All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name. - Andre Breton
Looking at her pink-maned friend, Fluttershy apprehensively spoke out.
“Um.. Pinkie..? I’ve been wanting to tell you something..”
Pawing at the ground nervously, she looked towards the wood. Hesitance resided in her eyes, and her cheeks began to turn a light crimson.
“Well.. uh.. I.. I.. l-love..-”
Stopping Fluttershy before she could finish, Pinkie enthusiastically began to bounce up and down.
“Oh, I just love guessing games!”
Fluttershy, after asking the Cakes if she could speak privately with Pinkie, stood inside Sugarcube Corner with the hyper earth pony. The smell of sweets was prominent, filling their noses with the aroma of soft cinnabons and warm strudels. Pinkie Pie seemed to carry the same delicious smell every day. Jumping around her light yellow friend, the pink pony excitedly began to take guesses as to what Fluttershy wanted to say.
“Oh, oh! You love candy don’t you?”
“Pinkie.. I.. love-”
“No no, don’t tell me! Give me more chances. You love cupcakes?”
“No, Pinkie Pie.. I um.. love-”
Cutting her friend off mid-sentence again, Pinkie began to guess faster. Not being able to predict what her shy friend loved only encouraged her to try harder. Words began to fly out of her mouth at an even more accelerated pace than before.
“Parties? Cake? Trees? Big Mac?”
Fluttershy questioningly looked at her friend, the suggestion of the stallion catching her off guard. Taking this as a sign that she wasn’t guessing correctly, Pinkie stomped her hoof in frustration.
Confidently chancing another attempt, Pinkie Pie took a final guess.
“Me?”
Fluttershy’s expression changed as she looked up. Smiling slightly, she stopped pawing at the ground. Knowing she had guessed correctly, Pinkie Pie began to jump around triumphantly, happy that she had finally figured it out.
“Well, you didn’t have to walk all the way over to Sugarcube Corner to tell me that, silly! I love you too!”
Pulling the pegasus into a hug, Pinkie smiled warmly. Fluttershy’s face turned darker crimson as she hugged the pink-maned pony back. Fluttershy quietly spoke up, and hoped to savor this moment.
“You.. you mean that..?”
“I sure do! You’re a great friend, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy cringed, her heart dropping to her stomach. ‘Friend’. Pinkie Pie hadn’t meant
anything more than friendly affection. Slowly, Fluttershy pulled out of the warm embrace of the sweet-smelling pony. Obvious melancholy entered her voice, a tear forming in her eye.
“Um.. yeah.. you’re a great friend too.. Pinkie.. but I should.. I should go back home. Angel is.. probably hungry.”
Knowing it was not even close to feeding time, Fluttershy made up an excuse, wanting to leave the shop.
“Alright, Flutterpie!”
Pinkie Pie giggled, ignorant of her friend’s distraughtness.
“Get it? It’s both of our names!”
Pinkie giggled again.
Heading out the door, Fluttershy gave her friend an artificial smile.
“Alright, see ya’ Fluttershy!”
Pinkie smiled, waving the pegasus goodbye.
Closing the door behind her, Fluttershy’s fake smile faded away, and she walked towards home. Her head hung in dejection, a tear escaping her eye. Fluttershy began to question herself within her own thoughts.
“Why do I like her?”
She knew the answer already. Pinkie Pie was hyper, a “party pony”, and wasn’t afraid to state whatever came to her mind, which did end up getting her into some strange and humorous situations. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was quiet, timid, and shy. It was the contrast. The differences were what pushed her affection for Pinkie Pie forward. What challenged Fluttershy, however, was how to tell Pinkie Pie her feelings. And while she had, just barely, worked up the confidence to finally admit her liking for the earth pony, they had been turned down, being bent in to another one of Pinkie’s games.
Looking up, Fluttershy glanced at her surroundings. The sun hung high in the sky, and Ponyville stood quiet, a scarce amount of people on the roads. Ahead of her lied Sweet Apple Acres, it’s orchard in clear view.
”Maybe I could talk to Applejack?”
While usually she would go to her cottage and talk to the animals, Fluttershy knew she needed input from someone who could reply to her. Troubling her, though, was the thought of how Applejack might react. And while she was usually caring and accepting, love between two mares was something not many people embraced. With a last unsure look towards home, Fluttershy opened her wings, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Fluttershy lowered herself gently onto the dirt. Taking her no longer than three minutes, she landed at the entrance to the Apple family’s farmhouse. Hesitantly, Fluttershy stepped up to the old wooden door. Raising her hoof, she knocked on it quietly. For a moment, there was silence; and, to a small extent, she hoped no one would answer. This hope was thrown aside when the hinges squeaked, and the wooden door was pushed open.
“Why hey there, sugarcube.”
Applejack stood in the doorway, tipping her hat to greet her pink-maned friend.
“Uh, hello Applejack.”
“Somethin’ you need?”
“Um, yes. Could we.. talk about something?”
“Sure. You can talk to me ‘bout anything.”
”I sure hope so.” Fluttershy stated in her mind as she stepped inside the farmhouse.
Closing the door behind her friend, Applejack beckoned for Fluttershy to follow her. Nodding, Fluttershy was guided through the well taken care of interior. Various heirlooms were mounted on the shelves, and pictures dotted the walls. One picture in particular stood out, though. Stopping to look, Fluttershy gazed at a picture of what seemed like a younger Granny Smith, a determined look spread across her face. Standing alongside her was a strong looking, light-brown stallion. The two stood in front of a sign that read, “Sweet Apple Acres”.
Applejack called from a room on the otherside of the house.
“Fluttershy, you comin’?”
Noticing she had fallen behind her orange friend, Fluttershy began walking again, taking a final glance back at the photo.
“Um.. yes. Coming.”
Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never. - Charles Caleb Colton
“So, what did ya’ want to talk about?”
Fluttershy, now resting on Applejack’s bed, looked up to the earth pony’s questioning eyes for a brief moment. Staring back down to the floor, Fluttershy quietly began to speak.
“Well.. I guess I need a little help.. with.. love..”
Applejack smiled warmly, leaning over to get a better look at her friend’s face.
“Well shoot, sugarcube. You takin’ a fancy to somepony?”
Nodding, Fluttershy continued to look at the ground.
“But it’s.. it’s different..”
“Well, what’s so different about liking someone? I bet he’s good lookin’.”
Applejack smiled teasingly, but Fluttershy turned her head away, searching for an explanation.
“Well.. that’s it..”
“What’s it?”
“It’s.. she’s not a stallion..”
“What do ya’ mea--.. oh, Ah see..”
Fluttershy nodded, looking away from the bright green eyes of the orange mare. A silence fell upon the room, both searching for something to say. Finally, Applejack spoke up, breaking the stillness that had crept into the room.
“So.. who is the mare that’s caught your fancy?”
Fluttershy cringed. Admitting her feelings for a mare was hard enough, but confessing them for Pinkie Pie? Unbearable.
“Uh.. she’s.. she’s..”
Fluttershy squeaked out.
“Pinkie Pie.”
The room set in silence again. Reluctantly, Fluttershy looked back, daring a glance at her friend’s face, and while she expected a disappointed guise, she was taken by surprise when she was met with a small, caring smile, and a sympathetic set of eyes.
“Now Fluttershy, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, there are a lot more mares with other mares than you would think..”
“R-really..?”
“Ya’ remember when Rarity and Rainbow Dash got together all cornily? With all the huggin’ and such?”
Nodding, Fluttershy recalled the event, happening only a couple months ago.
“See? We ain’t turnin’ our backs on them just because some people don’t consider a relationship between two mares ‘normal’. You’re free to like whoever ya’ want to, sugarcube. Don’t let nopony tell you otherwise. I’m also sure the residents of Ponyville wouldn’t mind, so long as you don’t go flauntin’ it in their faces.”
Applejack grinned.
“But you ain’t really the type to do that, right?”
Shaking her head, Fluttershy smiled.
“But.. what should I say to her if I.. well..”
Applejack nodded understandingly.
“Well, Fluttershy, you may want to ask one of the other ponies about that. Probably Rarity or Twi’. I’m not much of a mare of words.”
Chuckling slightly, Applejack continued.
“But I’ll be here anytime you need somepony to talk to.”
Fluttershy got down from the bed, Applejack following her.
“Thanks, Applejack.”
Fluttershy pulled the earth pony into a small hug.
“Anytime, sugarcube. But,” Applejack broke the hug and smirked slightly, “I believe ya’ got some ponies to talk to.”
“Hey Fluttershy.”
Spike’s small stature stood in the doorway of the library.
“Hello. Could I speak to Twilight?”
Spike nodded, “Yeah, sure,” rolling his eyes, Spike agitatedly added, “if her head would come out of her books.”
Fluttershy laughed quietly, the thought of Twilight absorbed into another one of her encyclopedias not surprising her.
“Anyway, come in. She should be upstairs.”
With a quiet “Thank you,” Fluttershy entered the library and headed up the staircase to see Twilight.
”I hope she’s as understanding as Applejack.”
Reaching the second floor, Fluttershy saw the purple mare, as expected, involved in one of her hardcovers.
“Twilight?”
Looking up from the large album she was reading, Twilight greeted the pegasus with a slight smile.
“Oh, hello Fluttershy. Something you need?”
Hesitantly, Fluttershy quietly spoke.
“Yes.. I need a bit of.. advice on something.”
“Alright. What exactly do you need advice on?”
”Here we go..”
“Love..”
Twilight practically jumped up from her place on the floor, a large smirk overcoming her face.
“Do you like somepony?”
Fluttershy nodded slightly.
“Well tell me who it is!”
”I better just say it..”
“Pinkie Pie.”
Twilight’s smirk disappeared almost instantly, being replaced with a look of shock.
“Pinkie Pie?! You like Pinkie Pie?!”
Fluttershy retreated, taking a few steps backwards from a fray of indistinguishable raving. Twilight paced the floor, clamoring in a loud voice about what she just heard.
“-- Fluttershy -- never -- mare--”
After several minutes of this, Twilight regained her composure. She now focused on Fluttershy, who had tensely stood by the staircase during her verbal outburst.
“Fluttershy..? I.. I’m sorry about that.. I just.. never thought about you liking a mare.. nonetheless Pinkie Pie..”
Fluttershy turned her glance up from the planks of the floor.
“It’s.. it’s alright, Twilight..”
“No it’s not. I shouldn’t have lost control of myself. But, I’m fine now..”
Attempting to change the topic, Twilight spoke, embarrassment in her voice.
“I assume.. you don’t want that help anymore..?”
“I.. I still could use it.. if it’s fine with you..”
“Alright.. um.. what did you want to know..?”
“Well.. what should I say to her if.. I..”
Twilight finished the sentence.
“Wanted to get together?”
Nodding slightly, Fluttershy continued.
“Um.. so what should I say to her..? I tried earlier today.. but she didn’t seem to..”
“Pick up on what you meant? Typical Pinkie. Anyway, I’ve never really.. ‘asked somepony out’ before.. but.. just be yourself, really. As for what you should say? Just tell Pinkie how you feel. Or you could try reenacting one of those romance plays you see. You could confess how you’ve had lifelong feelings for her, and she’d cry and say that she’d felt the same way. Then the lights would dim, the violins would start to play, you’d take her face between your hooves, you two would embrace each other, and then live happily ever after.”
Twilight and Fluttershy both laughed, easing the mood.
“Thanks, Twilight. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Fluttershy. I hope it works out with you two.”
”Me too..”
