//------------------------------// // 4 - A Hearth's Warming to Remember // Story: Never too Shy to Love // by True Blood //------------------------------// Morning sunlight filtered through the trees as Rarity, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie trotted along the path to Fluttershy’s cottage, each wrapped in a scarf and wearing boots to ward off the cold. They all carried presents of varying shapes and sizes on their backs and for once, Twilight had nothing planned for the day. They were going to have a nice, relaxing Hearth’s Warming, exchanging presents and pretty well doing anything Fluttershy wanted. It was a beautiful morning: sparse cloud cover littered the sky, and the sun sent gentle rays of winter warmth down to the ponies below. Fresh snow covered everything in a striking layer of gleaming white, and there was very little wind, making is very pleasurable to be outside. Twilight gave a content sigh and gazed skyward. She froze. Floating in the sky over the patch of forest that contained Fluttershy’s cottage was a large cloud manor. Several rainbow streams cascaded down through tiered glittering pools, to eventually fall towards the ground and dissipate into the air as the construction bobbed slightly in the light breeze. It was Rainbow Dash’s house. Twilight’s gasp alerted the others, and they all stared at the floating mansion of their missing friend. After only a few seconds of staring, Pinkie let out another loud gasp, and took off down the trail so quickly her dust cloud lagged several seconds behind her speeding form. “Pinkie wait!” Twilight called after her, but she didn’t slow. Twilight grimaced at Rarity, who in turn glanced at Applejack, and they all set off at a gallop after what was now a set of hoof prints in the dirt and a cloud of settling dust. When they finally arrived, panting at the cottage, they saw Pinkie frozen in front of the door, her hoof poised, inches away from knocking. Gasping for breath, Rarity gave her a questioning glance. “Pinkie Pie darling, just what are you doing?” Pinkie stayed frozen for several seconds more, before her hoof sagged, and she turned to face the others. She seemed torn between excitement over this development, and apprehension about something. Twilight trotted forward. “Pinkie, what’s wrong?” Pinkie flashed an expression that was half devilish grin, half embarrassed grimace. “We can’t just barge in on them girls. What if they’re, you know, naked?” Twilight smacked her forehead with a hoof. “Pinkie, we don’t even know what the situation actually is. And even if it is the best case scenario, they’ve only just gotten together. I seriously doubt anything happened between them.” She paused, and thought for a moment, then smacked her hoof against her forehead again. “And nopony around here even wears clothes anyway. We’re all always naked!” “Ooooooooh!” Pinkie bobbed her head. “That makes sense, of course!” With that, she turned back to the door, and bolted through it. Or at least, she tried to. Instead, she slammed into it, and bounced off as a lavender glow held the door shut. As Pinkie picked herself up off the porch, Twilight transferred her magic from the door to Pinkie’s tail, and lifted her up and away from the cottage. Applejack and Rarity followed, the former looking as confused as Pinkie, the latter bearing a prim and content expression. “Just because it’s not probable that anything is happening, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be giving them their privacy.” Pinkie struggled a little before crossing her forehooves in a huff, and resigning herself to being carried away. “Don’t worry Pinkie dear” Rarity comforted. “We’ll come back later, once they’ve had some time to themselves.” ~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy awoke to the sound of a loud thud that reverberated around her cottage as the remnants of an immensely happy dream floated lazily around her consciousness. It had been such a wonderful dream, and it was vivid in her mind, and something she would never forget. She had had such an exhilarating time, flying with the mare she held dear in her heart. Even the part when she had flown away, Dash had come back and… Dash had… Dash… Rainbow Dash! She bolted to her hooves in frantic panic as she realised that the chromatic-maned mare was no longer by her side. She wheeled her head from side to side, searching the confines of her living room in desperate hope that Rainbow returning had not been a dream as well. Finding no sign of the mare in sight, she flopped to the floor with a painful sigh as tears began brimming in her eyes. Maybe she had dreamed up the whole thing, not just the blissful flight through the skies. She was just about to completely break down and cry when she heard a voice come from the kitchen doorway. “Fluttershy?” Glancing up with teary eyes, Fluttershy caught sight of Rainbow Dash, standing in the door, giving her a half curious, half worried look. The scene lasted all of a second, before Dash was unceremoniously tackled to the ground for the second time in as many days as Fluttershy threw herself at the subject of her affections in a teary tangle of legs and wings. “Oh Rainbow Dash! I thought you were just a dream! I’m so happy!” She blubbered into Dash’s coat as they lay on the ground, the blue pegasus stroking the canary mare’s mane. After a few moments of bawling, Fluttershy sniffled. “When I woke up and you weren’t there, I was so worried. I thought you coming back might have been a dream, because I had such a wonderful dream about you and…” She trailed off as her mind processed the words her babbling had produced, and she blushed furiously. “I’m sorry, I’m… I mean I didn’t… Oh, I hope you don’t mind that I had a dream about you…” She looked up at Dash with wide, pleading eyes and a quivering lip. Dash grinned, and loosed a comforting laugh. “Hey Flutters, don’t sweat it, it’s totally cool. I mean, I knew I was awesome, but if I’m awesome enough to star in one of your dreams, I really must be something.” Fluttershy blushed and resisted the urge to hide behind her mane. Rainbow ducked her head and, blushing furiously, rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “And I’ll admit… on the down-low of course, I have a reputation to keep, so don’t tell anypony okay?” Fluttershy quickly nodded, and Dash’s blush grew more intense as she continued. “I… well, I kinda had a pretty neat dream about you last night too…” Fluttershy stared in amazement at this unexpected proclamation, and after a moment, threw her forelegs around Rainbow again, and hugged her close. Fluttershy looked up into the eyes of her new marefriend , and both their blushes grew as Dash leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. They stayed in each other’s embrace for a time, before Fluttershy perked her ears at a thought that suddenly occurred to her. “Hey Rainbow?” “Yeah?” “What were you doing when I woke up?” Dash grinned sheepishly, and gestured with a wing to the kitchen door. “Well, I woke up a little earlier than you did, and thought it’d be nice if I made us both a little breakfast.” Fluttershy’s eyes wobbled as her love for her fast-paced friend swelled a little. “Oh, you didn’t have to, but that’s very nice of you. I didn’t know you could cook.” Rainbow’s sheepish grin only grew in intensity, and she released a burst of nervous laughter. “Well, truthfully… I can’t.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as several images flashed through her head of horror-movie quality scenes of a mutilated kitchen with viscous fluids dripping down the walls, twisted and disfigured knives strewn about, stuck in the walls and benches as various items of food lay ravaged and strewn about in total and utter chaos. With a yelp, Fluttershy leapt from Dash’s embrace and tore through the kitchen door to survey the damage. She drew a sharp intake of breath at what she saw. The cooking area was almost spotless. Aside from some utensils that were sitting in the sink, half washed – Dash had clearly been in the process of washing up when Fluttershy had awoken – there was nothing out of place at all. Well, almost nothing. Sitting on the counter were two meals consisting of some slightly overcooked eggs and hay bacon with a side of somewhat messy daffodil and daisy salad. The meal was not perfect, but the fact that it was hoof-made by Rainbow Dash made it the most delicious-looking meal she had every laid eyes on. Tears brimming in her eyes, she turned back to Dash, who had followed her in, somewhat more slowly, and was standing in the doorway. “Oh Dash, it l-looks w-wonderful. Y-you said you c-couldn’t cook.” Rainbow flashed another sheepish grin as she moved over to a small bookshelf consisting of several cook books, and pulled one off the shelf. “Yeah, well, cooking with a cookbook isn’t so hard, and yeah, before you say anything, yes, I read a book that wasn’t about Daring Do, but even I read the occasional egghead book from time to time, when the motivation is there.” She blushed again, which Fluttershy thought looked very cute on the backdrop of her cyan coat. “I wanted to do something special for you… Y’know, a sort of, ‘sorry I bailed on you without saying anything’…” She trailed off as she saw the tears in Fluttershy’s eyes. “Um, Flutters, I’m sor…” she was cut off by Fluttershy’s hoof lightly pressing against her muzzle. “Oh Rainbow Dash, I already told you, you needed the time, and it’s all okay because you came back to me.” Rainbow smiled, and used the hoof pressed against her lips to pull Fluttershy into an embrace. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Dash pulled away, but kept a hold of Fluttershy’s hoof as she gestured towards the plates sitting on the counter. “If we wait any longer, the food’ll get cold.” She moved over to the bench, and poked her thoroughly cooked eggs with a wingtip, which released a crackling noise that made her wince. “It’s not the greatest, heh. The book was a little fuzzy on the cooking times.” Fluttershy giggled and gave Dash’s hoof a squeeze. “That’s okay. You made it for me, and that’s what matters.” ~~~~~~~~~~ Rarity took a dainty sip of her cocoa as she, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Applejack all gathered around a table at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was slumped dejectedly in her seat, her mane and tail not quite as fluffy as usual. “Rarity” she whined. “How much longer are we gonna have to wait?” For her part, Rarity released a small sigh, having heard the same question several times in the last few minutes, and levitated her cup back to the table top. “Pinkie darling, we must give them as much time as they need, so we will simply have to wait until they come to us. There’s just nothing else for it dear.” Pinkie huffed, and seemed about to bang her head on the table, when suddenly her entire body shook from head to hoof. She vibrated fiercely for a few moments, before coming to a halt. Everypony’s drinks had been shaken over, and had spilled all across the table, but nopony paid them any heed. “Pinkie…” Twilight began. “Was that, a doozy?” Pinkie nodded. “Yep. I’ve had a few of those this morning. Oh! And one last night too! Once I saw Dash’s house today though, I figured it would be because she’d come back. What could be triggering it now?” Applejack shook her head. “Hold an apple-pickin’ minute there Pinkie Pie. Y’all were able to tell that th’ first ‘doozy’ was at Froggy Bottom Bog, why can’t ya tell anymore about this one?” Pinkie pie shrugged. “I dunno. That was a different kind of doozy I guess.” Her face lit up in a look of mischievous realisation. “Oh, I know! I bet it’s because Fluttershy and Rainbow dash are making out!” Everypony else present at the table groaned. “Not this again Pinkie!” Twilight sighed, smacking herself in the forehead with a hoof. Pinkie took on a grumpy expression, and mumbled something about having the same sort of doozy when Rarity and Applejack got together, but nopony paid her much mind. They had gone back to gossiping over how their Hearth’s Warming plans would have to change to cater for this new development. ~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash gasped slightly and attempted to hide a furious blush as her lips separated from Fluttershy’s once again. The pair were lying on a particularly fluffy cumulous a few hundred hooves off the ground, watching the sky overhead, and the ground down below, while what they were really watching was each other’s eyes. After breakfast, Dash had suggested they go for a fly. She was getting itchy hooves from being on the ground and moving so slowly for such a long time. Also, what little she had garnered of Fluttershy’s dream the night before over breakfast made it seem like it would make her new marefriend happy. Marefriend, Dash mused. That would take some getting used to. Normally Dash would have been bored to tears flying at Fluttershy’s pace, but for once taking a leisurely flight through the low-hanging clouds on a winter’s day didn’t seem so bad. In fact, she could honestly say she had enjoyed it. It was a strange thing for her to admit, being as fast-paced as she was, but for once she had actually enjoyed flying slowly. She suspected it was thanks to the mare she was flying with. She had been taken completely by surprise when it was Fluttershy who first took off in a faster flight path through the clouds. The usually timid mare had spun around the sky, laughing joyfully, beckoning her to follow, so she had. They flew around the sky together, still nowhere near the pace Rainbow was used to, but still faster than she had ever seen Fluttershy fly. As with the prior snail’s pace of a flight, she had enjoyed it far more than she ever would have suspected. Or at least, suspected she would have were she flying alone, or with anypony else. Eventually, Fluttershy had tired, not being so used to extended flight, and they had come to a rest on the cloud. Rainbow Dash trying to find a way to break the silence, when Fluttershy gave a pointed cough. Turning to face her, Dash saw that she was looking back with a somewhat worried expression on her face. “So, um, Rainbow Dash…” She trailed off, apparently having trouble voicing the thoughts that were in her head. Dash had more than an inkling of what the butter-coloured mare was thinking. “Um… so, what happens now?” Dash inwardly patted herself on the back. She had been right on the money. She thought for a moment. What would they do now? It wasn’t likely things would go back to being completely normal, but she didn’t see why everything had to change. She would still work with the Ponyville weather team, and Fluttershy would still care for her animals. She would still train and nap and everything she would have been doing normally. She would just spend more time with Fluttershy as well. The thought reddened her cheeks again, and stirred an unfamiliar, warm feeling in her chest. For some reason, it both made her somewhat uncomfortable and gave her the urge to kiss the beautiful mare lying next to her. Beautiful? Now there’s a word I don’t use very often, she mused to herself. This mare has changed me, there’s no doubt about it. She was suddenly struck with how worried that thought made her. Trying out new things had always been something she’d enjoyed, but so much was actually changing. Fluttershy cleared her throat, bringing her train of thought back on track, and she shrugged. “Well, I have no idea. I’m not exactly a professional at this.” Fluttershy smiled, and nuzzled Dash’s neck, once again bringing a blush to both their cheeks. “I guess we should tell the girls…” Fluttershy let out a squeak, and buried her face in the soft fluff of the cloud. Well, that explains where the ‘shy’ part of ‘Fluttershy’ went, Dash thought, as she chuckled and nudged her friend with a shoulder. “Come on Flutters’, it’s not so bad. They deserve to know, and from what you told me over breakfast, they all helped you a lot with, well… y’know…” She trailed off with a grimace. She still felt horrible over what she had done to Fluttershy, but she had panicked. That didn’t excuse it, and despite all the reassurances that no grudges were held, she still felt guilty. She put on a brave face and continued. “We can’t keep them in the dark. Not after all of this.” Another squeak came muffled from the cloud, and Dash rolled her eyes, content to wait the other mare out. Eventually, after several bouts of terrified shivering, Fluttershy extracted her head from the cloud’s embrace, and gave a half-wince, half-nod. “You’re right Dash. They all helped me so much, and it wouldn’t be right not to tell them now.” She sighed, but it wasn’t a sad sigh. Dash wasn’t entirely sure what was in the sigh, but it was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. She blinked as she realised that she was staring, and blushed. Again. She was sure at that point that she had blushed more that day than she had in all her life. She also suspected that it was something that would be quite a more common occurrence. Again, she had a somewhat uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She put it down to nerves. This was completely new to her after all. Was she really comfortable telling her friends about this? She wasn’t so sure, but like she had told Fluttershy, it wasn’t right to keep this kind of thing from them. She would never leave her friends hanging. That was a promise she intended to keep for the rest of her life. But how would their friends even react? Pinkie Pie had seemed pretty keen on seeing her together with Fluttershy, and Rarity and Applejack were together, so they couldn’t really say anything. Also from what Fluttershy had told her over breakfast, Twilight had helped as much as she could – in a way only the bookworm knew how – so it was unlikely the lavender unicorn would object. So why did the thought of telling other ponies make her feel so uncomfortable? ~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy stole another glance at Rainbow Dash as the two slowly winged their way through the sky in the vague direction of Ponyville. It was unlike Dash to be satisfied flying at such a snail’s pace, but then again, being around Dash made her want to fly as fast as she could, and try things she never would have normally. Maybe it was the same for her? Inwardly, Fluttershy frowned. Dash had had a troubled look on her face, and had seemed quite distant, ever since the subject of broadcasting their relationship had been broached. Outwardly, she kept her demeanour bright and happy. How could she not? She didn’t think she could frown, even if she wanted to. What if Rainbow Dash is embarrassed to be with me? The voice of her nervous side worried. What if she doesn’t really want to be with me? What if – Fluttershy clamped her mind down on the thoughts before they could subdue her. It was a voice she had not heard in some time and she didn’t intend on letting it take control of her now. Dash had admitted that she had feelings for her. Dash may not have been the Element of Honesty, but being the Element of Loyalty probably stopped her from lying anyway. To her friends, at least. The outskirts of Ponyville were well within sight at this point when a large puff of pink smoke suddenly erupted from one of the windows at Sugarcube Corner with a reverberating ‘whump’. Zeroing in on the source of the disturbance, she descended towards the sweet shop. Dash followed behind, momentarily drawn out of her reverie. As the pair alighted near the shopfront, the door opened, and three coughing ponies staggered out, trailing pink smoke, which was apparently completely filling the interior of the store. “What in the hay was that?” exclaimed Applejack as she wafted smoke away from her face with her hat. Twilight, who had cast a shield around her head, forming a protective bubble to ward off the smoke, dispelled her magic, and gave another cough before answering. “I’m not sure. She was looking out the window towards the forest, when she… well I really can’t explain it. It’s like she just exploded!” Rarity gasped, her pupils reducing to pin pricks. “Oh Princess Luna’s stars! I hope the poor dear is okay!” The alabaster unicorn whirled around to peer inside the clearing smoke in the doorway. “You hope who is okay?” queried a bubbly voice from behind Fluttershy, who suddenly became aware of the presence of a vividly pink mare hugging her tightly around the neck. And that she was on the ground, lying on her back in the snow. All heads swivelled in her direction and she blushed at the sudden attention, but before she could say anything, all of her friends were swarming around her and Dash, all clamouring together and saying so much all at once, her head began to spin, though most of the attention was directed at Rainbow, who was looking decidedly uncomfortable. The absence of Pinkie on her neck allowed her to stand, and she moved over to lean against Rainbow. This provoked several giggles from Pinkie, a wink from Rarity, and smiles from everypony else. Dash laid a wing over her withers, making her blush furiously, though she managed to resist the urge to hide behind her mane. Twilight was the first to ask the all-important question. “So does this mean you two are… together?” Fluttershy suppressed a terrified squeak, and looked to Dash, who gazed back with caring eyes and responded without looking away. “You betcha.” This produced cheers all round, and they all converged in a group hug which, incidentally, pressed Fluttershy up against Rainbow Dash and squeezed her there. She was not about to complain. Suddenly, everypony was thrown apart, leaving Pinkie Pie reared up on her hind legs, forehooves in the air and an enormous grin on her face. “You all know what this calls for?!” She shouted, and Twilight groaned. “Let me guess. A-” “A party!” Pinkie interrupted, as she bolted back inside Sugarcube Corner, which had cleared of all the pink smoke. Almost immediately after, she came tearing back out, somehow balancing a tall stack of Hearth’s Warming presents on her back. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh! I completely forgot! We still have to do presents!” She punctuated the last word by bouncing into the air as a burst of streamers and confetti erupted from her mane. Somehow, the pile of presents managed to stay put, doing little more than wobble slightly. Fluttershy bolted upright from her tangled position on the ground, and turned to face all her friends. “Oh, we can open the presents at my house. It’s quiet, and… well, I have presents for you all too.” Rarity elegantly picked herself up and brushed herself off, removing several twigs from her mane before moving over to wrap Fluttershy in a hug. “Oh Fluttershy darling, you really didn’t have to.” Fluttershy returned the hug, but shook her head. “Oh, you girls have just been so supportive of me lately. I’m so lucky to have such great friends and I had to do something special for all of you to show you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done.” They all converged in another group hug and tears began welling in Fluttershy’s eyes. “I just can’t thank you all enough. I don’t know what I would have done if you girls hadn’t been there for me.” “Oh Fluttershy, what else could we have done?” Twilight appraised Fluttershy caringly. “That’s what friends do! Oh, I’ll have such a great letter to write to the Princess this afternoon, I can’t wait!” She began clapping her forehooves together as giddy giggles escaped her mouth. Fluttershy, along with all the rest of her friends, stared at the lavender unicorn with amused expressions. Eventually, the group broke apart, and began the leisurely walk through the trees towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Fluttershy almost couldn’t contain her excitement. After so much effort spent getting all the gifts together, she would finally get to watch her friends unwrap them. ~~~~~~~~~~ Everypony was gathered in the living room of Fluttershy’s cottage, a low fire burning in the hearth to give the room just that little bit extra warmth to make it toasty and comfortable after the cold outside. As soon as they were all seated, Twilight immediately stood back up. “Alright everypony, I think Fluttershy should be the first to open her presents.” Fluttershy began to protest, but was quickly drowned out by declarations of assent from everypony else. She gave a slightly exasperated sigh, but conceded, not because she was too shy to push her case, but because she wanted to. If her friends wanted her to open her presents first, then she was more than happy to. First up came a large box wrapped in exuberant pink wrapping paper, tied with a length of purple ribbon in a large bow which perched on top. After untying the bow, unwrapping the paper, and opening the cardboard box within, she found another box. This one however, was marked as a box containing one of Sugarcube Corner’s cakes. “Oh Pinkie, thank you so mu-” “No no no!” Pinkie interrupted. “You have to open the cake box as well!” Fluttershy paused for a second or two, before reaching in to pull out the inner box. She set it down, and began to open it, but never got the chance. The box exploded open with a shower of confetti, streamers and balloons to reveal a cake that looked slightly too large to fit inside the box in the first place, let alone with all the effects which were now scattered over Fluttershy and the surrounding floor. The cake was of a yellow colour that matched Fluttershy’s coat perfectly. It had three tiers, each covered in icing the colour of Fluttershy’s mane. The icing portrayed images of a pegasus mare frolicking around with different woodland critters. It was an incredible feat of icing work, as the depictions were all extremely detailed. The pegasus even had Fluttershy’s mane. On the top of the cake, on the smallest tier, were the words ‘We’ll always be your friends, no matter what.’ “I made it myself. I hope you like it.” Much of the bounciness was gone from the usually exuberant pink mare, and she had a worried expression on her face. Fluttershy looked up with teary eyes and a trembling lower lip, causing Pinkie to gasp. “Oh my gosh Fluttershy, I’m so so sorry, if you don’t like it I’ll-” this time it was Pinkie’s turn to be interrupted as Fluttershy pushed a hoof to her muzzle. “Pinkie, I love it. Thank you so much.” Fluttershy wrapped Pinkie in a tight hug, tearfully mumbling her thanks over and over. Out of all her friends, Pinkie Pie had tried the hardest to make her happy, and had even had a direct helping hoof in her and Dash getting together. Once her sobbing had died down, Fluttershy closed the box back around the cake, and sat it on the dining table. Before she could try and hand any presents out herself however, Rarity was suddenly there, levitating a large rectangular parcel over towards her. This present was wrapped with snow-white paper, and tied with an indigo ribbon in a very tidy bow. Fluttershy accepted the present gracefully and unwrapped the paper. Inside was a meticulously folded dress. A form-fitting green barrel flowed over the withers to meet behind the neck, before loosening slightly to drape along the back and around the flank. It had several silk highlights, and a small pink flower attached to the front. It was elegant, but not over the top, certainly not a Gala dress, but it was conservative, meant to be worn casually to a semi-formal get-together with friends. Such as giving and receiving presents on Hearth’s Warming. “Oh Rarity, it’s beautiful, I love it.” Rarity beamed and pulled Fluttershy into a tight hug. “Oh darling, we simply must get you into that dress straight away!” Before she could protest, Fluttershy found herself being led away towards her bedroom by Rarity, who was giggling like a school foal, levitating the dress along with them. Fluttershy winced, and sent a longing look back at her friends, who all smiled and nodded her on. Once they had some privacy, Rarity began fussing over the dress, and gave several concise instructions to Fluttershy as she began the process of putting the dress on. Rarity appeared at war with herself about something, but before Fluttershy could comment, she appeared to lose said battle and burst out with an unexpected question. “Oh Fluttershy darling, you simply must tell me everything about what’s gone on between you and Rainbow Dash since she’s come back.” Having had her outburst, Rarity sagged, panting lightly with a slight blush on her face. “I’m sorry darling, I just couldn’t contain myself and you know how I am about gossip.” Fluttershy took a moment to process the question, before blushing furiously at the implications of her actually answering it. “Um, well, you see… I don’t really, um…” She couldn’t find a way to tell Rarity what had happened without embarrassing herself. Most of what she and Dash had done since last night was cling to each other, stealing occasional kisses whilst staring dreamily at each other. She supposed there was breakfast, as well as their flight through the clouds, but she knew it wasn’t going to be enough to placate her friend. Rarity seemed to see how uncomfortable the question was making her, and quickly held her hooves up in apology. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to answer darling. Besides, your reaction has told me everything I wanted to know.” Fluttershy was mortified, and began to stutter something unintelligible to her defense. “W-w-we didn’t d-d-do th-that!” Rarity chuckled, and rested a hoof on Fluttershy’s foreleg. “Oh darling, I know. I’m sure there was a lot of cuddling and kissing, but not anything more. You’d be far more embarrassed if that were the case. Don’t worry though, I’ll not tell anypony.” She finalised the discussion with a wink, which only made Fluttershy’s blush burn brighter. “On a more comfortable, far less juicy topic, you’re done! Take a look!” Fluttershy gawked for a moment, a reply lost on the tip of her tongue as Rarity spun her to face the mirror hanging on the wall. The dress was, as she had concluded earlier, quite conservative, but was as far from simple as any Gala dress. The green fabric hugged her barrel and accentuated her slim figure in flattering, but not in an overly lustrous or suggestive way. The colours and highlights were shaded perfectly to match her coat and mane colours, and she felt like making squee noises every time the flower adorning the front caught her eye. “Oh Rarity, its… its…” Fluttershy was completely lost for words. “It’s perfect Rarity, I love it!” she finished. Rarity actually did make several squee noises at the compliment, and quickly ushered Fluttershy back out into the living room where the rest of their friends were waiting. As she re-entered the room, everypony looked up at her and smiled. The only smile that really caught her eye however, was Rainbow Dash’s. The chromatic-maned mare’s grin, half wonder, half astonishment, lit up the room far more than the fire ever could. Fluttershy returned to her seat with a bounce in her step, and caught Dash blushing ever so slightly. ~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash’s ear twitched as she heard the returning hoof-steps of Fluttershy and Rarity. Looking up, the sight she saw filled her with wonder. Fluttershy stood, looking absolutely stunning in the simpl, elegant dress that Rarity had given her. Dash had always known, in the back of her mind, that Fluttershy was beautiful, in a timid, graceful kind of way, but the dress accentuated that beauty in just the right ways. Suddenly, she found herself struggling to keep her wings from extending as a completely foreign feeling passed through her body. It was a strange, but not unpleasant sensation that sent tingles down her spine. It was much like the almost electrical jolt that passed through her when she and Fluttershy kissed. This one was far less forceful however, but no less powerful. She continued the fight for control over her wings as a blush managed to creep its way onto her face. ~~~~~~~~~~ The next present on the menu was a small, rather non-descript brown box from Applejack which had a tidy little orange bow perched on top. Unwrapping it, Fluttershy could once again do nothing but stare in wonder. Inside was a carved wooden rabbit, no taller than three hooves high, but it was the exquisite detail that dropped Fluttershy’s jaw. It was perfect: all the proportions were exact. Picking it up, she felt that it was as smooth as polished stone, and was quite light, obviously made from the wood of one of Applejack’s apple trees. The patterns in the wood swirled around in hypnotic cycles and all the fine details like the eyes, the creases in the ears, and the paws, were all precise. “Oh my Applejack, it’s… it’s… Oh I don’t even know what to say! It looks exactly like Angel Bunny.” Applejack blushed, and took off her hat, holding it to her chest. “Aw shucks Fluttershy, t’aint’ nothin’” “Oh but Applejack, it must have taken you such a long time!” Applejack shrugged, blushing a little more. “Well, Ah won’t lie and tell ya it didn’t take a while, but I wouldn’t be lying either if’n I said it was worth it ta see ya smilin’ again.” It was Fluttershy’s turn to blush now, and Applejack gave Twilight a nudge. “Now c’mon, time for Twilight’s present.” Twilight nodded with a huge smile and levitated a tiny, square box in front of her. Fluttershy was immediately curious. She took the small lavender box in her hooves and gently pulled open the deep purple bow. Contained inside was a silver, heart-shaped locket. Fluttershy carefully removed the locket from the box and clicked it open. On the left-hoof side was a picture. It was the six of them in a tight group hug, still in their costumes after the Canterlot production of the Hearth’s Warming they had starred in. It was one of their tightest hugs yet, full of the spirit of Hearth’s Warming as they were. On the right-hoof side was the caption: ‘The Fire of Friendship burns in our hearts. We’ll always be here for you.’ Fluttershy’s eyes began to water, and soon she was sobbing, tears streaming down her face as she collapsed on the floor with the locket clutched in her hooves. Everypony gathered around in yet another group hug and Fluttershy desperately tried to still her sobs and dry her tears so she could speak. “Th-th-thank y-y-you Twilight, i-it’s beautiful.” Everypony broke apart, but Twilight stayed with a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “You’re welcome Fluttershy, but that’s not all. The necklace is enchanted and once you put it on, that enchantment will transfer to you. All you need to do is whisper ‘help’ and picture us in your mind, and we’ll hear you and come as fast as we can.” Fluttershy’s eyes grew teary again, but she managed to keep herself together as she gave Twilight a tight hug. “Oh, thank you everypony. You have no idea how much it means to me that you’re all my friends.” When the two separated after a moment, Rainbow Dash coughed pointedly and rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof. “Um, I’m really sorry Flutters’, I don’t have a-” Fluttershy pressed her hoof against Dash’s muzzle to cut her off. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. “That’s okay Rainbow Dash. You coming back to me is the best present I’ve gotten today.” Dash blushed, and Fluttershy had to suppress a giggle. It was quite funny and incredibly cute when Rainbow blushed, being as strong-willed and usually immovable as she was. Fluttershy beamed a huge grin. It was finally time to be on the giving side of the presents. ~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy sat in front of her friends. They were all smiling at her with large grins and caring eyes, and it filled her heart with so much warmth, she thought she might melt. They all seemed to be expecting little things, like the trinkets from the festival shops, but weren’t they all in for a surprise! At least, she hoped they were going to be surprised. She paused for a moment, thinking about who she would give her present to first, before deciding to simply follow their lead, and give them their presents in the order they had given her theirs. She approached Pinkie Pie, and wrapped the party pony in a hug before presenting the present with a wing. It was large, perfectly square and the colour of fresh cream. Pinkie took it with a teary smile and unwrapped it with uncharacteristic slowness. She soon gave up on the slow pace after the fourth layer of wrapping paper, and began tearing into the parcel with increasingly frantic flails. Soon, the room was full of falling wrapping paper and Pinkie sat in the middle of it, panting, a much smaller box held in her hooves. Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, falling over onto her back and waving her hooves in the air. “Haha! Oh Fluttershy, layers and layers of wrapping paper. I love that one!” Pinkie, still panting, joined in and soon everypony was laughing. Fluttershy smiled. She had hoped her friends – Pinkie Pie in particular – would enjoy that. When the laughter had died down some, Pinkie finally found some semblance of control over her hooves and opened the present, pulling out a large, circular, flat lollipop. Emblazoned on both sides was a balloon, the same shape as Pinkie’s cutie mark, blue on both edges with a vertical yellow stripe taking up the middle third. Underneath the balloon were the words: ‘You always make me smile. Thank you Pinkie’. “It’s a special long-life one. It’s supposed to last all year. Oh, well, at least that’s what I was told. I hope you like it.” Pinkie stared at the treat for a few moments before she burst into tears and threw her forelegs around Fluttershy. “Oh Fluttershy, I’m so sorry! For everything! It’s all my fault you got so upset and I’m such a horrible friend!” Fluttershy pushed Pinkie away, and held her at forelegs length. “Pinkie, I don’t want you blaming yourself. There’s no way you could have known. And besides, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I ever would have been able to work up the courage to tell Rainbow Dash how I feel in the first place.” Fluttershy was going to say more, though she wasn’t entirely sure what else to say, but before anything else could be said, Pinkie’s bawling abruptly stopped. Her mane puffed out to its usual exuberance and she beamed a smile that was somehow wider than her face. “Oh okay! You’re welcome then! Thanks for the lollipop by the way!” She immediately thrust the treat in her mouth and sat contentedly with a slightly goofy smile on her face. Fluttershy giggled into her forehooves and pulled the next gift off the table-top where she had put them once they had been removed from the drawers. This, she took over to Rarity, and hoofed it over after a quick hug. This parcel was significantly smaller than the one she had given Pinkie Pie, though was wrapped in similar colours, but with a pearl-white ribbon tied in a neat bow. It was rectangular and fairly flat with square edges and when Rarity daintily picked the wrapping apart, a book was revealed. The book was large, quite thick, and had intricate wooden covers. Rarity opened it to the inside cover which read: ‘A compendium of woodland stitching, styles and inspirational patterns.’ Below this were the words: ‘You’ve always been so generous to me and I’m so lucky to have a friend like you. Thank you Rarity.’ Rarity smiled and dabbed lightly at her eyes to avoid smudging her makeup. “I put all the stitching and sewing techniques I know in it. Oh, but you probably already know them all. I put in all the different patterns I see around the forest too. You always seem to be able to get inspiration from things like that. I hope you like it.” Rarity glanced between the book and Fluttershy several times before speaking. “No.” Fluttershy’s heart missed a beat in panic. “No, I don’t like it.” All faces in the room turned to face the alabaster unicorn as she stared at the book. Fluttershy was on the verge of tears before she caught on. Rarity was notorious for this prank and for some reason, everypony kept falling for it. She looked up at Rarity, who was grinning from ear to ear. “Of course I don’t like it darling, I love it!” Rarity gracefully pranced over and wrapped Fluttershy in a tight, friendly hug. “This is just fantastic! I’ll be able to design so many new clothing lines with these patterns.” She flipped the book open the first few pages and read for a few moments. “Also, judging from the reference guide you have so helpfully included in the front, there are several stitches in here I’m not too familiar with. Thank you ever so much Fluttershy.” Fluttershy couldn’t tell if Rarity was being serious – she couldn’t imagine anything to do with fashion design or sewing that the fashionista didn’t know – but she was touched by the sentiment nonetheless. Next came Applejack’s present. It had been one of the hardest to pick, as she had tried to make each gift represent elements of both herself and the recipient and she had struggled to find something she and Applejack had in common. Eventually, however, she had struck upon an idea that was just perfect. Inside Applejack’s box – which of course, came accompanied by another hug – was a coiled length of deep red rope. Applejack put a hoof inside to remove it, but gasped. “Golly! It’s so smooth!” Extricating it from the box, Applejack hefted the rope, and ran a hoof down its length before gripping it in two places and giving it a tug. “It’s smooth, and grippy? Fluttershy, what in the hay is this?” Fluttershy ducked her head at the sudden question and the attention that went with it, but managed to not even stutter her answer in spite of all it. “Um, well, you see, it’s made out of manticore hair.” Everypony in the room gasped, and many hooves were raised to muzzles in shock. Fluttershy continued, trying to sound as if she hadn’t noticed the shocked reaction. “Manticore hair is very strong, and very resilient. The rope won’t break and it won’t wear, no matter how much you use it. I’m sorry it’s not longer, but there was only so much hair I could get…” Applejack uncoiled the rope: it was more than six pony-lengths long, eliciting an impressed whistle from the work-mare. “Hay, Ah’ve no idea how you managed ta get even this much o’ the stuff.” She glanced down and saw the note that Fluttershy had written to accompany the rope. Picking it up, Applejack read it out loud. “Applejack, you’re one of the bravest, most honest and true ponies I know, and though we don’t have too much in common, I’m so glad I’m able to count you as one of my closest friends.” This brought tears to Applejack’s eyes, and she moved forward to give Fluttershy another hug. “Aw Sugarcube, Ah’m nothing all that special, but Ah reckon Ah’m mighty lucky to have you as a friend too.” Before Fluttershy could argue the point that of course Applejack was extremely special, the farmer had released her and pointed in the direction of Twilight with a quick “alright, next present”. Fluttershy was knocked slightly off cognitive balance for a moment, before shaking her head and smiling. It was just like Applejack to make sure everypony got their turn. Fluttershy turned to Twilight, who was scuffing the floor with a forehoof, clearly trying her utmost not to be excited. Fluttershy giggled a little at her friend’s enthusiasm and hoofed over the last box on the table. She didn’t miss Rainbow Dash’s face flashing briefly to a look of disappointment before flickering back to her cocksure grin. Twilight was clearly trying to supress her excitement as she almost tore into the wrapping paper. A bright blue light emanated from the box as Twilight lifted the lid, and the unicorn’s eyes were transfixed on the contents within. Everypony leaned in for a closer look, and every one of them let out a gasp. “Fluttershy…” Twilight began. “What in Equestria is it? Where did you get it? What does it do?” All eyes were once again focused on her, though Fluttershy could tell that the glowing contents of the box was attracting their attention. “Oh, well, um, I got it from a stallion called Time Turner. He was really very nice, and once I explained my situation to him, he gave that to me. He said it was a… Plasma Globe? I think that’s it.” Twilight’s eyes were drawn back to the light, and she slowly reached a hoof in to pull out what was inside. It was a clear glass orb, about a hoof and a half in diameter, mounted onto an ornate onyx-coloured base. It was the contents of the orb that captured everypony’s attention however, as inside the little sphere was a small metal ball on a stem and emanating from that stem were fluctuating, flickering strings of light that looked almost like lightning. With one hoof holding the device up by the base, Twilight lifted her remaining free forehoof and gave the sphere a little prod. She shrieked in surprise and almost dropped it as the light-like tendrils were attracted towards her hoof, returning to normal the moment her hoof was taken away. Of course, this incited much interest, and Fluttershy endured the next few minutes as everypony took turns in watching at the light congregated around their hooves as they pressed them to the glass. Eventually, Twilight piqued up looked over to her. “So Fluttershy. What does this… Plasma Globe, did you call it? Do? And how does it work?” Fluttershy thought for a moment, before shaking her head. “Well, Mister Time Turner first said it was mostly for decoration, but then he started talking to himself for a while about how it might possibly help to enhance a unicorn’s magical abilities. As for how it works, I have no idea. Mister Turner ensured me that it’s safe, but other than that, I don’t know much about it. I had the base engraved as well.” Twilight looked back to the globe to study the base and immediately welled up with tears. Twilight Sparkle. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve shared with me the magic of friendship, and I wouldn’t be the mare I am today without your help. I am truly lucky to be able to call you friend. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight all let out a synchronised “awww” as they all read the words, and soon they were all back within the confines of another group hug. Fluttershy noticed that Rainbow Dash was beginning to fidget and was holding herself a little awkwardly. She quickly broke the hug apart, and turned to Dash, who rubbed the back of her head with a hoof again. “Well Flutters, doesn’t look like you have one for me, but that’s alright. Seeing as, yanno, I didn’t have one for you either, heh…” She trailed off as Fluttershy lightly stretched her right wing out in front of her, and twisted her head so that her muzzle was right in front of her primary feathers. ~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash watched with barely contained emotion. She felt one part horror, one part anticipation, one part excitement as Fluttershy reached her head over to her extended wing. She couldn’t be. Could she? She’s not going to is she? Oh Celestia, I think she is… Am I ready for something like this? I just don’t know! She continued to watch as Fluttershy took her longest primary feather in her teeth, and yanked her head and wing away from each other at the same time, pulling the long, butter-coloured feather clean out. Dash had to admit, it was an impressive feather. Impeccably groomed, gleaming with silk-like smoothness, and as long and well-developed as any of Dash’s own primaries. She fought to contain her wings as they attempted to defy her and extend as an age-old pegasus saying came unbidden to her mind. You know what they say about a Pegasus with long primaries. ~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy winced inwardly as the feather came free from her wing. It was important that she show no outward sign of the pain, however. She ignored the sting in her wing, which was dulling down to a low throb, and was suddenly struck by fright. Oh my gosh, am I actually doing this? This is actually happening. Oh gosh, I hope Dash doesn’t take this badly. Oh, what if she doesn’t give me one back? I guess I can’t be disappointed with that, it’s a big move to make. Oh, but what if she turns it down? That would be simply awful! Oh my gosh, what if… She forced herself to still her panicked thoughts, which she was getting exceedingly good at over the last few weeks, and shyly glanced up at Dash, who was squirming slightly, with a shocked expression and a furious blush on her face. She wasn’t sure if she was glad or worried that Rainbow seemed at war with herself. She pushed this thought to the back of her mind as she slowly approached Dash. Dash snapped to focus on her and when their eyes met, a surge of sensation ran through Fluttershy’s body from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her hooves. She gently moved up, her wings held loosely at her sides, keeping eye contact with Dash the whole way until they were almost touching muzzles. Rainbow still had a somewhat dazed expression on her face as she reached forward the rest of the way and gently took the feather in her own mouth. It was a slow exchange, and their muzzles touched, as if they were sharing a very light kiss. It was not until Fluttershy moved away from Dash several moments later, leaving the feather lightly clutched in the cyan-coated mare’s teeth, that she became aware of everypony else in the room watching on, every mouth agape. Her friend’s eyes ranged from expressions of confusion from Applejack and Rarity, to wonder from Twilight, and barely-contained glee from Pinkie Pie. “I’m unsure of what precisely is going on…” Rarity exclaimed as she pulled her mouth shut and reached over to close the gaping jaws of her friends. “But that was positively the most adorable exchange I’ve ever seen!” Fluttershy blushed furiously, and after a glance in Dash’s direction, she saw that her marefriend was experiencing the same problem. Or, was still experiencing it: Dash’s blush hadn’t gone away since Fluttershy first pulled out the feather. It was Twilight, however, who came to Rarity’s aid. “I read a book on pegasus customs once. The giving of the longest primary feather on the right wing is a show of incredible dedication, loyalty and above all, love.” Rarity let out an almost inaudible gasp, and looked on in eager anticipation. “If Rainbow accepts the feather, and returns with one of her own… it’s a sure sign that -” Twilight was cut off by Pinkie Pie’s hoof connecting to her muzzle, pinning her lips shut. “Shh” the Pink mare urged. “You’re ruining the moment.” Fluttershy only barely heard the entire exchange, as her attention was almost solely focused on Rainbow Dash, who appeared gripped in an intense internal argument with herself. After several moments of waiting, Fluttershy’s nerves were higher than they had been all week. She was on the verge of sweating as her breathing grew heavier and heavier as the anticipation continued to grow. Abruptly, Dash let out a deep sigh, and her head and wings fell in a sure sign of defeat and disappointment. Fluttershy almost broke down crying right there, but forced herself to stay strong. She had always known this might happen. It was something every pegasus prepared for, but was never truly ready to deal with. She was about to lower her head, when Dash moved again. Slowly. Ever so slowly, Dash lifted both her wings towards her lowered head. ~~~~~~~~~~ Dash was at war with herself. Was she ready for something like this? She had no idea. It was all happening so quickly, and she had had absolutely no idea that Fluttershy was planning this. It was a little-known fact outside pegasus clans that the longest primary feather on the right wing was directly, if not critically, connected to a pegasus’ heart. To give one to anypony was a sign of pure love and, if accepted, was a bond not easily broken. By presenting this feather – which Dash now clutched gently in teeth that were on the verge of chattering – Fluttershy was telling Dash that she wanted to spend the rest of her foreseeable days with her. It wasn’t quite like getting married. That involved moving in together and sharing money and having foals. This was far less imposing on their lifestyles, but just as significant. The giving of the longest primary feather said that the giver would always love the receiver, no matter what happened. Even if their relationship ended, the love would remain. The thought that Rainbow had somepony who felt for her like this almost brought tears to her eyes, but these feelings didn’t help her in her dilemma. She had taken the feather – that had been the easy decision – it was sure to signal the end to any friendship for any pegasus who rejected the offer, and she knew she had feelings for Fluttershy, and didn’t want to lose her. But what was she to do now? She had two options to pick from: give Fluttershy a feather of from her own right wing and more or less seal the deal between them. Or she could not give Fluttershy a feather, which would no doubt upset the other mare, and make for untold complications and really awkward situations for the foreseeable future. The choice seemed glaringly obvious in the logical side of Dash’s mind, but in the emotional side, things weren’t so simple. Taking the feather was one thing, but giving one back was a huge commitment. Dash just wasn’t sure she was ready for something like that. Sure, it wasn’t marriage and it wouldn’t tie her down from her dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, but it was an irreversible act that would change her life forever. It was a sign of love, and as she realised that she was standing still, her eyes glazed off and focused on nothing, she forced herself to ask the all-important question. Do I love Fluttershy? The answer that surfaced without pause from her mind and echoed around her head closed the argument with a snap, and the tension in her deflated like a balloon released before being tied. It didn’t clear up all her doubt, her secret worries, but it made the decision she had to take clear, and it was a decision she was content with. Slowly – she couldn’t make herself move any faster, despite her reputation – she lifted her wings to her lowered head and removed Fluttershy’s feather from her mouth with her left wing, tucking it behind her ear. She then gripped her longest primary feather of her right wing in her teeth, and pulled. ~~~~~~~~~~ Fluttershy’s heart skipped several beats as the cerulean feather came free from Dash’s wing, producing not so much as a wince from the rainbow-maned mare. While she had hoped for this, her worries had stopped her from anticipating just how beautiful this moment would be. She took in every detail about Dash that soaked her senses, from the soft winter sunlight that filtered through the window reflecting off her chromatic mane, to the blood flowing through her cheeks in a furious blush, to the way her tail was firmly wrapped around one of her muscled hind legs. Lastly, she focused on the feather that was being offered her, in much the same way she had offered hers to Dash. Their muzzles touched, and she took the feather from the midst of the gentle kiss, her gaze, having moved to Dash’s eyes and were locked there. She lifted her left wing, and transferred the feather from her mouth to behind her ear. Fluttershy then leaned forward, completely oblivious to any other pony’s presence in the room, and locked Dash in a kiss. It was everything she had ever hoped and dreamed of whenever she considered her love for Rainbow Dash, though she had never actually expected it to happen. She leaned deeper into the kiss, and Dash reciprocated until they were both almost pressed against each other. The moment was perfect, and Fluttershy wanted it to last forever.