A couple days later, we had made our way through a few more Disney movies as well as a good chunk of the 2nd season of their show. After eating breakfast, me and Savannah decided to shake things up a bit and gathered the others into our 2 cars before starting a long drive down south. It was a beautiful, sunny day for a Thursday, very much welcome after the lack of sunshine we’d gotten over the past week. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie rode with me in the Mustang, Flutters sitting shotgun while Pinkie and AJ sat in the back, while the others rode with Savannah in the Charger.
"Where’re we going, Davey?” Pinkie questioned as we were driving along.
"We’re goin' ta see a lighthouse,” I answered.
"What’s that?” AJ puzzled.
“Lighthouses are tall towers located along coastlines that shine bright light from tha top,” I explained. “Back in earlier times, they were used ta help guide ships on tha ocean, make sure that they wouldn’t crash or run aground ‘n, even though they’re still fully operational now, they mostly serve as tourist attractions. Tha lighthouse we’re headed ta see now is known as Nubble, one o’ tha mos’ famous lighthouses in all Maine if not tha whole eastern seaboard.”
“Mane?”
“Yup. M-A-I-N-E.”
“Oh. Ah thought ya meant ‘Mane’ like M-A-N-E.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit at AJ’s confusion.
“Yeah Ah can see how that might throw ya off. Interestin’ bit o’ trivia is that, before Maine became its own state, it used ta be part o’ ma home state, Massachusetts.”
“State?” Fluttershy asked. “Does that mean like… a separate land?”
“Not exactly. This country that me ‘n Savannah live in, America, is a giant landmass composed o’ 50 states altogether. Two of ‘em aren’t even connected to this mainland ‘n one o’ those two is a series of islands.”
“Whoo-wee that’s a lot o’ land," Applejack remarked.
“It certainly is. Ah’d reckon Equestria is ‘bout tha same size, if not larger, than America.”
“Wouldn’t that be interesting to try to find out?” Fluttershy spoke up.
“Mhmm,” Pinkie agreed.
“So how’d ya guys enjoy breakfast? Ah do apologize fer it only bein' cereal.”
“Hey. It’s no problem at all, Sugarcube. We all enjoyed it 'n you ‘n Savannah deserve some time off from makin' all our meals fer us.”
“I enjoyed Lucky Charms pretty well,” Pinkie began, "but I don’t get why anypony would put cereal in my box of marshmallows! I mean, seriously! They can't even get the ratio right! What’s with that?!?”
A smile crept across my face at Pinkie's view on Lucky Charms. In all honesty, I wondered the same thing when I was younger.
“Ya guys seem ta be handlin' utensils much better than Ah thought ya would seein' how ya guys mostly use either yer mouths or magic fer carryin' or holdin' on ta things.”
“Ya forget, Sugarcube, that we used ta be inside yer head fer a while last time ya visited us so we got pretty familiar with human movements durin' that period. Of course, Twilight teachin' us didn’t hurt none either.”
“Ah,” I replied upon realization while turning on the radio.
No sooner had I turned it on then Selena Gomez’s Kill ‘Em With Kindness began playing through the speakers, whereupon I immediately turned to Fluttershy.
“Hey, Flutters,” I remarked, “yer theme song is on right now.”
“What?” she puzzled.
“Ah was jus' jokin'. Tha song is called Kill ‘Em With Kindness ‘n it immediately made me think of ya.”
“Oh. O.K.,” she smiled back, softly.
Not much else was spoken among us as we enjoyed the music during the almost hour long drive towards Nubble. After a while, we finally arrived at our destination. The girls marveled at the sheer size of the structure.
“Oh my,” Fluttershy spoke in quiet admiration. "I’ve never seen a building that tall outside of Canterlot or even Manehattan.”
“It certainly is a sight ta see,” Applejack agreed.
Pulling in to park, Savannah and the others pulled up right next to us before we all got out of our respective cars. After getting Ariel out of her carseat, Savannah spoke up.
“Hey, David. You’ll never guess what song we heard on the way up here.”
“Kill ‘Em With Kindness?” I guessed.
“Yes.”
“We were listenin' ta that song too. Ah actually made a comment earlier ‘bout how that was like Fluttershy’s theme song.”
“I don’t think so,” Savannah remarked. “She’d kill ‘em with cuteness if anything.”
A fiery blush rose to Fluttershy’s cheeks as she smiled timidly at the remark. This was a brief moment, though, as Pinkie was quick to notice Fox’s Lobster House off to the left of where we parked.
“‘Fox’s Lobster House’?” she read. “People here eat lobsters?”
“Mhmm,” Savannah replied. “Lobster is very popular in seaside states like Maine during the on-season.”
“Tha funny thing is that, though it’s considered a delicacy now ‘n is even quite expensive ta buy, a few centuries ago, it was considered ‘poor people’ food,” I explained. “Masters would feed it ta their servants/slaves ‘n they hated it. Some servants could even get a written agreement statin’ that they couldn’t be fed lobster any more than once in a given week.”
“Have either of you ever had lobster before?” Rainbow asked me and Savannah.
“Yup. A few times,” Savannah stated.
“Ah’ve had it on a few occasions,” I answered back. “Ah do enjoy some seafood like lobster, shrimp, ‘n even fried clams ain’t too bad either, but Ah really do not like eatin’ fish at all.”
“Why’s that?” Twilight wondered.
“Ah’m not entirely sure, but Ah think that Ariel from The Little Mermaid might’ve played a factor in that. Ya see, she was ma first love when Ah was jus’ a kid ‘n bein' that she was a Mermaid, half-human ‘n half-fish, somethin’ jus’ always felt wrong whenever Ah tried eatin’ fish. Ah couldn’t even stand tha smell o’ fish without feelin’ nauseous. Ma guess is that, cuz she was half-fish, it felt, ta borrow from a TV Show Ah saw many years ago, like Ah was eatin’… puppies.”
“Well I’m not quite sure I would’ve used that comparison, darling, but I think we all got the gist of what you were saying,” Rarity spoke up.
“Ah guess so. But enough ‘bout that. Let’s go check out tha lighthouse.”
And so we made the short walk over to the rocky ledge where guests could observe the lighthouse.
“Do any of ya girls wanna sit on tha benches?” I asked, pointing out the benches along the ledge.
“No thanks, Sugarcube,” AJ politely declined. “Ah think we’ve been sittin’ fer quite a while by this point ‘n we could all use some time ta stretch our legs.”
“Fair enough.”
“Just be careful as you’re walking along here,” Savannah cautioned while holding Ariel close in her arms. “These rocks can get very slippery especially if you’re wearing sandals.”
“Good to know,” Twilight replied.
We stood there in silence for quite a while, just taking in the sound of the waves crashing along the rocks and the cool, salty ocean breeze blowing against us. I closed my eyes as I let go of everything that had been bothering me for the past week, most prominently being the recurring nightmares. It’s incredible how the simple sound of waves breaking on the shore could have such a calming effect. The moment didn’t last long, though, as the quiet was quickly broken by Pinkie Pie.
“So what was up with that Black Cauldron movie we saw last night?”
Flutters squeaked in terror.
“I thought it was pretty awesome, especially the Horned King,” Rainbow spoke up, “though, that Taran kid kinda got on my nerves at times. I mean, nopony gets after me for being that obnoxious. With that said, at least he wasn’t Gurgi. Sweet Celestia was that thing annoying!”
“I was just surprised by how much darker the movie was when compared to those that came before it,” Twilight chimed in.
“Yeah,” I started. “Ah prob’ly should’ve warned ya guys ‘bout tha PG ratin’.”
“PG?” Rarity puzzled.
“Right. Ya guys aren’t familiar with tha ratin’ system here. Pretty much, there’s a system in place fer movies that come out composed of 5 different ratins: G fer General Audiences of all ages, PG fer Parental Guidance Suggested, PG-13 fer some material might be inappropriate fer those under tha age of 13, R fer Restricted, meanin’ anyone under 17 requires an adult/legal guardian, ‘n NC-17 fer no one 17 or younger allowed in, tha latter of which few theaters will actually show. That’s jus’ tha system in this country, though. Different countries have their own systems fer ratin’ movies ‘n that’s not even gettin’ inta ratins fer TV shows or video games.”
“It’s also a very flawed and outdated system at that,” Savannah added.
“Why would you say that?” Fluttershy questioned, her curiosity now piqued.
“Because, nowadays, many movies that any logical person would call G are being given PG ratings as if to say ‘There’s the PG warning’ should anyone complain, resulting in moments that only last for a few seconds to try to prove that there’s something inappropriate or edgy about a movie when that’s not the case.”
“Savannah ‘n Ah grew up in an age where PG ratins actually meant somethin’. As far as we were concerned, any movie that had a PG ratin' was almost always an instant ‘no’ from our parents. Today, G-rated movies are a rarity, no pun intended,”-I directed towards Rarity, who merely smiled back-“cuz many people stigmatize tha G-ratin' fer meanin’ ‘kids only’ while completely missin’ tha fact that many of tha greatest movies ever made are G-rated.
“One movie in particular that Ah’m eager ta show ya guys when we get ta it is another personal Disney favorite o’ mine, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, a movie that ranks pretty highly among many true Disney aficionados by incorporatin’ complex, thought-provoking commentary on prejudice, usin’ mature imagery that is neither in poor taste nor talkin’ down ta its audience, ‘n undoubtedly containin’ tha single greatest Disney villain ever ta be created. All without havin’ ta resort ta tha gimmick o’ tha PG ratin'.
“Many people in tha movie industry nowadays live under tha false pretense that tha ratin’ of a movie is tha key ta cinematic success. Tha true element ta success is actually makin’ a good movie with a plot that people can follow, characters that they can relate to, choices that they can understand, ‘n antagonisms that can keep ‘em invested in seein’ tha hero or heroes make it out alive. Great movies can even challenge people ta think in ways they might not have before, bring up a different point o’ view or even opinion that they can share with others. Not force, but convey. That’s what makes someone a better person.”
“Well put, darling,” Rarity acclaimed. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Here here,” AJ agreed.
It was shortly after mentioning this fact that I was reminded of a painful memory regarding a rather negative figure from my own past causing me to turn my face away from the girls. They were quick to notice my downturned expression.
“What’s wrong, David?" Fluttershy asked, concern strongly evident in her tone.
I sighed heavily before answering.
“Ah was jus’ thinkin’ of a pastor Ah used ta know years ago, a pastor who was very set in his ways ‘n would frequently force his opinions on others.”
“Oh my! That’s terrible!”
“That it is,” Savannah replied. “It’s like I mentioned before about how one should be careful who they listen to on that sort of thing.”
“He was tha kinda person who would instantly shun any religion or even denomination that wasn’t his. All of ‘em were automatically wrong accordin’ ta him. He was tha very definition of religious ‘n pious.”
“But aren’t you guys religious?” Rainbow puzzled.
“Not really," Savannah spoke up. “We tend to dwell more in the spiritual realm than anything else.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Well,” I continued, “as far as Ah’m concerned, religious people tend ta have a 'holier-than-thou’ attitude, tha kind o' people who’ll point out all tha flaws of others ‘n all tha reasons they’re goin’ ta Hell. Spiritual people, on tha other hand, have their own set of personal values ‘n beliefs, but they’re willin’ ta respect tha ‘pinions of others. This pastor would spend a whole hour makin’ personal attacks against Catholics while one o' ma Catholic friends was right there ‘n he knew he was right there.”
A pained expression crossed my face, causing Twilight to speak up out of concern.
“There’s more to it than just that,"-she paused briefly-"Isn’t there?”
Yet another heavy sigh escaped my lips as I struggled to get the right words out.
“He was… tha main reason why… Ah… Ah… Ah considered…,” I swallowed hard, "committin’ suicide.”
All the girls, minus Savannah who already knew about it beforehand, gasped loudly out of shock. Savannah shared the same pained expression that I currently had on my own face.
“Oh my Celestia!” Rarity reacted. “David, I’m so sorry about that.”
“Ah ‘preciate that, Rare. Thankfully, he’s been outta ma life fer tha past few years now 'n Ah pray long ‘n hard ta God er’day that that doesn’t change. Come ta think of it, he’s been outta ma life since before Ah even saw yer guys’ show. Prob’ly better that way. Had he known that Ah liked ya guys back then, it mos' likely would’ve been yet another excuse fer him ta make even more personal attacks.”
Dour expressions came to the girls’ faces with the words I’d just spoken. All except for Rainbow who had a more stern look on her face before speaking up.
“Who cares what that one jerkwad says when you’ve got friends like us? We’ll always be on your side no matter what and, if you need us to, we won’t hesitate to whoop his sorry butt. It’s not like we haven’t already done it countless times before whenever a new threat came to Equestria.”
“Thanks, Rainbow, but violence isn’t tha answer ta everythin’ ya know. Ah mean, not that Ah care. Like Ah said before, Ah’ve been able ta get along jus' fine without him.”
“I know. I just think this case would be an exception to that. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I mulled the thought over for a moment before replying.
“This is true ‘n Ah honestly do ‘preciate yer concern.”
“Hey. Anything for my twin. Your family is technically our family and always will be.”
Fluttershy then took my hand while looking at me with a firm expression in her eyes but, at the same time, a confident smile before making her statement.
“You’re more than just a friend of ours, David. You and your relatives are blood and blood always looks out for one another.”
I smiled at the positive affirmations I’d received, all the while thinking of how lucky I was to have these girls as more than friends. We spent the rest of our time just standing there, enjoying the serenity and calm of our surroundings. After several minutes, I checked my watch, realizing how much time had passed.
“Whoa look at tha time! We should prob’ly start headin’ home ta get lunch soon.”
Hopping back in our cars, we began the long drive back home, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow riding back with me. It wasn’t long after pulling out of the parking lot before Twilight spoke up.
“So, David, do you have any other books back home that I could read in my free time?”
“Several actually. Ah got Chronicles Of Narnia, Lord Of The Rings, Hunger Games, jus’ ta name a few.”
“Cool. I might have to check some of those out.”
“Knowing you, Twi, you’d check out all of them,” Rainbow remarked.
Twilight blushed vividly and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction before Rainbow continued.
“Something that I don’t understand is why in The Last Roundup they changed the line that I said? I clearly remember addressing Derpy by her name.”
“Funny thing is that, originally, they did have you sayin' her real name. Tha problem came about that a lot o’ people found tha name... offensive.”
“Offensive?!? How?!?”
“In ma world, tha term ‘derpy’ can be interpreted as a derogatory slur towards tha…,” I paused to clear my throat, “‘mentally handicapped’ ta put it lightly. Tha writer who wrote that inta tha episode has a son who falls under that category ‘n she never thought it was offensive, but there was such an intense uproar from parents that tha episode was pulled until an edited version was released, takin’ her name out of it entirely. Nowadays, there’s only a DVD called The Friendship Express that has that original version.”
“Wow,” Rainbow spoke, clearly taken aback by what I’d said. “I never would’ve thought that something from our world could be interpreted soo negatively in another.”
“It’s O.K., twin. You guys weren’t even aware that there was a show based off o’ yer lives til ma second visit ta Equestria ‘n, by that point, they were already gettin’ ready fer tha 5th season. Besides, that’s jus’ part of our world. What might be acceptable ta one culture might be offensive in another.”
Rainbow smiled back before I continued with a thought that had just come to my mind.
“Hey. Would any of ya girls be interested in tryin’ SoyNut Butter sandwiches when we get home?”
“What’s SoyNut Butter?” Rarity questioned, quizzically.
It was in that moment when I realized that only two of the girls had even heard of SoyNut Butter: Fluttershy and Pinkie, neither of whom were present at that moment.
“It’s somethin’ Ah found out about several years ago that Ah’ve always used as an alternative ta peanut butter on account o’ ma food allergies. There’s almost no way fer ya ta tell tha difference between tha two.”
“Hmm. Sounds like it would be well worth a try even if just to see how it compares to peanut butter.”
“I’m game,” Rainbow affirmed.
“Me too,” Twilight agreed.
And so, turning on the radio to hear Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart, we rode back home in near total silence, enjoying each other’s companionship all the way.
* * * * * * * *
Shortly after arriving back home, as promised, I made SoyNut Butter sandwiches for all of the girls. When asking whether they wanted jam or Marshmallow Fluff on their sandwiches, Pinkie was surprised by the existence of the latter. She, Rainbow, and Applejack went with the fluff while Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight decided upon the jam. The jam itself was a jar of Triple Berry spread containing strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries that I’d gotten right there in Maine.
“Wow!” Rainbow exclaimed after polishing off her sandwich. “You were right, twin. There’s almost no way that I could tell that it wasn’t peanut butter.”
“I couldn’t even tell the difference between the two,” Fluttershy agreed.
“Indeed,” Rarity affirmed, “and the jam was absolutely divine.”
“Glad y’all enjoyed it,” I replied with a smile.
“My favorite part was the Marshmallow Fluff!” Pinkie piped up.
The rest of us giggled at Pinkie’s remark.
“Of course it was,” Twilight smiled before turning to me. “That actually reminds me of something I’d been meaning to ask you.”
“Oh? What’s that?” I questioned.
“I wanted to ask if it would be at all possible for me to bring a jar of SoyNut Butter back to Equestria? I was thinking of taking one home in order to scientifically analyze its properties for mass production. That way we’ll have it as our own alternative for anypony with those kind of allergies plus having it on hoof if you guys ever decide to come back.”
“Ah don’ see why not.”
“Ooo Ooo Ooo!!! Can we bring back a jar of Fluff too?!?” Pinkie asked, excitedly.
I chuckled at her enthusiasm before answering.
“Sure, Pinkie.”
“If you guys don’t mind,” Twilight began, getting up to throw her paper plate away, “I’m going to see about checking out some of the other books you have here.”
“That’s fine, Twi,” I assured her. “Ah was actually jus’ ‘bout ta see if Ah could get some more writin’ done. Any o’ y’all feel like joinin’ me?”
“Sure, twin,” Rainbow accepted.
"I’m good, thanks,” Flutters stated.
“Me too,” Pinkie agreed.
“AJ? Rare? Either of ya feel up fer it?”
“Sure. Why not?” Applejack answered back.
“I appreciate the offer,” Rarity began, “but I think I’ll help Savannah out with Ariel for the time being.”
“Alright then. Hope ya guys have fun.”
Throwing my own paper plate away in the trash, I walked back towards my office, AJ and Rainbow not too far behind. In the time since the girls first arrived, I’d familiarized them with some more of our worlds technology from my computer to smartphones. They marveled at all the capabilities these devices had like holding entire music libraries on them, the ability to shop for anything you wanted from anywhere, and being able to talk with other people no matter how far away they might be. Needless to say, they were quite impressed.
Sitting down at my computer desk, the three of us got settled in before I reached over to grab some bottles of Mountain Dew and turned to my friends.
“Soda?” I offered.
“Sure, twin,” Rainbow gratefully replied.
“Ah think Ah’ll have a go with it,” Applejack followed up.
Passing a bottle off to each of them, I opened my own before getting along to writing. For music, this time around, I had pieces from the first four Pirates Of The Caribbean movies along with some tracks from Inception, Tron: Legacy, and some random, goofy songs by a YouTuber named Julian Smith among others. While my playlist mostly consisted of instrumental tracks from movies, there were the rare few that were actual songs with lyrics. Some of them from movies and others from YouTube videos. There were even a few songs from some Anime that I could only access from YouTube instead of Spotify.
“How much music do you have in this playlist?” Rainbow spoke up after several minutes.
“Over 600 songs,” I answered, “all of ‘em collected over tha course of 4-5 years. Ah like ta consider maself somewhat of a connosieur when it comes ta tha arts, ‘specially music ‘n movies.”
“With that many songs in one playlist, sounds like a pretty accurate description,” AJ stated.
“Ah can’t remember exactly when, but there was a point where Ah jus’ got really inta music from movies. Somethin’ ‘bout tha way that it adds ta tha overall experience o' tha movie itself always fascinated me.”
“Yeah. I can definitely see that.”
“Somethin’ that Ah think might’ve played a factor in that was ma diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome.”
“Wait a minute, Sugarcube. Ah thought ya said that you’d been diagnosed with that… schizo-whatsit.”
“Schizophrenia,” I replied. “Ah was diagnosed with that, but Ah was also diagnosed with Asperger’s that same year.”
“Well what is it?” Rainbow puzzled.
“Asperger’s is a higher functionin’ form o’ somethin’ called autism, a developmental condition. People with tha condition often face problems when it comes ta social interaction, empathy, ‘n even nonverbal communication, though, not every person is like this. At tha same time, many with tha condition have exceptional auditory ‘n visual perception as well as strong interests in one or more topics. Ya know how sometimes Ah’ll go off inta long discussions on a particular subject Ah find interestin’?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s because Ah have a fixed interest in that topic, gatherin’ vast amounts of information on it whenever Ah can. Tha problem is that, oftentimes when Ah go inta these long-winded explanations, people will mistake it fer me bein’ rude or inconsiderate, not allowin’ 'em ta get a word in edgewise, when, in reality, Ah’m jus’ really passionate ‘bout tha subject in question ‘n want ta share that with others.”
“In all honesty, Ah’ve never felt that way ’bout you,” Applejack stated.
“Neither have I,” Rainbow agreed.
“Ah’m glad you two are soo understandin’ 'bout this. Earlier on, even before Ah was diagnosed, few people outside o’ ma own family would have that level of patience with me.”
“Well it’s like we said earlier, your family is our family. You’re the awesomest twin brother I’ve ever had.”
“Ah’m tha only twin brother ya’ve ever had.”
“I know. Which makes you all the more awesome.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Rainbow’s remarks before continuing on.
“With that said, there’s also plenty o' positive things that Ah could say ‘bout me havin’ Asperger’s. One of ‘em bein’ that ma mind is more creatively inclined in tha sense of allowin’ me ta easily come up with ideas fer stories ‘n songs. Another positive aspect is that Ah’m very musically inclined too. Others have told me that Ah have a good ear fer music. Maybe that’s what ultimately played a factor in why Ah have such a vast musical library: ma strong ‘preciation fer tha art.
“Unfortunately, there have been countless people who’ve tried ta demonize Asperger’s or jus' autism in general. There’s a strong stigmatization that it’s a disease, a flaw that needs some sort o' cure. One doctor even went soo far as ta spread tha false claim that certain vaccines, weakened viruses that’re meant ta help children develop immunities ta tha real thing, were tha cause of autism. This doctor has since been banned from ever practicin’ medicine again.”
“As he should’ve been,” Rainbow affirmed. “I mean, even if these vaccines you talk about did cause autism, I just find it personally insulting that parents would be more concerned about their children growing up with a condition like that than not being able to grow up at all on account of contracting a virus that they could’ve received immunity to from a vaccine.”
“Exactly. There was a movie Ah saw once that featured a bunch o’ characters who were mutants with special abilities, but there was a strong stigmatization spawned from tha non-mutant community. Tha main plot o’ tha movie centered 'round a cure that had been discovered ta make mutants jus’ like any other human. This ended up bringin’ up some very interestin’ moral questions on whether or not a cure should be taken or if a cure like that was even ethical. Watchin’ tha movie after Ah’d been diagnosed with Asperger’s, Ah couldn’t help but notice a similarity between tha plot of this piece of fiction ‘n real life. Although, it could just as easily be applied ta other situations also.
“Regardless, even though Ah might have some struggles with ma condition, if there was a cure fer it, Ah’d never take it. Asperger’s is a huge part o’ ma own personal identity ‘n ta take away somethin’ like that would be ta take away a portion of both who 'n what Ah am. All that really matters is bein’ able ta accept myself, regardless of what anyone else thinks.”
“Darn straight,” AJ spoke up.
Looking at the several pages that I’d typed up during our time at the computer, I felt satisfied with what I’d accomplished.
“Well, Ah think that’s enough fer today. Why don’t we go check on tha others?”
“Sure thing,” Rainbow replied.
Closing the document, me and the girls got up from our seats at the desk and made our way into the living room. Upon entering, we saw Twilight sitting in the recliner reading The Hunger Games while Savannah, Rarity, and Pinkie sat on the couch watching Ariel play with her toys. Strangely, Fluttershy was absent.
“Where’s Fluttershy?” Rainbow questioned.
“Using the little fillies room,” Rarity answered. “How’d the writing go?”
“It went well,” I began. “Got a lot o' work done ‘n we even had some good conversation goin’ on in tha meantime.”
“What kind of conversation?” Pinkie piped up.
“Ah’ll tell tha rest of ya more later.”
No sooner had the words left my lips than Fluttershy joined us back in the living room, instantly recognizing my, Rainbow, and AJ’s presence.
“Oh. You guys are back,” she stated. “Did you have a productive time?”
“Oh yeah. Definitely. Ah was actually thinkin’ of checkin’ with ya guys ta see if ya wanted to watch more of yer show or another Disney movie?”
“Maybe we could watch the movie first and then watch a few more episodes of our show,” Twilight replied, closing her book. “Your timing was impeccable as I just finished the last chapter.”
“Wow! Already?” I remarked. “You fly through books faster than anyone Ah know.”
“That’s Twilight for you,” Rainbow chuckled. “So what’s the next movie?”
“This one is called The Great Mouse Detective, yet another Disney movie that Ah believe is seriously underappreciated.”
“Sounds good to me,” Fluttershy smiled, “especially the Mouse part.”
I chuckled softly at her reply before placing the movie in the PS4 and starting it, settling down on the couch with the girls and Savannah as we enjoyed our little society.
* * * * * * * *
A few hours later, we’d made it through The Great Mouse Detective as well as several more episodes, stopping after Putting Your Hoof Down. The girls enjoyed the movie a lot, Rainbow in particular noting Professor Ratigan and the final showdown on top of Big Ben to be her favorite parts while Twilight personally mentioned the protagonist, Basil of Baker Street, and his powers of deduction especially interesting. The episodes got more of a mixed reception. The most criticized among them were Hearts And Hooves Day and Putting Your Hoof Down, the latter mostly for how many of the characters (including Angel) had acted around Fluttershy when compared to A Friend In Deed just one episode prior.
After some brief discussion on what we’d watched, Savannah went off to call out for pizza while the rest of us kept an eye on Ariel. It wasn’t long afterwards, though, that I noticed Fluttershy getting up to walk away. As I watched her, she went towards the kitchen, shooting down my previous thoughts that she’d merely been getting up to use the bathroom.
“Hey,” I spoke to the other girls, “you guys O.K. with Ariel fer tha time bein’?”
“Sure. Everythin’ O.K. with you, Sugarcube?”
“Yeah. Ah jus’ need ta check on somethin’.”
“No problem, twin. We’ve got your back.”
With a smile, I rose to my feet before walking back towards the kitchen. Upon reaching it, I spotted Fluttershy standing out on the back deck of our house, looking out at the ocean. I slowly approached her, stepping over the threshold to join her outside.
“Everythin’ O.K., Flutters?” I asked, softly.
Interestingly enough, she didn’t get startled by my sudden presence there nor flinch when I spoke. The only reply I got was her sighing sadly and hanging her head low before speaking up.
“No,” she said rather plainly with a hint of guilt that was still very noticeable.
Walking up next to her, I placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly before continuing.
“Anythin’ ya feel like talkin’ 'bout? Ya know that ya can trus' me.”
She turned her face away from mine as if out of shame.
“I… I just feel soo terrible,” she began, “seeing that last episode and remembering how I acted. I… I was… a monster. I treated others soo harshly when they did nothing wrong to me.”
“Well, technically, there was that asshole pony that cut in front of ya at Sugarcube Corner who got her comeuppance when ya threatened ta lay tha smackdown on her.”
“You’re missing the point, David!” she spoke with frustration evident in her tone before sighing again. “I caused pain to a lot of other ponies, even some of my closest friends. Not to mention, knowing that something like that was on display for others to see… it just… it makes me feel soo... naked and exposed. It’s honestly really embarrassing. I don’t want anypony to see that side of me ever again and yet… they can just pull something like that up whenever they want to.”
I turned her head to face me, looking deep into her eyes with all seriousness.
“Listen ta me, Fluttershy,” I spoke firmly, but softly. "That’s not who you are. You’re a warm, kind-hearted, carin’ individual who Ah consider maself lucky ta have as one o' ma very best friends. You have such great strength inside you that ya don’t even realize ‘n you’ve had countless triumphs that we haven’t even gotten ta yet. That inner strength ’n tha impact ya have on tha world around ya still remains. In fact, every last one of ya guys have yer own strengths as well as weaknesses that make up who ya are. No one is flawless. We all have our own dents ‘n quirks that make us unique.
“You ‘n all tha other girls have soo much ta offer ‘n who knows? One o’ these days, ya guys might find yer own special somepony ‘n Ah can assure you that, whoever that might be, they’ll be tha luckiest ponies alive ta have mares like you guys in their lives.”
“You really think so?” she puzzled.
“Ah know so.”
It was then that I pulled her into a deep, comforting hug which she warmly accepted.
“I’m soo glad to have you and Savannah as friends, David.”
“Just as Ah’m glad ta have all of y’all as ma friends ‘n Ah’m sure Savannah is glad ta have ya guys too. To us, ya guys are far more than jus’ friends.”
“Yes you guys certainly are that,” Savannah’s voice rang pleasantly from behind us.
Me and Fluttershy jumped a bit, startled by her stealthy approach as neither of us had heard her coming.
“Oh my gosh! I’m soo sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you two. I just finished putting Ariel down for the night and was coming to let you know that the pizza’s here.”
“It’s O.K. Thanks fer lettin’ us know.”
“Yes. Thanks,” Fluttershy warmly answered.
And so the three of us made our way back into the house to chow down on pizza, not knowing what to expect next.