Everypony always figured that weddings were always a happy occasion, a time where the hearts of the happy couple were officially and legally bound together in harmony, with the pair of ponies just WAITING to start their new life together. Fluttershy could still remember how it was like that at Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding, how perfect and romantic it seemed at the time after the changeling invasion had been stopped. Fluttershy remembered how she had been one of Cadence’s bridesmaids at the time, watching the heartwarming scene from up close at the altar…

That night, she also wished that she might someday having a wedding as romantic as that with the mare SHE loved, her head having drifted over to look at a certain lavender unicorn once she had the thought.

In the present, Fluttershy wiped away the tears in her eyes before they could fall. She could only look up at the altar, where an orange and blue-maned pegasus stallion stood, and the words on her invitation running on a loop:

You are formally invited to attend the wedding of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Private Flash Sentry at the Castle of Friendship on the 9th Day of Autumn…

She remembered having been shocked.

She remembered having tears run down her cheeks.

She remembered dropping the invitation on the table and running to her room to cry, and she had cried until her tears were all spent.

The wedding music suddenly started, and Princess Celestia left Princess Luna’s side to step up to her appropriate place at the altar, ready to recite the words that would then lead to the vows. At the end of the Castle of Friendship’s main hall, which had been decorated for the event in the same style as royal wedding of a few years ago and filled with ponies from all over Equestria, the large doors opened to reveal what lay on the other side.

Despite her sadness and depression, Fluttershy still found her breath taken away by Twilight Sparkle.

The violet unicorn-turned-alicorn looked stunning in her wedding dress, but Fluttershy knew she would- Rarity had designed it after all. Made of snow-white silk with purple and gold accents, and designed to accommodate her alicorn wings, Twilight’s dress trailed slightly behind her as she began her slow walk down the aisle of the large hall. As she got closer to them, Fluttershy could more clearly make out the accessories, also designed by Rarity, that served to help the dress in attracting attention not to itself, but to the pony who wore it: a thin silk veil that covered and trailed down Twilight’s head, going over her mane, which was worn normally; a silver tiara, which Rarity had designed to be similar to Twilight’s normal crown but smaller, rested atop her head; and silver horseshoes, similar to Luna’s, that supported her on her journey to the altar-

-and the stallion she would marry. Flash Sentry, whom she would be with for the rest of all their lives.

A tear rolled down her cheek, and this time, she did nothing to stop it.

A hoof was placed on her shoulder, and she jumped, turning to see Rarity, who was next to her. Fluttershy had to admit that Rarity looked beautiful wearing her own design for a bridesmaid’s dress, just like the rest of them wore to match Twilight’s dress to a certain degree- white silk with accents that matched their primary mane colors (Rainbow Dash had FINALLY agreed to choose red for hers), golden horseshoes, wing-slots for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and flower crowns of whichever flower they chose- Fluttershy had personally chosen daffodils.

The one thing that was NOT beautiful about Rarity at the moment was the frown on her face, and the concerned, yet understanding, look in her sapphire blue eyes.

“Darling?” She whispered, as Twilight came closer to the altar, “Are you alright?”

Fluttershy nodded, wiping away the tear and forcing a smile, “Yes, I’m alright, Rarity. Never better.”

The avid personality reader that she was, Rarity was quick to see through her lie, if she had done anything to hide her pain at all, and she momentarily put her hoof around her in a hug,

“Oh Fluttershy,” The fashionista said, still whispering, her tone of understanding, “I’m so sorry, darling.”

Fluttershy nodded in understanding and acknowledgement, turning her gaze back to Twilight.

The yellow pegasus still didn’t know exactly WHEN she had fallen in love with her friend, though if she had to wager a guess, her first feelings came to fruition on the day they had met. Twilight was the first newcomer to Ponyville in a long time who had noticed her upon encountering the shy mare with her orchestra of bird friends, stopping and actually speaking with the shy mare instead of continuing on without a second glance when the performance had ended.

Despite how awkward it was afterward, ever since then Fluttershy was relatively quick to develop even more feelings for Twilight: reading with her, letting her help care for the animals, and even going for walks through the parks on quiet afternoons- just spending time with one another. When Twilight had become an alicorn, slow flights together had been added to that list, and the feeling of it just being the two of them, with the sky all to themselves, had made it impossible to see past how romantic it admittedly was to the shy pegasus.

The day they had met was one thing, but it had all truly started when she had seen her, freed from being stone statue by the cockatrice she had Stared down, and had been overjoyed to see that her friend was alright, that Fluttershy realized what her feelings all amounted to.

She loved Twilight.

She STILL loved Twilight.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t been sure if Twilight would feel the same way, or want to be her friend anymore if she confessed, so she kept her feelings a secret to the best of her ability so as not to ruin what she already had with the lavender alicorn. When the feelings became too much, though, she would only settle on telling Rarity, who had kept her secret through it all.

Then came the day. That day, a month before, when Fluttershy couldn’t take keeping her feelings hidden anymore. She wanted Twilight as more than a friend, to love the alicorn openly and as she deserved to be loved, being as surrounded by noble and elitists in her court- who only cared about her title- as she was. Most importantly, though, she HAD to know if Twilight would ever love her in return.

Unfortunately, that day was also the day that Flash Sentry had proposed to Twilight. Fluttershy remembered the whole thing. She had come with her head held high, and she had courageously walked into the Castle of Friendship and upstairs to Twilight’s room, ready to knock on the door and practically scream- actually no, maybe just work her way up to it and THEN simply reveal- her feelings to Twilight-

-only to overhear the humorous conversation that she was having at that moment with Flash Sentry. Then, she heard those damning words that Flash Sentry spoke: Will you marry me?

Twilight’s response: Yes.

Fluttershy’s heart had shattered.

She hadn’t really planned on going so far as to want to marry Twilight- she was afraid it might not work out, so she preferred doing things slowly to see where things went- but only to at least tell the alicorn how she felt. But now, the pegasus stallion had beaten her to the punch by asking Twilight not only for her love but to be his wife.

And Twilight had accepted.

Fluttershy had hidden her sobs the best she could, only releasing every bit of her sorrow and heartbreak into a pillow when she got home and locked herself in her room. All she could think about was that she had lost her chance, had lost TWILIGHT. She tried to get over it, think of anyone else she could perhaps fall in love with, but no matter what, Fluttershy concluded that the only mare she would probably ever love- the only PONY- was now out of her reach- and she could do nothing about it.

Twilight had been the one given the decision, and she had made her choice.

She had stayed like that for three days, crying her eyes out and refusing to see anypony. Applejack had tried to give her some apple pies that Granny Smith had made, but Fluttershy turned her away with the excuse that she was not hungry. Rainbow Dash offered a slow flight over Ponyville, but Fluttershy politely turned that down too, much to the speedster’s surprise and concern- it WAS rare for her to offer such a flight, after all. Rarity, and then Pinkie, both tried to coax her out with an offer to go to the spa or just have some fun, respectively, but Fluttershy constantly refused to leave her bedroom.
…….
It was only when Twilight herself had shown up, that Fluttershy even made the effort to do anything. She had walked in, silent until the moment that she stood beside Fluttershy’s bed.

“Fluttershy?” She had asked, making the yellow mare freeze, “Rarity told me that you’re feeling sad. Are you okay?”

Fluttershy managed to slow her rapid heartbeat before facing her lost love, silently thanking Rarity for not telling Twilight about her still-hidden feelings- that she was aware of, “I’m fine, I’m just...not feeling well.”

“Listen, ‘Shy,” Twilight’s expression was deadpan as she put a comforting hoof on her shoulder, “I can tell when you’re lying. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t…” Fluttershy knew there was no point in hiding her tears anymore, and she let them flow again.

“I only want to help.” Twilight said, smiling sweetly, “You know you can talk to me about anything.”

Everypony always said that Fluttershy’s smile would make them want to do anything for her, if only to keep that smile on her face, but unbeknownst to most ponies, Twilight’s smile had that same effect on the shy pegasus herself, and it there was some unbroken rule her body had about having to ABSOLUTELY keep that smile on her beloved's face. She had sighed, before speaking carefully,

“There was this pony, a mare, that I...liked-”

“Wait, you like mares?” Twilight had asked, cocking her head.

“Yes?” Fluttershy gulped, “I-Is there something wrong?”

“Oh no, no!” Twilight waved a dismissive hoof, realizing how the question had sounded, “I just never thought that you would swing that way, given how you and Big Mac used to blush and all that around each other.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy blushed, finding some solace in the fact that Twilight at least tolerated fillyfoolers, “well, I do think Big Macintosh is a good friend, but...I didn’t feel for him all that much.”

“Oh, okay. Continue.”

“There’s not much else to say.” Fluttershy lied, looking away, “I’m crying, so you can probably guess how things went with her.”

“Oh my goodness, Fluttershy!” Twilight hugged her, making the mare blush, “I’m so sorry. Did she reject you?”

“No...not really.”

“Then what?”

“She just...I never told her, and when I tried to…she...already had somepony else.”

“Well, she doesn’t know what she’s missing!” Twilight had declared, a determined grin on her face, “I bet any mare would be lucky to have you.”

Oh, the irony of that first statement, Twilight…

Still, she could not deny that, despite the alicorn having unknowingly having broken her heart, Fluttershy had begun to feel cheered up by her friend and secret love, “Thank you, Twilight.”

“You’re welcome,” Twilight asked, suddenly looking down at her hooves, nervously, “Hey, Fluttershy?”

“Yes?”

“I know you’re still recovering from a heartbreak, but...nevermind.”

“No, no, what is it?”

“It’s not a good idea.”

“Twilight…” Despite her tear-stained face, Fluttershy gave her a stern look.

“Okay, okay.” Twilight held up her hooves in surrender, “Look, I was wondering...well, you know I’m getting married to Flash in a less than a month?”

“Oh. Yeah?” Tears were starting to appear, again.

“Well, I asked the others if they would be there, you know, as my bridesmaids?”

“Uh-huh…”

Twilight took a deep breath, and then looked at Fluttershy directly.

“I was wondering: Will you...be... my Best Mare?”
……..
Fluttershy was still surprised that she hadn’t broken down and let loose with her feelings at that moment. A part of her felt like Twilight was actually trying to make her suffer, giving her a front-row seat to the wedding that would forever keep her heart in pieces, but her more logical mind said that Twilight didn’t KNOW she was making her suffer. In the end, it was Fluttershy’s kindness, and the wish to at least glimpse Twilight- unmarried- for one last time, that influenced her decision. When she asked herself whether it was really to assure herself that it was over, or because she knew she had to be a friend and supportive of Twilight, Fluttershy decided that both motives were the reason she stood there now, holding the two rings- one a horn ring attached to a chain with a purple, star-shaped gem; and the other a horn-ring with a blue, lightning bolt-shaped gem on it- under her yellow wing, ready for her to hand over to the couple and complete her own heartbreak.

Twilight had finally reached the altar, stepping up onto the dais to stand with Flash. It was then that Rarity leaned over close to her.

“Fluttershy,” The white unicorn whispered suddenly, sounding concerned, “I think something’s wrong with Twilight.”

Wait, what!?

“W-What do you mean?” She whispered back.

“Just look at her.”

Sure enough, when Fluttershy looked closely up at Twilight, she could see the huge frown on Twilight’s face. At breakfast just an hour ago, a minute before she had to go and get ready for the ceremony, Twilight had been wearing the widest smile on her face. The whole week, she had looked so happy and love-struck next to Flash Sentry, happy to be with the stallion she loved and would soon be wed to…

But now, especially evident due to her lack of makeup (she hadn’t wanted any, much to Rarity’s disappointment), Twilight’s mood seemed to have done a complete one-eighty with a frown on her face, her eyes downcast, and an overall expression on her face that seemed to read ‘sadness’ or ‘regret’. It made Fluttershy immediately concerned for the mare she loved, still loved, and would always love. Her own sadness regarding the wedding faded as one question came to mind.

Why is she so sad…? What’s wrong, Twilight?

Author's Note

I personally chose daffodils for Fluttershy because, in a VERY complex form of flower language *eye roll* they symbolize unrequited love (seriously, it was all about flower type AND placement on the body that changed the meaning)- and they match Fluttershy's coat color, too.

I've been working on this fic since JUST before I joined FIMfiction back in December (Trust me, I wrote a LOT of good, okay, and bad G-Doc fics that are for right now in limbo). This was actually originally supposed to be a oneshot (I say as much in the original document of the story), but then I suddenly had the idea of separating it into a few chapters- two or three, perhaps?

Soooo, hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and the next one will be out...not soon but definitely in the future- don't worry, I'm not going to cancel any of my fics.

*FlashLight and TwiShy fans gather outside window with pitchforks and torches*

Oh boy, I better make sure the second chapter's good enough to publish, or I'm toast...

Oh yeah, and also, two fics submitted in one early morning! That's gotta be a record for me...