You Don’t Have To Be Shy With Me

by Stormbringer

CHAPTER SIX: Are You Crazy?

About four moons later in Cloudsdale…

“And you’re doing well at your job?” asked Mrs. Shy. “You never write or visit.”
“Oh yeah mom,” said Zephyr Breeze. “Doing good, real good.”
“Are you making any new friends?” asked the father.
“As a matter of fact,” said Zephyr, starting to sound nervous, “it’s kind’a the reason I’m here.”
“Oh?” asked the mother a little suspicious. “Why is that?”
“Mom, my friend, Cumulonimbus, We call him Nim. He’s a real nice guy. Good job and hardly ever drinks. At least not too much. We were talking and he was saying how he’d like to find a nice quiet mare.
Well Flutters immediately jumped to mind. I told him all about my big sis and he’s really looking forward to meeting her. In fact he’s meeting me here later today so we can go on to Ponyville.”
Zephyr saw odd looks on his parent’s faces.
“What’s the problem?”
“Honey,” said Mrs. Shy, “Fluttershy has been in a serious relationship for several moons now.”
“What?” said Zephyr, “come on. He can’t be better than Nim. I’m sure when she meets him, she’ll change her mind.”
“Zephyr,” said the father, “I doubt that your sister is going to change her mind. She’s loves Twilight very much.”
“Twilight?” said Zephyr, “That’s an odd name for a stallion. It almost sounds like the princess in Ponyville.”
“That’s because it is.” Said the mother, “she and Fluttershy are a couple.”
Zephyr was starting to panic. This was bad, very very bad. He couldn’t let his parents know the real reason for this visit.
“No, no, no!” exclaimed Zephyr, “Fluttershy can’t be some mare-lover! If you won’t stop her and straighten her out, Then I Will!”

Zephyr stormed out, neither parent had ever seen their son act like this. They figured that there had to be more to it.
“Honey,” said Mr. Shy, “I think we need to get a warning to Shy-Shy. I guess I need to take off to Ponyville. Zephyr said he had to meet his friend first.”
“No dear,” said the mother, “the doctor said you need to limit stress because of your heart.”
“But Fluttershy!”
“I’ll go dear,” said the mother, “last check up the doctor gave me a clean bill of health. So there should be no problem.”
“Then be careful, my dear. Something tells me that there might be more going on than what it appears.”
The couple kissed, Mrs. Shy removed her apron and put on a pair of old flight goggles, went through the door and took to the sky.

Latter…

Rainbow Dash was finishing up some afternoon weather chores when he saw at a distance a Pegasus she thought was Fluttershy, at first. But as they approached, she saw that the mane and tail were a darker reddish than her friend. Then she recognized the pony was a mare that was almost a second mother to herself as she was growing up.
“Mrs. Shy?” Rainbow asked herself.
She’d never seen the quiet mare flying this fast and this far from Cloudsdale. Rainbow took off like a shot in the direction of her foalhood friend’s mother.
As Rainbow drew close, she heard the mare calling out to her in a voice and volume she’d never heard before.
Rainbow quickly flew up beside her. Mrs. Shy didn’t slow or stop.
“Mrs. Shy! What’s up?”
“Rainbow!” said Mrs. Shy breathlessly, “where’s Fluttershy?”
“I think she’s at her cottage. Twilight had a lot of meetings at the castle so she was taking care of some of her animal friends. Why?”
“I think Zephyr isn’t using his common sense and is about to cause a lot of trouble for himself and Fluttershy.”
“When has Zeph ever had any common sense?”

The two Pegasi banked toward Fluttershy’s cottage. In spite of trying her best not to out run the older mare, Mrs. Shy was hard pressed to keep up. But she was able to let Rainbow know what was going on.

“There you go Mrs. Skunk,” said Fluttershy as she finished bandaging the little animal’s left hind leg. “You know that badgers have a very short temper, and are immune to your… Uh… Defense.”
The animal chattered a thank you that Fluttershy could understand.
Fluttershy opened the cottage door to let Mrs. Skunk out and was surprised to see her mother and Rainbow Dash about to knock.
“Mom!” said Fluttershy, shocked to see her ‘stay at home’ mother this far from Cloudsdale. “What’s wrong? Is daddy okay?”
“He’s fine dear,” said Mrs. Shy, “It’s your brother Zephyr…”
“Is he hurt?” asked Fluttershy afraid.
“No,” said Rainbow, angered, “but he’s about to be.”
“You better explain,” said Fluttershy motioning to a couch.

Mrs. Shy explained the visit this morning by the younger brother. How she was concerned that this might be more than Zeph’s closed mindedness. The fact that they hadn’t heard from him for moons and then him showing up like he did.

“I know this must really hurt, Rainbow,” said Mrs. Shy.
“Okay!” said Rainbow, trying not to be upset at Fluttershy’s mother. “I’ve never liked Zephyr, at least that way. The only reason I haven’t done anything ‘drastic’ and become upset is that he’s your son and Flutter’s brother.
To tell the truth, he never had a chance. In fact, Fluttershy had more of a chance.

If you know what I mean.”

Mrs. Shy smiled a small smile.
“You knew this already!” said Rainbow.
“I’ve had to have my fun somehow,” said Fluttershy’s mother.
Rainbow facehoofed but wasn’t really upset. It was a good joke. Rainbow was impressed at how long Mrs. Shy had kept it up.

“So tell me again what Zephyr said,” said Fluttershy.
“He said his friend was looking for a nice mare.” Said the mother, “and he got really upset when he heard you were with Twilight. He had such a reaction about ‘mare-lovers’. I’ve never heard him speak that way ever. He always was of a mindset of tolerance of everything almost to the point of apathy. I’m afraid something is going on and he’s not telling everything.”
“I think I might need to go get Twi,” said Rainbow.
“Yes Rainbow,” said Fluttershy, “and I fear you might need to hurry.”

Rainbow nodded and streaked out the door and flew off leaving her spectral trail behind. Fluttershy went and closed and locked her front door.

Twilight was just wrapping up her meeting and seeing the Ponyville elders out the door when Rainbow came streaking up.

“Twi, come quick!” shouted the blue Pegasus.
“Hold on, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I’m just saying good bye.”
“No time!” said Rainbow, “it’s Fluttershy, and there may be trouble.”
“Excuse me ponies,” said Twilight as she took off toward her marefriend’s cottage.

Rainbow didn’t know that Twilight could fly that fast. But it was her marefriend, Rainbow would feel the same way.

Landing in front of Fluttershy’s cottage, they saw something that told them something was wrong. The door was off its hinges and there was blood just inside the opening.

“Butterfly!” screamed Twilight.

Twilight and Rainbow rushed inside only to see Zephyr laid out on the floor, He was bleeding from his muzzle and he was crying. He looked bad.
Twilight’s aura surrounded the stallion and lifted him face to face with Twilight.

“Where-Is-Your-Sister!” yelled Twilight.
The stallion started to cry harder. Twilight’s aura pulled Zephyr closer.
“If you don’t tell me where your sister is, and right now,” said Twilight threateningly between clenched teeth. “you will find your worthless self in the dungeon at Canterlot Castle.”
Zephyr saw the fire in Twilight’s eyes. He suddenly was more afraid for this than what Nim had threatened.
“Rainbows, help me out here please,” said the stallion, “I thought I meant something to you.”
“Zeph,” said Rainbow as angry as Twilight, “the only thing you ever meant to me was as Fluttershy’s brother. Whatever you thought was between us was your own delusion. If I were you, I’d talk now or perhaps you’ll want Twilight to change her mind and send you to Tartarus on a permanent basis.”
Then Rainbow looked around.
“And where’s your mother?”
“I’m here Rainbow.” Said Mrs. Shy coming in the room. “She was holding a cool cloth to her eye. Apparently she’d been attacked also. “Twilight, please put him down and let me handle this.”
Twilight saw a look in her eyes that she understood. For the sake of her love’s mother she dropped Zephyr, rather hard.
“Yes ma’am,” said Twilight in respect to Fluttershy’s mom.
Mrs. Shy bent down and grabbed Zephyr’s ear in her teeth, none too gently. Then she pulled him up. Then released him.

“That hurt!” cried Zephyr.
“What’s really going on!” said the mare ignoring her son’s complaint and speaking louder than Rainbow had ever heard her foalhood friend’s mother.
“Can we at least sit down?”
“Sit,” commanded Twilight, “I’ll be right back.”
Twilight went to the open door and whistled a loud shrill whistle. A moment later Twilight returned being followed by a large brown bear.

“Now explain what’s going on,” said Twilight threateningly, “I’m the Princess of Friendship and therefore honor bound not to do any harm. But Fluttershy’s friend Harry here isn’t bound to any of that. And he takes his friendship with Fluttershy extremely seriously.

NOW TALK!”

Harry snarled looking at the frightened stallion. His long claws and bared teeth told Zeph all he needed to know about the deadly peril he was in from this friend of his sister. He was only now discovering that what he’d agreed to would have never worked and now it may cost his freedom by Twilight or his life by Harry.

Zephyr took a deep breath and started his explanation.