>Be Fluttershy
>Things have been uneasy in ponyville for quite a while now
>Anon had showed up out of the blue a few months ago now
>You weren't there to see.. it
>He? She? It? You weren't sure if they had a gender from where they're from so it would have to do
>But you sure saw and heard the terrifed screams of everypony running from the square
>You had cowered in a corner until the guardsman came and settled down the situation, but didn't dare go to investigate.. for your own safety of course
>Over time, you had happened upon it a handful times, albeit from a far, far distance
>But when you did, it was just as obvious to you as every other pony
>The glares
>The jeers, the whispers
>The 20-foot berth it was given
>Almost as if it was Zecora 2.0
>You never said anything while in the moment, you were just as scared as everypony else
>Even your own friends, bastions of harmony, love, and friendship, weren't taking well to the oddity
>Some reacted in their own obvious ways
>But even Twilight, the ringleader per say in times of strife, seemed to want to avoid all conversation regarding it
>You had asked her over lunch once if she had planned on doing anything to help
>She merely replied that it was on her radar and that she'd get to it when some other.. "more important" matters had been taken care of
>That was at least 6 weeks ago
>Man it was eating at you, chewing away at your psyche
>Would it have to be up to you?
>Here you are with your sole purpose in life to befriend every animal, creature, and being that existed in the great land of equestria
>Why should one who's not quite technically from equestria be any different?
>...although that'd been your mindset for the past month, you still hadn't done anything..
>Until today
>You know your flaws, you've been able to overcome them and triumph at times, but those were in situations that were thrust upon you
>This one you should do, no, HAD to take on yourself
>You're never going to get any better unless you keep doing working at it
>Confident! Assertive! You could show them AND yourself!
>..but who said a few friends coming along couldn't hurt?
>That evening, you gather up a small flock of your best bird friends and Angel Bunny to round out your entourage
>You don't quite tell them where you're going, but you almost don't want to say it out loud yourself
>Fear grips you as look out from the doorway of your treehouse
>Breathe Fluttershy.. breathe... breathe
>Ok
>With an exhale, you set off in the direction of its house, visibly shaking
>You initially planned on going in the evening so that nopony could see where you were going, but it's also nice that they didn't have to see you this wracked
>It was common knowledge where it lived by this point, and your friends only confirmed that, hiding in your mane as they realized just what path you were taking
>Up the path.. to the door..
>Breathe... breathe...
>You raise your hoof and knock at the door, but the next knock misses as the door swings open a bit

>"H-hello..?"

>Dark inside, no answer
>You shut your eyes forcefully
>Why did it always have to be so hard?
>No, you're here, you have to do it
>You push the door open a bit more, feeling your mane shivering as you do

>"A.. Anon? A-Are you in here?"

>Across from the doorway, you see light shining through the cracks of what appears to be the doorway to the bathroom
>Muffled sounds of running water and crying emanate from inside
>You scramble over, hoofs sliding on the flat ground, now on full alert

>"Anon!? Is that you!?"

"...Flutter....shy..?"


>Be Anon
>It was decided
>It wasn't often that you went through with things you planned, but this.. this was something a bit more important than making chili instead of eating out or going to a bar instead of sitting at home again
>You had often wondered if things could get any worse back at home, but I guess they say "don't tempt fate"
>You had thought that showing up in equestria was the start of a new beginning
>Oh how naive you were
>You expected the initial fear and confusion
>Everyone's scared of something new and different, especially as new and different as you
>But after a few weeks of being ignored and derided, it was clear things weren't going to change
>What about all the lessons learned and character development that supposedly was making ponies more accepting and better to each other?
>What about "My Little Creature" and the things you had only heard about in later seasons?
>Upon your initial arrest and interning, you were examined, interrogated, and released once found not to be a threat
>You happened to catch a glance at your papers before walking out of your cell
>Twilight was originally assigned to your case but.. there was a big purple X on her name, and a name of some other pony you didn't recognize written next to it, also in purple ink
>You didn't think much of it until she addressed you on your way out the gates
>She simply smiled, "welcomed" you to equestria, and said assimilating you would be her first priority as soon as some other "more important" matters were taken care of
>Like that ever happened
>Granted, she did eventually find a house for you to live in, but it was on the edge of the everfree forest, abandoned as far as you could tell
>The rest of the mane 6 were similarly cold
>RD
>AJ
>Pinkie
>Rarara
>Fluttershy you hadn't even seen
>For being the elements of harmony personified, you sure didn't feel the love
>Other ponies were far worse
>You couldn't walk anywhere without someone calling you a name or throwing a rotten apple at you
>Or worse..
>The contrast between things seeming so perfect and happy and free of strife in equestria and the harsh reality only drove the pain that much deeper
>You'd decided on a rather unconventional way to go out: asphyxiation
>You first learned of it when your dad told you about how a singer from one of his favorite bands died
>It still baffled you how some people could get off to forms of it
>You had bought some coal from Maud (at least her expression betrayed any emotions she felt) and waited until dusk to do the deed
>Sitting in the smallest room in the house, stained cloths you had used as towels were stuffed under the crack of the door and the sole window was locked tight
>With the coal lit in a bin, all you had to do was wait and let nature take its course
>...
>...
>Alright, you admit it, you started crying
>There were no guns in equestria, much to your dismay, and you weren't quite a fan of the panic that would have set in by hanging yourself
>You could still live after jumping off a cliff too, and even though you'd probably be in shock by that point, you still couldn't imagine seeing yourself in a contorted, shredded mess
>Still though, you were scared of the end, you enormous pussy
>And it was starting to get difficult to breathe
>You turned on the water in the sink to at once muffle your noises and try to cloud your mind of any interfering thoughts
>Your friends, your family, your own bed, all the things you took for granted rush back to you as you think of your home
>This place here, this was never home
>How could it have been..
>You should be embarassed of how loud you'd gotten, but at this point, you didn't care anymore
>Your lungs were starting to burn too
>At least it would be over soon...
>You hear something extremely faint over the sounds of the water and your own sobbing, but don't pay it much attention
>Things are beginning to swim..

>"Anon!? Is that you!?"

>Weakly, you turn your head to the door, your glassy-eyed and snivelling self only half-processing who that could be

"...Flutter....shy..?"

>You heave a breath attempting to satiate your burning lungs
>You try to get up and reach for the handle, but slip on the tile
>Water had overflowed out of the sink and had done none to help your grip
>You hit your head on the solid wood door and slide to the floor with a groan, making your sorry state only that much worse


>Be Fluttershy
>The commotion told you all you needed to know
>You had to get that door down
>You fiddle with the knob but of course it's locked
>Think Fluttershy, think!
>You weren't strong enough to break the door down, looks like it opened the wrong way anyway
>No magic to try and crack the lock either, even if it was old enough where that could work
>Perhaps..
>You fish for one of your friends in your hair, and come out with a frightened woodpecker
>Perfect!
>Much to his dismay, you jam his beak into the lock, jimmying it around for a good twenty seconds before-
>Click
>The door opens on its own and Anon comes tumbling out
>It's barely breathing, its shirt and pants wet, and lays there for a few beats
>It manages to whisper between wheezes

"..please...out..side...."

>Panicking, you grab its shirt by the collar and drag it out into the open air
>As soon as that's done, however, you
let go and back up to the broken fence, your courage being quite used up for the day
>Yes, you did it, but this is way more than you bargained for
>You stare at its sorry state, feeling a touch of empathy
>You can see its face from here, and it's.. smiling now?
>It's breathing is getting easier, and finally whispers out..

"Thank you... Fluttershy..."

>With that, its smile fades and to shallower, slower breathing
>Passed out you would assume
>The birds and Angel Bunny peek out from your mane, still quivering, but not as much as before
>You lie down on your stomach, and the others one by one get enough courage to go out and examine it
>It's quite harmless, peaceful even like this
>Just like any other sleeping creature
>And you didn't fear any of those
>...
>Maybe you'd bring it inside after a bit
>At least so it could be comfortable and warm up later
>But after you've collected yourself
>And after it has some time to rest
>...
>Maybe you should stay the night too so you can make sure it's alright in the morning
>..yes
>You can follow through
>And you should follow through
>Odd as it might sound to you, you know it needs you
>You smile to yourself
>This may have started out as mostly about you and somewhat about it
>But now it's much more about it and only somewhat about you
>This is what it means to be a pony
>What it means to be Fluttershy


>Be Anon
>Adrenaline was coursing through you, but you didn't have any strength to act on it
>And there wasn't going to be enough time anyway
>The doorknob jiggles
>Then nothing
>You start wheezing forcefully
>But why her of all ponies?
>You'd never even talked to her
>There's some clammoring going on, but you hardly notice it
>Your lungs are on fire
>Afraid of her own shadow
>Afraid of me too
>The clammor softens to a mere buzz
>It makes no sense
>But soon.. it won't have to...
>The lock clicks and you roll out onto the floor outside
>...
>It takes what feels like an eternity to realize you're breathing oxygen again
>You can still only breathe shallowly
>Fresh air
>Outside
>You must get outside!

"..please...out..side...."

>Almost immediately, you feel yourself being tugged outside by your collar
>Doesn't quite help your breathing, but you're reaching your goal
>Soon you're dropped at your destination and soft, hurried hoofsteps fall away from you
>You can feel it, rushing into your lungs, almost like liquid it's so dense
>The rushing water from a nearby stream ironically puncutates the experience
>...oh..
>It all makes sense to you now
>Fluttershy's whole thing is nature
>Getting to know all creatures, big and small, what makes them special, and cherishing them for it
>Could that be why she was here?
>And to overcome her fear of you, tenfold of what other ponies probably had
>It takes all the effort in the world right now, but you can't help but smile
>You do matter
>Maybe to only one pony right now, but you do matter
>And to you that's all that matters right now

"Thank you... Fluttershy..."

>Remember all that adrenaline before? Hitting the happy trails
>And so are you it seems
>Darkness takes you quickly as you pass out
>But you're okay with it
>You're at peace
>Maybe there can be a fresh start
>All it takes is one pony and a brand new day
>You can't wait to wake up tomorrow