Finally, school was over. For Fluttershy, the day had seemed to drag on for an eternity. She sighed. She wished she didn't have to live this way. The school had received a doctor's note from Fluttershy telling them that she might have to spend time alone during the school day, but it didn't make the teachers understand why she'd run out of the room during lessons. 

   Fluttershy was startled when she heard a voice speak from behind her. "Hey, Fluttershy!"

   Fluttershy whirled around to see who had spoken to her and felt relief when she realized it was merely Rainbow Dash. "Hi, Rainbow Dash. How are you?"

   "Awesome as usual," Rainbow Dash replied, a playful gleam in her eyes. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me to the new cafe that just opened."

   "That sounds wonderful," Fluttershy told her. "When?"

   "Right now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She took Fluttershy's hand. "Come on, we're all usually starving after school. Don't you want to grab a small bite to eat?"

   Fluttershy giggled. "I guess so. Let me just text my parents, so I can tell them where I'm going to be."

   After Fluttershy got a reply from her parents saying it was okay for her to go, she turned to Rainbow Dash with a smile. "Okay, I'm ready."

    "Awesome! Let's go!"

                                                                                               ***

    Later, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had arrived at the brand new cafe. Fluttershy loved the smell of wood and the homey feel the cafe gave off. Standing at the desk were two cashiers who wore green aprons. 

   "Come on," Rainbow Dash said. "Let's go decide what we want."

   Fluttershy followed Rainbow Dash up to the registers and looked through the windows at the food on display. There were foods of every kind such as breakfast paninis, quiche, oatmeal, parfait, soups, salads, sandwiches, English muffins, and Danish pastries. There were also many beverages which included coffee, orange juice, apple juice, chocolate milk, low-fat milk, lemonade, iced tea, and ice cold water bottles. 

    "Wow, look at that chocolate trifle," Rainbow Dash marveled. "That looks delicious."

   "It does," Fluttershy agreed. "Maybe we can share one? They look pretty big."

   "Yeah, we can split one of those and then we can each have our own beverage!" Rainbow Dash suggested. "Hmm... I could really go for a lemonade. It's getting hot outside now that it's spring."

   "I'll... just have a water," Fluttershy decided.

   "Alright, let's go order!" Rainbow Dash said, eagerly. "Come on!"  

   Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went over to the cash register. 

   The cashier smiled at them. "Hello, what can I get for ya?"

   "We'll have a---" Fluttershy froze. She felt all of her anxieties begin to rush through her and felt her heart begin to pump faster. Her hands shook and she could feel sweat forming upon the back of her neck. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill. Her knees grew weak and a lump formed in her throat. 

    "Um... ma'am?" the cashier said with concern. "Are you okay?"

   Fluttershy let out no more than a small whimper. Rainbow Dash realized this and put a hand upon Fluttershy's back finishing the order for them. "We'll have a chocolate trifle, please."

   The cashier added the trifle to their order. "Okay. Anything else?"

   "We need a small lemonade and a bottle of water," Rainbow Dash added.

   "Absolutely!" the cashier said. "Is that all for you today?"

   "Yes, that's it," Rainbow Dash told him. 

    "Okay, may I get a name for the order?"

   "Yes, Rainbow Dash."

   The cashier added the name to the order and rang up the total cost. "Your total will be $12.97."

   Rainbow Dash reached into her wallet and handed him a twenty dollar bill. "Sorry, that's about as close as I can get."

   "No worries," the cashier said with a laugh. "We have a change for a reason."

   The cashier added the twenty dollar bill to the register and began to gather her change. "Here you go. Your change is $7.03." 

   The cashier gave Rainbow Dash back a five-dollar bill, two one dollar bills, and three pennies. "Alright, have a nice day."

   Rainbow Dash took Fluttershy's hand and led her over to a table after Fluttershy took her bottled water. Once they sat down, Fluttershy put her face in her hands. "Oh, I'm so awful! I can't even tell a cashier what I want to order. Why am I so useless?"

   "Hey, hey, hey, Flutters," Rainbow Dash said. "It's okay. You're going through some things. No sweat."  

   "But I should at least be able to tell somebody what I want to eat," Fluttershy said, tearfully. "This isn't good at all. I'm so weak."

   "That's not true," Rainbow Dash assured her. "A weak person wouldn't have even brought themselves here. You're facing your fears literally almost every day. You're braver than you think you are, Flutters."

   Fluttershy didn't feel much better, but she didn't want to be rude. She forced herself to smile. "Thanks, Rainbow."

   "Hey, don't mention it. What are friends for? Have you---?"

   "Rainbow Dash!"

   "Hang on."

    Rainbow Dash rose from her seat and went over to get their order. She came back with a chocolate trifle and her lemonade. "Order up," she said, playfully.

   Fluttershy showed a bit of a genuine smile this time as Rainbow Dash placed the large trifle in the middle of the table. The two friends began to eat the delectable treat.

  "Ooh, this is delicious!" Fluttershy said.

   Rainbow Dash was in bliss. Even without saying anything, it was clear that she agreed. After she swallowed, she grinned. "This place is awesome! We need to come here more often."

   "I agree," Fluttershy told her. She paused for a moment before speaking again, "But... I'm afraid that if I keep coming back, I'll keep making a fool out of myself like I just did."

   "Well... it's best to face those fears head on," Rainbow Dash said. "Have you considered talking to your parents about what you're going through?"

   Fluttershy hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. 

   Rainbow Dash smiled. "You know, I used to struggle with my parents a bit. They embarrassed me all the time. But then I learned that they wanted the best for me and I could go to them with anything I was having trouble with. You'll learn that your parents have been there, done that. Your parents are actually pretty cool people once you get to know them better." 

   Fluttershy hesitated for another moment before taking a deep breath. "Okay, I'll talk to them."

   Rainbow Dash playfully nudged Fluttershy's shoulder. "Hey, you got this. I'm certain that good things will come out of this, 'kay?"

   Fluttershy smiled and nodded. 

   "For now, let's enjoy this awesome trifle!" Rainbow Dash said. "Just look at these layers!"

   Fluttershy giggled. Rainbow Dash could be hilarious at times. 

   Together, they continued to eat their trifle. 

                                                                                                 ***

    After school, Fluttershy arrived through the front door and placed her backpack on the sofa. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

   "We're up here, sweetie!" Mrs. Shy called down to her from their bedroom. 

   Fluttershy made her way up the stairs to see her parents side by side in their bed. Mrs. Shy was on the computer and Mr. Shy was reading a book. They looked up when Fluttershy entered the room. 

   "Hey, sweetheart!" Mrs. Shy said. "How was school?"

   Fluttershy sighed. "I had a panic attack, but other than that, just a normal day."

   "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart," Mrs. Shy said, sadly. "Would you like to come sit upon the bed and talk about it?"

    Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

   Mrs. Shy hadn't been out of bed for about a year now. She'd used to be an active, energetic women with a healthy lifestyle, but one day, she got sick with a high fever. She'd never recovered and now she was stuck in bed with low energy all the time. She'd been to multiple doctors who had told her that she was merely tired, but Mrs. Shy knew there was a deeper issue. Finally, she had found a good doctor who referred to her problem as 'chronic fatigue', meaning she had little energy. She could barely even walk without getting utterly exhausted. Ever since her diagnosis, Mrs. Shy had been lying in bed. She felt guilty for needing so much from her husband, but Mr. Shy was more than happy to just lie beside his wife in bed. But it meant that their daughter had been suffering in silence and they were unaware.

   "Mom? Dad? I... I need to talk about something. I... I think these panic attacks are a sign of an anxiety disorder and not just my shyness." 

   Mr. Shy and Mrs. Shy exchanged a worried glance. 

   "What kind of anxiety disorder do you think it is?" Mr. Shy asked. 

   "Social anxiety," Fluttershy replied. "I panic around people, but... I also panic over many other things too, even when I'm not with other people. Sometimes, the anxiety gets worse when I'm alone."

   Mrs. Shy put her hand against her chin in thought. "Hmm... do you think you want to see a therapist for these issues, dear?"

   Fluttershy felt her heart begin to beat fast again. "I... I don't know if I can talk to a stranger about all of this." 

   "We understand," Mr. Shy told her. "But I promise you that therapy would be beneficial to you. You want to move past all of this, don't you?"

   Fluttershy nodded. "More than anything." 

   "Then we'll put you in therapy," Mr. Shy said. "Are you comfortable with it now, Fluttershy or do you need more time?"

   Fluttershy sighed. "No, I can do it now. I'd like to try to get through this as soon as I can. I don't want to let my friends down anymore." 

   "Your Mom is thinking of doing physical therapy with the Canterlot City Healing Center," Mr. Shy declared. "Would you like to do therapy there as well? They also have therapists for mental health." 

   "I would," Fluttershy said. "And I'm so glad that Mom is getting help as well." 

   "Yes," Mrs. Shy told her. "I need some help knowing where my limits are, so I don't crash. And it seems you need some help to overcome this anxiety." 

   "I do," Fluttershy agreed. "Thank you, Mom and Dad for listening."

   "Of course," Mrs. Shy said. "We do want the best for you." 

   Fluttershy hugged both of her parents before saying goodbye and going downstairs where she found her little brother, Zephyr Breeze, watching TV on the sofa. 

   "Hey, did Mom and Dad say anything about finding job openings?" Zephyr Breeze wondered. "I'm starting to get a little... antsy here, ya know? I'm like the breeze. I always need to be moving around!" 

   Fluttershy sighed, slightly annoyed. "Zephyr, why don't you find a job opening? Maybe one that doesn't require fast pacing? I mean, you were fired from the fast food industry because you made customers wait too long." 

   "Yes, but---"

    "And you were fired from your job at the pet hotel because the dogs disliked you."

   "Because I just don't have the charisma for animals like you do!" Zephyr Breeze insisted.

   "Because you didn't walk them," Fluttershy snapped back. 

    "I didn't know that was my job!" Zephyr Breeze protested. "I thought I was just the one who fed them, played with them, and picked up their do-do." 

   "How can you---?" Fluttershy began, but then she stopped herself. "How about you walk around and ask people to mow their lawns?"

   "Ugh, but that sounds boring." 

   Fluttershy just shook her head. "And this is why you can't keep a job, Zephyr." 

   Zephyr Breeze shrugged. "Well, you know what they say about the breeze is that it's always changing direction." He paused. "Hey, how's Rainbows doing?"

    "She's doing fine," Fluttershy replied. "And she's still not into you." 

   "You're just in denial," Zephyr Breeze told her. "I can feel the electricity between us." 

   Fluttershy sighed and decided to go outside. Zephyr Breeze was too much to put up with in this state of mind. 

(A/N: And another chapter of this story finally! Sorry it took me so long, but I have some more ideas for this story now, so hopefully, I can update it more frequently! Hope you stick around to find out what happens next! <3)