//------------------------------// // The Shocking Truth // Story: Unexpected Confessions // by Dianwei32 //------------------------------// Unexpected Confessions Chapter Two The Shocking Truth As Fluttershy’s unconscious form slumped to the floor with a thump, Rainbow Dash and Rarity whipped their heads around to face her. They stood in shock for a second before simultaneously rushing to her side, bumping into each other several times along the way. Reaching Fluttershy at the same time, their hooves collided yet again as they reached out to check on her. “Look what you did!” Dash shoved Rarity aside and knelt down, pressing an ear to the fallen pegasus’ chest. After assuring herself that her friend had merely fainted, she stood up and turned her attention back to Rarity. “Just what in the hay was that?” Rainbow barked the last word. “Do you think this is some joke?” She stomped a hoof in frustration. “I’ve been planning this for months! Then you just come in a blurt out some half-baked confession tryin’ to steal my thunder?” She slowly stalked forward, forcing Rarity to back up against the wall. “How did you even find out? I’ve only told one pony how I feel about ‘Shy, and she Pinkie Promised not to tell anyone.” “I— you just— love—” Rarity sputtered futilely. After a moment, her mind refocused enough to form coherent thoughts. She carefully reconstructed her mask of calm before responding. “I assure you, Rainbow, I had not one inkling of a clue as to what you were planning, nor how you felt about Fluttershy. The identical timing of our confessions was merely an unfortunate coincidence.” “Sure you didn’t.” Dash stepped away from Fluttershy’s prone form and began pacing. “You just so happened to choose the exact same day to confess some little schoolfilly crush as I was going to finally tell her how I feel. Now look what happened.” “How in Equestria is this my fault?” The alabaster mare shot back, her temper finally rising from the accusation. “If anything this is your fault for interrupting what would have been a perfectly wonderful evening meal between two friends.” On the floor, Fluttershy stirred slightly, but was soon still once again. Rarity closed her eyes and summoned her magic, grasping a pillow from the couch and sliding under the prone mare’s head. Extending the reach of her magic further, she grabbed a glass from the kitchen and filled it at the faucet before floating it into the living room. “Yea, two ‘friends.’” Dash gave up on pacing and flapped her wings, hovering in the air in an effort to bleed off her excess energy. “At least until you threw out some stupid confession of love hoping that she would even go for somepony like you.” “Somepony like me?” Rarity bristled, standing from her position next to Fluttershy. “Just what is that supposed to mean? Am I not beautiful enough? Perhaps you think that she only likes tomboys with mussed manes and questionable hygiene?” She walked around Fluttershy and poked Rainbow in the chest with a hoof. “Or maybe you think that Fluttershy is not attracted to mares at all? If so, then I hardly see how you could hope to fare any better than I would; your lack of fashion sense aside, you are just as much a mare as I!” “Wh... What just happened?” Fluttershy found herself on the floor, her head laying on one of the pillows from her couch. She sat up, rubbing a hoof against the side of her head. Letting her hoof fall back to the floor, it gently bumped a glass of water, which she took a few sips from while she waited for her head to clear. Looking around the room for her friends, she found them in the middle of an argument behind her. “Well, no, nothing like that.” Dash suddenly seemed unsure of herself. She stopped hovering and kicked a hoof against the ground when she landed. “It’s just that— Wait, what was that about my hygiene?” “Girls?” Fluttershy tried to grab their attention as she rose somewhat shakily to her hooves. “Could you, um, please listen to—” “Maybe you think Fluttershy is some kind of barbaric tribalist.” Rarity continued her rant unimpeded, ignoring Rainbow’s question. “Do you think that she is so closed-minded that she would not be interested in me because I am a unicorn and not a pegasus?” She brought her horn to life. “Um, Rarity? Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy tried again, speaking at a volume approaching normal conversational levels. “Um, i-if you two could please stop fighting, I, um, think that—” “Of course not!” Rainbow shot back, flaring her wings in annoyance. “’Shy would never do something like that. I just meant...” Her words trailed off into silence. “Please, enlighten me.” Rarity’s voice dripped with venom. “Whatever did you mean when you said ‘somepony like me’?” “Girls!” Fluttershy shouted, finally getting their attention. “Yes, darl—” The words froze in Rarity’s throat as she turned to the object of her affections wearing a look of anger underlaid with fear. She felt her magic slip away from her control involuntarily while her heart threatened to cave in on itself. While it would have pained Rarity to see such a hurt expression on her best friends’ face under any circumstances, it crushed her to know that it was her fault.  Next to her, Dash meekly folded her wings back to her side and cowered down, a slight whimper escaping her. “Fluttershy, dear, let me be the first to apologize for—” Rarity began. “Sorry, ‘Shy, I wasn’t—” Rainbow butted in. “—readfully sorry for losing my temper like that and—” “—I just had this whole deal planned and then she—” “Quiet!” Both Rarity and Rainbow promptly shut their mouths and looked at Fluttershy, who let out a small eep at the sudden attention, all of her annoyance-fueled bravery vanishing in an instant. “I mean, um, if that’s okay with you.” Fluttershy’s voice returned to normal levels and she slowly walked across the room. “Rainbow Dash, could you please go upstairs and wait in my room? I’ll, um, be up to talk to you in a minute.” Rainbow nodded quickly and galloped up the staircase without looking back. Fluttershy waited until she heard the sound of her bedroom door closing before letting out a heavy sigh. “Today was supposed to be nice.” She muttered to herself.         “Fluttershy, d-darling... I-I can explain.” Rarity stuttered as she finally regained the ability to speak. Fluttershy looked at her expectantly. The fashionista opened her mouth to continue, only to realize that she had nothing to say. She chuckled nervously as she felt a meager blush spread through her cheeks. “Maybe not.” She corrected.         “Well, um, did you...” Fluttershy paused to take a breath. She looked up, forcing herself to make eye contact. “Did you mean it? When you said that you l-loved me?”         “Of course I did.” Rarity suppressed an urge to reach out and hug her friend, opting instead to place a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “I would never dream of saying something like that were it not absolutely true.”         “Wh-when did you know?” Fluttershy asked, ducking behind her mane as her resolve weakened.         Rarity felt a wave of panic spread through her chest, but forced herself to answer. “I can’t say for sure. I’ve always had feelings for you, but I can’t pinpoint a specific time when they shifted from platonic to romantic.” She swallowed and felt her heart hammering in her chest. “The best I have been able to do is to identify the moment when I had to admit to myself that my feelings were more than simple friendship. Do you remember that time that you saved Sweetie Belle and her friends from that dreadful chicken... snake... thing?”         “The cockatrice.” Fluttershy supplied, nodding.         “Yes, that one.” Rarity stepped away, turning to look out the window for a moment. “After Sweetie Belle told me about what happened, I was relieved that you had been there to save the day, but I was also angry. I was angry at Sweetie and her friends for putting you in such danger. It was not until a few days later that I ran into Twilight and learned what could have happened to you had you not been able to Stare the cockatrice into submission.” She turned back from the window, a guilty expression on her face. “Please, don’t misunderstand. I love Sweetie Belle dearly, and I am eternally grateful that you were able to keep her and her friends from harm. However, when I learned how close you came to being petrified into stone forever... suffice it to say that I lost my temper.”         Fluttershy furrowed her brow in confusion. “I’m sorry Rarity, but I just don’t see where in that story you realized that you... loved me.” She blushed and ducked behind her mane.         “Oh, yes.” Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, that particular revelation was during my... little outburst after discussing the event with Twilight. I mentioned a moment ago that I had been angry with the Cutie Mark Crusaders for putting you in danger, but once I learned that we almost lost you forever...” She paused to collect herself as tears rose in her eyes. “After I learned that, my anger returned with a vengeance. It took me several days, but I eventually realized that I was far more concerned with your safety than that of my own little sister.” She shook her head in detestation. “How horrid does that sound? It’s true though, it was at that point that I had to admit to myself that I loved you. The point when I was willing to sacrifice my own sister to a monster in order to protect you.” Rarity’s voice was full of self-loathing and disgust by the end of her explanation.         “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Fluttershy stepped closer and pulled her friend into a hug. “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of. That doesn’t change who you are. You’re a wonderful mare and a great friend, no matter what.”         Rarity reached up to return the hug, letting out a small sigh. “Fluttershy, somehow you always know just what to say to make me feel better.” She gave Fluttershy one final squeeze and pulled away from the embrace. “Listen, darling, I know that I... that we sprang all of... this on you quite suddenly, but—while I would be thrilled with one—I don’t expect an answer at this very moment.”         “Oh, thank goodness!” Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh, then brought a hoof to her mouth. “Oh, I-I didn’t mean it like that. I want to give you an answer, it’s just that... I don’t know what to say... to either of you.” She slumped down, letting her head fall until her mane brushed the floor. After a moment of silence, she raised herself back up. “This is all just so... sudden. I think, um, it might be best i-if you went home for now, until I can figure all of this out, okay?”         “Of course, darling, I understand completely.” Rarity smiled warmly, but it faltered after a second. “I only ask... if you must break my heart, do it now, please.”         Fluttershy looked up in alarm and shook her head. “Oh, n-no, o-of course not, I... I mean I don’t... I would never...” Her faltering attempts at an explanation were finally halted by a white hoof against her lips. “Please, don’t worry yourself, dear. I know that you would never be purposefully cruel.” Rarity smiled again at her friend’s visible relief. “Well then, I shall await your answer with bated breath. Now, I imagine you need to go have a nice talk with Rainbow Dash, and I need to go curl up in the corner and have a panic attack.” She held up a hoof as she saw Fluttershy’s expression change to one of fear and concern. “I’m only joking, dear.” At least, I hope I am. She added silently.         Fluttershy perked up as she remembered the tray of food on the table near the kitchen. “Oh, you should have something to eat before you go. We did miss dinner after all.” Trotting over, she went to pick up the tray, but before she could, it floated up from the floor, surrounded in an aura of blue magic. She looked back across the room at Rarity, who was smiling. “Thank you for the food, dear. I’ll help myself, you go speak to Rainbow.” As she spoke several pieces of toast levitated off of the tray along with a knife. She spread zap apple jam over the bread and trotted over to the door, pulling it open with an extra burst of magic while she floated the tray into the kitchen. Before walking out of the door, Rarity turned back one last time. “I promise that I won’t press you for an answer. Take all the time you need, I will wait patiently—” She stopped and cleared her throat. “—well, maybe not patiently, but I will wait for your answer.” With that, she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.         Fluttershy stopped and let out a sigh. “One down, one to go.” She left the kitchen and walked up the stairway to her bedroom. As she pushed open the door, she saw Dash pacing around the room, muttering to herself.         “Who’s awesome? You’re awesome.” Rainbow repeated again. “Who’s awesome? You’re awesome.” Fluttershy cleared her throat and Dash finally looked up from her pacing. “Listen ‘Shy, I can explain.” She started. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow quizzically, waiting for her to continue. Her prismatic friend chewed on her lip for a moment before speaking again. “Well, the thing is...” She reached a hoof up to rub the back of her neck nervously. “I freaked out, okay? I... I’ve been waiting to tell you for a long time now, and then she comes along and—” She stopped, biting her tongue to try and keep her temper in check.         “Don’t worry, Dashie.” Fluttershy smiled at Rainbow warmly. “You have nothing to explain. You were honest with me, and I could never be upset with you for that.” She strode over and stood next to Dash, leaning in to nuzzle her reassuringly. She felt Rainbow let out an inaudible sigh and relax at the contact. “I need to ask you something. Did you m-” Before Fluttershy could finish, Rainbow almost leapt forward, turning around in mid-air with a flap of her wings to land facing her.         “Of course I did!” Dash’s voice was insistent, almost offended. “Flutters, I love you.” She reached out and grabbed one of Fluttershy’s hooves in between her own. “I just want to be with you. I mean, being friends is awesome and all, but I want to take a shot at the whole package with you, you know...” Rainbow blushed, her wings rustling and threatening to spring open at any moment. “I wanna do... stuff with you. Sexy stuff!”         Fluttershy felt her face heat up and her cheeks flooded with color. “Oh, my.” She mumbled, staring intently at the floor.         Dash saw her friend’s hesitance and quickly backtracked. “B-but only if you want to. And when you’re ready.”         Fluttershy pulled her hoof free of Dash’s grasp and put it to her chest, breathing heavily. “S-sexy things?” Her cheeks heated up enough to give off light in the infrared spectrum. “Dashie, I-I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet. N-not that I don’t find you attractive, it’s just... Oh, please don’t be upset.”         Dash shook her head. “No, it’s okay. That’s not what I wanted to say at all, I mean... Gah!” She stopped, took a breath and tried again. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you.” “Oh.” With a sigh of relief, Fluttershy sat down on the floor. “When did you know?”         “What? You mean about the sexy—”         “N-no!” Fluttershy waved her forelegs, as if trying to bat Rainbow’s words from the air before she could hear them. “I mean, when did you know that you, um, l-loved me?”         Dash lowered her hind legs to sit on her haunches. “Oh... right. I had this whole big speech planned out... but that didn’t exactly work out.” She paused, looking off to the side. “W-well, I guess I could still...” Her words trailed off and she reached under her wing, pulling out a folded piece of paper. Carefully unfolding it, she cleared her throat and began reading.         “There once was a pony named ‘Shy.         Who never could fly very high.         But she makes my heart leap,         And I’d like her to keep         Track of it if she’d like to try.”         Once she was done, Dash looked up to see that Fluttershy's eyes shone with tears, and heart heart leapt anew, until she heard a quiet giggle. "Hey!" Rainbow exclaimed, looking wounded. "Oh! I'm so sorry.” Fluttershy lowered her hoof, looking abashed. “It was very sweet, Dashie. It's just... I've never heard a—" She giggled again. "—love limerick before." Fluttershy did her best to quiet her giggles, but they proved infectious. Soon, both of them were giggling madly like the old friends they were. It felt good to have a little of the tension eased between them, giving Dash hope that perhaps this could work after all. When the giggling fit quieted, Rainbow wiped the tears from her eyes. "So, you liked it then?" "Um... yes.” Fluttershy smiled. “It was, um... nice." "Cool." "Oh, sorry. It was cool." "No, I mean it’s... nevermind." They sat in silence for a minute, merely enjoying each other’s company, until eventually the calm was broken by Fluttershy. “Um, Dashie? Y-you never told me, um, when you first realized that you loved me.” Dash blinked in surprise for a moment, suddenly realizing that her explanation had been derailed by the fit of laughter they had shared. “Oh, right. Well, I guess I first realized it after that whole incident with the dragon on the mountain. The way you got that rampaging dragon to up and leave just by yelling at him was so awesome, like single-hoofedly-saving-Equestria-from-a-thousand-years-of-darkness awesome. The fact that you were able to stand up to your biggest fear to protect us... it was just so, so... crazy awesome!”         “The d-dragon?” Fluttershy shuddered slightly at the memory. “That was quite a while ago... Have you been hiding this for all that time?”         “Well... kind of.” Rainbow dropped her gaze to the floor. “For a while after I realized it, I tried to convince myself I didn’t really feel that way about you.” She looked up and panicked as she saw tears rising in Fluttershy’s eyes. “No no no... not like... Oh, horsefeathers, that came out wrong. Do you remember how everypony in Flight School used to make fun of me? They would say I was attracted to other fillies just because I wasn’t interested in any of the featherbrained colts in our class. Well, when I first realized that I liked you in... that way, I just couldn’t bear the thought of all the fillies and colts being right. I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t in love with you just to prove them wrong.”         “Oh, Dashie... I’m so sorry.” Fluttershy leaned forward and pulled Rainbow into a tight hug. She nuzzled into her friend’s neck as her emotions overwhelmed her. Without warning, Dash’s wings shot out to their full extension with a slight pomf. Fluttershy immediately pulled away from the hug and stumbled backwards a few steps.         “Eh heh heh... Sorry about that.” Dash chuckled nervously. Her face twisted in concentration as she slowly forced her wings back to their proper places at her side. Once they were firmly anchored in place, she relaxed and pawed at the floor with a hoof. “Sorry. You just caught me by surprise with that one.” Rainbow tried to turn and hide her face as it flooded a red deep enough to show through her coat.         “Oh, it’s um... it’s fine, really.” Fluttershy replied, her voice barely above a whisper.         “So, what do you think? Can we take a chance?” Dash grinned as widely as she could.         “Dashie...” Fluttershy looked down for a moment, not wanting to see Rainbow’s face fall. “I... I’m not saying ‘no,’ but I need some time to think about it. Okay?”         “Oh! Yeah, that’s... cool. Time is... totally cool. Well, if you don’t mind, I think I’m gonna get outta here before I do something else to embarrass myself.” Dash slowly made her way to the door of the bedroom. She looked back over her shoulder at Fluttershy. So close, and yet so far, thanks to Rarity. Part of her wanted to rush back across the room and kiss the other mare, but Rainbow squashed the impulse before it could gain any traction. “Thanks for hearing me out, ‘Shy. I’ll see ya around.”         Dash left the room and Fluttershy waited until she heard the front door open and close before turning around and flopping down on her bed. “Oh, I could just scream right now.” She complained to the empty air. She lifted her head up and took a deep breath before plunging her muzzle into the pillows and letting out a very quiet, high-pitched scream. Afterward, she rolled over and faced the ceiling. “That never helps.” She sighed.         What do I do now? She wondered to herself. Okay, let’s start with the basics. Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash are in love with me. The next logical step is to figure out how I feel about them, but how do I do that? She sat up in the bed and put her head in her hooves. I have no idea what I’m doing.         Fluttershy hopped down onto the floor and slowly made her way back to the living room. I’ve never even thought about another pony... romantically before. She thought to herself, a furious blush coloring her cheeks. I don’t have any experience with... things like this, and I can’t even ask Rainbow Dash or Rarity for help because they’re the problem! Fluttershy felt herself getting worked up and noticed she was pacing the room. She stopped moving and took several calming breaths. Everything is fine... everything is fine. She chanted in her head. I just have to choose between my two best friends and break one of their hearts. Her ears flattened back as she realized the full extent of what rejecting one of her friends’ confessions would mean. What if the one I don’t pick doesn’t want to be my friend anymore? What if they don’t feel that they can be around me? Fluttershy imagined Rainbow Dash storming off, hurt and angry. She imagined Rarity turning away from her, choking back sobs as tears ran from her eyes.         “I can’t do this...” Fluttershy protested to the empty cottage. She felt a knot of panic and worry form in her stomach. “I can’t hurt them like that. I would never be able to live with myself knowing that.” She sat on her haunches and let her head fall to stare at the floor. “This would be so much easier if I could just talk to somepony about it. There’s always Applejack.” She held up a hoof. “She’s always supportive of all of us... but I don’t think she would be open to the idea of two mares being together.” She dropped her hoof and held up the other one. “I could talk to Pinkie Pie...” She stopped and imagined the anarchic mare’s reaction to such news. “Maybe not.”         She mulled over her final option. “I guess that just leaves Twilight.” She finally admitted unenthusiastically. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her show interest in anypony... much less date them. But she’s probably read about them, and theory is better than nothing... right? Maybe I can even borrow some books from her on the subject, and she can be a neutral third party—” Fluttershy’s train of thought was interrupted as her front door burst open, the sudden noise and motion sending her diving behind the couch for cover. Tentatively, she peeked out from her hiding place to see a familiar pink party pony standing in her doorway.         “Did somepony say ‘party?’” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. She looked around the seemingly empty room for a moment before spying Fluttershy behind the couch. “Hey Flutters, what are you doing back there?”         “Oh, um, hi Pinkie.” Fluttershy replied as she slowly stood from her position cowering behind the sofa. “I’m sorry, but nopony said ‘party,’ at least not that kind of party. I was just thinking to myself about... something.” She blushed slightly, unable to tell Pinkie about the day’s events.         “Well, somepony should be talking about that kind of party.” The anarchic mare pulled her trademark Party Cannon out of thin air. She fired off a shot, sending streamers, confetti, and a banner reading “Congratulations!” all across the room. “After all, we have to celebrate!”         “Um... what are we celebrating exactly?” Fluttershy asked, afraid to hear the answer.         “Well, duh! We’re celebrating Dashie telling you that she loves you!” Pinkie rushed over and pulled Fluttershy into a vise-like hug.         “How did you-”         “Dashie told me how she felt about you a while ago.” Pinkie explained, letting Fluttershy out of the rib-crushing embrace. “She made me Pinkie Promise not to say anything, but now that she told you, I can say ‘Congratulations!’” From the kitchen, a bell sounded from Fluttershy’s oven, which she never remembered turning on. Pinkie zipped over to it and opened the door to pull a cake, complete with frosting, decorations and candles, from inside.         “How...” Fluttershy briefly considered questioning how Pinkie could pull a fully baked and decorated cake from an empty and cold oven, but ultimately decided against it. “Listen Pinkie, I have a little problem to deal with right now, and I don’t think a party is going to help.”         The party pony’s smile faded slightly. “There’s no problem that a good party won’t fix... what’s wrong?” She asked, a note of concern sneaking into her voice.         “Um... well, you see...” Fluttershy kicked at the floor with a hoof. She took a deep breath and blurted it out. “Rarity confessed that she loves me too!”         Pinkie’s grin grew so big it threatened to split her head in half. She rushed over and pulled the canary mare into a second bone-breaking hug, even tighter than the first one. “Oh wow, Flutters! That’s superfantastamazeriffic!”         “Can’t... breathe...” Fluttershy managed to gasp. Pinkie released her and she drew in a deep breath. “How...” She paused and held up a hoof while she caught her breath. “How is that a good thing?” She finally managed to ask, her eyes trained on the floor. “Now I have to decide between the two of them, and I don’t know who to choose. What about the one that I don’t choose? It would devastate them, and I don’t want to hurt anypony like that. What if they decide they can’t be my friend anymore?” Fluttershy finally looked up to see her friend staring at her in abject confusion.         “Well that’s silly.” Pinkie replied, her head cocked sideways. “Who says you have to choose? If they both love you and you love both of them, then all three of you can be one big, lovey-dovey triangle of happiness.”         It was Fluttershy’s turn to be utterly confused. “Huh?” She tried to wrap her head around what Pinkie was saying. She gave up and shook her head slightly. Oh, Pinkie, I wish it could be that simple. She thought to herself. “Pinkie, I really would love to stay and chat, but I was actually going to the library to see Twilight. We’ll catch up later, okay?” Fluttershy walked over to the door and pulled it open.         “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie responded, bounding out the door with her usual manic energy. Fluttershy followed her out the door, pulling it closed before flapping her wings and taking off in the direction of the library.