//------------------------------// // Quiet Moments // Story: A Study In Nonsense // by Professor Piggy //------------------------------// It really was terribly unfair. All the effort she had put into preparing for their rendezvous, the hours she had spent making entirely certain that her hair was perfect, that her coat was immaculate, that her hooves were spotless and that her horn shimmered in the sunlight. Hours of worry and panic and revisions and changes – and it had all been for nothing. As she subtly glanced up from the masterfully prepared sandwich she was eating, she knew she could only admit defeat. Fluttershy lay in the grass with her eyes closed and the faintest hint of a smile on her face. The light from the setting sun reflected off her coat, illuminating her like an angel. No, illuminating her like a Goddess. Celestia herself could never have compared to Fluttershy. The birds nestled into the Pegasus‘ ravishing pink mane, singing their little hearts out, seemed to agree - Fluttershy was perfect. And she, for all her makeup and dresses and undoubtedly flawless taste, would never be her match. With anypony else, that would have…bothered her, ever so slightly. Perhaps angered her just a touch. Possibly even – oh, who was she kidding? It would have killed her. But not with Fluttershy. Somehow, whenever she realised all over again just how amazing her closest friend really was, all she could do was smile. And fight the urge to embrace her. And perhaps she occasionally fought the urge to kiss her too. Sometimes. “Fluttershy?” She finally spoke, the first time that either of them had in close to half an hour – they had done plenty of talking earlier, of course, but when all was said and done they had gotten into the habit of just…lingering. Rarity knew why she did it – every second spent with Fluttershy was another that she got to feel like her soul was aflame and that her heart would burst. She rather suspected that Fluttershy just liked the quiet. “Mmm?” The Pegasus didn’t open her eyes, and barely moved. It had taken Rarity a long, long time to get used to that. She was used to her timid, frightened friend jumping at every unexpected sound – in all the long years she’d known her, she’d come to expect that. For Fluttershy to simply hum at her – at anypony – and keep smiling was something she’d only been lucky enough to witness recently. And she wanted to know why. “I don’t mean to be rude, dear, but….are you quite alright? You seem so much….” She paused, struggling to find a word that wouldn’t sound too cruel, “Calmer, lately. It’s lovely, of course - I’m happy for you. But everything is alright, isn’t it?” Her friend did open her eyes, now. Those beautiful, glimmering orbs – such perfect teal, unlike anything Rarity had ever seen. They were breath taking. And now, they were dancing. As the Pegasus slowly raised her head from the grass and turned it towards Rarity, she was giggling. “Oh yes.” Her voice was like music, dancing through the air and lighting up the world. Rarity loved it. “Everything’s okay. I promise. It’s…it’s better than okay, really. Um…” Those eyes darted downwards, and Rarity’s heart skipped a beat before she realised that the Pegasus was still smiling. “…I’ve…I’ve been really happy, since we started doing this. I like being here. With you. It’s…nice. Wonderful. And I’m not afraid, when we’re together.” Never had the unicorn wanted to kiss another pony as badly as she did at that moment. What she wanted – all she wanted – was to throw her forelegs around Fluttershy, hold her close and never let her go. But she couldn’t, of course. It would ruin everything – Fluttershy wouldn’t reciprocate, wouldn’t want her, and she would be afraid. The time she had just confessed she loved so very much would be shattered, irrevocably. And perhaps their friendship would too. So instead she just smiled. “You have no idea how much it means for me to hear that, darling. I must say, it’s the part of the week I look forward to the most. An ingenious idea, I must say.” Fluttershy looked up, locking eyes with her, and nodded slowly. “It really was. It was an amazing idea. I’m glad you came up with it.” And with that, the Pegasus darted across the blanket and kissed her. Rarity froze. Just for a moment. That wasn’t right. She hadn’t been the one to send the note. She’d received one from…from…hmm…as the Pegasus’s kisses became more insistent, Rarity found that she couldn’t remember. And as she fell backwards, sliding her arms around the one she loved, she found that she didn’t care. ——- Rainbow Dash grinned at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie grinned at Dash. Slowly, quietly they crept out of the bushes and snuck away. As soon as they were out of earshot, Pinkie spun on a hoof and tackled Dash to the ground, hugging her close and giggling like an excited filly. Dash couldn’t blame her, really. It had all gone off without a hitch. “You were right Dashie! You said it’d work and I didn’t believe you but you were right and you’re the greatest did you see how happy they looked it was like –“ Dash kissed her, mostly to stop her talking. When she pulled away she looked up at her crazy Pink Pony and smirked. “Of course it worked. I knew it would. I didn’t expect it to take them so long, though. And I thought I was stubborn.” “You are stubborn.” Pinkie nuzzled her. “But that’s okay. You’re an amazing friend, Dashie.” “Yeah.” Dash nodded, “I know.”