Fluttershy by FrostByte [WIP]

>be Fluttershy
>just moved to Ponyville after saving up enough money to move, buy a cottage, and begin taking care of animals
>settling in to new home until you hear a knock at the door
>it’s the delivery pony bringing you the animal feed you ordered
>”that’ll be 150 bits”
“Oh my, that is a lot. I don’t suppose you would be willing to give me a discount for buying in bulk, would you?”
>he gives you a disgruntled look
“Oh okay…”
>you dig through your purse and begrudgingly hand him the large sum of money
>”thank you, ma’am” he says and begins to unload the animal feed
“T-thanks”
>you look in your purse to see how much you have left
>25 bits
>it’s not much, but at least your new animal friends will be able to eat
>you begin to search for employment opportunities
>you tried pet sitting for a while, but not many residents of Ponyville have pets
>most of the animals you took care of were wild forest animals
>very soon, you realized that merely taking care of and feeding woodland animals didn’t produce much income
>that was 1 year ago

>unable to afford payment on your home
>you thought it would be a good idea to live out in the forest like the animals you took care of
>don’t have to buy a house
>don’t have to pay for food
>get to spend all your time with animals
>it sounded easy enough
>you were wrong
>it was hard to find shelter
>burrows and caves were all inhabited
>mostly by angry creatures
>this was especially bad in the winter
>food was harder to find than you originally thought
>most of what you found were wild berries
>many times, they were the ones you shouldn’t eat
>you learned that the hard way
>but the worst part was the loneliness
>there were many animals, but no ponies
>no one to talk to
>you weren’t very social to begin with, but you still talked to other ponies
>this became agonizing over time
>that was 3 months ago
>this is now
>living in a cardboard box
>hooves caked in dirt
>mane is a mess
>haven’t had a proper meal in months
>all you can think about is how you’re going to afford food
>you only have the strength to lie there in your box, hoping somepony is kind enough to drop a few bits in your measly tin can
>you look into your can to see if it yielded any results
>no such luck
>a stallion approaches you
>you look up to him with a pitiful look
“Could you possibly spare a few Bits, sir?”
>He thought about it for a second and grew a mischievous grin
>”Sure I can sweety. But you’re going to have to do something for me first…”
>It took you a few seconds to get it
>When you finally realized what he meant, you blushed and receded into your box a bit
“N-no, I couldn’t…”
>”Really? Not even for 20 bits?”
>He stood there, jingling the coins in his hoof
“N-no…”
>”How about 30?”
>You considered it for a brief moment
>There’s no way you sunk that low
>”N-no, please go…”
>”Whatever. Bitch…”
>He grumbled as he walked away
>You thought about it for a while as you sat in your ”home”
>You were hungry
>Very, very hungry
>Maybe you should…
>With your shaking hoof, you shamefully scribble onto the side of your box
>5 bits hoof job
>10 bits fulltime
>20 bit anything
>Within a few days, you began receiving your first customers
> It was shameful work
>You felt cheap
>You felt used
>You felt ashamed
>But at least you could afford to eat every now and again
>And you managed to stop yourself from crying (too much) while you preformed your “job”
>But there were times when you couldn’t help it
>Some stallions liked it rough
>They left marks
>Scratches, bruises, and sometimes worse…
>But there wasn’t much you could do about that
>They paid, and you needed to eat
>You began to regret moving here
>You wondered if things would have been better if you stayed in Cloudsdale
>You would still have a home
>You would still have food
>You would still have friends
>But more importantly, you would still have self-respect
>Your thoughts are interrupted by a stallion approaching you
>He drops 20 bits on the ground in front of you
>You sigh heavily
>You hated when they chose that…