Butterflies- Thunderlane Part 2

Wait, you're back? Even after me and my brother had that falling out? Ugh. Oh, you want to interview me again? Eh, I'm fine with that.

So, how things are going between me and my brother, and if he's returned? Nope, Rumble hasn't come back yet. But when I last saw him, he only glared at me, and said he has nothing to say to me. As for Fluttershy? No, I still haven't forgiven her. Not after what she did. I've been losing sleep over this and Discord because I keep having these bucking nightmares! The therapy's not helping that much, either. Maybe that prescription my therapist recommended?

I'm actually worried how this year's tornado duty will go. I mean, it's happening during the feather flu season. Part of me actually wants Fluttershy to catch it, so that she can't be a threat. Who's to say her followers won't sabotage the thing into another Gaia Festival? Wait, you're saying I'm being paranoid? Well, paranoia's becoming the norm for me. You can't trust anyone now without knowing if they'll start fawning over their brainwashing "Princess Gaia." Wait, why are you going? Oh, the unicorn one's looking at me. "Can I face my true feelings?" What's that supposed to mean? I know I'm angry at Fluttershy for her actions. I can't forgive her, not after the hell she put me through. Wait, I'm exaggerating there. Aaaaaaaaaaand they're gone.

Gah... I need a drink. To my left, I can see one of the Ponyville cafes now. I'm going through my saddlebags, entering the door, to-

"Hm," a voice says. "Nice to see somepony else who takes issue with Fluttershy's actions." It's a pegasus stallion. Red fur, red and white mane. He's got on a white vest, and wearing glasses. Wait, how did he know that I had issues with her?

The stallion takes a sip of coffee. "Coffee Swirl," he says.

"Thunderlane," I reply. Kinda weirded out here, but at least somepony agrees with me. I sit down at the counter. "As for what you said earlier? Why wouldn't I be? She brainwashed all of Ponyville, made my brother into her follower, and partially got away with it. And how did you know I had issues with Fluttershy?"

Swirl calmly continues drinking. "I could see your interview from the window." Oh. "And no, I'd argue she entirely got away with it. Whoever threw that rock was probably hospitalized, and that's really the only form of punishment she got." I still think she deserved it. I keep listening to him. "Ponies like us, meanwhile, get punished for not worshiping her like everypony else. Elders know I've lost more than a few customers because I don't consider her the best thing ever." Oh, so it's like what happened with Blossomforth.

"I know," I tell him. "It sucks being one of the few rational ponies who consider her actions wrong."

Swirl shrugs. "Eh, rational is a matter of opinion and perspective. I'm calm, but that hardly makes me rational; not to mention the fact I only recently stopped taking pills to keep me from having a mental breakdown." Ouch. But he still has a point. "Then there's the fact that I continue to live in what may be the most disaster-prone town in all of Equestria, with a very limited market for my business, and prefer to keep to myself when ponies are instinctively herd creatures. There's a compelling argument to be made for my own insanity." He sips his coffee again. "Though, I suppose we cope in different ways. Want a drink? I always carry an extra thermos of the stuff with me."

"Sure thing," I say.  "As for coping... I've been getting therapy ever since Discord. But even with the therapy, I can't stop recalling Discord transforming me into an electric blob, along with the fog."

Swirl pours some of his coffee into a built in cup, and slides it over to me. "Hm, yeah; I still remember being turned into a sentient pool of coffee that everypony was magically compelled to drink up if I got within a certain distance from them." So that's why I felt like moving my blobby self towards that brown pool. I give a sympathetic look at Swirl. He takes another drink. "Wonder if that makes this count as cannibalism, come to think of it..."

I nod in agreement. "Being a blob felt that way. I mean, I was sentient and could call out for help, along with briefly being able to mold into my pony self, everypony else heard me talking backwards." I then look at his coffee, and take a sip of my own. "As for that... nope, it's not cannibalism," I say. I take another sip.

Swirl looks at me. "I'm not even sure if I could talk; or, if I could, nopony understood me. And even if they did, like I said, magically compelled to drink me; they couldn't stop themselves even if they wanted to or didn't like coffee to begin with." He takes another drink. "I had to down so many pills I was only half-lucid just to do my job for a long time there. That kinda sucked." Understatement, much?

"Damn," I say. "That makes my aftereffects seem small in comparison. And Fluttershy?" I take another sip. "Hoo boy, Fluttershy. I can't forgive her for what she did. And like you said, she got away with it. Yet a lot of ponies, including my own brother, still call her 'mama' or consider her rule a miracle."

The bespectacled pegasus nods. "I'm aware; still haven't quite gotten to 'forgive her' yet myself. It's not like she did is something you just let go. But at the same time... well, hating her is too much of a wasted effort at this point."

He has a point. Why hate her? What she did was horrible, yes, but it's not like a difference can be made. She won, but at the same time... "Hating her just feels irrational," I say to him. "I'm incredibly angry with her, yeah, but..." I look out the window. "The best way I can put this is that Fluttershy needs to earn forgiveness." I start getting up, and smile at Swirl. "Wanna talk again sometime later?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he says. He then finishes his own drink. "Well, I own the cafe over on Meadow Lane; if you ever want to talk, I'm pretty much always there."

"Alright," I reply, my mood lifted a bit. "See you later, and stay cool." I exit the building, and I look around.

Where are you guys at? I'm pretty sure you had something to do with this, didn't you... but Rumble. Dear Cadance, Rumble.

Oh, there you are! Well, I've got to say, thanks for introducing me to Swirl. But even after that... it's still hard for me to believe Fluttershy can earn forgiveness. Brainwashing and putting everypony into her own little paradise is a violation of free will, and she hurt a lot of ponies.

Swirl does have a point, though: my hatred of Fluttershy is irrational. But why wouldn't I be mad at her? She did things that can't easily be swept under the rug, and all because of our opposing positions on it, my own brother ditched me. And who's to say the idea won't come into her head again? Oh, I'm being irrational again? Sorry. Well then... there's only one thing left to do. I need to see Rumble, but that means...

I see where you're going by the true feelings thing. I need to decide what I really think about Fluttershy, not irrational hatred. I have to talk to Fluttershy, or "Princess Gaia," herself. Rumble, I don't know what you'll think about me after this, but this is something your big bro's gotta do.