“Thank you for sharing that. We’re here for you when you need it.” You were at Starlight’s office again, sitting in a circle full of other people. People who had also lost loved ones and were in the process of moving on, just like you were. Some of them had already moved on, but were there to support others like yourself. Such was the case with the man that finished sharing his story of how he recently opened up a hair therapy salon. “Now, Anon, would you like to share your story?” Starlight turned to you. You cleared your throat and spoke up.
“My name is Anon…”
“Hello, Anon.” The group said in unison.
“It’s… been about a while since I lost my girlfriend to a hit and run. Already, saying that made me…” You forced back your tears as Starlight patted your shoulder.
“It’s okay. Take your time.” Starlight said.
“For the next two weeks, I couldn’t feel any moment of happiness for more than a few minutes without instantly feeling depressed. I even distanced myself from my friends… They confronted me on it and it felt like I was able to move on… and… yet…” with Starlight’s encouragement, you shed a few tears before continuing, “there’s going to be a dance tonight for Valentine’s Day… And it reminded me how this will be the first Valentine’s Day without her… And like that… I…”
“We all have times where wounds show up from time to time, but that’s why we have people who support us…” A person next to you said. You shook your head.
“And I do, but… At the same time, I feel like they’re all wasting their time and energy into helping me. Why bother fixing me when I’m never going to be better?” As you said that, another person joined in, the man with the hair therapy salon.
“If you think that, why even come here?” There was a small air of silence as a few people glared at him, though he continued. “You wanted to be healed. Don’t think these steps won’t mean anything. They do. You’re bettering yourself every day, even if you don’t see the progress. Being here is just one step. It may be small, but… it’s a step. And that’s what matters.”
“I… never saw it like that.” You muttered as you felt a small weight being taken off your back.
“It’s just about time to close things off. May you have a safe trip home.” Starlight got to her desk to ready her things as several people picked up their coats. You were about to do so yourself when the salon man approached you. He was a rather tall, lanky man with greenish skin, blond hair that was styled into a man-bun, and his jacket was a simple, leather vest. You recalled his name being Zephyr Breeze.
“Hey, you said you were going to a dance tonight?” He asked.
“Yeah…” You said.
“Hmm… I can style up your hair for free, if you want.” You weren’t sure. You met Zephyr an hour ago and he wants to give you a haircut, no strings attached? It might have sound fishy, but given how you and him poured your hearts out for all to see, you decided to take the trust fall.
“Sure… The dance is happening around 5, so a minor one would do.” You said.
“Don’t worry. I have a mini-salon in the car.” He said.
You were in Zephyr’s car for the next 20 minutes as he trimmed your hair with a pair of fine scissors and spiked it up with a small, pocket-sized tube of gel. His seat was prepared with plastic wrap to catch the strands of hair that fell and, once he was done, had you leave the car so he could take the wrap out and contain the hair.
“You said you go to Canterlot High, right? You have a ride?” He asked you.
“Well, mom’s driving… Right, I have to tell her I’m done with the therapy…” As you went to text her, Zephyr shook his head.
“Come, I’ll drive you to wherever you need tonight.” Zephyr said.
“… Why? I get you want to be a Samaritan but you don’t need to go all the way with helping me.” You said back.
“Well, I have my reasons for coming there tonight as well, but… anything for my sister’s boyfriend, right?” You fell silent as he said that. Your mind scrambled to figure out what he meant, even thinking he was Angel Wings’s brother… But deep down, you knew…
“You’re… Fluttershy’s…” Zephyr gave a nod.
“Yeah. I kinda figured she doesn’t talk about me a lot. I was out trying to find my place in the world… It wasn’t until I heard the news of her passing did I settle here and… Well, the city was where I sorted out a lot of problems… I only heard about you from my parents, so when I heard your name at the meeting, I knew I had to do something.” He said.
“For what?” You asked.
“Being there for my sister. Now, let’s not keep anyone waiting.” Zephyr said. You got into the car and drove off to your house.
It didn’t take a while to get dressed for the dance and even less time to get to Angel Wings’s house. Zephyr didn’t seemed to mind, even after you explained that she was the one who asked you out. Given what he said about steps, you imagine going out with Angel Wings to be just another step. The moment Angel Wings came to the car, you went out of the shotgun seat to sit next to her while he took you two to the dance.
This was just a dance like any other, though. The only difference was that almost everyone had a partner. While most were of the usual heterosexual pairing, there was quite a few homosexual pairs as well, most notably Applejack and Rarity.
“So… shall we dance?” Angel Wings asked. You nodded and took her hand. You and her slowly waltzed onto the dance floor as somber yet sweet music played. At first, it felt rather easy and you took in Angel Wings’s beauty. She rested her head on your shoulder as you guided her through the ballroom. You felt autonomous in the dance, as though you were just a cog in a larger machine.
That changed the moment Angel Wings pulled her head back. She stared into your eyes and you glanced at her cyan eyes…
Wait… Cyan? Her eyes were sky blue, weren’t they? Her hair also looked different, now just straight up pink instead of the few streaks of hot pink she had. The moment you saw her face, you could see…
“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy… You blinked and like that, her form was replaced with Angel Wings.
“N-no… I…” It was as though fate itself was mocking you for your decisions… That’s when the pain worsened as you heard microphone feedback.
“Can I have your attention please?” It was Principal Celestia. Usually she would often make an announcement during a dance, be it to announce the prince and princess of the dance or something major…
You knew this was gonna be the latter.
“As some of you may know, we had lost a fellow student last month. I had known her as one of the kindest people in the school and she spent her extra-curricular activities helping at the local animal shelter.” A small montage of photos collected throughout the past years were put on a large projector screen, the focus being on Fluttershy. “In honor of her memory, Canterlot High will be donating $2,500 to the shelter.” She held up a large cheque for Zephyr to receive. As sad music played over the montage, your body felt numb and your face was beginning to crumble.
“Anon?” Angel Wings asked, but you refused to answer, instead running away in tears.
You sat by the statue that decorated the front lawn of CHS, bawling your eyes out. It was the very same place you first saw Fluttershy and was definitely the best place to hide away from the others, to be alone in your thoughts.
You huddled your knees. You knew better than to let the thoughts in your head drive you to the street like it did yesterday. You spent a long, solid time crying, to the point where you lost track of time. You sobbed just a few more times before you attempted to get up.
As your hand touched the smooth metal of the statue… it dawned on you… This statue was said by Sunset Shimmer to be a portal to a land called Equestria. A mirror, so to speak. Hell, you saw an alternate version of Twilight Sparkle come from there… And if there’s an alternative Twilight Sparkle, there has to be an alternative Fluttershy… You went to the edge of the statue that was the portal… Your fingers were just shy of touching it…
You stopped as soon as a thought developed:
What if there was an alternative Anon? What if he and Fluttershy hitched up like you and your Fluttershy did? How would you integrate with Equestrian life? How would you be able to start a relationship with a new Fluttershy? How could you?
Your hand pulled away, with a few more tears hitting the ground.
“Anon!” You stood up to see Angel Wings. There was a pause before she spoke up. “You… loved Fluttershy, right?” She asked.
“… Yeah.” You gave it out in a defeated tone. You never wanted to tell her that, namely because of how it affected you. “I’m… sorry I didn’t…” Your voice kept to a soft mumble, out of fear that any louder and you would be crying out the words.
“It’s okay… Rainbow Dash told me about it.” You then noticed Rainbow Dash rush to her side.
“There you are!” You flinched as she spoke to you. It took her a few moments to realize why. “Hey, it’s okay.” You shook your head.
“No… It’s not okay… I can’t… I wasn’t able to move on… Even after…” You said.
“Anon, I… don’t know the pain you have, but I do know it’s a deep enough pain… Don’t expect it to heal overnight…” Angel Wings said. She then frowned and looked away. “I’d understand if you don’t want to continue…” You shook your head and instantly looked to Rainbow Dash.
“Hey… Rainbow Dash… You mind taking Angel Wings back?” You asked.
“H-huh?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as Angel Wings began to blush.
“Be the partner I couldn’t be…” You said. Before Rainbow Dash voiced any objections, Angel Wings took her hand.
“Um… I just wanted to let you know… I-if we’re doing this… I always thought of you as being the best athlete in the entire city…” Angel Wings blushed. Rainbow Dash looked puzzled, but it was that very same puzzlement that you felt when Fluttershy kissed you on the cheek so long ago. As the two went back to the dance, you stood there, unsure what to do.
That’s when you saw Pinkie Pie come out from the school.
“Hey, Anon… Aren’t you coming back to the party?” Pinkie asked you. You… weren’t sure.
“I… thought you’d be with Twilight.” You said. Pinkie shook her head and while she kept a smile, you knew it was simply her holding it together.
“Well… That’s the idea… But… then she came with Timber Spruce…” There was a soft oh sound that came from your lips. You didn’t know if Twilight and Timber became a thing until now… And given how Pinkie was feeling, it definitely hurt. You suddenly held her and placed your hand at the back of her head.
“It’s okay… I understand…” You could feel Pinkie’s body tremble. “I… shouldn’t have taken your help for granted… Or anyone’s help… Just as you helped me with my pain, I’ll help you with yours.”
“No… That’s not fair… I should be the one who’d make people smile…” Pinkie Pie began to sob as her body quaked. You kept a grip on her as she muffled her cries into your shoulder.
“And you will… We’ll make each other smile.” As you said that, Pinkie withdrew her head and you looked to her with her shimmering blue eyes. “That, I promise…”
“Oh… Nonny…” Before you even knew it, she moved in, her lips pressed against yours. Immediately, she retracted. “Oh! What have I done!? I shouldn’t have…” And yet, you didn’t feel the same sort of pain when you were with Angel Wings.
“No… It’s okay… I… want to move onward. Even if I’m not there yet, I… just want to live now!” You said. Pinkie looked to you and smiled.
“Then… let’s just live.” Without a second thought, you kissed Pinkie Pie on the lips. You lost count of how long you two were kissing, but it felt good. You didn’t want this moment to end. Though, you soon saw… Fluttershy? You saw her on the road, the same place where she died at… Another taunt to you? Before you could feel the pain in your heart, you saw her give a smile.
“It’s okay, Anon… Go forward… You must keep moving on." You heard her speak, but she didn’t move her mouth. Eventually, her image faded away as you let go of Pinkie Pie.
“What happened, Nonny?” Pinkie asked.
“I’m… not sure… But… somehow, I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.” You said.
“And that is?” Pinkie asked.
“… Forward.” You and Pinkie returned to the dance, hand in hand, where you spent the rest of the night partying with your newly found girlfriend.