Once I was finally able to calm myself, I started thinking about how I was going to salvage this situation. How did things end up spiraling out of control so fast? I wiped the remainder of the tears from my eyes and went back inside my house to try and think of some way to talk to Fluttershy and explain everything. I must look like a two-timing jerk to her. How can she trust me now after seeing the charade that Sapphire put on for her? I sank into my chair as I let out a giant groan of frustration. Come on Cloud, think! There has got to be some way to resolve this catastrophe! Maybe I should try to talk to her, explain my side of the story. She saw the show, now let’s show her the truth behind the curtain…
……
I quickly left my house and made my way through Ponyville and up to Fluttershy’s cottage. The sun was just beginning to set as I trotted up to the door and prepared to knock. However, I heard a sound that made me pause just as my hoof was about to hit the door. I put my ear to the door to try and distinguish what had made me stop. I listened for a moment, and then I heard it. And what I heard made my heart sink lower than anything had ever before. Fluttershy was crying. I could hear her sobs coming through the door as I stood there listening, and it tore my heart apart.
What have I done? How can I possibly try to comfort her? I know that it was all a show…a scam. But from her eyes, it looked real. How can I honestly explain what happened? And even if I did find the words to say, would she believe me? Would she take me back? I stood there frozen. My mind kept racing, trying to figure out the words to say. But as I stood there listening, her cries continued to pierce my very soul. I had to go in there. I had to do something…anything to get her to stop crying. I had to tell her the truth. Even if she still rejected me, she had to know what had really happened. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, and shaking like a leaf, I once again raised my hoof and lightly knocked on the door. I heard a quiet, trembling “Go away” come from inside the cottage.
“Fluttershy, it’s me…White Cloud. I want to talk to you.” I sounded very unsure of myself as I spoke. When her sobs continued, I spoke once again. “Fluttershy, I know how it must have looked, but you have it all wrong, I don’t love her anymore.” I continued to hear her crying inside, and it was tearing me apart. I didn’t want to see her hurt like this, but I knew that I was the one that had caused all of this. You have to get in there Cloud. You have to get her to understand. I knew that I was getting nowhere just standing here and trying to talk to her through the door. So once again, I took a deep breath and opened the door.
I saw her laying on her couch, face down, with Angel sitting next to her. When I came in, Angel rushed over and began trying to push me out the door. However, I wasn’t going to give up that easily.
“Fluttershy, I need to talk to you.” She bolted off the couch and shot behind it as I continued to hear her sobbing.
“I....I k-know what I s-saw Cloud. I knew t-that this was t-to good for m-me. I k-knew that nopony could ever l-lo…lo…” She couldn’t even finish her sentence as a stronger wave of sobbing erupted from her. I almost burst into tears as she continued crying. I started to trot towards the couch when she lifted up from behind it and stared daggers at me. I froze, I had never seen this side of Fluttershy before and it frightened me. The sweet and innocent Fluttershy I had known had transformed into this nightmarish beast. She began to speak to me and her voice sent shivers down my spine.
“I know what I saw Cloud. You and that mare were talking for an awfully long time and then I saw her kiss you when you both came out of your house. I bet you couldn’t wait to get back with her. And all it took was her sweet innocent glance and a flick of her glamorous tail to get back together. I bet she didn’t tell you that she came and talked with me, did she?” Fluttershy began to advance towards me as a snarl appeared on her face. I started slowly backing up as she came closer.
“Fluttershy, it was all a misunderstanding!” I pleaded with her. “You don’t know the whole story!” But I could tell that my words were falling on deaf ears.
“I do know the whole story. She told me every word of it. How you have been in contact with her for all these years. How you have written to her telling her that you love her and want so desperately to be with her. I bet you think it was a hilarious joke, getting to be with me. ‘Oh, let’s play with the poor, sweet, shy Pegasus and see how badly we can hurt her.’”
I found myself unable to move as I hit one of the cottage walls. Fluttershy was now in my face and I could feel the heat of her anger as she leaned in towards me. “Well Cloud, you can’t hurt me anymore. We are through.” And then tears began to well up in her eyes as she continued to stare at me. “You hurt me Cloud. You hurt me more than anything ever has in my life. You broke my heart. I loved you Cloud, I really thought we had something. But now I know the truth. You never loved me, you thought this was all one big joke.” She started to slowly back away as she began to cry once more. “How could you Cloud? How could you do this to me?” She finally reached her couch and at back down on it as she buried her hooves into her eyes. I cleared my throat as I stared at her. No words entered my head as I stood there, unable to think of anything that could comfort her. The sounds of her weeping were like knives piercing my heart. I had to say something. Even if she didn’t believe me, I couldn’t just stand there. I slowly trotted over to the couch and sat on the opposite side.
“Fluttershy, please let me explain.” I started softly. “What you saw was not real. What you think you saw was just a show that she put on for you. I don’t love Sapphire, I never really loved her. She took advantage of my grief after my mother had passed and I fell right into her hooves. It wasn’t true love, nothing like we had. I really had feelings for you Fluttershy. I still do. And seeing you broken over something like this makes me ache inside.” Fluttershy continued to cry as I stared at the floor, trying to compose what I would say next. “Do you remember the first time we met? You came up to me while I was working in the Ponyville flowerbeds and tried to tell me how much you loved my flowers. I remember that day vividly. I was so happy that you had come over to talk to me, but I was also incredibly scared. I had always looked at you from afar, but I never thought that you would actually talk to me. Heh, I guess I just thought it was a dream that would never come true. But then when you gave me back my bag at the café, I knew that you were the one for me. I could feel it in my heart that we were supposed to be together.” I ran my hoof through my mane as I smiled and remembered the good times we had together. “Do you remember the day at Sugar Cube Corner? I tell you, that is a day I will never forget. When I saw you under all those pots, it was so funny to me! It was also one of your cuter moments. When you looked so embarrassed, I knew I couldn’t just leave you there. And that is why I offered to help you. I wanted so much to just be near you, and that was a perfect opportunity.” Fluttershy’s sobs began to lessen as I talked about our past together. She finally removed her hooves as she slowly turned and looked at me.
“But…what about w-what I saw on your p-porch? It l-looked like you and Sapphire w-were back together.” I sighed as I began to explain to her what had happened after she had rushed off crying. As I went through everything Sapphire had told me, I could see a little of the anger that shortly ago had been directed at me begin to manifest on her face.
“Are you still angry at me Fluttershy?” I said nervously as I began to back up again.
“No Cloud, but Sapphire is going to pay. That mare tried to tear us apart and I will not let her think she has won.” Her face began to soften a little as she then looked into my eyes. “I’m so sorry Cloud. I should have had more trust in you. After how you described her in your story, I should have known that she was up to no good. But I tend to easily trust other ponies, and it has gotten me into trouble more than once. But I trust you Cloud. I know that you will never hurt me. You really do care about me and don’t want to ever see me hurt.” She smiled as she scooted over to me and gave me a small light kiss on the muzzle. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she leaned back and looked me dead in the eyes. “Now let’s go have a little chat with Ms. Sapphire. I think her and I have something to talk about.”