//------------------------------// // 4. Just Go For It // Story: Loveliest of Trees // by Nordryd //------------------------------// Lunchtime. Finally, some time to relax during the school day. Especially on a Monday, the only thing on a tired, cranky teenager’s mind was food. For Fluttershy, it was an opportunity to hang out with her friends, whom were always the highlight of her day. But something else was on her mind too. Coppermane. Those warm brown eyes had been burned into her mind, making her blush every time she thought about them. Where was he? Was he here today? She was hoping to see him at least once today, even if from afar. Fluttershy sighed. Oh well. At least she had her friends to look forward to. She grabbed a tray and the food she preferred today and walked over to join her friends who were all already seated and having a conversation. “...and if I hear about any of them bullying him again, or anyone, I’m booting them from the team. No questions asked,” Rainbow said. She perked up when she saw Fluttershy about to sit down. “Hey, Fluttershy!” “Hello,” Fluttershy said, smiling as everyone else greeted her too. “What’s going on, Rainbow? Is everything okay?” “We’ll see once I tell my teams what’ll happen if I catch them bullying... you know who,” Rainbow said, giving Fluttershy a wink, making her blush. “I talked to Coppermane earlier and told him personally as well.” "Oh, well thank you, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t sweat it!” Rainbow said. “I won’t have that kind of stuff happening while I’m in charge. I gave him my number so he can let me know if he gets jumped again. I want to be the first to know about any incident.” Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. “Y-You have his number?” “Sure do. Texted me after I left,” Rainbow said, smirking. “You want it?” “Oh... um... n-no thank you,” Fluttershy said. “You suuuure?” Rainbow teased. “It might be a little creepy if she texts him out of nowhere,” Sunset said. “Probably best to wait until he gives it to her on his own.” Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah. Besides... I-I don’t think I’m ready to talk to him yet.” “But why not, darling?” Rarity asked. “I don’t know what I want to say to him,” Fluttershy said. “I-I just need time to think.” “Don’t think! Just go for it!” Applejack said. “Yeah!” Rainbow said. “What’ve you got to lose?” Fluttershy pursed her lips. “I-I’m not as confident as you, Rainbow.” “You just have to be a little more impulsive, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said. "Y'know... I have some information that might make you less nervous." “What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked. “Well, I heard him talking to himself before I introduced myself,” Rainbow said. “About some girl he met last Friday.” Fluttershy gasped. “Really? Wh-What did he say?” Rainbow chuckled. “I asked him what he was mumbling about, and he mentioned a reeeally pretty girl who took care of him after he got jumped. A girl who was gentle, sweet...” “Ooooh!” Pinkie said. “Confirmation!!!” Fluttershy whimpered. She could feel her heart beating faster. “Well... um... h-he could’ve been talking about Sunset...” “And...” Rainbow interjected with a grin. “...how much he liked her pink hair and teal eyes.” Everyone gasped, and Fluttershy’s heart felt like it was set on fire as her friends giggled. “See? I knew it!” Sunset said. “Look how red her cheeks are!” Rarity said, giving Fluttershy a hug. “Oh, darling, I’m so happy for you!” “Y’know something else?” Rainbow said. “He thinks you’re out of his league.” Applejack laughed. “Aw, how cute! He sounds sweet.” “He really likes you!” Pinkie said, only making Fluttershy’s face redden more. “Oooh, girls!” Rarity chimed. “Speaking of whom...” Rarity pointed behind Fluttershy, and when she turned around, she gasped. Her face went warm when her eyes landed on none other than... him. Immediately she turned back and pulled her hair over her face, feeling her face heat up rapidly as her friends giggled. “Oh gosh!” Fluttershy yelped. Rainbow chuckled. “Why are you hiding? You like him, don’t you?” “Y-Yeah, but... I-I don’t know...” Fluttershy stammered. “Oh gosh...” Sunset said. “His eye...”   “Oh my goodness," Rarity said. Fluttershy pursed her lips, unable to help herself from stealing another glance. She softly gasped upon seeing his eye. A big, dark circle surrounded it, as well as being partially shut, like he was struggling to keep it open. But even with such an apparent wound, his eyes were still the biggest she’s ever seen. Suddenly, he looked to his side, and their gazes met. Fluttershy squeaked and turned away. “Ooh, he looked at you!” Pinkie cheered. “Look how red Fluttershy’s face is! Look how red his face is!” “Pinkie! Shh!” Fluttershy said, sinking further in her seat, concealing her face further behind her hair. “Wait... where is he going?” Rainbow asked. The girls, trying to act nonchalant, watched as Coppermane walked to the corner of the lunchroom to an empty table. He sat down facing the rest of the room, solemnly staring at his food and sighing. “He’s sitting alone?” Applejack said. “Looks like it,” Sunset said. “He looks so lonely,” Rarity said. “Poor thing.” Fluttershy just stared, feeling a tug at her heartstrings as she watched Coppermane lean on his hand and begin eating, never looking up. Was this every day for him? Though as heartbreaking as the sight was, she couldn’t help but be enamored by how the light shined off his coiffed, reddish-brown hair. “I wish there was a way we could cheer him up,” Pinkie said. Suddenly, she loudly gasped, as if she just made a groundbreaking discovery. “Fluttershy!” she said, leaning in and speaking in a hushed tone as if to tell as secret. “You should go talk to him!” Fluttershy’s heart dropped. “Wh-What?!” “Yeah! That’d definitely brighten his day!” Pinkie cheered. “He’s all by himself too,” Applejack said. “Perfect timing!” “Oh gosh... r-right now?” Fluttershy stammered, starting to breathe faster. “B-But I still don’t know for sure...” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow beckoned. “Who else has pink hair and teal eyes?” “W-Well... th-there could be someone else? I-I don’t know...” Fluttershy stammered, as her breathing got faster. “Besides, I-I didn’t have much time to do my makeup this morning. What about my dress? O-Or my hair?” “Darling, relax,” Rarity said, placing her hands on Fluttershy’s shoulders. “Breathe. You look gorgeous, like always, especially in this dress! It brings out your eyes so beautifully. You have nothing to fear. Just be yourself.” Fluttershy whimpered, pursing her lips. All her friends were giving her big smiles, indicating they were in agreement. She took a quick glance over at Coppermane, and it only made the burning sensation in her heart worse. She could feel her hands getting clammy as well. "Oh gosh... why am I so nervous?” Fluttershy said. “What if I go with you?” Sunset said. “Since we helped him out on Friday, we can just do a welfare check, and maybe break the ice in the process. How does that sound?” Fluttershy pursed her lips. “Y-You’ll talk first, right?” Sunset giggled. “Yes, I’ll talk first. Now c’mon! We’re not gonna have much time to talk to him if we wait any longer.” “You can do it, Fluttershy!” Rainbow said. “You go, girl!” Pinkie said. “Show him what an amazing girl, you are!” Rarity said. “You got this!” Applejack said. Hearing the encouragement from her friends, knowing Sunset would be with her, and with one more glance at her crush... “...okay.” Fluttershy said. Her friends clamored around her, and Sunset wasted no time in walking Fluttershy over. As they got closer, Fluttershy began to panic again, feeling butterflies in her stomach. “Sunset, what do I say?” Fluttershy asked. “What if I say something stupid?” Sunset paused, turning around to look at Fluttershy. “Is this your first real crush?” Fluttershy blushed. “...y-yeah...” Sunset giggled. “Just be yourself. I know that sounds cliché, but I promise you that’s the way to go. And I’ll be there to help you out, okay?” Fluttershy pursed her lips, knowing that there was no turning back at this point. Besides, she couldn’t deny that she kind of wanted this. She closed her eyes and performed several deep breaths. Her heart was still beating fast, but not as fast as before where it felt like she was going to have a heart attack. “You good?” Sunset asked. Fluttershy nodded, and Sunset continued leading her over to Coppermane. It was a short walk, just across the room, but it felt like it was taking forever. Butterflies stirred in her stomach once more, but she knew she needed to fight through it. “Hi, Coppermane!” Sunset said. Coppermane flinched, glancing around him before seeing Sunset. “Oh... Sunset,” Coppermane said. “H-Hi.” He looked to his side, and his eyes widened. His posture seemed to stiffen up, and Sunset smirked, knowing exactly why. “You remember my friend, Fluttershy, right?” Sunset said. Fluttershy squeaked when Sunset said her name, and the butterflies grew more intense when Coppermane looked at her with those chocolatey brown eyes. “Y-Yeah, I-I remember,” Coppermane stammered, rubbing the back of his head. “H-Hi, Fluttershy.” Hearing him say her name made her blush profusely. She held her hair close to her face and managed a tiny wave back. “H-Hi... C-Coppermane,” Fluttershy said. “Mind if we sit?” Sunset asked. Coppermane looked confused. “H-Here?” “Yeah, unless you don’t want us to?” Sunset asked. “No no, it’s not that,” Coppermane said. “It’s just... I-I'm not used to others talking to me unless... y’know... they’re about to jump me. Um... y-you can sit here, sure.” Sunset nodded and sat down across from him, and Fluttershy sat beside her. “Is your eye okay?” Sunset asked. Coppermane pursed his lips. “I-It’s not as bad as it was over the weekend. S-Sorry you have to look at it.” “No worries,” Sunset said. “Any trouble with bullies today?” Coppermane shook his head. “I-It usually happens at the end of the day. They haven’t missed a day yet.” “That’s awful,” Fluttershy said. Coppermane looked at her, and her heart skipped a beat. He seemed to smile just a tiny bit. “Well, I heard that Rainbow Dash talked to you, right?” Sunset said. “Oh, yeah she did,” Coppermane said. “Sh-She said that—” “Excuse me, Sunset Shimmer?” Sunset turned around and behind her, much to the group’s surprise, was the principal. “Principal Celestia?” Sunset said. “Do you have a moment, Sunset? You’re not in trouble, I just need to discuss some business-related things with you,” Principal Celestia said. Sunset bit her lip, turning her head towards Fluttershy, whose face had gone almost completely white. She said nothing, but the look in her eyes couldn’t be clearer, practically begging Sunset not to leave. She glanced at Coppermane, and saw a similar fear in her eyes. But Sunset couldn’t say no to the principal herself. However, perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Sunset did say she would start the conversation. They were together now. Maybe it was Fluttershy’s turn to take over. Smirking, Sunset motioned for Fluttershy to come closer so she could whisper in her ear. “It’ll be okay,” Sunset murmured. “Relax and keep talking to him. You can do this.” Sunset heard a small squeak from Fluttershy. It tugged at her heartstrings to leave the poor thing alone so suddenly, but there wasn’t much of a choice at this point. Besides, this was the only way to grow more comfortable around him. “By the way,” Sunset whispered. “I can see it in his eyes. He totally likes you.” With a pat on the back, Sunset walked away with Principal Celestia. Fluttershy watched as her only lifeline abandoned her, leaving her alone with... Coppermane. Reflexively, Fluttershy hid behind her hair, feeling her face heat up and her heart pound against her chest. Her free hand gripped the fabric of her dress as she tried to muster the confidence to look him in the eye. She managed a glance, but instantly turned away, feeling herself blush more. However, in that glance, she felt a certain warmth. She noticed he was looking at her. Did he glance at the same time she did? She turned her head slowly, and in her peripheral vision she saw him slowly looking back too, as if she was gazing into a mirror. She made eye contact again, but this time she didn’t look away... and neither did he. The way he looked at her filled her with a warmth she hasn’t felt since... last Friday. Was Sunset right? Is this what it looks like when someone likes you? “Um... h-hi, Fluttershy,” Coppermane said, blushing hard and managing a small wave. Fluttershy’s felt a tingle in her heart, making her giggle. “H-Hi... C-Coppermane...”