//------------------------------//
// Older 
// Story: It Turns Out They're Windmills 
// by J Carp 
//------------------------------//

Sweet Feather was bright and warm, even as night fell.  Pinkie's intuition had been to not only throw the party at the sanctuary, but to recruit the creative input of the residents.  As a result, the layout of the decorations and party supplies was haphazard and scattershot, but in an organic, natural-feeling way, like the streamers were brightly colored ivy and the balloons were gentle puffs of flowers.  When Fluttershy had seen it, she had nearly squealed with delight.  

Some of the first to arrive at the party had been Moon Dancer's Canterlot friends, and they seemed to gel smoothly with both the Equestria gang and the wildlife.  Unfortunately, though, Minuette very quickly began telling knock-knock jokes, because Minuette had long since lost perspective on the line between "quirkily upbeat" and "maniacally perplexing."  She seemed to think it was hilarious Celestia was in attendance, and she had marched right up to the princess and asked what was on her mind.

"Puppies," Celestia had answered, very sincerely.  And so even as more and more guests arrived and the sanctuary began to fill up with ponies and critters, every few minutes, Minuette would track down the princess and interrupt whatever interaction she was having to tell her a new joke.

The weirdest part was, the knock-knock jokes were killing.

"Great Pyrenees," said Minuette.

"Great Pyrenees who?"

"Great Pyrenees is what you need to be a stocking model!" 

Celestia snorted with laughter, and it was somehow more sonorous than a trained opera singer belting out an aria.  Dr. Horse and Zecora, who had been speaking with the princess, looked absolutely perplexed.

"Is it treasonous to say I'm not really surprised that Celestia likes terrible jokes?" Moon Dancer asked, huddled close to Rainbow Dash and Bon Bon, watching this interaction play out.

"I'm actually impressed," Bon Bon marveled.  "Is she ad-libbing these?  She couldn't possibly have memorized all these jokes about dog breeds."

"Pinkie Pie is feeding her material," Rainbow said.  "That 'Schnauzer last chance to get me to stop telling knock-knock jokes' line proved it.  Nopony else would think of that.  It's too.... Pinkie."

"I think it's wonderful that Celestia is having a good time," a sweet voice cooed, and Moon Dancer suddenly felt a fuzzy body pressed against her side.  Her special somepony had appeared as if from nowhere, like a puff of steam. 

"I agree, darlings," Rarity said, following behind with a half-amused smirk on her face.  "How delightful that Fluttershy's party is when she lets her mane down, so to speak."

"It's so nice to see her," Fluttershy agreed, nuzzling Moon Dancer as she spoke.  "I thought something like this would be overwhelming after such a tiring day, but everything's just so easy.  Celestia's such a friendly pony."

"You've been drinking, huh?" Rainbow asked.  

When drunk, Fluttershy acted much the same as she usually did, but she apparently developed the uncontrollable desire to force her own body and Moon Dancer's body to occupy the same physical space.  Moon Dancer did not particularly dislike when Fluttershy drank.

"Oh my... just a little," Fluttershy replied, literally draping her front half across Moon Dancer's back.  "Can... can you really tell?"

"Kinda, but you're a hero to aliens," Rainbow said.  "You deserve it." She glanced at Rarity.  "Just don't let her go overboard."

"Angel!" Fluttershy cooed suddenly, waving her hoof down at the rabbit, hopping by through Rainbow Dash's legs.  "I love you, Angel."

Angel sighed and looked up at Rarity.  He tilted his paw towards his mouth several times and raised an eyebrow.  

"Oh goodness gracious everyone, she's fine," Rarity said, very slight annoyance in her tone.  "Fluttershy can have a drink on her own birthday."

Angel was already hopping away in a huff, but Rainbow shook her head.  "I just don't want her to fall asleep at her party."

"Yes, I do get sleepy when I drink," Fluttershy agreed.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you, darling," Rarity said.  "I could never understand the challenges you face as a gay mare, but everypony is in such awe of the strength you've shown today." 

This reminded Moon Dancer; she checked around the room for the two ponies she was concerned about.  She quickly found Trixie, babbling smugly to a bewildered-looking Zephyr Breeze.  But that was all.  "Hey, where's Starlight?" she asked.

"She and Twilight had to run back to the castle," Rainbow replied.  "And look, relax!  She's not gonna hook up with Trixie."

"I dunno..."

"Oh, come on.  Trixie?  The whole idea of anypony being into Trixie is just too weird."

Moon Dancer felt awkward all of a sudden.  "Moon Dancer's going to go on a date with Trixie in another dimension!" Fluttershy announced happily, increasing the awkward feeling considerably.  "Isn't that cute?"

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow.  "Um..."

"The human Moon Dancer and the human Trixie were acting like they might go on a date when we left," Moon Dancer clarified.  

"That is quite cute," Rarity confirmed, directing a sly smirk directly over Moon Dancer's head and probably receiving a wink in return.  "I can see Moon Dancer as quite the ladykiller if Fluttershy hadn't snatched her up."

This was getting uncomfortable, but luckily Lyra arrived, hovering along a plate of hors d'ouvers, which she passed to Bon Bon.  "Sorry this took a while," she said.  "I was meeting some of Fluttershy's friends.  Had a pretty decent conversation with that earth pony with the dreadlocks, and a... less decent conversation with an aye-aye."

Fluttershy was now entirely on top of Moon Dancer, draped across her like a cloak.  As much as see could see them through the strands of pink mane covering her face, Moon Dancer was relieved to find that none of their friends found this particularly notable."That aye-aye is actually really nice if you get to know him," she said.

Suddenly, there was a commotion near the edge of the garden, and they turned to see Starlight Glimmer galloping excitedly into the party.  She ran past surprised guests to the group of her gathered friends.  "Girls!" she chirped.  "I have amazing news!"

Twilight Sparkle and Spike followed behind her, looking much less confident.  "Hey, um..."

"We checked the journal," Starlight babbled.  "Sunset wrote an update just a few minutes ago.  And something happened!"

Several other partygoers had stopped their various conversations and were listening to determine what the fuss was.  Twilight glanced around at them nervously.  "Uh, Starlight..."

"Fluttershy, the human one?" Starlight continued.  "She has a girlfriend!!"

Moon Dancer nearly tipped over in her surprise.  "Oh my goodness!" pony Fluttershy exclaimed from atop her back.  "But how?  It's only been a few hours since we left!"

More and more guests were listening in; Moon Dancer noticed both Applejack and Pinkie were among them.  Twilight stepped forward, trying to gain some degree of control over the situation.   "Um... Sunset says that Fluttershy had a crush on... a particular other human," she answered carefully.  "And she asked to speak with her alone and... she just confessed, I guess.  And it turned out the feelings were reciprocated."

"Yes yes yes!" Starlight barked impatiently.  "But that's not the most exciting part!  You'll never guess who it is!  Seriously, you will never, ever guess.  Here's a hint: it's adorable.  Here's another hint: you'll never guess it."

"Um, Starlight?" Twilight said, leaning over with concern.  "Uh, I don't think we should say?  It's... um, see this is kind of a moral dilemma, and..."

"It's Rarity!!"

The silence that followed was only broken by the clop of Starlight's hooves as she hopped up and down in glee.  The entire party stared at Rarity, who stood, frozen, her mouth hanging open.  "I..." she said eventually, and that was all she could manage for a moment.  When she found her voice, it came out hoarse. "Starlight, this is not good news at all!"

Starlight tilted her head, genuinely confused.  "But why?"

"I just simply can't believe my human counterpart would be so cruel as to lie to her friend about having feelings for her."  Rarity grimaced.  "That would be a horrid thing to do."

"Yeah, so you'd never do it," Starlight pointed out.  

Rarity shook her head.  "But something else must be happening!" she protested.  "Because I'm not..."	

"Sunset said she walked in on them by accident," Starlight interrupted.  "And she said they both seemed prettttty into it."

Rarity looked around the room as if physically trying to find the words she was searching for.  "I would never... hm."  She frowned thoughtfully, paused a moment, and then suddenly shook her head again, as if trying to empty it out.  "No!  This is utterly ridiculous; I'm a straight pony!"

"Oh oh oh, that's the best part!" Starlight sang.  "That Rarity always went around insisting she was totally straight, just like you do!  She had no idea!  Isn't it..."

With a grunt of frustration, Twilight encased Starlight in a mauve bubble.  Starlight kept yammering, but no sound penetrated Twilight's magic.

Rarity, for her part, just looked baffled.  "I couldn't possibly..." she muttered.  "Because... even if somepony like Fluttershy were to take me aside and just throw herself at me, I... hrm."  She looked down at the ground, deep in thought, and did not move for a moment.  "That was just admiration, yes?" she mumbled.  "And that time with Four Leaf doesn't count, that was at camp..."

Celestia stepped forward, graceful in the awkwardness.  "My little pony," she offered, "is there anything I can do for you?"

Rarity suddenly jerked her head up, looking stark and determined.  "No, Princess, but thank you."  She walked up to Moon Dancer and addressed the Fluttershy on her back.  "Dear, would you mind terribly if I left your party early?  I think I may need to go home and engage in some... introspection."

"Oh no, of course not," Fluttershy said gently. 

"The introspection will involve terribly cheap red wine," Rarity clarified.

Twilight hesitantly walked up behind her friend.  "Uh, Rarity, are you okay?  Like..." she gave a glare to Starlight, who had apparently not yet noticed nopony could hear her yet, "...embarrassed or anything?"

Rarity shook her head.  "Mostly just shell-shocked at the moment, dear.  I will probably be embarrassed tomorrow, because I think it's likely I will end up feeling every possible emotion at some point in the next twenty-four hours."

"Do you need to talk to somepony?" Moon Dancer asked, surprising herself.  

Rarity looked startled for a moment herself, but then she relaxed.  "No, please enjoy the party.  I may take you up on that later, however."  She turned.  "Pinkie, will you please walk me to the exit?  I couldn't possibly leave without complimenting you on this delightful party."

Pinkie sprang into action and the two of them walked away past Starlight, who was angrily but silently banging on the walls of the bubble she was trapped in.  Pinkie was bouncing happily, and Rarity had her head held determinedly high.

Tension drained from the situation, but without the party's leader, nopony quite knew how to transition from such an awkward moment.  Even Discord looked gobsmacked.  Everyone stood and glanced around at one another silently, except for Starlight, who had conjured a cannon and was filling it up with gunpowder.

Luckily, one pony in attendance could always come up with something to say.  A grinning, blue face slowly rose up above the crowd.  

"Knock knock."





Moon Dancer stood alone, looking up at the night sky through the sanctuary's trees.  She had always liked Sweet Feather; besides Fluttershy's obvious love for the sanctuary, it was where they'd had their first kiss.  The party was loud and bright behind her, but here she felt like some kind of nocturnal animal, just crawling around and being at home.

"Whoo."

She looked over and saw an owl perched on a nearby branch.  Looking closer, she realized it was Twilight's pet.  She raised a hoof and waved, then felt silly for doing so.  Despite the fact that his eyeballs were locked in place in his sockets, the owl somehow rolled his eyes at her. 

"Hey, Moon Dancer."

Moon Dancer turned to see a baby dragon jogging down the path toward her.  "Oh, hi, Spike."

Spike reached her and tilted his head in vague confusion.  "You okay?  I noticed you kinda disappeared from the party, so I came to find you."

"Oh, yeah."  She was touched by his gesture; he'd grown up more in Ponyville than in all the years they had spent together in Canterlot.  "I just came out to get a little bit of a break from the crowd."

"Oh yeah.  I get it.  Taking it easy."   They stood silently in the moonlight together for a moment.

"Hey, so."  His voice was hesitant, and he shuffled back and forth on his feet.  "I just wanted to say, I'm really glad you and Twilight were able to make up after your fight."  He paused, and then quickly:  "It was going to be hard to be friends with you both."

She just regarded him for a moment.  "We don't hang out enough," she said finally.  "Why is that?"

"The last time we hung out, you got me to watch a movie with you by saying it was about aliens," he huffed.  "But most of the movie was some guy floating around in a space station, and the aliens were, like, his sadness about his dead wife or something."

She laughed.  "Okay, okay.  You can pick the movie next time.  I promise I won't complain."

"Okay, sure.  If you really promise."  He grinned at her, and she felt wonderful.

She looked back up at the sky, feeling warm and calm.  "It's weird," she said.  "Things were such a disaster all day today.  But it all worked out somehow.  Isn't that odd?  Life can be a total mess, and then whoosh, absolutely everything is just how it should be, and all your problems are gone."  She shook her head and chuckled.  "I kind of can't believe it.  Absolutely everything worked out!"

Spike raised an eyebrow.  "That... seems like kind of a dangerous thing to say, doesn't it?"

"But it's true!"  Moon Dancer felt oddly gleeful.  "Everypony is safe.  Me and Twilight made up.  The human Fluttershy came out and has a girlfriend.  Pinkie's party is going great.  Everything I had been worried about was totally taken care of."

Spike shrugged.  "I guess it just works out that way sometimes."  He pointed back over his shoulder.  "You ready to head back?  Fluttershy was going to open her presents."

Moon Dancer's brain exploded.  

It took her a moment to realize exactly why she had such a strong reaction to that word, 'presents.'  It kind of just sounded like two random syllables shoved together, completely devoid of meaning.  Was that even a word? Was it some sort of profanity?  

Slowly it dawned on her, in stages.  "I left getting Fluttershy's present to the last minute."  Then, "A million disasters happened."  Then, "I completely forgot."  Then, "I never ended up getting her a present."  And finally, "I am the worst pony in Equestria I did not get Fluttershy a birthday present."

"That present you got her is really impressive-looking," Spike remarked, beginning to lope back toward the party.  "Nice wrapping job."

Moon Dancer slowly blinked.  She realized what Spike had just said, and and numbly followed behind him.  "Um," she said.

Why would Spike think there was a gift from her?  He had to just be mistaken, but what a strange and specific mistake to make.  Had she somehow bought one and forgotten?  

They arrived at the party to see the central table piled with cheerful gift packages.  Pinkie literally danced in a circle around it, singing a song about how the real present is friendship or something, and Fluttershy stood nearby, eating a slice of cake and looking happy.  Moon Dancer sidled up next to her, receiving a grin and a snuggle in response, and she tried to surreptitiously scope out the gifts.

But almost immediately, Pinkie's song ended and she bounced over to Fluttershy to deliver a rather large, cube-shaped box with a cheerful bow and a large card hanging off the side.  "Yay, Moon Dancer's back!" Pinkie cheered.  "Now we can open presents!  Open hers first, open hers first!"  

Moon Dancer looked closer.  The card clearly displayed TO: and then a crude but recognizable representation of Fluttershy's cutie-mark, and then LOVE: and an obvious portrait of a yellow-haired, red-maned pony with dark-rimmed glasses.  

She had not done this and then forgotten.  Someone else did this.

Fluttershy fussed over the present, trying, as always, to open it without tearing the paper.  Moon Dancer glanced around at the crowd.  Everyone, from Discord to Celestia to Zecora to Twilight, was just watching with happy smiles and laughing, chatting faces.  

Except, there was one pair of eyes that did not look happy at all.  One pair of beady little eyes that just stared at Moon Dancer impassively.  Rabbit eyes.

"Oh my," Fluttershy was saying, "Whatever this is, it's so nice, Moon Dancer.  You know, you didn't have to get me anything, I just..." she trailed off and then leaned in to whisper in Moon Dancer's ear: "...I just think you're the best present I could ever get."

Moon Dancer's mouth fell open, and she stared into Fluttershy's warm eyes for a moment.  She not only forgot what she was upset about, she forgot what being upset felt like at all.

Fluttershy blushingly focused back on the present and managed to remove the ribbon.  "Goodness, what could it be?" she asked rhetorically.  She uncovered more and more of the gift, exposing the shiny box that displayed the product's name in garish, white letters: "KarrotBear 5000."

Fluttershy stared.  "It's... a carrot smoothie maker...?"  

In response, Moon Dancer smiled hugely and fakely, but her eyes found Angel's, standing in the crowd, still staring.  He smirked.

"Oh, Moon Dancer..." Fluttershy suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her hooves around her special somepony.  "I love carrot smoothies!  And they take so long to make!" She squeezed.  "This is such a wonderful and perfect gift!"

Moon Dancer, bewildered, returned the embrace.  She looked over at Angel, who stood still among ponies oohing and cooing over the cuteness of the party's central couple.  He reached out and pointed at Moon Dancer.  

"Thank you," she mouthed.

He rolled his eyes, turned, and hopped away into the crowd.

"I love you," Fluttershy murmured softly into her ear, and then that was all Moon Dancer could focus on.

"I love you too," she said.  "So much."





It was several hours before Moon Dancer broke.  They were at her house and just about to lie down in bed, when she suddenly burst out, "I didn't get you the smoothie machine!  Angel got it and said it was from me!"

Fluttershy stared blankly at her for a moment and then yawned.  "I know, honey," she said.  She lifted the covers and got into bed.  "He cut the ad for it out of my magazine, and he always draws my cutie mark the same way."

Moon Dancer gaped.  "You knew?  But..."

Fluttershy patted the bed next to her.  Moon Dancer numbly climbed in and felt herself being glommed onto.  "You were so worried about getting something, I'm just glad you didn't feel awkward about it at the party," Fluttershy said.  "I do love the present.  And Angel's gesture... it means he's accepted you.  You're family."  She giggled softly.  "That's nice."

Moon Dancer couldn't help the smile that came to her face.  "Yeah."  They breathed together for a moment, and then Moon Dancer remembered something.  "Oh, I lost track of Starlight and Trixie at the party.  Did they end up leaving together?"

"No, Trixie talked to Zephyr most of the night," Fluttershy answered sleepily. "Starlight was drinking quite a bit, but she didn't leave with Trixie.  Um...." Her voice wavered slightly.  "But... I think she actually might have sneaked off to Rarity's house."

Moon Dancer froze for a moment, then just sighed.  "Everypony will be fine, I know, but it's like watching the world's most awkward cart-crash happening in slow motion."

"Are you really very worried about Starlight?"

"No, I just..." Moon Dancer thought a moment.  "I love your and Twilight's friends, but I feel like I click with the group Starlight hangs out with, you know?  The oddballs.  I feel for her."

Fluttershy nodded, still snuggling up.  "It's really nice they have you," she said simply. 

They lay together, nearly dozing, and then Fluttershy spoke up again.  "I feel weird about Rarity."

"Hm?"  Moon Dancer looked over, raising an eyebrow.  "Weird how?"

"She's been so supportive," Fluttershy replied hesitantly.  "But... she has acted strange sometimes, too.  Insisting I used  to have a crush on her, acting a little bit critical of ponies I liked..."

"Um, yeah, because she was obviously totally into you and didn't even know it."

Fluttershy probably found it too embarrassing to verbally agree, but she nodded.  "I'm not a...attracted to her, but I probably would have been a few years ago if she had been, um, out.  Is that okay?"

Moon Dancer smiled warmly and smooched her special somepony on the forehead.  "Of course.  It would be okay if you were attracted to her now.  We'd just use that secret relationship weapon you taught me that fixes all the problems: we'd  communicate about it."

Fluttershy returned the kiss, this time on Moon Dancer's cheek.  "Okay.  But, it makes me feel weird.  Because... maybe we'd have started dating if she hadn't been repressing it.  But I think I'm so much happier with you than I would be with her, so I'm kind of... grateful she was in the closet.  Even though it was bad for her."  

Moon Dancer found herself frowning.  "Fluttershy..."

"Am I a bad..."  And then Fluttershy stopped herself short.  She took a deep breath, then looked Moon Dancer straight in the face.  "No.  Sorry.  That's not helpful.  Will you just let me know if you see me... not being as supportive as I could be?  I'll try, but just so I can be sure."

"Of course."  Moon Dancer smiled warmly.  "And I get it.  I can't tell you how relieved I am that Twilight is straight.  I dodged a big bullet, there."  She stuck out a tongue.  "It would have been like making out with myself.  Yuck."

Fluttershy giggled, then she pulled back and stared her special somepony in the face.  "I am really, really sleepy," she said.  "But... do you think you and I could... just spend the day here tomorrow?  Applejack said she'd go to my cottage to feed the animals."

Moon Dancer smirked.  "All day?  Just here?  How will we pass the time?"

Fluttershy shook her head.  "I really am too sleepy to flirt right now.  You know exactly how we're going to pass the time."  She couldn't get through it without the slightest tinge of a blush coloring her cheeks, but otherwise it was just a plain statement of fact.  

In response, Moon Dancer just pulled her down into their common sleeping position: nuzzled together with Fluttershy's head resting against her chest.  They breathed together, slowly, gently.

"I read a lot," Moon Dancer said, after a moment.  "History and biographies and novels."  She paused.  "I could list dozens and dozens of heroes and legends and monarchs.  But you..."  She closed her eyes and felt Fluttershy's slow breathing.  "...You are the bravest, strongest pony I have ever even heard of.  I am just hopelessly lucky to love you.  Do you know that?"

Fluttershy did not reply.  But the head nestled against Moon Dancer's neck was answer enough.