A Certain Romance

The Way It Is

Fluttershy quickly averted her gaze from the couple who had clearly enjoyed themselves for the past hour. There was a part of Fluttershy, though, that didn’t want to look away though. Was it curiosity? She was a virgin after all, but the act of sex wasn’t alien to her; she’d see the animals do it every so often. Perhaps it was jealousy? Seeing her friend Rainbow Dash getting dominated by a stallion had seemed to irk something inside of her. What was she thinking? Fluttershy never had thoughts like this; she didn’t want to start having them now either.

“I’m sorry. I heard some…uh…noises and I-I thought they sounded like you, so I flew up here to see if you were o-okay. I didn’t expect to see…”

Without finishing her sentence, Fluttershy closed her tearful eyes and flew away from the cloud that Soarin and Dash lied upon. Dash had never seen Fluttershy fly that quickly before.

“Was that the same-” Soarin was about to ask

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yes, that was Fluttershy. She ran away at the party and, as you just saw, ran away from us too.”

“Should we, I dunno, go find her or something?” Soarin said while he collected his and Dash’s clothes. He handed Dash her pieces of clothing then slipped on his.

“Yeah, in a bit. She probably just flew back to her house, which isn’t far from here at all. In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have had sex out in the open like,” said Dash while donning herself with clothing.

“Maybe, but I think it was worth it,” Soarin grabbed Dash by the waist and drug her closer to himself. He planted a small kiss on her nose. Dash smiled.

“Anyways, let’s go find Fluttershy. I don’t want her to get any wrong ideas.”

The serenity of the forest that surrounded Fluttershy’s cottage fitted the pegasus perfectly. All she really needed was some animals to help and she would be fine; she wouldn’t give up her best friends either. There was one friend she couldn’t get out of her head: Rainbow Dash. The image she had just seen a few minutes ago refused to accept its eviction notice. Instead of running away, Fluttershy wished she had actually talked to Dash. Now, the next meeting between the two will be interrupted by awkwardness. Fluttershy hated awkwardness. She lied down on her couch with a cup of tea that she had quickly made for herself. The taste was a bit different, something she wasn’t used to. Frankly, she didn’t really like it. Fluttershy started to drift off to sleep, but was halted by the knocking on her door.

“Fluttershy? Are you in there? It’s me, Rainbow Dash!”

Fluttershy wanted to avoid answering the door, but she just couldn’t. Dash would probably be mad at her. After all, Fluttershy had no business flying up there. She could tell by the sounds that something intimate was going on and curiosity had gotten the best of her. Hesitantly, she cracked open the door and peeked outside.

“Um…yes?”

“Fluttershy, I want to talk to you.”

“Oh, um, no?”

“No? What? Listen, I just want to clear some things up. I’m not mad.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Do you Pinkie Promise?”

Dash rolled her eyes. Pinkie Pie wasn’t even here. On second thought, Pinkie could be anywhere.

“I Pinkie Promise,” Dash said just in case her bubbly pink friend would pop out from nowhere.

Slowly, the door to Fluttershy’s secluded cottage opened up. Rainbow started to step in and greet her timid friend. She wasn’t alone though; behind her stood Soarin. Fluttershy hadn’t noticed him earlier since he was almost directly behind Rainbow Dash along with the fact that her door was barely open. When she did see him, Fluttershy pulled Dash into her house like she was rescuing her from a monster. The door then slammed shut with an echo that rang throughout the woods. Soarin stared at the door, dumbfounded.

“Uhhh, okay. Guess I’ll wait out here then?”

Fluttershy immediately stood in front of the door so her aggravated friend wouldn’t barge out of her home, or let her new friend inside. Rainbow Dash wasn’t too keen on the way Fluttershy was acting.

“Fluttershy! What gives?” Dash yelled, throwing her arms into the air.

“Oh Dashie, you can’t bring him in!”

“Why not?” Dash said with the folding of her arms.

“Well…because…um…he’s mean!”

“Mean? You’ve never even met him! You may have BUMPED into him, but there’s no way you, Fluttershy, would go and have a conversation with someone new.”

Fluttershy lowered herself, casting her eyes to the floor. Dash was right, that stallion hadn’t done anything wrong, Fluttershy just wanted to avoid an awkward scene.

“Come on, Shy. I know you, uh, caught us back there, but we aren’t mad! We were out in the open! Anypony could’ve flown up; I’m actually glad it was you and not a young filly that just learned to fly!”

Fluttershy’s tears started to cease their runs down her face as if they had gotten their orders to retreat back to base. She understood, she just wished that it wasn’t Rainbow Dash she had caught. To her, it was a way of reminding her that she and all of her friends were getting older. Fluttershy didn’t want to get older, but it was certain. However, the matters between her and Rainbow Dash were much more important.

“Oh, you’re right Rainbow Dash. I just, I don’t know, it’s so strange seeing two ponies like that, especially when it’s your best friend. I was worried you were going to be mad at me. You promise you’re not mad?”

“I Pinkie Promised remember?”

Like a fire, a smile spread across Fluttershy’s face. She joined her good friend in a hug, knowing she was lucky to have her by her side. It wasn’t until Dash spoke up that they realized that Soarin was still outside.

“Hey, Fluttershy, Soarin is still standing outside,” Rainbow Dash she as she pointed towards the door.

“Whoops!” gasped Fluttershy. She quickly flung open the door to let Dash’s special somepony inside. She was a bit worried he may have run off but, sure enough, he was still standing there, except he was looking around the outside of Fluttershy’s cozy cottage.

“Hey, Soarin! You can come on in now!” Rainbow Dash notified.

Soarin turned around to face Dash and her friend who still hadn’t fully emerged from outside of her home.

“Okay, I was just looking at all the flowers out here; they’re really beautiful!” Soarin commented.

“Oh, um, thank you very much. I do work really hard to keep them healthy. The animals really like it too,” Fluttershy quietly said, taking a step outside with each additional word.

“You’re doing a wonderful job! It actually makes me want to leave Cloudsdale, you know there aren’t any flowers up there,” Soarin replied as he walked closer towards the cottage.

“There aren’t any animals up there either!” Fluttershy was now fully outside of her cottage.

“That’s true; it’s funny because I’ve never actually thought about that. Huh, it’s strange to think that all those pegasi that haven’t ever left Cloudsdale have never seen a bunny or anything,” Soarin said as he took his place next to Rainbow Dash.

“I’m sure they’d love them! They’re such cute little bunnies!”

“By the way, I’m Soarin,” the Wonderbolt extended his hand.

“I’m…Fluttershy,” the shy pegasus accepted the offer.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss.”

“Oh, well, I did bump into you at your party, didn’t I? I can’t remember it being thrown for Soarin. No. It was thrown for…Roadrunner! So, you’re name isn’t Roadrunner?”

“Hey everypony,” Dash interjected, “why don’t we all go inside? Soarin can give you the rundown on everything in there.”

Soarin and Fluttershy both nodded and entered the cottage; Soarin made sure the two mares went in first and shut the door behind them. Once the three were inside, they all took seats on Fluttershy’s furniture. Fluttershy began to make a cup of tea while Soarin and Dash chatted for a bit, the latter leaning up against the former. The scene was hard to not admire; two ponies very much in love with each other. As Dash’s head rested upon Soarin’s shoulder, his arm was draped over her athletic body, occasionally rearranging her mane so it was all kept in place. Fluttershy returned to the two, a smile on her face, with the tea. The three ponies drank their warm beverage as Soarin told Fluttershy everything that had happened in the past three days. He told her about the stress of the Wonderbolts, the reason why he called himself Roadrunner, and how he met Dash. That final part made Fluttershy blush a little. Fluttershy was anything but a drinker, though she knew a few of her friends could hold their liquor, particularly Applejack and Rainbow Dash, of course. Given those facts, she still didn’t think Rainbow would hook up with a stallion in a state like that. Either way, Fluttershy could see how much Rainbow Dash enjoyed Soarin; she was attached to him like hands on a clock. Soarin was also inseparable from his partner. The two were a perfect couple; a couple that would be difficult to separate. A thought circled around in her head about how long Soarin would be staying in Ponyville. She was just about to ask him when Dash threw out an idea to the group.

“I think I oughta introduce to the rest of the girls!”

“That’s a great idea, Dash! Before though, how long is Soarin staying in Pony-”

“I would love to meet your friends. I don’t really remember them from the other night,” Soarin cut off Fluttershy, not out of rudeness but because he couldn’t hear her.

“But, Soarin, how long will you be in?”

“Awesome! I think they’re all at Sugarcube Corner. If not, we’ll just get Pinkie to round them up!” Dash planned as she started to leave Fluttershy’s cottage. “You coming, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, but, oh what’s the use…”

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, and of course Pinkie Pie were all conveniently gathered at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie had invited them to taste test her new cupcakes, though her three friends were quite the skeptics, simply because guacamole flavored cupcakes didn’t sound like something that would appeal to their taste buds. “Guacupacups” is what Pinkie called them; the name didn’t exactly appeal to the ears as well. Thankfully for Pinkie’s guinea pigs, they wouldn’t have to taste her experimental recipe because Rainbow Dash would come to save the day, or at least their appetites. In fact, Applejack was just trying to think of an excuse to escape from Pinkie’s clutches when Rainbow Dash strolled in to the bakery.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” Soarin was around her arm; Fluttershy followed softly behind.

Applejack was the first to turn around, but not the only one to feel incredibly relieved.

Whoo, thank Celestia

“Howdy there, Dash!” Applejack waved at her winged friend.

“It’s so great of you to drop by, darling! We hoped you would show up,” Rarity said.

“Well, I just thought I’d introduce all of you to Soarin.”

Twilight looked towards Dash with a puzzled look on her face. “Wait a minute, Soarin? I thought his name was Roadrunner!”

Before Dash had a chance to speak, Pinkie Pie burst from the kitchen.

“No way silly! That’s Soarin, duh!”

Every pony in the room, including Soarin, all stared at the happy pink pony quizzically.

“What do you mean, Pinkie? He,” Twilight pointed directly at Soarin, who was starting to feel a little attacked, “told all of us, including you, that his name was Roadrunner! Why wouldn’t he just tell us the truth?”

“I knew he was Soarin! My Pinkie Sense told me that he was lying!”

Twilight’s face changed completely, becoming one that didn’t need any explanation. Pinkie Nonsense is what she would prefer to call it.

“Your Pinkie Sense told you? Really?”

“Uh-uh! It sure did! Twitchy back leg, itchy hoof, floppy left ear, a quick sneeze, and then a floppy RIGHT ear means that somepony isn’t saying who they really are!”

“Pinkie, that sounds a little, I don’t know,” Twilight couldn’t think of a word to use.

“A copout?” Applejack suggested.

“Yeah! A copout!”

“I didn’t make up the story Twilight! I just do what the good ol’ Pinkie Sense tells me!”

“I just find it a bit hard to believe is all, but I guess I should believe it. Though it still seems like bit of an excuse” Twilight accepted.

“That’s a bit ironic…” Rarity said softly under her breath.

“What was that?” Twilight asked her friend. She approached Rarity and looked her straight into her eyes.

“Nothing, nothing,” Rarity said nervously while her eyes danced around the room. Celestia knows she wouldn’t want to make Twilight mad; nopony knows what she’d do!

“I think what Rarity’s trying to say is that, well, you’ve solved some problems just out of nowhere before, Twi,” Applejack chimed in.

Rarity was motioning behind Twilight for Applejack to not say another word. Applejack received the message and zipped her mouth shut.

“What do you mean by that? We’ve all gone through plenty of hoops to save Equestria and it just so happens that my magic usually saves the day for everypony, but I don’t really see how that-”

Rainbow Dash was getting fed up with all this bickering and just wanted all of her friends to meet and actually get to know Soarin. Fluttershy did it and she caught them in the act!

“Can everypony just shut up!” Dash yelled, her voice carrying through the whole bakery.

Dash’s outburst got everypony to be quiet, even Pinkie Pie, which made Dash feel a pang of proudness considering how difficult that is. The agitated pegasus flew into the air, symbolizing that she wanted to be heard.

“You can all argue about copouts and everything later! Now, we’re all in the presence of a guest here, a very special guest! Soarin, NOT Roadrunner.”

Soarin cautiously stepped forward and waved a hand at Dash’s friends whose eyes were still fixed on their floating friend.

“And yes, he is the Soarin you’re probably thinking of, the Wonderbolt one.”

A few gasps escaped the mouths of the ponies, mostly because of their inability to put two and two together and get the final piece of the puzzle.

“I knew that name sounded familiar! Shoot, ain’t that something, a Wonderbolt here in Ponyville!” Applejack grabbed Soarin’s hand and shook it ferociously. When she let grow, Soarin could’ve sworn his hand now had a heartbeat.

“Know what this calls for? A PARTY!” Pinkie pulled a cannon out of nowhere and was just about to shoot it off when Dash flew right in front of it.

“No! We can’t throw a party! Well, at least not a big one! Soarin’s on vacation to get away from all the fans and stuff. A huge, typical Pinkie party could ruin that for him!” Dash explained.

“Dash has a point,” Twilight agreed. “A party definitely would not be the best idea.”

Pinkie’s smile faded a bit and she looked a little down. Soarin didn’t think Pinkie could ever look sad but, as soon as he thought that, another smile appeared on the pony’s face.

“I’ll throw him a super quiet party!”

Pinkie Pie pulled, essentially out of thin air, a palm sized version of the cannon she had earlier and fired it. A miniscule amount of confetti followed, which caused everypony to laugh for a bit. Instead of throwing a party, the group decided to just sit around and talk with Soarin. They asked him about his interests, the music he listened to, the foods he enjoyed. Truthfully, they all seemed to be avoiding questions about the Wonderbolts as they didn’t want to cause Soarin any distress, but a few questions did come up. One would ask how he became a Wonderbolt and Soarin would answer honestly.

“Mainly just by working hard and staying dedicated. That’s probably the biggest thing you can when you’re working to become a Wonderbolt.”

That would lead to wondering about how difficult being a Wonderbolt actually is.

“It’s challenging, but I think that’s what makes it fun. There’s always another level you can push yourself to. Always something more you can achieve.”

Rainbow Dash listened intently to every word Soarin said. He didn’t fully realize that he was giving her such helpful advice; advice that she hoped would make her a Wonderbolt. Her friends continued to talk to each other while she fantasized about reaching her dream and performing for thousands. Surprisingly, that’s not what she actually cared about. As her mind danced around the floor of her fantasy, the image of her performing along Soarin joined in. Being a Wonderbolt would be amazing, but being one with Soarin would be beyond words. The two would loop around each other, always close to a collision but yet far away from one as well. One might even try and sneak in a kiss during a show. Suddenly, becoming a Wonderbolt had an even greater reward. The voice of Applejack brought Dash out of her pleasant fantasy and back to reality.

“I’d love to say and chat some more, but I get to back to Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac needs some help with chores around the farm; I’d hate to make him mad.”

Dash, Soarin, and the rest of the group all bid farewell to Applejack, though the rest followed soon after. Shortly after Applejack’s departure, Rarity explained that she had an order of dresses to take care of for a group of Canterlot ponies and they’d be sending someone to pick them up in about a week. The order was rather large and required an early start. A little while after the posh unicorn left, Fluttershy sadly had to leave because she wanted to make sure her animals were doing fine. The next to leave was Twilight. Princess Celestia had send her a letter about some spells that Twilight would need to study. Soarin didn’t want his new friends to all leave at once, but each and every one of them told him that they should do something together soon, to get to know each other more. Soarin would be happy to get to know Dash’s (or should he call her his marefriend?) friends better. He did enjoy her friends and thought they were all very nice, and a bit funny, ponies. All the remained were Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Pinkie Pie.

“We should get going soon. If we stay a little longer, Pinkie may do…some crazy Pinkie thing,” Dash whispered to Soarin.

“If you want to leave, then okay, though I’d love to see what else Pinkie has planned.” Soarin thought about her “Party Cannon” and the way she literally bounced around at the party she threw for him. He also thought of the party Pinkie had thrown and how her hug forced his face into her breasts. There was no doubt that with a body like hers, getting a stallion was a simple task. Soarin hoped the other sex didn’t take advantage of her; Pinkie probably wouldn’t let them though. She was a sweet pony, but not naive. The subject of his thoughts then appeared from the kitchen with a tray of baked goods.

“I hate to make you two leave, but I totally forgot about a note left from the Cakes that said I had to prepare a bunch of cupcakes for some big party over in Fillydelphia!” Pinkie wore a frown on her face, but the presence of sweat on her forehead showed that she had much work to do.

“It’s okay, Pinks,” said Rainbow Dash with a hint of relief. “We were about to head out anyway. We’ve been here for, gosh, almost half the day! Did we really talk that long?”

“Evidently,” Soarin said. He had no idea they were talking for that long, yet he wished it was longer.

“You should come back tomorrow! I’ll show Soarin how to have fun, Pinkie Pie Style!” the merry magenta maned mare said. She then retreated back into the kitchen to get to work on the Cakes’ order.

Rainbow and Soarin left Sugarcube Corner, the latter’s arm around the former. Today had been another eventful day. A race, sex, embarrassment, and new friendships were all part of the day’s script and it made quite the film. Its stars, Soarin and Dash, were both a bit tired from the performances they had put in. Together, they decided to call it a day. Both traveled back to their respective homes to get some much needed rest. For Soarin, it had been a great start to his vacation. He had only been in Ponyville for two days, but they were two perfect days. Even the walk back to the Mane Hotel seemed to be enjoyable. Once he had reached his room, Soarin slid into his bed and thought about his vacation so far. It was exactly what he needed. The only time he thought of the Wonderbolts was when Dash’s friends asked him about it. Not once did he worry about getting a move right or an upcoming performance. Not a single worry about the Wonderbolts. On that note, Soarin succumbed to his tiredness and fell asleep.
When he awoke the next morning, he got ready for another day out in Ponyville, which he hoped would be another day out with Rainbow Dash. Soarin barely took two steps out the door when Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

“Pinkie!” A startled Soarin said. “Where’d you come from?”

“From Sugarcube Corner! I came here to tell you that Dash has got a whole buncha weather duties to take care of today and she wishes she could spend some time with you, but can’t.”

Soarin was immediately upset. He was looking forward to spending some more time with Dash, but won’t be able to now.

“Don’t look some gloom! You can spend the whole day with us now!” Pinkie Pie revealed the rest of her friends standing behind her. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and even Fluttershy were all there, each with a smile on their face.

“Wait, I thought you were all busy this week?” Soarin asked.

“We were, and still are, but we figured getting to know our best friend’s stallionfriend was a bit more important,” Rarity said.

“Plus, with you not being able to hang out with Dash and all, it would be a great time for you to get to know ya!” Applejack happily added.

The friendliness of his new companions warmed Soarin’s heart. Soarin had never met such welcoming ponies!

“Thanks for your consideration everypony, it really does mean a lot,” Soarin said. “I was just thinking last night about how I wanted to hang out with all of you guys, err, girls again.”

All five ponies smiled back at him. For the rest of the day, the group of ponies spent their time doing various things. Applejack taught Soarin how to properly buck apples and make apple juice. He wasn’t particularly good at it at first, but he was a quick learner. After bucking apples, Pinkie Pie showed Soarin how to make cupcakes. He was a bit more successful at that than the apple bucking, but he still created a large mess in the Sugarcube Corner kitchen. It was not problem for Pinkie though; she cleaned it right up in seconds. Pinkie didn’t simply get a broom and dust pan, she spun around and created a twister of pink that absorbed all of the mess that plagued the kitchen. Soarin decided not to question exactly how she did it. After the cupcake making, Rarity wanted to make Soarin a brand new suit. Knowing she already had much work to do, Soarin said she didn’t have to, but the talented designer insisted. Rarity worked wonders in only 15 minutes and created a brand new, very attractive looking suit for Soarin. He was more than impressed. Rarity was delighted by the fact that Soarin was going to tell everypony he knew about her talents; she’d be the most popular designer in Equestria! Once his time with Rarity was over, Fluttershy wanted Soarin to meet some of her favorite animals. At her cottage, she showed him the bunnies and birds she takes care of, but Soarin felt a bit uneasy when she introduced him to a bear. She assured him that the bear was harmless, but Soarin couldn’t help be but skeptical. Eventually, Soarin got over his uneasiness and even petted Fluttershy’s bear friend. He did actually enjoy it; not many ponies can say they’ve pet a bear before! Later, Soarin traveled to Twilight’s tree house. He was happy that he got to spend time with each pony separately, rather than doing something with them all at once. It allowed him to get to know them personally. When he was at Twilight’s, he was greeted by a small dragon who told him his name was Spike. Soarin had never seen a dragon in person before, but thought this one was rather friendly. Twilight was sitting reading a book when Soarin arrived. Rather than do some fun activity like her friends had, Twilight Sparkle just asked him several questions about Canterlot and Princess Celestia. He found it odd, though, as he knew Twilight was the princess’ personal student. However, he answered every question she had honestly, perhaps picking up a few tips from Applejack. In fact, all of his new friends taught him something new today. Being the Elements of Harmony, their respective element seemed to rub off on him. Whenever Soarin failed at bucking a tree, Applejack helped him correct his mistake in a sincere way. Baking with Pinkie was just a laugh riot and was one of the most enjoyable things Soarin had done in a long time. Rarity pleased Soarin with her generosity, something that’s hard to come by these days. Fluttershy brought out a new sense of kindness in Soarin through her animals. Now, Twilight couldn’t go and teach Soarin about magic, but she did encourage him to go and learn new things. He’s traveled across Equestria and never once learned about the exciting places he’d been to. Next time, for sure, he’d change that. His new friends made him feel like he had a new identity, like there was a whole new way to experience life. Whenever he returns to the Wonderbolts, he hopes he’ll implement the lessons his friends had taught him and not be so stressed out.

After his Q&A session with Twilight, Soarin decided it was time to return back home. With a smile and a book Twilight insisted he read (it was about pegasi flying tips), Soarin made his way back home. Few ponies were out on the streets, but they all received a hello and wave from Soarin. The Mane Hotel appeared on the horizon and Soarin felt some peace. It had been a long day and sleep sounded pretty nice. He fumbled with his key as he opened the door to his room. When he was inside, Soarin heard a beeping sound. He searched around to see where it was coming from until he found the source: a telephone. Soarin forgot that there was a phone along with an answering machine in his room, but he was more interested in seeing what the message said. Maybe it would be from Rainbow Dash! Though he was with her friends all day, he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. Optimistically, Soarin pushed play on the answering machine to start the recording. A familiar voice emitted from its speakers.