The Inner Beauty

     Around four months had passed since that night had happened, and Fluttershy was left to reminisce in her diary.  She laid on her bed, her saddlebag next to her, ready to be loaded full of books that had to do with amphibious creatures, and scribbled in her journal about previous dates and the night which she kept reminiscing on.  The two hadn’t dared to do it again since that night, primarily for the fear of suddenly realizing that they might not be ready for sex, but Fluttershy had a feeling that they were getting serious!  She gasped delightedly and wrote down her opinion on that in her diary and then ended it with her usual signature.  She sighed once more, picked her saddlebag up with her muzzle and placed it over herself, and then put her diary back in its rightful place.

She stood and stretched her wings a few times and pondered if she should fly to Twilight’s library or walk.  It would probably be best to walk.  She was feeling a little under the weather, and a little sun was sure to help her more than a lot of air.  Her thoughts were interrupted though as another one of those cramps struck her.  Her whole body shuddered and she blinked her eyes a few times to help rid the pain.  She walked downstairs and went into her office for an antacid, and sure that that would do the trick proceeded on towards the front door.

As she always did before she left, she wished all of her animals a goodbye and then locked up.  Before she could turn though, another cramp, though not as bad.  She closed her eyes and cringed once more and simply had to remind herself that it would be a few minutes before the antacid set in.  She took a deep breath, put on her brightest face, and then was off to Ponyville and the library.

    As she usually did, Fluttershy walked at a leisurely pace down the path that lead to town as she enjoyed nature and all of the little creatures around her.  She stopped momentarily and smelled a beautiful pink flower just off to the side of the road, and looked up just in time to see two tiny red hummingbirds come whizzing over her head.  She smiled and whistled at them and set back off on her way when they whistled back.

    Recently, one of her pet iguanas feel ill and she just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the poor dear.  She took his temperature, gave him medicines for all sorts of ailments, but the poor little creature just couldn’t seem to get better.   Eventually Fluttershy had to admit defeat and the previous night concluded she should check with Twilight to see if she had any books that might be able to help her get to the root of the problem.  Fluttershy giggled as she remembered a comment that Rainbow Dash had made, “I wonder if I’ll ever be around to see the day when Fluttershy doesn’t know what to do about a pet?”  Fluttershy had listened to her say when she took Tank the Tortoise in for a regular checkup.

    After a few more minutes of walking on in silence, Fluttershy eventually found herself at the library.  She knocked on the door a few times and waited for Twilight to come to the door.  “Hello Fluttershy,” Twilight greeted with a smile, “what a nice surprise this is.  What brings you here?”  She stepped aside and allowed Fluttershy to walk inside.

    Fluttershy explained quietly, “Oh, if it isn’t too much trouble, could I borrow a book from you on reptiles?  Anything that has to do with their anatomy or known illnesses.”

    Twilight smiled and led her to where the books she would be looking for as she listened to her story.  “Here they are,” she said with a smile as she showed off the impressive collection, “take whatever you need.  I hope they’ll help.”  She smiled once more at Fluttershy and excused herself as she explained that it was Spring Cleaning and that there was much work to be done in the other room.

    “I understand Twilight,” Fluttershy started looking immediately, “thank you.”  She smiled and watched as Twilight trotted into the next room over.  Left alone to find whatever she could that would help her solve her problem, Fluttershy spotted a few promising titles right off the bat.  “Reptilian Anatomy” Fluttershy whispered the titles to herself as she dropped each into her saddlebags, “Natural Cures For Your Pet (Reptile Edition)”, and “The Big Book of Reptilian Medical Symptoms”.  Those should’ve been enough to do the trick, but Fluttershy wanted to make extra sure for her little baby, so she spotted one more book.  It had a promising title, but just as she was about to grab it and throw it in her saddlebag, another one of those cramps sprung up again.

    This time the cramp was so violent and painful that Fluttershy gasped and fell to her knees.  “Ah!” she said quietly and clutched where it hurt.  She rubbed gently to try and quell the pain but it didn’t work.  She started to cry it just hurt so bad!

    Twilight must have heard her gasps and cries for she came sprinting into the main room.  “Fluttershy!  Fluttershy!” she began frantically as she rushed to her friend’s aid, “What’s the matter?  What happened?  Are you alright?”  She asked all at once because she knew how sensitive the little mare was.

    Fluttershy was breathing heavily and her whole body shook as she looked slowly up into Twilight’s eyes and quietly uttered through a choked and teary voice, “It… It hurts,” she said, “it hurts so bad.  Twilight, I’m scared.”

    Twilight helped her up gently and slowly helped her walk to her bedroom where she insisted that Fluttershy lay down.  “What hurts?” Twilight asked gently as she knelt beside her bed.

    Fluttershy couldn’t draw the breath to talk anymore, so she merely indicated on her body what hurt.  She pointed towards her lower abdomen.  “Could I?” Twilight asked for permission as she reached her hoof out towards Fluttershy’s lower stomach, and upon receiving a light-headed nod from Fluttershy, prodded her stomach a few times.  “Does it hurt when I do that?” she asked.  Fluttershy shook her head negatively.

    Twilight merely sat there and inspected and inspected, but she just couldn’t figure out what could be hurting one of her best friends.  That was, until she noticed something, something very strange.  It didn’t hurt when she poked or prodded on the outside, so it was obvious that it had to be on the inside.  “Fluttershy?” she asked and darted her eyes between Fluttershy’s face and her stomach, “have you… have you gained weight?”

    The pain was subsiding, but even though it still hurt, Fluttershy was able to muster up the energy to quietly utter, “I… I’m not sure.  Um… I looked in my mirror and thought the same at first, but, well… I just couldn’t tell.”

    Twilight stood and retrieved her stethoscope.  “How long has it been hurting?” she asked just like a real doctor would.

    Fluttershy thought a moment and then replied, “Around three months.  It… it didn’t hurt as bad at first, but it just seems to be getting worse…”

    Twilight placed the stethoscope to her stomach, and listened deeply.  Her eyes grew wide after a moment, she had a feeling, and she was absolutely blow away by the mere thought, but she couldn’t be sure.  There were more tests that had to be run.  “Are you hungry right now?” Twilight asked out of curiosity.

    Fluttershy gasped once more as another mini-cramp hit her and she clutched her lower stomach once more.  “A… a little,” she replied sheepishly, “why?”

    Twilight paced a few times and replied, “Just wondering.  Listen, if you want to stay a little while longer I can run a few tests and a hundred bits says I can figure out what’s troubling you.”  She smiled at the pitiful little mare.  The poor dear looked so tired.

    Fluttershy smiled weakly.  “Would you?” she asked graciously, “Oh but Twilight, I can’t bother you with this.  You’ve got better things to do.  Spring Cleaning, remember?”  She tried to get up, but had to lay back down for another cramp came.

    “Nonsense Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, “I’ve always got time to help a friend in need.”  She smiled at her and finished, “Now I want you to just lay here and rest.  I’ve got to go get some of my equipment from the basement.  I’ll be right back.”  She quickly trotted out of her bedroom and closed the door, sure to leave it cracked just a little bit and then went in search of Spike, “Spike!” Fluttershy heard her call loudly, “Spike!” she called once more, “forget the cleaning, meet me down in the basement ASAP!”  She ordered and then Fluttershy heard the sound of quick hoofclacks on wood and then eventually heard Spike ask Twilight something, but they were too far away for her to understand.

    Fluttershy exhaled and inhaled deeply, and though that did seem to help the pain a bit, it just seemed like it wouldn’t go away.  Fluttershy laid her head down flat on the pillow and closed her eyes as she tried to think of something, anything that would make the pain go away.  Though she had stopped her crying a few minutes earlier, the tears remained.  “I’m such a weak mare,” she sniffled and berated herself quietly.  It was probably just her own weird and weak body over-exaggerating something simple.  She dried her eyes with the loose edge of the pillow case.

    It didn’t take Twilight long to return, Spike close behind her carting in all sorts of mechanical and technological contraptions the likes of which Fluttershy had never seen.  She raised her head up from the pillow just slightly.  “Twilight?” she asked, “if you don’t mind me asking… um… what is all of that?”

    “Impressive isn’t it?” Twilight replied with a smile as she began setting everything up to where her bedroom looked like a full-blown hospital room, “this my friend is some of the most advanced medical and experimental technology to date.  It should tell us if my suspicions are correct or not.”  Twilight went silent after that and then mumbled, “Oh Princess Celestia,” she glanced out of her window towards the sky and Canterlot Castle in the distance, “please don’t let it be.”

    “I didn’t catch that last part Twilight?” Fluttershy asked her to repeat.  It wasn’t often she had to ask other ponies to repeat themselves over being quiet.

    “Oh,” Twilight smiled back at Fluttershy and quickly thought up a lie, “I said I wonder what Princess Celestia is up to.  We haven’t written each other in a while, you know.”

    Fluttershy nodded her head and smiled weakly at her studious friend and then laid her head back down.  She was silent for a few seconds, but eventually raised her head once more and asked, “Um…Twilight?  Is… is this going to hurt?”

    Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at the gullible little mare.  “No Fluttershy, it won’t hurt a bit.”  Once she had turned away from Fluttershy once more, she frowned and thought about how it was questions like that that really made her hope that her idea was wrong.  She gulped, “Oh who am I kidding?  When’s the last time I was wrong?” she thought.  “No, no, no!” she then scolded herself, “mustn’t think like that, mustn’t think like that at all.”  Eventually, she finished setting everything up and then proceeded to see what she could do for her friend.  “And there we go!  We’re in business now,” Twilight smiled partly to herself and partly to Fluttershy when she plugged in a tall mechanical contraption and it started to white and black and white images started to appear on the screen.

    “What does that do?” Fluttershy asked innocently as she looked at the big scary device.

    “You’ll find out,” Twilight replied.  She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it, and it’s purpose would only alarm Fluttershy or worse, provided that Twilight’s assumption was wrong.

    “Oh,” Fluttershy nodded and laid her head back down.  As she had before, she was silent for a few moments but then rose her head up again, “Twilight, please, you don’t have to do this.  I… I feel fine now, really,” she really did feel a lot better, healthy as a horsefly, “All I need is a little rest and some more medicine.  Maybe…maybe it’s just a bout of the stomach virus.”  She gulped for she didn’t like the sound of anything that had the word “virus” in it, and smiled out of sincerity.

    After that, she tried to get up but Twilight wouldn’t allow it.  “Oh no you don’t!” she said, “there’s something wrong with you and I’m your friend.  Besides, all this stuff is up here now so I might as well put it to good use.”

    Even though Fluttershy felt fine now and even thought she could retrieve the books she wanted to borrow and go ahead home, she thought it best to humor Twilight.  Besides, her and little Spike had gone through all the trouble of carting all of that stuff up here, and boy did it all look very heavy, and it would be good to find out what was troubling her.  She agreed to submit to the tests but made a mental note to insist that she help Twilight and Spike take the equipment back down to the basement when they finished.  “What do you need me to do?” Fluttershy asked timidly as she eyed the cold, sinister looking instruments not far from her.

    And so the process began.  Twilight started by asking Fluttershy pretty simple, straightforward questions like, “Have you changed your eating and drinking habits over the past few months?” and “Does it always hurt in the same place?” and “Have you got any other symptoms?” and the like.  It was just like being in a real doctor’s office!  Fluttershy was so grateful that she had a friend that was as smart and helpful as Twilight.  But then there was one question that Fluttershy wasn’t expecting at all.  “Have you had any… you know…” Twilight blushed, because she too was a very innocent mare, “intercourse in the past few months?”

    Fluttershy gulped quietly.  She hesitated a moment as she remembered the night that her and Bass had gone on a little escapade off the path.  But she just couldn’t tell Twilight!  What would she think of her?!  “No,” she lied and tried her hardest to control her darting eyes and blush.  Why would she ask something like that?!  It was way too personal!

    Twilight scaled her up for a moment, almost as if she suspected she was lying, but after a while merely shrugged and jotted down the answer on her clipboard.  “Well,” Twilight began as she finished jotting down a few things, “I think that should about do it.  Get ready for the next part.  It might tickle a little,” Twilight smiled and reached for one of the devices atop the tower looking contraption.  She moved a little closer to Fluttershy and sat down on the floor.  For Fluttershy’s benefit, she turned the monitor towards her.  After that, she instructed Fluttershy to brace herself and then placed the device on her stomach, just a little over where her uterus should be.

    Fluttershy giggled a few times as she moved the warm, pulsating instrument over her stomach but was eventually able to calm herself.  In the meantime, she wondered what could possibly be displaying on the screen.  “It’s amazing how much this has all come,” she thought as she noted the technology.  She remembered when she was just a little filly growing up how almost no technology existed at all.  But those were slower times; she sighed aloud and blushed once she realized she had done so.  “You OK?” Twilight asked and looked away from the screen, but went back to observing the screen when she nodded her approval.

    Twilight kept on looking.  The observing tool wasn’t completely warmed up, and even then it was an infrequently used piece of machinery that was fairly experimental.  There could be no solid guarantee without a professional doctor’s opinion.   Maybe she should just stop, tell Fluttershy what was on her mind, what she suspected, and tell her to go to a doctor.  But suddenly the picture became much clearer and Twilight was able to get a better look at Fluttershy’s insides.  She wasn’t sure, but it looked like… no, it couldn’t be.  It was!  There was no denying it now, because sitting right in front of her, visible and even slightly moving on the screen was proof.  Her eyes grew wide and she dropped the tool, the screen died.  For what felt like the first time in her life, she literally didn’t know what to do, what to say.  This was not something easy to say or easy to go through for anypony, especially when it was one of your most very dear friends.  But Fluttershy, of all ponies?  It just didn’t seem real to her.

    “Is… is something wrong Twilight?” Fluttershy asked and leaned slightly forward so that she could get a better look at Twilight.

    Instead of responding, Twilight stood and braced herself to deliver the news.  She didn’t know what to expect, especially from such a volatile mare as Fluttershy.  “Fluttershy…” she began slowly, quietly, “I… well… I don’t know how to tell you this, but… you…. You’re pregnant.”

    Fluttershy gasped and some tears began to fall from her eyes.  “Wh…what?” she asked in a choked tone.

    Twilight responded just as slowly and quietly as she had before, “You’re pregnant.  About four months in from the looks of it I’d say.  Those cramps… they’re not stomach viruses or anything else, it… it’s the foal growing, possibly kicking.  The weight too, that’s where it’s coming from, same as with your frequent hunger and mood changes.”  Twilight looked down at the ground and kicked at the carpet a few times.  “Fluttershy?!” her voice, wrought with disbelief echoed throughout her mind, “of all ponies.”

    “What…what do I do?  Twilight, please… help me, I’m scared!”  Fluttershy continued to cry and shake.  She felt so guilty, so dirty and vile.

    “I don’t know,” Twilight replied quietly, “I don’t know,” she repeated once more, only quieter.

-     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -

    Later that evening, all six of the ponies were gathered at Twilight’s library.  After some persuasion from Twilight, Fluttershy agreed to allow Spike to send out messages to the other four so that they may come and offer her support.  Needless to say, all of them were in a state of utter shock.  None of them could believe that such an innocent, sweet, and naïve mare like Fluttershy would be the first of them to get pregnant.  A few of them were even angry.  “Pregnant!” Rarity shouted as she burst through the door into the room, “How… how dare he push himself onto Fluttershy?  Of all the dastardly… I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,” she turned and headed for the door, “I’m going to go give him a piece of my mind!  And my hoof!” She waved her balled up hoof in the air and turn to rage back towards the door.

     Applejack dashed forward to pull her back.  “Oh no you don’t missy, he’ll be over here soon enough.  We’re all a little uh… shocked,” she glanced over at Fluttershy who merely stood mute as she stared out the window with an expressionless look on her face, “but that ain’t no reason to go beatin’ nopony up.  Take a seat sugarcube, and cool off.  I think we all need to take a seat, gather ourselves.”  Whether it was what had been said or overwhelming anger, none of them knew, but Rarity allowed herself to be guided back towards the center of the bedroom by Applejack.

    “Can you blame me?!” Rarity continued to loudly rant, “look at the poor dear,” she pointed, “she hasn’t spoken a word since!  She’s scared, helpless, and innocent!  She doesn’t know what to do!  And it doesn’t help tha-”  This time it was Rainbow Dash who intervened.

    She slapped her hoof over Rarity’s mouth and pulled her out of earshot of Fluttershy.  “Will you be quiet?!” she whispered, “you’re probably just makin’ her feel worse!”

    Rarity took her hoof and massaged her muzzle a few times.  She exhaled deeply and then drew in a fresh breath of air.  “You’re absolutely right,” she said, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”  She reassured Rainbow Dash and then stood.  “I’m sorry for that Fluttershy.  That wasn’t right of me to go ranting about like that.  It’s just, it’s just… you’re my best friend, and oh, I can’t stand to see you like this.”  She walked to Fluttershy’s side and looked out the window with her.  “Darling, I know this might seem difficult at first, but it’ll all turn out right in the end.  Just watch.”

    Pinkie came bouncing up to Fluttershy’s opposite side and threw in her opinion too, “Yeah!” she smiled, “just you wait and see!  Babies are so cute and fun to play with!  You can trust me, because I babysit Carrot and Pound Cake!  It’s super-duper fun!  Now turn that frowny upside downy!”  She reached her hooves over and tried to form a smile on Fluttershy’s face, but the pegasus merely turned her head away and walked away from the both of them without saying a single word.  She crossed the room to the other window and continued her blank and expressionless staring.

    After that, they all just decided to leave her alone and talk in private as they waited on her stallionfriend to arrive.  They all knew how confused and scared and helpless she must have felt, but they couldn’t imagine, they didn’t want to imagine what they’d feel like if they were in her horseshoes.  Not married and pregnant, and with an uncertain future ahead.  It was enough to make any of the other five mares in the room shudder.  Rarity allowed her hate to multiply.

    Soon enough, as he had promised, Bass showed up at the library.  They all heard him call out Fluttershy’s name and run around through the downstairs, and then heard him run up the stairs, but then strangely enough they heard him stop dead outside of the bedroom door.  That was nervousness and guilt in its purest form; they could all tell.

    The door creaked open and Bass stepped inside.  He wore just as confused and scared a face as Fluttershy.  “Where is…” Bass didn’t have to finish, “she…” he looked down at the ground when he noticed her.  He cleared his throat and in an attempt to ease some of the tensions in the room and dampen the nervousness that was, he greeted the other ponies.  “Twilight,” he greeted.  The purple unicorn merely looked down at the ground and said nothing.  He cleared his throat and tried Applejack.  She merely tipped her hat, but refused to look him in the eye.  “Miss Rarity,” he smiled weakly at her and nodded his head.

    “I know where you live,” she scowled and continued to glare at him through squinted eyes.

    “Maybe that’s enough of that,” Bass thought and then turned his attention towards Fluttershy.  “Fluttershy?” he asked quietly as he started to take a few steps towards her.  She turned her head towards him though, and then he stopped.  Rarity wouldn’t allow it though.  She used her magic and conjured a magical push which ushered him (pretty roughly) a few paces closer to Fluttershy.  He turned his head back like he wanted to say something or at least make a face, but the look Rarity gave him told it was best to just keep to himself when it came to her.

    He exhaled deeply and joined her at the window.  “Whatcha lookin’ at babe?” he asked quietly.  She said nothing.  As he tried to think of what to say next, he wished that the ponies behind him would leave so that they could talk in privacy, but there was almost no chance of that happening.  As far as they were concerned, he had hurt their friend and he would only do it again if they left him alone with her.  “Look Fluttershy, I know what you must be feeling right now.  I… I can only imagine what you feel inside for me as your stallionfriend.  You think I’ve hurt you, but I know I’ve hurt you.  But I’m prepared…” he choked up, “but I’m prepared to stand up to what I’ve done.  I had planned on it for a while, but well… I guess this is the perfect chance.  I want to see it through to the end and beyond,” he cleared his throat, “So that’s why I’m asking you,” and then he dropped to his knees and Fluttershy looked down at him, “will you make me the happiest stallion in all of Equestria?  Will you marry me Fluttershy?”  Gasps and inaudible mumbles erupted from behind him as he awaited her answer.

    Fluttershy continued to stand in silence and stare at him.  For a moment, it looked as if there was no hope.  He had done it; he had successfully destroyed a wonderful mare, a beautiful mare with lots of life. He had taken her, and in the course of one night ripped her self-esteem and soul to shreds!  But then came the reaction that was both heart-wrenching and relieving.  Fluttershy’s lips quivered, gently at first, but then more violently and then she too dropped to her knees and hugged him tightly.  It looked as if she had never cried so hard before.  “Yes,” she said barely through her choked up throat, “yes,” she repeated.  They kissed quickly and hugged each other tighter, as tight as they possibly could.  They comforted each other.  It was all they could do in this time of joy, sorrow, and confusion.  And so the two of them kneeled there in the far corner of the room and cuddled and comforted each other as they readied for the months ahead, as they readied to take them and the rest of their years on as something new, a family.