Piece of Mind

A small group of songbirds whirled overhead as Fluttershy trotted into town. She beamed and took a large sniff of the fresh morning air. The sun was shining, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and even Angel had behaved himself this morning. A perfect example of a great spring day. She started to hum a tune softly to herself as she nodded to a squirrel that chattered a greeting to her. The warm sunny atmosphere was infectious, and her trot became a skip, and her humming grew louder as her good cheer welled up inside. Entering the marketplace and looking at everypony shopping, chatting, or just plain having fun, Fluttershy let the tune grow into a song as she let her sunny attitude overflow. Making her way through the stands, she let her tune crescendo as she watched everypony go about their business and waved to a passing pegasus cavorting through the air. Skipping along blithely, she closed her eyes, reared back and hit a high note in her jubilation before skipping straight into a package laden Pinkie Pie returning from the joke shop.

“Oof! Hiya Flutter- whoa. Whooooah! Whoops!”

Fluttershy clapped her hooves to her mouth in shock as Pinkie tottered around, trying to stabilize the tower of packages balanced on her back. But every stumbling step to right the leaning stack would end up overcompensating, sending her frantically dashing back the other way. Her efforts were in vain, as her stumbling led her to crash directly into a cart of oranges, scattering produce flying everywhere and burying herself in a pile of her own packages. Ponies ducked for cover from the flying fruits, and tried to avoid slipping on them as they rolled across the ground. Pinkie popped her head out of her pile of packages, and the orange cart she had crashed into started to lean. It wobbled as everypony stood frozen, holding their breath. Slowly, it proceeded to tip over straight into another cart, which fell into a third, all of them dumping their content on the ground. Soon fruits and vegetables of all description littered the marketplace, sending ponies slipping all across the square on the fallen food. One slid across the square on a banana peel as another was bowled over by an onslaught of runaway watermelons. Pinkie Pie tried to extricate herself from under the avalanche of packages, sending one rolling down from the top of the pile. She tried to catch it, but it slipped through her hooves and hit the ground, sending a spring-loaded cream pie flying through the air. A colt sidestepping fallen walnuts could only stare in shock as the oncoming pie struck him square in the face. He stumbled around, blinded by meringue, only to crash into another panicking pony. They bounced off each other and fell against another market stand. It fell to the ground in a resounding crash, adding more confusion to the mix. Fluttershy looked on in horror, and then cringed at the sound of yet more crashes and collapsing carts.

“Oh dear! This is all... all...”

Fluttershy stared in shock as several dirty glances were thrown her way as some of the shopkeepers began to clean up. She cringed as the shadow of a hawk passed overhead with a scream. Fluttershy stared at it agape for a few seconds before slinking away out of the market square as Pinkie Pie finally managed to crawl her way out of the mountain of packages.

“Oh wow, that was hilarious! Right Fluttershy? ...Fluttershy? Where’d you go?”

---

Later on that day, Pinkie Pie bounced up to Fluttershy’s cottage with a tray of sweets balanced on her head and knocked on the door. The top half of the door opened slightly, and Fluttershy peeked out.

“Hi there Fluttershy! I missed you at the market today, ‘cause you ran off so quick! And then I was wondering why you ran off, and then I realised it was close to lunchtime, and you must have been hungry! And what kind of lunch would it be without desert? So I decided I’d make you something and bring it over!”

Fluttershy just stared at the ground, her voice barely a whisper.

“Oh... thank you.”

Fluttershy took the tray of pastries from Pinkie Pie and turned to go back inside when Pinkie stopped her.

“Wait! Are... are you okay Fluttershy? You seem kinda down. Is something wrong? Because if you’re sad, I have a whole bunch of stuff that might cheer you up! I don’t like my friends to be sad, ‘cause that makes me sad, and who likes to be sad? It’d really silly if somepony liked to be sad. That would mean they’d be sad whenever they were happy! Although, then wouldn’t they be happy that they were sad because they were happy? See? Silly! And I don’t want you to like being sad either!”

Setting down the tray inside, Fluttershy came back to the door and continued her inspection of the ground.

“Oh, I... I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Thank you for the sweets.”

Fluttershy gently shut the door before Pinkie could say another word, leaving her pony perplexed. Sitting down, she rubbed at her chin.

“She doesn’t sound fine to me... What’s gotten her so upset?”

---

Later that week, the morning sun found Pinkie Pie pacing back and forth in the library with Twilight.

“...and so after the deserts didn’t work, I figured there was only one thing to do to cheer her up: a party! But she didn’t even want a party! It.. it scared her! Did she think there were going to be clowns? Most ponies like clowns, but some find them scary. But she’s not on my no-clown list! I remember checking last time I threw a party for her. It was just two weeks ago! I remember, ‘cause that was the party for-”

“Pinkie, focus!”

Pinkie Pie blinked as Twilight waited impatiently for her to finish her story.

“Oh, right. So that didn’t work. So the next day I tried a song and dance number, but that didn’t work either. Neither did the stand-up routine the day after that, the ninja-tickle attack, and trying to pull her face into a smile with my hooves. I don’t know what else to do to cheer her up! What do I do?”

Twilight scratched her mane.

“Have you tried just asking her what’s bothering her?”

Pinkie looked down.

“Yeah, but she doesn't want to talk about it. Or talk much at all. She just says that she’ll be fine and to not worry about her. It’s really strange!”

Twilight furrowed her forehead and stared off into the distance.

“Yeah, that does sound weird. Are you sure it just isn’t a mood of hers? Maybe she’ll get over it like she says.”

Pinkie Pie started to pace around the library again.

“Well... maybe, but it’s been days now she’s been like this! Usually when I become a big ol’ gloomy-pants, I just go visit you all, and that cheers me up really fast! Because you’re great friends! But this isn’t right! Something is really bothering her, and I want to help! She’s just so quiet, sad, and... and.... joyless! That’s horrible! How can anypony live without joy?”

Twilight bit her lip as she pondered the situation.

“I guess you’re right, but perhaps-”

Her train of thought was interrupted as there was a soft kicking at the door. Opening it, Twilight looked around, but didn’t see anypony until she felt a sharp kick at her shins. Looking down, she saw a rabbit tapping his foot impatiently.

“Oh, hi Angel. Come on in.”

Angel hopped inside and began frantically miming. Pinkie knelt down with a smile.

“Ooh! Charades! I love charades. Um... three words. What’s the category? Book title? No? Um... famous event? Oh, landmark, I bet’s it’s landmark!”

Angel slapped his forehead, walked over, and gave Pinkie’s tail a quick tug, causing a loud hiccough to interrupt her prattling. Angel motioned to Twilight, who knelt down to allow him to jump on her back.

“I think he wants us to follow him.”

The two headed out and Angel led them back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Opening the door, Angel motioned them inside and up the stairs. Quietly hooftipping up the stairs, they two ponies gasped quietly to see Fluttershy in bed, tossing and turning in her sleep with frightened whimpers. Pinkie turned to Angel.

“Nightmares? How long has she been having these nightmares?”

Angel thumped his foot on the floor four times.

“Four days? Geez, that’s a while. Poor thing!”

Twilight walked over to the bed.

“Well, let’s at least wake her up out of it!”

Pinkie Pie sighed and looked at the floor.

“I wish I could see what she was dreaming of. Maybe then I could help her!”

Twilight looked over with a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Sorry Pinkie, there’s no spell like that in all of traditional magic that I’m aware of.”

“What about non-traditional?”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Pinkie, there no such thing as non-traditional...”

Twilight blinked and thought it over for a sec.

“Hmm. Actually perhaps there is somepony who might know something in that vein.”

Grabbing a scrap of paper, Twilight scribbled a note on it, rolled it, and tied it into a tiny scroll. Walking downstairs, Twilight gave the scroll and whispered some instructions to one of Fluttershy’s birds. It nodded and flew outside carrying the scroll. Returning upstairs, Twilight smiled at Pinkie.

“I might know who can help us with that. We’ll see if she comes. But first...”

Twilight went back over to Fluttershy’s bed and shook her soundly.

“WAKE UP!”

With a loud yelp, Fluttershy bolted upright.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

Pinkie bounded over and gave Fluttershy a hug.

“You were having a nightmare! So we woke you up!”

Fluttershy dropped her gaze.

“Oh. You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Twilight shook her head.

“Angel was worried, so he came and got us. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you?”

Fluttershy just whimpered and pulled the covers up to her chin.

“I’d... I’d really rather not. I’ll be fine.”

Twilight sighed and patted her shoulder.

“Fluttershy, it’s going to be okay. We really want to help. This can’t be good for you. But... if you’re not comfortable talking about whatever it is that’s bothering you, I might have another way that would be easier for you to handle.”

Pinkie gave Fluttershy a bright smile.

“If this works, you’ll be feeling better in no time!”

“Um... thanks.”

---

An hour later, Pinkie and Twilight looked up upon hearing a knock at the door. Opening it, Twilight sighed in relief to see Zecora standing there, saddlebags laden with supplies.

“Oh, thank goodness you could come. This kind of thing is out of my field of expertise, and I hoped you would know something that might help.”

Zecora smiled and nodded.

“The problem that does ail your friend

I can help you with its end.”

Zecora quickly set up shop in Fluttershy’s kitchen, and began mixing ingredients together from her bag. Pinkie Pie led Fluttershy downstairs, and they sat down on the couch while Twilight talked over the details of her plan.

“So Fluttershy, I don’t know what’s bothering you, but from what I get from Angel and Pinkie, it’s making you miserable. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”

Pinkie Pie piped up.

“But we can’t let you stay miserable! What kind of friends would we be if we did that?”

Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Right. So, with your permission, we’re going to give you some tea that will make you sleep for a bit, and then Zecora will help us perform a Spirit Walk.”

Fluttershy looked alarmed for a second.

“S-spirit Walk? What’s that?”

“Well, you’ll be asleep for it, so you won’t feel a thing. But it’ll allow one of us to enter your mind, and hopefully find out and help you deal with whatever is troubling so badly. Don’t worry, from what she tells me, it’ll just be like a dream for you.”

Fluttershy flattened her ears against her head and looked away.

“I... I’m not sure. My mind? There’s a lot of things in there. I’m just not sure if I’m comfortable with this.”

Pinkie Pie bounded up and patted Fluttershy on the noggin.

“It’s okay, we won’t pry! We’ll be in and out before you know it!”

Twilight nodded.

“Unless you just want to tell us what’s wrong...?”

Fluttershy cowered and buried her face behind her hooves.

“No! I can’t! I just... just can’t.”

“Why not?”

Fluttershy looked up, tears starting to collect in the corners of her eyes.

“I’m... I’m... too scared. I don’t want to talk about it! I don’t want to even think about it. But... but I can’t forget it either. It just won’t go away. It won’t go away!”

Twilight walked over and stroked Fluttershy’s mane until the sniffles subsided.

“Fluttershy, I don’t know what it is that’s made you this upset, but if you really don’t want to think about it, this might be the best way for all of us to get this fixed with minimal stress on you.”

Pinkie lifted Fluttershy’s chin up to look her in the eye.

“I know it sounds scary Fluttershy, but we’re your friends! Don’t you trust us?

Fluttershy sat in thought for a minute, looking from one to the other.

“O...okay. If you really think it’ll help.”

Twilight giggled and nodded.

“Right. Let me ask Zecora what I need to do to get ready and-”

Pinkie jumped up.

“Wait! You’re going to do it? I thought I was!”

Twilight blinked in confusion.

“Huh? You want to do the Spirit Walk?”

“Yeah! I’d be really worried just waiting here with nothing to do! And besides, the mind is a strange place. No offense Twilight, but I think I’m more used to weirdness than you are. If her mind is anything like my mind, it’ll be full of weird stuff!”

Twilight shook her head.

“Pinkie, I don’t think anypony’s mind is quite like your mind. But if you really want to, you can do it.”

Pinkie cheered and gave Fluttershy a big hug.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, I’ll have you back to your normal cheery self in no time!”

Finishing her preparations, Zecora handed Fluttershy a mug of tea. After drinking it, a few minutes was all it took before Fluttershy’s eyes drooped and she laid down on the couch fast asleep. Taking a brush and a jar of tribal paint, Zecora drew tribal symbols on Fluttershy’s face, with three thick lines and a dot forming the shape of a door on her forehead. Moving to Pinkie, she inscribed another set of symbols on Pinkie, a difficult task as Pinkie kept giggling at the ticklish brush. Finishing her work, Zecora threw a pouch of incense into the fireplace, which soon began to fill the room with a wonderful aroma.

“Close your eyes and breath these smells

So into the mind, you may now delve...”

Pinkie closed her eyes as Zecora began to chant a tune in a low rhythmic voice. She breathed the smoke from the incense, and after a minute or two she began to feel weightless, like she was drifting upwards. Opening her eyes, she saw her own body below her on the couch next to Fluttershy. Looking down at Fluttershy, her eyes widened as the painted door on her forehead began to open. Feeling a force compelling her, Pinkie swooped down and felt herself shrink as the door loomed large in front of her. Gathering her courage, she flew through the doorway and into the darkness beyond.

---

When Pinkie opened her eyes again, as far as she could tell she was lying deep in the Everfree Forest. Only, it seemed darker, and more sinister than its counterpart, if such a thing were possible. The trees loomed over the thin dirt path on which she lay. Picking herself up and looking through what few gaps presented themselves in the boughs of the trees, Pinkie could only see a gray overcast night sky. The air hung heavy and silent, highlighting every hoofbeat as she started down the forest path. A tingle ran down Pinkie’s spine as she felt somepony watching her. She spun around and for a second she caught a glimpse of several sets of red eyes before they disappeared with a quick snicker. Pinkie shook her head and trotted onward, humming a familiar tune to herself to drown out the mocking laughter that grew the farther she went. More sets of eyes blinked into view at the periphery of her vision, and a few sets of gleaming teeth as well. Whirling around, Pinkie stood her ground and gave a defiant laugh.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! You’re nothing but some disembodied pony parts! You’re silly, not scary! Nothing like that can hurt me!”

“Nothing like that can hurt me!...

that can hurt me...

can hurt me...

hurt me...

Are you SURE...?”

Pinkie peered around for the source of the echoing voice, but it and the continual snickering surrounded her. Her trot turned into a gallop as she turned the bend in the path and saw a pale cowering Fluttershy a short distance away with a group of small woodland creatures all around her. Pinkie raced over as Fluttershy looked up at her from between her hooves.

“Fluttershy, there you are! I’m so glad I found you! Are you okay? What’s wrong? What kind of nightmare is this?”

Fluttershy said nothing and cowered behind her hooves as predatory eyes and hungry stares surrounded her. She trembled and pointed a hoof off into the darkness. Straining to see in the darkness, Pinkie jumped as the eyes from before returned in full force until a whole crowd of glaring red eyes surrounded them. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the bony figures of timber wolves prowling around them.

“Guardian of these little snacks?”

“You can’t even protect yourself.”

“Much less anything else...”

Growls and whispers echoed around them as the pack stalked them. Pinkie stood protectively in front of Fluttershy as she tried to keep her eyes on all of the wolves at once. With a snarl, one of the timber wolves leapt towards the group, causing the small animals to bolt at its approach. Fluttershy cried out and tried to grab them, but one by one they slipped through her hooves and fled into the fang-filled darkness beyond.

“So much for them...”

“Now what about you?”

The pack of timber wolves tightened the circle around the two ponies, their limbs creaking in the dead silence around them before Pinkie pulled Fluttershy to her hooves and held her close beside her.

“C’mon Fluttershy, you can handle these dogs! You’ve stared down a dragon, you can stare down some wooden dogs!”

Another phantom chuckle echoed through the clearing.

“Stared down a dragon...

...down a dragon...

… dragon...

Is that so?”

Fluttershy and Pinkie were almost back at the path when an earth shaking thud resounded through the clearing. The wolves quickly parted ranks as another footstep shook the ground. Fluttershy’s stare faltered as trees started falling in the distance. She backpedaled, dropped back to the ground, and cowered as a deafeningly fierce roar rang out, far too close for comfort. A dark shape reared out the nearby trees, leaned back, and illuminated the night with a pillar of fire from its mouth. That moment illuminated a dragon of, well, nightmarish proportions. The firelight glinted off of its black scales and outlined the spines that jutted out from all angles.

A blinding flash of lightning forced Pinkie to look away for a second. Looking back, she found her and Fluttershy standing in the center of a battle colosseum. Looking around in confusion, Pinkie found the stands packed with jeering and hooting monsters of all size and description. Fluttershy shrank even further back upon seeing thousands of eyes glowing in the torchlight, all of them trained on her.

The black dragon shook the ground as it stomped towards Pinkie and Fluttershy. The crowd cheered and laughed as it towered over them, flames trickling down from its mouth. Rearing back, it roared thunderously and raised a long claw high in the air to strike down at them. Until a peal of laughter froze it in midswing, and it looked down to find Pinkie Pie laughing her flank off on the ground.

“Look at you! You’re so silly! You’re drooling FIRE! How do you do that without burning your mouth? Do you have heartburn or something? And look at your claws! How do you scratch yourself with those things? Because I bet you get itchy sometimes, don’t you? Because those scales CAN’T be comfortable! Are they metal? I bet that would sound like hooves on a chalkboard. How do you move around without clanking?”

The dragon just looked around confused. This wasn’t how this normally went. Pinkie Pie looked back behind her to an equally confused Fluttershy.

“C’mon! You shouldn’t be scared of this guy! You can handle dragons, remember? You stared down a dragon and scolded it until it CRIED!”

Pinkie picked up Fluttershy and set her on her hooves. Fluttershy cringed as the dragon began to advance upon them once more despite Pinkie’s encouragement.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of! You just got to- WHAAA!”

Pinkie yelped as a fierce shriek split the air, and a pair of giant talons snatched up both ponies and flew them high into the air. Pinkie’s screams soon turned into giggles as the ground dropped away beneath them.

“Whee! This is fun! Ooh! Ooh! Now do a flip Mr... uh...”

Pinkie looked up from where she was held and found the steely eyes of a titanic hawk looking back from her.

“Well, THAT doesn’t make any sense. It’s just a big bird! Nothing to be scared of unless you’re afraid of hei- oh. Oops!”

The hawk loosened its grip on the two ponies, and sent them plummeting through the air towards the ground far below. Fluttershy screamed and flailed her hooves as she fell with Pinkie beside her. The ground rushed closer by the second as Pinkie giggled at Fluttershy.

“What are you scared about? Fly, Fluttershy! You have wings! Open up your wings and you’ll be fine!”

Fluttershy didn’t respond, but continued to scream and flail hysterically. Pinkie latched onto Fluttershy’s back and tried to pry her wings open, but terror had them glued her sides. Pinkie looked down nervously as the ground raced ever closer.

“You can do it! Spread those wings and fly!”

“Fluttershy...

Fluttershy...

Fluttershy can hardly fly!”

Pinkie looked up as a trio of pegasi flew circles around them, snickering snidely and taunting Fluttershy with their laughter as they fell. Pinkie tried to shoo them away, but they darted out of her range mockingly.

“Oh.... what do I do?! Snap out of it Fluttershy! You need to fly, because I can’t!”

Fluttershy tried to cover her ears to keep that memory out of her head, but the chant grew louder and louder as the ground grew closer and closer. Pinke tugged at Fluttershy’s wings again as Fluttershy kept her ears covered and her eyes closed, tears leaking from under her eyelids. Pinkie bit her lips nervously as they tumbled through a cloud together. She didn’t know what would happen to her if they hit the ground, but this was no time to experiment.

“Come on Fluttershy! Spread those wings! I know you can do it!”

Pinkie’s efforts received no results from Fluttershy and only a new round of derision from the pegasi bullies. She started tugging at her wings again.

“Don’t you listen to those big meanies! You’re a good flier! Remember Tornado Duty? Remember you and Dash? Remember what you did? Fluttershy! Fluttershy!”

Pinkie thought she heard Fluttershy pause a moment as Pinkie put one giant effort into spreading those wings.

“FLUTTERSHY CAN REALLY FLY!”

With a snap, her wings locked into place, and Pinkie let out a whoop of victory as Fluttershy pulled out of the dive and soared off into the sky, leaving the taunting pegasi below struggling to keep up. Fluttershy glided back down to the forest floor below, landing with only a soft bump. With her hooves firmly on the earth again, Pinkie fell over laughing.

“Oh wow, that was a lot of fun! I never knew flying would be so fun! What I would give to have wings! I’m going to have to get Rainbow Dash give me a ride sometime! Ooh! You could help me too Fluttershy! … Fluttershy? Where’d you go?”

Pinkie searched high and low for Fluttershy, but the pegasus had vanished into thin air. The night sky began to lighten, letting some light into the Everfree Forest, which was becoming much less scary. But Pinkie rubbed her eyes when it seemed that the darkness wasn’t going away, but... condensing? A sudden wind sprang up, and the blackness converged on one spot to reveal a morning sky covered in thick dark clouds. The remaining patch of night sky flew down and landed in front of Pinkie, forming into a black silhouette of Fluttershy quivering in fear on the ground. It looked up with sky blue eyes as it cringed away from Pinkie.

“Don’t hurt me! Please don’t hurt me? Just... go away. Why didn’t my nightmares scare you away? Go away and leave me alone!”

Pinkie Pie took a few steps forward, sending the silhouette scurrying backwards with a frightened squeak.

“Fluttershy... is that you?”

“Well... yes. In a way. Sorta... but not really. We are Fluttershy.”

Pinkie tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“We? Silly, there’s only one Fluttershy that I know!”

The shadow looked down.

“I... I’m sorry. You couldn’t have known, but Fluttershy is a lot of ponies. I-I’m one of them. We have many facets to us.”

Pinkie’s face broke into smiles as everything clicked.

“Oh, I get it! Silly me, of course your mind wouldn’t have just one part of you! You must be Fluttershy’s fearful side.”

The shadow nodded and cringed.

“Please don’t hurt us. We’ve never had someone in our mind before. You don’t belong here! It’s dangerous. Especially now. What are you doing here?”

Pinkie bounced next to the shadow.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, I’m here to help Fluttershy! Well, I’m here to help you too. I guess you’re a part of you too. Ooh, I know! Can I call you Flutterfear? That’ll make things a lot easier!”

Flutterfear looked up with Fluttershy’s blue eyes into Pinkie’s.

“You’re... here to help? Oh... okay. I guess that’s safe. I’m not sure what you can do... but it’d be nice if you could.”

Pinkie looked up at the dark cloudy skies up above the canopy.

“Well, what’s with all these clouds? Fluttershy is usually sunny. It’s not like her to be all gray and dreary like this. Hey, is Fluttershy’s Joy around anywhere? I bet she could fix this gloomy attitude”

Flutterfear avoided Pinkie’s eyes as she shrunk back.

“She... she isn’t around right now..”

“Not around? Did something happen to her?”

Flutterfear curled up on the ground and cringed.

“I didn’t do it! I...I mean, it’s not my fault! I just keep us safe! She tricked me into doing it! Please don’t hurt me, I didn’t mean to!”

The edges of the shadowy pony started to blur and expand, the sky growing darker for a moment before a peal of laughter snapped her back into her proper shape. Pinkie gave Flutterfear a big hug.

“Silly filly, I didn’t say it was your fault! But if you didn’t do it, what did?”

Flutterfear looked around nervously.

“I... I... I really shouldn’t say. ‘She’ might get mad if I talk about her like that.”

“She? Who is this ‘she’?”

Flutterfear just looked down and scuffed her hoof in the dirt.

“I... I don’t want to talk about her. She’s scary.”

Pinkie Pie just patted Flutterfear’s head and sat down in front of her.

“Okay, you don’t have to talk about her. I can talk about her for you! Let’s play a guessing game! I’ll talk, and you tell me if I’m right, okay?”

Flutterfear stared at the ground and nodded mutely as Pinkie Pie pulled out a deerstalker cap and bubble pipe.

“So... Fluttershy has been a big old gloomy pants recently. And her Joy is missing in here as a result. So I’m guessing that these nightmares have something to do with it?”

Flutterfear continued her inspection of the dirt and nodded her agreement. Pinkie rubbed her chin and blew some bubbles as she thought.

“But you said that ‘She’ tricked you into creating these nightmares, so it wasn’t your idea, right?”

“That’s... that’s right. She made me make those nightmares! And it’s made her bigger because of it!”

“So she’s the one who made you do it, huh? So whatever it is that’s got her down in the dumps like this is linked to what Fluttershy is having nightmares about?”

Pinkie stood up and started pacing in thought.

“Well, the dragon makes sense. She’s always been scared of big dragons. And Rainbow Dash told me about what happened in Flight Camp. But the giant hawk is new.”

She stopped her pacing and plopped herself back down on the ground in confusion.

“But that doesn’t make sense. She’s not scared of hawks! She’s been perfectly fine around falcons and eagles, and other big birds like that!”

Pinkie stared at the shadowy Flutterfear, who persisted in avoiding her gaze.

“Did something happen with a hawk?”

Flutterfear started trembling and backing away.

“I... I...”

“C’mon, you can tell auntie Pinkie Pie! I’m a good secret keeper!”

A rustling sound echoed through the trees. Vines appeared out of thin air and snaked themselves around Flutterfear’s body before crossing over her heart and wrapping around her face. Thick locks appeared with a loud clang and bound them fast.

“I... I... I can’t talk about it! We don’t tell anypony about that! You’re not even supposed to know that you’re not supposed to know! I... I shouldn’t have been talking talking to you in the first place! Goodbye!”

Flutterfear turned tail and fled the scene. Pinkie tried to call her back, but she disappeared before Pinkie could do anything.

“Chains? And locks? And what did she mean by ‘not supposed to tell anypony’?”

Seeing no better option, she set out in the direction Flutterfear had ran off. Perhaps somepony else could be found that she could ask.

---

Pinkie Pie trotted through the gray forest, trying to ignore the dark clouds overhead. It was so dark and... depressing. To see a mind so completely joyless felt just... unnatural. Pinkie put a fresh spring in her step and continued forward with determination. If there was a time somepony needed Laughter, it was now. A smile lit up her face as she spotted light through the trees up ahead. Sprinting forward, Pinkie burst through the treeline and emerged into a green peaceful meadow. Pinkie flung herself into the grass and inhaled the earthy fragrance, glad to be out from under the shadows of the trees. Looking up, Pinkie spotted Fluttershy’s cottage in the distance. Trotting over to the door, Pinkie raised a hoof up to knock. But before she could do so, thick wooden planks snapped up across the door, locking it shut. More locks snapped the boards in place as Pinkie took a step back in confusion.

“Oh, you don’t want to go in there.”

A soft voice made Pinkie turn around. Behind them, stood Fluttershy in her Gala dress. Butterflies hovered around her, and she had even more flowers woven into her mane than before. Pinkie ran over and gave Fluttershy a big hug.

“Fluttershy! I’m so glad to see you! This place isn’t at all what I had expected. What’s happened here? There were these nightmares and this big section of your mind is covered by the Everfree Forest, and there was this shadowy Fluttershy, and she was supposed to be your fearful side! I mean, I know you’re afraid of your own shadow, but...”

Fluttershy smiled kindly, and motioned Pinkie towards the back of the house.

“Oh, come this way. This isn’t the right place to talk.”

Pinkie nodded and bounced after her as Fluttershy led them to a beautiful garden behind the cottage. Pinkie marveled at all wondrous flowers that bloomed in all shades and hues, and at the throngs of birds that flitted between the various plants, trees, feeders, and birdhouses. Her eyes almost popped out of her head as she noticed a trail of wildflowers blossoming out of the ground in Fluttershy’s wake and fading away just as quickly as she walked through the garden. Making her way over to a tree, she nosed at its shadow.

“Come on out now, I promise she won’t hurt us.”

A pair of blue eyes winked open in the tree’s shadow, and Flutterfear cautiously stepped out into the light. Pinkie’s face lit up and she ran over to give her a hug, but Fluttershy raised a hoof to stop her.

“Not just yet. We need to show this one something first. Would you stand still, pretty please?”

Fluttershy reached forward and put her hoof through Pinkie’s shoulder. Pinkie just laughed and tried to push her away.

“Stop, that tickles!”

“See? This Pinkie isn’t a figment of our imagination that... that She sent to trick us. This Pinkie is an Outsider. She can’t hurt you if you don’t want her to, so you don’t need to worry about her.”

Fluttershy pulled over a cart and served tea and pastries to everypony as Flutterfear came out into the open. Pinkie happily descended upon the sweets as everypony took sat down. Gulping down the rest of her danish, Pinkie looked around at the surroundings.

“So, Fluttershy-”

Fluttershy simply looked confused.

“Oh, I’m not Fluttershy. I thought we had already explained this to you?”

Pinkie pointed to Flutterfear, who shrank back slightly.

“Well, I can understand her being your fearful side. She looks dark and scary. Or maybe just scared. It’s hard to tell the difference. A lot of scary things are things that are just scared of you! But you look just like Fluttershy.”

‘Fluttershy’ simply smiled and gestured to the garden surrounding them.

“Take a look around, this is all my hoofwork. Perhaps that will help.”

Pinkie turned around and gave the miniature oasis a second lookover. The birds still were flying around, and she thought she could see other forest animals scurrying around the flower beds. Pinkie gave Fluttershy a hard look. The answer itched at the back of her brain, but she couldn’t quite piece it together. Looking closer, Pinkie saw some sparkle around Fluttershy’s neck. Fluttershy nodded and lifted her head so she could see, and Pinkie gasped when she recognized the gilded necklace set with the pink butterfly.

“That’s an Element of Harmony! And there are all these animals around that you usually care for. And the flowers! Ooh! Ooh! I know, you’re Fluttershy’s kindness, aren’t you?”

Fluttershy giggled demurely and nodded as she refilled Pinkie’s plate with some tarts.

“That’s right. This one here tells me you call her Flutterfear, so you may call me Mothershy if it helps you.”

Pinkie got up and shook Mothershy’s hoof.

“It’s nice to meet you! Do you think you can help me?”

Mothershy’s face fell for a moment before returning to her normal soft smile.

“As much as I am able to. The situation is... complicated.”

Pinkie looked up and gestured to the overcast sky.

“Well, what’s up with all the gloomy clouds? Fluttershy shouldn’t be all gray and cloudy. It should be a bright sunny morning. Ooh! With a beautiful sunrise! And birds singing!”

Pinkie’s smile fell and she sighed as she stared at the clouds some more.

“But this? This isn’t right. What happened? Where’s her Joy?”

Flutterfear shuddered and threw a worried glance at the cottage.

“She took her away.”

Mothershy nodded and pointed at the clouds.

“The clouds used to be normal, and our Joy used to stay up there. But then she had to be taken away. It... it was for the best.”

“But why? Why would anypony want to get rid of their joy? That’s horrible!”

Mothershy heaved a deep sigh and poured some seed for the birds.

“Sometimes... it’s for the best.”

“It’s for your own good, Philomena! I promise!”

Pinkie looked around for the source of the voice as Mothershy chuckled to herself.

“Oh don’t mind them. We are in the Memory Garden after all.”

“The memory what?”

Mothershy waved a hoof towards the birds that swarmed over the garden.

“The Memory Garden. Memories are flighty things afterall.”

Pinkie wandered into the garden as birds swooped all around her. Listening closer, she could hear quiet voices among all the chirping as the birds flew by her.

“...as it is the wondrous private gated garden that surrounds it!”

“...helping me with the official bunny census.”

“....hope you had some wonderful dreams and restful hibernation...”

She marveled as birds of all description fluttered all around. Pinkie kicked up her hooves and ran around the garden laughing as she ran from conversation to conversation.

“Ooh! Ooh! Are there many memories of me?”

Mothershy nodded and whistled a short tune, and several pink birds flew over. Pinkie galloped over to see them, and held out a hoof. One landed on her hoof and Pinkie leaned forward to hear what it had to say.

*flash*

Pinkie found herself in the Appleoosa desert, with a weird weight on her back. Were those... wings? She ran along with several other of her friends, only to skid to a stop when she saw Rainbow Dash and... herself? She launched herself into the air and tackled this other Pinkie to the ground.

“Pinkie! I’m so glad you’re safe!”

*flash*

It was nighttime and she found herself back in her loft room in Sugarcube corner. All of her friends were enjoying a party as she danced with Twilight by the fireplace. But she was yellow and still had those wings. Pinkie saw herself run other and join in the dance.

“Having fun?”

“A blast!”

“You always throw the best parties, Pinkie Pie!”

“They’re always the best parties because my best friends are always there!”

*flash*

Pinkie blinked her eyes as she looked around, back in the memory gardens. She rolled on the ground laughing, her hooves in the air.

“Wow, that was cool! What other memories do you have in here?”

She smiled faded as she looked up at the gray clouds overhead. This wasn’t the time to play around. Mothershy stepped over and helped her to her hooves. Pinkie eyed the birds fluttering around critically.

“Is there a memory that will tell me what’s bothering Fluttershy so much?”

Mothershy shook her head and pointed to some broken birdhouses on the far edge of the garden.

“They’re not here anymore. She’s taken them away and has been using them. Reminding us of what we’d rather forget.”

Mothershy dropped her head as she began cleaning up after lunch.

“Besides... we’ve made our decision. We had to. It was for the best.”

“Oh Fluttershy, you’re such a loudmouth...”

Pinkie looked up as another bird flew by her face. Something bothered Pinkie as she stared at the solemn Mothershy as she sat down with Flutterfear and helped comfort her.

“‘We’ made our decision? Do you mean there are more than two of you?”

Mothershy looked up and nodded.

“We have many facets to us. There are several more of us around.”

Pinkie started pacing back and forth, the idea growing in her mind nagging at her more and more.

“Somehow I don’t think you had much to do with this decision.”

Pinkie looked up at the clouds again before pointing to each of the Fluttershy’s in turn.

“This is not how Fluttershy is supposed to be! Something really really big had to make her change like this. Flutterfear, you told me that ‘She’ made you make all those nightmares. And Mothershy, you’re not the kind of Fluttershy that would do this to yourself. I’m willing to bet bits to brownies that ‘She’ bullied you into going along with this.”

Mothershy avoided Pinkie’s gaze and turned her attention to some of the flowers.

“What... what makes you say that? Sometimes what’s best for someone is hard to do.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes and strode back among the birds, making her way over to a white dove with suspiciously large feathers on its head.

“Well, duh! You’re the part of Fluttershy that has a hard time MAKING those decisions. I mean, look at Angel!”

“I know you want to run, but just three more bites... two more bites? One more bite? Pretty please?”

“It’s just not like you! And I know you pretty well. I’ve known you ever since you came to Ponyville! I threw you a big party and everything! Even though you hid in the corner most of the time. But Angel is the one who acts as your confidence half the time!”

“You can be... my guardian Angel.”

Another dove landed next to Pinkie. Pinkie stared at it for a second, confused. Flutterfear shot up to her hooves as Pinkie reached out for it.

“Wait, no! Not that one!”

*flash*

She was in Fluttershy’s cottage, wrapping bandages around a small baby bunny.

“Oh, you poor thing. Just stay still, and you’ll be better in no time.”

She paused and went to go fetch some more supplies.

“You’re lucky I could save you. I... I don’t know what came over me!”

The bunny gave her a blank stare and Fluttershy chuckled to herself.

“I just saw what happened, and I couldn’t just stand there. I’ve never done something like that before! I guess... you brought it out of me. Thank you. You know, we’ll have to take care of each other. You can be... my guardian Angel.”

*flash*

The memory ended, and Pinkie blinked as she watched Flutterfear cower behind Mothershy.

“What’s wrong? There was nothing bad or scary about that memory.”

Both of the Fluttershys said nothing as Pinkie looked back at them.

“So is that how you met Angel bunny? He was hurt, and you patched him up?”

Mothershy nodded and Pinkie shrugged as she puzzled over what had the two so quiet.

“What’s wrong with that? Is it because of what hurt him?”

Pinkie whipped her head around as she heard the rustling sound from before. Vines sprung up from the ground and bound themselves around Flutterfear again before locking into place again. Pinkie looked over at Mothershy.

“Can’t you do something about that? Why won’t she tell me? I need to know!”

More vines sprung up and wrapped around Mothershy’s legs and hooves, rooting her to the spot as she looked back and forth between the two in indecision.

“I... I... we can’t talk about it.”

Pinkie scratched her chin while puzzling over this turn of events.

“Mysteriouser and more mysteriouser... are you sure you can’t tell me?”

“We... would rather not. We shouldn’t. It’s rather painful. Besides, it wouldn’t help...”

Pinkie walked over and raised Mothershy’s head up to look her in the eye.

“Mothershy... I need to know. You’re Fluttershy’s kindness, right? You can’t let her forget to be kind to herself too, right?”

“Perhaps.”

“You take care of all these animals, and care for them so well! I want to help YOU just like that. But I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s broken!”

Mothershy just stood there silently. Pinkie pointed Mothershy’s head up at the clouds.

“Can you tell me that this is how Fluttershy is supposed to be? No Flutterjoy up in the brightening everything up?”

“She said it had to be done...”

“Is this the ‘She’ that’s such a big bully? The one who made this ‘decision’ for all of you? Well, she’s wrong. She’s a big fat liar!”

“Why would we lie to ourself?”

Pinkie paused for a moment.

“I... I don’t know. But I just know that it isn’t true! Help me, Mothershy! Help me help you help yourself by helping me help you and your other you help me... uh... I forgot where I was going with that, but you need you! Look at all this! You can’t see all this sadness and do nothing!”

Mothershy bit her lip as Pinkie implored her further.

“You’re really hurting, can’t you see? Can you please please please help me bring back your Joy?”

Mothershy dropped her eyes to the ground and didn’t speak for several moments.

“No...”

Pinkie sighed and turned away before a loud series of snaps made her turn back around. One by one, the vines snapped as Mothershy broke free, a soft smile of determination on her face.

“... but I know who can.”

Pinkie rushed over and tackled Mothershy to the ground with a big hug.

“I knew you had it in you!”

Mothershy picked them both back up on their hooves and pointed to a mountain at the edge of the forest.

“If there’s one of us that can help you take Her on, then you’ll find her there. If you can get her to help you, then you might have a chance at changing our mind. She has grown very big and powerful, but... you’re right. We have to at least try.”

Pinkie gave her one final hug and then bounded out of the garden and off into the distance.

“Thank you! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! Don’t worry, I won’t let Fluttershy down!”

---

Pinkie bounced up the mountainside, bounding from rock to rock while blithely singing about the Mountain Goat clans of Manetana. She looked around at the barren rocks as she climbed higher and higher. Very few plants grew up here, and the rocks looked blasted and... scorched. Jumping over the lip of a ledge, Pinkie was greeted by the sight of a large cave in the mountainside. Something about it felt familiar to her as she surveyed the entrance. She slowed down her pace as she entered cautiously, looking around for any signs of danger. Her hoofbeats echoed off the cave walls, sending a small flock of crows near the entrance flapping away. The temperature started to rise as she ventured in further, and she noticed small hissing vents of gas scattered around the area. A loud disgruntled snort drew her attention and she let out a surprised yelp as her gaze fell on a full grown pink and yellow dragon lying in the middle of the cave. The dragon raised its head and stared down Pinkie suspiciously.

“Now what are YOU doing here, missy?”

Pinkie blinked in surprise to hear Fluttershy’s voice come out of a creature this large. True, it lacked her usual timidity, but it belonged to Fluttershy without a doubt.

“Well? Didn’t your mother teach you it’s not nice to go snooping around in other pony’s minds?”

Pinkie bounced closer, encouraged by hearing her friend’s voice.

“Hi! I’m here to help Fluttershy. Are you a part of Fluttershy too?”

The dragon snorted, sending a puff of smoke through the air.

“You could say that. I don’t get out much. Not with these nasty things on me!”

The dragon stood up, showing off manacles around each of her forelimbs. Each was connected by heavy chains tied to the floor at the edges of the cavern. She gave them an idle tug, but the chains refused to budge. Pinkie prodded one of the chains in puzzlement.

“Why are you tied up like this?”

“Hmph. Take a look at me. Is it any wonder?”

The dragon slumped down to the ground as Pinkie paused in thought.

“You’re a dragon... and Fluttershy is terrified of dragons. She’s scared of you?”

The dragon dragged a claw down a wall, leaving a mark alongside scores of similar tally marks on the wall.

“Everypony has parts of themselves they don’t like. It’s part of the reason She gets so big sometimes. But Fluttershy is terrified of me, so she keeps me locked in here unless it’s an emergency.”

“Why would she do that?”

The dragon growled under her breath and jerked a claw towards the entrance where crows pecked at the ground.

“Go listen to them. They remind me all the time.”

The crows flapped over and flapped circles around the dragon’s head, giving croaking taunts as they flew.

“You’re... going... to LOVE ME!!”

“That big... dumb... MEANIE!!”

“You cut in line, I take what’s mine!”

The dragon growled irritatedly, and shooed the crows back outside.

“If I’ve told you birds once, I’ve told you a thousand time! That’s not what I’m about!”

Pinkie lost her footing as the cave rumbled and small bursts of fire shot out of the gas vents. She stepped closer to the dragon as she glared daggers at the crows outside.

“You’re... Fluttershy’s anger?”

The dragon nodded and Pinkie tapped a hoof against one of the chains.

“Mothershy said that you could help me take this ‘Her’ on, and bring back your Joy. But how can you help me if you’re stuck in this damp old cave?”

The dragon raised an eyebrow.

“Mothershy?”

“Your kindness. You see, I give nicknames to all of your sides, so I can tell them apart! I can’t quite call you all ‘Fluttershy’s fear’ and ‘Fluttershy’s kindness’ now, can I? That’d take too long! And you’re kinda like real ponies, aren’t you? Even though you’re all one pony! So what can I call you?”

The dragon shrugged and rolled over on her side.

“Call me Flutterrage, if you must. But I don’t think I can help you from in here.”

Pinkie patted Flutterrage on her side fondly.

“Aww, don’t say that! You can still help! Do YOU know what’s upset Fluttershy so much? It’s all gray and gloomy outside, and... and... it just isn’t right! She’s missing her joy!”

Flutterrage grunted irritably and idly shattered a boulder.

“Can’t say I get out much. Nopony tells me anything unless it’s an emergency. It really isn’t fair. I’m the one that gets us out of all those scary situations, and what do I get? Locked up in a dirty old cave!”

Pinkie shrugged, unphased as Flutterrage launched a tongue of fire up into the ceiling.

“All I know is that it might have to do with a hawk and when Fluttershy first met Angel bunny. Does that help anything?”

Flutterrage rose to her feet in surprise. The cave trembled and fire spurted from the vents.

“That? She’s upset about that?! But that doesn’t make sense! That was from years ago! I thought we had finally forgotten about that!”

Flutterrage paced back and forth across the cavern in irritation, Pinkie dodging her footsteps to avoid being stomped. Pausing for a moment, Flutterrage noticed Pinkie again and stooped down to look her in the eye.

“Okay, little missy, tell me EVERYTHING you’ve heard about this.”

Pinkie plopped down on her rump, and held her head with a hoof as she thought about it.

“Well, it all started last week when I bumped into Fluttershy in the market and then knocked over a stall, which fell into another stall, and then knocked over another stall! Just like a whole row of dominoes, but a lot messier! Before you knew it, there was fruit everywhere! Everypony was being really grumpy about it as they cleaned up the mess. If it were me, I would have made it into Ponyville’s biggest fruit smoothie! It would have been great! But Fluttershy ran away and she’s been all sad and gloomy ever since! I tried to cheer her up, but nothing worked! And believe you me, I pulled out the stops for that one!”

Flutterrage tapped a claw impatiently and cleared her throat, sending out a thin cloud of smoke. Pinkie smiled sheepishly at the reminder.

“Oh, right. So I went to talk about it with Twilight, and it turned out Fluttershy had been having nightmares since the accident. So we had an idea and called Zecora! And she helped me do this Spirit Walk thing, and here I am! I had to deal with some nightmares, and I got to talk to Flutterfear and Mothershy too! But they won’t tell me what’s upset Fluttershy so much! And they keep talking about this ‘She’ pony they’re all afraid of. All I know is that it involves a hawk, and how Angel got injured when Fluttershy first met him.”

Flutterrage ground her teeth, making Pinkie wince from the sound.

“So She’s at it again, huh? That accident brought up that old memory, and She’s pounced on it and is feeding off of it again.”

“Who is this ‘She’ everypony keeps talking about? Doesn’t she have a name?”

Flutterrage blinked as she thought it over.

“Um... not really. We are all Fluttershy. We know who each of us are. You’re the one that decided that we needed names.”

“Well, can you tell me what this old memory that’s making her so miserable is?”

“Well... yes and no. I don’t have it all here with me. But I have the part of it that involves me. It was the first time the little one released me.”

The dragon clicked a claw and one of the crows from the entrance flew over.

“Go ahead, touch it. It’s a dark memory... but it’s important that you know if you’re going to bring Her down to size.”

Pinkie held out a hoof, and the crow flew over and perched on it.

*flash*

She was in the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, hovering in front of a hawk standing next to a rabbit with talon wounds in its side.

“Leave that bunny alone!”

She had never heard herself be so forceful before, but she couldn’t back down now.

“These little bunnies are under my protection, so step away from the bunny, and nopony gets hurt.”

The hawk puffed itself up and spread its wings. It reared forward and let out a shrill screech. She didn’t even blink under the sonic assault.

“I don’t think so, mister! I was here first, and I am going to protect them. Go and hunt somewhere else!”

The hawk flapped into the air and screeched at her again. She flew up with it and stared her down.

“I said go. Hunt. SOMEWHERE. ELSE!!”

She leaned forward, glaring daggers at the hawk, and raised a hoof threateningly. The hawk quailed and quickly turned tail and fled the scene.

*flash*

Pinkie’s eyes tried to adjust back to the dimness of the cave as she processed this memory. She looked up into Flutterrage’s intense gaze.

“So... Angel was attacked by a hawk and Fluttershy saved her? But why is that a bad memory? That’s a good thing, right?”

“It’s not the entire story, but that’s a big part of it. You’ll find the answer to that question very soon if things go right. I’ve done all I can for now.”

“Aren’t... aren’t you coming with me?”

Flutterrage growled and tugged at her chains.

“As much as I’d love to, these dumb chains aren’t going to let me.”

“But didn’t you say you come out when it’s an emergency?”

Flutterrage’s eyes twinkled in interest.

“And you think this an emergency?”

Pinkie looked at Flutterrage like she had lost her mind.

“Well, duh! She hasn’t come out of her house for days! She’s miserable!”

Flutterrage nodded.

“Well, that’s kind of bad. But it isn’t effecting anyone else.”

“Of course it is! Twilight is worried about you. I’m worried about you. Even Angel Bunny is worried sick about you!”

Flutterrage tilted her head to the side in surprise.

“Angel is worried about us?”

Pinkie walked up in front of Flutterrage’s face and poked her in the snout.

“Yes! He’s the one that went and got Twilight and me! Look, this IS an emergency. You’re hurting yourself, you’re hurting your friends, and you’re hurting me! I can’t stand to see you in this kind of state! Are you going to sit here and do nothing?”

Flutterrage balled one claw into a fist and started tugging against her chains.

“No...”

“Are you going to let Fluttershy sit around and mope?”

“No.”

“Is this the way you’re supposed to be? ‘She’ said that ‘this was for the best’. Are you going to believe her lies too? Take one look outside this cave and you’ll see that She will continue to dominate your mind if you don’t do anything! Is THAT how you’re supposed to be?”

Flutterrage began to tremble, and the whole cave trembled along with her, sending a few rocks falling from the ceiling. The gas vents fired flames higher than ever before as Flutterrage let out a bellowing roar.

“NO! This is NOT the state of mind we should be in! This is NOT right! Others are worrying about us! ANGEL is worrying about us!”

With another roar and an incredible swing of her arms, Flutterrage ripped her manacles free from their chains and stormed towards the entrance.

“You make a good replacement for the little one. Come on, we’re going to FIX this. Ride with me, we can NOT let us blame ourselves any longer!”

---

Pinkie gasped as she saw the Memory Gardens and Fluttershy’s cottage.

“There it is! And look, the others are still here!”

Flutterfear took one look at Flutterrage and shrieked in terror. She flew behind Mothershy and all but vanished into her shadow. Mothershy walked up with a smile.

“Oh, hello. Did the little one let you out?”

“No, this one here did that. This is an emergency! We need to get to Her and bring her down to size. Open up our heart so we can go talk to her.”

Pinkie looked over at Flutterrage in surprise.

“Heart? That’s Fluttershy’s cottage.

Mothershy shook her head and pointed to the door of the cottage, still boarded up and locked tight.

“Don’t you know home is where the heart is? Well, I would open it, but there’s a mental block in the way.”

Pinkie walked over and inspected the locks on the door. Remembering what had happened in the forest, Pinkie pushed Flutterfear out from behind Mothershy.

“Flutterfear... are these locks your doing?”

Flutterfear just whimpered as Mothershy stroked her shadowy hair. Pinkie heard that same familiar rustling as vines appeared out of thin air and wrapped around Flutterfear’s body and face, snapping into place with locks.

“I... don’t want to talk about it.”

Pinkie lifted her head up and gave her a bright smile.

“You don’t need to hide any secrets from me. It’s going to be okay. Besides... I think I finally know what happened those years ago that you are so scared of. Here, let’s play that game again! I’ll talk, and you tell me if my guesses are correct.”

Flutterfear nodded mutely as Pinkie laid down in front of her.

“Way back then, you hadn’t met Angel bunny yet, had you? But he was injured and you nursed him back to health, and he’s been with you ever since, right? That’s what that memory here in the garden showed me.”

One of the vines wrapping around Flutterfear’s muzzle snapped and fell loose as she nodded her agreement.

“But what injured Angel? One of your nightmares was a hawk swooping down on you. I’m guessing that the hawk tried to eat Angel, and that’s how he got injured.

Another vine snapped and one of the locks tumbled to the ground.

“Yes... that’s right.”

“And Flutterrage showed me when you saved Angel bunny from a hawk. But that should be a good memory! You saved a poor defenseless bunny from a nasty predator!”

“It... it scared me what we did. We had never done anything like that before!”

Pinkie shook her head.

“But that’s not what scaring you right now. There’s something missing. Something only you can tell me. Why is this a bad memory?”

Flutterfear just whimpered and cowered on the ground. Pinkie gestured to the door.

“She is in your heart, isn’t she? She is the one behind all this. We’re here to stop Her. And I think I know who this She is.”

Pinkie pulled out her deerstalker cap and bubble pipe once more.

“If there’s nothing bad about the memories that I’ve seen so far, it means that there is a part of the story that I haven’t seen yet! I’ve seen the middle and the end of the story... but not the beginning. Why did the hawk attack Angel?”

“I... um... a hawk doesn’t need a reason to attack a bunny, does it?”

Pinkie shook her head and looked Flutterfear in the eye.

“If it was an accident, then you wouldn’t be so upset over it. But you ARE being a big old gloomy-pants. And the accident last week in the marketplace when I bumped into you is what got this whole mess started. At least, that’s how I see it. But is it how you see it? What’s the connection?”

Pinkie looked over at Flutterrage and Mothershy, who nodded their encouragement before Pinkie placed her hooves on Flutterfear’s shoulders.

“Flutterfear... if Fluttershy blaming herself for both of these accidents?”

Flutterfear tried to look away, but Pinkie refused to let her. The locks holding the vines around her body rattled before shattering like glass. Tears welled up in Flutterfear’s eyes as the vines fell from her body. She threw herself to the ground and broke into tears.

“Yes! It’s all our fault! We weren’t watching where we were going, and we caused that disaster in the market! Everypony was glaring at us! They must hate us now!”

Flutterfear collapsed into more incoherent sobbing as Pinkie stroked her mane.

“Aw, c’mon now. It was an accident! That was as much my fault as it was yours!”

Flutterfear’s crying slowed and she looked up at Pinkie.

“...Really?”

“Of course! I shouldn’t have been carrying so many packages all at once! And especially not one with a spring loaded pie in it! I mean, c’mon, that’s an accident waiting to happen! It’s as much my fault as yours. It was just an accident.”

Flutterfear remained silent, aside from the occasional sniffling. Pinkie helped her to her hooves and gave her a hug.

“So... what makes you think the other accident was Fluttershy’s fault? I bet it was just an accident too.”

Flutterfear shuddered and stared at the sky. She began to speak, her voice barely a whisper.

“We were young. Not long after we discovered the ground and got our cutie mark. We were in the forest outskirts looking for animals to play with. After a bend in the path, we came across a whole colony of bunnies. We were very pleased to see them, and ran towards them shouting excitedly. But... we were TOO excited, and ended up scaring them. They scattered and ran away from us. And then... and then...”

Flutterfear trembled. Pinkie held her close and nodded.

“The hawk came?”

“We never knew it was there. Our shouting might have alerted it, or perhaps the running bunnies we scared presented an opportunity it couldn’t resist. Or...”

“Fluttershy, there was no was no way you could have known that hawk was there.”

“But maybe if we had known the proper way to approach skittish animals, there wouldn’t have been an opportunity for-”

“You don’t know that, Flutterfear. It might have happened anyway. And besides, you were just a little filly. You didn’t know any better. It’s not your fault.”

“You think so?”

“I KNOW so.”

Flutterfear gave a long drawn out sniff and looked towards the door to the cottage. One by one, the boards and chains blocking the door fell off, and the door swung open slightly.

“Okay... I guess it’s time you can see Her. If you can change our mind... you’ll have to deal with Her.”

Pinkie looked around at the various pieces of Fluttershy’s mind that stood around her, receiving a nod from each one in turn. Pinkie pushed the door open and stepped on through into Fluttershy’s heart.

---

The first thing Pinkie noticed was that the inside of the cottage looked a lot bigger than the outside suggested. Stepping inside, she noticed that the other personalities followed her inside, and even Flutterrage had plenty of room to spare. The second thing was that that somepony had cluttered the place up with tons of suitcases. But the most striking things was that the room was dominated by the largest, and ugliest, Fluttershy Pinkie had ever seen. Her wings were tiny, and her legs were long and ungainly. Her coat had an unusual washed out look to it, almost gray. Minotaur horned topped her head, and her mouth took up a large portion of her face. Her eyes seemed to be locked in a perpetual glare.

“Well, well, well. Look at the losers who finally made it!”

Pinkie Pie looked at the others, who were giving nervous glances at each other.

“Is this ‘Her’?”

The others nodded and Pinkie narrowed her eyes as she strode forward. ‘She’ sneered as Pinkie walked through, shoving suitcases to the side to clear a path.

“Allow me to introduce-”

“I KNOW who you are. I know an overgrown Inner Critic when I see one, Criticshy. And it’s time I brought you down to size!”

Pinkie tried to poke Criticshy in the chest to punctuate her statement, but her hoof went right through her. Criticshy just laughed as Pinkie fell flat on her face.

“What are you going to do, throw a party for me? That’s about all you’re good for, isn’t it? Face it, you’re an Outsider in here, and you can’t hurt me! You can’t change our mind!”

Pinkie got up and raised a hoof in her face.

“I got in here, didn’t I? I broke the mental blocks! I got through your nightmares! And I have all of the rest of you behind me to help!”

Criticshy turned around and walked away, waving a hoof dismissively.

“Feh. So you were able to do a little bit with your constant jabbering. That’s all.”

Pinkie ran over and got up in her face again.

“Bring back Fluttershy’s Joy! She needs it!”

Criticshy paused and sneered.

“Joy? Joy?! What’s there to be joyful about? CLUMSY! That’s what we are! An inconsiderate ignorant clumsy oaf!”

A muffled pop caught Pinkie’s attention as another duffel bag popped into existence and rolled down the pile and onto the floor.

“All this baggage... you’re creating it! You’re creating all this baggage with your lies!”

“Lies? They’re not lies. If it were lies, then we wouldn’t have caused all those accidents!”

“That’s not true! Those accidents weren’t your fault!”

Criticshy turned up her nose and sniffed haughtily.

“As long as we believe them, then it might as well be true. Isn’t that right, Pinkamena?”

Pinkie Pie reared back as if stung.

“Oh, you did NOT just go there! Take that back!”

“What are you going to do? You have no power here!”

“Maybe I don’t... but THEY do!”

Pinkie turned to the other Fluttershys, hanging back by the door.

“I had my friends to bring me out of that incident. And I’m going to do the same for Fluttershy! We need to show her that she’s wrong! C’mon, Fluttershys!”

Flutterrage went to move forwards, shaking the floor as she stomped towards Criticshy.

“Now, just you listen, missy!”

She stopped at a burst of derisive laughter from Criticshy.

“Them? Do you think they can stop me?”

She picked up a steamer trunk from the clutter on the floor and flung it at Flutterrage.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will hurt me more! Take that, BRUTE! That’s why you’re chained up, remember?”

Flutterrage roared as the suitcase hit her, roaring as if it burned. Criticshy continued to pelt her with the baggage.

“Get back to your cave, you big scary BRUTE. Browbeating and bullying everypony in your way when you get angry! How long will it be until we’re going to hurt somepony, hmm?”

“Now, now. We shouldn’t do that to ourself. It’s not very nice.”

Criticshy turned her attention to Mothershy, who had taken the floor as Flutterrage retreated to the back of the room. Criticshy picked up a hat box.

“Oh, look who decided to speak up! It’s the pushover! Miss Doormat! Have you let any pets run roughshod over us again? Go back to tending our memories, you don’t belong here!”

The hat box smacked her across the head, making her back off with a yelp of pain, revealing Flutterfear hiding in the corner. Criticshy picked up a purse off a pile and advances on the shadow.

“And how could we forget about the coward? Frightened of our own shadow...”

Criticshy raised the purse in the air, about to beat Flutterfear over the head with it until Pinkie Pie stood over her defensively.

“No! That’s not true! None of this is true!”

Criticshy put down the purse and leaned in towards Pinkie Pie.

“Oh, is it? Face it, not only did we cause those accidents, that only gives other ponies one more excuse to hate us! Should I remind you of the bunch of faults you brought with you?”

Pinkie leaned in forward as well, pressing her face right up against Criticshy’s and pointing a hoof over to the others.

“They’re not faults! Fluttershy only gets angry when something’s gone terribly wrong! Flutterrage saved us all from that dragon! And saved three fillies from being turned into stone! And much more besides! She uses her Stare for good!”

Pinkie looked over towards Mothershy.

“And Fluttershy cares a LOT for everypony around her! She’s the spirit of Kindness, and that is a good thing, not bad! She’s the best animal caretaker around, bar none!”

Pinkie looked behind her at the cowering Flutterfear.

“And while Fluttershy might be scared of a lot of things...”

“See? Like I said, a coward!”

“Fluttershy is NOT a coward!”

Criticshy looked at Pinkie like she had lost her mind.

“Oh, yes we are! Shall I list all the things that we are afraid of? Got a few days for that?”

“Fluttershy is the most courageous pony I know!”

“I’m sorry, would that courage be coming from the brute? Because I can guarantee it’s not from the pushover or the coward.”

Pinkie shook her head and smiled.

“You’ve forgotten about her, haven’t you? There’s one more of you, isn’t that right Flutterrage?”

Flutterrage grinned toothily as she caught Pinkie’s meaning.

“The little one?”

Pinkie looked over as she heard the door creak open.

“Yes. You said that the little one is the one that lets you out. The one that has the courage to stand up and be angry even when it’s scary!”

Criticshy stared at the door as it opened further, starting to look a bit nervous. Pinkie walked up to the door before looking back at Criticshy before opening the door fully.

“And the nice thing about Fluttershy’s Courage... is that she always shows up when she’s needed the most. She might be scared of a lot of things, but she ALWAYS does what’s needed.”

Another Fluttershy stepped in the door, with Angel bunny riding her back. Pinkie Pie turned back towards Criticshy as this new Fluttershy helped all the others to their hooves.

“These accidents were not your fault. You can’t blame yourself any longer. And I know you have the courage to do it.”

Criticshy started to backpedal as the encouraged Fluttershys started to surround her. She picked up a steamer trunk and held it up, threatening to throw it at Flutterfear. Flutterfear quailed at the sight, but Courageshy stood next to her and they held their ground. Looking around at the ring of Fluttershys, Criticshy flung the trunk at them only to have it snatched out of the air by Flutterrage. The group converged on Criticshy, who tried to fend them off.

“Back! Get back! It’s our fault! It’s all our fault! Can’t you see that?”

With a smile, Courageshy reinforced anypony who started to falter as they pinned Criticshy in a tight circle.

“This is NOT the way our mind should be! It’s not right!”

“We have to be kind to ourselves too.”

“Having you in charge will only lead to more misery, I’m afraid.”

At once, they turned on a full powered Stare on Criticshy, who shrank back at such a glare. But no matter where she turned, another Fluttershy was there staring her down. Pinkie looked on in surprise as Criticshy began to shrink in on herself, dwindling down in size. Further and further she shrunk until she was no bigger than a tiny filly. Courageshy picked her up with a hoof and placed her in an open suitcase before closing the lid. Pinkie could barely hear her squeaky voiced insults through the bag.

“You better listen to me! We’re no good! Disgrace! We stink! We’re worse than ever before! I can’t believe we call ourself a pegasus! I-I-I can’t even SEE us from in here, but I know it’s bad! Can you hear me? Oh... we’ve got weak wings, do you hear me? Weak wings like a FOAL! And our mane is always too long! Oh, our knees are ugly! And our voice is too soft...”

Pinkie whooped with joy and gathered the others for a big group hug.

“We did it! We brought her down to size! I knew you could do it, Fluttershy! All of you! But... where is her Joy? I thought she would show up once we got rid of little miss meany-pants...”

Over in the corner, a pile of luggage shook, causing one piece to tumble down and land on the floor. Working her way over, Pinkie started to disassemble the pile as she heard something thumping around at the bottom. Pulling off the last bag, she revealed a rattling box, and Pinkie opened the lid to reveal a young filly Fluttershy.

“Is... is it okay to come out now?”

Pinkie picked her up and set her on the ground.

“Yupperooni! We took care of mean ol’ Criticshy, so now you’re free, Flutterjoy!”

A big smile broke out on her face as her face lit up the room.

“Oh, it’s so wonderful to be free again! It was really cramped. Goodness, we’ve really messed up the place, haven’t we? I can clean this up, and it’ll look better in no time at all!”

Flutterjoy flew up into the air and began to flap her wings rapidly, creating a stiff breeze. The wind picked up the various pieces of mental baggage like so many pieces of paper, and they tumbled out the door one by one. Mothershy looked around and nodded approvingly as the cottage returned to normal.

“I agree, much better.”

Pinkie smiled and picked up Flutterjoy to nearly crush her in a big hug.

“Are you back for good? Fluttershy was just so miserable... I had to do something!”

“Well, we are all so glad that you did! Our Inner Critic is usually helpful, but she just grew all out of control! But we’re all in balance now.”

Pinkie and the Fluttershys exited the cottage as Flutterjoy looked at the cloudy sky disapprovingly.

“Well, it looks like there’s one more thing I need to do, and then you can go.”

Pinkie bounced in place happily until a thought struck her.

“Okie dokie! But.. um... how do I get out of here? I’ve never been in somepony else’s mind before. Besides my own, that is. I’m in my own mind all the time! Except for right now. I’m in two minds now! Or am I just out of my mind?”

Flutterjoy just giggled and flew up into the air, and picked up Pinkie under her shoulders.

“Oh, I think we can take care of both things at the same time. C’mon! You’ll love it!”

With a strength greater than what her small frame would suggest, Flutterjoy lifted Pinkie Pie up and flew off into the sky. She pumped her wings, flying faster and faster towards the clouds ahead. Lowering her head, the pair burst through the thick ceiling of clouds and into the sunlight above. Looking down, Pinkie could see the clouds disintegrating below as Flutterjoy flew closer to the sun.

“Hey, will Fluttershy remember any of this?”

“She’ll know that you helped her, but that’s all. We’re almost there!”

“Almost where? Where’s the way out? I want to seeeeeee!”

Flutterjoy made a sudden stop and flung Pinkie towards the sun. The light grew brighter and brighter, enveloping Pinkie as she flew closer...

---

There was a sound of rushing wind and she felt like something was pulling her backwards. With a jolt, Pinkie opened her eyes and found herself back in her own body in Twilight’s library. Looking around, she thought she saw the painted door on Fluttershy’s forehead close with a soft click before it and all Zecora’s painted symbols faded away. Twilight and Zecora rushed over and helped Pinkie to her feet.

“Did it work, Pinkie? Is she going to be okay?”

Pinkie looked over as Fluttershy began to stir in her sleep.

“I think so! I think she’s got all her personal demons sorted out now. Look! She’s coming around!”

Fluttershy’s eyes fluttered opened and she hazily looked back and forth between Pinkie and Twilight’s faces.

“It... wasn’t my fault?”

Pinkie rushed in with a peal of laughter and picked Fluttershy up in a big hug.

“That’s right! They were just accidents! You don’t have to blame yourself any more!”

Fluttershy smiled and hugged Pinkie back.

“I... I don’t know what you did in there... but thank you. I feel much better now.”

She looked up at Twilight and Zecora, who stood there beaming.

“And thanks to you two as well.”

Pinkie started to bounce around the cottage excitedly.

“This is great! Old Fluttershy is back! And now we can play games and have fun and throw parties and... and... DO EVERYTHING! WOOHOO!”

“Um... not just yet.”

Pinkie screeched to a halt and began to pout.

“What? Is there something still wrong?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine. There’s just... something I have to do first. But I’ll catch up with you later. I promise!”

“Pinkie Promise?”

Fluttershy smiled and performed the necessary motions.

“Pinkie Promise.”

Pinkie seemed satisfied with that and walked towards the door.

“Okay, make sure you remember! I hope to see you soon!”

Fluttershy thanked and hugged Pinkie, Twilight, and Zecora as they headed outside. Quietly shutting the door, Fluttershy went and found Angel who happily leapt onto her back, relieved to see her back to normal.

“And thank you too, Angel. I had forgotten how much you take care of me, as much as I take care of you. You really are my Guardian Angel.”

The End.