To Punch!!! ...In a Nice Way
Outside Canterlot High, Fluttershy is comfortably under a tree feeding the squirrels gathered around. Another long school day came to an end , a day even longer including a few hours of band practice with the Rainbooms. A calm evening was vastly approaching and at this very hour Fluttershy took this time to enjoy the peaceful serenity and spend time with some of her animal friends. After a few minutes or so, when she can see how late it’s getting, Fluttershy gets right back onto her feet, brushes the grass off her dress, and proceeds to head for home.
But Fluttershy didn’t get very far, however, when a girl suddenly reveals herself from behind another tree.
“Stop where you are,” The girl ordered.
Taken aback, Fluttershy is surprised to find herself face-to-face with someone she did not expect to approach her: Aria Blaze, of the Dazzlings. Fluttershy and her friends knew of those trio of mean girls very well. Of course, ‘mean’ is not enough to describe Aria and her ‘sisters’. Fluttershy can never forget how they tried to use their powers to hypnotize the entire school, turning friends against one another in an attempt to take over. Even igniting an argument between Fluttershy and her own friends, something she’d prefer to forget.
But she also remembered the Battle of the Bands, preferably the aftermath when Fluttershy and her friends beat Aria’s group. With the loss of their powers and having to fix all the damage, the Dazzlings since became the most despised group in the entire school. Of course, Fluttershy, being the kind yet timid girl she is, stands frozen before the face of the more aggressive of the three sisters.
“I need you to listen to what I have to say,” Aria spoke. “And you are not leaving until I’ve finished.”
“A-A-Alright Aria,” Fluttershy stuttered. “Y-Y-You have my attention. Is something wr—”
“I DIDN’T SAY YOU CAN TALK!!!” Aria shouted, taking a deep breath. “Look… everything I’m about to say does NOT leave between us. Do you understand me?”
Fluttershy’s lip quivers, but otherwise she didn’t say a word. But the awkward silence did not satisfy Aria, who’s eyebrows furrow deeply.
“Nod… if you understand me…” Aria instructed.
Fluttershy nods quickly, numerous times. Aria slowly walks toward Fluttershy, placing a hand just above her head.
“If you tell anyone about this, your friends will be the least of your worries… do you understand?”
Fluttershy starts to nod, but Aria holds her head in place.
“Alright… now you can speak.”
“Y-Yes, I promise,” Fluttershy shook. “I w-won’t tell anyone, just please don’t hurt me…”
Satisfied with the answer, Aria backs away a bit allowing the shy girl some slight room to breathe. The poor girl struggles to find the right words to ask Aria, specifically ‘what’ is on her mind. But Fluttershy’s own thought race like a roadrunner speeding along an empty road at a thousand miles an hour. Confused and in shock over her current dilemma, it takes several minutes of silence before Fluttershy speaks up.
“S-So…” Fluttershy began.
“So…” Aria repeated.
“Um… what do you want to talk about?”
Now it’s Aria’s turn to be silent, the look on her face revealing she did not expect to even get this far.
“… Word around school is that you’re good with people skills, right?”
“Actually, it’s mostly animals…” Fluttershy answered, as Aria frowned. “B-B-B-But yes… I have some understanding of it… I guess…”
“Good,” Aria spoke, keeping her composure. “Because I know you’re one of the few nicest girls around this crummy city. One of the only girls around who never gives a dirty look everywhere I go.”
“Oh… well, t-thank you,” Fluttershy said, feeling comfortable.
“Honestly… it’s annoying,” Aria spoke bluntly. “One of the few reasons why I originally disliked you.”
Any confidence Fluttershy held before, the comment completely shattered it. However, the girl made the effort to remain positive despite Aria’s rather blunt nature.
“Just treat it as a compliment, then it won’t be a problem,” Fluttershy instructed herself.
“But… you are good at reading people,” Aria continued. “I am correct to assume you’re a natural at understanding… humans?”
Fluttershy tilts her head to the side, finding the way Aria said ‘humans’ confusing. For the moment, she did not know how to respond to such a question. Still, Fluttershy did not wish to upset Aria any further and so she thought it polite to keep the conversation going.
“… I’d say I’m… the best person you’ll find right now. S-So tell me… what’s troubling you? Maybe I can help.”
“… You’re asking a very difficult question,” Aria warned.
“Oh, no rush!” Fluttershy interjected softly. “Just… answer a-at your own pace. Whenever you’re ready, I’m all ears.”
At first, Aria didn’t know where or how to start. Deep down, she knew what her problem is… it’s how to express her concerns that is most daunting. Despite being able to speak normally around her sisters, bossing others around even, never before has she been in a position where she’s truly talking without faking it. Several minutes pass until finally one thing comes to mind.
“Have you ever had a moment where… everything just… shifts…?” Aria asked awkwardly. “Like you see yourself differently than you did before?”
Fluttershy ponders the idea, but it didn’t take her long to answer.
“N-Not particularly.”
Silence fills the air once more, as Aria realize she’s getting nowhere fast.
“Well…” Fluttershy spoke, breaking the silence. “Have you had a moment like—”
“Maybe,” Aria interrupted quickly.
“… Like, right now?”
Aria nods without another word. Fluttershy assumes she should push the subject a bit, to provide a means to make her more comfortable.
“D-Do you want to talk about it?” Fluttershy asked.
Aria nods once more, though unsure how to proceed.
“… So… w-what happened?”
“… Sonata had her shirt off…” Aria spoke.
Fluttershy did not know what to make of it. In her mind, Aria’s statement seems like the most random topic any girl could bring up.
“… And… that caused your world to shift?” Fluttershy asked further.
“A little bit,” Aria admitted quickly.
“Do you… want to tell me why?”
Aria looked away, both confused and frustrated over suddenly feeling this way.
“… Yes,” Aria mumbled. “I’m a very closed off individual…”
“I-I-I can see what you mean,” Fltutershy replied, politely.
“Have you ever been a closed-off person?” Aria asked.
Fluttershy did not know how to approach the question at hand. She can’t deny the kind of girl she is, and still is, but compared to everyone else she’s at a far-less extent.
“I have…” Fluttershy answered honestly. “Every day actually. Even now, I’m still the same girl I’ve been since I was a kid.”
“Wow, that’s… boring,” Aria said bluntly. “No really, that’s the most boring answer I’ve ever heard. Like no character development whatsoever. If that’s not the very definition of a one trick pony, I don’t know what is.”
Fluttershy’s confidence completely shatters hearing that. While what Aria did say rings true, it didn’t make the pain less hurtful or any more endearing. The pink haired teen felt very close to crying at any second. But she stopped herself since she’s supposed to be helping Aria, even at the cost of her own feelings.
“… W-W-Would you like to help feed the animals with me?” Fluttershy offered. “I was thinking that would help with—you know? It’ll help you feel more relaxed, maybe everything will come out naturally. That is… if you want to help.”
Fluttersy grabs some bird seeds from her bag, handing them out to Aria. The Dazzling looks upon the seeds in confusion, but otherwise she did not object.
“This is what normal people do?” Aria asked.
“That’s a good question…” Fluttershy answered quietly.
“And… why do you have these… bits of dirt?”
“Bird seed,” Fluttershy corrected. “It’s to feed the birds.”
Silence fills the air again, neither girl utters a word for quite some time.
“So… I have a theory,” Fluttershy spoke up.
“… About what?”
“Are you… that is, you and Sonata… are you friends?”
“… Somewhat.”
“Maybe the problem is you act like a sister to her, but you want to be more… even more than friends… with her.”
Clearly, anyone can tell Fluttershy is having a tough time coming up with the right words to say it. At least without coming off as directly accusing of anything.
“Do you see where this is… going…?”
“I’m better off antagonistic toward her,” Aria answered uncertainly.
“No…! No, the opposite of that cause you're… gay,” She answered hesitantly. “Y-You know that… r-right?”
“… What?!”
“Oh… oh, OH! A-Are you not?” Fluttershy panicked. “I-I-I-I’m terribly sorry. It’s just we all thought you were…!”
“Wait, ‘we’?! Who’s ‘we’?!” Aria demanded.
But Fluttershy merely turns away, so embarrassed she’s unable to meet Aria eye-to-eye.
“… Have you girls been talking about me behind my back?” Aria asked.
“N-No, of course not!” Fluttershy shook her head.
“Don’t give me that! I know you girls have a lot to say when I’m not around. That I’m scary… intimidating… you’re bullshitting if you actually think I’m amazing.”
“Well, t-that’s how we get there, y-yea…” Fluttershy scrambled for words. “Maybe… being gay makes you more intimidating?”
Aria stares blankly toward Fluttershy, who quivers nervously fearing she said the wrong thing. For a good long minute, not one of the girls says a word.
“… Okay,” Aria nodded her head. “I can get behind that.”
No words can describe Fluttershy’s confusion, nor even the concern on her face. She’d hate to disagree with Aria of all people, but at the same time she’s not one to lie either.
“… Y-Yea…” She spoke softly.
It takes a moment or two for Fluttershy to gather her voice before speaking once more.
“A-Are you not…? Or…?” Fluttershy questioned, fumbling for words. “W-Why don’t we shed some… light on the subject so we can get a full… grasp on the situation? I’m sorry, did I misinterpret your words or… am I on the right path or…?”
If Fluttershy did not feel uncomfortable before, she is showing it now.
“What if we just… think for a moment… then maybe we can—”
“Most of my life, I thought nobody could ever best me,” Aria interrupted, looking away. “That there’s not a living being, here or anywhere else, more powerful than myself.”
Fluttershy nods her head, understanding every word.
“Next thing I know, I wake up here and… curiosity starts to get to me…”
“… Go on…” Fluttershy insisted. “Is there anything else to—”
“Is attraction… when you want to… hold someone’s hand…?” Aria asked, struggling for words. “Or is it when you want to do… other stuff?”
Fluttershy didn’t answer right away. Not so much because she didn’t ‘have’ an answer, more like she didn’t ‘want’ to say it and risk getting Aria angry… especially toward her.
“Um… well… I’d say probably both… it depend which a-angle you’re shifting t-towards…?”
“Sometimes, I talk to Sonata, and I hate the world just slightly less.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” Fluttershy smiled. “I thought it be something like—”
“And sometimes… I just want to punch her!”
“… That’s not w-where I thought this was going…”
“But not the way I punch everyone and everything else,” Aria continued. “It’s like a desire to punch her… but, in a… nice way. Do you see where I’m coming from?”
“… Considering this is you and not anyone else… probably?”
“So… what can I do?”
“Well… y-you can try talking to her…” Fluttershy whispered. “But I get the feeling you’ll just say no…”
“And what do I say…?” Aria asked. “Do I tell her… that I want to punch her in a nice way? You think she’d even understand? Like there’s… a secret code or something?”
“Well… y-yes but, I don’t think you should go with that approach. We’d need to go with another code since she knows you better than I do… well, more than enough I think if you say you want to punch her in the nicest way… this is Sonata we’re talking about. S-She’ll kind of get what you mean.”
“If I say that… what will she do…?”
“… Well that all depends,” Fluttershy spoke, looking toward the sky. “It can go many different directions. The truth is… I don’t know her personally, so I can’t…”
“I need you to help me!” Aria insisted. “I would not go through all this trouble to talk to you, if I didn’t think you could figure it out.”
“I-I-I’m really trying… um… I think… the best you can do… is—”
“What about you?” Aria asked directly. “Are you gay?”
“Wha—I-I—”
All Flutershy can do is cover her face with her long hair. In all her years, she never expects such a question to be directed toward her. Now her cheeks blushed harder than before and proving very difficult to cover up.
“… T-That’s a… very personal question…”
“This isn’t easy for me either,” Aria spoke. “I sure as hell won’t talk to Adagio about this. She’d never understand.”
Silence falls once more, Fluttershy’s emotions run like hot steam. As if the entire conversation went from zero to a thousand in a millisecond. Suffice to say, Fluttershy did not know where to go from here. The silence between the two is very long, and extremely awkward.
“I’m… not aware of everyone’s… s-s-sexuality…” Fluttershy admitted. “… And I’m too nervous to ask…”
“I was under the assumption you knew people,” Aria pointed out, mildly annoyed.
“Well, I do… but… t-this isn’t a subject everyone t-talks about…”
“What do you mean ‘they don’t’? I’d think sexuality is what all the girls talk about. I see you girls when you hang out during your little ‘band practices’. You must talk about it at some point.”
“Well we ‘talk’, but… most of our topics are random…”
“Random stuff…” Aria repeated, pondering. “… Well at least that’s what I’m able to talk about when it comes to Adagio and Sonata.”
“… You know, we’re not entirely different,” Fluttershy pointed out. “That is to say… you and your sisters. They usually have the same drive to become better, and I think deep down… you’re the same, but you just don’t show it.”
Aria clicked her tongue, in response to Fluttershy’s statement. The pink haired teen silently shifts away, trying to forget what she says.
“I know I’m better than Adagio and everyone else,” Aria spoke, breaking the silence. “Sonata is… an expectation but… do I tell her? Do I tell her that she’s… nice?”
“Well… t-that’s a good start… and you work your way up to… I’m sorry, what were you going to say?”
“That I want to punch her—”
“In a nice way,” They both said in unison.
Aria takes a deep breath, as Fluttershy looks toward her.
“If I may add another suggestion,” Fluttershy offered. “I’d offer her a compliment… about her eyes. If that’s the route we’re sticking with and all.”
“I could… or what I could do is go up to her and say, ‘Hey, I like your eyes! You want to make out?’” Aria spoke sarcastically. “Will she even get that? Sonata’s not the sharpest tool in our shed. Her naivety drives me so nuts, that I just want to HIT HER… but in the nicest way. If that makes any sense.”
“Well I-I don’t know if she’ll get it right away,” Fluttershy shrugged. “But it’s a good way to start, baby steps.”
Aria glances at Fluttershy, before she slowly stands up on her feet. All the while, her eyes never turn away from the pink haired teen.
“Thanks…” Aria spoke quietly.
A smile soon forms along Fluttershy’s face. The young girl starts to get up when Aria pushes her arms against the girl’s shoulders, forcing her back to the ground.
“This doesn’t leave between the two of us,” Aria warned. “If ONE person in this school or the entire city hears about it—”
“I give you my word!” Fluttershy quickly interjected. “I promise nothing from this talk will get out… I’ll Pinkie Promise if I have to.”
“Hmm… no.”
And just like that, Aria turns around and walks away leaving Fluttershy bewildered and confused. She hears a thumping on the lawn and turns to the side, as Angel Bunny, one of Fluttershy’s pets, rapidly taps his foot on the ground impatiently. The girl picks herself off the lawn, dusting the grass off her dress, and picks up Angel Bunny.
“Well Angel, this was most unexpected,” Fluttershy spoke to Angel. “I only hope it all works out…”
With that being said, Fluttershy takes off for her home with her stuff on her back and Angel in the palm of her hands. Both girls walking off in separate directions. Along the way, Aria reels an arm… and violently punches a tree, never flinching nor stopping mid-way. In place around the bark, a huge fist mark is left along the tree as Aria continues into the distance.
