//------------------------------// // Discussing // Story: Perfect On Paper // by NintendoGal55 //------------------------------// In the doorway stood Twilight, with her eyes wide open and her jaw dropped. The moments following her exclamation, she was completely silent. As were Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who stared at the lavender unicorn with wide eyes. If not for it being the middle of the morning, you could swear you heard the sound of crickets chirping. It was just that quiet, with awkward tension lingering in the air, and only getting thicker as time ticked by at what seemed like snail's pace. Unable to take the silence any longer, Rainbow Dash groaned loudly and buried her face in her hooves. She even flew into the air a few feet above the floor, letting out frustrated little yells. “YES! It's true, okay?! I should have kept my big mouth shut! But yes, Fluttershy loves me! ME! And oh, you might think, 'But what's wrong with that?' and in principle there's nothing wrong with that. But I don't feel that way about her! Now thanks to this, I hurt her! Badly! I made her CRY, Twilight! I made her CRY because of me!! I will hate myself for that for the rest of my life! Sure Fluttershy will be better in time and I will be too, but I'll never forget that big sad heartbroken face filled to the rim with tears!! Sometimes I just wish that I-” “Rainbow! Calm down already!” Twilight scolded loudly, catching the hysterical Pegasus in a ray of her magic. She lowered her down to the floor, releasing her. “Okay, now that I see what's going on, I think we can properly assess the situation. Like adults.” “I quite agree, Twilight,” Rarity spoke up. “However, I don't think we can blame her. She feels absolutely terrible about hurting Fluttershy this way.” “I understand,” Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash. “I'm sorry about that, Rainbow. I had no idea you were even here, and then I just walked in as you said that. I didn't mean to, though, and I'm sorry about it.” “Just...don't tell anypony, okay?” Rainbow Dash sat up, rubbing her hooves sheepishly. “I just...it's not my place to talk about it, really. I just told Rarity because of...circumstances, I guess. But just don't. I really can't hurt Fluttershy any further. Rarity apparently already knows, so...” “It's true, I do know. I've known for a few weeks...and even before that, I did have my suspicions,” Rarity admitted. “Did you, Twilight?” “...Not explicitly,” Twilight said, smiling sheepishly. “Actually, I did sometimes see the way Fluttershy looks at Rainbow, which isn't all that subtle, now that I think about it. And she's the only pony that she ever really gets all that close to...” “Oh, GREAT! So everypony but ME knew about her feelings?!” Rainbow ranted in frustration. “Fantastic! Then oh, how about Zecora? But let's not stop there! How about ALL of Ponyville? No! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! No! ALL of Equestria!! Everypony EVERYWHERE knew but me!” Twilight rolled her eyes, sighing. “Rainbow, now you're just being silly. Come on, I know this might be...a little frustrating, but you need to calm down. This is not helping anything. So, how long have you known?” “Since last night,” Rainbow told her, looking down at the floor. “It's a long story, though. But when I found her crying, I asked her what was wrong and it eventually led to her confessing her feelings.” “Okay,” Twilight nodded, and thought for a moment about what to say next. “So...now you have a date?” Rainbow Dash nodded a little. “Yeah, with Comet. We're going to Canterlot on Thursday,” The lack of enthusiasm in the Pegasus' voice came off strangely to the lavender unicorn. But she decided not to press it, given that the situation wasn't exactly leaving her to be that thrilled. “It is indeed true,” Rarity clarified. “I'm making a suitable dress for her, in fact!” “Oh, I see,” Twilight smiled a bit at that. “Well Rainbow, I'll admit I'm not the best expert in love, but I do know a thing or two, I guess. At least you did try to let Fluttershy down gently, didn't you?” “Yeah,” Rainbow sighed, standing up straight. “she'll be fine, I guess. I just hope she will be. I never meant to hurt her, and I never in my life thought I would, not like this.” Twilight smiled in sympathy, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “I know, and it's nice that you are compassionate of her feelings, Rainbow. That's very big of you to try to understand and still want to be there for Fluttershy.” “I wouldn't the Element of Loyalty if I cast her away because of THAT!” Rainbow rolled her eyes, but grinned. “No, I guess you wouldn't,” Twilight laughed a bit. “Anyway, don't worry. I won't tell anypony. Whenever you feel ready to talk about it all, that will be on your own terms.” “Of course, darling,” Rarity agreed. “Now then, shall we see to your dress?” Fluttershy could feel the eyes of everypony on her. Of course, she knew why. Considering that she was walking with her head hanging low, her shoulders and withers slumped, and oftentimes sniffling. She was clearly the image of a pony who was depressed and wearing her heart on her sleeve. She sighed, trying hard to ignore the eyes of all the ponies she passed. All she could think of right now was that she needed somepony to talk to. Most especially, somepony who understood this. It was no wonder she had eventually found herself at the Carousel Boutique. Rarity was pretty much the only one she could turn to at the moment, considering she actually knew about her feelings, and would even have the best advice when it came to dealing with heartbreak. Without even knocking, Fluttershy entered the shop. Rarity wasn't downstairs, she noticed, and decided to look upstairs. She could swear she heard her voice up there, on top of that. Was she talking to herself, or to somepony? Regardless, she followed the source of her voice, coming to find her bedroom/inspiration room door slightly ajar. Before she raised her hoof to open it, she froze upon hearing a certain voice. “-be fine, really! Just need the dress in time for that date! As for Fluttershy...well, when she's ready to see me, I'm gonna sit her down and we'll talk about it. One thing for sure, I'll do what I can in my power to make her feel better!” Fluttershy felt her throat seize, tears pool in her eyes, and her muscles seem to weaken as she realized Rainbow Dash was here too. “Just do be careful, Rainbow Dash. You know that a lot of what you will do may remind her of what she has lost,” Rarity was saying. “I know, yeah,” Rainbow responded, sounding a little sad then. “But I'll figure something out! I don't care what happens to me. I just want Fluttershy to be happy again.” 'Rainbow...my love...please stop it...stop making me fall in love with you even more!' Fluttershy felt tears pool down her face. “You'll figure something out, Rainbow!” This was another voice, Twilight to be exact. “You know her the best, I think you'll be able to do something nice for her.” Fluttershy squeaked in fear. Now Twilight knew?! “You're right...thanks, ladies. I'd better go, I have some things to take care of!” Before Fluttershy could move, the door was swung open the rest of the way to reveal Rainbow Dash there. She immediately took notice of Fluttershy, and gaped, her eyes wide. “Oh! Hey there, Fluttershy...didn't know...you were there...heh...” Rainbow smiled nervously. “So uh, I'm just leaving...you know...I won't bother you!” “Th-That's all right...um...well...h-have a good day...Rainbow Dash...” Fluttershy looked away from her. “Yeah...you too...” The cyan Pegasus gave a nervous, toothy grin that couldn't have been more forced than it already was. “Take care...and stuff...” “Of course...” Fluttershy hid her face with her mane before trotting off into Rarity's room. “Ah, Fluttershy dear!” Rarity was at her side in an instant, hugging her. “...I heard about what had happened last night. Oh, darling...I'm sorry.” “I heard about it, too. By accident, mind you,” Twilight said sympathetically. “Do you want to talk about it?” Wiping her eyes, Fluttershy nodded as she sat down on the floor. “Last night...before the fireworks, I had invited Rainbow over for dinner. ...It was such a lovely time... I even had the courage to admit that I liked mares...you know...as a lead-in for my feelings, to see an indication of where we stood. She admitted the same thing, and I was so happy. I felt I might have had at least a small chance, right?” “Of course, darling!” Rarity nodded. “While it may be so that just because somepony likes the same sex that you are and that you like, may not mean that...but it is a chance.” “That's true,” Twilight agreed. “Okay, well...” Fluttershy looked down at the floor then. “After dinner, we went to the park and met up with Blazing Comet. We found a spot, we sat for a while...oh, but it didn't go well. Not for me. I felt like a third wheel! I was beginning to even regret going...I just...I wanted to be alone with her! Oh, but that's so selfish of me, isn't it? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so selfish!” Rarity's eyes widened, but she shook her head and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Darling, do calm down! That certainly isn't selfish! It's understandable you had wanted to be alone with her, even if that hadn't worked out.” “Rarity's right. At least you kept that discreet, Fluttershy. You're not selfish, you had plans in mind and you needed to be alone with her in order to make it work,” Twilight said with understanding. “But it's nice you all hung out.” “Yes, but as I said...I felt like a third wheel. So, to try to think things over and get away from it all, I offered to go get some drinks. I did, so then I was heading back and trying to think of a good plan to tell Rainbow how I felt. By then, I figured maybe I could wait until after the show. I could have had her take me home, or maybe I'd take her home. Simple, isn't it? Well, I had this in mind...I went up the hill back to our spot, feeling anxious but ready to just enjoy the fireworks with them. But as I got close...” Fluttershy began to cry again at the memory, trembling a little bit. “I...saw them kissing...and I knew...I was not only too late, but she was in love with somepony else....namely her new friend.” Rarity and Twilight exchanged glances before looking back at the saddened Pegasus. But before they could speak up, Fluttershy continued her story. “I saw it, and I just couldn't watch. So...I left my bags behind so they could still drink their sodas, and I flew off. Yes, I should have said something...so in a way, looking back, I brought all of this on myself.” “Fluttershy-” Rarity began, but was cut off. “No, I did. I should have simply told them I wanted to leave. At the time, I knew I wouldn't be able to lie, since I was crying by then. I was even afraid of spilling how I felt because I was so upset!” Fluttershy moaned, still not looking at them. “I went home, got into bed and just cried... Then Rainbow showed up, having followed me home after she found my bags. She asked me what was wrong, trying to comfort me. I...I just...I let it out, girls...I told her I loved her. While I'm glad she didn't freak out or get upset...it just hurt because I knew she didn't love me back! I just couldn't deal with that then. I needed my space from her, and still do. I just need to come to terms with the fact...that I...” “That you what?” Twilight prompted gently. “That I will NEVER be good enough for her!” The creamy yellow mare wailed in despair, wiping her eyes of the tears that were falling freely. “Don't even try to sugarcoat it! It's true! I had something of a chance, delving into the unknown of where we may have stood. But now I know better! There is no room in her heart for a weak flier who lacks strength and confidence! I'm not good enough for her...I never will be. Only fast, daring, adventurous, flying, confident, brave ponies could ever be good enough for her. I have to accept that...” “Darling, now see here!” Rarity chided. “You must know that is simply untrue. You can't possibly think that the unrequited love has to do with you being different from Rainbow Dash!” “Rarity's right,” Twilight agreed, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Look, you're upset and not thinking rationally, and that's perfectly understandable. But it's not true. As far as I can see, Rainbow cares about you a lot. This isn't my place to say, Fluttershy, but at the prospect of losing you forever...I saw a look of panic on her face that I had never seen in her before. She doesn't want to lose you, and she feels terrible for having hurt you like this.” Rarity nodded, gently lifting Fluttershy's head up so that they could meet her gaze. “She does indeed, darling. I could see since Rainbow Dash arrived that she had wanted nothing more than to make amends with you, and make sure you would be okay. Don't ever think you're not good enough for her. Because you are, Fluttershy. Don't doubt it! I for one always believed you two would make a lovely couple.” Fluttershy's lips quivered as she looked down at the floor again. “P-Please don't say that!!” “Oh, sorry...” Rarity realized, and nodded. “I'm only speaking the truth, but I will not say such things again now.” “Much as I agree, now that I think about it, we'll move on,” Twilight assured. “I'm sorry...I'm so sorry about it all...I want to be happy for her...I do...but I can't! All I can do is feel sorry for myself! I hate that...I don't want to be selfish or to think only of myself when I want my beloved to be happy! I want Rainbow Dash's happiness more than anything! But all I can think of is that I lost her forever! You know Comet, she's PERFECT for her! In so many ways!” Fluttershy wailed, crying all over again. “Now I'm pathetic! Crying and wailing like a baby! That's what I am...pathetic.” “Fluttershy!” Rarity scolded as if a mother to her child. But she softened, bringing a foreleg around her. “Darling, don't even say that. You have every right to feel upset. You're allowed to just cry, let it all out, and grieve the loss of being with her as you wanted. You love her, darling, and I think we can all understand that you're completely heartbroken. Anypony would feel this way! It's all right. But, you see? The fact that you acknowledge such a thing indicates how much of a good friend you are. You still want to be happy for her, which is wonderful, even if right now, you can't be. That's all right! It will come in time, that I promise you. You just have to give yourself time to heal, time to come to terms with the situation, and be able to move forward and move on.” Fluttershy sniffled, laying her head on Rarity's shoulder for comfort. “I've loved her for a long time...I don't think I'll ever get over her.” “Well, getting over somepony and moving on aren't exactly the same thing,” Twilight offered. “It's kind of like forgive and forget. You may forgive, but you'll likely never forget.” “The thing is...I was so happy being in love with her. Being in love is a wonderful feeling,” Fluttershy confessed, sniffling. “But now all I can think of is that I lost her forever.” “Not forever, Fluttershy. There IS a chance they might break up,” Twilight offered. “But I'm not trying to trivialize relationships, either. There is a chance they could break up, because really, nothing is set in stone. It's not as if she's getting married! But the thing is, even though you may keep it in mind, you also shouldn't treat it as a possible waiting period. You just can't get your hopes up.” “Exactly right, dear,” Rarity rubbed her back in comfort, producing a kerchief with her magic to wipe Fluttershy's tears. “All that aside, we're here for you. We can understand you're hurting right now, and if you need time alone, just let us know.” “I just needed to talk a bit about it to somepony...” Fluttershy sniffled, her voice still broken with emotion. “Oh...I'll never stop loving her...I almost wish I never did...but I can't help it...and all she seems to ever do is make me love her, make me want her even more! Oh, I'm pathetic.” Twilight shook her head, facing Fluttershy again. “That's not true. You are not pathetic. You're just a pony with a broken heart, and how you're feeling right now is understandable. Don't worry, nopony is going to judge you. Hey, why don't you go to the spa this afternoon? It should help you relax and feel better.” “I think that would be a splendid idea,” Rarity agreed. But despite the idea, she didn't have an ounce of the usual excitement within her voice or her expression. “We'll go together, the three of us, and you can relax.” “All right. Sure...” Fluttershy nodded. “I suppose it should help get my mind off things for a little while.” As the three left the shop, all Fluttershy could even think about was the entire sorrow of her mind and heart. How was she going to move on? What could she possibly do? Any look toward the pony of her affections only sent her to despair, knowing she could more than likely never have her. It felt so cruel. But what else could she do? It was the other possibility, after all, that they would either get together, or they wouldn't. And they didn't. Did she not prepare herself enough for it? Did she really get her hopes up too high? Stomach falling, heart breaking, muscles clenching, Fluttershy just silently walked alongside her friends as they headed to the spa. She wasn't too much in the mood, but figured it better to get out, relax, do something with her friends, rather than wasting away in her room with despair. But all she wanted to do was crawl away and hide, never to come out until her feelings were gone. “Aww....you're too much, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash laughed, now settling on top of the creamy yellow Pegasus as they nestled within the cloud. Fluttershy giggled, bringing her hooves around her neck. “It's just...what I do, Dashie...” Giggling, Rainbow nuzzled her nose. “I know, but it's still sweet of you to help out, even if I can't always easily ask for it.” “Don't worry...I'm always happy to help you, my love,” Fluttershy cooed. “Aww..Flutters...” the cyan pony smiled brightly, stroking her mane. “Normally I could ask where you've been my whole life, but nope, you were always there since I saw you!” “And I always will be there.” “Never doubted that, Fluttershy!” Both ponies laughed again, nuzzling their noses. Rainbow rose her head a bit to look down at Fluttershy, feeling her heart melt. How could she have missed just how much of a beautiful pony she was? Then again, it was Fluttershy. With her big teal eyes, her bright smile, her creamy yellow coat, topped with a blossom pink mane, she was such a gorgeous pony. Such soft, sweet, graceful beauty. At some angles, her mane was even able to frame her face in a heart. “What are you looking at, Dashie?” Fluttershy smiled. Rainbow grinned, kissing her nose. “You, of course! You're really beautiful, Fluttershy. I couldn't help but keep some of your photo spreads when you were a model. Pretty pony, you're really pretty. But you know what? That's nothing compared to how beautiful your heart really is. I think your heart is what makes you beautiful!” Blushing considerably, Fluttershy giggled as she looked away shyly. “Oh, Rainbow...you're sweet.” “But not as sweet as you, my love,” Rainbow whispered tenderly. “C'mere, you...” She pulled her in for a kiss, touching her lips to hers tenderly. Fluttershy kissed back, running her hooves through her rainbow mane. Feeling her heart swell, Rainbow just kissed her with all the love she had, hoping to make the kind mare beneath her feel as loved as she ever could be. Pulling away, she kissed her again, then again, and again, with chaste but sweet pecks on her lips. “I love you, Fluttershy! I'm sorry it took me so long, but I love you.” “And I love you, Rainbow Dash... I always will.” Snapping awake once more, Rainbow Dash held her chest as her heart pounded, feeling as if it were burning within. She panted, trying to make sense of her surroundings, coming to see she was just in her room. It was morning, the sun shining in through her window, and it was all yet another dream. A little sniffle escaped her. Yet another reminder of what COULD have been, and the fact that Fluttershy loved her. And would be just the sweetest, kindest lover anypony could ask for. She had the power to take it, with three little words. But couldn't. Not unless she wanted them. The thought made her shiver, especially since she hadn't even been on her date with Comet yet. What was all of this going to mean? Laying back in bed, the cyan Pegasus sighed deeply as she rolled onto her side. What was she going to do? “Sure wish these dreams would stop making a relationship with Fluttershy so appealing...!”