Monday, February 29, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
Early Morning
As we enjoy one more of Granny Smith's amazing country breakfasts, Applejack says, "Ah jes' wanna thank y'all fer comin' out this weekend. Y'all...y'all really have been too kind." She sniffles. "We're all mighty grateful."
"Durn tootin'!" Granny agrees.
"Eeyup," Big Mac adds.
"Y'all were a mighty big help round here," Granny says. "An' Ah gotta say, it was nice havin' a big houseload'a yung'uns t' feed!" She cackles.
"We were happy to help," Cadance says. "I enjoyed this weekend!"
Shining Armor checks his phone. "Okay, gang...let's all hurry and tend to the animals this morning. After that, we really need to be packing up and getting on the road to the dorm. We're gonna need everything unloaded so I can get the rentals back."
"Why the rush?" Twilight asks. "I'm sure there's plenty more we can do before we really need to—"
"There's a line of thunderstorms headed this way," Shining Armor says. "I want off the road before they move in, and that'll be around noon."
"Eeyup," Big Mac says. "Y'all done plenty. Go on an' get yerselves home before that weather hits."
"We have time to help with the animals," Shining Armor says.
"Well, that'll give me time t' put together some things fer y'all t' take back with ya," Granny Smith says.
With all of us working, tending to the various animal-related chores on the farm takes less than an hour, after which we dismantle our camp and pack away everything we brought with us. The wind is picking up and the sky is getting cloudy by the time we've got the van loaded, except for one of our coolers, which Big Macintosh brings out just as we're getting the last of the luggage loaded.
"Granny's sendin' y'all home with some jams an' apple butter an' cider," Big Mac says as he loads the cooler onto the van. "We sure do thank y'all kindly."
Once all the loading is done, we say our goodbyes to Big Mac and Granny Smith, then pile into the SUVs. This time, Rainbow convinces Sonata to ride with Cadance, while strongarming Fluttershy into our SUV. Fluttershy seems like she wants to protest this, but at some sharp looks from the girls, she wilts and agrees.
We hear the first distant rumbles of thunder as we pull out onto the road...
Daytime
"We have more questions for you, Fluttershy," Twilight says once we're on the road.
"Yeah, starting with why the hell are you friends with Sunset Shithead?" Rainbow demands.
"We're NOT friends," Fluttershy says sullenly. "We never were. I...I only do what she tells me because she's..."
"Because you're afraid of her?" Twilight suggests.
Fluttershy is silent.
"...because she's blackmailing you?" Twilight tries again.
Fluttershy sighs. "Let's just say it's no accident that bad things have happened to some of the kids that bullied me since I came to CHS. Like, the half of the soccer team that got kicked off sophomore year."
"Wait," Rainbow says. "That was all because of drug possession charges..."
"You'd be surprised how easy it is for the weakest, most pathetic crybaby in school to buy five pounds of weed and a few grams of heroin and spread it around in the locker room without anybody noticing."
"NOT COOL, Fluttershy!" Rainbow yells.
"Oh yeah? Was it cool for them to steal my underwear when I was in the shower after gym class and auction it off online?"
"Wait, they did WHAT?"
"Yeah. They didn't know who they were fucking with. I fucked them up for life."
"Umm...can you please stop swearing?" Pinkie asks quietly. "Hearing those words come out of you...it's really messing with my head."
"Oh, grow up, Pinkie," Fluttershy says. "CHS's Queen of Sexting has no right to complain about my potty mouth."
"Whoa, queen of WHAT now?" Rainbow asks.
"Fluttershy!" Pinkie cries.
"No. Shut up." Fluttershy shifts around in her seat. "I know every sick, depraved, deranged, stupid thing there is to know about every last one of you losers. You start shit with me, I start saying things you don't want your friends to hear."
"Man, I can't believe you're this much of a bitch," Rainbow mutters. "I always thought you were so...well...nice!"
"Canterlot High made me this way," Fluttershy says quietly.
Twilight clears her throat. "Fluttershy," she says, "I've been thinking about something since last night. The Fall Formal. What really happened that night?"
"Hey yeah, what DID happen that night?" Rainbow asks. "And, uhh...sorry again for, y'know—"
"Molesting me?" Fluttershy snorts. "Now that I know you really are a queer, I'm mad at you for that again. Not that I ever really got over that."
"I THOUGHT SOMEBODY RAPED YOU! GODDAMMIT, FLUTTERSHY, I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"
"Girls? Let's not get into that again." Rarity coughs. "Now, Fluttershy. The Fall Formal. What actually happened to you that night?"
Fluttershy sighs. "I spent most of the week leading up to the Fall Formal hacking the votes, randomly changing votes for Sunset Shimmer to votes for either Twilight or Rarity. I was very careful about it...I stopped when she had twenty-three percent of the vote. I had hoped I would get away with it, but..."
"You mean I didn't really win the Fall Formal Princess?" Twilight asks.
"Oh, I'm sure you would've won anyway. Or, well...it would've been a lot closer than it was. A few votes at most. And maybe Rarity would've won instead. I just...maybe gave you more of the altered votes because Sunset Shimmer hates you. I knew it would make her really angry if you won."
"...I see..."
"I...I wanted to see the look on her face when she lost. That was the only reason I even went to the dance. After she lost, I found her outside the gym, and...and nobody else was around, so I...I gloated. And then she...she showed me pictures of me...in the bathroom. And she told me...if I ever defied her again, the whole world would see them."
The other girls gasp. "Oh my god..." Pinkie says.
"So that's why you were off in the bathroom crying?" Rainbow asks.
In the rear view, I can see Fluttershy slump forward. "Yes," she says. "Can you blame me?" She laughs mirthlessly. "Sunset Shimmer's got pisscam pics of me, Rainbow Dash molested me, Flash grabbed my breast..." She shakes her head. "Everywhere I turn, people are doing stuff like that to me lately..."
"Hey! You don't get to play that card," Pinkie says. "Not after you let Sunset Shimmer into the dorm to rape Flash."
"Yeah, Fluttershy, nobody wants to hear about poor pitiful you and your made-up problems." Rainbow pauses. "Except for the bathroom pictures thing. That's messed up."
"Fluttershy," Rarity says, "I believe what we're all trying to say is that it's difficult to sympathize with you after everything you've put us through."
"Like I give a shit," Fluttershy says.
"How did you even wind up with a Persona?" Pinkie wonders. "Was it...like the rest of us, or...?"
Fluttershy doesn't answer.
For the rest of the drive back to Canterlot, the girls try to ask Fluttershy more questions, but she refuses to talk...
It's already starting to drizzle by the time we get back to the dorm. We unload the van as quickly as we can, then Cadance, Shining Armor, and I drive out to the rental place to return the van and the rental SUV. By the time we start back to the dorm in Cadance's SUV, it's raining hard.
Evening
Everybody's tired...
Apparently we're all doing our own thing for dinner. I make myself a sandwich and head to my room.
Twilight's already there, watching TV and eating potato chips. "Hey," she says.
"Hey." I sit on the bed. "So...what happened with Fluttershy after we left?"
Twilight sighs. "Pinkie and I followed her around and watched her take out all the bugs," she says. She shudders. "To think, she's been listening in on everything we say and do all this time..."
"Yeah..."
"Anyway, after that, she locked herself in her room." She runs her hands through her hair. "I still can't believe she's...well...that."
"Yeah..."
"And now we have to figure out how to deal with Sunset Shimmer..."
I shake my head. "We can worry about that later. Right now, we need to get ready for Friday. Sonata's the next target...we need to be ready."
"Right," Twilight agrees. "But...we also need to make plans. And...and we need to figure out what we're going to do about Fluttershy..."
I sigh. "Honestly? Right now, I'm too disgusted to care."
The last few days have been physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting...
There are still so many unanswered questions about Fluttershy, Sunset Shimmer, and Zodiac...
After I finish eating, I grab Twilight, pull her onto the bed, and use her as a pillow. The steady patter of rain on the windows and the gentle rolling of thunder lulls me to sleep...
