Fluttershy beamed and eagerly took the flowers in her mouth without a word to me. She then turned and retreated into the cottage, using her tail to open the door further, allowing my entrance. I then began a series a programmed motions that were carried out every time I saw Fluttershy. I slowly moved to the sofa, ignoring whatever she was doing at the time, minding my tail dragging across the floor and watching my feet in case there were any animals or insects nearby that I could accidentally harm. Fluttershy took her time finding a vase, choosing to look in particularly low cupboards giving me a flattering view of her rump, though she kept all of the intimate bits concealed with her tail. Nervously, I grabbed my own tail, moving it around to my front as I sat and cradling it as if it were a security blanket. Fluttershy hummed a tune unfamiliar to my ears all the while as she finally located a vase, pulling it out of the cupboard with a hoof and closing the door with her hind leg while simultaneously spitting out the posey into the vase and hovering above the counter to the sink.

The familiar scent of sex permeated the house as if a warm cloud of sweat and saliva lingered close to ground level. I could tell she was able to manage herself while I was away, but I could also see fluids creeping down her hindquarters as if she still weren't satisfied. Whatever her condition, she managed to hide it well as she was still delightedly humming the same upbeat tune while now bobbing her head. She nosed the handle for the faucet and filled the vase, then deposited the flowers onto the stand next to me along with a lamp which took the likeness of a certain god of chaos.

“Would you like some tea, Spike dear?”

Of course she would be offering me tea right now. It's the same thing everypony does when they can't think of a better way to break the ice. Sadly, this mare had already broken the ice and turned the ground into the caldera of an active volcano. And when did she start talking like Rarity? “Yes please,” I answered as succinctly as possible.

“Great, I'll have some ready in a jiffy.”

“Thanks.” I was choking up and I could feel it. Everything Fluttershy did only tuned my focus onto her more and it was beginning to affect my body. She resumed humming and I carefully watched as she sprung up on her hind legs, propping her front hooves on the counter. Elegantly, she withdrew a kettle and placed it under the still running tap. I wondered briefly why she even kept a kettle put away if it was something ponies used so often, but the hearth in my peripheral vision quickly answered the question. While she waited for the pot to fill up, she daintily grabbed two small mugs in her mouth, extending her entire body to do so, while displaying her wings and flicking her tail out for balance. From where I sat, it gave me a view of everything from head to hoof.

Her thick long mane cascaded between her withers and over a foreleg. Her shaggy fetlocks just barely covered the parts of her hooves that she didn't bother to polish. Fur over fetlocks reveals a lot about how long a mare's coat is, and even though I've felt it first hoof, I still regarded her thick coat with both admiration and lust. She was just so touchable that I could barely keep my seat, and her wings didn't help at all. I pushed away thoughts of gripping for traction while I rammed myself into her backside. Even ignoring the fact that they could work as cruel handles, wings were still a breathtaking view on ponies. I didn't know why, but for some reason wings and flight had an intoxicating effect on me. They were soft, downy, and delicate while at the same time being swift, strong, and imposing. I first figured out I had a wing fetish when Rainbow's rude griffon friend visited town. At first I didn't know what it was, but I was strangely attracted to her. Don't get me wrong though, my heart was still for Rarity at the time, but Gilda had something more. Rarity was beautiful while Gilda was hot. I chalked it up to my dragon heritage. Continuing my gawking at Fluttershy, I shifted my gaze to her rump and tail. Fluttershy had a plot that could stand up against even Celestia's. Shining Armor would describe it as 'foal bearing' hips in his awkward teenage colt language. I never had a thing for big rumps, but there was no denying that the soft tone of Fluttershy's plot was as alluring as Rarity's sapphire eyes. Fluttershy's tail was a similar story to her mane. It cascaded to the ground and at most times, even touched it. She ended up dragging her tail along as if it were a poorly fitted gala dress. Despite what the other ponies said, she didn't wear mane or tail extensions. The subject was brought up once at one of our private tea parties, but she let me feel it and there was no visible, tactile, or otherwise separation between the upper and lower hairs. I loved long hair on ponies. It was as if they were wearing a natural veil that always complimented them.

Her tail was raised as she stood, though, and I ended up with an eye full of her gleaming slit. She was obviously as turned on as I was at this point, or possibly more. I knew it was mostly just the heat, but I wanted to believe that some part of it was also me. There was no getting around it though, and surely enough, as my eyes traced her frame back to her one visible eye, it was directed toward me. As fast as I could, I huffed out the breath I didn't know I was holding, along with some black smoke, and I averted my gaze to the stand with the flowers. Fluttershy pretended not to notice that I was staring and placed the mugs on a tray, then moved the kettle to join them and turned off the water before inching her wing under it and carefully sliding it down her backside to balance between both wings and carefully strode to deposit them on the small coffee table in front of me.

“Is the tea ready?”

“The water's still cold,” she replied flatly.

Silly me, I wasn't paying attention to what she was doing at all. My eyes were only on her and now she knew it. I wanted to hit myself with something as punishment. The saturated air felt like it was strangling me and I needed fresh air. The fire in the pit of my stomach only made matters worse. I felt like I was brewing diamonds instead of the usual coals that I felt produced in my stomach. If it got bad enough, I would get sick from the pressure and end up vomiting said coals. I tried my hardest to swallow the anxiety.

Fluttershy didn't seem to be having any of the same problems. She was still humming happy tunes as she carefully placed a rack over the fire and set the kettle on top of it.

Still thinking of a way to dismiss my ignorance, I added, “Sorry, it's just I forgot you didn't have a stove and all.” Saying it out loud only made me feel worse. I knew very well Fluttershy didn't have a stove, and her kitchen consisted of a dining table, a few cupboards, and a sink.

“That's okay, Spike. Sometimes I do the same when I visit Twilight's. I always make a move for a fireplace that doesn't exist,” she giggled. It was like she was acting like nothing happened between us and it was infuriating. I wasn't mad at her of course, but I hated that I couldn't segue into telling her how I felt. “You know Spike, if you want, I know a few great recipes for those flowers. I can make something from them, even wine.”

“What? I thought these ones were just for looks.” I asked in amazement.

She giggled at that, “Well, some parts of them are inedible and I suppose Twilight wouldn't bother with them since that's the case. She's not exactly a baker or cook, after all.”

“Are you?”

“Oh no, not at all. It's just that I like to get to know my flowers, and these are my favorite for many reasons.”

“Why is that?” I asked, thankful for the distraction as she sidled up to me on the couch.

“For one, they're a symbol of kindness, and kindness is far more than just my element. It means a lot to me when someone is nice to ponies and animals alike.” She giggled again, “Although I know you probably didn't know what they meant. I like getting them from ponies as a show of friendship and understanding.”

She had a point. I really had no idea what the flowers meant, and most ponies probably did. I mean, flowers really weren't much to me but pretty plants and gifts. To ponies, they could be lunch, a symbol of certain emotions or feelings, or even a device for ambient scent. It stood to reason that they would not only assign meaning to them, but also remember what they all meant. I was sometimes surprised at the sheer amount of information Twilight had on them, though I regrettably never paid attention. “Why else?” I asked.

“They look pretty, and they're small, delicate, and sometimes under-appreciated. They remind me of Rarity in a way.” She turned her head while saying the last part and lowered her voice a noticeable amount, but quickly brightened again, “and then you also know now that they can be made into wine. I've tried it before and I love the flavor, but I've never made it myself, even though I've made other kinds. Don't tell Applejack, but Rarity even prefers my white wine to hers. I haven't made any recently, but I've known Rarity for so long, and we're really close.”

My thoughts weren't catching on the metaphorical hook Fluttershy was trying to cast. She could have been bringing Rarity up on purpose as a way to sway me, but I thought about it for long enough. Rarity could have whatever stallion she wanted, and it wouldn't bother me. I would love it if she could just be happy, even if it were with somepony else. On the other hand, I knew Fluttershy was always going to be too shy to pursue romance, and I still didn't have an inkling of how she felt. It was killing me that I couldn't know. With Scootaloo, Twilight, and Rarity, it was always clear how they felt. They all loved me, but it was no more than just friends, even with what Twilight and I shared. Scootaloo even told me she considered me as a mate before, but she knew that she liked me more than that and knew that we would make better friends than a couple. Rarity completely brushed me off, but at times at least acknowledged that I wasn't mature enough for her. Even though I was growing, I still knew in the back of my mind that my being a dragon was still a huge barrier to overcome and Fluttershy had made it clear that for her, it wasn't. She treated me as if I were a pony, only I got to be a much closer friend.

“Fluttershy,” my voice cracked, betraying what little bravado I managed to display before that. She knew what was wrong, and she sensed the elephant in the room the same as I did. She acted as if she wanted to avoid it, but it was wrong to just pretend that nothing happened. I paused and then continued, “Fluttershy, we need to talk.”

“I know,” she responded quietly, hiding behind her mane and looking ahead instead of at me.

“I need to know how you feel about me.”

“What?” she asked, surprised. She must have thought I was going to scold her for before or ask for seconds.

“I want to make my intentions clear, Fluttershy. When I came over this morning, I did it to give Twilight space, and I didn't consider that you could be going through the same thing. I just wanted out of the house, and I ended up imposing myself on you. I knew you would be too kind to turn me away, and I didn't even think twice when I saw all of the animals outside.”

“...”

“I know you didn't want to do any of that before, and to tell the truth, I didn't either, but it got out of control and clearly neither of us intended for it to happen and we didn't try to stop it either.”

She waited patiently for me to continue, making eye contact, but not showing emotion.

I stood, “-and I know you don't want to think about it, but it happened. I don't want you to feel bad about it, and I should have had more control. I should have stopped it when I could, but I didn't, and I'm sorry. But we can't just pretend it didn't happen. It happened, and I want to know if it was purely instinct, or if you have feelings for me because I think I might like you. I know you treat me differently, and it can't be just because I'm a dragon. You treat me like most ponies treat each other, but normally you're too shy to be that way with them.”

“You...,” she paused, processing what I said.

“I like you, Fluttershy,” I answered, standing my ground.

“I didn't,” she cut herself off, “what about Rarity?”

“Rarity is gorgeous, yes. She has a body that stallions would kill for and her generosity is unparalleled. I've had a crush on her for as long as I've been in Ponyville and I've seen stallions die at her hooves for a chance to be with her. I've also seen her kiss flank with countless other ponies, some of them even mares and she didn't once consider doing the same with me. She never fluttered her false eyelashes at me, and even though she shared some wine with me a few times, it was clear she never considered me anything more than her friend's pet.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“Despite all that, I still loved her for everything she was, and ignored her romantic flaws. I may never stop seeing how beautiful she is, and I know for damn sure that I'll still envy any stallion she falls for, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not the one for her, and I'm finally beginning to realize that she'll never be the one for me.”

“Spike....”

“Look, none of that means you mean any less to me, Fluttershy. You're not a second-place prize. You're not just a fallback plan. You have something that Rarity never had. In fact, you mean more to me than any other pony in the world. You listened to me. You cared. You were always nice to me. You took an interest in me the day we met, and you never stopped caring or got bored. You always thought about me as if I were another pony. Fluttershy, I can't stress how important it is that you cared about me, and you didn't see me as Twilight's baggage.” I sighed. My unrehearsed speech was running out of fuel, and I was getting the feeling I wasn't making things better by saying more. In fact, I even suspected I was making things worse.

“Fluttershy, I like you. I mean I love you as a pony, and as a friend, but it's even more than that now. It's awful that I had to realize it under these circumstances, and I'm truly sorry for that, but I want you to know that that doesn't matter to me. I should have seen it before and I was stupid not to. I'm sorry.”

“Spike,” Fluttershy started hesitantly. I winced at that, and she quickly extended a hoof to me, falling short.

“I know, you think I'm too young for you.”

“No, it's not that at all! I promise!” Her chest heaved as though she were panicking. “Just listen, Spike!” She inhaled sharply before continuing. “I like you too.” The words came out almost rehearsed. She didn't pause between them, or hide behind her mane. She looked me straight in the eye as they came out and didn't change her tone at all, or lose confidence. I didn't know how to react. It was as if fireworks were going off in my head and I couldn't concentrate. Meanwhile, a whistle came from behind me. Without another word, she broke eye contact and carefully walked around me to retrieve the water that had heated up throughout our conversation. She returned to my field of vision holding the long handle in her mouth with a padded cloth to keep from burning herself and placed the kettle on the tray, leaving the mitt behind. I watched as she made her way back to the cupboards to get tea and mint leaves. She glanced back at me while doing so, cautious of my presence. She carried the leaves in a third mug and returned to the tray, crumbling the dry leaves into the cups and setting the mint aside. Then, taking the kettle, she filled the third mug and transferred the water from there into the first cup, which she hoofed to me. I took it without thinking and sat down while she prepared her own. “Oh, I almost forgot!” she said, surprising me and almost making me spill the drink. She picked up a mint leaf she had set aside and eyed me for a moment before carefully placing her forehooves on my knees and dropping the leaf into my cup, looking at my face the whole time. The whole scene was adorable beyond belief, and once again, I was thankful for the scales to hide my blush.

“So,” she began again, sitting beside me, “I like you too, Spike.” She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and that I should have already known. She wasn't trotting around the subject at all, and she was blunt as can be. “I mean, I've liked you for a while, but I didn't want to tell you because you always seemed so obsessed with Rarity. I didn't want to confuse you.”

“Are you serious?” My heart was still galloping and my stomach churning. I was beginning to feel sick with the excitement, and was failing to contain myself. I began huffing uncontrollably, but it was still only small breaths at that point thanks to my lungs gasping for the smallest amounts of air before rejecting them completely.

“Spike, are you alright? You look like you're having a heart attack!” Fluttershy said, putting her mug of untouched tea on the table and rushing to put a hoof on my chest. I still kept a grip on my drink, but words were fleeting at best.

“I- I'm.... I think I'm okay.”

“What's wrong?”

My feelings had not been reciprocated for so long that I was panicking at the first sign that they were. I was on the verge of tears, but I kept my composure as best as I could, placed the mug back on the tray next to me, and reached out to the mare with her hoof on my chest. I closed both arms around her, just below the base of her extended wings, applying force to bring her to me. She returned the embrace in full, even wrapping her wings around me and rubbing the parts of my back that were exposed. She pulled back from me slightly and our eyes met. Words didn't need to be exchanged. We both already knew what the other was thinking, and we kept our gazes locked onto each other for the longest time.

“Can I stay here ton-”

“Yes.”

Author's Note

That stuff about the elderberry blossoms is true. They do symbolize kindness, and can even be made into wine and fritters.

Yes, I will be adding another clop chapter to finish this off. I'm sorry I left it this way, but I like this ending, and the sex that might happen afterward isn't that important to the story for me.

Tell me what you think, even if it's not positive. I love feedback of all sorts!

Also, thank you very much for 1,000+ views on this story!

Oh yes, and one more thing. I read the comments about Spike and Twilight's mortality. Yes, it was important to this story, and I know I left that open, but I had a reason for doing so. This story is actually a prequel to something else I've been working on, and I wanted to establish the framework of the characters before I jumped on a huge project writing for them. That's why I'll be posting a few more stories with Spike, first person or otherwise soon. This story is mainly a way to open up to them, as well as flex my metaphorical wings in the vast expanse of clopfics. This is my first one, so I'm hoping I did well. Anyway, I will revisit Spike's mortality later, when it's more appropriate. This story is meant to be short, and I've kept it that way. Mortality is usually something that's explored on its own, or as an arc in a larger adventure, and that's not what this is.