//------------------------------//
// Patience 
// Story: Less is More 
// by EpicGamer10075 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy could count on her hooves how many other creatures she’d seen be a patient as she was.

So many other ponies, griffons, dragons, changelings, etc. were fast and impressive in their own rights, but when it came to being patient?

She sighed in a mixture of relief and annoyance as she closed the door to her home, finally, finally done with all her tasks for the day. She had fed all her animal friends, cleaned up the chickens’ coop, helped repair one of the beavers’ dams, watered all of her inside and outside plants, got all of the groceries from the market at decent prices, hauled them home, dealt with Angel’s angsty antics and fed him, and... it ended up taking a lot longer than she liked.

Now, though, she could finally trot out into the fields near her home, though thankfully away from the spooky Everfree Forest, and have some nice time alone with... her.

Fluttershy smiled warmly at the thought, though a level of amusement also crept up into her face; she had encountered her fair share of suitors after all, and while some were very easy to toss out, being the entitled and sexist bastards um, stallions that they were, others were a bit more complicated.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash were the most common ones she had thought about in that light, for obvious reasons; Rarity was incredibly beautiful and generous, and she’d certainly make her lover feel like a Princess with all her pampering, and the occasional opportunity to hold the unicorn as she bawled and ate her way through two whole tubs of ice-cream would’ve been nice for her closest friend. However, Rainbow Dash also presented an interesting option, as she was very fit and immensely fast--one of the only to ever perform a Sonic Boom, in fact!--though was still able to sit down and have friends she was incredibly loyal to.

But, beyond the slightly weird feeling Fluttershy got about going into a relationship with ponies who she felt closer to a sister than a love interest, she knew that neither of them were too patient. Dash was infamous for her inability to sit still and listen for any extended length of time, and Rarity, while much more able to focus on something, still had issues controlling herself when she found something interesting.

There were other creatures that could’ve been nice to be in a relationship with, like the excitable Pinkie Pie, her timid and adorable twin sister Marble, that new librarian Twilight Sparkle, her calm acquaintance Tree Hugger, or that angry gryphon, Gilda--who she was sure must have a softer side--but... none of them were patient.

None of those options were the type to help her with her animals because they liked to, none of them would sit and talk with her for hours about nothing, none of them could deal with her animals in peaceful ways for any more than a couple days, and none of them could simply stand there and exist in the moment, and all of those qualities were fundamental to Fluttershy as a creature.

Looking past all the shyness, reservations, interest in animals, living near a spooky forest, and barely-existing capable of flight that were so often attributed to her, all Fluttershy was at her core was patient.

She had always dodged any question about any possible romance she was interested in, not just because it’s rather embarrassing for her, but also because she truly didn’t know how to answer, and she wasn’t about to give up on it just because she hadn’t met somecreature she truly loved yet.

Luckily, all of that patience had finally paid off.

Fluttershy trotted up a small hill near the outskirts of Ponyville and quickly spotted the creature still sitting there quietly, rump pressed against the ground while her eyes remained closed, simply existing for more than an hour after Fluttershy was supposed to be there by.

Fluttershy herself hardly cared what others would say about the creature’s appearance; whatever scared (or likely awed, in Dash’s case) reactions her friends and family got from the creature were irrelevant under the singular piece of knowledge that they waited for her and didn’t look in the least bothered by it.

She sighed lovingly as she approached the creature, and barely even noticed the oddly metal picnic basket beside them as she spoke softly, “Hello Tianhuo.”

The longma, with her shining spring green scales and the tamed flickering of the light orange flames that made up her mane, opened her eyes at the voice, and her body language had no drama or haste, no slacking and no impatience. “Ah, you’re here, Fluttershy,” She spoke in her slightly growly voice, though it too was as calm and kind as possible.

“Sorry I’m late,” Fluttershy replied with a hint of guilt, even when she knew her friend wouldn’t mind.

“I hadn’t even noticed,” Tianhuo responded with a completely honest tone, and swiveled her head just a bit and moved her piercing red eyes over see her visitor. There was a small smile on her face, and though bereft of romantic intention, Fluttershy could only think about how she’d love any creature as patient as the longma before her, but this one specifically just ended up being so... beautiful.