Your Heart's Aflutter

It’s another beautiful day in Ponyville; the sun begins to peek through the clouds as Rainbow Dash and the Pegasus crew starts to clear the sky. As you casually walk through the busiest part of the city, you can’t help but gaze upwards in awe of the aerial acrobatics the winged ponies are performing. Part of you wishes that you owned a pair yourself, though you’re perfectly content without a set of wings, or a horn for that matter. And with that thought, you continue to walk, taking in the view that is Ponyville.

Almost everypony there seems so full of life and happiness, you can’t help but smile. From left to right, you see ponies talking, laughing, singing, dancing, and generally having a good time. The delicious aroma of warm, sweet desserts suddenly hits you, causing you glance over towards the direction of the smell. You spot Pinkie Pie, who’s just bouncing through the street, pushing a cart of a fresh batch of her baking, offering samples to anypony within reach. The temptation to partake in a sample is overpowered by your awareness that you are running late for a very important meeting. At least, Fluttershy mentioned to you that it was important.

You quicken your pace as these thoughts of meeting Fluttershy race through your mind. She is, of course, very shy around you, as she is with most ponies. Still, you can’t help but wonder why she couldn’t be more specific in telling you the reason for needing to see her. As you continue walking, you recall the confrontation you had with her earlier that day outside Rarity’s shop.

***

“Goodbye, dahling!” You glance back towards Rarity as she bids you an elegant farewell from behind the cash register. “Do come again!”

You turn your head back and wave to her while walking out the front door of her shop. You just purchased a snazzy new outfit that was custom made by the pony fashionista herself. It was fairly reasonable in price, but even you could recognize that your collection of clothing was lacking in formal attire.

As you exit, a blinding sense of joy comes over you. It blinds you so much that you fail to see the yellow and pink blur coming straight towards you.

WHAM!

You yell out a cry of pain as a rather powerful force hits you square in the gut, causing you to fall backwards. As you hit the ground, the thing that hit you lets out a soft grunt as it topples on top of you. You groan again as your vision comes back to you. What hit you turns out to be none other than Fluttershy. Upon seeing her, you couldn’t help but grin for two reasons; she always manages to put a smile on your face, and you find it somehow hilarious that such a delicate pony could deliver a blow so strong.

“Oh, my goodness! I’m so, so sorry,” she began in her whispery voice, “Are you hurt? Oh, I’m so klutzy!” As she spoke, you noticed that even though the volume of her voice remained low, the energy and worry behind it was genuine. Not to mention absolutely adorable.

“No,” you reassure her, “nothing’s broken, or anything. I’m fine.” She looks to you as if to confirm it. You can do naught but nod frankly.

She begins to push herself off of you, and then offers to help you up. You graciously accept, and lock hands with her as she pulls you up. When you are both on your feet again, you exchange glances. To your surprise, she looks into your eyes longer that you’re used to. Still, she breaks her gaze with you to hide her eyes behind her flowing, pink hair. Her cheeks blush to match its colour as she crosses her knees shyly.

After that awkward silence, you insist that you must be on your way. “Well … I guess I should be going now, Fluttershy.”

As you begin to turn away, she lunges at you with her arm reached out. “NO!”

Her shout startles you, stopping you in your tracks. You turn back towards her, a confused look on your face.

“I mean … um …” she began, retracting herself to hide her expression. “I … uh, I need your help.”

You smile comfortingly, ever eager to assist her. “Sure! What can I do?” you ask her.

She takes another step backwards, her voice becoming more distant. “Um … I just … Can you be at my house for 3:00? It’s important.”

Still not sure exactly what she’s getting at, you don’t want to make any assumptions towards her. She already seems to be struggling to confront you about whatever problem she’s experiencing, so you decide to respond positively. “Of course!”

Her ears perk up hesitantly, as though she wasn’t expecting to hear those words. “Y-you can? You will?” She asks, her eyes peeking through her bangs. Before you can respond, she leaps into the air and begins to fly happily in circles, caught in her own world of joy. “YES! YES!” In an instant, she realizes that you’re still around, watching her contently. You can sense her confidence immediately dissolve as she lowers herself bashfully back down to the ground, a fair distance away from you. “I mean … um … thank you,” she says almost inaudibly. Even though her face is mostly hidden, you catch a glimpse of the grin on her face as she flies away to her cottage rather quickly.

As she gets further and further away, you realize that she ran off before you could say goodbye. You face her and shout as loud as you can, “Ok! See you then!” She doesn’t turn back to acknowledge you, though you hope that she heard you. You continue to watch her fly into the distance until you can’t see her anymore. When she’s completely out of sight, you go about your day again; your mind clouded with thoughts of Fluttershy. Her demeanor was what you would normally come to expect from her, barring the sudden outbursts. It was just strange to you, in that while she was reserved towards you, it felt different than usual. Recalling your times spent with other company, Fluttershy was never the outgoing type, though her general shyness was often presented in an entirely different manner towards you. You’ve come to know her almost as long as even her closest friends, though she still seems to hold back around you.

Does she fear you? “No, that can’t be it,” you think to yourself. Several possibilities pass through your head, but the strongest is telling you that she might like you; maybe even love you …

***

As you reflect on the past, you spot Applejack and Twilight Sparkle heading in your direction. You smile and walk closer to them, waving them down. “Hey!”

They return the greeting with a wave and close the distance between you and them. “Well, howdy there, sugarcube!” Applejack began, “It’s mahty fine seein’ yer face again.”

“We were just going on a leisurely stroll together,” mentioned Twilight. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you around! Want to join us?” she asks you.

“Sorry, girls,” you apologize, “but I’m afraid I’ve got somewhere to be. I’m heading over to Fluttershy’s cottage. She said it was something important.”

“Hoho! I’ll say it is,” Twilight laughed. In a jiffy, Applejack slapped her hand across Twilight’s mouth, muting her. You look at the two ponies, slightly confused. Applejack frowns at Twilight, and then turns to face you with a forced smirk across her face.

“Oh, Twilight! You and yer crazy talk – s’always good fer a laugh!” With that, Applejack begins to chuckle falsely, still bearing that large grin of hers. “Anywho … maybe some other time, then?” You nod, but notice that the two of them are already walking away. They start to whisper at each other, though it’s still audible to you.

“Now, what’d Fluttershy say ‘bout that? A secret’s a secret,” scolded Applejack.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight expressed her regret, “I’m not the greatest at keeping them.”

By this point, the sounds of their arguing had faded, and you can no longer understand what they’re saying to each other. With a shrug, you continue your journey through Ponyville until you begin to reach the more rural areas outside the urban centre of the city. The buildings lessen in number and size, the roads become dirt paths, and the ponies are now mostly replaced with the infrequent appearance of wildlife. As the population of the critters increases, you know that you are getting closer to your destination.

After what seemed to be a very long walk, you spot Fluttershy’s cottage in the distance. It’s as peaceful a setting as ever; the birds are humming and chirping a friendly, optimistic tune, the grass is green, the air is undisturbed, and overall is extraordinarily calm. Her cottage is a nice, humble home. Admittedly, you’ve never been inside of it, though you can already gather a sense of what its interior might be like. You’ve always admired Fluttershy, and even with what little conversation you two have shared, you feel like you have quite a bit in common with her. At the very least, you find her relatable.

You slow your pace as you approach the front door, just to take in and appreciate the atmosphere about her home. With a deep breath, you extend your hand and knock on the door three times audibly. You’re not entirely sure what happened, but you heard a commotion from inside. It was most likely to have been the sound of Fluttershy accidentally bonking into a table, though you’re not sure. She can be quite frantic at times. You hope that you didn’t scare her by knocking too loudly.

You wait for a few more seconds before you decide to knock again, although as you raise your hand, the door begins to creak open slowly. A pair of bright, glowing eyes peeks through the crack, and the figure sighs a sigh of relief to discover that it’s you.

“Oh! You’re here,” Fluttershy says blissfully. “Please, come in.”

She pushes the door wide open, then steps back a couple of times, both to allow room for you to enter, but also as a motion of shying away. You stroll eagerly into her home, ready to view the interior for the first time. It isn’t exactly how you imagined; it’s much better. You feel a strange sense of comfort overwhelm you like never before. In fact, you feel more at home now than you ever have in your own house. You familiarize yourself with the setting while Fluttershy disappears into the kitchen.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she beckons from the other room faintly. You walk over to her couch and have a seat. It’s incredibly cozy. You ease yourself into a very relaxing position before sighing contentedly, leaning back lazily. While in this position, you examine the interior of her cottage once more appreciatively, feeling unusually warm and snug already.

Just as you sink into your deepest feeling of comfort, Fluttershy enters the room carrying a tray. “I hope you like tea as much as I do,” she states. You nod and she smiles happily in response. Carefully, she places the tray onto the table, and then takes a seat herself next to you on the couch.

“Milk? Sugar?” she asks politely.

“I’ll have a bit of both, thanks,” you answer benevolently.

She takes the milk and pours it into your tea slowly, and then mixes in two hefty spoonfuls of sugar, stirring it all together with a spoon as smoothly as you could imagine the task being performed. After she finishes your cup, she moves onto hers and does the same. She waits for you to take the first sip, eager in anticipation that her tea making skills have satisfied you. In understanding her expression, you press the cup against your lips and carefully sip the tea. For a regular cup of tea, it tastes like heaven.

“It’s perfect, Fluttershy. Thank you,” you say gratefully.

Though her eyes are mostly hidden by her hair, as per usual, the grin on her face grows exponentially as a result of your compliment. “Oh, anything for you,” she replies coyly, turning away slightly as she speaks.

After you both share in a moment of silence, you decide to speak, as you’re curious as to what she invited you over for. “So, what can I do for you?” you query as you place your teacup on the nearest coaster.

Fluttershy raises her head for a second, unsure of your question. Remembering earlier, she gasps and then composes herself. “Oh, right! Well,” she stops to think. “Uh … I need your help with a … um … you see,” she stutters hesitantly and you can tell she’s extremely nervous. In an attempt to comfort her, you shift closer and reach for her hand. You slide your fingers across her palm, and then lock them with hers. She looks up at you somewhat surprised at your advance, but knowing she can trust you, she tightens her grip, breathing heavily.

“I’m here for you,” you assure her quietly. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

Your words put her at ease. She looks towards you, staring directly into your eyes. As her breathing slows to a normal pace again, she gathers the courage to talk again. “It’s nothing serious. I’m not hurt or anything.” Despite these words, you still sense uneasiness in her and continue to caress her hand gently. She shivers at your touch and closes her eyes, breathing in slowly. “Oh … my,” she moans.

Not wanting to pose any assumptions, you wait eagerly and patiently for a response.

Eventually, Fluttershy perks up and speaks as though remembering something. “I know! I’m writing a new song for the birds to sing.” Her voice is excited, though it’s almost as though it wasn’t totally what you were expecting to hear from her, like this is an excuse or a distraction. Nonetheless, she captures your attention and you are interested in hearing her song. “I’m not sure if it’s any good or not, seeing as nopony other than me has heard it yet,” she giggles. “Would you like to hear it?”

“Yeah! I’d love to,” you answer enthusiastically.

“Ok,” she replies. Letting go of your grip, she stands up and walks out to the other side of the table. You assume it’s to help her project her voice better. You lean forward to the edge of the couch with your hands crossed in anticipation.

Fluttershy blushes then mentally prepares herself. You watch her as she shakes her arms a little, does a couple of deep, cleansing breaths, then lowers her gaze to the floor with her eyes half shut. After a beat of silence, she broadens her posture and raises her head. Her long, pink hair still covers a large portion of her face. She opens her mouth and begins to vocalize melodiously. Her voice is so pure and powerful, yet still maintains that whispery tone that she often speaks with. As she sings to you, you are in awe of how effortless she makes it seem. You’ve tried singing before, and found it a lot more challenging than you’d first thought it would be. With a newfound appreciation for music, you listen intently to the angelic, harmonious voice before you.

As she brings it all to a close, you show your approval not with applause, but with a compliment. “I swear, Fluttershy, a voice like that could melt the hearts of the roughest, toughest ponies. It was beautiful,” you answer passionately.

“Really?” she asks, biting her lower lip playfully.

“No word of a lie,” you say.

With a warm smile, she walks back to the couch and sits down next to you again, though she’s much closer than she was before. “It means the world to me,” she says before wrapping her arms around you, pulling you into a gentle hug. “Thank you.”

In the midst of the embrace, she rests her head on your shoulder and holds on for what feels like an eternity. You feel like she doesn’t ever want to let go, and truth be told, neither do you. Finally, she leans her head back to face you, her arms still enveloped around your shoulders. She looks you with such depth and passion that you nearly feel intimidated. Still, you can’t look away, and neither can she. She leans in and gives you a quick peck on the lips. Immediately after, she gets this look on her face as though she’d just regretted her action. Before she can turn away in shame, you grab the back of her head and pull her back to you to lock lips with her once more. This time, Fluttershy shows no restraint. She returns the favour and grips the back of your head, running her fingers gingerly through your locks. She introduces some tonguing and you follow suit. Finally, slightly tentative in ending the bliss, you tenderly nibble on her lower lip for a while before you end the kiss.

“I …” she begins breathlessly, “I didn’t call you here … just to show you my new song.”

You both share a laugh and embrace in a cuddle. You lie down on the comfortable couch and she rests on top of you as giddy as you’ve ever seen her in your presence. She runs her hand through your hair as she did before; all the while gazing at you with an expression you’ve been waiting for since you first laid eyes upon her.

“Thanks for helping me out,” she whispers playfully, a hint of seduction in her voice.

“Likewise,” you respond cleverly, matching her tone.

With a sigh of contentment, Fluttershy rests herself completely on top of you, lowering her head onto your chest. You crane your neck up in her direction and close your eyes softly as you kiss her once on the top of her head. Lying back again in a state of pure bliss and relaxation, you feel utterly rejuvenated, as though you’d been caressed by some supernatural force. For the first time in a long time, you feel truly happy.