It seemed to the girls that only a hundreds of persons could be on the list of the invited pupils to the open house. Caught in the excitement, they all forgot this was the rule only for their school and Crystal Prep. Students from the other cities could come in an unlimited number and some even arrived on fully-packed buses.
Because of this, Fluttershy and Applejack had to move through a dense crowd, so noisy it seemed as though they’d never be able to speak in peace.
To find where Big Macintosh could be wasn’t an easy task. Indeed, stands weren’t distributed according to the field of studies, but according to each availability and fondness.
Of course, they were able to find students hosting an activity about the animal shelter where Fluttershy sometimes worked as a volunteer. They also got the chance to speak with a rodeo amateur who recognized Applejack. However, one of the young girls was a bit hungry for more.
She had imagined herself, chatting with him on the campus’ green lawns. They would have shut themselves away, and he would have explained her everything she needed to know. Maybe with a bit of luck, she could even have renewed her confession, and this time, he would have answer positively, though deep inside, she doubted things could change so quickly.
If she couldn’t find him at all, anyway, nothing would be happening. Yet, he’d assured to his sister he’d host an activity today. It meant he probably was somewhere around, and they hadn’t searched hard enough yet.
When Applejack nudged her, showing something with her chin at the same time, her panicked eyes got lost for a handful of seconds… And finally, a wide smile, uncontrollable, appeared on her face. His stand was so crowded they probably had passed it by and missed it earlier today.
An even more dense crowd was pressed against the table with canopy he’d erected on this side of the main yard. On the banner right above his head, drinks and pastries were painted. Beside him, another boy, with brown hair and blue eyes, that Applejack thought she already had seen before, was talking in a loudspeaker, as if hoping to attract more people, though getting to the stand already was difficult.
To open up the way through this flood of people, it was a whole strategy. Fluttershy couldn’t count how many persons stepped on her feet, pushed her shoulders, back, or even knocked her head. She apologized every time, as if she was the blame, and Applejack couldn’t find enough courage to tell her it was better to tell all those rude ones to go to hell.
“Ah thought we’d never get there”, she told her big brother once she and her friends had arrived.
“True it’s crowded”, Big Macintosh answered. “Hello, Fluttershy.”
“Hello…”
She wished she could help blushing, but she couldn’t. All he had done was to greet her, there was nothing to swoon for! Sometimes, when she reacted so disproportionally, she hated herself. He wasn’t going to change his mind about her if she kept on behaving like a small critter intimated by anything.
“Dya know Caramel, AJ? He used to live in our neighborhood…”
“Yeah, I do remember! Hi”, she said with a small wave of her hand.
“Hi”, the young man answered before taking back his loudspeaker.
Applejack could see Fluttershy was expecting something… But how could she make sure she’d be alone with Big Macintosh with such a huge crowd? Food and free drinks on such a sunny day? Nothing surprising in the success of their stand! There might be a way to get him away from here, even for a few minutes.
Ah, yes, there was one. She didn’t even need to look for some far-fetched or forced explanation, the way she did last summer. This time, there was no chance for Big Macintosh to get suspicious.
“Hey, big bro, can Ah try that stuff? This way, Ah could do it next year if Ah like it.”
He seemed to be thinking for a few seconds, his eyes going from Applejack to Fluttershy, then to Caramel. When the latter nodded with a thumb up, then he answered to Applejack’s request with his classical ‘eeyup’.
After they traded their place, and she had worn his apron, a bit too large for her, Big Macintosh found himself next to her friend, who couldn’t believe how lucky she was, but tried hard not to let show how fast her heart was beating, and how damp her hands were.
The young man explained his sister where to find the stock and in what dose to pour the apple juice in the glass, then he offered Fluttershy to visit the surroundings. She accepted without further ado, and less than one minute later, they were both waving goodbye.
He started to show her where the sciences building was, explaining that in her case, she would never have to attend the same class than students in chemistry, physics, astronomy, etcetera.
Then, he chose to bring her to the dormitories, all split a bit everywhere on the campus. She knew the young man was as shy as her and was surprise he was feeling so at ease with her that he hardly couldn’t stop speaking.
For all that, she didn’t want to delude herself. Maybe it meant he regarded her as a very good friend, which already was amazingly lucky.
To finish this little improvised visit, Big Macintosh decided to show her the tower from which was aired the university’s channel. It was located at the top of the building, and from the last floor with a complete bay-view window all around, there was an unobstructed view on the city. It was a sight she would be delighted of.
Plus, the place was rather intimate and he have an idea that she didn’t like sites that were noisy and swarming with people.
She was a calm personality, not fragile but very sensitive. Softness and kindness were two of her main qualities, and she had many. And she was a very pretty girl, with it…
As they were getting to the ultimate floor, after a short journey in the elevator where they ceased to speak or to look at each other, as soon as she saw the whole city at her feet, Fluttershy couldn’t stop her eyes from shining. It was stunning! All Canterlot was visible, even beyond the Royal Palace. She could even have a glimpse at her area, and the Apples’ farm, at the farthest end. And, though she suffered from fear of heights usually, here she was able to lower her head without feeling nauseous.
He knew this view by heart. On the other hand, he had never seen Fluttershy as marveled yet. Really, she was a delight. The kind of girl to be beautiful without the least of efforts, just by being herself. The kind of girl that was being presented as the ideal that any normal men wanted to be with.
Another would probably had taken his chance in front of a confession from her. And here he was being finicky, just because she didn’t fit his requirements. It was probably stupid. He knew couples that had formed though one of the person wasn’t at all the type of the other. A lot of them were working just fine, and some even were solider.
Fluttershy suddenly felt his eyes on her. Once again, she blushed, unable to do otherwise. He smiled at her… And she relaxed. If it didn’t get on his nerves, then it already was a good thing.
There was something like stuck inside her throat, asking her to get out. She tried to hold it back, memory of the previous time still fresh in her mind. Her heart would never cope with being rejected again.
Yet, something seemed to be slowly getting up, knocking against her vocal chords for her to let it out. Clenching her eyes and fists with all her might didn’t slow it down, no matter how hard she tried. And, Big Macintosh was looking at her in a funny way when she did this. He would take her for a real moron if she went on!
“I know you already told me I wasn’t your type of girl, and I came to term with it. But… I’m unable to kill my feelings for you. Yet, I did my best. But it’s impossible. Even if you can’t or don’t want to answer, you have to know it. If I keep it all for me, my heart’s going to explode. I love you, that’s the way things are. Sorry. I just can’t help.”
She hated herself. She hated herself because she let it out, that something. Now, not only did Big Macintosh think she was an idiot, but he’d also think she was a nuisance with it, and couldn’t take “no” for an answer.
The damage was done, but she regretted. Oh, how she regretted! She could never look into his eyes again, if at all.
So, her heart skipped a few beats when he put his hand on her shoulder, and the other under her chin, in order to lift up her face. A tender smile was floating on his own face, and he had plunged his green irises into hers, of a turquoise like a gemstone.
Of course, it had nothing of the intensity into Soarin’s eyes when he was looking at Rainbow Dash… But it already was the beginning of something. All she hoped now was that his words would fit his actions, and he wouldn’t repeat what he told her back in Fillydelphia.
“Imma gonna be honest with ya. Ah don’t think Am in love…”
It hurt. Fluttershy had wanted to get her body and face out of his hands, now burning her like scalding metal. If it was to say such things, he didn’t have to act nicely. It almost was more painful this way.
“And Am not really good at sayin’ stuff like that so don’t be mad at me if Am a lil’ clumsy. Ah think ya have a lot of great qualities. Ah could look at yar face for hours without bein’ weary cuz yar the prettiest gal Ah ever known. Ah can’t guarantee Ah’ll give ya what ya expect or Ah’ll make ya happy, but… Maybe we could try. Who knows? Maybe two shy persons together, it’s like minus plus minus, and we’re gonna defeat our flaw thanks to bein’ you and me.”
Now, it was as though no words could ever come out of her mouth. Fluttershy was in the middle of a dream. Had he just said he wanted to be with her after all? Though he had said he wasn’t in love with her, it truly was what his words meant.
She tried to suppress the tears coming in her eyes, but couldn’t. They weren’t sad, but happy tears, after all. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Her heart beat faster when she saw him leaning. Fluttershy hoped for a kiss, while being a bit scared… When finally, he put a peck against her forehead, she was almost reassured. It was a good compromise. And, he wasn’t about to heal from his shyness by magic, just like she wouldn’t too.
While they were going away together after looking at the Canterlot’s view for a while, unaware of time going by, she was feeling as if walking on air. Though they didn’t hold each other hands, the fact of being side by side while knowing that she could now call him her boyfriend, it was a delightful sensation, even better than everything she had imagined.
It was worth the tears, all those nights filled with hope. It was worth the journey through the campus, and everything that had happened until this very moment. She could never forget this wonderful day.
---------------------------------------------------
It was a day to end up on the scrap heap. Maybe not one of the worse, but definitely one of these days when nothing goes right. It was in the same movement that this all crappy week, anyway. From the moment her bracelet broke, she knew things would turn out badly.
To meet face to face with her exes and to discover they now were friends had been the disgusting boozy cherry on top of the failed pie. In all honesty, she would rather climb into a plane on the verge of crashing than spending time with them. Meaningful, when her phobia was known.
She hadn’t planned to stay in their company. But seeing Soarin once again surrounded by girls had pushed her to make this enormous mistake. Now, she knew her lesson, and she wouldn’t do the same mistake again.
It was outrageous to notice how neither of them had changed. College hadn’t made them more mature or intelligent. It was wonder what she found in them, out of their good appearance. Undoubtedly some kind of boasting side, which she identified with.
At least, now she understood what she really needed in a relationship. She didn’t need a perfect reflection of herself, but someone who’d she shared things sometimes a bit far from who she was, someone able to blow on her embers in order to stop her from burning everything on her way.
She needed Soarin, that was all there was to know. He was the only one who knew her good enough to know when she needed to be channeled, but imposing nothing, just by being himself. He was the only one who knew her deeply, beyond her image of braggart, also accepting what lied under the surface, even ugliness, weakness and fear.
When, as she was walking with him, Fireball and Pinkie Pie, between the locker room of the lacrosse team, Tornado wrapped an arm around her shoulders the way he used to do back when they were dating, she knew it was about time to put an end to the masquerade.
Her love story with the young man had only lasted for one semester, but she had learned to know him and his reactions. Each time he tried to get closer to her, it was because he wanted to make love. And each time, her body had tensed completely, and this time wasn’t an exception.
She had used the excuse of an urgent need to go to the bathroom in order to take away Pinkie Pie. In the washroom, she had warned her best friend about her intentions – she didn’t plan to meet them. She also had explained her how dating Fireball would be a bad idea, refreshing her memories about the way they broke up. When Pinkie Pie had sent the young man a message to tell him she was feeling sick and wanted to go back home, he answered her with an insult. QED.
The moment they had to meet the rest of the group approached, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t feeling good, and chose instead that her friend tell them she’d meet them later downtown. With her inconsistent mood, she was too scared to say something she would regret. It was better if she could calm down for a while before going.
Canterlot University’s basketball room was twice bigger than CHS’. It might be so thrilling to play here! However, she would never get this chance. In High School, everything still was possible, but university basketball was way too important to hope rules would be knocked down especially for her. No team would ever hire a backcourt player of less than 5,24 feet, no matter how gifted she was.
Rainbow Dash took a ball lying around the floor, and made a few dribbles, for no reason. In the middle of the field, she tried to score a basket, and unsurprisingly, her ball missed the net of something like 3 feet.
Steps resounded behind her, and she turned around, ready to mumble apologies if it happened to be someone from the College, here to call her to order.
Her heart skipped a beat in her chest when she realized that someone was no one else but Soarin.
They stared at each other for a while, unsure of what to say. Something told her she might as well run into his arms, telling him how sorry she was about everything, but on the other hand, her pride whispered to her it was all his fault after all.
She didn’t want to let that bad part of her win. Really, she didn’t. Yet, it was the side which won, and turning her back on him in order to get the ball back, she hit him with her biting question with a harsh voice.
“Did you have fun?”
Immediately, she bit her bottom lip, regretting she had given in. Of course, since her back was on him, he couldn’t see it.
“I could ask you the same thing, with your exes and all…”
Alright, she had it coming. However, this bitter answer drove her in another corner, and when she turned around in order to face him, there were flames in her eyes. Hostilities were about to happen. May the best team win!
“At least, I’m not always surrounded by skanks strutting at my feet. Soon you’ll be able to have your very own harem.”
“So, you’re going to lay all the responsibilities on me?! I can’t believe it!”
“Ah, because I’m the one who started, maybe?”
“Started? Can you hear what you’re saying?! We’re no longer five, you know.”
It wasn’t right. And even, it wasn’t going to fix things up. But she couldn’t control her words and gestures anymore… With an abrupt move, she threw the ball in her hands straight into his face, and thankfully, he was able to avoid it on time. It probably wouldn’t have miss its target if he didn’t have such good reflexes.
“Since you think I’m so immature, just take off. Come on, I’m not holding you back.”
“I never said you were immature… But sh*t, you’re treating me as if I’ve cheated on you, or something like this! I’m only being nice with people who’re nice to me as well. What the hell are you expecting from me?”
“I don’t know, maybe you not to behave as if you were single.”
“I’m not behaving as if I were single. You’re the one who sees things this way. I can’t reject everyone, just because I’m dating you. And frankly, how dare you lecture me when you’ve strutted with your exes all over my campus?!”
“I did this because of you, if you really want to know.”
A clearing of throat stopped them. Soarin recognized Wave Chill, a Wondercolt, the one he had made a favor to by taking his place at the climbing facility, and thanks to who, in a certain way, he had been able to find Rainbow Dash. So many times had he thanked him for this gift from above… Far from having regrets, conversely, the young man wondered how did they get there while one week ago everything was perfect between them.
By the way his girlfriend looked at his teammate, a way telling him he’d better get the hell out of here as soon as possible, Soarin knew this chance of a truce wasn’t going to come true. She was determined to duke it out.
“Can’t we argue alone?” she said as if she wanted to hit him with her words.
Immediately, the young man turned as red as a chili, mumbled apologies, and flee without further ado. As long as the opponent wasn’t in the middle of a basketball match, he’d never been very brave when in front of aggressiveness.
Rainbow Dash and Soarin were now closer, a few feet away. For all that, she wasn’t going to extend an olive branch. And he hadn’t forgotten what she had said before they were interrupted. He was the blame. He didn’t know how or why, but he was the blame.
“Did you ask him to come?” she asked, still aggressive. “You really thought you would get away with this so easily?”
“I didn’t. And honestly, before thinking “I could get away with this”, it would be better if I knew what I did wrong.”
“What you did?! What you did?! Now that Sir is leader, Sir is surrounded by groupies and you still wonder what you did wrong.”
“Here we are. She’s jealous. It’s ridiculous! I don’t even know these girls, what do you want me to do with them? Go back on earth.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t, or you don’t want to?”
“I’m jealous of them because they’re sexual!!”
Her revelation instantly cut any other words going up in his throat. Soarin saw tears appearing in the corner of his girlfriend’s eyes, though she did her best not to let them fall.
How long could they remain this way, hurting each other more and more, before she finally told him the truth hidden behind this sudden crisis? Yet, she knew she could tell him anything. And if she hadn’t let him guess what was wrong with her by trying to make him be jealous as well, they could have avoided these three days of torture – and this argument.
Now that he knew, everything was clearer. The problem wasn’t the fact he was nice with these girls; it even wasn’t the girls themselves. It was what they represented. This, he could understand.
“Why didn’t you tell me before? It feels like… You don’t trust me.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that… What if you left me? For now, everything’s fine, you’re satisfied with things such as they are, but nothing tells me you won’t grow tired after some time. You could choose a pretty girl who has sex on a regular basis, because you’re no superhero, you’re only human.”
Here. She let it out, the naked truth, deprived of any tricks. What clenched her stomach each time she saw one of his fans around him, by means of charming smiles and fluttering eyelashes. She always had this fear deep inside her guts, but since he was leader and his popularity had increased, her fear had grown to the extent of taking over all the rest.
It hadn’t been very smart from her to make him furious with her exes the way she’d done. If she could, Rainbow Dash would’ve slapped herself for having done such a terrible nonsense.
Traces of hostility had now disappeared from her face, and she was ready to step in his direction. If only she still wasn’t worried about this answer that was slow to arrive.
What she’d said was true. He was nothing but a human being, and he had needs, needs he knew she couldn’t fulfill, or at least, not immediately. There was just a little detail she omitted, and which changed everything.
“But the other girls… They’re not you. You’re the only one I’m fond of, the only one who I’d like to have sex with, like you said. Because… I’m in love with you. Desperately.”
Someone already told her he was in love with her. In fact, it was Tornado. But it never had the same impact on the inside of her body. Alright, she wasn’t keen of things which were overflowing with sentimentality, yet this wasn’t completely what it was. It also was a truth, and it felt good to hear it, whatever her pride might say about it, especially as it came from him, Soarin. Who she was in love with as well, though she didn’t dare saying it out loud yet.
“But… What if it never happens? For how long will you be able to put up with something like this? I have no right to deprive you from this, it would be unfair.”
“We’ll figure it out. Thanks to communication, like right now. I believe in us.”
It seemed to Rainbow Dash, no matter what she could say, that he would always find a way to block her remarks. Far from upsetting her, it was exactly what she needed to be reassured completely. Yes, she would always be a bit scared, somewhere inside. It didn’t make much difference now… And, with Soarin by her side, there was nothing she could overcome.
Her last wall shattered into million pieces, the young woman finally decided to put an end to her stupid pride, and ran to the boy she loved, wrapping her arms around his neck. Because she was too small, and was wearing sneakers, she could hardly stay on her tiptoes, and finally moved her embrace around Soarin’s waist, who was holding her tight as well, with all the tenderness he had inside.
Earlier, she felt as if it would be impossible for her to stop frowning… Instead, she now had the sensation that her smile could never disappear. Everything was so much better when the truth was unleashed rather than buried deep inside.
---------------------------------------------
Zephyr had met his little sister Fluttershy a bit earlier, happier than ever. He had no idea about what could make her feel so good, but she really was radiant, surrounded by the girls of her bunch of friends, minus one – he couldn’t help but to notice.
When he asked a question about her absence – instead of asking why his little sister suddenly was so cheerful – Pinkie Pie confessed she was upset, because she on the outs with Soarin or something like this, and she’d told her she would be going to score a few baskets in order to relax a bit.
It made his blood boil, and immediately, he went running in the direction of the basketball room. It wasn’t a place he was used to go yet, so he got a little lost before meeting a member of the team by chance, who was on his way.
“If I were you, I’d avoid to walk around there”, the young man brought the precision. “Soarin and his boo are seriously arguing!”
Zephyr barely had thanked him for showing him the way and he had dashed towards the place, his heart lighter than air. His time had finally arrived. There was troubles ahead between Rainbow Dash and her lanky basketball player, which meant they would maybe part, with a bit of luck, and she could notice there was someone head over heels for her, who would never make her sad or angry.
All jolly, he stepped into the room, which seemed to be plunged into silence. This detail should have let him guess… But like often, he chose to ignore the clues, focused on his so-called chance.
His enthusiasm plummeted straight towards the waxed floor. Soarin and Rainbow Dash were still here, but they weren’t busy arguing. They were kissing, slowly and softly, like in a movie.
His heart in shreds, Zephyr went the other way, without a sound, so silently the two lovebirds hadn’t even noticed his presence.
One more failure. It was discouraging. However, for once in his lifetime, he didn’t want to let go, the way he did so many times. One day, Rainbow Dash would be his, he would keep on doing anything for it. It took a lot more to pull him down, oh yes, so much more.