//------------------------------// // 138. Take Advantage of Me // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// “May I kiss you?” Those were the words Fluttershy said, right? Pinkie wasn’t sure she’d heard them correctly past the sound of her heart beating in her ears. But those were definitely the words, right? “Uh, I’m sorry?” Pinkie let those words fall out of her mouth, and she swore if she accidentally ruined her shot at kissing Fluttershy she’d curse her entire family line or something. Okay, probably not anything that drastic, but she’d still be pretty mad at herself! “Oh? Do you not want to kiss me?” Fluttershy said with a tender smirk, batting her eyelashes at Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie wasn’t sure if she was being pranked or what. “Uh, well I—” Pinkie stammered and scooched back, but she slipped on the bedsheet and tumbled onto the ground hard on her back with a big “OOF!” “Oh my gosh!” Fluttershy yelped, rushing to the corner of the bed and looking down at Pinkie with worry in her eyes. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah!” Pinkie laughed and gave a thumbs-up. “I’m fine! I was just a little startled is all!” “Are you, um,” Fluttershy puffed up her cheeks and Pinkie couldn’t stand how cute she looked, “are you flustered? Or um, like, offended?” “Definitely fluntstered!” Pinkie shouted, springing to her hooves. “Flustered! Is what I meant! You’re—I— You want to kiss me?!” “I would like to,” Fluttershy’s coy smile returned and she laid her chin on her intertwined fingers as she smiled down at Pinkie, and Pinkie had half a mind to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. “I think you’re very cute, and I’d like to give you a kiss, if you’d let me.” “I would love to let you!” Pinkie said, her hands and even her whole body trembling. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening to her, she was sure she must’ve been dreaming or something. Until Fluttershy scooped Pinkie up into her arms, holding her close and wrapping her wings around Pinkie’s body, and Pinkie could feel Fluttershy’s fingers and her feathers on her body. She was also suddenly intensely aware that Fluttershy was completely naked, and Pinkie’s whole face turned red as a habanero pepper. Those were the red ones, right? Oh well whatever, that wasn’t important! What was important was Fluttershy, whose lips were getting closer to Pinkie’s lips, but Pinkie couldn’t bring herself to move or get closer; she was paralyzed with—with— Well, Pinkie didn’t know what. Excitement? Gay feelings? Panic? All of those things? She wasn’t sure, so she just closed her eyes and waited. And then she felt Fluttershy’s lips on hers. Electricity. That was the first thing Pinkie Pie thought of, like electricity was coursing through her body, then fire. Then, uh, ice? Maybe? Water perhaps? Was this elemental metaphor too strained? Whatever, a million thoughts ran through Pinkie’s head all at once as she experienced her first kiss, to the point that she was kinda more in her head than she was in the moment and she didn’t even fully realize it’d happened until it was already over. Pinkie was sitting on the bed now, her legs dangling off. The kiss was over, and Pinkie??? MISSED IT??? Wait, what the heck? Oh, now she’s crying. Pinkie’s crying. Of course she’s crying, geez. What a loser. “Wh-what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked, and the fear in her voice ripped through Pinkie’s heart like a thrown spear. “I didn’t do som—” “No, no! It’s not you at all, I promise!” Pinkie said, trying in vain to stop her tears from falling but they just kept pouring down her face. She wanted to make a clever parallel to Neighagra Falls cuz they were right there, but she came up empty. “Then what’s the matter?” Fluttershy asked, kneeling by the bed and placing her hands delicately on Pinkie’s. “My family,” Pinkie snuffled, “they always told me that I like, that I had ‘take advantage of me’ stamped on my forehead. And everything everypony always says about dragons, I—I don’t wanna believe ‘em, but there’s this mean goblin in my brain that just keeps reminding me of all the horrible things that everyone always says and I—” “Believe me,” Fluttershy sighed and gave Pinkie’s fingers a gentle kiss, and Pinkie gasped at her touch and felt her cheeks warming up, “I know how you feel. I’ve um, well I’ve been ‘around the block’ I guess you could say, quite a few times. I’ve had my fair share of bad relationships, and I’d be lying if I said I’m not scared. “But, I left my forest because I no longer wanted to live in fear, and if that’s how I feel, then… well, I want to try my paw at romance again, and I would like to try it with you, if you’re interested in trying it with me?” Pinkie bit her lip. Of course she wanted to try it with Fluttershy! It almost felt too good to be true! Which was kinda the whole problem; what if it really was too good to be true? What if everyone else was right, that dragons were manipulative monsters who tricked ponies to kill them, and Pinkie was just a dumb stupid idiot who was oh so easy to take advantage of? But, hmm. Pinkie didn’t want to live in fear either. “Can I ask you a question?” Pinkie whimpered, a trembling smile fighting through the tears that were starting to slow down but were still rolling steadily down her cheeks. “Of course,” Fluttershy said, her beautiful smile shining in Pinkie’s heart like a beacon cutting through the fog of her worries. “Can I kiss you?” Pinkie smiled timidly, and Fluttershy giggled and her beaming smile made Pinkie laugh. Pinkie could see the glint of Fluttershy’s fangs when she flashed an even brighter smile, and they looked so cute and beautiful, and Fluttershy’s laugh was like the lullaby you hum to yourself when you’re all alone at night trying to keep your worries at bay. “I would love nothing more,” Fluttershy said, and Pinkie pressed her nose against Fluttershy’s, Fluttershy pressing their lips together and giving Pinkie a gentle, tender kiss. Pinkie was still worried, of course, but she was a million percent certain that she had to trust her gut. She had to trust Fluttershy. She wanted to.