Fluttershy's first lesson
Fluttershy woke up and decided today was the day she wanted to stop being so ‘weak,’ as others may have put it. She wanted to prove that she can be better than everypony assumes! She isn't just the shy pony, she's so much more than that!
But if she was going to try to do anything about it without backing out, she needed help and encouragement.
As she got ready for the day, Pinkie Pie was the first pony that came to mind. Pinkie is nice, fun, and she wouldn't judge Fluttershy’s struggling to be more confident even if she really wanted to.
She trotted down to Sugarcube Corner, with a half-forced smile on her face, determined, and attempting to keep it that way.
She pokes her head in the door of the bakery to see Pinkie Pie already singing and baking sweets. She must have woken up hours ago. Pinkie Pie dances out of the kitchen, not noticing Fluttershy until she sets down her bowl of brown batter on the front counter.
“Oh hiya, Shy! Whatcha doin here?“ She beams as soon as she lays her eyes on Fluttershy.
“Uh-Uhm… I was just thinking and… um….“
Fluttershy trails off as her voice gets quieter and quieter.
“Silly Pony! I can't hear you when you’re so quiet.“ The pink pony giggles and skips over from the counter to the door where fluttershy is standing.
“Pinkie, that's what I'm here for. I was wondering if you could help me?“
“With being louder? I can surely help with that!“ She yells the last sentence a little louder than the rest, kind of as an example.
“Well- Sort of, I guess. More with… Confidence and self esteem? I-if you want to help me, that is. You don’t have to at all, it was just a thought that came up…“
Fluttershy hides in her hair as her voice gets smaller and her muzzle starts pointing down.
“Aww~ Of course I’ll help! Even though I would have thought you’d ask Rainbow instead. Y’know, since she's like, the most confident pony I know. I’ve never seen her give up!“ She gushes about their blue friend, almost bragging for Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t really like when Rainbow Dash yells at me and gets so aggressive when she tries to teach or train others. I was hoping to get help from someone as upbeat and helpful while having social talent… without… being scary.“
She looks around for a bit, like she’s trying to remember something. “She hasn’t been around for a while, anyway. That makes me anxious…“
Pinkie shrugs before Fluttershy finishes her sentence, seeming giddy and nervous. “Alrighty then! I’m alright helping you either way! Come on in and we can start!“ She smiles, causing a light pink to just lightly graze the yellow pony’s fur.
They then trot into the kitchen so they could talk while Pinkie finishes her cake batter.
Pinkie pours the batter into a twelve-cup cupcake pan, then puts the pan in the oven, jamming it closed with a giggle.
“While the cupcakes bake, we can talk about your issue!“ She sets her timer and faces the other pony.
Fluttershy felt a little embarrassed about it being called an issue, though, that’s what it came to be, since it’s a bother to her now. It’s become more like social anxiety than just shyness now.
“Well… I don’t want this to be boring to you, or seem like a therapy session. I just wanna start getting used to being more…. Hardcore! -Like you and Rainbow Dash and Applejack and…“ she starts realizing how hard she finds it to be normal, socially and mentally compared to everypony else, “everypony…“
“Aww~ cheer up, Fluttershy! I used to have problems like that too as a filly!“
“‘as a filly’“ Fluttershy repeats with an upset tone.
“Never too late to change for the better! With my help, this’ll be a piece of cake!“ Pinkie licks her mixing spoon, sniffing the air as the cupcake smell from the oven fills the room.
“Baking helps me with my confidence. Tasting and seeing what I made, better than the last treat; it makes me feel a lot better about myself.“ Pinkie bites her lip and stands next to Fluttershy, thinking for a moment before opening her mouth again, “Hey, Shyyyyyyy….??“
She drags on.
“What is it, Pinkie?“
“Wanna know how I make cupcakes? Wanna know my secret?“
“Oh! Well, if you don't mind, I think if you wanna tell me, you should.“
“My cupcakes are always so good because I put the things I love most in them.“
“Sprinkles? “
Pinkie snorts. “No, silly! I’ll tell you if you promise to keep the secret. I’ll show you if you Pinkie swear!“
“Oh okay. I promise to keep your secret, Pinkie.”
“Follow me.“
Pinkie lifts a rug in her room, uncovering a trapdoor. She looks around quickly, then starts walking down the stairs inside.
“Oh I didn’t know you had a basement, Pinkie. Is this where you store your supplies?“
“Yeah! Hit right on target, Fluttershy. Good Job!“
Once they finish going down the stairs, Pinkie turns on the basement light.
Fluttershy is suddenly hit with fear and shock. Now she knew what Pinkie loved most. Her eyes go straight to the strapped up pony on a red stained exam table. “RARITY?!“ She screams, her mouth being met with a pink hoof. “Quiet, Fluttershy! You’ll wake her up!“
She looks around the room , balloons splashed with blood, buckets filled with intestines, party plates filled with livers and spleens, colorfully painted pony skulls and different bloody cutie marks pinned on the walls. Her eyes focus on the mounted heads on the other wall and tears up. Gilda, Lyra, Cheese Sandwich, and other ponies’ heads are hung up.
Fluttershy’s tears start falling as she gasps and chokes on the horrible-smelling air.
She saw Rainbow Dash. But not how she wished she would find the other pony for the first time in weeks. She was obviously sewn with rainbow-colored embroidery thread in most of her joints, her wings and one of her cutie marks were gone. Some places had different colored fur, which obviously weren’t the right shade of blue to be her friend’s own. She had dried red and brown stains all over her body, and there were unnatural clumps in parts of her body, looking like a homemade plush doll.
Her eyes were sewn open and her mouth was glued into a permanent smile.
“Pinkie… What is this? What did you do? This isn't real, right? Th-these are plastic decorations, right? It's a prank! Please, please, Pinkie, wha-wh-what’s going on?!“ Fluttershy stuttered as she was sobbing and hyperventilating. Her vision was blurry, not even sure why she hadn’t already fled the scene.
“Fluttershy. You said you wanted help from me. I’m giving you help. I’m teaching you what helps me when I need help, and you start COMPLAINING?!“
Fluttershy jumps at the raise of volume and change of tone in Pinkie Pie’s voice, making a ‘squeak’ sound
“How… How would this help me?!“ The yellow pony yells back, scared and angry that Pinkie would do these things and even think Fluttershy would find this anything but upsetting.
“Well it helps me.“ Pinkie Pie mutters, then scoffs and grabs a syringe off of a table lined with different sharp and surgical objects. She starts walking over to the strapped up unicorn, and pokes the needle into her leg.
After a few minutes, Rarity wakes up with a gasp.
“Pinkie Pie…? Fluttershy? What's happening? Where are we? Why can’t I move?“
“Oh, rarity! I don’t know what's going on either, Please tell me this is a prank that you’re in on-“
Fluttershy is interrupted with Rarity’s screaming. I guess that answers her question. Rarity notices all the gory decorations, organ-filled buckets, and bloody weapons.
“What the hell?!“
Pinkie grabs an ax. “Morning, sleepyhead! Have a nice nap? Welcome to the best party of your life! And, I’m sad to say, last.“ She giggles. “First we should take care of your magic, just to make it easier for all of us!“ She pins down Rarity’s head to keep her still and throws her ax down on the white horn, sparks of magic come out. It was almost like thunder failing to become lightning. Rarity screams and cries from the pain and Fluttershy gasps from shock, feeling nauseous from the sight.
Pinkie holds the severed horn up to her own forehead and giggles. “Look! I’m a unicorn now~!“
Fluttershy involuntarily gags.
Pinkie grabs a towel and wipes the blood dripping down Rarity’s forehead. “Wouldn't wanna make you blind yet, now would we? I still haven’t shown the dress I’ve been working on!“
Pinkie hops over to a box and digs through it. Once she finds the dress she was talking about, she puts it on and hops right back over to the other ponies.
“Ta-da~!“ She twirls , the dress of skin, fur, and feathers flapping around her. “I just added Dashie’s wings and cutie mark to this one! I think her feathers really compliment my mane.“ Pinkie flips her hair with her hoof.
“Pinkie… You’re insane…“ Rarity cries, her facial fur hard and sticky from drying tears and blood. It was the ugliest gown she’d ever laid her eyes on.
“Well duh!! Killing ponies and eating them isn’t exactly normal. But I prefer ‘crazy’. It’s a prettier word.“
Pinkie sticks a needle into Rarity’s abdomen area and puts a fluid inside her. Rarity winces at the prick, feeling a bit woozy and losing feeling in her body.
Pinkie puts her hoof on her chin and gasps after a moment. “Fluttershy!“ She faces the pegasus, making her jump in fear. “Thank goodness you haven’t left. Maybe that’s a sign I brought the right pony, huh?“ Pinkie giggles and lightly pushes her elbow towards Fluttershy.
Pinkie picks up a scalpel and puts it down in front of fluttershy. “I want you to try this out, too. You wanna be confident, dontcha?“
“P-Pinkie…“ was all Fluttershy managed to spit out. She felt frozen in place. Her brain couldn’t decide which action she should perform, so her muscles chose none.
“Oh come on, it's not that hard to dissect a pony! It’s much easier than a feisty griffin, at least.“ Pinkie picks up the scalpel and grabs Fluttershy’s hoof, guiding the fearful pony.
They start lining the blade to Rarity’s chest, causing the hornless unicorn to shift frantically.
“Quit moving, Rarity! This is Fluttershy’s first time! It’s hard enough for her as it is! I thought you were a good friend!“
The scalpel starts going through the skin, blood starting to bunch up in small dots and drip down the white fur. She pushes deeper till the blade is about an inch deep.
Rarity screeches in pain as Pinkie starts to bring both of their hooves down in a straight line all the way to the bottom of Rarity’s tummy. Pinkie guides Fluttershy’s hoof back up to the chest to make a horizontal line above the first wound, then does the same at the bottom.
“See? Easy! Do you wanna separate the skin or do you want me to do it?” Fluttershy didn't answer, just stood there frozen, with tears in her eyes.
“More fun for me!” She shrugged as she dug the blade underneath the wound until she was able to peel it inside out , and onto the other side of the pony’s body. Rarity couldn't even yell anymore. Her vocal chords grew tired and strained. All she could do was let the tears and blood drip from her body.
“OH MY GOSH!” Pinkie yells, frightening both of the other ponies. “I almost forgot about your cutie mark!”
Both ponies were scared and confused about what Pinkie meant, but their thoughts were quickly interrupted by Rarity’s crackled scream.
Pinkie stabbed the white pony’s thigh, turning the fur red. She cuts a circle around her cutie mark and quickly rips it off with her teeth.
It all went so fast, Both Fluttershy and Rarity felt nauseous and dizzy.
Pinkie sets the cutie mark on the table next to her tools and giggles.
“Oops! Sorry… I just got so hyper about not getting your cutie mark I guess I did too much too quick, huh.” The pink pony nervously giggles, a little embarrassed. “At least that's over and done now! I know you don't have much of a tolerance to pain.”
Fluttershy found herself admiring Pinkie’s care for her friend and attention to detail. Rarity wasn’t hurt often, but the smallest things did end up with her crying. Pinkie Pie may be torturing and killing Rarity, but she still cared enough to do things as painless as she could make it, without making her life shorter than it needed to be in this situation. Pinkie Pie still cared about her friend and wanted to spend their last moments together. That's what made Pinkie happy. That made this situation less terrifying and more… endearing. Fluttershy went a little red in the face for a moment and ended up walking a little closer to the other ponies, instead of watching from afar.
She began to get more comfortable.
Pinkie heard the soft tapping of Fluttershy’s hooves and grinned knowingly.
“You and I were never as close as Dashie and I. Sorry if I can’t make this as fun of an experience.” Pinkie Pie smiles.
“I don’t find this fun in the slightest… Let me go, now…” Rarity cried, spit, tears, blood, and the pain in her face slightly messing with her speech.
“Fluttershy, do something! Go and get somepony before anything more happens! What are you doing, just standing there?!”
Fluttershy started to sweat, nervous at the obvious being pointed out. Pinkie rolled her eyes and set down her blade. She turned her back towards Rarity, now facing Fluttershy, putting on a sad expression. “Fluttershy? Do you really want to leave? Help some selfish pony? I mean, you wouldn’t even really be helping her. You’d be giving away all my help just to go back running to other ponies. I was just trying to help you. I’d never be able to do that again if my trust in you ended up being false hope…”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. She was warming up to the situation. Pinkie knew Fluttershy had a red spot for her. And Fluttershy knew that Pinkie was using that to manipulate her. Fluttershy couldn’t help it. She didn’t even try to think about what she wanted to do before she quickly grabbed the blade Pinkie was previously using.
Both Pinkie and Rarity wore surprised expressions as Fluttershy screamed and dove the knife straight into Rarity’s throat. Rarity joined Fluttershy’s screaming just as the other pony stopped and took out the knife aggressively. Pinkie’s mane bounced as she wrapped her arms around Fluttershy and hugged her as Rarity coughed blood.
“OH, SHY! I'M SO PROUD!!” She screamed, “Though you probably should have aimed for somewhere less fatal,” She quickly added on.
Fluttershy didn’t even realize the new warm tears till she attempted to wipe the blood off of her cheek, just smearing more from her hooves onto her face. A small clank could be heard from the scalpel falling from her other hoof.
A faint, “I’m sorry.” could be heard from the pegasus.