//------------------------------// // 6 – No Other Feeling // Story: Thicker Than Water // by Krickis //------------------------------// Chapter Sixe No Other Feeling ⠀ ⠀ Ever since Bitchette had started touring across the country, they had learned to deal with crowds. No, deal with wasn’t right. They loved the crowds. Even Fluttershy, who was never cheered for, found the cheer of the audience gave a rush like nothing else ever could. But despite that, there was another pleasure that was almost as good, especially with how rare it was. No matter where they went, no matter what they saw, no other feeling was ever quite like coming home. It was only for a few days, Everton was just a stop on the tour, but it was time for them to see their friends and family. And, of course, that meant their show had to be it’s very best. Fluttershy watched it from the audience because that’s where her friends were, and she didn’t regret it. She’d be lying if she said she felt excited to hear the same songs every night, but hearing them tonight, sitting with Applejack beside her on the right and Pinkie clinging to her left arm, she felt their excitement and how much extra the band put into this performance for their hometown. “Thank you all for coming out!” Rainbow said after they wrapped up their encore. They were coming to a point in their career that it seemed to be expected that they’d perform an encore, and there was no way in hell that they’d miss one for their hometown. “We’ve played all over this country, but nowhere compares to right here in Everton!” Rainbow announced. The audience cheered. “We only wish we could do more for our hometown. But just for you all, we’re gonna be running our own merch table tonight! So come down to get some shit or just to say hey, we’ll be there!” “Guess that’s our cue to head over that way before the mob does?” Applejack asked. Fluttershy nodded. “Let’s go.” She got up, and Pinkie shifted from holding onto Fluttershy’s arm to holding her hand. It was Pinkie’s usual behavior around Fluttershy. They didn’t see each other often, but when they did, she could always expect Pinkie to cling to her as if she might disappear again any second. Along with Applejack and Pinkie, they had shown up with Pinkie’s sisters. Fluttershy didn’t expect the show to be Maud or Marble’s kind of music, but they seemed to enjoy themselves enough. Limestone, on the other hand, had gone absolutely wild when Bitchette came on. She disappeared into the mosh pit, then they saw her half an hour later crowd surfing. It was anyone’s guess where she was now. They’d find her sooner or later. For now, they moved through the crowd to the merch table. They reached it before the band did, though there were already some fans around. Two roadies were helping set up the table display, so Fluttershy gave them a hand. Since there still wasn’t any sign of the band when they finished, Fluttershy took a seat and smiled at the fans. “The band will be here soon for anyone who wants to wait for them. In the meantime, I can help anyone who wants to buy something.” No one seemed to want to buy anything until the band showed up, but eventually, a girl with hair as short as Fluttershy’s stepped up. She had brown skin and lighter brown hair, and she looked like she was a few years younger than Fluttershy. Fluttershy exchanged her awkward smile for a warm one. “How can I help you?” “Uhm, well…” She shifted in place. “Are you Fluttershy?” Fluttershy blinked. No one ever recognized her, she must have known this girl from somewhere. They were back in Everton, after all. “I am. I’m sorry, but I can’t place where I know you from.” “Oh, you don’t. I just, er, recognize you from the CD booklets.” “Oh.” Fluttershy blinked again. Someone did recognize her. That had never happened before. “I’m surprised you recognized me.” “Yeah, well, Broken Mirror is my favorite song, like, ever.” Ah, that made a little more sense. It was obvious at a glance that she was a lesbian, she must be one of the many gay fans Fluttershy’s lyrics had earned them. Still, to actually be noticed… “I’m sorry.” Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s just this has never happened to me before.” “I also know you produced all of Bitchette’s songs.” The girl smiled a little more genuinely. “And wrote some other songs with them.” “Yes, I did.” Suddenly, the girl frowned a little. “I’m sorry, I hope I’m not being weird.” “Of course you’re not!” Pinkie said before Fluttershy could. “Fluttershy is super awesome, and it’s really cool that someone can see that!” “In that case, uhm, if it’s not too weird, can I get your autograph?” Fluttershy blinked yet again. It seemed to be the only response she could come up with for everything this girl said. “I think ya broke her,” Applejack said with a smirk. Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, uhm, of course you can.” The girl chose to buy Bitchette’s second album on vinyl even though she said she already had the digital version. Although Fluttershy had never signed an album for a fan, she had practiced her signature many times on legal forms for the band. “Can you make it out to Amber Glow?” the girl asked. “Of course.” Fluttershy wrote ‘To Amber Glow with love, Fluttershy’ and handed the album to her. “The rest of the band should be here soon if you –” “We should be here now,” Gilda said as Rainbow pulled up a seat beside Fluttershy. “This is Amber Glow,” Fluttershy said to the band. “She was just asking for my autograph.” “Really?” Rainbow asked. “That’s awesome!” “About time too,” Lemon Zest added. “Yeah, well, gimme that.” Gilda held her hand out to Amber and smirked. “Might as well get the whole set.” Amber handed Gilda the record, so she signed it as well. It was nice that it was on vinyl, as it gave them all plenty of room to sign it. After Rainbow signed the album slightly larger than Gilda had, Applejack took a picture of Amber with the band, and she exchanged email addresses with Fluttershy. On any other night, Fluttershy would have invited her backstage, but tonight was about her friends. It was probably for the best; Fluttershy wasn’t exactly sure how old Amber was and the last thing she needed was to hook up with someone who was underage. At least Amber left with stars in her eyes. Their group was already big enough, anyway. It did seem like it was about to get a little smaller, however. “I think I should get Marble home,” Maud said. She and Marble had been on the sidelines, with Marble herself mostly looking down at the floor. “Thank you for inviting us, Pinkie.” “Aww, okay.” Pinkie hugged her sisters. “Thank you both for coming!” “Hope you enjoyed the show!” Rainbow said. Marble nodded and Fluttershy was pretty sure she said “Mhm,” but it was hard to hear over the sound of the crowd. “I also had fun,” Maud said unenthusiastically. Fluttershy knew better than to expect any other response though. She would just have to take their word for it, in the end. “Of course they did!” Pinkie said. “Everyone in my family just loves rock!” Marble and Maud waved to the others, then they made their way into the crowd. Meanwhile, the band quickly found out they couldn’t give each fan much attention and run the merch booth, so Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack took to running the booth while the band signed autographs and took pictures with fans. The system they worked out was still on the slow side, but it was better than the band trying to run the table themselves. It took ages to get through everyone, but Fluttershy didn’t mind. It was fun, and it gave them a way to be closer to their hometown fans than they usually were elsewhere. As the crowd thinned out, they also got a couple surprise visitors, one of whom stood out more than the other. “Lightning Dust?” Fluttershy broke into a grin as she walked up. “And Flash, glad you made it.” “Holy shit, Shy?” Lightning grinned as well. “Almost didn’t recognize you.” “Fluttershy?” Flash asked. “Is that really you? What happened to your hair?” Fluttershy giggled, though she doubted the sound could be heard by the others. “I decided to try a different look. I like it.” “It’s cool, just… wow.” Flash shook his head and smiled. “I mean, it looks great.” “Damn right it does,” Lightning said with a grin. “Thanks.” Fluttershy ran a hand through her short hair. “Gilda helped me out with it.” “Nice.” “Why didn’t you come find me earlier?” Fluttershy asked. Lightning shrugged. “Didn’t realize you’d be in the crowd.” “Is that Dust?” Lemon Zest asked. “What the fuck are you doing on that side of the table? Get over here!” Lightning chuckled. “Not in the band anymore, remember?” “There’s no leaving this ride!” Lemon Zest said. “And you know she won’t let up until you listen to her,” Windfall added. “Just get over here already, Dust.” Whether because she wanted to or because she knew Windfall was right about Lemon Zest, Lightning ducked under the table to get to the others. “Too bad you weren’t here earlier,” Rainbow said. “Shy got her first autograph.” Flash clapped her on the back. “Nice going!” “What? Sweet!” Lightning Dust gave Fluttershy a high five. “It was pretty cool,” Fluttershy said, still feeling a little starstruck by the whole thing. Lightning Dust joined the others in signing autographs while Flash just stood off to the side and waited for everyone to finish. Whether because fans recognized her or because they didn’t realize she hadn’t been on stage, no one commented on Lightning’s sudden appearance. Eventually Limestone found their way to them as well, apparently coming from the bar. She took a seat right on the merch table, which didn’t really matter with how they were selling out of stuff. “So how much longer are we here for?” Limestone asked. “Until all the fans get to see the band, silly,” Pinkie said. She looked over at the band while they posed for a photo with a fan. “Think anyone would notice if I took one of their places?” “I’m sure they would,” Pinkie said. Fluttershy wasn’t so sure. “If you took Rainbow’s, yeah. The others…” Limestone laughed. “We should totally try it!” “That wouldn’t be nice,” Pinkie said with a frown. “I think the fans deserve to meet the real band,” Fluttershy said. “Whether they’d know about it or not.” “Tch, fine.” Limestone picked up one of their CDs and looked it over. “What do you think everyone would say if they knew we all used to be in a band?” Applejack asked. “Some of our more hardcore fans know about the Rainbooms. Not that I think anyone would recognize us from it.” “Yeah, fair enough.” Applejack glanced over to the band. “They ever get stopped on the street?” “No, I don’t think we’re quite that big.” “Thank goodness for that,” Applejack said. “Could you imagine how obnoxious that would be?” Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s probably best this way.” “We ran out of another T-shirt design,” Pinkie informed them. It wasn’t long before they ran out of just about everything. The timing was good at least, since the fans finally started thinning out. Fluttershy checked her phone and saw that it had taken over an hour. Before they could finish greeting all the fans, the venue staff informed them they needed to empty the building so they could clean up. The band didn’t have to leave, but the fans did. Since they still had a few more fans to wrap things up with, they left the building. Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Limestone, and Flash stayed behind to put away the rest of the merch. “So what now?” Limestone asked as they were wrapping up. “We were going to go to Applejack’s,” Pinkie said. “But I can drop you off at home first.” Limestone frowned. “They’re finally back in town and you’re just going to Applejack’s? Why not go out and party!?” Pinkie shrugged. “We just wanted to hang out and catch up.” “Lame. And here I was gonna tag along.” “You still can.” Pinkie smiled. “Come on, come with us! It’ll be good for you to get out of the house for a bit!” “You should both come,” Fluttershy said, smiling at Flash. She was looking forward to catching up with him. Although when it came down to it, she could take or leave Limestone, but she didn’t want to be rude to Pinkie’s sister. “I’m down,” Flash said. “To just go to Applejack’s house?” Limestone sighed. “Aww, ya never seemed to mind when we do holidays together,” Applejack said, then she put a finger to her mouth in thought. “Well, ya don’t seem to mind more than ya mind everything else, at least.” Limestone rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever, I’ll go.” “Yay!” Pinkie threw her arms around her sister. “It’ll be fun, you’ll see!” They boxed everything up and handed it off to roadies to pack away for the next show, then they went outside to find the band. It wasn’t hard, they were hanging out in front of the venue with the last few fans. At least the weather was nice. It was still summer and the days were still hot, but the night was cool and refreshing. It would be a perfect night for hanging out at Sweet Apple Acres. They split themselves between Pinkie’s minivan, Applejack’s truck, and Flash’s car. For her part, Fluttershy rode with Applejack. “So how’s life in Everton?” Fluttershy asked as they pulled out into the street. “Reckon it hasn’t changed much since y’all been gone.” Applejack looked over and grinned. “From the look of things, you’re the one with changes going on.” Fluttershy smiled. She had fully expected her new look would come up in conversation with everyone. “Things aren’t that different, although I still don’t really know that life on tour can ever be described as ‘normal’.” “So what got you to change up your look then?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I guess I just got used to the style on everyone else, and I decided to try it out for myself. Figured if I don’t like it, I can just grow out my hair again and change my clothes.” “And do ya like it?” “I do.” Fluttershy smiled at her reflection. She was already debating another piercing. Maybe on her lip like Lightning, or her upper ear like Rainbow. “Well, I can’t say I see what you see in it, but I’m glad it makes ya happy.” Fluttershy giggled. “I don’t know, a punk rock Apple would be pretty cool.” “Reckon I’ll pass on that.” “But enough about me,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “How’s business going?” Applejack filled her in on how things were going for Sweet Apple Acres as they drove. When Fluttershy had first left on tour, she was struggling to turn the business around, trying to remarket Sweet Apple Acres as a high-end organic brand to be able to cover the costs of running it the traditional way. She was glad to hear those efforts were starting to pay off. It wasn’t much, but the brand was starting to turn a profit again. They reached the orchard before Applejack had time to get into the finer details of everything, but the big picture sounded good. It was about time things started working out for someone other than her and Rainbow. The lights of the farmhouse were off, but the outside lights were on. Applejack and Fluttershy made their way to the backyard, waving to Pinkie and Flash’s groups to follow. They set to gathering extra lawn chairs and placing them around the picnic table so that everyone could have a place to sit. By the time they finished, everyone was back there. “Someone want to come help me get drinks?” Applejack asked. “We gotta be quiet ‘bout it though, since everyone else is asleep by now.” “I’ll help,” Fluttershy offered. “Me too!” Pinkie said. The three of them went into the cellar as quietly as they could. Applejack got them a cooler to help carry drinks and they loaded it up with soda and beer. There was some ice in the freezer, so they dumped it into the cooler as well. It wouldn’t be enough to keep their drinks cold for long, but it was late at night and most of the stores in the area would be closed, so it was what they had to work with. They brought the cooler back out and found people had already started breaking into smaller groups to talk. Windfall and Lemon Zest were talking with Lightning Dust, no doubt filling her in on how the tour was going. Rainbow and Flash were together, as were Gilda and Limestone. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what the latter pairing was talking about, but they both sounded equally gruff with whatever it was. Fluttershy chose to join Lightning Dust’s group first, bringing over an armful of beer cans for everyone. “Hey, Shy,” Lemon Zest said. “We were just asking about Dust’s new band.” “Not much of a band yet,” Dust said. “I’ve been working on some songs myself, just guitar and bass, and I think I’m getting ready to knuckle down and look for a band.” “That’s great.” Fluttershy smiled as she opened her own beer. “I’m really excited to hear what you come up with.” “Yeah, just gotta find the right people I guess.” Lightning sipped on her beer. “I was kinda thinking I might sing and play bass.” “You totally should,” Lemon Zest said. “You rocked on Your Impatience.” “It’ll probably be a lot easier to find musicians,” Windfall said. “You’re a bit more known now, you know? People are going to expect your band to be good because of your reputation.” “Have any suggestions on who recruit?” Lightning Dust asked him. “You got plenty of bassists to audition for Bitchette.” Windfall nodded. “I know a few people. Think Gilda knows some musicians in the area too.” “I, uhm, may know a guitarist,” Fluttershy said. “Although I don’t know if he’s available.” “Who is it?” Lightning asked. Fluttershy glanced over towards the others. “Flash is really good. We did try getting him in Bitchette for a long time.” “You think he’s gonna be free now?” Lightning asked. “I think it’s worth asking him,” Fluttershy said. “Can’t hurt.” Lemon Zest gave Lightning Dust a push towards him. “Go get in there before he’s too drunk to answer!” That didn’t seem likely since Flash was only drinking soda, but there was no time like the present. “Come on,” Fluttershy said. “We can ask him together.” Fluttershy and Lightning walked over to Flash and Rainbow, who were talking about Flash’s studies as a music theory major. “Think you’ll put it to good use?” Rainbow asked. “I think so. Maybe as a record producer, or doing soundtrack work or something.” “How does lead guitarist sound?” Lightning asked with a grin. “I’m looking to get a new band started.” “This sounds familiar,” Flash said. “Yeah, but this band will be way better,” Lightning said. “Plus like, I have weight behind my name now. And with Shy’s help, I’m pretty sure we can snag a record deal pretty easily.” Fluttershy had offered to help, but she wasn’t sure how much weight her input would really have. That said, she did want to help Lightning look good. “No better way to rack up some experience in the industry.” “I’ll… think about it. I always really wanted to finish school, you know?” Lightning shrugged. “Not like I have a band ready to go or anything. You’re the first person I’ve talked to about it.” “You could always join for now and then bail if it conflicts with school too much,” Rainbow pointed out. “You’ll have to get a whole band together, write songs, rehearse, start playing locally… It’ll probably be a while before you have to make a decision between school and the band.” Flash smiled. “It could be fun. Here, give me your number and I’ll let you know after I’ve given it some more thought.” Flash and Lightning exchanged numbers. Fluttershy hoped it would work out with them. Flash was a great guy and it would be nice to know Lightning had someone like him in her band. While the two of them talked shop, Gilda came over to grab a drink from the cooler. Once she did, she didn’t go back to Limestone, however. Instead she walked over to Fluttershy and gestured away from everyone else. Confused, Fluttershy followed after Gilda. They walked a little ways away before Gilda stopped, and she glanced over at Limestone. “What’s up?” Fluttershy asked. “So, uh… You know Limestone right?” “A little. Pinkie’s an old friend of mine, but I’ve only met her sisters a few times.” “Shit.” Fluttershy frowned as Gilda shifted uncomfortably. “Why do you ask?” “It’s just…” Gilda took a deep breath. “Remember what we talked about a couple weeks ago?” “Uhm…” “About, you know, girls?” “Oh!” Fluttershy smiled, remembering Gilda’s uncertainty about her sexuality. “Gilda, do you have a thing for Limestone?” “Shh, not so loud!” Gilda said despite the fact that Fluttershy had been quite quiet. “I just, you know, was hoping you might know if she likes girls.” Fluttershy glanced over at Limestone, who was standing irritably by herself. She may not see what Gilda saw in her, but she did want to help. “I don’t know, but I know who would.” “Wait, you’re not going to ask her sister are you?” Gilda asked, but Fluttershy was already walking away. “Shy. Shy!” Fluttershy walked up to Pinkie, who was talking with Lemon Zest and Windfall. “Uhm, Pinkie? Can I ask you something?” “Silly Shyshy, you can ask me anything!” Pinkie beamed, but showed no inclination of going somewhere more private. Thankfully, Windfall noticed and took Lemon Zest by the arm. “Zest, we should go check in on Dash.” “Uh, sure,” Lemon Zest said, letting herself be guided along. Fluttershy smiled appreciatively, then turned to Pinkie. “Uhm, so I was wondering, is Limestone into girls?” Pinkie’s mouth fell open for a second, then she threw her arms around Fluttershy. “Oh, you two would be so cute together!” “Uhm, I’m asking for a friend…” “Right,” Pinkie said in a tone that suggested she didn’t believe it for a second. “Really, Pinkie, I…” Fluttershy shook her head. If everything went well, Pinkie would see for herself soon enough. “I just… wanted to know.” “She is,” Pinkie said in a singsong voice. Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Pinkie. But uhm, please don’t tell anyone I was asking.” Pinkie made a zipping motion across her lips, then mimed throwing away the zipper. She flashed a thumbs up, so Fluttershy nodded and returned to Gilda. Gilda wasted no time in telling Fluttershy off. “I can’t believe you did that.” “Oh, so you don’t want to know what I found out?” Gilda blushed. “Fine. What’d she say?” Fluttershy looked back to Limestone, who was looking at Gilda. As soon as she saw Fluttershy noticed, she turned away. Fluttershy turned back to Gilda. “I think you should go for it. She does like girls, and if I’m right, I think she feels the same way about you.” Gilda swallowed. “Okay. So, uh… what do I say?” “Remember what I told you? Don’t worry about it going wrong, because in a few days, we’ll be back on tour.” “Right.” “So then you can just ask her if she’d like to go to your place when we leave here. That’s usually what I do.” “I don’t have my own place though,” Gilda said. “Shitty one bedroom apartment for me and my parents, remember?” “Oh.” Fluttershy didn’t know Gilda hadn’t ever moved out of her parents’ apartment. And Fluttershy didn’t have a house either, so she couldn’t offer her place for Gilda to use. “Maybe she has her own place now? I know before she lived with the rest of her family, though…” Gilda sighed. “I mean, I could rent us a hotel room, but that feels kind of… disrespectful?” “How about you just let tonight be tonight?” Fluttershy suggested. “Just let it happen. For now, just go talk to her. If you see an opportunity to flirt, take it.” “Right.” Gilda nodded. “Just see what happens…” Gilda made no move to leave, so Fluttershy did it for her. She stepped behind Gilda and gave her a push, which got her going. As Gilda walked on back to Limestone, Fluttershy saw that Rainbow and Applejack had got together, so she made to join them. “So how’s Apple Bloom?” Rainbow asked as Fluttershy was walking over. “Doin’ good,” Applejack answered. “Still dating Trail Blazer. I gotta say I had my doubts, but they seem to be doin’ alright together.” “Cool,” Rainbow said. “So what about you two?” Applejack asked knowingly. “Either of you settled in with anyone yet?” Fluttershy and Rainbow looked at each other. “I don’t think either of us are the settling down types,” Rainbow said. “I guess I might be,” Fluttershy said. “If we weren’t on tour all the time.” “Suppose that does make things a bit hard,” Applejack said. “And what about you,” Rainbow asked with a smirk. “What’s your excuse?” “Y’all know how busy I am.” “Hasn’t stopped Apple Bloom or Big Mac,” Fluttershy said slyly. “Oh! I haven’t told y’all yet!” Applejack beamed. “Big Mac and Sugar Belle are gettin’ hitched!” Rainbow grinned. “Wow, really? That’s awesome!” “You’ll have to tell them congrats from us,” Fluttershy said. “How long ago did they get engaged?” “Bout a month now, maybe a little more. No idea when the wedding is gonna be yet, they’re tryin’ to get it all sorted still.” “Geez, I can’t imagine actually settling down and getting married,” Rainbow said. She nudged Fluttershy. “Gotta stay free, am I right?” Fluttershy smiled and nodded, even though it didn’t feel like so long ago that she would have been thrilled at the idea of getting married. “They got a little place together already,” Applejack said. “We all saw this comin’ a mile away, but we’re still plum proud of the two of them.” “It must be weird without Big Mac at home,” Fluttershy said. Applejack nodded. “A bit, yeah.” Marriage. It really hadn’t been all that long ago. And yet, it had been a lifetime ago. “So, uhm…” Fluttershy looked back at the party and saw everyone was preoccupied with their own conversations. “How’s Sunset doing?” Applejack took a sip of her drink and didn’t meet Fluttershy’s eyes as she answered. “She’s good. Her relationship’s going strong, and she’s still sober.” It was so strange to hear Sunset was sober. She had been the one who got Fluttershy to start drinking, after all. When Fluttershy looked back on their relationship, sometimes it felt like one long wine binge. And, of course, it was only when she got away from Fluttershy that she was able to get sober. “That’s great,” Fluttershy said. “Really, I’m glad to hear things are going well for her.” “Ya know…” Applejack adjusted her hat. “She’d really love to see ya sometime.” “I… I don’t think I want to. Not yet.” “It’s been years, Shy,” Applejack said. “Sunset isn’t as great as you think she is.” Rainbow folded her arms. “Dash, ya ain’t even spoke to her in two years.” “Whatever. I’m going back to the others.” Rainbow walked away, leaving Applejack and Fluttershy alone. “Sorry about Dash… She’s just…” Fluttershy wasn’t even sure what excuse she could use with Applejack. “I ain’t worried about Rainbow,” Applejack said with a shrug. “I dunno if she’s ever gonna come around. But you know, I really thought you’d want to, I don’t know… bury the hatchet?” “I’m not angry with her,” Fluttershy said. “I’m just… I want to move on.” Applejack was quiet for a moment, until she eventually sighed. “Fine. Do ya maybe at least want to visit Sk–” “No.” Fluttershy pursed her lips. Applejack stared at her, finally seeming to be at a loss for words. Before Fluttershy could work up an apology, Pinkie popped up from somewhere behind her and threw her arms around Fluttershy. “So I take it your friend is enjoying herself?” Fluttershy smiled. “Pinkie, you said you wouldn’t mention anything.” “Hmm? I was just saying it’s a fun party.” Fluttershy laughed and shook her head, then looked over to where Gilda and Limestone were sitting side by side, trying not to look at each other as they scooted slightly closer. “I think she is.” “What’s this about a friend now?” Applejack asked. “Nothing,” Fluttershy and Pinkie said together, then laughed. At Pinkie’s insistence, Fluttershy and Applejack joined the others. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and they steadily worked their way through the beer. The soda lasted a little longer, as it was primarily drank by Pinkie and Flash, the group’s designated drivers. Eventually, Limestone and Gilda joined the others. “The two of us are gonna head out,” Gilda said. “Oh, together?” Pinkie said with a grin. “We’re just sharing a cab!” Limestone said definitively, although everyone knew that if they wanted to, they could just head out with Pinkie. “I should get heading out too,” Flash said. “I can give you both a ride.” Gilda and Limestone both looked angrily away from everyone. “Is it to one house or two though?” Pinkie asked. “Pinkie!” Limestone glared at her sister. Pinkie just shrugged. “Just saying that maybe Gilda would be more comfortable crashing at your house, Limey.” Gilda scratched awkwardly at her neck. “Well, I do normally sleep on a couch, so…” “Fine,” Limestone said as if this was a huge inconvenience for her. “I guess you can come home with me.” “Yeah, well, whatever.” Gilda folded her arms and looked off to the side. “Have fun you two!” Pinkie called, with the rest of Bitchette joining in on the cheers. “Anyone else want a ride?” Flash asked. “I’ll take one,” Lightning said. “Might as well take the front seat so these two have the chance to sit in the back together.” Both Gilda and Limestone started sputtering excuses about how wrong everyone was, but the two of them walked back to Flash’s car side by side. The rest of the group condensed to the picnic table, which Lemon Zest made room on by sitting on the table itself. They talked about Limestone and Gilda and how they were oddly perfect for one another, and no one seemed to notice Fluttershy slipping off into the night. This all was nice, but it wasn’t really part of Fluttershy’s world anymore. Hanging out with friends, talking about young love and engagements. It was like stepping through a mirror into an older part of her life, and it dragged up feelings she wished could just stay buried forever. So she wandered off by herself, walking along the side of the road. She just needed to clear her head. Some time away from the others to get herself sorted. That was all this was. She stopped when she came up to a grave surrounded by flowers. She frowned as she looked at it. She hadn’t meant to come  here. That’s what she told herself, that she was just walking aimlessly and wound up here. She didn’t believe it, but it helped to lie sometimes. A few years ago, she would have knelt down at the grave. She would have cried. She would have felt overcome with emotion. Now she felt hollow. Everything she had done for the past two years had been to change into a person who didn’t hurt anymore. And she had succeeded. But what was left of her now? Was there even anything left of the girl who had once cared about everything so much that it had hurt? She felt an arm wrap around hers and she didn’t need to look to see who it was. “I just needed to clear my head,” Fluttershy said. “I know,” Pinkie answered softly. “Is it working?” “No. It never does anymore.” “It’s okay, Shy.” Pinkie leaned her head against Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I heard what you said to Applejack, but… it’s okay to talk about her.” “I don’t want to.” “Is that really how you feel?” Fluttershy knew that Pinkie was looking up at her, trying to look her in the eyes. She knew, but she refused to comply. “I don’t know.” “I still think of her a lot, too,” Pinkie said. “And I help Applejack and Sunset tend to the flowers.” “Sunset comes…” Fluttershy frowned. “Sunset still comes by to see her from time to time. Even now.” Fluttershy quirked her face into a strange smile. “I bet her girlfriends just love that. Still hung up on someone else’s kid.” “They’re not like that,” Pinkie said. “They both understand what Sky means to her.” Fluttershy winced at the name, like she always did. “I should have had an abortion.” “What?” Pinkie backed up a little. Fluttershy let out a small laugh. “I was so young and stupid. If something like that happened now, I would just get an abortion. I wasn’t ready for a kid, and neither was Sunset. It was the worst situation we could have been in! If anything we were lucky that –” Fluttershy’s words caught in her throat, as did something else. No. She didn’t hurt anymore. She wouldn’t let herself hurt, not anymore. If being hollow was all she could be, then that was what she would be. No other feelings. “You don’t mean that,” Pinkie said softly, as if she were consoling a small child. “I know you don’t.” Fluttershy sighed. “Maybe not all of it. Come on, I don’t want anyone else to notice where I am.” “Shy…” Pinkie followed after her when Fluttershy walked away. “It’s okay to talk about it.” “No,” Fluttershy said. “It isn’t.” Fluttershy pulled her arm away from Pinkie and rejoined the others. Windfall and Applejack were arm wrestling, and Applejack was winning effortlessly. Fluttershy smiled joined the others when they poked some lighthearted fun at Windfall, and she did not hurt anymore.