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// An Encouraging Moment 
// Story: Moments of Calm 
// by The Iguana Man 
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Spitfire sighed. “I still feel bad I lost my cool like that.”

Fluttershy looked up at her. “Why?” she asked, genuinely puzzled. After a second, she snuggled deeper into Spitfire's chest. “You really shouldn't be. You were, um... you were kind of , well... magnificent.”

Spitfire looked down at her, startled. “Huh?”

“Well, you were so angry” Fluttershy replied, as if that was a full answer.

“That's a good thing?” Spitfire shook her head at the idea.

Fluttershy nodded with a small smile. “Would you like to know a secret?” Fluttershy asked, pausing a moment but continuing before Spitfire could respond – it seemed Fluttershy knew the answer. “I've always kind of wished I could get angry more.”

Spitfire continued to stare down at her marefriend, completely lost. “What? Why would you... you're the sweetest, gentlest pony I've ever known. Why'd you want to give in to anger like that?”

“Because, on its own, there's nothing wrong with being angry.” Fluttershy said, giving Spitfire a slight squeeze. “As long as you're not letting it control you, it's a really good thing to feel when there's something to be angry at. It's like fear and, well, I'm not always good at not letting that control me. I... I kind of like a pony who can get angry when they need to.”

Spitfire nodded. “Guess that makes sense for a friend of Dash.”

Fluttershy hummed, tilting her head from side to side. “Well, a bit but... well, I love Rainbow as a friend and she can get angry like that but... well, a lot of the time, she can get carried away and fly, um, off the handle, I guess? A lot of the time, well, she'd get mad, but I think there's a difference between getting mad and getting angry. Even if, um, I'm not sure exactly what it is.”

Spitfire nodded, though. “Like the difference between annoyed and frustrated… or a smile and a smirk, I guess.

“Mm-hm,” Fluttershy looked up at her with a smile. “And you... you were amazing. You were so focused. I knew you weren't going to go too far, you weren't going to let your anger out at anything else and I knew... I knew you were doing all that, saying all that, feeling all that... just to protect me. I'd never felt so safe in my life. To be honest,” she closed her eyes and rested her head under Spitfire's chin, “I think that was when I started seeing you as someone I'd like to, um... be more than friends with.”

Spitfire's smile was so great she was sure Fluttershy could feel it through her chin. “Even before I did? Wow. Not long before, I guess, though – I started thinking like that when you gave me that vest... gave me that gift and gave me... gave me the chance to get away for a bit.” She chuckled a little. “Guess that sums it up, doesn't it? I make you feel safe, you make me feel sane.”

Fluttershy hummed in agreement before the two lapsed into a long, comfortable silence. At some point, they'd have to get out of bed, if only to get ready to actually go to bed. And then, after a while, the morning would come and Spitfire would have to return to HQ, though not without one final, wonderful bit of leisure with the mare she loved.

So, yes, they'd eventually have to get up but, for that moment, neither would have moved for the world.