She Was Mine

She fixed my broken heart.

It was never meant to have been that way. In fact, it was quite the opposite-it was going to be the best day of my life. The pony I'd sought after for so long, the very love of my life, with her elegant twirling mane, her soft lavender eyes, her bookish demeanor, and the ever so subtle curves that her body produced...was finally going to know how I felt.

I remember the day as clearly as anything. I'd woken up to the most warming feeling, and actually took the time to comb my mane. I grabbed a few bits before heading down to the market, and getting the most fitting bouquet of lavender daisies. I'd heard they were quite rare-well worth the extra 10 bits spent. They were special, just like her. She deserved the best.

Right before I decided to finally tell her, I stopped by my reflection in a window, and took myself in. Neatly groomed to at least attempt to get close to her level of beauty, even if I hated the procedure required. A bouquet clenched between my teeth, and a noticeable height to my stance. I was ready, more than anything.

She would love me back today, after all the years of waiting.

I turned from the window, trotting off towards the giant tree that loomed in the distance. My attention drifted as I began to envision-daydream, if you would-what might happen in the future. We could spend an evening on a cloud, her body on top of my own to stay atop the land only I could traverse, simply drifting as we lay in each others' arms. Her warm breath would tickle my nose with the scent of gentle berries as she leaned in, gently pressing onto me with the most gorgeous pair of lips I'd ever laid eyes on. She would pull back, staring at me with those gorgeous lavender eyes, her mane slightly ruffled but still just as breathtaking, before smiling, and saying what she would say as soon as I told her, what I could only dream of.

"I love you, Rainbow Dash."

I finally allowed myself to refocus as the area around her library home came into clearer sight, and sure enough, there she was. I recognized her just as well from a distance, as she engaged in conversation with one of my best friends, the pink prankster I so often hung out with.

But that was unimportant. All that mattered was her for today.

I took a deep breath, feeling suddenly nervous despite the bouquet between my teeth. I took a step forward, then two, then four, and then eight. I could do this. I would finally tell her, and everything would be fine. I was Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, Element of Loyalty, and on the side, aspiring Wonderbolt. I wasn't afraid in the least, because she would like me back.

It was on the sixteenth step that my heart shattered into a metaphorical million irreparable bits.

I wasn't sure as to whether either of them had seen me, but either way, it was no less stunning as my best friend suddenly leapt forward, attacking my crush with a fervent kiss that I myself might have given.

That was the exact moment that my heart broke, completely and certainly in two.

I didn't dare take another step, torn between leaping forward with a simple extension of the wings, tackling my friend to the ground and demanding to know why she had done what she had done, and simply running. The only reason I didn't tuck tail and do just that, was that perhaps it was unrequited. Maybe a magic spell gone awry, maybe just a case of 'one-sided love'.

Any hopes I had were smashed the instant she pulled away, and the object of my attention made not even the slightest protest.

So there I stood, on what had started as the best day in my life, which had now transversed into the very worse. I didn't even admit to myself that I felt tears slowly welling up in the corners of my vision, as one of my dreams shattered right before my eyes. All I could process was the fact that she loved another pony, and not me. Rather, my best friend. Still not me.

And despite myself, my set-in-stone goal, my pride, my certainty, and my love for the pony who now loved another...I ran.

I felt the first tear slide onto my cheeks, and everything went from there. Something inside me snapped, and my wings did pop out, before propelling me forward. I didn't tackle anypony, but instead did the quickest U-turn I'd ever pulled off, shooting off in the exact opposite direction from the memory. Perhaps I could escape it if I flew far enough away. The tears streamed freely down my face now, not even in the least from the sub-sonic speeds I found myself reaching. I left two things behind, past every single building that passed in a blur, past every pony that barely escaped being plowed over.

I left my broken heart, and a very special bouquet of flowers lying on the ground.

By the time I saw fit to stop, I was crying full-force, like a foal who had lost her favorite toy, and wept for its absence. Under any other circumstance, I'd have chided myself, but at the moment, it was all I could do to add some stability to my now torn apart world. I just collapsed onto the ground, content to stay there for as long as it took to digest the reality. That she would never feel the same about me. And that of all ponies, my friend, who I trusted and cherished spending time with, had taken her from me. I had half the mind to go back and even hurt her, as she had me...but I just didn't find it in myself, or even my element, to follow through. All I did was let my grief spill out, the best that it ever could.

The last thing I expected was for a voice to cut through my pained sobs, laced with heavy amounts of both concern and comfort.

"Rainbow! What happened?"

It was just those three simple words that somehow gave me enough courage to briefly shake off my heartbreak; to throw a desperate glance upwards and hope that the voice was friendly, and not faking.

As my eyes met another, teal-blue pair of the very same, I knew instantly that the pony behind the eyes was friendly indeed, maybe to the fullest extent ever possible. It was that notion that allowed me to first stare, stunned for no discernible reason, before giving a great shuddering sob, and burying my face into a shoulder I could only guess as to the whereabouts.

It took only two seconds before I could feel the other mare reciprocate some of the only comfort she could offer, drawing a hoof around me and pulling me closer, gently patting my back and whispering things like 'there, there' and 'everything will be OK' (which I found hard to believe). It was quite enough, however, and I was able to finally take a deep, trembling breath, before composing myself the best I could.

I would, reluctantly, admit to myself that I wanted the embrace to last longer, since it was a lot safer and warmer than the heart-breaking world that lay outside, but I knew I had to face it eventually, and so I allowed myself to pull away. The pony who had just been my on-the-spot comforter paused, and took a deep breath of her own, as if to say something else, but instead sighed, and invited me inside to talk it over.

The conversation that followed was no less hurtful, especially for the first ten minutes in which I wrestled between flooding her cottage with tears, and refusing outright to tell her exactly who had been my, 'special pony' as she called them, once the subject arose.

But she happened to be a natural at coaxing things from anypony or thing, and it was only a matter of time and soft reassurances that I finally uttered two simple words in response to her question, before turning and promptly burying my face into the couch that I lay on.

"Twilight. Sparkle."

It seemed to take at least a few seconds to sink in, seeing as I received no response from outside the cushion for quite a while. The simple mention of her name was almost enough to set me going again, but the other mare (relatively) quickly recovered, and I could feel her take the spot next to me, before draping what I assumed was her wings around me, and grab me into another hug.

What most ponies tend not to know, however, is that such an action is deemed accurately as a 'pegasus hug', because 'most ponies' don't have wings attached to them.

The one that I received was just enough to prevent me from going over the edge, the soft feathery grip in addition to the close, comforting notion helping to abate my tears enough for her to continue.

She went on to say that she 'hadn't meant to hurt me', and...it made sense. Not that it was why I was upset, but somehow the idea was enough to comfort me. She probably honestly didn't, since she...well, didn't know about me.

She didn't speak for a while after that, instead she just rocked back and forth, humming a light tune that I could almost call a lullaby. I could actually feel myself relaxing, lifting my head from the cushion, even, and in my emotionally shocked state, it was an odd experience indeed. It eventually came to the point where I was just blank and limp, allowing myself to be swayed back and forth. I felt just like a little filly, being rocked back to bed after a bad dream had scared her awake.

Ordinarily, I'd protest vehemently at such situations, but I didn't have it in me to protest at all as I finally relaxed completely, giving in to the 'motherly' comfort that I'd lacked for...years, in fact.

"There's...always somepony else."

The words are both almost enough to shake me completely out of my trance, and to make me agree completely. Somepony else? Somepony else?

She obviously didn't realize the depth of what had happened. I'd loved her ever since...buck, I don't even know when it started. And then she just...happens to...have an interest in...

It's then that I realize how stupid I've acted up to that point. I had gotten upset over something normal-I couldn't expect her to love me back at first sight anyways, right? She...did have a life and separate interests, even if they happened to hurt me in themselves. I wouldn't get anywhere crying over spilled milk, and I wouldn't ever find myself loving another pony if I did. There were more ponies, just as great as her. I should have felt lucky just to have such a wonderful mare as a friend in the first place, anyways.

It was through those thoughts that I finally picked myself up, breaking the hug and hopping to my hooves in one fluid motion. I smiled-it was a weak one, but a smile nonetheless-before quickly thanking Fluttershy, and dashing out the door just as quickly.

Maybe my heart would still ache fiercely every time I saw her, and maybe she would always be my first taste of what I couldn't have. But I did owe it to Fluttershy that maybe I could finally face both her and her marefriend without openly bursting into tears. I did have a reputation to preserve, after all.

It was the next day sooner than I thought, and it was that day that everything changed.

Twilight had invited all of the girls over, crowding us in the library for reasons unknown. I took refuge in the back, as far from her as I could get. I had thought I was over her, but just the simple casual nuzzles that her and her pink partner traded, or how they held hooves when leading up to the 'reveal', were enough to attack my heart with such a fury again. She should have been mine. She still could be.

Luckily, nopony noticed me fighting over myself in the corner. I almost missed her explanation-apparently, she had discovered a spell allowing two ponies to share their innermost thoughts about each other. But, as per her words, "I don't think it would quite work on us, since we're already quite open, so I was wondering if I could ask two of you guys to help me out?"

There was a general chorus of agreement from everypony but me, and I could vaguely make out both Rarity and Fluttershy stepping forward.

There was no time wasted- Twilight lowered her horn, and shot a little purple bolt at Fluttershy, who immediately froze and stared straight ahead. I was already on my way to ask if she was all right, but Twilight waved it off, saying that she was now 'phased into the spell-zone', and just needed another pony to connect with her. She would instantaneously be back to normal, but would have new things to ponder.

What I least expected was for Pinkie to shove her as she cast the next bolt, only to send it hurtling straight at me.

Being hit by the lightning bolt didn't hurt a bit, rather, it was confusing. One second, I was in the library, and the next, images were flashing before my eyes, and sounds and what I could only assume were thoughts drifted by too.

I was inside Fluttershy's mind.

The images were strange, however-I saw a split-second flash of a rainbow, and the next, it was on to some random place I didn't realize, and it went endlessly on. It focused only for brief seconds.

"RAINBOW!" A 'thought' louder than the rest pierced through, and I recognized the speaker as Twilight. "You have to FOCUS, or else it will take over! You won't be Rainbow Dash if you don't FOCUS!"

Well, that was comforting.

Still, I trusted her the most right then, seeing as how I was stuck in some ethereal plane only she knew about. I focused as hard as I could, and the first thing I grabbed hold of was my memory of her. Maybe I couldn't have her, but I could love her all I could in this strange...thing.

Suddenly, the thoughts blaring in my ears retreated, and the image refocused to a clear sky. I could see animals going about their daily business, a cottage all too familiar. Instinctively, I stopped focusing, and found myself perfectly fine.

"Oh, how am I ever going to tell her? I...I don't know how she'll react."

The voice puzzled me. It sounded a lot like Fluttershy.

As soon as the realization hit me, thoughts began swamping all over the place, and images began flashing again, but somehow, I understood them all. And what I saw truly shocked me.

I saw Flight Camp through her eyes, how the stupid doofuses messed with her and how I defended her. "She's...brave..." Was the only thought she seemed to have, but...it was thought almost admiringly.

I saw our first time meeting on the ground, and I saw every single moment up until that very instant. Each thought pieced together a pony I'd never known.

I knew Fluttershy, timid animal caretaker. But...I came to know Fluttershy, the victim of the same thing I had been. The quiet, tortured soul who was forced to watch their crush go about their life, who was forced to keep their feelings secret. Who took delight in every single second spent with that pony, and who whispered their name as she went about her own day. Fluttershy, the pony who fell head over hooves in love, and both enjoyed and hated every second of it, who dreamed of spending long afternoons cuddling with her marefriend by the fire, who kept quiet for fear of ruining the 'friends' relationship she already had with her special somepony. Fluttershy, the pegasus who re-enacted countless scenarios of confession, only to give up with a frustrated sigh and throw her hooves up in the air, torn hopelessly between loving the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on, or keeping absolutely quiet.

What was the most shocking, however, was who she had her eyes on.

It was only when the memory-stream...thing...reached yesterday, and slowed down, that it hit me in full. I saw myself through her eyes, how devastated I had truly been. And she jumped instantly to comfort me, as any 'friend' would.

It was only when she said that there was always somepony else that things truly changed. A single thought struck my subconscious, and everything slowly faded to black as I came to ponder the most life-shattering change I ever had.

"Like...me. Rainbow Dash, I love you so much...why can't you just see...?"

By the time my senses returned, and the girls came into focus, I couldn't move. I didn't.

"Rainbow? Are you all right? Rainbow!"

Even Twilight's frantic hoof-waving and shouting didn't sway me. Instead, I could feel my head slowly turn to Fluttershy. The world seemed to disappear as everypony collectively realized the nature of the situation, and fell silent.

She only stared back, a blush first developing, before deepening even more as she backed away, as if she could hide behind her own mane. "I-I-I can explai-"

"I...I had no idea..." Even though my own voice sounded strange and echoing, and unusually stuttering, it easily cut the air. And it cut to her, too-her eyes shrank nearly instantly.

She began speaking even faster, slowly backing up until she hit the wall. "Right, y-you had no idea because it d-doesn't existokthanksforcomingyoucangonow!"

Even though that was the fastest I'd ever heard her speak, something in me made me take a few steps forwards to follow her, ignoring the protests she'd so quickly made. "You...you actually...feel that way?"

That seemed to send her into a tailspin. She slinked even further against the wall, her face now almost as red as a tomato. "No, not-I mean yes, but no-and sometimes, I just-..." She sighed, lowering her head in defeat after cutting herself off numerous times. "...yes..."

Maybe it was just the way she seemed pressured at the moment, and perhaps it was just me lusting for love itself about the moment. But I'd seen my fair share of things in the spell-thought...thing, and I'd felt something different. I'd come to think different.

Love was something I'd taken underhoofedly. It wasn't about looks, or even personality. It was about what you and the other pony shared, and me and Fluttershy had shared everything from foalhood. From Flight School to the very previous evening, I'd shared my deepest self with her, her likewise, and we both accepted each other for it.

It was for that reason that I leaned forwards, brushing past her mane and finally meeting her in what she'd wanted all along, and all I ever needed as well.

A kiss.

She remained tense for a few seconds, but relaxed soon enough, allowing her eyes to close as mine soon did themselves, melting into the kiss, returning it with a gentle passion I'd only ever heard of, much to the delight of the other ponies who still remained-a collective 'oooh' arose from the congregation. I'd neglected the memory of them, and I felt a flaming come to my own cheeks, magnified by nearly twice its intensity as my wings sprung open in both embarrassment and excitement.

She intended to make it worth my while of advancing to her, however, and so I felt myself pulled even closer by a lone hoof across the back of my head, her tongue pressing into my mouth with a courage that spoke entire years' worth of words, in just a few simple seconds.

And deep down, I loved every single second of it.

By the time Fluttershy pulled back, almost every single memory I'd had prior was gone. All I could do was stare, panting, as she leaned in one final time, leaving only one tiny peck on my nose. And even as we stared back and forth, blushes of equal size on each of our expressions, not a single word was said beyond that. It had already been said.

And even amongst the cheers, the well-wishes, and the cries of 'I knew my Pinkie Sense was telling me there was a doozy! I knew it!', I didn't once break the stare. Gazing into those teal eyes, I saw a new depth of love and caring, and there came an understanding in that moment, that incredibly magical moment.

As long as we knew each other, from this moment forward, things would be different.

I would be hers.

And she would be mine.