Time: 5:15 PM, Tuesday, Fluttershy's Cottage
Fluttershy had been looking forward to this picnic since it was scheduled. She couldn't wait to hear Copper sing. However, one thing has been plaguing her mind since it was brought up. According to Applejack, Copper had been perfectly cool and collected around everypony else he was introduced to…except her. Why? She thought about this as she left her house and made her way towards Sweet Apple Acres. She took off into the sky towards the apple orchard as she pondered to find an explanation for Copper's unusually shy behavior around her.
Now granted, Fluttershy didn't see Copper get introduced to everypony else, so she had no solid evidence to confirm what Applejack had said. Not that she didn't trust the representation of the element of honesty, but still, Fluttershy had to wonder…what was so different about her? Was it her own shyness? Did he not like something about her? Applejack said she didn't do anything wrong…but still. Fluttershy let her mind wander for a second, trying to come up with some kind of explanation, and she arrived at one conclusion that seemed almost impossible.
Could he maybe…like me? No…no…don't be ridiculous, Fluttershy. I don't think anypony could actually…
Could he though? It seemed like the only logical explanation if Applejack was correct. But still, it seemed quite far-fetched. Fluttershy never thought she would be the type of pony to…attract attention.
She had her doubts about this theory, but the thought of Copper liking her…she didn't dislike it. He seemed very sweet, and the way he acted shy was kind of cute. Fluttershy couldn't help but blush at her own thoughts.
Oh, Fluttershy…you're being ridiculous. You only just met him. Still…
Her thoughts trailed off as she came upon the orchard. She landed just on the border and started trotting up to where she saw Pinkie Pie and Applejack setting up already. Why was she thinking about this so much?
Just try to have fun, Fluttershy. Don't worry about this.
But for some reason…it wouldn't leave her mind.
Time: 6:00 PM, Tuesday, Sweet Apple Acres
Why are you being so nervous? It's just a picnic, right? What are you so worried about? Why do you always have to make a big deal out of EVERYTHING, huh?
Coppermane was excited and nervous at the same time. He didn't expect to be invited to anything today. On such short notice too. Come to think of it, he hasn't really been invited to anything at all. Would he just have to be ready for short notice events like this? As far as having friends goes, Copper was still treading foreign territory, and probably would be for a while.
He followed Applejack to where they were holding the picnic. As nervous as he was, he was looking forward to getting to know some of the girls a little better. Copper was particularly interested in seeing Fluttershy again. Honestly, he probably wouldn't have agreed to come in the first place if Applejack hadn't mentioned Fluttershy. He pondered about what Applejack had said about Fluttershy’s first thoughts on him. Did she really think he was…sweet? Did she really think his shy nature was…cute? Wow…
Settle down, Copper. She probably told Applejack those things just to be nice. It meant nothing…nothing…yeah…
Copper was bullied a lot when he was younger, but his worst bully was ironically his own conscience. He never thought highly of himself. Whenever somepony was being nice to him, he drew the conclusion that it was just a façade, and in reality, they hated him, just like everypony else. If something good happened to him, he just took it as dumb luck. He always berated himself. He never thought he deserved anything more. Maybe it was the influence of everyone around making him bully himself, but he couldn’t help it. Nobody had ever been nice to him, with the exception of the princess. Fluttershy couldn’t possibly like the biggest loser in Equestria.
Applejack wouldn't lie though. Applejack said that Fluttershy was looking forward to seeing him again, so Copper decided that he should keep that shred of hope in his mind and squeeze any doubts out. He figured it would be a bad idea to show up looking troubled.
Applejack and Coppermane came up on a familiar hill, and sitting on the top was Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and…Fluttershy. Copper's heart skipped a beat when he saw Fluttershy. She was so much prettier in the flesh than in his memories. The ponies on the hill saw Applejack and Copper approaching and they waved at them.
"Hey AJ, Copper! Over here!" Rainbow Dash called out, hovering and waving at the two ponies.
"Howdy girls, thank y'all for comin'!" Applejack said, "and look who Ah brought with me!"
"Hey guys," Copper said nervously with a small wave.
"Glad you could join us!" Twilight said.
"It’s great to see you again," Fluttershy said with a smile, making Copper's heart skip another beat. She was happy to see him?
"Thanks for inviting me. Oh, shoot, I didn't bring anything. Sorry…" Copper said, worrying like he always does.
"Oh, don't worry!" Pinkie Pie said in that signature cheery voice, "We took care of it all! Help yourself, there's plenty to go around!"
"Oh cool, hehe." Copper said, blushing slightly. Calm down, just try to have fun okay?
The girls and Copper talked for quite a while as they ate. Rarity explained how she is a fashion designer, and she's recently finished planning a new fashion line, claiming it's her best one yet. Twilight explained how she's been a student of Princess Celestia for years, and how she's been doing advanced studies in Ponyville on the magic of friendship. Now, she’s an alicorn princess! Rainbow Dash went on about her dream to be a Wonderbolt, and how she's the self-proclaimed "most awesome pony in Equestria". Pinkie Pie explained that she works and lives at Sugarcube Corner. She also mentioned that she throws them all the time, and that she still has to throw him a welcome party (to which Copper can only nervously laugh at. Not much of a party pony). And finally Fluttershy said that she loves to take care of her animals, and about how many she has.
Coppermane was having fun, but tried his best to not gawk at Fluttershy the whole time. Although, her big teal eyes were making it difficult. Dear Celestia, was she beautiful.
They had gone on for about forty-five minutes or so, and Applejack still hadn't told Copper that they all wanted him to sing. She hadn't forgotten, she just wanted Copper to feel a little more comfortable around the girls before she dropped the bomb. A little devious? Sure, but this would probably yield the best chance for him to comply. She only hoped this wouldn't completely ruin Copper's time with them. But it was for his own good.
Here goes nothing…
"Hey, Coppermane?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, Applejack?" Copper asked.
"Well, hon, the girls and Ah were wonderin' if y'all would maybe…um…" Applejack began to stutter, but eventually got the words out, "We wanted ta hear y'all sing."
Copper's heart dropped. Suddenly all the girls were looking at him expectantly with smiles on their faces. He could barely speak. "Um…I'm sorry…what?"
"Ah know y'all don't wanna, but we all think it'll be good for you ta get some practice in front of other ponies." Applejack explained.
"Well…um…I-I don't know…" Copper said, his heart racing.
"Aw, c'mon!” Rainbow Dash said. “We won't make fun of you or anything. Applejack said you sounded great!"
"And Applejack never lies." Twilight said.
"If you've been asked to sing at the Summer Sun Celebration, you can't possibly be bad." Rarity said.
"Please, Coppermane?" Fluttershy said. Copper looked over at her. She had a cute, reassuring smile on her face. Did she really want to hear him sing?
Copper stopped to collect his thoughts for a moment. Rarity had a point, if he was asked to sing at the Celebration, by the princess herself no less, then he definitely had to possess some level of talent. Also, he has been having a lot of fun here today. It would be a real jerk-move to disappoint everypony. And Applejack also had a point, he needed the practice. These ponies weren't going to make fun of him if he sucked, in fact, they'd probably try to help him. Also…Fluttershy…with her big, teal, hope-filled eyes…
Darn it. What's the worst that could happen?
"Well…um…okay…" Copper said. All the girls gasped with excitement, "Just gimme a minute to get set up okay?"
"Ooh, are you going to cast your duplication spell?" Twilight eagerly asked.
"Yep." Copper said. With that, Copper's horn began to glow white and he was enveloped in a white aura. His silhouetted figure began to glitch out a bit, until three identical figures formed, enveloped in light. The girls were in awe. They had never seen anything like this before. The aura faded, and stood before the girls was Coppermane, plus three copies.
"Wow…" Twilight said, in complete shock and astonishment.
"That. Is. Awesome." Rainbow Dash said, also in shock.
"How do we tell which Copper is the real Copper?” Pinkie Pie asked zipping around to each of the copies and poking them intriguingly. “There’s four of him now!”
One of the clones answered. "Oh, we don't have cutie marks." Copper1 said.
"And our eyes are gray, while Copper’s are brown." Copper2 said.
"It's a little degrading sometimes. We're grown ponies and we're blank flanks." Copper3 said.
Pinkie Pie zipped back to the picnic blanket and laid next to Fluttershy, smiling with anticipation.
"So what are you going to sing for us, Copper?" Fluttershy asked, looking rather enthusiastic.
"Gee, Fluttershy," Twilight said with a smirk, "You seem excited."
"Oh, I'm just excited to hear him sing." Fluttershy said, blushing slightly.
"Hehe…um…thanks, Fluttershy," Copper said, trying to cover up how much he was blushing. "I'm actually not sure what we should sing. Any ideas guys?" he asked his copies.
His duplicates were silent. Big help guys.
"How 'bout y'all sing what Ah heard ya singin' when we met?" Applejack suggested.
Copper2 spoke up, "You mean Loveland?"
"Um…sure. If that's what y'all were singin'." Applejack said.
"Sounds good to me." Copper1 said.
"Sounds like a plan." said Copper2.
"Okay," Copper breathed shakily, levitating his pitch whistle with his magic, "this is called I'd Love to Live in Loveland." Copper took another shaky breath.
"You'll be great, Copper,” Fluttershy said with a smile, making Copper’s heart soar. Just the encouragement he needed.
"You guys ready?" Copper asked his copies, to which they nodded. "Alright…here goes nothing." Copper blew an Ab with his pitch whistle.
…
{Song: I'd Love to Live in Loveland}
After the first few notes, the girls were all in shock and awe. Rarity looked over at Twilight with her hoof over her heart, letting out an admiring sigh. Twilight nodded at her in agreement. Applejack looked over and saw a big smile on Rainbow Dash's face, and gave her a knowing nudge. Rainbow Dash looked over at Applejack, and gave her a nod, agreeing that he was really good. Pinkie Pie was doing everything in her power to not scream in excitement. Fluttershy was wide-eyed, and just stared at Coppermane in admiration. His voice was beautiful…
…
Coppermane ended the song, and looked down to see all the girls with wide-eyes and big smiles on their faces.
"Did…did you like it?" Coppermane timidly asked.
"Copper…that was amazing!" Fluttershy said with a big smile and gleaming eyes.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said with a smile.
"That was so good that was so good that was so good!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down in excitement.
"Even better than the last time I heard you,” Applejack said with a smirk.
"Copper, that was beautiful!" Twilight said.
"Darling, that was simply divine! You have a beautiful voice," Rarity said, a wide smile on her face.
Coppermane couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "Oh c'mon, you girls are just saying that…" he said, blushing and rubbing his neck.
"Copper, we mean it. That was amazing." Fluttershy said sweetly.
"R-Really?" Copper said.
Fluttershy nodded, and offered a heart-melting smile. Copper managed to look away from Fluttershy's pretty face and looked around. All the girls had big smiles on their faces. Did they really like it? Could it be true? Was Copper actually…good at something?
"Sing something else! Sing something else!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncier than usual (if that was even possible).
All the girls nodded in agreement. Well, how could Coppermane turn them down now?
"Um…guys? What else do we have to sing?"
"Ooh! Let's do Penny Lane and Good Day Sunshine! Something upbeat!" Copper1 suggested.
"I mean, I don't think there's really anything else, let's do it!" Copper said with newly formed confidence. He had never felt so pumped in his life.
Coppermane pulled out his pitch whistle and blew an F, and they began…
…
{Song: Penny Lane/Good Day Sunshine}
As the song began, the girls immediately began to bob their heads to the beat. Copper saw this, and felt exhilarated! Especially when he saw Fluttershy doing it. She was really liking this wasn't she? They all were! Copper had never felt so energized in his life.
…
When the song ended, all of the girls applauded and cheered. They liked it…they really liked it…was this really happening?
"That song is actually part of a ten-minute long medley that I'm still working on."
"Can we hear the rest of it?" Twilight asked, obviously interested.
"Unfortunately, it's still in the works. It's a pretty hard medley. I think I need to draw the line here girls." Copper said.
"Aw…" all the girls went simultaneously.
"Alright guys, it's time to go. See ya round." Copper told his clones. His horn then glowed white again and in an instant, his clones faded.
"You have to show me how to do that!" Twilight asked, absolutely thrilled.
"Well, lemme ask ya one thing, sugarcube," Applejack began to say, walking up to Copper. "Was it really all that bad?" she said with a smirk.
"Well…actually…no," Copper admitted. “It took a little bit to get used to it…but after I got going…I loved it.”
"See? Ah told you it’d be good for ya, right?" Applejack said with a big smirk on her face.
"Yeah…I guess you did,” Copper said.
The group chatted for a little while longer, discussing their plans for the Celebration, and asking Copper about if he likes Ponyville so far, to which he always answered: yes. Eventually at dusk…
"Alright girls, I think it's about that time for me," Twilight said with a big yawn, "You were amazing, Copper. You're going to be great at the Celebration."
"Thanks Twilight, I'll see you later."
"I think it's time for me to go too. I need my beauty sleep." Rarity said. "Copper, dear, your voice is divine!"
"I should get some sleep too." Rainbow Dash said. "Copper…wow…just…wow."
"Yeah, I need to get back to Sugarcube Corner and do some baking for tomorrow!" Pinkie Pie said, "Copper, you were super, duper amazing!"
Copper was so happy right now. "Thanks everypony, thank you so much."
And with that, everypony departed…except for Fluttershy, who lingered for a little bit. Not that Copper minded.
Fluttershy walked up to Copper. "Um…Copper?" she said with a blush, "That was amazing."
Was Copper hearing things? Did Fluttershy really just say that he was amazing? Wow…so much good was happening today, it was unreal.
"Thanks Fluttershy…thanks a lot." Copper said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hoof, blushing a little too.
Fluttershy apparently noticed the blush and giggled a little. Copper noticed something else about her. She had a really cute laugh. Why was everything about this mare so cute?
Copper had completely forgotten that Applejack was still there, and nearly jumped out of his skin when she spoke up.
"Hey, y'all, Ah'm gonna head back home as well. Need ta get some sleep. I'll see ya later." Applejack said. She turned her head to Copper and winked knowingly, making him blush. Then she trotted back to her house, leaving Copper and Fluttershy together…alone.
Copper couldn't pinpoint it, but there was something about this mare that was different from the other five. Maybe it was the fact that she was just so drop-dead gorgeous. Her mane, her coat, her big, twinkling teal eyes. Yeah, she was nice to look at. But it was more than that. Maybe it was because he had finally met someone as shy as he was. Copper thought her shyness was really cute, especially whenever she blushed. She also had the sweetest voice he had ever heard, and such a cute smile. He felt something, but couldn't exactly pinpoint why.
Fluttershy was so happy that Coppermane came out of his shell a bit and sang for her and the girls. And wow…it amazing. She couldn't wait to hear more from him. There was something else about him though, and she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. She thought it was cute when he blushed, being almost as shy as her. She also liked his mane. It shined with such unique red highlight, making it look like…well…copper. That's probably how he got his name. He seemed very gentle and sweet, and Fluttershy thought it was cute how shy he was. In fact, he was almost as timid as she was. There was something about this colt that Fluttershy really liked, but she couldn't pinpoint why exactly.
The two stood in silence for a moment, but Fluttershy finally said something. "Coppermane…c-can I ask you something?"
"S-Sure, anything." Copper said.
"Why were you so nervous to perform? You had nothing to be worried about, I mean, you sounded great."
"Um…well…it's a long story." Copper said with a nervous look.
"Y-you can tell me." Fluttershy said a reassuring smile.
Copper stopped for a second. Should he tell Fluttershy about his past? About being bullied? About…that day? He…he couldn't. He'd scare her off.
"Um…well…I'm…I'm not sure…" Copper said nervously.
"Copper…" Fluttershy said with such a soothing, sweet voice, "I-I won't think any differently of you, I promise. Please?"
Copper looked into her captivating teal eyes. He didn't want to tell her…but…that face. She was giving him such a sweet, concerned look…it made part of Copper feel almost compelled to tell her. She was genuinely concerned wasn't she? Well…
"Well…um…I've had kind of a rough past, and um…I was always…teased for liking this kind of stuff."
"Teased? Why would anyone tease you for liking music?"
"Well, remember, I'm from Canterlot, where everypony is really…uptight."
"That uptight?" Fluttershy had a questionable look on her face, "I mean, I know there are uptight ponies up there, but…"
"Well…let's just say that if you don't like what everypony else generally likes, you're an outcast. And they treat you like such."
Fluttershy had a wide-eyed expression on her face. "You were bullied?" Copper nodded, and Fluttershy gasped. "Who bullied you?"
"Well, mainly when I was in school, all the athletes thought I was a geek for studying magic and music so much," Copper said, looking down, "And in turn, they occasionally…um…held me down and beat me up."
Fluttershy gasped, and Copper thought he saw her eyes getting a little wet. Was she really that concerned? How heart-warming.
"You poor thing!" Fluttershy said. Copper blushed a little at her sympathy.
"So…yeah…that's why I was a little…nervous about performing for you girls. I didn't want it to be like school all over again."
"I understand," Fluttershy said with that heart-melting smile, "But Copper, I promise, I will never make fun of you for liking music. In fact, I like you a lot more now that you've shared this talent with us." This mare was becoming more amazing by the minute. "I know the others won't make fun of you either. You're welcome to be yourself in Ponyville, remember that okay?" she said in such a sweet voice.
"…Thanks…thank you so much…" was all Copper could manage to say. Words could not express how happy he was right now. Fluttershy could only smile.
"Well…I-I guess I should be heading home now. It-It was really nice talking to you, Copper." Fluttershy said.
"Yeah, yeah, um…you too…" Copper said, still trying to process his thoughts. Luckily he could collect them together to form this: "Hey, um…do you wanna hang out sometime?"
Copper stopped for a second. Did you really just ask that? Dude! Think before you speak, especially when around her. Last thing you want to do is scare her awa—
"I-I'd love to," Fluttershy said with a smile.
Wait…did she just say…yes? Okay, scratch that last thought.
"Um…cool…wanna say maybe…tomorrow afternoon?" Copper asked, blushing.
Fluttershy thought he looked so cute when he blushed. "Th-That sounds perfect. I-I guess I'll s-see you tomorrow then, Copper." Fluttershy said, blushing and smiling.
Gosh was she cute when she blushed. "Yep…g-good night."
"G-Good night." Fluttershy said. And with that, she took off into the air, but unbeknownst to Copper, she glanced back a few times, and left with a big smile on her face.
Copper couldn't help but notice how graceful she was when she took off. Copper had to be the happiest colt in Equestria right now. He just had a heart to heart with the pony of his dreams, telling her about his past…but not all the details. He couldn't tell her about…the incident. He'd surely scare her off, and he'd lose her. He didn't want it to be over before it started. He’d never forgive himself.
He pushed those thoughts aside for the time being, remembering that he was spending the day with her tomorrow, and a smile grew on his face. For the time being, Fluttershy was willing to spend time with him, and that made him the happiest colt in Equestria. He couldn't wait for tomorrow!
With a big yawn, Coppermane trotted back to his cottage, feeling happier than he has ever felt in his entire life.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I went on a picnic with my friends. Yes…friends…weird right? I actually did it! And I couldn't be happier to know that there are ponies there for me. I just have to make sure I can be there for them too. But the best part about today, is that they coaxed me to sing in front of them, and to be honest, it was so liberating. They were clapping and cheering for me, and commented afterwards that I was "amazing" and "awesome". It was so exhilarating! I feel slightly better now about the Celebration, and you can bet I'll do my best to honor the greatest teacher in Equestria. Thanks for everything, and I hope you're doing well.
Your Student,
Coppermane