Fluttershy's not the only veterinarian in town, but she is the only one who will see the edge cases, those who have even a chance of not living through the treatment. This means that practically everypony in town brings her their pets, even the ones who can't — or won't — pay.
And because Fluttershy is the bearer of Kindness, she can't turn them away, because everypony else assumes that that's the only thing she is. So she takes in those animals, and her feed bills skyrocket, and those rare and expensive medicines are distributed to ponies who just won't pay: ponies like Caramel, who's enormously generous to the many, many mares he dates, but never follows through on an obligation he can skip... like paying a mare who will always back down when pressed.
A direct sequel to Five Hundred Little Murders.
Read it here
.
Tropes found in this story include:
- Arc Words: Again. Always.
- Blatant Lies: Caramel's lies, which keep getting repeated time and time again until all the edges are worn off. To his creditors, they're an old and familiar song.
- The Casanova: Caramel, who has never been known to turn down a date with a mare. The 'Caramel Experience' usually ends with kicked vases. (It's generally accepted that he has some degree of personal charm, especially as he managed to talk Ratchette into going out with him for a while.)
- Compelling Voice: Fluttershy hates using it, because in her eyes, it makes her friends into her servants.
- Conspicuous Consumption: Caramel's habit of buying plenty of gifts for those he's dating, which some ponies presume is to make up for his complete lack of anything else. This includes hideously expensive devices from a store where the return policy is usually measured in minutes.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Angel Bunny, who kicks Fluttershy when she's at her lowest, then gives her a nod of approval when she gets angry for once.
- Empty Promise: Fluttershy's patrons say the bits will come in ... just another short while.
- Fake Charity: Rarity nearly got suckered in by one, as she explains to Fluttershy: the pony in question wanted her to donate everything in the Boutique — because in that mare's opinion, Generosity isn't allowed to decline a request for aid.
- Flat Character: Discussed, with how all the Bearers are seen this way by those ponies who don't know any better (or will simply ignore the evidence when it's inconvenient). Rarity, as Generosity, discusses how if she truly were nothing but Generosity, well... she wouldn't exist at all.
- Gentle Giant: Snowflake, who truly is a soft-spoken, caring pony, offers to give Caramel a 'talk'. Everypony who knows him, especially Fluttershy, is aware that it would be nothing more — but those who don't simply see an extremely large pony approaching for a rather personal word. Snowflake may hate being physically intimidating, but it doesn't mean he isn't willing to use it on rare occasion — especially when it comes to defending somepony else.
- Heroism Won't Pay the Bills: The story serves as a reminder that the Bearers don't get paid for their services to the government, and it takes the opening of The Fund before they're even compensated for their losses.
- Ms. Red Ink: Caramel, in a male example.
- Never Lend to a Friend: Reversed from the normal. Whenever her friends give Fluttershy those small gifts, bits of income that they can afford, they immediately 'forget' about them... but Fluttershy doesn't.
- Perpetual Poverty: Rainbow Dash never really goes into the red: all her obligations are paid on time, usually with the next paycheque. Fluttershy is much worse off: she effectively has a financial sword of Damocles hanging above her, added to creditors who take advantage of both her meek nature and the fact that she can't get away from the cottage to spend days in small claims court.
- Rage Breaking Point: Rarity notes that Fluttershy is incredibly prone to this, because she keeps bottling up every slight.
- Think Nothing of It: Flitter helps out for her own reasons. Because she's Flitter, and Caramel is a worthless liar, and Fluttershy is... what she is.
