If there was one place in the entire town of Canterlot that was unanimously considered to be more peaceful and calm than Sweet Apple Acres, it would undoubtedly be the small woodland on the other side of town. There, there was only one real resident; Fluttershy. This most timid of girls lived alone in a small cottage right on the edge of the treeline, and if one were to look at it, they could be forgiven for assuming that someone had made it to look exactly like the kind of home you’d find in a children’s story. The kind of unassuming place where some lonely maiden would live while awaiting a handsome prince. It was such a sweet and quaint place, that it wasn’t at all out of place for there to be a near-constant chorus of birdsong or even the splashing of fish in the pond outside the front of the house.

Regardless of how others might have felt about it though, to Fluttershy it was simply a place where she felt the most comfortable, and the most at ease. Here, she could be herself, although, today, she was not alone in this place. For within the cottage, as Fluttershy herself prepared a pair of nice and hot cups of tea, Sunny Flare, a former rival of the girl and her friends, was standing in the living room. She looked around the place, at the simplicity of it, paying particular attention to Fluttershy’s pet, Angel, who was quietly eating some lettuce in the corner. After a while, she turned as Fluttershy entered the room herself, carrying the cups, one in each hand. Taking her own cup, Sunny gave her a nod of appreciation, which Fluttershy returned with a smile, after which, the two girls took their place on a large sofa, with Fluttershy being the first to speak up.

“It’s nice you could come and visit, Sunny.”

After taking a few sips of her tea, the other girl turned to her host.

“No problem. I had a free afternoon, so I figured I might as well come over.”

The girl sipped some more of her drink, after which she looked around for a bit before turning once more to Fluttershy.

“Not to be rude or anything, but there doesn’t really seem to be anything here that I can do, aside from just…you know…talking.”

But Fluttershy was undeterred by this, putting on a small smile as she gave her visitor a response.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry. I have nothing planned for today either. If you like, we could just watch some TV together.”

Sunny considered that for a moment before giving a nod, accepting that offer. Looking away from her, Fluttershy placed her cup down before reaching for a nearby remote, after which she turned on the nearby television, which was admittedly a fairly old model compared to what was being made nowadays. Even so the picture was fine, and, as one would expect of a TV owned by Fluttershy, it was already tuned into a nature channel. There, there was already a documentary on, wherein an elderly-looking, yet still friendly man was standing in what appeared to be an African grassland of some sort. Looking to the audience, he spoke in a grandfatherly, almost-whispering voice.

“Here, in the vast heat of the Kalahari Desert, we are on the lookout for one of nature’s most formidable predators, the leopard. This majestic creature will no doubt be out on the prowl for one of the many grazing animals that call this place home.”

For the first time in this visit, Sunny looked to Fluttershy and saw a brief look of concern on her face, though didn’t understand why. As the documentary continued, they watched as, like the man promised, there was indeed footage of a fearsome-looking leopard stalking a gazelle of some kind. Sunny was intrigued, but Fluttershy was nervous about it all, which only got worse and worse as time went on. Eventually, as was so often the case in shows like this, the predator caught its prey, resulting in a loud squeak from Fluttershy as she attempted to cover her eyes, shielding herself from the sight. Sunny rolled her eyes at this, reaching forward and picking up the remote before switching off the TV.

“I thought you liked animals and nature and all that stuff?”

Lowering her hands, Fluttershy gave a very timid-looking nod.

“I do, but…that doesn’t mean I’m happy with all of it. Some of the things that happen, it’s just…just so mean.”

Looking away from her, Sunny shrugged her shoulders.

“Hey, that’s how nature works. The stronger, the faster, the better…they come out on top. And those beneath, those that can’t get away…they don’t last.”

The casual way in which Sunny had said that caught Fluttershy by surprise, as she looked to her with a somewhat despondent look.

“But…the ones on top…the predators…they don’t live happy lives either, do they?”

For a moment, hesitation flickered across Sunny’s eyes, which was reflected in her voice.

“No…I guess not. Oh sure, they’ll enjoy being the top dogs for a while, but…sooner or later…someone else comes along and knocks them down a peg. Then…then they’re just…forgotten.”

After a long silence, Sunny narrowed her eyes again.

“But that’s just life. If you’re the best, you reap the rewards, and if you’re second…well…second is just the first of the losers. If bad stuff happens…nobody comes to help you or even give you the time of day. That’s just how the world is.”

As Fluttershy looked to her, to her eyes, she couldn’t help but notice something there. It wasn’t just determination about her views on this matter, but something else. Anger? Resentment perhaps? Regardless, the fact that she was so adamant about that particular life view was not something that comforted Fluttershy in the least. However, the more she thought on it, the more another thought about Sunny became more and more prominent in her mind. She hesitated, as she so often did at times like these, but in the end, she managed to get her words out, albeit in a hushed manner.

“Were…were you raised to think that?”

Slowly, Sunny turned to her, seeing the meek and borderline-fearful look she bore, and restrained herself from frowning or narrowing her eyes. One look at Fluttershy and Sunny knew exactly what the girl was thinking, leading to a somewhat steely response.

“…Maybe.”

It was not confirmation, and yet, the way in which she’d said it told Fluttershy everything she needed to know. Not only that, but Sunny’s was also a look that warned against delving too deeply into the matter. Fortunately, Fluttershy was not one to probe into things she knew others would be uncomfortable talking about. But, even so, there was still the matter of just how unhappy Sunny was professing her own beliefs and views, and that, at the very least, was something the shy girl wanted to help with. It took a long time, but in the end, she thought of something that she could use.

“So…you really believe all that? That stuff about the weak just being left by the wayside, not being worthy of help?”

Sunny kept her eyes away from her, but nevertheless nodded in response. After another silence between the two, Fluttershy finally managed to muster up the courage to say what she needed to.

“I’m…I’m sorry to say this, Sunny, but…I don’t think you really believe that.”

The Crystal Prep girl turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

Poking her index fingers together, Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before giving her answer.

“Well…I'm weak and helpless…and you helped me, didn’t you?”

Immediately, Sunny’s somewhat aggressive expression softened a little, though it very much looked like she was uncomfortable with those words. Seeing her on the back foot at last, Fluttershy continued.

“I mean…back at the Games…you and the other girls…you saved us, me and my friends. Back when we nearly fell into that magic hole. You didn’t have to. You could have walked away to save yourselves, but you didn’t.”

Sunny folded her arms and frowned slightly.

“Yeah, well… it wouldn’t have been right…just leaving you, you know?”

With a less-fearful look, Fluttershy spoke with a little more confidence in her voice.

“But…you wouldn’t have helped at all, I mean…not if you really believe in all that meanness and strong-against-weak stuff. We’d been competing against you the whole time, like animals in nature…but you still saved us.”

Another silence fell between them, with Sunny looking increasingly uncomfortable with everything that was being said to her. The look on her face was one of conflict, perhaps with her thinking many contrasting things, whether it be agreeing with what Fluttershy was saying, or perhaps embarrassed about those past events being brought up, or perhaps any number of other matters. Regardless, Fluttershy took one look at her and, without a single moment of hesitancy, spoke up softly.

“I…I never thanked you, by the way. For saving me I mean. So…”

Looking to her, Fluttershy’s expression was one of honesty and sincerity, with her voice bearing no sense of falseness to it.

“…thank you.”

Ever so slowly, Sunny turned to her, and when she did, she saw the thankful look that was there. It was a look that, when used by Fluttershy, could probably have melted the hearts of even the most stony of people. And so it was today that that’s what happened, as Sunny, despite her reservations, let out a long sigh, letting her shoulders slump slightly before looking to Fluttershy with a small smile of her own.

“You’re…you’re welcome.”