Today was a rare day. Soarin didn't yet have any practice or meetings to go to despite being a celebrity, and Blue Skies finally had some time on his hands to see his childhood friend. So they had decided to go to their favorite hangout place, the Weightless Bakery.
The architecture of said hangout incorporated large columns made from the fluffy clouds which abounded in Cloudsdale, which helped it to blend in with its surroundings. It was a bit of a hole-in-the-wall type place, and Soarin and Blue Skies enjoyed meeting there for the modicum of privacy it afforded. It was owned by a mild-mannered old mare of a pegasus, who enjoyed being called "Granny" by her customers. It was just distant enough from the Cloudosseum that the explosive cheers and applause were just so much background noise, more calming than overwhelming.
As regulars there, the food had practically become a part of a friendship ritual for the two pegasi, with Soarin ordering a simple vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing, and Blue Skies ordering a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing. They took advantage of their time together as much as possible, and friendly conversations were usually a decent way to pass the time.
"So, Soarin. How have ya been doing lately? Busy as ever, I suppose?" said Blue Skies to start off the conversation.
"Yup, busy as ever," Soarin replied. "Once you're one of the Wonderbolts for long enough, a bit of the awe wears off. By now it's mostly just practice, practice, practice. But I tell ya what Blue, I've been thinking about something for a while. And I think you should really try listening."
"Oh, is that so? You've been thinking! How incredible!" Blue Skies teased playfully. "And what exactly have you been pondering about? A new trick for the next airshow? How to land more mares in your bed? I'm eager to hear the inner workings of your mind."
"No, it's nothing like that!" Soarin scowled slightly at Blue. "Did you know Rainbowshine started dating somepony else?"
Blue Skies blinked in surprise at that statement. He had long known that Soarin had feelings for Rainbowshine, but he was a bit saddened that it hadn't worked out between them. He thought they were perfect for each other. What had gone wrong? "No, I didn't know. Your point is...?"
"My point is, I let her get away. I never asked her to be my mare because I thought I wouldn't be able to spend enough time with her. But I'll never know whether it would have worked out or not! Now that's something I'll probably regret for as long as I live," Soarin confessed. "But you can learn from my mistake! I don't want you making the same errors I've made."
"Are you trying to get me to confess my feelings to Fluttershy? I've told you already, I'm not gonna do it. I just can't."
"Oh no you don't. You're not gonna brush me off that easily."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really. At least take it into consideration, Blue."
"No, Soarin. I steadfastly refuse."
"Are you kidding me? C'mon, Blue Skies; you need to just go ahead and tell her already!" Soarin advised Blue Skies for about the umpteenth time, waving around his cupcake for emphasis. "I know you're shy, but what's the worst that could happen? Maybe she'll say no--So what? There are certainly many other ponies out there, even if it doesn't seem like it. You have to learn to get over your fear of rejection eventually. Maybe it won't be easy, but rejection will always happen; you just gotta get back up again."
"Soarin, you do realize who you're talking to, right?" Blue Skies responded after taking a careful bite of his own cupcake, brushing a few stray crumbs from his light blue body. "I've never had a marefriend before in my life. I can't help it if I'm nervous."
"Of course you can't, Blue," Soarin replied. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't even try. I know you're a smart pegasus. Put that brain of yours to work on something other than schoolwork for once."
"But I'm no good at relationships!" Blue Skies blurted forth. "These rain clouds on my flank, they don't scream 'This guy is talented at relationships'. Far from it, in fact. There are almost too many things to consider. A relationship between us is hardly even a possibility!"
"Oh really?" Soarin shot Blue Skies a skeptical look. "Please, do tell all of the factors which completely rule out the plausibility of a relationship so much that you won't even consider confessing your feelings."
"All right, I will." Blue began. "For starters, she lives a significant distance away, and I'd hate to interrupt her right now if she was doing something important. Additionally, she's so exquisitely beautiful I'd never stand a chance. Plus, I never stood up for her when she was being picked on for her below-average flying skills. I still haven't forgiven myself for that. And finally, I've got to report to Rainbow Dash for my shift soon. There's no way I can just fly right on down and barge into Fluttershy's life in a completely unexpected manner. I mean, how do I even start off? 'Hi, Fluttershy, I've never been a strong enough stallion to stand up for you when you were being teased in flight school, but will you forgive me because I love you?' There's just no way, Soarin. I just don't think I can do it."
Soarin expected such an outburst from his very introverted friend, and urged him to hear him out, leaning forward slightly on his fluffy white stool, over the fluffy white table. "Blue, listen up here for a second. I happen to know a thing or two about relationships. Serious ones. And I know that if you just keep letting your fears overcome you, you're never going to get anywhere."
BIue Skies raised his eyebrows at that and shot Soarin a questioning look, but Soarin just continued talking as if he hadn't seen it.
"Blue my friend, I just don't want you to be unhappy. Don't let Fluttershy be your Rainbowshine. Sure, she seems happy, and I'm glad for that, but I wish I was the one making her happy, rather than some other stallion. Blue, listen to me. You don't want to live your life with regrets. You'll always wonder what could have been, and that's just no way to live."
"The light blue pegasus pondered upon that for a moment. What if Fluttershy ended up dating some other stallion? Would he be jealous? Angry? Depressed?"
"Hey, tell ya what. You should go down there and visit her right after your shift with Rainbow Dash today. You might even have the opportunity to ask Dash about Fluttershy a bit. You never know what information you might get." Soarin finished his brief monologue with a rather large bite of his cupcake, and an appreciative grunt for the flavor and texture.
Blue Skies couldn't help himself, though. He couldn't respond immediately. He began the process of running his hooves through his fine yet slightly disheveled blonde mane. He was just so nervous. He'd never been very calm and collected, especially around fillies and mares; it just wasn't in his nature. But sitting there inside the Weightless Bakery whilst with Soarin, his best friend, he decided he would at least give admitting his feelings to Fluttershy some serious thought. And Fluttershy was undoubtedly the mare of his dreams. She was so beautiful, so graceful, and so infinitely kind. He had an enormous collection of the photos from when she did her modeling stint, and was always one of her biggest fans. When she quit modeling, it nearly sent Blue Skies into depression. He also vividly remembered seeing her fly so hard to lift that water through tornado power. Blue was lucky enough to have not fallen ill, and when he saw Fluttershy give it her all, and make all the difference through her persistence and endurance, generating just enough wing power for the whole process to work, he fell in love with her so much deeper, so much more thoroughly.
Blue Skies realized in his pondering though that Soarin was looking at him and expecting an answer. Luckily, Soarin was patient as ever, and gave Blue Skies a bit of time to formulate his response. He knew that Blue liked to think before he spoke; Soarin always respected that trait.
"All right," Blue finally said. "I'll maybe go ask Rainbow Dash about Fluttershy...maybe...or maybe I won't. Rainbow's always scared me just a bit. And she's not too nice either. I mean, I respect her for her hard work and dedication, but I'm not sure I would want her as a friend. Still, if it makes you happy, I'll give this a chance. I'll maybe go and pay Fluttershy a visit. Just a visit, mind you," he finished with a small smirk on his face.
"Okay, I'll take what I can get from ya Blue. But you should really cut back on the maybes. I always find it an excellent idea to just give things a chance. You never know the answer until you ask the question; everything's a no until you ask. Since the possibility of success is infinitely superior to a guaranteed failure, what you need to do is make a possibility." Soarin tossed the remainder of his cupcake into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
"Hm...did you know you're really wise sometimes?" questioned Blue Skies, starting to see that Soarin was making a lot of sense.
"Obviously. Now you run along; I've got some important practices to attend to, being a Wonderbolt and all. Check please!" said Soarin, but in reality he was just trying to create a sense of urgency. He felt that Blue Skies needed to take a chance, for once. Soarin had seen and heard Blue Skies ramble on and on about Fluttershy this, and Fluttershy that. He could see the young beginnings of love, and hoped for the best for his blue pegasus of a friend.
""Really? Okay then. If you honestly think it's that good of an idea, then I'll go." said Blue Skies. After the bits were exchanged for the delicious cupcakes, Soarin and Blue Skies parted ways with a friendly wave to each other and a thanks to Granny on the way out. Unfortunately, Blue Skies had lost track of time a bit. Thanks to his conversation with his best friend, he ended up fiddling around with his food rather than gobbling it up, and his thoughts were distracting him from making his way quickly to Rainbow Dash. He got an earful from her as soon as he arrived to help clear the skies for the day.
"Yo! Blue Skies! Finally decided to come to work, huh?" Rainbow teased him. "Well, I honestly expected a bit more from you, Blue. But hey, now you're here. Let's do good work today, okay? We've got a lot of work to do!"
Of course, Blue Skies did little other than just nod meekly in response to her words. He just wasn't the kind of pegasus to go looking for conflict. He knew his duties well, and he could perform them well, but if he was going to seriously consider something as intense as a confession of feelings to Fluttershy, he figured it would take some mental preparation.
As laid back as Rainbow Dash usually was, she had no problem correcting ponies when they made mistakes, sometimes a bit harshly. And Blue Skies in his somewhat frazzled state was practically inviting her displeasure.
Today their job was to clear the skies over Ponyville: a fairly routine task, but Blue Skies was making mistakes left and right. Twice, he had accidentally bucked his coworkers instead of the clouds, earning mockery and mild scoldings from Rainbow Dash, and the displeasure of his peers.
"Watch it, Blue. I know your head may be in the clouds, but your mind's somewhere else. At this rate I'll have to give your job to Derpy! She'd do twice the job you're doing right now and she can't even see straight!"
Blue Skies grimaced at that, but he took it with a grain of salt, and eventually pulled himself together.
As his thoughts drifted towards the mare of his dreams, he actually allowed himself to feel a brief glimmer of hope. He never really got around to asking Rainbow Dash about Fluttershy, but he didn't worry too much. Maybe if he visited Fluttershy, things could go better than expected. He knew she loved and took care of countless animals; maybe he could, instead of outright confessing his feelings, just say hi to her and ask if he could help out. But what if she questioned his randomly showing up and offering help? Well, hopefully he'd improvise when he got there.
After what always felt like an eternity, he had finished with his cloud-kicking duties for the day. After he had gotten into it, he accomplished some decent work, and earned some begrudged compliments from Rainbow Dash, a feat for which he was proud. He made his way home, his muscles sore and exhausted from a day of significantly difficult labor and he took a quick shower to rid himself from the grime of sweating into his fur all day. He looked himself in the mirror; at his blue fur, his blonde mane, and his light yellow eyes. He modestly thought that he looked not too shabby, but couldn't help brushing his mane a few extra times just to make a good impression. After a significant amount of self doubt, he deemed himself worthy of showing his face to the impressively kind yet introverted beauty that was Fluttershy.
Finally, Fluttershy could relax. Virtually every animal that she cared for was currently full, sated, happy, and most likely napping. But she always became a little tired around the time that the late afternoon rolled around, and enjoyed just taking a brief nap after all the cute little critters were accounted for. She found herself drawn to her comfy chair in which she always napped, and decided to cover herself up with a blanket because autumn had rolled around. It had started to get a bit chilly, but not cold enough to warrant a fire.
"Angel, would you please be a dear and wake me up in about an hour?" she quietly requested of her short-tempered friend.
Her bunny with an attitude shot her a look that said 'You would so be helpless without me', but then nodded. Though Angel never talked, he also never had a problem getting his point across.
In response, Fluttershy only thanked him and closed her eyes, calmed by the deep breathing and subtle chitter-chattering of the squirrels and bunnies and birds and kitties and so many other fauna. After her nap, she'd maybe read a short book, or try her hoof at making a new and delicious salad. Her breaths soon became regular and relaxed, and anyone who saw her would only be able to describe her as peaceful.
However, her respite would not last for long. For today she would have a visitor; someone whom she had not seen in a very long time.
Blue Skies was having second, then third, then fourth, then fifth thoughts, his indecisiveness rearing its ugly head yet again to hinder him from accomplishing anything. His friend Soarin had finally convinced him to go and just confess his feelings to Fluttershy, but he was just too apprehensive. Ever since Flight school, he had admired Fluttershy from a distance. Her graceful mane, her well kept golden fur, and those dazzling, beautiful teal eyes. But mostly he loved her kindness and tolerance. His greatest regret was that he had never stood up for her in Flight school. Even now, he wished he had been a better friend for her, but that was all in the past now. Like Soarin said, you don't want a life full of regrets. Blue Skies decided that he would make amends now, and do whatever it took to win Fluttershy's affection.
Eventually, he flew to Fluttershy's quaint and lovely cottage, but he made sure to pace himself. He was anxious to make his way to her house as quickly as possible, but he didn't want to arrive dripping in sweat. It was a fairly long flight from Cloudsdale to Ponyville, and he tried to occupy the time with coming up with a way to greet Fluttershy, the wind ruffling his feathers in an almost therapeutic manner.
They hadn't really seen each other in years, and truth be told he had never really talked with her all that much. He had always admired her from a comfortable distance, but to actually go up and speak with her? He just couldn't shake his mixed feelings of nervous energy. Eventually he decided to just reintroduce himself as a friend from flight school. He'd say he just happened to be in the neighborhood, and offer to try and become friends. He would ask if she needed help with anything, and even if she asked him to clean up animal droppings, he'd do it with gusto. Anything for Fluttershy would be a joy. He even composed a little mental poem for her, to fill in the minutes as gravity lazily pulled him towards his destination.
Fluttershy, my dear so sweet,
Hopefully you'll come to see,
Forgiveness is such a treat.
Though once weak, my fears I'll beat,
And your stallion I'll be,
All your foes I will defeat.
For you I will be quite strong,
As you've waited for so long,
Together do we belong.
Fluttershy, please let me in,
Even though I once did sin,
A heart to open, let's begin!
Blue Skies soon saw Fluttershy's cottage come into view, and his limbs started getting tingly all over. His stomach started doing back flips, and he was beset by a bit of mild dizziness, but he paid it no heed. He slowed his descent and landed gently at her door, then prepared himself for what might be the biggest moment of his life. He took a deep breath, tried and failed to calm his nerves, and knocked on the door lightly but firmly, three times.
His shoulders tensed, his eyes squinted shut, his head slightly lowered, he tried to prepare himself for whatever would happen next. However, he was far less prepared then he intended to be, as a gentle breeze flicked a fallen golden leaf lightly against his face.
With a startled yelp, Blue Skies threw himself away from the imagined monstrosity that was the leaf, instinctively attempting to flap his wings in order to right himself. But he was far too close to the ground, and landed badly on his right wing. Very badly. The crack of a broken bone echoed throughout his very existence, and a blazing inferno of pain seared its way from his wing, into his shoulder, across his back muscles, and into his brain, sending one very concise, severe message, that could possibly be translated as "AAAAAAAAGH!"
Only once before had he experienced such pain; back when he was still a little colt, he once got smashed into by Rainbow Dash, during one of her manic training sessions. Blue was hospitalized for a month from all the bumps, bruises, and broken bones which abounded throughout his body. He remembered the complete helplessness, the suffocating sterile environment, the pitying glances his way, and the mockery from Rainbow; the incessant, ceaseless mocking. He never wanted to return to a hospital if he could help it; but this injury seemed to show that fate intended otherwise.
However the pain was so great Blue wasn't sure if he'd even make it to the hospital. He rolled over onto his good wing, moaning and mewling pitifully, his other wing sticking out at an alarmingly strange angle. He tried to touch it, but the nausea caused by even the lightest of taps nearly made him lose the delicious cupcake he had consumed earlier that day.
Suddenly, the door to Fluttershy's cottage opened, though whether it was due to the former knocking or the latter wailing, it was impossible to tell. A sharp intake of breath signaled that Fluttershy caught sight of the injured creature before her. Almost instantaneously, her face showed concern and care, any possible timidity vanishing in the throes of her passionate protective instincts.
"Oh, you poor thing!" she gasped, rushing carefully to Blue Skies' side. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Curled up practically into the fetal position, Blue could hardly manage any more of a response than a muttered and unpleasant grunt of pain. He hardly even noticed that it was Fluttershy's voice that graced his ears. All his body paid attention to was the rampant agony.
Fluttershy then noticed the pegasus's clearly broken wing. Even from just a quick glance, she knew that it needed immediate attention. If it wasn't dealt with expertly, this blue pegasus might never be able to fly again. It never occurred to her to ask the pegasus his name, or why he was there; she only cared about what happened to him, and how she could make him better.
She peered closer at the injured wing, which seemed to be broken in several places. She let out a slow, even breath, a visage of calm and steady confidence spreading across her otherwise demure face. She might be able to treat this injured pony's wing, but what he really needed was a hospital. They would have painkillers and antibiotics there, whereas all she had was a first aid kid and several herbal remedies; none of them terribly powerful. She analyzed the situation rapidly and then gently spoke to the creature in pain.
"I'm going to pick you up and carry you to the hospital, okay? Your wing is badly broken; it needs to be tended to immediately."
However, Fluttershy did not get murmured assent from the creature. Instead, the pegasus's eyes flew open, and shock was clearly written across his face, warped into a terrible guise by the underlying pain. "NO!" he screamed, cringing. He then regretted the motion fiercely. The swift movement of his body as it flinched instinctively in response to the sheer idea of being hospitalized again sent a fresh spasm of pain wracking through his body. Yet despite being nearly sent into shock, he maintained enough of a grip upon reality to beg whimperingly "Please...no. Don't take me to the hospital. You can't take me there. Please...please..." He continued muttering rejections, and pleading, and begging, and groveling. Anyone with a brain stem could clearly tell that the idea of hospitals distressed him deeply.
She knew that this pegasus would only hurt himself if he struggled any further, and so she did what needed to be done, and attempted to calm him down, murmuring gentle reassurances. It hurt her that this unwise pegasus would refuse proper care, but if he was as afraid of hospitals as she was afraid of dragons, she could definitely understand reluctance to do something that was very necessary. Plus, she got through her fear thanks to her friends. But she couldn't see any friends around this stallion.
Blue Skies was having what could essentially be described as a panic attack, which only aggravated his injury further. He retreated further into his own now-unstable psyche and hoped only to black out, because any escape into unconsciousness would be a more than welcome reprieve from this unending and unbearable torment. Eventually, though, he did black out, and Fluttershy immediately went to work to provide first aid.
The sound of a door quietly creaking open was enough to wake Blue Skies from his light slumber.
Blue tried blinking a few times in order to shake off the strange yet intriguing dream he had just left, which involved Fluttershy gently stroking his mane while singing him a lullaby. He could still nearly hear a hint of the words "Hush, now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head..."
Reluctant to leave the comfort of his subconscious mind, he slowly opened his eyes to the new environment which surrounded him. It seemed he was in some sort of guest bedroom, tucked into a warm, butterfly-covered quilt. Gently moving around, he noticed his broken wing was snugly bandaged around his body, keeping it secure and preventing accidental movement from further injuring the appendage. It was tight, but not uncomfortably so. He noticed mostly silence, punctuated by a few chirps and twitters from nearby birds, which made sense considering the bird houses which appeared even within the room. The smell of slightly damp hay added a subtle barn-like scent to the scene, but the room was fairly tidy and well-kept. Either the owner of this house rarely had guests, or was simply diligent with maintaining a proper house.
The entire room had an underlying kind of aura, which seemed to welcome and embrace him. It was about as far from the uncomfortable, formal environment of a hospital as he could imagine. Not particularly caring how he came to be in this room, he decided he should probably go back to resting, in order to better recuperate from his injury.
That is, until he noticed that the door's creaking was caused by none other than Fluttershy, coming in with a tray laden with steaming tomato soup, crackers, fresh vegetables, and a glass of orange juice. Normally accustomed to little more than a cup of coffee as breakfast, the heavenly odors wafting towards his nose set the stomach of Blue Skies to rumbling hungrily. He blushed slightly in embarrassment, and then he stumbled upon a sudden realization. Fluttershy, the mare of his dreams, was caring for him, and not some cold, heartless nurse! He silently thanked Celestia, and then shyly decided to greet his caretaker as she set down the tray beside his bed. Clearly she was making an effort to allow him to sleep for a bit longer, but he could no longer rest knowing Fluttershy was in the room. He had to take the chance to mutter a greeting.
"Uh...hello?" he murmured inquiringly and politely, in as soft and gentle a voice as he could manage, so as not to alarm Fluttershy.
Despite his attempt at gentility, however, Fluttershy started at the sound of his voice and nearly knocked the breakfast tray over. "Oh," she responded with a bit of a gasp. "You startled me there. Are you feeling better, sir?"
The mind of Blue Skies was inexplicably beginning to make him feel comfortably warm and bubbly simply by his proximity to Fluttershy and her caring concerned words. He made an effort to show how much he appreciated her handiwork by responding in as appreciative a tone as he could muster. However, he was never really too good at conversing with mares. "Much better, thank you. And thank you for not taking me to the hospital." At his last remark, his tone turned very sincere and severe.
"Oh, it was no problem. Sometimes, we all just need to be shown a little kindness." She gifted Blue with a graceful smile before continuing, "Well, you've still got a while to heal before you're ready for flight. So make sure and eat up, and get plenty of rest. And I'm sorry in advance if the bandages are uncomfortable, but they're going to have to stay there if you want to get better." Her tone was about as close as she could get to assertive, but even Blue Skies with his sub-par observational skills could tell that she wasn't likely to do anything to anyone against their will, unless it was absolutely critical for their survival. However, this probably wouldn't matter, because in his current mindset, he was fairly sure he'd do just about anything Fluttershy asked of him, so long as she asked him in her mellifluous voice.
"How long am I going to be here for?" he asked.
"Well, to be on the safe side, it will probably take about three weeks." she replied.
"That's a while. I should probably send some mail up to Cloudsdale so Rainbow Dash doesn't get her feathers in a flutter."
"Oh, of course. And I never asked before... what's your name?"
"Um... I'm Blue Skies.
"Well, it's been very nice meeting you, Mr. Skies. I'll get right on sending a missive with Ms. Doo tomorrow morning. Is there anyone else you can think of who needs to be contacted?"
Pondering for a bit, Blue realized that there weren't all that many ponies who would be very concerned with his well-being, and thus not many other people he could think of sending a letter to. Soarin would most likely be busy with Wonderbolt practice and airshows, and he had never put too much effort forth into keeping in contact with his parents. After a few moments of silent thought, Blue Skies slowly shook his head at her. "No, thanks. I'd just cause people unnecessary worry at this point if I told them about my wing. I'll be fine. But hey, quick question," he added after his somewhat somber statement, "Do I have to stay in bed, or am I free to walk around?"
"Oh, no, not at all. Feel free to move around, make yourself feel at home. Just don't do any strenuous activity, or you'll upset your injury further, okay?" Fluttershy said, again in that voice for which there was no sufficient comparison.
Blue Skies nodded thoughtfully and then carefully made his way out of the covers. "What time is it anyway?" he added, feeling a bit groggy after his moderately untimely awakening, rubbing some of the sleep out of his eyes.
"Hm," Fluttershy murmured to herself quietly, "Probably about noon by now. You've been asleep for a good while; I was actually getting a bit worried. But now you're awake, so I guess there's nothing to worry about." Suddenly Fluttershy's ears twitched towards various chittering and chattering sounds, coming from downstairs. "Oh my, it's time to feed my friends. Can you take care of yourself for the time being?"
"Yeah, I think so," Blue responded. "Go ahead with your animal feeding duties." He finished with just a hint of a smile, ever cheered by the sheer reality of holding a normal conversation with her, the ludicrously beautiful mare.
"Coming!" Fluttershy then yelled softly, exiting the room with her usual grace.
Blue Skies then proceeded to explore his surroundings a bit more thoroughly, but always moving slowly and with caution, so as not to agitate his wing. Wandering over to a nearby window, he saw a bright summer day, perfect for just about any kind of outing. However, he'd rather stay inside with his new caretaker, even if it meant he'd never see another sunny day again. Fluttershy was all the warmth and sunshine he needed to be happy. He only wished she were able to say the same about him, but he highly doubted that was true. She was just caring for him until he got better. In all likelihood she wasn't even considering being his marefriend. But he contented himself with the knowledge that he'd get to spend a good three weeks with her, and just her, nursing him back to health. His contentment caused another smile to spread across his features, as naturally as the sun's daily rising and setting.
Lost as he was in his own musings, he almost didn't notice Angel, who had suddenly appeared before him with a rather haughty stare.
"Um... hello there?"
Blue felt a bit silly talking to a bunny, but this one seemed to mean business. Blue wasn't sure what kind of business, but it must have been a very serious matter, to account for the very serious expression on the adorable critter's face.
"What's the matter, little gal?" Not realizing that Angel was actually male, Blue had just unwittingly insulted a rather cantankerous little bunny rabbit, which decided to vent its frustration by throwing a pointed orange object at a rather swift speed, directly at Blue's face.
"Whoa, sorry little... guy?" he questioned apologetically, after just barely dodging the carrot projectile. "I didn't mean to insult you, it's just I didn't realize... I'm sorry little guy."
Hardly appeased, Angel then angrily stomped out of the room in about as surly a manner as was possible for a fluffy white bunny.
"What was that all about?" Blue Skies muttered to himself, as soon as Angel was out of earshot. "I wonder if he's jealous that Fluttershy's spending more time on me than on him? No, that can't be correct. How could a bunny rabbit be jealous of something so trivial?" Slightly exasperated, he wondered briefly why he was talking to himself, but then decided he really didn't care too much.
He looked at the carrot that the bunny had somehow conjured up and thrown, only to be painfully reminded of how long it had been since he'd last eaten. His stomach once again rumbling, he wandered back over to his breakfast tray, and began to sloppily gobble up every last delicious morsel that Fluttershy had prepared for him, several solid and liquid consumables haphazardly flying every which way. Only after he finished did he realize that he had made a rather large mess of the previously tidy room, speckling the walls and floors with droplets of tomato soup and bits and pieces of vegetables, as if they had been shredded into shrapnel. Realizing his mistake due to his insufficient manners, Blue instantly regretted that he had made more work for the sweet mare. She had taken such good care of him... wouldn't there be any way that he could return the favor?
He swung his gaze about, looking for anything that could be used to mop up the mess before Fluttershy finished feeding the little critters. She deserved to come back to a neat, tidy, unstained room which did not look as if it had witnessed the veggiepocalypse. He frantically paced around the room, contemplating. There were some pictures hanging on the wall... no that wouldn't work, you can't desecrate artwork with tomato soup splatters!
After a bit more fruitless searching, he returned to the tray, staring with dismay at the mutilated corpses of vegetables, desecrated through the defiling eating habits of an extremely hungry pegasus. He looked at the bowl, which he had previously attempted to lick clean, and suddenly remembered noticing a few napkins in his peripheral vision, only after he had picked up and begun to slurp the bowl. Striking his hoof firmly against his face, Blue Skies internally berated himself for not looking under the bowl for cleaning instruments.
However, dismay began to crawl across his features as he compared the size of the mess to the amount of napkins he had to work with. No, nothing could overcome his desire to please Fluttershy! A look of determination settling firmly on his face, he set out to accomplish his goal, no matter how heavily the odds were stacked against him.
With flourish and finesse, Blue Skies zipped around ground zero of the tasty vegetable explosion, utilizing every single white bit of the napkins until every conceivable cleaning fiber was stained red, orange, or a combination of the two. For the tougher stains, he made sure to add some saliva into the mixture, scrubbing with gusto, as if he were accomplishing a task of supreme importance and significance.
Just as he finished up his attempts to polish the floor, assuring a shiny finish in which one could practically see their own reflection, Fluttershy happened to decide to return to the room to check up on her charge.
She witnessed a triumphantly standing pegasus, speaking to the room around him as if he had just returned victoriously from a vicious war. And admittedly, the bandages did seem to lend a small bit of verisimilitude to his returning soldier persona.
"Haha! Despite your stubbornness, I have cleansed this land of your influence, you reddened soup stains and pulpy orange splotches! Your existence shall no longer be a blight upon this land of tidy harmony! And now, I shall cast away all that remains of your filth, and you shall forever be banished from this hallowed ground!" Theatrically turning around, he set his eyes to search for a nearby waste receptacle in which to dispose the accursed and now useless napkins, only to realize that Fluttershy had just walked in on his embarrassing performance.
Blue Skies was firmly rooted in place, frozen in an uncomprehending stupor.
With an interesting mixture of worry and bemusement, Fluttershy asked the obvious question. "What are you doing?"
And with a blush on his face and a slightly awkward smile, he eloquently replied "Uhhhh... cleaning up?"
A snort. A giggle. Fluttershy suddenly couldn't help herself. She burst into laughter, but not in nearly as raucous or as bawdy a manner as Pinkie Pie. Her laughter was like wind chimes dancing in the air, gracefully melodious and infectious and not at all spiteful.
Rather than increasing the discomfort, her laughter seemed to slice through the tension in Blue Skies like a knife through butter. He gradually joined her joyful mirth, laughing at the ridiculousness of his actions, rather than hiding in shame. Here, in Fluttershy's cottage, he felt like a million bits. It was such a wonderful sensation... the feeling that he belonged.
