Kindness Problem Resolved
It was a very nice sunny day outside which should match the moods inside the Lucky Moon Dry Cleaners, though Fluttershy seemed a little down in the dumps. She had stopped by to take a few of the extra donations that hadn't gone to charity and bring them to the rehab center with her.
Though she looked so depressed and miserable that April had taken almost immediately to her favorite table near the snack area for a private talk whilst at the other end of the building Midnight and Sunset, who'd driven Fluttershy to this point so she'd get the donations and catch the bus the rest of the way, were busying handling the actual dry cleaning of the business with help of Midnight's puppy Thorax.
April had given Fluttershy a mixed berry fruit smoothie and a chocolate chip muffin and just was silent knowing from experience that it's better to let the person speak of their problem first rather than ring it out of them.
Fluttershy took a few moments eating her snack, crying a little before she eventually opened up what had been bothering her all these months.
"I thought I was doing a good deed, I thought this was kindness act I could do. I've saved so many animals that I felt if I could save a person I feel empowered or something but I feel like a failure and that I'm just weak, helpless and useless. I shouldn't have tried to do this. I should've quit after the first day."
Pausing a moment to take a bite of her own muffin and look over the pretty but sad young girl, April asked her, "Why? Why do feel this way Fluttershy? You've been brave before and your kindness again is what you embody. Why do you feel so beaten? I know a rehab center is a terrible place to be and it's not something all people can stomach but surely there more to it than that?"
Letting a few tears fall from her eyes and using her pale pink hair to wipe them she revealed what she never shared with any of her friends. "I've been always kind and caring to animals and made it my mission to save them.
I've tried to save this one girl Azure Skies since I started trying to be junior counselor but she's just so…unreachable. She's cruel, rude and beastly! She calls me Ms. Moron and I guess I am one. Because maybe I can't see the world for what is and maybe I'm foolish to believe in kindness!" she whimpered as she let her face fall into her arms crying.
Pausing another moment before stroking Fluttershy's hair the loving wise woman replied wisely, "You don't believe that or you would've given up and called it quits the first day, Fluttershy. You want to help Azure for a reason despite the fact she treats you like crap. You just don't know how to help her is all."
"How can I help someone who doesn't want to be helped, April Moon? I've tried every way under the sun to be kind! To be a friend, to reach and help her! What more can I do?" she challenged her though sobs.
"Have you ever tried being tough with her?"
"Huh? You can't be kind if you're being tough. That's the totally opposite of being kind. You have to be gentle not be tough. You can't be kind and tough it just doesn't go together."
"Fluttershy? What is Sunset's father's name?"
"Yin Yang of course."
"Do you know what that means?"
"I think so."
"It means two things that may be opposite but complement each other. Like earth and sky. Day and night. Sound and silence. To be in balance you need both together at the same time.
"So your saying sometimes being kind is about being tough but gentle at the same time? And that's how I can help this girl I've been trying to help all these months?"
"That would be my best advice but how you take and if you do it is up to you. You'd better get going. The bus will be arriving in 15 minutes and you don't want to be late. Here's the box of stuff to go to the rehab center. Just think about what I said. It might help you."
With that Fluttershy took the large box and hurried to catch her bus. As she sat by herself on the bus she really thought about what April Moon had said to her and really thought back to what her ponyself had spoken to her about when she first asked her how to handle this problem.
Fluttershy had a strange expression that was very foreign to her features when she arrived at the rehab center. She dropped off the donations where they belonged and headed straight to the room where Azure was still living.
She hadn't even made the slightest progress in the rehab program after all these months. She had refused to try anything to kick heroin and in all accounts Fluttershy's attempts to help only made her more defiant and more resistant to try and get clean.
When Fluttershy walked into Azure's room the girl wasted no time calling her the usual nasty names but Fluttershy looked at her with the stare that her ponyself was famous for.
Then shoved the books that Azure was supposed to be reading and writing into her arms and told her firmly she was going to group therapy and she was gonna participate and this time she was actually gonna do her homework.
Azure cringed looking at the normally timed girl and now was scared of her and this menacing stare of hers and the conviction in her voice and only nodded.
During the whole day Azure did as she was told by Fluttershy finally opening up in group therapy about her feelings, reading up her addiction and doing the homework assignments. She even did participate in the equine therapy of trying to get a horse to lift a hoof but that didn't work. But did do a sing along for a kid leaving.
Though at the end of the day when Fluttershy told her she had to clean up her room since it was a pigsty and she wasn't gonna clean it for her anymore and do all the chores expected of her Azure finally turned to Fluttershy and was crying.
"Why are you being so cruel? Why? I thought you were different? I thought you cared about me? Why you are suddenly like everyone else? Why are you being so mean?"
Fluttershy relaxed and replied back, "You've done nothing but show me disrespect and cruelty when all I've tried to do was be your friend and help you. Now that I've respond the same way you treated me you want the kind, weak and feeble Fluttershy? The one you call Ms. Moron? Azure Skies if you treat people like they don't matter do you think many of them will treat you back like you matter?"
"I expect not, but you? You were kind to me despite everything and I just thought you cared. No-one in my life cared about me ever. I thought you were different."
"I am different. I showed you kindness. Why did you rejected if you wanted it?"
"I didn't realize till just now you weren't being fake about it you really did care. I thought you're just doing because of working here even it's just a volunteer job. I didn't think you actually cared about me. You really care about me? Even when I treat you like crap you care about me?"
"Yes, I do. Now you want to talk? Finally tell someone what makes you hurt so badly you start to take poison to try and numb the pain?"
"Don't you have to go home?"
"Staying here and helping you is more important. My parents will understand," then unzipping her backpack she pulled out a bunny and put him in Azure's lap.
"Here this is Angel. Holding a bunny always makes me feel better when I'm feeling down." So the two girls finally started talking and by the end of it to Fluttershy it looked like Azure was finally willing to try and get over her addiction.
Fluttershy was so happy the next day about her achievement she was practically singing it to the treetops as she rush to the other girls to tell them about it. And hearing the commotion Tecna came over and ask if she could do an interview with Fluttershy.
"Okay Fluttershy we're live in three two one!"
"Hello, everyone! I'm Fluttershy and I'm here to tell you that sometimes it's not easy to be kind but it is something we must all do. But it comes in many forms and everyone needs it even when they don't realize it.
I set myself this year to help teenage addicts and yes I admit my friends and family were right I wasn't ready for the horrors I encountered there nor was I ready for the cruelty of the people I was trying to help.
I've spent the past months since starting to do this task I set myself to help one lost soul a girl named Azure Skies get over her heroin addiction. She was the cruelest unkindest and meanest person I ever met.
I did all I knew to be kind and reached her but it was because of her I lost touch with my inner kindness feeling like I failed myself since I could help her. But with a little advice that kindness isn't always kind in and of itself I was finally able to help Azure last night and I've a feeling she'll finally be able to take the steps on the road to recovery and become clean.
And know I know sometimes being kind means you have to be tough at times as well. So yes kindness comes in many shapes and forms and so do I!" and then like with Applejack Fluttershy's ring exploded and she transformed into her power pony form as her magic returned to as she was once more in touch with her element!
Two elements regained six more to go!