//------------------------------// // Heartbreak Through The Eyes of A Pegasus // Story: Our Little Clementine // by MaxBeezy //------------------------------// I’m in love with Clementine, and I am amazed that I haven’t told her yet. I can’t help that I’m a huge stinking coward when it comes to the subject of love and other things! Every time I’m around her, I get so…so…something…I don’t know what I get. I haven’t told her how I felt because…well…just look at her! Wait…I’m talking to myself. Why am I telling myself to look at her? Great, now I’m crazy. Good work, Slip Wing, you have gone officially nutso. That being said, she’s the daughter of the Element of Honesty, and the Human of Equestria, of course I have every right to be scared! A combination of a pony and a human; one incredibly beautiful and strong, and the other…also strong. I don’t know about the looks part; mares around town consider him to be handsome, but I don’t look at him that way. Mostly because of the fact he scares the pants off of me at times. I mean, I don’t actually wear pants, but if I did…I wouldn’t. Because they’d be scared off. Hehe…badum-tish…ugh. It doesn’t help that her Dad is very chair happy when it comes to threats, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of a four-legged wooden piece of furniture! That would hurt like crap! Ask Discord! I saw it happen! Clementine smacked him over the head for having a spider on the back of his neck! Thinking back on that…I wouldn’t want to get hit by Clem, either. Applejack’s looks have definitely been transferred over to Clementine…maybe even more so. How no pony has asked her out, or that she hasn’t acquired a coltfriend already on account of my slow rump is a mystery to me. Who wouldn’t want to date her? She’s funny, she’s sweet, she’s beautiful, and…that accent. Sweet Celestia, that accent. It’s like eating warm apple pie… WHAT?! My brain! It just went super dirty! OH WOW! I meant apple pie in ACTUAL APPLE PIE, NOT…oh pony. I have it bad. I don’t know how I’ve managed to keep it together for all these years, but it’s getting worse by the day. I blame puberty. Screw you puberty. I hate you. I don’t care that my voice has gotten deeper, and that my wingspan has gotten rather impressive, you’re making me feel romantic feelings, and it’s getting more and more suggestive by the second. One minute, I’m thinking about cuddling with her, the next…ugh. If anypony was listening to my inner thoughts, they would be forgiven for thinking I’m up to no good. I’m not, mind reader! I’m as chivalrous as they come! I mean, just last week, when I visited Clementine while she was applebucking with her family, I only looked at her rump twice instead of the standard three! Hmmm…that…doesn’t sound much better. I’m going to have to work on that. Thank goodness her parents didn’t catch me. I don’t think I’d be even alive to have this internal monologue right now. “Hey, Slip. Ya alright?” a familiar and lovely voice calls out to me. I get out of my thoughts and notice the wondrous face of Clementine staring right at me, with a hayburger just inches away from entering her mouth. Oh no, I just zoned out while I was with Clementine, didn’t I? Oh pony, I have to find some way to play it off. I have to say something super cool…but I also have to make sure it sounds like something I’d say. “Yeah. I’m good.” Nailed it. “Ya sure? Ya’ll was staring out into space fer the last five minutes.” “I was? I didn’t notice.” “Lie to her…” my brain begins to talk to me. “Lie to her, dammit!” “I was busy thinking about the camping trip we’re doing next week.” Good, that works fine. “Oh, right. Ah almost forgot about that. Ah dunno why, ah think it’s marked on the calendar at home.” she chuckles. Such a cute chuckle. It’s even better when she giggles. It makes my ears and hear flutter so bad, I think I could fly with them. “What kind of tent ya gettin’?” “Just the normal kind. There weren’t many single pony tents, so I got a double. Extra space for me. I get pretty restless in my sleep, anyway.” “Ah hear that. Got myself a nice red two pony tent. Gets me enough room to stretch mah legs, and play some games I’m bringin’, too. Can ya believe how strict Mrs. Cheerilee is bein’ wit us?” “What do you mean? I haven’t noticed anything completely off.” “Ah mean, there are obviously some students comin’ wit us that are…ya know…together. And Mrs. Cheerilee is forbiddin’ them from stayin’ in the same tent.” “It makes sense.” I nod. “The whole point of the trip to Neighagra Falls is to see the sights. Not…doing stuff in tents. I’m sure it’s a bummer for them, though. Still, they’ll be fine. In a couple weeks is prom, and they can make all the silly mistakes they want then.” Ah, right…prom. We’re graduating soon, and Prom is the last thing to go through before that walk to accept our diplomas. Clementine may be almost a year younger than me, but she’s walking the same day I am. Mares and Colts alike have already asked their dates to Prom, but nopony has asked Clem, which is a crime against ponykind. I shouldn’t be too offended by this, as that means no competition for me, but come on. Clementine is prettier than any of the other mares in school. She doesn’t know it, though. This is definitely my time to shine. My time to tell her how I feel and to ask her to prom. Just…not right now. “Has anypony asked ya ta prom, yet?” she asks. “No. What about you?” “Celestia, no. Ah wasn’t really plannin’ on goin’ anyway.” “Really?” My heart drops a tad at her utterance. “You bought your ticket already.” “Ah did, but nopony has asked me yet. Kinda think it was a waste of bits. Are ya goin’?” “Uhh…yeah. I bought my ticket with you.” “Well…” she trails off. Clementine goes silent for a few moments. I can only look and wonder what she is thinking about. Suddenly, with a headshake and a mumble, she speaks. “Nevermind. Let’s eat. Our burgers are gettin’ cold.” After we eat, we say our goodbyes and go our separate ways home. On my way back, I cannot help but think back on that pause. What in Equestria was she thinking about? I have a ticket, but no date…she has a ticket, but no date. Sweet Celestia, was she considering asking me to Prom? That would have been great! Fantastic even! Then again, it would have also been pretty anti-climactic, considering I had this whole inner monologue about wanting to ask her to prom, only for her to ask me instead. There’s also the case that she was probably going to ask me as a friend. I don’t want to go as friends. I want to go as…a couple. Don’t get me wrong, going as friends is fine and dandy, but with Clementine…I feel that she deserves more than that. More than a date with a friend. More than… “Hey, Slip.” Another familiar voice breaks me from my thoughts. It’s my Dad. Everypony knows him as Quill Pen, but he’s just Dad to me. He moved here from Manehattan to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but instead, he met the mare who would become my mother, Ditzy Doo, the muffin loving mailmare of Ponyville. The story of their courtship was a surprisingly popular tale, and was the talk of the town for a long while, right up until the Human in Equestria helped Applejack and the others save the world from certain doom. Dad stares at me with that one eye of his, with the other residing in the socket of my Mom, who was born with a deformed eye, giving her a derped look. It was really sweet of him to do that. Plus, my Dad now eternally looks like a badass, even though he’s just a journalist, and not some kind of evil punching soldier from my graphic novels. “Hey Dad, what’s up?” “Were you standing outside our house this whole time?” “Define this whole time.” “Like for the last ten minutes. I heard you at the doorstep, but you never opened the actual door.” “I’ve been doing that a lot today, haven’t I?” “I wouldn’t know. I’ve been writing a bunch of reviews for films I’ve seen. Have you been doing that a lot today?” “I stared off into space while I was out with Clementine.” I admit, as I step into the warm and cozy house. “Have you told her that you love her yet?” “Dad!” I gasp in shock. “Not so loud, please?” “What? We’re home, and Clementine isn’t around.” “But…Mom…she gets so mushy about that stuff!” “She’s not home yet. She’s out getting dinner. So, have you told her the big news?” “No…not yet. I want to, but…I…” “Worried about getting rejected?” “A little bit.” I sigh. “I mean, what if she doesn’t feel the same way about me? What if after all this time…I was in love with somepony who doesn’t love me back? Has that ever happened to you?” “Well, high school was a bit rough for me. I was a bit of a geek who liked fantasy more than reality. Mares were a bit picky back then; they preferred the athletes more than members of the Oubliettes & Ogres players club. Yeah, there were some geeks that got dates, but…I was a bit of a hopeless case.” “Okay, so…what about with Mom?” “Well, it’s not like we got together overnight. I didn’t ask her out, and that was the end of the story. Why won’t you read what I wrote about it?” “Because it might have gross stuff in it.” “Why in Equestria would I write about the time your mother and I got intimate?” “You seem like the kind of pony that would.” “Gee, thanks for that, son. Well, there was that time where I wrote about us, drying each other off from rain water…” his mind starts to trail off, “…looking at each other as we were doing it.” “I don’t want to hear one more syllable from you, Dad!” I am grossed out. I don’t want to hear about his love times with Mom. It’s sick. It’s probably romantic in their eyes, but to me, it’s weird. Stop it. “Look, you love Clementine, right?” “Of course I do, Dad. I’ve been in love with her since…since…since we were young.” “You are young.” “YounGER! She’s only gotten better with age. I can’t stop thinking about it.” “Sweet Celestia, you have it bad.” “That’s what I’ve been saying! How do I tell her that without sounding like a complete creep?” “That’s a tough question to ask. Mares are a finicky bunch. Some like the forward approach; even get a little hot under the collar about it, while others…well…like you said, would make them think you’re a creep. Clementine seems pretty open minded, so…maybe the forward approach isn’t such a bad thing.” “Okay, but what if she doesn’t like the forward approach?” “I don’t know. If you’re so worried, then try…um…a moonlight candle dinner? A heartfelt letter? Be poetic about it?” “But…” “No buts, Slip. You have to pick one or the other. Forward or subtle, those are your options.” Dad puts his forehoof on my head, giving my mane a little brush. “I know you’re nervous, Slip. Believe me, I was nervous too when I decided to tell your mother how I felt. And I won’t lie, it got a little dicey, but when she said those three magical words…” “Let’s do it?” “No, I love you. Wow, you think the worst of my story, don’t you? Anyway, when she said ‘I love you,’ it was the happiest moment of my life.” “Even more than when I was born?” “Sweet Celestia, son, do you really want me to make a top ten list? We can’t all be like Matt and rank the best times he…erm…” “What, Dad?” I’m really confused about where he’s going with this. Mr. Apple and Dad have hung out quite a few times. I wonder what they talk about when they aren’t in the vicinity of Mom and Mrs. Apple. “Nothing…absolutely nothing, son. Just…stallion to stallion stuff.” “Mr. Apple is a Man.” “It’s pretty much the same thing, must you question everything I say?” “I don’t try to.” “I know. Guess I’m a little on edge. You’re growing up, and I’m kind of not prepared for it. I haven’t been this nervous since your mother and I told you about the birds and the bees.” Just then, Mom walks through the door with bags of food in her mouth. She has brought home quesedillas from our favorite Mexicolt restaurant El Burro. I don’t have the heart to tell them that I ate not too long ago. Besides, the scent of cheese, grilled vegetables, and the hot tortilla has made me hungry again. “Hechhloooooo!” Mom says with the bag still in her mouth. She goes to the kitchen, and places the bags down, letting her talk normally. “How are my favorite stallions doing?” “Great, honey.” Dad gives her a soft kiss on the cheek; completely devoid of the nervousness he was feeling when he was talking to me. “It seems like our son is planning on asking young Clementine to prom.”
 “W-what?” I stammer just a tad, “I-I…w-we didn’t even talk about prom!” Okay, maybe more than a tad. “We’re getting to the end of your school quarter, and after the big field trip, you only have a few weeks left before graduation. Prom is definitely around the corner, and that’s the perfect place to tell Clementine that you love her.” “Awwwww!” Mom blushes, getting close to me and rubbing her forehooves on my cheeks. “My little pony is getting so grown up!” She lets go with a giggle, and my cheeks now feel bruised and red. “It’s about time, too. I cannot wait to see how she reacts. I bet it’s going to be so cute.” Oh great, now she’s fantasizing. “You will get down on your knees and proclaim your love for her, and she will swoon and dive into your forelegs and give you the sweetest of kisses! It’s going to be romantic!” “I…um…hope so too, Mom.” To be fair, that does sound kind of awesome. Okay, that’s it. They’ve convinced me. Tomorrow, I’m going to tell her. I’m going to tell her everything. When school is out, I’m going to take her aside, and lay bare all of my feelings for her. I’m going to tell her that she’s beautiful. That she is strong. That she is kind and funny. That every day I spent with her has been wonderful. I’m going to do it. I can do this. I can’t do this. I can barely get to the station to Canterlot without shaking in my hooves. I look like a friggin wacky waving inflatable hoof flailing tube pony I’m so nervous. I thought I could do it. I thought I was ready. But my body and my mind are telling me to not go through with it. It’s not helping that Clementine is standing there at the station, waiting for me in that perfect pose that is a deadly combo of adorable schoolfilly, and a confident mare. Her short cut mane lightly blows in the wind, and she shuts her eyes to take in the fresh air. The bookbag around her waist shuffles and grooves lightly with each twitch of her center muscles, showing that it’s snug tightly around that firm and athletic body…oh wow am I staring for much too long. “Mornin’, Slip!” Clementine says with a welcoming smile. She hasn’t noticed my staring. Good. “Oh, uh, h-hey, Clem. Good morning to you , too.” “Ya okay?” Clementine tilts her head in confusion. So cute. “Ya seem off. Ya seemed off yesterday, too. You comin’ down with somethin’?” She starts to get close to me with a forehoof stretched out, aiming directly for my forehead. “Ah can check yer temperature…” “N-no!” I step back. I wave it away with a small laugh. “I’m good. Just thought I woke up a bit late. Didn’t want to miss the train with you.” “Awww, that’s sweet of ya, Slip. Didn’t know ya liked ta take the train wit me so much.” She playfully punches me in the shoulder. “Guess it woulda been a might borin’ without ya.” You and me both, Clem. You and me both. We get to school at the usual time. Just half past eight, and waiting for us are our friends. Skye, the preppy and popular cheerleader, and Terra, who has gotten into the realm of geekdom during her teenage years. Two sisters who can’t be more different, but there’s none of that cliché behavior where they hate each other for their differences. Terra much like Clem and I, and gets excited about science fiction and comic book movies. We’ve also played many sessions of Oubliettes & Ogres, and we spent the night watching that awful movie they made for it, laughing and jeering all the way through it. Surprisingly, both Skye and Terra have gotten attention from the colts of the school. Terra is dating Dice Roll, who is the frequent oubliette leader in our play sessions. He’s super cool and pretty much the biggest genius at school and in comic conventions, often schooling us on the probability of superhero mash ups, and showing us the best foreign cartoons. As for Skye, while she doesn’t have a coltfriend, the one that has had his eyes on her for a while is Fast Lane. He’s the star quarterback of Canterlot High, and much like his namesake, is the fastest colt on the team. Anypony who catches him on the hoofball field only does it out of pure luck, rather than skill. Fast Lane also doesn’t fall into the stereotypical jock behavior. He’s as nice and as cool as they come. He’s also pretty smart, too, but I guess one has to be if they want to keep on playing sports in school and get a scholarship. “Right on time, as always.” Terra says with a smile. I can’t help but look back on when Clementine told me that she used to be a bit of a bully. Then again, that was spurred on by her mother, rather than herself. Like I said though, she’s fun to be around, now. Only Celestia know what would have happened if I was living in Ponyville then, and went to school with Clem. Our day at the school goes as it normally does. We have history first, a great decision made by the school board, I must say. History after we are just waking up? Fantastic. Then comes math, my least favorite subject. My parents weren’t fond of math either from their time at school, but they have helped me to the best of their abilities, and I have managed to pass the previous quarters by the skin of my teeth. Gym is super easy for me; my wings are stronger than ever, and I can even run for quite a few laps around the track before I start getting tired, Clementine, though, wowzers. She can run better than most of the hoofball players, and can lift almost as much as the strongest stallions on the weight machines. It only makes sense, since she managed to buck a falling tree when she was younger. That’s where that cutie mark comes from. She’s as powerful as a tree, and just as beautiful. I mean, that’s my interpretation of her cutie mark, I could be wrong. Or…off the mark, as some would say. I’m bad at puns. After lunch, the last couple of periods fly by so fast for me, that even now, as I am exiting the classroom, I cannot remember what transpired. Oh well, it’s only science and creative writing. What’s important now is that I finally have the courage to tell Clementine how I feel. All that exercise and being around her has given me the confidence I needed. Trouble is, I can’t find her. Huh, usually she’s waiting for me outside the front of the school. We would take the train and go home together. That’s where I was going to tell her. Maybe her class has been extended. Seems logical, the dance teacher often keeps her students after class for either exiting exercises, or berating them for not dancing properly. I’ve never seen Clementine dance, though. I can only imagine that she’s perfect at it. I get closer to the dance studio of the school, when I hear laughing. It sounds like Clementine. She’s just around the corner. What and who is making her laugh? I go around the corner to see Clementine, all smiles and the picture of joy… …with…Fast Lane? “Oh, I’m so happy!” Clementine exclaims, her forelegs wrap around Fast Lane tightly, and he laughs along with her. They are in that position for a few moments longer than I anticipated. Wait a second. Did…did Fast Lane just ask Clementine to prom? I have to get away before they see me. I do so and run quickly down the hall so that they don’t spot me if they make their way in my direction. But…but Fast Lane likes Skye. He told me so. We were hanging at the Hayburger a couple weeks ago, when he told me that he had a crush on Skye, and wanted to ask her to prom. Was that all a lie? Was he just telling me that in an effort to keep me off Clementine’s guard? How could he do that? He knew I liked Clementine. Everypony knew I liked Clementine! The only pony who didn’t know I liked Clementine…was Clementine! How…how could this have happened? How could I have been so stupid as to believe what he said? I thought we were friends. And Clementine…I had no idea that she would be so enthusiastic as to go with him. She hid her feelings so well. What…what’s this feeling? I feel…ugh…I have to get out of here. I run as fast as I can and make it to the earliest train out of Canterlot. It’s weird not having Clementine next to me. We would always chat and joke around on the way back home. It feels lonely now. I can’t be mad at her. Why would I be? I’m the one that took too long to tell her. I’m the one who caused this. Clementine remained unknowing, and I paid the price for it. She has a date now, and I’m happy for her. But…but now I have nopony. I have to regain my clear head. I can’t let this get to me. I’m going to have to stallion up, and accept that I lost my chance. This upcoming camping trip is going to be awkward. Wait a second…am I crying?