of the stallions and gawk at their bodies."
Rarity gasped and said, "A true lady would never do such a thing!" Rarity paused for a moment and said, "But I'm sure it doesn't hurt to glance for just a little bit."
Rainbow Dash laughed and said, "And just how long is a glance in your book, Rarity?"
Rarity put her two front hooves together nervously and said, "About three point forty two seconds is sufficient and lady-like when it comes to looking at a stallion. One must not get too greedy or seem desperate."
Rainbow Dash face hoofed and said, "Fine! I'll go. Although I'd rather spend my time at some kind of sporting event or something."
Rarity smiled and said, "You might find an interesting stallion for yourself to look at, Rainbow."
Rainbow rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, ok. Keep dreaming. I have not a care in the world when it comes to finding a somepony special. Why don't we all just go tomorrow to the beach since it will be the weekend. Is anypony doing anything important tomorrow?"
All the girls nodded their heads no.
"Good. I guess we can hitch a ride in a taxi tomorrow. The beach is far away, and we can't get there on hoof," the cyan pony said.
The rest of the girls murmured in approval and then headed off to their homes.
Fluttershy found many of her animal friends came back to her cottage that day. She was especially thrilled to see that Angel Bunny had come back into her cottage too.
The six ponies gathered up inside of a wagon. Two Pegasus stallions had straps around their bodies that were attached to the wagon. Within a few moments, the ponies were airborne.
Fluttershy peeked over the wagon and then let out an "Eeep!" She grabbed a hold of Rainbow Dash and burrowed her head into her.
"Uh, what are you doing, Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm just afraid of heights remember? I don't like to fly too high and if I fall, my wings could lock up and I might not be able to fly."
Rainbow Dash sighed and slid her sunglasses that were sitting on top of her head, down onto her nose. "It's ironic that a Pegasus is afraid of heights, but don't worry. I'll save you if you fall."
Fluttershy let go of Rainbow Dash and smiled at her promise.
Rainbow Dash looked over at Rarity and rolled her eyes. "You got enough stuff packed there, Rarity? It almost looks like you're starting to hoard things like Fluttershy."
Rarity frowned and replied, "A true lady must prepare herself for such an occasion." Rarity took out one of her most favorite hats and placed it gracefully on her head.
"I reckon fussin' with her ain't gonna make our day any brighter. Ya know she's gotta make a fashion statement every where she goes, R.D." Applejack said.
Rainbow Dash shrugged and said, "Whatever."
The girls continued to converse with each other until they felt the wagon land on the ground.
Rainbow Dash stood on her back legs and peeked over the wagon. "Looks like we're here everypony!"
The two Pegasus stallions unstrapped themselves from the wagon and opened up the gate for them.
All of the girls hopped out.
"That will be one hundred bits please," one of the Pegasus stallions said.
Twilight Sparkle began to sort through her saddle bag for the money, until Rarity stepped in front of her and said, "No, no, my dear. I will pay. This was my idea and I am the element of generosity here." Rarity pulled out a bag of one hundred bits and gave it to one of the Pegasus stallions.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you all. Enjoy your day at the beach," the other stallion said.
Rarity and her friends walked onto the boardwalk and began to look around at the sights, listened to the sounds of the ocean, and smelled the many scents from this place. It was a beautiful day and there couldn't be a more perfect day to go to the beach.
All four hooves from Pinkie Pie left the ground and she shouted out, "I see a candy shop!" She zipped away from them in an instant.
Twilight giggled and said, "Well, I guess we'll know where to find Pinkie Pie when we're ready to go home. I think I'm going to check out some of the novelty stores. Maybe they have a good book I can buy and read it on the beach." Twilight Sparkle also walked away from their group of friends.
Applejack looked around a few times and said, "I hear they got fun games and good food 'round here. I wanna test my luck with some of the games. I'll catch ya'll later." Applejack turned her back and headed on over to a game where you bucked the target and a weight would shoot up and hit the bell at the top. Applejack grinned an evil grin because she knew she was one of the strongest buckers out there and she would easily abuse this game and win all of the prizes.
Rainbow Dash sighed as she looked around for something to do. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she said, "Oh my gosh! There's an arcade! You'll know where to find me. See ya!" Rainbow Dash sped off and that left Fluttershy and Rarity together.
"Come on dear. Let's just go relax on the beach," Rarity said.
Fluttershy sunk low to the ground and said, I think I'd rather just spend some time walking alone on the boardwalk for now."
Rarity smiled and said, "You'll know where I'll be then! Toot-a-loo!" Rarity put on her sunglasses and said, "It's stallion gazing time!"
Fluttershy watched her friend walk off onto the beach and then turned around. She began to head all the way down to the very end of the boardwalk. She didn't find anything very entertaining, but she kept walking until she saw the very last shop. They happened to sell different kinds of novelty items like so many other ones, except there was something different about this place. There was a cage and there was something inside of it. Fluttershy quickly walked in to discover more information about what was inside this cage.
A few moments later, she walked back out of the shop carrying a small cage. Fluttershy walked over to a bench and sat down on it. Whatever was inside that cage had her captivated and she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Fluttershy's stomach began to rumble and she felt it would probably be a good time to find her friends. She unzipped her saddle bag and carefully placed the small cage inside of it. She made sure not to zip her bag up all the way.
Fluttershy was able to gather up all of her friends and they went back to the spot where they had originally left each other. They were only missing one pony. Rarity. It didn't take long to find her. She wasn't too far away and was flirting with a stallion on the beach.
Twilight Sparkle and her friends walked up to Rarity. Twilight tapped Rarity on the shoulder with her hoof and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Rarity, but it's getting late and we all need to eat before we have to go home."
Rarity quickly turned her head to Twilight and whispered through her teeth, "Not now, Twilight! I have serious potential here with this stallion. Can't this wait until later?"
Twilight Sparkle shook her head no and said, "We don't really have time to wait. Why don't you just tell him you'll come back after we eat?"
Rarity shut her eyes tightly and said, "Ok, fine. I'll meet with him again later. I just hope some other mare doesn't catch his attention. Rarity turned her back on her friends and looked at the stallion. She had a warm smile on her face and she closed her eyes affectionately at the stallion as if she were drunk with pleasure. "Oh, how I hate to leave you right now, but I have to grab something to eat, and I'll be back for you later, handsome. Don't forget about me!" Rarity put her hoof to her head in a rather dramatic manner.
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and she turned her head away. She put her hoof to her mouth and puffed her cheeks out. She was trying not to vomit at the sight of Rarity swooning over this stallion.
The stallion said goodbye and walked away from Rarity. Rarity kept her eyes glued to his body as he walked away.
"I ain't got no stop watch on me, but I think ya were just a wee bit over the line over the so called lady-like glance of three point forty two seconds," Applejack said.
Rarity shook her head quickly several times and turned back to her friends. "I-I-It's just that there can be exceptions to the glancing rules and they are a bit more complex for all of you to understand. There are some minor strings attached."
Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and blew upwards at her mane to get it out of her eyes. "Rarity, I think you need to be reminded that for everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world. You seem to forget about that one a lot don't you?"
Rarity closed her eyes shut tightly and said, "Ok, I know it's wrong of me, but that's what I have you girls here for. We keep each other in check. Thank you for reminding me. I don't know what came over me. I just have a weakness for stallions sometimes. I think I should take a break from borrowing all of your romance books from your library, Twilight. They might be getting to my head." Rarity extended her front hoof out and asked, "Sisters in Christ?"
All the other girls piled their front hooves on top of hers and said, "Sisters in Christ!"
Twilight smiled and said, "Come on, let's get some food!"
The girls went to the nearest place to eat on the boardwalk and picked out a table to eat at.
Applejack had to put all of her prizes onto another table because she just kept beating the target bucking game, until she cleaned out all of the prizes and had to force the game to be shut down because they had to go out and buy more prizes.
Fluttershy took off her saddle bag and hid it under the table hoping that none of her friends would notice her newest fascination.
There really wasn't much conversation, most of the ponies were starving and focused more on eating their food than conversing. They wanted to get back to what they were doing before it got too late and had to go back home. After they paid the bill, they were off again doing what they loved to do.
Fluttershy hit the beach and began collecting the prettiest sea shells that she could find.
The other ponies did their favorite things for a few more hours until the sun began to set.
Twilight Sparkle was able to gather her friends up when it was time to go. The only other pony that was missing was Rainbow Dash. They checked every arcade, but she was gone. The ponies made it to the far end of the boardwalk and saw two ponies sitting on some rocks watching the sunset together. Upon closer inspection they realized it was Rainbow Dash and some stallion.
Rarity's jaw hit the boardwalk. "Why that no good lying pony. She said that she would never care to find herself a somepony special. She's now sitting with some stallion and it looks like they already look really close to each other. Why, I'll go over there and show her a thing or two." Rarity began to walk over to the couple, but Twilight put her hoof to Rarity's chest and blocked her.
"Just let it go, Rarity. It's not a terribly big deal," Twilight said.
Rarity put her front hoof to her head in an overly dramatic manner. "But of all the worst things that could happen, this is THE.....WORST....POSSIBLE.....THING! It's not fair that Rainbow Dash finds a date when she doesn't even try to look for stallions, or doesn't wear any make up, or even comb her mane. Ugh! I deserve to get the stallion, not somepony like her! That stallion who I was talking with earlier ditched me for another mare too! Can this day get any worse!?" Rarity whined.
"Rarity, remember what you learned a few hours ago? Jealousy will also get you no where and is dangerous. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot," Twilight said.
Rarity calmed down and sighed at the reminder. "I guess you're right. It just doesn't make sense in my mind and I should be happy for her."
The girls got a little bit closer to Rainbow Dash, but stopped when the stallion got up. He gave her a ticket and a hug before he left.
Rainbow Dash shoved the ticket into her saddle bag and turned around. She was horrified that all five of her best friends were standing behind her. She was so startled that she dropped her ice cream cone on the boardwalk and let out a high pitched squeal. She stood there in shock and began to stutter. "I-I-I It's not what it looks like. I was just..." Rainbow's words trailed off and she stood there with red cheeks that spoke of embarrassment for her.
Twilight smiled and said, "It's ok, Rainbow Dash. None of us are going to judge you. We figured that there would be at least one stallion out there in the world that would be able to reach into your heart. He looked really familiar. Was that somepony we have seen before?"
Rainbow Dash nervously dragged her hoof across the wooden boardwalk. "Yeah, that was Soarin' from the Wonderbolts. I couldn't believe that I saw him here. I saw him at the arcade playing games. He recognized me and asked if I wanted to play his two favorite dance games with him, In The Hooves two, and Pony It Up. He also bought me an ice cream cone and gave me a backstage pass to the next Wonderbolts show. I-I-I hope you all think I'm still tough and not a softy. Do you all still think I'm cool?"
"Being a bit on the romantic side doesn't make us think any differently of you Rainbow. You might not be as tough and as strong as Applejack, but you'll always be the coolest pony out of our group," Twilight said.
"And, you'll always be the fastest out of our group," Fluttershy added.
The lavender mare paused for a moment and then giggled. "Just don't be so speedy with him and remember to take things slow, Rainbow. I get the intuition that Soarin' really is a good guy though. We just don't want you to marry him overnight. Dating is one of the few things that shouldn't be like a race."
"Gee, thanks for not thinking any differently of me, girls. I never realized how much I like him until I had some fun with him today. I'll take thing slow with him. Don't worry," Rainbow said. "I was just worried that this might ruin my reputation somehow."
"Not a chance, Rainbow Dash. Come on. We have to catch a taxi and get home before it gets too late," Twilight said.
The ponies made their way back and found another taxi to hitch a ride in.
Applejack was barely able to fit in the entire bag of prizes that she won. She planned to give them to her little sister, Apple Bloom and to have her share some of the prizes with her friends.
On the ride home, Applejack became curious about the bulge that was inside Fluttershy's saddle bag. "Whatcha got there, Fluttershy? It looks as if you got some small crate or cage inside yer saddle bag."
Fluttershy straightened up and said, "Oh, it's nothing important. It's just a little treat I found for myself."
Applejack watched as she pushed her bag out of view from and some sea shells fell from the bag. She watched Fluttershy quickly pick up the sea shells and shove them back inside. "Say partner, ya ain't hoardin' anythin' new now are ya?"
Fluttershy shook her head no and said, "Of course not, Applejack. I'm pretty sure that I learned my lesson and I will never do anything like that again."
Applejack nodded her head ok and then leaned back against her giant bag of prizes. She tipped her hat and covered her face with it. She began to fall asleep.
Neither pony really said much. They were all exhausted and couldn't wait to get home and into bed.
When the wagon landed, the Pegasus stallions who were pulling the wagon, unstrapped themselves. They came over and opened the gate. Out stepped the six ponies.
"That will be one hundred bits please," one of the Pegasus stallions said.
Rarity began to dig into her saddle bag for her bag of bits, but Twilight Sparkle stepped forward and said, "Rarity, we know you're a very generous pony, but please, I've got it this time." Twilight Sparkle used her magic to levitate a bag of bits out from her saddle bag and gave it to one of the Pegasus stallions.
The two Pegasus stallions thanked her and headed back to the wagon.
"Well, I think it's safe to say that I think we all had a good time, right girls?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie giggled with a mouthful of candy that she bought from one of the candy shops at the beach. She swallowed it whole and said, "That was the best candy shop I've ever been too. We need to take another trip back sometime soon."
Fluttershy opened up the door and quickly headed inside. She slammed it shut and locked the door. Fluttershy walked over to the center of the room and took off her saddle bag. She opened it and gently took the cage out. Her eyes lit up like Pinkie Pie's eyes would in an all you can eat buffet of nothing but candy. She placed the cage on the ground and began to take out all of the sea shells inside of her bag.
A few weeks had gone by and Twilight Sparkle and her friends were beginning to wonder how Fluttershy was doing. They hadn't seen her since their trip to the beach.
The five of her best friends decided to pay a little surprise visit. They also brought Big Macintosh along with them. Thankfully, Rarity didn't have to threaten burning his farm down this time. When they arrived, they were shocked to see many of the woodland creatures standing outside of Fluttershy's cottage. Even Angel Bunny was outside and he had his face covered in his paws as if something disgraceful had just happened. The ponies came up to the door and looked at Angel Bunny.
"What in Tar-nations is goin' on here, Angel Bunny? Ya'll look like yer havin' a protest or somethin'," Applejack said.
Angel Bunny pointed at the door and then brought his paw to his throat and then slowly dragged his paw across his throat as if he were committing suicide with an imaginary knife. He looked very angry.
"Oh dear. I think Fluttershy has done somethin' stupid again," Applejack said. "We'd better go inside and check."
Applejack put her hoof on the handle and pulled it open. Surprisingly the door wasn't locked, but when she just barely opened the door, a force pushed her backwards and a pile of sea shells came out of the house and buried the ponies. The ponies popped their heads out of the massive pile of sea shells. Applejack popped her head out and spit a sea shell out of her mouth. "What in tar-nations is this all about? I saw Fluttershy bring home a few sea shells when we went to the beach, but this is just ludicrous!" Applejack called inside the house. "Fluttershy, are ya in there? Come on out and explain yerself."
Fluttershy appeared from behind the house with a large bag of sea shells that was strapped to her back. "Oh, I heard you call for me. I just got back from the post office to pick up a special delivery I had ordered. I had ordered these sea shells from a catalog that I picked up on the beach."
"What's up with all of these sea shells, Fluttershy, and why are you buying even more when your cottage is already flooded with them?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Oh," Fluttershy said. "It's for a special new animal critter friend I have."
"But what kind of critter needs to have so many shells?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Fluttershy called inside of her cottage. "Come on out Herman, and meet my friends."
Slowly, but surely, a hermit crab came crawling out from the massive pile of shells.
"This doesn't explain why you need to buy so many sea shells, Fluttershy," Twilight said.
"It's a complicated situation," Fluttershy said. "He's a young hermit crab and he's growing. He can't get the right feel for what sea shell his body would feel most comfortable in, so I have been ordering him many new sea shells to try out so he can get that perfect fit." Fluttershy looked at her friends and they were glaring down at her with great anger. Fluttershy gulped and asked, "Y-y-you're all not upset by this are you?"
Applejack straightened up and said, "Girls. Get me my Bible, some holy anointing oil, some rope, and some holy water. We're gonna do a lil' thing called an exorcism.
