//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: By a Fireplace // by TheGentlemanCreeper //------------------------------// “So, umm, what made you change your mind?” you ask with a nervous smile as you ascend the stage once more, this time with Fluttershy at your side. She looks over to you, blushing slightly. “W-Well... No reason, really...” You and her stop behind another pony who was in line and you shoot her a glance. “But you were so... serious about not wanting to sing. Why—” “I was jealous, okay?” Fluttershy squeaks aloud. “It looked like you were having so much fun and... I-I just changed my mind.” You blink a few times and let out a little chuckle. “J-Jealous? Wow... This is a first. I don’t think anypony’s ever directed that kind of jealousy at me before.” “Oh? Well, umm... Okay, then. I—” “On second thought...” the stallion in front of you says, pivoting on his hooves. “I think I’m going to pass. You two have fun.” He trots off nervously, leaving you and Fluttershy at the front of the line now. “I, uh... I think it’s our turn,” you deadpan as you take a step forward. “Thought we’d have at least a few seconds, you know?” “Yeah... I, um...” Fluttershy nods quickly, squirming slightly as she walks. “Ohh... I think I’m getting stage fright, now... I don’t know if—” Before she can finish, the mare that had been your accompaniment last song bounds up with a big smile. “Ooooh~ Another go, huh? Duet I take it?” Fluttershy nods weakly. “Y-Yes!” she manages to squeak just above a whisper. “Yes.” The mare nods with a smile on her face and leads you both up to the stage. “Since this is your first time, I think we should forego the lesser known stuff and go on to some classics... You both familiar with Sinatra, I hope?” You offer her a shrug and a strangled laugh. “S-Sort of, yeah.” “Yes.” Fluttershy simply says with a nod, looking like she was about to bolt for the exit at any second. The mare spins around and starts digging through a number of records, humming under her breath as she does. “I got a lot of good songs by that guy, but I think this one~” she says in a sing song voice, pulling out a black vinyl record. “Is the best bet. Now, you two want to go up now or do you need a moment?” “Yes,” Fluttershy says, nodding as she glances out to the crowd. Her eyes go wide slightly as what she just said hit her ears and she looks over to the mare. “Wait, I mean—” “Great! Here are there lyrics if you need to look at them during the song. Lemme just get this thing started up.” You run a hoof through your mane and let out a worried laugh as you step up to the microphone. “I’m... I’m sure we’ll be fine. I mean, really. What’s the worst that could happen?” The sentiment only seems to make Fluttershy visibly shake as she looks over the lyrics. “Oh no... What am I singing? I—” Before she can get out another word or you could answer, the music starts to pick up, leaving you and Fluttershy there on the spot. Looking over to her and then the lyric sheet, you take a deep breath and decide to take the lead Here goes nothing, you think. “I've got the world on a striiiiiing...” Fluttershy looks over to you and hesitates for a moment; just before moving up closer to the microphone and closing her eyes. “I'm siiitting oooon a rainbow.” You don’t waste a second and keep the pattern up. “Got the string around myyyyy fetlooooock...” “What a world, what a life, I'm in looove~” You look over to Fluttershy, no longer looking so nervous as she smiles from ear to ear. “I've got a song that I siiiiing...” “I can make the rain gooooo~” “Anytime I move my fetlock...” “Lucky me, can't you see, I'm in love” “Life's a wonderful thing~” “As long as, I hang on to the string~” “I'd be a silly so and so~” “If I should ever let it go~” By now, you and Fluttershy were easily going back and forth and the smile on everypony’s face in the crowd was enough to give you a warm fuzzy feeling. But the thing that truly made you melt was the way that special yellow mare looked to you when it was your turn.” “Got the world on a string!” “Sittin' on a rainbow~” “Got the string around my fetlock!” “What a world! What a life! I'm in love~” “Life's a wonderful thing~” “Long as I hang on to the string~” “I'd be a silly so and so!” “I’d be a silly so and so~” You can’t help but laugh a bit, surprised by Fluttershy’s sudden harmony. Not wanting to be undone, you try your hoof at it as well. “If I should ever let it go” “Let go, let it go!” “I've got the world on a string!” “And I'm sitting on a rainbow!” “Got that string around my fetlock~” “What a world!” “What a world!” “And what a wonderful thing!” “When you got the world on a string!” The music stops and it’s soon replaced by a raucous round of applause that almost leaves your ears ringing. Fluttershy visibly shrinks and her eyes go wide, but she’s also giggling and smiling. Good sign, you think with a smile. You trot up to her as she makes her way off the stage and give her a little surprise peck on the cheek that makes her squirm. “Good job! I think they really liked you.” “That’s umm... An understatement,” Fluttershy says as she takes her seat. “They really, really liked us.” Making your way over to the table, you gasp under your breath when Fluttershy does the same little thing, only so fast you’re left stunned. Sitting down, you find yourself grinning from ear to ear and take a sip of your hot cider; only to feel a hoof tap on your shoulder. Turning around, you find a blue mare and a black stallion looking to you and Fluttershy with a smile. “That was very impressive! I’ve never seen a harmony that good before,” the mare idly comments as she leans forward. “Thanks,” you say with a nod before taking another drink of your cider. “So, how long have you two been engaged?” You almost choke on your cider as you hear the stallion’s question and take a deep breath before looking to Fluttershy, who was turning bright red and stammering aloud. “I, umm... I, we are... I mean we aren’t...” “What we’re trying to say,” you breath out as you clean up your face. “Is that we’re not engaged.” The mare cocks an eyebrow and lets out a strangled laugh. “You’re... Joking, right? With you two so in sync? You’re like... No way!” she says, shaking her head. “You’ve got to at least have been together for a couple years. I know these things.” You offer her a bashful shrug. “Not really, no...” Fluttershy nods slowly and starts playing with her tail. “C...Come to think of it, we’ve only been together for about a week.” The blank expression on the mare’s face lingers for a few seconds too long before you’re left awkwardly sitting there, waiting for her to stop. “Well... Okay then,” you say, trying to turn away before the blue pegasus grabs your attention again. “I’m still not convinced. Not when you’re that in tune. If you really don’t know anything about her and vice versa, then you—” she says, pointing a hoof at Fluttershy, who visibly recoils, “—wouldn’t know the first thing about this stallion.” You blush deeply and run a hoof down your face, hoping to high heavens that this mare would just be quiet and go away. “Listen ma’am, I—” “Oh I get it... You’re just a fake couple then?” she barks out, leaning forward a bit. “Going around to get mares like me jealous and—” “He, umm... He likes it when a mare...” Fluttershy’s voice goes down to almost a whisper, turning bright red as the blue mare looks to her expectantly. “He likes it when somepony runs their hoof down his chest, circling and circling before stopping right before—” Your jaw drops and you snap towards the mare before she could finish. “Fluttershy! Wh-Who told you that? Wh- It was the rabbit wasn’t it?” Fluttershy shakes her head and draws her hind legs into her chest. “I just... Guessed. From your books, all the male leads melt in the mare’s hoof when they do that, so I just figured...” She’s not wrong... but... “W-Well, by that logic,” you say, a small yet coy smile creeping across your face as you lean forward to whisper. “Then you like it when a stallion bites your ear when he’s on top and—” A hoof pushes over your mouth, leaving you mumbling as a bright red pegasus tried her best not to shake to pieces. “Don’t please I-” Fluttershy looks down at the hoof she had jammed over your mouth and recoils, only to apologize. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry I just didn’t want you to talk about my turn ons and-” Fluttershy’s hoof goes over her own mouth this time before she slumps forward and lets out a tired sigh. “Wonder what else you know about me that’s embarrassing...” “W-Well... Not everything is embarrassing,” you say with a small, genuine smile. “Like, I know how you really like Esperian food.” “Wait. You know that because...” “Because you mentioned it in three different stories. Like the coltpania pizza thing?” you say with a little chuckle. “See? Not everything is embarrassing.” Fluttershy manages a smile and shifts around in her seat. “My turn?” she asks, inching a little closer. “I guess you like food from New Colt City. Cause you talk about stuff from there all the time.” Feeling a little coy, you crack a grin at her and lean in as well. “And you like it when a stallion cooks a good meal for you while wearing an apron and—” Fluttershy tenses up slightly and gasps aloud. “An-and you like it when...” she squeaks out. “When a mare takes a few moments longer than needed to bend over and pick up—” “A-And there’s nothing you love more than a kiss that means the world,” you choke out quickly. “Something that rocks the world of both ponies.” Fluttershy stops mid sentence and looks to the ground. “Well, who wouldn’t? That’s not embarrassing...” “Yeah. Who said it was? I... I thought it was beautiful. I love how your two leads usually end up in the throes of passion, kissing like their lives depended on it.” “I just... I just can’t help it. It’s something two ponies should get to experience once in their life.” Your mind races back to a couple nights ago and you feel yourself blush. “Sort of like that one kiss we shared?” you asked with a nervous laugh. “When were doing all that writing and you kissed me. I never really got to return the favor, but it was still—” You find yourself a hair away from Fluttershy’s face, finally realizing that both of you had been inching forward with each word the entire time. Both yours and Fluttershy’s cheeks instantly become red. But Instead of recoiling though, you hear Fluttershy swallow a lump in her throat. “Re....Return the favor?” she asks with a whisper. “Well, um... You’re more than welcome to.” Wasting no time with that invitation, you quickly close the gap, and give her a quick kiss on the lips that leaves you and her giggling. “S-Sorry...” she whispers out, moving and shifting restlessly in her seat. “But umm... C-Can we try that again? Cause well... I, uh... I didn’t feel the earth move like it should have. Can I... Show you what I mean?” It’s your turn to swallow the lump and you nod quickly. “I don’t mind, so... Y-Yes please.” She hesitates for a moment, meeting your lips tenderly and carefully before holding herself there. Taking this opportunity, you reach out and gingerly hold her as the two of you kiss with a little more passion. You close your eyes and let it just happen. You feel Fluttershy’s hooves wander across your shoulders and hold you tight, bringing her into her embrace and letting you know she had no intention of letting you go. As your tongue meets her’s in a cascade of ecstasy, an idea crosses your mind. If Healing Blitz is anything to go off, she likes it when somepony does... this. You start to run your hooves down Fluttershy’s sides, slowly at first. You feel her coat stand up on end and her breath quicken before she starts to melt and shiver in your grasp. You reach the small of her back and she lets out a startled gasp, breaking the kiss prematurely. “I’m sorry,” you croak out as you take a much needed breath. “Did I—” “No. I mean yes. I mean...” Fluttershy takes a deep breath and leans in close to your ear. “I liked that. That’s what I meant.” You can’t help but let out a little laugh as Fluttershy looks to you with those big, blue eyes and you feel yourself start to melt as well. Until you hear a cough from behind you. Fluttershy looks around and her pupils turn into pinpricks as she glances around. “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, I’m soooo embarrassed....” she moans out as she buries her face into your shoulder. “What? What’s going—” Glancing around the room, you finally notice the dozens of eyes staring at you and the shrinking form of Fluttershy. Some ponies blushed and looked away as you gazed in their direction. Others offered a coy smile and nod, but most ponies had a look of embarrassment on their face that neat neatly mimicked yours and Fluttershy’s. But the worst set of eyes to you was the look of pure shock and jealousy the blue mare was giving “I’ll, uh.... I’ll have what she’s having,” some stallion quips with a dry laugh, only making the awkward silence worse. Fluttershy gets to her hooves and moves in close enough to whisper. “Can we please leave?” You nod quickly and follow her towards the door, doing your best to avoid the eyes of any staring pony. “Yeah. That’s probably for the best.” Out into the streets of Ponyville, you and Fluttershy leave the gawking ponies to their own devices and start wandering the streets. “I, uh... I really hope I didn’t embarrass you that bad,” you say, looking up to the moon raising across the sky. “With the kiss I mean.” Fluttershy shakes her head. “It... It wasn’t that bad.” Her eyes go wide and her cheeks flush. “I mean, the whole thing with the ponies, not the kiss.” She lets out a little groan and shakes her head. “No, I mean that wasn’t bad either, I just...” She lets out another groan and offers you a weak smile. “You know what I mean, right?” “Yeah, I know,” you say with a laugh and lean in, giving her a quick little kiss on the cheek, making her squeak aloud in surprise. “And hopefully, we’ll be by ourselves next time...” You feel a small flush creep up your neck upon saying that and half expect to hear Fluttershy say something in protest. “...Okay.” You blink in surprise and look over to Fluttershy who was offering you an embarrassed little smile. “So...” Fluttershy bounds ahead and looks over her shoulder at you. “Do you, umm want to go home now? If that’s okay with you...” The hair along your back stands up on end and a goofy smile grows across your face. “Yes. Very much so.” ******************************************************* A nearby glance at the clock let you know it was creeping right onto midnight. But the right mood made it feel like midday; so you and Fluttershy weren’t slowing down anytime soon. “Ohhhh wow! I love how you do that!” “Ohh, please... Stop, you’re embarrassing me...” You drape your hooves over Fluttershy’s shoulders as she sits at the desk and kiss at her neck. “No, really, that was clever. The prompt was Velvet and you turned it into that feeling of velvet against your skin as two ponies intertwine... I especially love the part where every touch seems to drive them closer and closer to the edge while they’re making lo-” “D-Don’t finish that sentence,” Fluttershy says, smiling and blushing at the same time. “It’s embarrassing...” You cock an eyebrow at her. “What’s so embarrassing about sex? You write about it all the time. Naughtier stuff than that, too~” Grabbing onto Fluttershy’s sides, you start tickling her and get a series of shrieks and giggles from the mare. “Nooooooo~! Stoooop~! It just... embarrases me...” She says in-between laughs. “I can’t help it.” “You are so cute, you know that?” you say, giving her ear a little nibble that changes her giggles in to moans. “Oooooooh... A—Ah~ Ohhhh my~ P—Please...” You lean in close, pressing your body against hers and move down, nibbling on her neck now. “Please what?” Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy gets to her hooves, leaving you leaning on the back of the chair. “Please, take a seat. It’s your turn to write.” “Well alright... And uh, sorry I’m so... Playful. Something about watching you write it, just... You know?” Sitting down at the chair, you start bringing your magic up, only to falter as you feel Fluttershy snuggle up to you. “It’s alright. And yes. I do know.” Clearing your throat and doing your best to keep a clear head, you bring your magic back up and start hammering on the keys. Flash Fic #5 Prompt: “What’s the prompt this time?” Fluttershy leans on you, pressing her cheek against yours and making you go flush with embarrassment. “I umm... I don’t know... Maybe something simple? Like... Explain? Yes, do that one. Explain.” You smile from ear to ear and giggle before starting in, hammering at the keys quickly as the words seemed to flow from your mind, to your horn, the keys, and glide right onto the paper. “Easy.” Flash Fic #5 Prompt: Explain I used to be a robot. I used to be an automaton colt, living my life from day to day, taking a bit of happiness from each little victory and forced to look in the mirror after my sleep cycle. And what did I see? I saw a bucket of bolts with a static electrical discharge emanating from behind two glass eyes. So explain to me, how does a bucket of bolts finds somepony who they just click with? Like the teeth of a gear, we fit so easily. “Wow... This one is... Different than the rest,” you hear Fluttershy whisper as she leans in a little closer to the typewriter, waiting for the next set of words. “I told you, I got a flair for all sorts of topics... And this is what I’m coming up with, so just watch.” And then it happened. The bolts came undone and the plating fell off, leaving me there naked. But instead of a mechanical skeleton standing there with gears grinding away, there was a pony. An actual pony who thought of love as something more than a petty little victory that leaves them wanting for more. No, this was a pony who looked to the other and asked a simple little question. “Please explain to me... What kind of love is strong enough to do this?” The other pony waited a moment before answering. “Ours.” Happy with what you had so far, you turn to Fluttershy. “Well, what do you think? Should I keep going? Or—” Without warning, you feel Fluttershy’s lips press to yours for an instance and it feels different than before. The surprise, the tenderness; something about it sparks something inside you that makes your whole body tingle. “It’s... Different,” she says with a small smile. “I’ll admit it, but it’s nice. Very, very nice.” You smile back and look to each other, less than an inch away from the other’s lip. You stare into her eyes and she stares back, shrinking for a moment and blushing bright red. “I, uh... I was thinking that maybe we can work on one of the novels next,” you say, leaning back in your chair and scratching your head. “Mine... Maybe yours? I’m kinda raring to start something a bit bigger.” Fluttershy’s smile slowly fades and she shakes her head. “I... I don’t know. I kinda want to umm, stop working on my novel. Just pack it away.” You feel your jaw drop a bit and you get to your feet, following Fluttershy over to the bed. “Can I ask why? I mean, I was excited for a new story, but I don’t want to force you.” “I just... I just don’t. What I had in mind just doesn’t feel right anymore. I don’t want to write about anything sad like that.” Sitting herself down, you give Fluttershy a long look before sitting down beside her and placing a hoof on her back. “You’re an author. You tell the readers what the story is, it’s all up to you. You don’t have to write anything you don’t want to, but you can change what you already have. It’s all relative, like... like sand in an hourglass.” Fluttershy giggles aloud and sighs. “And the days of our lives?” “Yeah, something like that,” you say with a smile and nod. “So what do you say? Wanna try making a new story? Something brighter?” A few seconds go by that leaves you just a little uncomfortable, but Fluttershy finally speaks up. “I’ll... I’ll give it a shot. What should the story be about now? Because well, I can’t think of anything. It’s a writer’s block or... or something.” Fluttershy’s gaze dips to the floor and she let’s out a half-sigh and puts on a face you are all too familiar with. Alright... Just need to lay on the charm a bit... Show her it’s not the end of the world. Carefully, you reach out and wrap your hooves around her and lean backwards with her onto the bed, snuggling into her. “Let’s just sit here and think. You’ll get around it and we’ll come up with something amazing. Sound good?” “Good...” Fluttershy half whispers, laying her head on your chest. Now all you gotta do is not breathe too hard and you’re fine, you think with a nervous smile as she looks up to you. You try not tense up and let out a deep breath before stroking a hoof through her mane. “Well... Let’s work out the beginning and the end first.” “Why make the end?” she asks, giving you a puzzled look. “I usually save the end for, well... the end.” “Well, it’s usually how I do things. I make the beginning, the end, and fill in—between. Start strong, end strong, you know?” Fluttershy thinks for a moment before nodding thoughtfully. “Oh, yes. Well, we can do that. If you, umm, want to that is.” “I do as long as you do.” “I do, just umm, as long as you’re okay with—” Fluttershy stops herself short and holds a hoof up to her mouth. “Ooops... I’m doing that thing that Rainbow Dash says I do, I’m sorry. I want to do it, that’s what I’m um, trying to say.” You can’t help but chuckle and tussle her mane. “I understand... So how do you want your novel to start? Lots of different ways we can do this.” “Well... We need a good place to start. A bit of, umm, conflict is always important. Like...”  she stalls for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Like the thing... From before? With Summer Heart and her... her boyfriend and—” You cut Fluttershy off just as her voice starts to quiver. “Yeah, yeah, I know. That thing.” Thinking for a moment, you lift her chin up ever so carefully. “You know, we can change it if you want to. We can come up with another—” “No!” You jump slightly, your heart skipping a beat as Fluttershy comes face to face with you, a bit of fire in her eyes. It quickly disappears however, and she backs off, her ears flat against her head. “Sorry, it’s just... No. It’s important to Summer’s character. It’s hard to explain...” “Well alright, it’s fine. We don’t have to change it,” you say, holding up your hooves. “If you don’t want to change it, then let’s do what we talked about; the happy ending she deserves, remember? “Yes... But let’s work on the beginning first.” Clearing her throat, Fluttershy lays herself down on your chest so she’s looking right into your eyes. “Summer Heart just broke up with her boyfriend because of what he did. How does she feel?” “She feels... Betrayed,” you say tentatively. “She has a right to be; after what he did. So she’s trying to put it all behind her, act like nothing happened and live what she hopes is a normal, happy life.” “But a new stallion meets her and she starts to fall for him.” A light blush creeps across Fluttershy’s face. It’s quickly replaced with a frown and her eyes dart to the floor. “But it, umm... it stirs up all sorts of bad thoughts she thought she packed away. Scars that she thought had... well, healed...” “But the new stallion doesn’t know this and only wanted to make a mare smile the way he thinks she deserves to. When she keeps pushing him away...” “It only makes things worse,” she finishes. The room goes silent for a few moments, leaving you there stroking Fluttershy’s mane. “Well... We got the beginning,” you say, finally breaking the silence. “Where do we-I mean, they... Where do they stand now?” Getting to her knees, Fluttershy crawls off of you and into the blankets, looking at you expectantly. Taking the hint, you crawl over to her and slip underneath them with her and cuddle up. “Well,” she starts, taking in a deep breath. “Summer Heart and... Reverie Cruise, they—” You let out a snicker after it finally clicks and give Fluttershy a quick kiss on the cheek that makes her giggle. “—they finally come to terms with what happened. And the, umm... The mistakes made on both parts. So Summer gives Reverie a chance to show her how he really feels. But instead of that, she, well...” “She... got jealous?” you finish for her. A quick nod tells you everything you need to know. “She got jealous when she saw Reverie Cruise with another mare and she...” Wrapping her hooves around you, Fluttershy lets out a long sigh. “She realized just then and there she wanted to be with him. Because for everything that happened; everything said and done, she did love him. Because she felt like she’s always known him.” “And him the same.” You reach out and embrace her back, the warmth between you and Fluttershy seeping through to your very core. “So... What about all that stuff in the middle?” you ask, bringing her just a little bit closer. With a light yawn, the now sleepy looking mare  “We’ll worry about it tomorrow... Goodnight... And, umm... Love you...” she says sheepishly, her gaze drifting. “I-” Fluttershy’s face scrunches up and she shakes her head. “No... That... That didn’t sound right.” Taking a deep breath, she looks you square in the eyes this time. “I love you.” The words ring through your ears and something about the way she looked makes you smile. “Love ya, too.”