//------------------------------// // Boulder has a lot to say // Story: Dear Aggy // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// There has to be an easier way for earth ponies to open letters, Maud thought to herself. For just a brief moment, she was envious of the ease that unicorns possessed, but it passed. She could manage, if she had to, and the difficulty opening envelopes was character building. Yes, the papercuts on the lips was character building. Or the sudden, unexpected slice right on the tip of the tongue. Maud felt her dock tense up super-tight just thinking about it. Ouch. The script on the envelope was loose, a bit loopy, and full of exaggerated flourishes. She tore open one end, blew into it, and following a well-practiced routine, she dumped it out on her desk. With a few somewhat clumsy pats, she unfolded it, then she picked up Boulder from where he sat and dropped him on top of the letter, using him as a paperweight. The letter was a short one, by the looks of it. Dear Aggy The other day I was walking down the street and I saw this amazing filly. She’s beautiful and perfect and amazing and she’s all I can think about. The problem is I’m a filly too. I’m supposed to like colts, not fillies! Is something wrong with me? And what if she doesn’t like me back? Will she hate me? And what do I tell my parents? Will they hate me too? How do I approach her? How do I approach my parents? I’m so scared of ruining my life. Sincerely, Crushed Two Ways “Hmm,” Maud hummed to herself as she continued to stare at the letter after reading it. “We get a lot of these, don’t we, Boulder?” With a sigh, Maud rested both of her forelegs against the edge of her desk, and she leaned forwards over the letter. Her eyes narrowed, just a little, and her nostrils flared, just a little, and it was obvious to anypony that knew Maud well that she was concentrating. Peals of laughter could be heard elsewhere in the house, but she ignored those, so focused was she on her task. “What do you mean, Boulder, that you are attracted to trees? How come this is the first time I’m hearing about this dendrophilia? Trees give you wood? Is that a pun, Boulder? We’ve talked about puns, they’re awful. What do you mean, ‘Is it okay?’ Of course it is… oh…” Maud paused, and her long eyelashes fluttered while she blinked. “You had me going there, Boulder. Way to make a point. You know, if you really were attracted to trees, I’d be okay with that.” On the desk, Boulder did absolutely nothing, nothing at all. “You’re right. We need to get down to the root of the problem.” Maud sighed, fearing she had been duped into another pun, and she shook her head. “Right, Boulder. Let’s get to work, shall we? Just tell me what to write, and I’ll get to work.” Dear Crushed Two Ways, Nopony is obligated to like anypony. Or anything for that matter. What you like or don’t like is equinal preference. It’s okay to like fillies, or dragons, or filly dragons, or even dragons who are into fillies. Just take your time and figure out what it is that you like. Don’t rush into it. Rushing into it is a surefire way to evoke disaster. Just like how you like fillies, the filly you find yourself attracted to might have her own attractions. This part requires you to be courageous; just go up and talk to her. Before you can do anything, you have to try and be her friend. Once you are her friend, that makes things a little easier, because friends share secrets. Create a situation in which secrets can be shared, like a party or a sleepover, and when it feels right, reveal that you are into fillies. If she’s interested, she’ll respond. If not, well, there might be a lot of reasons why she doesn’t respond right away. She might need time to figure out who and what she likes. This is where friendship is important, you can be there to help her out. Even if the relationship that you hope for doesn’t work out, you still have opportunities to grow as a pony. As for your parents, that’s a trickier question to answer. Time is on your side here. Don’t rush into things. Rehearse it, if you feel the need, and if you are unsure about the encounter, bring supportive friends so you are not outnumbered. It can be intimidating to talk to your parents and your family, because there are all of them and just one of you. Having a supportive group of friends can help you make sure your voice is heard if things go wrong. Foals naturally want to obey their parents, and sometimes, parents can take advantage of this, even if they don’t mean to. It happens. A friend can step in to defend you if your parents treat you like their foal, rather than the individual you are trying to be. A close friend of mine married outside of her tribe, and she worried about her parents reactions. As it turned out, her fears were unfounded, and she worried for no reason. If you are really, really worried, and have parents who aren’t interested in things that are different, you don’t have to tell them. They don’t have to know. Or if you feel the need to tell them, for whatever reason, find a responsible adult, such as a teacher, or a mentor, but somepony that you trust so that they can act as a referee, if you can’t get a group of friends together for some reason. One final parting bit of advice. Rejection happens. Life is full of it. It stings. You’ll get over it. With love and support, Aggy. With the letter finished, Maud picked it up and gave it a once-over, then said to Boulder, “You sure are long winded. I think it works though. Let’s not send it off right away, I want to think about it some more, and we’ll come back to it later. That was a nice touch, by the way, mentioning your friend. I was terrified to bring Tarnish home to my parents. I mean, he’s a unicorn, and because of Miss Lulamoon, Daddy didn’t like unicorns. Yes, Boulder, I was Chicken Pot Pie that day. Now stop laughing, that’s not nice.” Before she got up, Maud organised her workspace a bit, stowing away her pen, throwing her paper scraps into the wastebasket, and when she was done, she gave her pet rock an affectionate pat with her hoof. “I hope my foals won’t be afraid to come to me when the time comes… you know, Boulder, it scares me too. I wonder how afraid my parents were?” With this last sober thought, Maud rose from her desk, picked up Boulder, slipped him into a pocket, and then she walked away, contemplating what it meant to be a parent.