It was already halfway through the morning when there was a knock at the door.
Fluttershy looked up as she held a watering can with her mouth, having already finished her matinal round with her animal friends. She carefully deposited the can on the floor and looked at the door with curiosity.
Who could that be? The girls all are busy today and I can’t think of why somepony would visit me. Maybe there’s a little critter hurt!
Fluttershy gasped and was about to rush full speed towards the door, when the knock was heard again. A voice called from the other side, making her stop in her tracks and collapse in a tangled heap on the floor.
“Fluttershy?”
The familiar voice filled her head, and her mane fell in front of her face, hiding her. She could feel her heart bumping loud inside her chest. She untangled herself and stood up, looking apprehensively at the door.
“Are you there, Fluttershy? If this is not a good time, I can come back later.”
Her heart beat even faster and her eyes widened. The animals around her watched her with silent worry. Angel jumped out from nowhere and kicked her on the flank, pushing her forward. Without thinking about it, she trotted towards the door, hastily pulling it open with her mouth.
Golden eyes looked at her from the other side, with Lyra Heartstrings smiling at her; Fluttershy almost choked at the sight, as she took on the presence of the other pony. Silence hung in the air, weighing heavily on her as she peered at the pony outside her door and every second felt as if it were a year. Finally Lyra tilted her head, looking at her. “Fluttershy?”
“Um, good morning, Lyra,” said Fluttershy lamely, finally deciding to cut the silence. Her eyes fell just short of the unicorn’s eyes, unable to look directly at her.
“Hello, Fluttershy. How are you?”
Lyra’s voice echoed into Fluttershy’s head. It was a voice Fluttershy rarely heard, as Lyra preferred expressing herself via her musical instruments. She failed to find her voice, attempting to answer a couple of times, until she took a small breath in and finally looked into Lyra’s eyes.
“Well, I was just watering the plants in my cottage, since I’ve already fed my animals for the morning and... well, it’s just that.” Her eyes lowered again. “And you?” added Fluttershy, after gathering her courage in front of the overwhelming presence of the pony. Lyra wasn’t an intimidating pony by any means, but Fluttershy always felt everything was heavier when in her presence.
A smile graced Lyra’s lips, which made Fluttershy jump internally with bubbly happiness. She turned her face to avoid looking at the radiant unicorn. “I’m fine, thank you! I took a stroll through town before coming here. I love Ponyville in the mornings. It’s so calm and the chilly air down here helps me wake up and relax.”
Fluttershy looked back at her, putting a small smile on her lips. “I know what you mean. I wake up and come downstairs, finding some of my friends getting ready for the day and a brief walk outside wakes me up quite nicely so I can come back here and do my chores. It’s wonderful.” She paused for a moment. “If I might ask, Lyra, why did you come here?”
Lyra let out a little chuckle. She looked behind Fluttershy, sweeping the cottage with her eyes. Almost all of the animals had hid when she appeared, but a few curious ones peeked from safe corners of the room or from the heights, in the case of the fliers. She looked back at Fluttershy, grinning.
“I want a pet,” declared Lyra. Fluttershy´s ears perked up and she blinked.
“You want a pet?”
The unicorn simply nodded. “Almost everypony who’s got a pet in Ponyville has you to thank for it, and so I came here. Can you help me?”
Lyra squeaked when she found herself pulled outside by Fluttershy. The two ponies ended in front of the cottage; Lyra covered her eyes with a hoof as the sun cast its bright light down upon them. She frowned, as the sky had been covered by some clouds while she was making her way to Fluttershy, up to when she knocked on her door.
She turned to comment on it to the pegasus, but was silenced before saying anything by an audible whistle from Fluttershy, which was followed by one of the most incredible sights she had ever seen: row after row of animals making a line before the two ponies. Fluttershy turned around and beamed at her, waving towards the crowd of potential pets.
“What kind of pet are you looking for, Lyra?”
Lyra gawked, as the animals quickly surrounded her; creatures of every kind came from all sides. Snakes and snails slithered and dragged themselves along the ground. Dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels and many more assorted land creatures stalked around her.
Strangely, Lyra didn’t feel nervous at all, despite the obvious wildness of some of the specimens. Fluttershy still beamed wide. A screech made Lyra look upwards. Above them, all sorts of birds of every kind, size and color flew around them, with the odd butterfly mixed in. The background of clear, blue sky made for an impressive picture. Lyra let out a soft whistle.
“You really have quite a social network here,” said Lyra, gazing at all the fauna surrounding her.
“My little friends are the best company I could ask for when I’m down here. They’re so fluffy and sweet.” Fluttershy took a small brown bunny between her hooves and nuzzled him. She then looked at Lyra. “So, what you were looking for? There are so many choices in here.”
Fluttershy approached Lyra, a small stag beetle was perched on her head. Lyra blinked; its beady, shiny eyes seemed to be looking straight at her, and it somehow managed to convey emotions. Specifically, the beetle seemed expectant, as well as Fluttershy, whose big, bright eyes glimmered with hope.
“His name is Stuart Beetle, and he’s been looking for a family, you know?”
Lyra waved her hoof. “I’m sure he’s nice... but I’m looking for more of a singing pet, Fluttershy.” She looked around and pointed towards some birds perched in trees near them. “Like them.”
Stuart left Fluttershy’s head, buzzing his wings in disappointment. The pegasus looked at him apologetically. “Sorry, Stuart. I’m sure you’ll have luck soon.”
The majority of the pets started going away. Fluttershy led Lyra to the same trees that were housing the birds. They looked up, where several different species were looking. Lyra was no zoologist, but she recognized a bluejay, a crow, a hummingbird and for some reason, a huge, majestic looking falcon. The falcon noticed Lyra’s look and extended its wings, blocking Lyra’ sight of several of the smaller birds and letting out a proud cry. He closed his wings again and looked at Lyra,who only blinked.
“He’s really anxious to get a good owner, you’ll let the poor guy compete, won’t you, Lyra?” asked Fluttershy with shiny eyes. Lyra shrugged.
“Yeah, no problem there.” Fluttershy nodded, and then instructed the bird nearest to them, a little nightingale, to come over. The small black bird began singing in earnest. Lyra’s ears flopped, receiving the music that came from its beak, until it was done. Once the song had ended, Fluttershy looked at the musician.
“What do you think, Lyra?”
Lyra looked up, her tail flicking behind her. “Well, it’s not bad, but it’s not really what I’m looking for.”
Fluttershy’s face fell down in sadness. It was very brief, though, with her composing herself immediately. Lyra didn’t notice, busy as she was looking at the birds.
“It’s okay, there’s still plenty of little birds you can listen to!”
Lyra nodded, and Fluttershy urged the next bird on the line to sing, a hummingbird. It performed its singing, which both ponies followed until the end. Fluttershy turned to look at Lyra, who shook her head.
“Um... well, no problem there. We’ll just continue...”
The line of auditioning fliers slowly thinned itself, unable to meet Lyra’s requirements; Fluttershy’s ears flopped down slowly as the group got smaller. Lyra just kept listening with dispassionate attention. As every bird finished its song, it flew away, rejected, but the ones remaining still waited, patiently and hopefully. At the end, two birds remained. Lyra let out a sigh.
“Well, let’s get this over with.”
Fluttershy pawed at the floor nervously and nodded, signaling with a hoof for the next participant to begin its presentation. A small robin with a fully red chest stepped forward and opened its beak, offering its song. Lyra’s ears perked up and her eyes widened as she followed the song all the way. A smile crowned her lips again, which in turn brought a small smile to Fluttershy, who was still observing her. The pegasus felt as if a balloon was inflating itself inside her chest as she saw the unicorn smile again and let happiness fill her.
I’d so like to hug her...
“It’s perfect!” screamed Lyra, jumping right in front of Fluttershy, which made the pegasus jump as well. She found herself caught in an embrace, her body warming up until she felt she was going to explode from the heat. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Fluttershy!”
“Um, I’m very happy for you, Lyra,” said Fluttershy. Lyra let go of her and looked at her, seeing her fully red face.
“Are you okay, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy nodded quietly, lowering her head. Lyra looked at her curiously. She took a deep breath.
“Well, you’ll be choosing him, then?”
Lyra nodded as the small bird came and perched itself on her head. She looked up, giggling.
“So he’s a little guy?” Lyra’s face scrunched in concentration as Fluttershy looked at her. Even Lyra’s ‘serious’ face was incredibly endearing to her. She found, at the tip of her tongue, a string of words attempting to escape her and reveal to the unicorn just what Fluttershy thought of her. She opened her mouth slowly.
“I’ll call him Demi. Isn’t that a nice name!”
Fluttershy stopped herself suddenly. She smiled demurely, nodded in silence and beckoned for the unicorn to follow her. They walked back into the cottage; Fluttershy rummaged around some sacks she had lying around for a few minutes and finally came back with some bags. She offered them to Lyra, who accepted them with her magic.
“These are some berries and seeds he likes. They will last for about two weeks if you ration them properly. Just small portions will suffice. Don’t overfeed him, okay? He’ll also go out from time to time to hunt for worms or insects, so it’s better if you don’t keep him locked in a cage. You can get a nice birdhouse from the carpenter in town. He also requires fresh water constantly. Oh, and if he gets sick please call me, no matter when it is.”
Lyra giggled again, bringing a halt to Fluttershy’s verbose barrage, as well as warming her up again. “Thanks for the advice, Fluttershy. I’ll make sure of taking good care of
him.”
Fluttershy smiled, nodding. “I know you will, Lyra.”
Lyra delivered one last hug to Fluttershy, before turning to leave with her new friend still up on her head. Fluttershy observed her crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her.
She fell on her haunches, unable to move despite feeling the ardent call of running out to see Lyra walking away. Instead, she just regained her bearings, stood up and occupied herself with feeding her small friends; all the while, the melody of a certain bird resonated in her head. She then froze up, turning her head towards the door so quickly that her neck almost cracked.
I didn’t talk to her about my feelings at all.
Fluttershy let out a soft sigh. What am I going to do?
Fluttershy held the long market list in front of her as she strolled through Ponyville’s market, attempting not to trip over it or her own hooves while carrying the extensive document. In actuality, the piece of paper contained far fewer items than its length would imply. Instead, she was using it as a makeshift shield, aiding in avoiding eye contact with unfamiliar ponies. She wasn’t as shy as she had once been, being able to come over to the market to buy and haggle over prices, but she always felt a pang of guilt over the incident she had caused a few months back.
She stopped and peered down at the list, noticing the first item on it: carrots. Carrots were always in high demand due to the great number of bunnies she cared for and especially to a certain demanding one. She looked to her left, locating Carrot Top’s stand and slowly made her way to it. Joining the end of a short line, she waited patiently until it was finally her turn. The orange pony smiled warmly at her.
“Good morning, Fluttershy! How’re things going down at your cottage?”
Fluttershy returned a small smile to her, wiping her mane to one side so as to uncover her face. “It’s been good, Carrot, thank you. You know my little friends love your veggies.”
“It’s always nice to hear that. So, what are you taking today?”
Fluttershy scanned over the stand, selecting carrots and assorted vegetables from Carrot Top’s offer. The farmer packed it all, hoofing them to Fluttershy, who put the bag down on the ground and reached for her purse, putting some bits on the counter. Carrot always offered Fluttershy some discount in exchange for being a frequent customer who bought in great quantities.
Fluttershy thanked her, picked up her bag, and walked away after checking her next item on the list. She made her way through the market, easily marking off the rest of her list -stand sellers were now very wary of her and eager to comply with her very polite demands- until she made her way to the last stand, where she met Princess Twilight.
“Hello, Twilight, “ said Fluttershy upon reaching her friend’s side. “I didn’t think I’d see you around here now.”
Twilight smiled. “Good morning, Fluttershy. Yes, it’s a busy day, but the petitioners that had an appointment in the morning today were few, and I was able to dispatch them easily.” She let out a sigh. “I was prepared for this, but it’s always staggering just how much administrative work Equestria has, and I’ve only got a portion of it. I don’t know if any of us could deal with it if we didn’t divide it among us three and the help of the mayors of each town.” She shook her head. “Well, I came over here to take a break from all that. I also heard that Lyra comes over here around this time on weekends to play her music, and I thought that’d be relaxing.”
Fluttershy blushed and nodded. “Yes, I often come here and listen to her. She makes wonderful music.” Twilight looked at her friend, who had a blank expression in her eyes, only to turn back to the vendor who called at her.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Princess, but I’m expecting other customers as well.”
“Oh, excuse me.” Twilight shook Fluttershy gently, shaking her awake and both ponies made their buys, leaving the stand. Fluttershy looked around, seeing ponies everywhere; the market was much more cramped than when she had first arrived. Twilight whistled.
“Wow, she must be really popular. I had seen the market full before, but never to this extent.”
Both turned their heads when the crowd began to move, leaving the road clear for Lyra Heartstrings to walk through. The unicorn walked calmly, greeting ponies on both sides, her golden instrument, an exact replica of her cutie mark, old but well cared for, floating by her side enveloped in a golden shimmer. She reached the spot where Fluttershy and Twilight were standing on, and recognizing the Princess, stopped to deliver a polite, brief bow and a smile towards them. Twilight chuckled.
“Stop that, Lyra. It’s not necessary and a bit embarrassing.”
The unicorn just showed a bigger smile on her face and trotted away in silence. Twilight looked to her right and saw Fluttershy almost lying down on the floor. She crouched down in worry, while other ponies surrounded them.
“Please, everypony, back away. Fluttershy, are you okay?”
Fluttershy looked up at her, standing up slowly; her face held a dreamy expression and her eyes shone brighter than usual. She smiled to her friend. “I’m great, Twilight, thanks for asking.” Twilight looked at her incredulously.
“Well, if you’re sure...”
The commotion caused by Fluttershy quickly died, as all the ponies turned their attention to where Lyra stood at the end of the street. Even the vendors had their eyes set on the unicorn musician, their wares left unattended. Twilight and Fluttershy approached the crowd, behind which they could only get glimpses of Lyra.
The unicorn smiled at the crowd in front of her. “Thank you everypony for coming here. You’re a splendid audience and I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoy playing for you.”
She was given no response, the only sounds following her words were those of nature. The crowd breathed as one and Lyra took her cue. Her magic gave a flick at the lyre’s strings, testing them. Satisfied, she light her horn once again, producing a sound amplifying spell and then she closed her eyes, letting her magical senses guide her through the plucking of the strings.
A sea of ears perked up as soon as the notes flowed around in the air, filling it with a slow, sweet melody. Every pony had their attention focused on the lyrist, save for one. Twilight looked at Fluttershy, who was pouring all of herself into Lyra’s performance; besides her sporadically blinking eyes, only her ears moved, flopping as each note reached her.
Twilight turned back to observe the crowd. Even though they seemed to all enjoy the music greatly, she could not see another reaction such as the one her friend had. She looked back at Fluttershy, who turned her head and smiled at her in silence before looking at Lyra again.
After about fifteen minutes, which Twilight calculated in her head, the music came to an end, with Lyra opening her eyes and putting her lyre to the side before bowing to her audience. The crowd of ponies stamped their hooves on the ground with enthusiasm before beginning to disperse. Soon the market was back to its regular movement again, with only a few ponies remaining besides the stand owners.
“That was beautiful, don’t you think, Twilight?” asked Fluttershy, turning to her friend with a smile etched on her lips
Twilight nodded. “I had heard she was popular, but never thought it would be like this.” She fanned herself stretching one of her wings. “Say, Fluttershy, would you like to come over for a bit and have tea? We haven’t seen each other in a couple of days.”
“That sounds nice, Twilight, of course I’ll go.”
They headed towards the library. The tree building had been redesigned for the use of the new Princess. It now occupied twice the space it had before, having grown in every direction above the ground and had two doors, one on each side. The front of the tree held the usual space of the library, bedrooms, observatory and basement. The new space on the back of the tree, held the new princess’ office.
They approached the side of the tree that held the library and residential area. The door was guarded by two Royal Guards. They were white coated just as Canterlot’s Day Guard, but their armor was a gleaming silver with a dark lavender outline. They stood at attention when Twilight and Fluttershy approached. Both ponies smiled at them before entering.
Besides Spike, who waved at them with a smile while he organized books on the upper shelves, there was only a pegasus stallion in the library, who hastily stood up and bowed to Twilight. The alicorn smiled, motioning for him to sit again,as they made their way to the kitchen. Twilight had rejected every kind of servitude offered by the Royal Sisters, save for the Guard that followed her back to Ponyville; even the secretary that helped her run the office had been picked from the town instead of brought over from Canterlot.
She began boiling the water for the tea while Fluttershy sat at one of the chairs around the dining table.
“Are you interested in Lyra, Fluttershy?” asked the alicorn without taking her eyes away from the stove. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she took in the question. Twilight poured the water in a couple of cups, serving the tea and giving a cup to her friend. Fluttershy sipped at it, letting the warm infusion help calm her thoughts.
“Yes, Twilight, I think I am.”
Fluttershy opened the door to find herself face to face with Lyra, again; the unicorn was wearing a black raincoat with the hoodie thrown back; in the sky, the dark clouds carried around by the pegasi could be seen, readied for an evening drizzle. She felt the warm feeling rising up again while the unicorn dedicated a smile to her. She looked up Lyra’s head to find Demi perched atop her horn; the small bird chirped happily upon seeing her.
“Hello, you two. Have you been doing fine?”
Lyra beamed, nodding. “I love this little guy, he’s an amazing musical partner. I couldn’t be happier. Thank you, Fluttershy. I need some seed,and also Bon Bon’s looking for a pet. I talked to her about all the marvelous animals you cared for and she got interested quicly. She couldn’t come though, so she asked me to choose a pet for her.”
At the mention of Bon Bon, a shadow fell upon Fluttershy’s face. She wiped it from her face quickly, and beckoned Lyra inside. The unicorn complied; Demi left her head to chatter with the other birds. Rummaging among her sacks of food, Fluttershy provided some bags of seed for Lyra; outside, a light drizzle began to fall.
“I would’ve liked for Bon Bon to come here herself. It should be her who picks her own pet. Did she tell you something about it?.”
“Well, she’d prefer a little pal that didn’t go around dirtying her candy shop. She’s very conscious about that. Oh, I almost forgot. She sent something for you.”
Lighting up her horn, Lyra took out a small package from one of her coat’s pockets. She levitated a small box over to Fluttershy, who received it. She opened it, finding assorted flavored candies inside it. She closed the box.
“These look delicious. Thank you Lyra. I should go and thank Bon Bon as well. And maybe some of my friends could go with me and she could decide who she wants to choose.”
“That sounds like a good idea actually,” Lyra agreed. Fluttershy put the candies away in one of her top shelves. She rummaged through her closet, picking out a hot pink rain coat which she put on; she then produced a loud whistle. From everywhere, animals popped up as Lyra looked and formed a circle around both ponies. Fluttershy looked around.
“Everyone, I’m looking for some of you who’ll be interested in going over to Bon Bon’s place so that she can choose a pet. Who wants to go?”
Almost all of Fluttershy’s charges vanished instantly, except for a small yellow canary, a woodpecker and Stuart Beetle. The two birds flew to her back, while the insect climbed up her leg, making Fluttershy giggle as he tickled her with his legs. Once he was settled up, Fluttershy nodded.
“I’m ready, Lyra.”
Both ponies exited the cottage, with Fluttershy covering her small friends under her coat while the drizzle fell all around them. Fluttershy approached Lyra as much as she could without feeling that she was violating the unicorn’s private space. Lyra turned to smile at her, Demi safely tucked in the space between her head and the hoodie of her coat. Fluttershy blushed, hoping the rain helped hide her redness.
Lyra turned her head again to look in front of her; Fluttershy could hear her humming softly as they walked slowly together; she was unable to help taking stealthy glances towards her companion until they entered Ponyville proper, in which the presence of other ponies filled her with uneasiness. Finally they arrived at Lyra’s residence: Bon Bon’s home, in which the earth pony rented a room to the unicorn.
Lyra pushed the door open. Fluttershy hesitated, remembering what had happened between her and Bon Bon after her assertiveness training. Despite the fact that she had written a long apologising letter, knelt down before the mare -to Bon Bon’s great embarrassment- and bought a kilo of candy from her, she still felt the pang of guilt. Lyra smiled at her.
“It’s okay, Fluttershy. You know she doesn’t hate you.”
Slowly, Fluttershy entered the house. A strong smell invaded her nose as soon as she stepped inside and Lyra had closed the door behind them; a mixture of different sweet aromas, including mint, chocolate and strawberry pervaded the atmosphere, somehow managing to be alluring instead of intoxicating. She closed her eyes and let the pleasant odor fill her. She opened her eyes again and found Lyra staring at her, beaming.
“So you like it? I do, a lot. Though it usually leaves me with a candy craving...” She led Fluttershy to the first door at the left, which she opened. A warm wave hit her as soon as it was opened and they found Bon Bon sticking her head into an oven.
“Hey Bonnie, Fluttershy came here! She brought some of her friends so that you could take a look at them.”
“Really? Hello, Fluttershy. Thank you for your time. I’ll be with you in a flash, just let me finish here.” Her voice came out muffled, and Fluttershy nodded, despite Bon Bon being unable to see her at the moment. She peered around the kitchen, seeing a messy, but somewhat cosy working space with many working elements haphazardly thrown around, on top of tables and inside shelves on the walls. She looked to her side only to find that Lyra had slipped away while she was not looking. She gazed around nervously until a hoof touched her softly on the shoulder. She found Bon Bon smiling at her, caramel adorning her muzzle.
“Hey, Fluttershy!” Bon Bon greeted her cheerfully, wiping her muzzle with a hoof. “Sorry to be receiving you like this, but there’s so much work to be done. I envy Lyra sometimes. Wouldn’t change my confection for anything though.”
Fluttershy heard Bon Bon going on, only registering her voice as background noise despite the mare being right in front of her. Her hoof rose of her own accord, almost readying itself to strike. She shook her head, vacating the thought that had been flowing
and found Bon Bon’s face, looking at her with worry.
“What happened, Fluttershy?”
“Um, sorry. I don’t know what came over me...”
Bon Bon looked straight at her, without blinking, which made Fluttershy squirm, until the earth pony relented and shrugged. “I thought Lyra said you had brought some of your animals with you?”
Fluttershy removed her coat carefully, folding it. Both birds flew to sit in front of Bon Bon while the beetle descended slowly and made its way to the same place. Fluttershy put her coat on her back and signaled towards the three candidates with a hoof. Bon Bon gazed over them, watching the two birds. She frowned.
“You don’t like them?” asked Fluttershy. Bon Bon shook her head.
“They’re cute, and I’m sure that they’re nice, but Lyra’s already got a bird, and I was hoping for something different.”
Fluttershy visibly brightened, her chest expanding and letting out a relieved sigh. “Oh that’s okay then,” she answered smiling. She lowered herself to speak to the birds. “Could you go back to the cottage?” Both of them chirped and flew away. Fluttershy stood up again and looked at the floor. Bon Bon looked down and saw Stuart hurrying along the floor until he stopped before her. He somehow managed to throw a look at her; her mouth fell open, gaping.
“Is... is that a beetle, Fluttershy?”
“Yes, his name is Stuart Beetle. He wants a family. He’s only a couple weeks old, but he’d be very happy if he could get one.”
Bon Bon stammered, her eyes reducing to the size of dots. “But, but... it’s a beetle. An insect...”
The words seemed to make an impact on the small beetle as she stepped back as if hit by a concussive force. Fluttershy shook her head.
“But he’s a very nice one, Bon Bon. He won’t mess up your house or your business, will you, Stuart?”
The beetle ran around, his chosen route displaying a big “NO”. He then walked up to Bon Bon and began climbing up her leg. She held her breath, pursing her lips as she felt the insect beginning to go up her, but then failed to stop giggling as she felt the sensation of his legs on her coat. “Stop, that tickles!”
He made his way to the top of her head and climbed down to her muzzle, turning to look at her. She looked into his small black eyes. “...What does he eat, Fluttershy?”
“He primarily eats tree sap, so you can just let him go out for a bit. You could also give him something sweet sometimes.”
“Right. But, he’s a beetle. How much... time do they have?”
Fluttershy looked at the ground. “He’s almost three weeks old. He’ll live for about half a year... But I know he’ll be a good companion... if you let him...”
Bon Bon opened her muzzle to answer, but she caught on the beetle’s eyes looking at her. They shone and seemed very sad. She stopped herself.
“Will you behave yourself and not walk around on my sweets unless I give you some?”
Stuart moved his legs nervously. Bon Bon laughed, almost making him fall out. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll keep you then.”
Fluttershy hovered, crashing into Bon Bon, locking her into her hooves. “Oh, thank you, Bon Bon, that’s wonderful!”
“I’m sure it is, Fluttershy, but you’re crushing me,” said Bon Bon almost without breath. The pegasus let go of her, a guilty smile on her lips.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just so happy. Thank you Bon Bon!”
“Can you get down, please? I’ll get you some caramel.” Stuart happily complied, running through her fur, making her giggle again. “Don’t know if I’ll get accustomed to that.” She opened a cupboard, pulling out a large jar which she opened. She collected the sweet with a spoon and put it on the floor, where Stuart ate it with gusto. She then looked at Fluttershy. “Would you like some more candy?”
“But you already sent me a box with Lyra, I couldn’t impose on you any more...”
Bon Bon shrugged it of, smiling. “It’s no problem. I enjoy when ponies like my sweets, and you gave me a nice pet.” She moved around the kitchen, opening drawers, looking at shelves and uncovering pots while Fluttershy followed her with her gaze.
“Do you like Lyra, Bon Bon?” Fluttershy’s voice was low as the question escaped her lips. Bon Bon stopped her rummaging around and turned to look at her. They looked at each other in silence. Bon Bon turned around and continued searching through her kitchen.
“She’s my tenant, and a close friend. I’m not a very outgoing mare, you see. So I do like her a lot, that’s right. Not in the sense most ponies think about it, though. I just like hanging around with her.” She let out a deep sigh. “Ponyvillians sure are gossipers. You’d think they’d have learned a lesson from the Gabby Gums fiasco.”
Fluttershy had retreated behind her mane, only a blue eye peeking from there. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you...”
“You didn’t offend me, Fluttershy, don’t worry. But why do you ask ?”
Bon Bon trotted over to Fluttershy, Stuart perched on the top of her head and a bag held in her mouth which the pegasus received. She put it down before looking at Bon Bon.
“I think I do like her.”
Bon Bon looked upwards to the ceiling and then back to Fluttershy, her face wrapped in a soft smile. “She’s a very weird mare, you know? Almost always fiddling with her music when she’s not simply lazing around. A lot like Rainbow Dash... and she’s got quite a number of fans. I might dare say you’re not alone in your interests.”
“Yes... I’ve seen the crowds she gathers whenever she plays. How could she not? She’s wonderful, pretty, talented, and...” Fluttershy trailed off, a noticeable blush dyeing her cheeks. Bon Bon’s smile broadened.
“Well, I can only wish you luck, Fluttershy. I’m not going to ‘push buttons’ for you, as it is not my style, but you can go for it.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Thank you for everything, Bon Bon. I hope that you and Stuart get along well. I’m going out now. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Fluttershy.”
Picking up Bon Bon’s gift bag, Fluttershy trotted to the door, opening it. The rain had stopped, leaving the earth lightly muddy and the sun shone brightly overhead.
I wonder which kind of flowers she would like.
Closing the book, Fluttershy put it back on the table. “Thank you, Spike!” she said as she passed by his side, making her way out of the library. The librarian waved at her.
“Goodbye, Fluttershy!”
She exited the library, trotting at a leisurely pace. As she strode across town, her ears picked up on all the sounds erupting around her; the chattering of ponies, the tweeting of birds, the rustle of leaves caressed by soft winds. It all seemed to form an improvised orchestra for her. She finally reached her destination. A red maned earth pony saluted her enthusiastically, with her sisters behind her, cutting and organizing flowers.
“Hi, Fluttershy! We don’t see you around here very often. Come over!” Roseluck called over to her; she complied, looking around to see all the different sorts of flowers exhibited on the stand, of every color, shape and smell.
This is going to be more difficult than I thought...
“Yes, um, I’m looking for something special...”
Roseluck grinned deviously, her green eyes gleaming with emotion. “Are you now?”
Somehow, managing not to have her head explode despite the intense heat the three sisters had made her feel trying to pry out the identity of Fluttershy’s mysterious pony, she walked away with a bouquet made up entirely of fresh, beautiful lilac flowers. She was conscious of everypony’s gazes falling upon her, and barely held back the desire of setting on a nerve-induced gallop. It was rare to see ponies carrying around bouquets outside of Hearts and Hooves day, and very noticeable in a small village like Ponyville.
She arrived at Lyra and Bon Bon’s place. Stepping by the window, she checked her own appearance. Long minutes passed with only her reflection in the glass looking at her, with a nervous expression. Finally she took a deep breath and went over to the door, knocking on it. She knew Bon Bon would be at her store, selling her products. Soon she heard approaching hoofsteps. “I’m coming!”
The door opened, and Lyra looked at her from the other side. “Oh, hello, Fluttershy! Flowers? What are those for?”
Fluttershy offered the flowers, and Lyra took them with her magic, uncertain. “Hey, Fluttershy...”
Lifting her head, Fluttershy looked straight into Lyra’s golden, surprised eyes.
“Lyra, would you go out with me?”
