//------------------------------// // Exposed! // Story: A Bell's Sonata Magic of Love Part 2 // by MysteriousStranger //------------------------------// During the next three weeks, Fluttershy completely avoided talking about Twilight’s parents. It wasn’t an easy task, especially since she would often write to them. Every time, Twilight would get sad when she didn’t get an answer. Fluttershy was always there to comfort her, but now that she knew why her fiancée never got any response, it made her angry and sad at the same time. But even so, she couldn’t tell the truth knowing that it would destroy her. The timid Pegasus didn’t want to be the one to tell her the bad news. As Princess Celestia had advise, Fluttershy told Twilight that the reason of her visit was to propose having the wedding in Canterlot. “That’s strange…” The Unicorn commented after she heard that. “Why would she talk to you about it in private? It’s our wedding after all, and I’m her most faithful student…” “I also thought the same, but, I couldn’t ask her because she left as soon as I agreed…” Fluttershy said, hiding half of her face behind her mane. “Besides, we were already planning to have the wedding there." Twilight said, putting a hoof on her chin. "Are you sure she didn’t tell you anything else?” “Yes, I'm sure!” Fluttershy answered a little too quickly. Twilight stared at her questioningly. Fluttershy feared that her fiancée was about to demand for the truth; Her heart began to race as she tried to think of anything to calm her down. Luckily, the Pegasus was able to relax when Twilight sighed and nuzzled her neck. “Of course she didn’t. You would tell me if she told you anything else, right, honey?” “O-Of course I would!” She hated lying to her, but it was for a greater good. Twilight seemed so happy, and she didn’t want to see her crushed. It’s never pleasant to know that your own parents hate you. Besides, she made a promise to Princess Celestia not to tell her unless she felt it was necessary. Towards the end of the third week after Princess Celestia's visit, everypony was having a picnic in the park. “I’m glad that despite four of us are engaged, we still find time to be together! Just the six of us, like when we were just six friends!” Rarity commented as she served some tea to Futtershy. “Of course! Nothing will separate us! Even after we get married, we’ll only keep reuniting.” Fluttershy assured her, taking the cup of tea. She was sitting next to Twilight, their tails intertwined and the Unicorn’s head on her shoulder. Applejack had her back against a tree and Rainbow Dash on her lap. The farmer pony was caressing Rainbow Dash’s hair and was now wearing a golden necklace with a green emerald. Rarity was sitting in front of Twilight and Fluttershy while Pinkie Pie was skipping around her friends. “Ah think the same. We will always be hangin’ out. No matter what happens in the future, our friendship will stay strong!” Applejack added with a determined smirk. “I’m glad to hear it. I don’t want to separate from any of you. You all changed my life the day I arrived in Ponyville!” Twilight said happily, “Let’s make it a Pinky Promise! No matter what happens, we will always be together!” “We Pinky Promise!” Everypony laughed. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, I still can’t believe that you set your wedding two months after us!” The Unicorn said after catching her breath. “Yup! In eleven months!” The cowpony excitedly said. “You’re going to get married at the farm, right?” “Absolutely!” Rainbow Dash was the one to talk this time. “We think that it’s a good idea. Most of the ponies we know live here, and besides, Applejack’s family has always gotten married in their homes. We'll keep that tradition!” “I think that’s nice.” Fluttershy smiled, “You two are going to be so happy together! Are you going to move in with Applejack?” “Well, I’m kinda living with her now, I just need to bring a couple of things…" Rainbow Dash saw her friends getting ready to say something, but she quickly spoke again, "Oh! Don’t worry, I can do it alone. You guys don’t need to help me!” “Wait, None of you asked us to be your mares of honor!” Rarity exclaimed suffenly, scaring everypony. “Rarity, You know you'll be mine. I've already promised it to you.” Fluttershy reminded after recovering from the shout. “You did?” The fancy Unicorn asked, confused. “Yes, remember? Last year…” “Oh, yeah…! I remember now! But you never answered, darling. You said that Twilight would never love you, and you couldn’t be more wrong!” “Yeah…” Fluttershy blushed. Twilight embraced her and kissed her on her cheek. “But still, you asked first, so I choose you, Rarity…” As soon as she finished, Rarity jumped on her, separating the couple. She gave her a tight hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you! You won’t regret it!” “You’re welcome…” The timid pony uttered, barely able to speak. Finally, Rarity let her go, allowing her friend to breathe again. “We have so much to do in nine months… Before we know it, the day will arrive! So, can you come to my place tomorrow morning? I don’t mind taking a few hours from work; it’s for a good cause!” “Okay… If it isn’t a bother…” “It isn’t, darling!” She trotted back to her place and sat down, a dreamy look on her face. She glanced at Twilight next. “What else have you decided?” “Well… I've already asked Spike to be the ring bearer. I think he did a great job with my brother’s wedding.” Fluttershy sat next to Twilight again, and intertwined their tails like before. She also put her head on her shoulder. “And 'Shy was thinking about having Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as her bridesmares, if that’s okay with you.” The Unicorn looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash expectantly. “Ah don’t mind, sugarcube.” “Yeah, me neither. I’m sure they'll love to participate in a wedding again! But be sure to return them before our wedding!” The cyan Pegasus finished with a giggle. “Wait a minute…” Rarity spoke again. “What about Sweetie Belle?” “Don’t worry, Rarity, we didn’t forget about her!” Twilight chuckled, “She'll be the flower filly!” “She'll be very happy to hear that!” In that very moment, Pinkie Pie squeezed herself between Rarity and the first couple to get engaged. “What about me, what about me?!” The party pony asked, bouncing. “Pinkie Pie, I haven’t forgotten about you either!” Twilight giggled, “I'd like you to be my best mare!” “Yay, the best mare! That sounds super duper fun! What does the best mare do?” “You will have to organize a bachelorette party for the day before the wedding!” “Organize a party? That’s my specialty!” “That’s why I chose you, Pinkie! I have full trust in you. And you also have a few more responsibilities, but I’ll explain them to you later.” “Okey dokey lokey!” “Too bad Trixie didn’t join us today… Why did she reject our invitation, again?” Rainbow Dash spoke suddenly. “Well, they removed the bandages yesterday… She thanked us and asked Twilight to introduce Zecora to her… I don't think she liked us after all…” Fluttershy mentioned sadly. “Honey, I told you that I talked to her on the way to the Everfree Forest. She told me that she felt that we already did too much for her and didn’t want to bother us anymore. But she promised me that she would come visit us, and I’m sure that she will appreciate it if we pay her a visit sometime.” Twilight told her partner in a clear voice, making sure everypony else could still hear her. “Let’s visit her tomorrow!” The party pony exclaimed, scaring everypony a little. “Ah’m in!” The farmer pony immediately said. “Me too!” Rarity agreed. “Yeah, let’s go tomorrow!” Rainbow Dash sounded excited. “Yes, good idea…” Fluttershy nervously added. “Okay, it’s settled then. Tomorrow we'll visit our friend!” Twilight raised her free hoof. They spent the rest of the picnic talking about the wedding. Once the sun started to set, they decided to get back to their homes. When Twilight and Fluttershy entered their home, Spike came running from upstairs, followed by Angel Bunny. “Twilight, you finally made it! I got a letter from your parents!” “Really!? Those are great news!” Twilight was jumping from excitement, but Fluttershy didn't share her excitement. Princess Celestia’s words came to her mind again. She stood completely still, wondering why would they write to her. Were they sorry and wanted to tell her how proud they were? Fluttershy wasn’t convinced in the least. Twilight hadn't seen her looking suspicious. She was already reading the letter. “They want to meet me in a restaurant located outside of Ponyville right now. Strange place, but I’m happy to finally hear from them! Are you coming, 'Shy?” She glanced at Fluttershy, only now noticing the Pegasus looking everywhere but at her. “'Shy?” The Unicorn put her hoof on her fiancée’s shoulder and shook it. “Hello? Equestria to Fluttershy! Wake up!” Fluttershy blinked several times before looking at Twilight's concerned expression. “Oh… Sorry…” “What’s with you? You've been acting weird since we got home. Are you feeling okay?” “Yes… Well, actually… No.” The timid pony knew that it was time to tell her. After the seriousness Princess Celestia had warned her about Twilight's parents with, she didn’t trust them at all. “I… I don’t think it’s a good idea to go. Sorry…” She said, torn between keeping a straight face and being sad. “What? Why?” Twilight sounded confused. “Why wouldn’t you want to meet my parents?” “Not just me… You shouldn’t either… I… I don’t want you to go…” “Why?” This time the Unicorn sounded angry. “B-Because…” Fluttershy was starting to get nervous and scared of the way Twilight was staring at her. “They didn’t write to you at all. You didn't get a single letter and now, out of nowhere, they write to you? It's suspicious!” Judging by Twilight’s face, she realized she shouldn’t have said it that way. The Unicorn was angrier than before. Spike sensed danger and quickly ran upstairs, closing the door behind Angel Bunny. “Do you realize how much this means to me, Fluttershy? It's been a long time since I last saw them, and I wanted them to meet you! But you refuse to go just because they didn’t write to me before? Maybe they were busy and will tell me why tonight!” “But…” “Don’t say a word, Fluttershy! It hurts me that you don’t trust my parents! They're the reason I'm here--I owe them everything! But you don’t trust them? Why!?” Twilight yelled at the timid pony, stomping towards her. Flutterr stepped back until she hit the wall and couldn’t move anymore. “Because…” Fluttershy was about to burst in tears, but she tried her best to hold them in. “Because they don’t love you anymore!” She covered her mouth with her hooves, immediately regretting what she'd said. It was the truth, but she wasn’t supposed to say it like that. Twilight found herself confused again, but her face quickly changed back to rage. “What are you talking about!? Of course they love me, you don’t even know them! I can’t believe you said that! I… I can’t even look at you right now!” She yelled, turning away. Both mares started to cry silently. “I’m going to meet them, whether you like it or not. I suggest you to think about what you've said and we’ll finish this talk when I get back…” She opened the door and stepped outside as Fluttershy let a sob out. “Honestly, Fluttershy…” Twilight spoke, still not looking at the Pegasus. “I can’t believe you’re still wearing that necklace after what you have said…” She closed the door with a slam when she finished speaking. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and started trotting to the meeting place, which wasn’t so far from the cottage. As soon as the door closed, Fluttershy burst in tears and collapsed on the floor, covering her eyes with her hooves. She had just messed everything up. She should've thought before speaking, and she should've mentioned what Princess Celestia told her. But she was so nervous that she couldn’t think. It didn’t matter now anyway; the damage was already done. She couldn’t take back what she said, and her fiancée was on the way to meet two ponies who hated her--if she could still call Twilight that. Maybe she would break up with her and call off the wedding if her parents convinced her. “Fluttershy?” The Pegasus heard a familiar voice and looked up. She saw Spike and her critter friend in front of her. “Oh, Spike… Angel Bunny… I… I've just made a terrible mistake.” Fluttershy managed to say between sobs. The rabbit approached the crying mare and tried to comfort her while the baby dragon spoke. “I couldn’t help but overhear what happened; Twilight was yelling really loud… Why don't you trust her parents?” Fluttershy wiped her tears away, but they kept coming. She was barely able to speak, “Princess Celestia came to warn me about them… S-She told me that they didn’t love her anymore… Not since she started dating m-me and… And she made me to promise that I wouldn’t tell her unless I thought it was necessary… I should have told her that in the f-first place… But I blew it…! I blew it, Spike!” The Pegasus was desperate, she grabbed Spike and started to cry again. The baby dragon patted her head for comfort. “Princess Celestia told you that?” Fluttershy nodded meekly. “Then I believe you. I can’t believe they hate their own daughter…! Can I ask you something, Fluttershy?” “Y-Yes…” “Why are you still here? You should go and warn Twilight! You’re getting married to her and you should protect her from these situations!” Fluttershy heard his words and sat up. She wiped the remaining tears away with a hoof, and looked at her necklace. She stared at the ruby, remembering the night Twilight proposed to her. Spike was right, she should protect her and she was wasting her time. “You’re right!” She said, stopping crying and standing up. “She’s going to become my wife; I have to do something! I have no time to waste. Spike, will you…?” “Yes, I’ll take care of the cottage while you're gone, now hurry up before it’s too late!” Fluttershy hugged both of her friends and left the cottage. She flew as fast as she could to the restaurant. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight ran all the way to the restaurant. She was tired, but at least it kept her mind away from the thoughts of what happened back at the cottage. Fluttershy… Why? Why don’t you like my parents? You've never met them before… Forget about her; she better have an explanation when I get back or it’s over! The Unicorn kept moving, ignoring the tears escaping from her eyes. She replaced the bad thoughts with her parents. Finally, after so long, she was going to see them. Soon, she arrived at the restaurant’s doors. Twilight stopped to catch her breath since had been running for so long. After a few minutes, she entered the restaurant. For a place so far away from Ponyville, it was crowded. Most of the ponies weren’t even from there. Twilight wasn’t like Pinkie Pie, but she could recognize all the faces in her town. She noticed a Unicorn she'd seen in a picture at Pinkie Pie's house weeks ago. Her name was Lyra, and she wasn’t alone. She was with an earth pony Twilight had also seen back in Ponyville, but had never spoken to. She was yellow and had cyan eyes, her mane a mix of pink and dark blue. They seemed to be on a date, since they were looking at each other lovingly and holding their hooves. The bookworm pony couldn’t help but think about her and Fluttershy in the same situation, all those moments they spent just looking into each other's eyes and embracing... She shook her head, forcing herself back to reality. If she doesn’t apologize… We'll never do it again… And even if she does, I don’t think that I could forgive her… A tear ran down her muzzle, but she wiped it away and started to look for her parents. She found them in no time; they weren’t far from Lyra and her date. She smiled and started walking toward them. However, she noticed that for some reason, they were staring at the turquoise Unicorn and her partner in a strange way. She could have sworn that it was a look of disgust, but it couldn’t be. Soon, she arrived at their table. “Hello, mom and dad, I missed you!” She excitedly exclaimed. “Oh, Twilight! You made it!” The stallion said, faking a smile, but Twilight didn’t notice. She tried to hug them, but they stopped her. “Not in a public place…” Her father said. The younger mare was a little confused. “Please, sit and join us, Twilight. There’s somepony we want you to meet.” “Really? But I thought you wanted to catch up with me. Why didn’t you reply to my letters?” Twilight asked, even more confused. “Oh, here he comes!”the older mare said, ignoring her daughter. “Over here, Star Bright!” Twilight turned and saw a grey stallion with green eyes, red mane, and a horn approaching them. “Here, sit with Twilight! Do you still remember Star Bright, Twilight?” “Of course I do... I wouldn’t forget my ex-coltfriend.” “That doesn’t sound very nice. Just call me a friend, yes?” The grey Unicorn winked, getting closer to her. “Wh-What are you doing?” Twilight questioned nervously. “I've been thinking... Maybe we should start over?” “What are you talking about?!” “You know… You and me… Those were the happiest moments of my life.” “It was nice, but we broke up for a reason…” “I promise I'll change!” “You said that last time, but you didn’t listen. You never listened to me; you always interrupted and then you proposed to me when we were only dating for two months!” “I won’t do it again!” “Besides, I’m…” But in that moment, the older mare interrupted her. “Kiss her!” “Wha…?!” But she was silenced with the stallion’s kiss. She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her go. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Fluttershy had the restaurant in sight, and got back to the ground to catch her breath. “I’ll… see if I can… see her through the window…” The Pegasus said between breaths as she trotted to the window. At first, she just saw Lyra and Bon Bon. She really didn’t know them, but remembered seeing them in Ponyville. She kept looking for Twilight and soon found her, but couldn’t believe her eyes. She was kissing another pony! Fluttershy looked away from the window and started to cry. How could this happen? How could Twilight do that? She could understand if she was mad at her, but kissing somepony else behind her back? She looked at the necklace and removed it. She was about to throw it away, but froze when she heard Twilight's voice. She was yelling. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ “What do you think you're doing!?” “But… I thought you wanted to come back with me…!” The male Unicorn said, both scared and confused. “Who told you that!?” Everypony in the restaurant was listening to them; the only thing that could be heard was Twilight’s voice. “Your parents… They sent me a letter…” But the younger mare quickly looked at her parents, ignoring everypony else. “You what!? Why!?” “Because it was the truth!” The older stallion spoke. “You needed somepony, it's time for you to get married!” “But I’m already engaged! I've told you in my letters! I already love somepony else and I’m loved! Why are you doing this!?” “You’re engaged? You never told me that! I’m sorry, Twilight, I’m leaving now…” Star Bright apologized before leaving in a hurry. The older stallion kept talking when he was out of sight. “You are not in love! Love is only between a mare and a stallion! You and that… fillyfooler are making a mistake; it’s wrong! We came here to help you, to bring you back to the right path!” “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! I'm deeply in love...! I've never been so happy in my life and you want to ruin it because I’m getting married with another mare!? I know what I feel for Fluttershy is true love; I've never felt this with anypony else, and you should be happy for me!" “Happy? For having raised a fillyfooler!?” The older mare exclaimed, disgusted. “We want to know where we went wrong! We failed as parents when you 'fell in love' with a mare. What did we do?!” “First of all, never call me a 'fillyfooler.' Secondly, you failed as parents when you stopped loving me for who I am! Your only mistake was thinking that you were bad parents for having a mare who likes other mares! I don’t want to see you two at my wedding, or ever again!” “Listen, you have no right…!” But the older stallion was interrupted by a male pony, dressed in a fancy suit. “We do not serve your kind. We accept love here, and I’m asking you to leave my restaurant now! And never come back!” Without saying a word, the older Unicorns stood up and left, being stared at by everypony with disgust. When she saw them coming, Fluttershy hid in a bush nearby. She'd heard everything that Twilight said, and was crying of happiness now. She really loved her! As soon as Twilight's parents were out of sight, she flew back to the cottage to wait for her fiancée. Twilight trotted out of the restaurant. She was sad and she felt bad now. Fluttershy was right. She had to go back and apologize to her. But before she could start her walk back, she was stopped by somepony. She looked back and saw Lyra and Bon Bon. “I just wanted to tell you that you were really brave to confront your parents like that… I would never be able to do that.” Lyra spoke with seriousness. “Thanks… I'm still shocked about the situation, but, with luck, I won’t see them ever again…” “I understand your sadness. You must be feeling horrible…” Bon Bon lamented, a sympathetic expression on her face. “Yes, but it’s not only about that… Before I came here, my fiancée tried to warn me about them, but I didn’t listen and I yelled at her… I have to go back and apologize… I hope that she forgives me…” “If she really loves you like you said back there she will… now, go get her!” Bon Bon encouraged Twilight. “You’re right, I don’t have time to waste! I’ll see you back in Ponyville!” Twilight yelled as she left. Lyra looked at her marefriend with a smirk. “See? I told you that she was from Ponyville!” “I think I remember her now… I hope we see her again!” ____________________________________________________________________________________________ The lavender Unicorn arrived home faster than the time it took her to go to the restaurant, and, somehow, she didn’t feel as tired as she felt before. She opened the door with a sigh, and saw Fluttershy on the other side of the room. “Fluttershy… I should have listened to you… I’m very sorry and I…” She was silenced by Fluttershy’s lips making contact with hers. While she was speaking, the Pegasus had flown to her and kissed her like never before. When they broke it, Twilight looked very confused. “Fluttershy, I don’t under…” The timid pony put a hoof on her mouth and timidly pressed her lips against hers again. When they separated, Fluttershy stood up and looked at her partner on the floor, who still had no clue about what was happening. “Let me show you how much I love you, Twi…” She said, leading her to their bedroom. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ After a night of love, Twilight found herself on her fiancée’s chest and embraced by her, but she still had no idea of why it happened. Fluttershy must have felt that she was about to ask her, because she answered her unspoken question. “I… followed you… I know I wasn’t supposed to do it, but I was worried about you. Also, Spike for convincing me…” “Spike?” “He heard us. He asked me what happened after you left… I told him the situation the way I should have told you…” The Unicorn didn’t say anything, silently asking her to continue. “Do you remember when Princess Celestia came to Trixie’s party? She came to tell me the truth about your parents, and I promised I wouldn't tell you unless I felt it was necessary… I should have told you that from the very beginning…” After a few moments, Twilight embraced her tightly. “You probably should have... I’m really sorry for yelling at you…” “Don’t worry about that now, Twi. I heard everything you said to your parents… I have already forgiven you. Hearing what you said made me extremely happy. Twilight kissed her forehead. “What I said was the truth, Shy… I love you with all my heart. That’s why I’m marrying you. The wedding is still on, right?” “Of course it is, love!” Fluttershy gave her a quick kiss and put her head on the Unicorn's chest. “Now, I could really use some sleep… But one thing isn't clear...” "What is it, honey?" "You never told me that you dated somepony else before..." "Oh, him? It's because I never considered him a relationship, I had a crush on him but it faded as soon as I knew him better." "I see..." She yawned. "Now, I'm really tired..." “Me too… It's been a long day… Good night, Flutters…” “Good night, Twi…” The Unicorn snuggled more against her fiancée and she soon fell asleep. Fluttershy followed her shortly after.