My Little Pony: Shipping is Magic Stories

The next two weeks were two weeks in Heaven for Fluttershy and Dragonfly. Word got out really quick on the two, and Twilight and the others couldn't be more happier for their friend. Some would call their relationship a fairy tale, because that's what it seemed like. Every time they were together, they were happy, they never fought, and their plan to take it slow as working very well for them. Neither was ready to push the other beyond what they weren't ready for and they knew when too far was too far. And while Twilight and the others were happy for them, they sometimes questioned on how they were doing it.

"Seriously," said Rainbow, pacing back and forth, "How in the world are they doing it? After two weeks, I would've thought it was time to take it to the next level. Heck! They should at least be at third base by now!"

"Hush Rainbow," scolded Rarity, "We don't want to rush them."

"I think it's super-duper romantic!" sighed Pinkie. "I mean, they both respect each other so much that they are willing to wait. I don't know about you, but THAT'S what I call commitment!"

"She's definitely happier!" Applejack included, "Since this is the first guy she met who actually suggested taking it slow, I could understand why she'd want to milk it while she could. I mean, who knows how long it'll last?"

"Agreed," Twilight nodded, "As long as Fluttershy's happy, we're happy. Right?" The others nodded. She WAS right of course. Fluttershy was the happiest she'd ever been, and it would have to take something huge to break up the happiness.

One particular afternoon, Flutters and Dragon were having a picnic down by the lake. The setting was like a dream. The birds were chirping happily, the bees were buzzing by as well as giving some honey to the two (Dragonfly was great with persuasion and charm), and the weather was just perfect. A little breezy, but comfortably breezy. They had just finished their meals, and now they were snuggled up next to each other looking up at the clouds. "That one looks like a fish," said Dragonfly, pointing up at the fish-shaped cloud.

"That one looks like a heart," Fluttershy retorted, pointing at another. She then let out a loving sigh as she scooted closer to Dragonfly. "I haven't done this in a long time. Never really had anyone to do it with. I mean, Twilight was always explaining how clouds are formed and it put me to sleep, Pinkie could never sit still for long enough, Rainbow Dash saw it as boring, and Applejack and Rarity never truly appreciated fine artwork that clouds could make. It's nice to have someone who cares to do this with."

"I agree," replied Dragonfly, putting his arm around Fluttershy's shoulder. "I can't think what could be better right now. A beautiful day, a lovely picnic, and a gorgeous girl to share it with. What could be better?"

"Nothing!" Fluttershy sighed. The two nuzzled noses and giggled. Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of a strange, 8-bit sounding ringing noise. It sounded like an 8-bit version of "You Make My Dreams Come True" from Hall and Oats. The two looked around, wondering where the sound was coming from, but then Dragon slapped his forehead comedically and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.

"Forgot I had it turned on," he chuckled as he flipped it open and pulled it toward his ear. "Hello?...Yes this is he...Really?...REALLY?...Of course, excuse me!" He leaned towards Fluttershy. "It's the Entomology Society of Equestria!"

"The E.S.E?" Fluttershy surprisingly asked.

"Yeah!" Dragon replied, "They want ME to go on an expedition to help them on gathering data on a new species of beetle found in Northern Equestria!"

"Dragonfly, that's amazing!" Fluttershy squealed as she hugged him tight.

Dragon quickly went back to the phone. "Sir?...Yes I would love to help...When should I leave?...Tomorrow? I can do that. How long will I be gone?" Suddenly, Dragon's face went from excitement to hesitation. "Oh...well...No sir, that's not a problem...Yes of course...Train leaves at 5:00 pm...Thank you sir...Good-bye." As he closed the phone, his face had completely done a 180. He no longer looked overjoyed, but like he was hesitant on something.

"What's wrong Dragon?" asked a worried Fluttershy.

"Well..." Dragon stuttered, "You see...I don't know how long I'm going to be gone on this expedition. Could be a few weeks...or maybe...months." Fluttershy's heart dropped out of her body.

"MONTHS?" she gasped. "Why would it take months?"

"They said that the beetle is very hard to find," he replied, "They only know the region of where it is, not the exact location." Fluttershy felt as if she just got the news that she had a terminal disease. She had finally got a boyfriend, only had him for two weeks, and now he was leaving for Celestia knows how long? It wasn't fair in her mind. She had only gotten used to the dating scene, and now her boyfriend, the only guy who had ever truly respected her, was leaving her. She didn't know what to think. She was too mixed up with emotions of heartbreak and pain. An awkward minute passed by before Fluttershy finally spoke.

"So...you're not going right?"

Dragonfly's eyes shot up. "Not going? Why would I not be going?"

"Because...you're in a relationship, and your girlfriend needs you here," answered Fluttershy in an innocent voice.

"Flutters," Dragon sighed, "I have to go. They said they need my experience." Fluttershy felt a flush of anger suddenly sweep over her.

"They can find someone else!" she said more forcefully, "There has to be someone else!"

"Flutters-"

"Do you not care for me?" Fluttershy was getting more and more forceful.

"You know I do babe!" Dragon tried to say.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME?" Fluttershy started screaming. Dragon had never seen this side of her before. It was starting to scare him, but she kept on going. "It's not fair that you have to leave! I just got a boyfriend and they want to take him away! And YOU'RE OK with this? If you REALLY cared about me, you'd call them back and say that you can't go! Why? You have a girlfriend and she needs you! How can you be so...so...SELFISH!?" Fluttershy stood there huffing and puffing, anger flowing out of her. However, when she saw how terrified Dragonfly was, she quickly snapped out of it.

"Oh no!" She started to cry. "Oh no no no! Dragonfly, I am SO sorry! I...I don't know what came over me!" She then fell to her knees and covered her eyes. Dragon walked over and threw his arms around her.

"It's ok Flutters," he whispered calmly. "I understand. You've been through so many heartbreaks in the past, that when you finally got a boyfriend, you don't want to lose him." He lifted her face to his and dried her eyes. "I don't have to go if you don't want me to."

"No," she replied, wrapping her arms around him, "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm proud that you have this opportunity, and if I were you, I'd take it in a heartbeat. I'm sorry if I made it sound like you didn't have a choice. I will still care for you, whatever you choose."

"Thanks Flutters," Dragon smiled as he broke the hug, "And you know, there ARE alternatives..."

"I know," Fluttershy replied, "We can still keep a relationship. It's not like you're going to be gone forever. We can still write to each other, or you can call me whenever-"

"Or you can come with me," Dragon interrupted.

Fluttershy froze. She never really thought of that. "You mean on your expedition?"

"Yeah," Dragon replied, "I mean, the E.S.E can always use another hand that knows a thing or two about insects. You would be perfect for the trip. And we would be together the entire time! What do you think?"

To be honest, Fluttershy didn't know what to think. She should've been all over the idea, ready to join in a heartbeat, but one other factor came to mind, actually FIVE other factors came to mind; her friends. What would they think of her leaving for an expedition for Celestia-knows-how-long? Would they be mad? Hurt? Disappointed? Fluttershy didn't feel that she should decide until she talked with them.

"Do...do you think I could have some time to think about it?" she asked.

"Of course," Dragon replied, "Take all the time you need. I'll tell you what; I don't leave tomorrow until 5:00 in the evening. If you decide to come, just meet me there before the train departs. Ok?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Great!" Dragon exclaimed as he sat up. "Well, I better get packing. See you later Fluttershy!" The two nuzzled noses before Dragonfly took to the air heading back home.

"Yeah," Fluttershy mumbled, "Maybe."

Of course, as soon as Fluttershy made it back to the castle, her friends' first question was, "How did it go?" Fluttershy told them everything about the expedition.

"So he's just leaving?" Rainbow asked, "Are you alright?"

"I was a little shaken up at first," Fluttershy responded, "but I know that this is his job, and I couldn't be more proud of him."

"Good for you sugarcube," Applejack said, patting Fluttershy on the back, "Still, it's gonna be hard not seeing him for a while ain't it?"

"Well..." Fluttershy started, "That's the other thing. He...may have...invited me to...go with him."

The others froze in their tracks as they stared at Fluttershy like she had just announced that she became a carnivore. Pinkie's eyes nearly popped out from the expression of surprise, Applejack and Rarity just stood there with jaws agape, and Twilight sat quietly on her throne with an expression that said she was pondering what was just heard. Rainbow, on the other hand, looked a little surprised at first, but quickly calmed down and chuckled a little bit.

"So you said you're not going right?" she asked.

"Well..." Fluttershy responded.

Rainbow's expression changed to worry.

"So you ARE going?" Pinkie asked in horror.

"I didn't say that," Fluttershy corrected.

"So you're not going?" Rarity asked.

"I didn't say that either-"

"Well which is it?" Rainbow impatiently asked.

"I said I needed some time to think," Fluttershy responded.

"THINK?" Rainbow snapped, "What is there to think about? You CAN'T go Fluttershy!"

"Yeah," Applejack chimed in, "You have friends here. Responsibilities to perform! You just can't go running away!"

"It's not like I'll be gone forever..." Fluttershy mumbled.

"But for months is such a LONG time darling!" Rarity proclaimed, "We need you here!"

"We can't live without you!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Please don't go!"

Fluttershy didn't know what to say. As her friends crowded around her, saying reason why she shouldn't go, she started to feel like Dragonfly probably felt when she ganged up on him. She felt cornered, like she didn't have any way out of this mess. But the others continued to crowd her more and more and more...

"ENOUGH!"

Everybody jumped as Twilight made her way to the group. They almost forgot that she was there.

"I'm ashamed of all of you," she snapped as she faced the four girls, "Putting pressure on Fluttershy like that. You all sound so selfish!"

"But Twilight-" Rarity started before Twilight raised a hand for silence.

"No butts! This is Fluttershy's decision, and her's alone. And no matter what she chooses, we should support her. If she wants to stay, great! If not, still great. That's all there is to it." She then turned to Fluttershy and put and hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about that Fluttershy." She then turned to the others, who were looking guiltily at the ground.

"I'm sorry too Fluttershy," Pinkie said as she gave her friend a comforting hug, which Fluttershy happily accepted.

"I shouldn't have put pressure on you dear," Rarity added as she joined the hug.

Applejack and Rainbow joined in as well with their own "Sorry." Pretty soon, everyone was gathered around Fluttershy in a big group hug.

"Whatever you choose Fluttershy," Twilight repeated, "We will support you." The others nodded in agreement. Fluttershy smiled, but soon reminded herself about her decision.

Fluttershy barely got any sleep that night. She couldn't sleep. All she could do was weigh her pros and cons of going with Dragonfly. As she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts went back and forth like a tennis match. If she went with him, she would have the chance to spend more time with him seeing new sights, but she would be away from home, where her friends are. If she didn't go, she'd have her friends, but she wouldn't see Dragonfly for probably months. To go or not to go? The question was killing her. She thought about how Dragon would feel if she didn't show up. He'd be heartbroken. What if he never called her or wrote to her because he was so angry? But what about her friends. They said that they would support Fluttershy no matter what, but they said that they couldn't live without her either. There would be no telling on how they would feel if she was gone for a super long time. She didn't want to hurt her friends, but she didn't want to hurt Dragonfly.

Suddenly, an epiphany came to her. She was too busy thinking about what her friends and boyfriend wanted and how they would feel. But what about how SHE would feel and what SHE wanted. It seemed a little selfish, but it was probably her only choice. As she continued to think, her mind continued to drift, until at last, Fluttershy fell asleep.

As the sound of a train whistle roared through the station, Dragonfly stood on the platform, looking around for Fluttershy as others hustled around him, trying to catch their trains. There were two trains in the station that day; one going to Manehattan, while the other, Dragonfly's train, was headed towards Northern Equestria, into the mountain regions. Dragon looked around some more before glancing at his watch. 4:45 pm. At that moment, a voice over the intercom of the station announced,

"Attention passengers, Train 152 to Northern Equestria will be departing in 15 minutes. Please present tickets and take your seats for preparation. Thank you."

Dragon looked around one more time before taking a deep sigh. It was clear that she probably wasn't coming. He then started walking towards the train, until a familiar voice shouted out, "DRAGONFLY!"

With eyes perking up, Dragonfly glanced over to the east side of the station to see Fluttershy running towards him. A big smile came across his face when he saw her, but quickly faded when he saw something else; she had no luggage with her.

As Fluttershy caught up to him, she wrapped her arms around him and said, "I wanted to come see you off."

"So, I suppose that means you're not coming?" Dragon asked with a frown.

"I'm afraid so," Fluttershy said softly. "I had thought about it long and hard, and under any other circumstance, I would've jumped on board in a heartbeat. But I can't come with you. It's not because I don't care enough for you, but because I have duties to my home. I have responsibilities to my animals. I have my own job that I need to do. I can't put that burden on my friends if I'm going to be gone as long as a few months. I would love nothing more than to explore new places with a guy that I care so much about, but I can't just run away from my responsibilities. I...I hope this doesn't change anything between us."

"It changes something alright," Dragon replied sternly.

Fluttershy's heart dropped.

"It makes me care for you even more," Dragon continued, his stern expression changing into a caring smile.

Fluttershy's face lit up with relief.

"I'm so happy that you decided for yourself, and not based on anybody else," Dragonfly exclaimed, brushing a hand through Fluttershy's pink flowing hair. "You just made my respect for you go up ten times. I promise that I won't forget about you Fluttershy. You've made too much of an impact on my life. I care for you like I've never cared for anybody before. And I WILL be back. When I do come back, I will have so much to share with you, and I'll care for you even more."

Fluttershy blushed as she smiled at her wonderful boyfriend. "Promise me that you'll call," she said as she hugged him tightly.

"I'll call you every day!" Dragon replied, kissing her on the forehead. At that point, the conductor on the train shouted, "ALL ABOARD!" as the whistle blew again.

"That's my cue," Dragon said as he broke the hug. He then grabbed his bags and started for the train. As Fluttershy saw him walk away, she just couldn't take it anymore.

"DRAGONFLY!"

Dragon turned around just in time to see Fluttershy plant her lips right on his. The two stayed there for at least ten seconds before breaking away.

"For good luck," Fluttershy whispered.

Dragon smiled as he turned and entered the whistling train. Fluttershy just stood there with a big grin on her face and tears starting to trickle down her cheek. As the train started to slowly make its way out of the station, Dragon looked out the window and put his hand on the window, looking at Fluttershy. She lifted her hand as well, as to feel like she was literally on the other side of the glass. Within a few minutes, the train was out of the station and out of sight. Though it was gone, Fluttershy continued to stare in the direction the train was headed, a million thoughts rolling through her head. She had to be the luckiest pegasus around. She had finally gotten a boyfriend, and even though he was going away for a while, she couldn't be more proud of him, following his dreams to the ends of Equestria. She wouldn't be forgetting him and she believed with all of her heart that he wouldn't forget her.

"Don't worry," said a voice from behind, "You'll see him again."

Fluttershy turned to see her friends, standing with big smiles.

"I know," she responded, looking back towards the mountains with an even bigger smile, "And I just can't wait."

End of Episode 2