Fluttershy smiles brightly at her Draconequus friend sitting on the picnic blanket next to her, they are drinking from their tea cups and enjoying their cucumber sandwiches. She gazes up at the clear blue sky and just takes a second to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin.
"What a beautiful day." Fluttershy says sighing blissfully.
"It is." Discord nods, he turns his attention to Fluttershy. "But not nearly as beautiful as you."
"Oh..." Fluttershy blushes a deep shade of red and gazes at the ground. "T-thank you Discord."
"Your quite welcome my dear." Discord smiles brightly at his Pegasus friend. Fluttershy matches his gaze and smiles sweetly.
"Do you really think I'm pretty?" Fluttershy asks, she nervously rubs her forehooves together, Discord chuckles and reaches across the blanket and grabs her hooves with his hands, his smile is small and tender.
"Fluttershy I have been alive for thousands of years, I have seen and created some amazing things in my time. But out of all the places, ponies, and things I've seen, you my dear are by far the..." Fluttershy raises an eyebrow as the world seems to shimmer red for a second, but she doesn't focus on that as Discord continues after the strange pause. "Second most beautiful pony I've ever seen."
"Huh?" Fluttershy's eyes widen at this comment. Fluttershy didn't think too highly of herself most of the time and she certainly didn't think she was the most beautiful pony in the world, but for some reason hearing Discord say she wasn't made her heart sink. She suddenly becomes very curious. "W-who's the first?"
"Oh Fluttershy." Discord flashes her a sweet toothy smile. "Moonlight is of course."
"...oh..." Fluttershy's heart sinks even lower, she drops her hooves from Discord's grip and places them on her chest. She suddenly finds herself breathing a bit heavier, but what really surprises Fluttershy about her reaction to Discord's answer is that she is getting angry. Very angry. Fluttershy is snapped out of her thoughts by Discord getting closer to her and cupping her chin in his paw, she looks up into his tender gaze, the anger seeps out of her body as she gazes into his pools of gold.
"Fluttershy. Moonlight may be beautiful but theres only one pony I have ever wanted to ask the following question." Fluttershy's heart starts beating faster, she holds her breathe in as she waits anxiously for the question, she isn't quite sure why.
"Fluttershy will you be my special some-" The world seems to shimmer red again, Discord's tender gaze seems to lose it's sincerity. "Mare who holds the rings at my wedding?"
"What!?" Fluttershy shouts, she jolts up out of Discord's paw. Fluttershy immediately clamps her hooves over her mouth and her eyes open as wide as they can, her heart feels like it had just been ripped out, she can feel her eyes begin to tear up. She stares at the Draconequus sitting in front of her, she can feel the tears begin streaming down her face as he just stares at her obliviously, as if he doesn't notice her reaction. Fluttershy opens her mouth to speak, but the world sparkles once more, except this time the red shimmering doesn't go away.
Fluttershy sudden finds herself standing at an alter, she looks to her right as sees the other five elements of harmony all smiling and wearing matching red dresses, she looks down at herself, she wears the same dress as her friends but what surprises Fluttershy is that she's holding two rings in her right hoof.
"Fluttershy?" Fluttershy turns her head to the left and meets Discord's gaze. Her eyes widen, Discord is wearing a white tuxedo, but shes not paying attention to how handsome he looks in it, at least not much. Instead Fluttershy is staring at Moonlight who stands to the other side of Discord right next to Princess Celestia, Moonlight is wearing a long black silk wedding dress and thin black veil over her face, Fluttershy takes one moment out of her state of shock and heart break to notice that no pony is standing on Moonlight's side of the alter. "Uh Fluttershy?"
"Huh? Y-yes?" Fluttershy returns her gaze to Discord, he smiles at her.
"The rings please?" Fluttershy doesn't speak as she slowly nods and lifts her hoof toward Discord, he smiles and takes the rings from her and faces back toward Celestia and Moonlight. Fluttershy can feel her eyes welling up again, she puts her hooves on the sides of her head and shakes herself. Your friend is getting married be happy! She looks up at Discord and Moonlight at the alter through her blurry eyes, she can't focus on what their saying, she closes her eyes and shakes herself once more. Why do I feel this way when I see those to together!? Why does seeing Discord marrying her hurt me so much!? She opens her eyes and stares back at the alter, she watches as Discord moves Moonlight's veil out of her face. Her heart sinks as she watches Discord lean forward toward Moonlight's lips. Just before their lips touch Fluttershy suddenly leaps towards them and screams.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"STOP!" Fluttershy suddenly feels her blankets get flung from her body as she plummets out of bed, she lands on the floor with a loud thunk.
"Ooowww." Fluttershy groans as she rubs the top of her head as she stands up from the floor, she looks around at her pitch black room, she turns herself toward the window and opens the curtains letting the light from the moon pour in and illuminate her room. She sighs blissfully and puts a hoof to her chest. She has never been so happy that something was just a bad dream, her eyes suddenly pop open. That was a dream? She gazes down at the hoof that had been holding the rings. Everything had felt so real she can remember the feel of the dress on her body, the weight of the rings in her hoof, the tears on her face.
Fluttershy is suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as she hears a knock on her front door. Her face immediately brightens at the thought of who it could be, after all she only knows one pony who always shows up when she needs some cheering up. She rushes to the door, not even thinking it odd that Discord would knock on the door instead of just teleporting into her room. She has a wide grin on her face as she throws the front door open... her smile drops upon seeing the glowing pony on the other side of the door.
"Hello Fluttershy." Moonlight smiles, she tilts her head to the side and puts a hoof to her mouth as a quizzical expression crosses her face. "Is this a bad time?"
Fluttershy blinks at Moonlight, she turns her head and looks at her wall clock. She turns back to Moonlight and answers her. "It's midnight."
"Oh right!" Moonlight smacks her forehead with her hoof. "Equestrian's like to be asleep at this time."
"Equestrian's?" Fluttershy asks, but she shakes away her confusion, as she remembers that Discord told her that Moonlight had just moved to Equestria recently.
"Anyway Fluttershy I just wanted to come and apologize." Fluttershy raises an eyebrow at the pony in front of her. "I didn't know you were the element of kindness when I said those things this morning."
"Oh..." Fluttershy blinks at the pony in surprise. "I-It's okay."
"I just want you to know that I never would have said those things to you if I had known." Fluttershy doesn't know why but she doesn't like the way Moonlight emphasized that she wouldn't have said those things to her. Fluttershy begins to wonder if this mare is actually apologizing. Fluttershy mentally chastises herself for thinking something like that, she needs to be kind and believe in all ponies.
"Thank you Moonlight that's very nice of you." Fluttershy smiles at the pony in front of her. Fluttershy takes a good look at the pony in front of her, seeing her at night really shows how bizarre her appearance is, her skin really does glow like the moon, she shines even brighten in the dark, and her black starry mane, seems to blend perfectly with the night sky, Fluttershy can't tell where her hair ends and the night sky begins. It kinda makes her look bald. Fluttershy smiles, but immediately gasps and clamps her hooves over her mouth for thinking something so mean.
"Yes I thought it might be." Moonlight nods while smiling, Fluttershy returns her smile. The two mares stare awkwardly at each other for few minutes, after awhile Fluttershy decides to break the silence.
"So uh..." Fluttershy taps her hooves together. "Where did you live before-?" Moonlight puts a hoof into the air to silence her.
"Don't." Fluttershy stares at the cold expression on Moonlight's face. "I didn't come here to make friend's with you."
"Oh." Fluttershy blinks at the pony in front of her. "Well I just thought, sense we're both friends with Discord-"
"I only want to be friends with Discord." Moonlight interrupts coldly, Fluttershy stares at Moonlight unable to respond. Fluttershy only becomes more confused as Moonlight suddenly smiles sweetly at her. "Of course that's just for right now, I've never had any friends before but after Discord and I get closer I might try to make more."
"Oh you've never had any friends before? Just like-" Fluttershy is interrupted once more.
"Yep just like Discord." Moonlight sighs blissfully. "Just another thing me and him have in common."
"Right." Fluttershy says her face turned toward the floor and her heart sinking slightly. Moonlight glances at Fluttershy and smirks.
"Of course out of respect for Discord." Moonlight looks bored as she stares at her hoof like shes inspecting a hooficure. "I'll answer one of your questions and I'll even say something a normal friend would say."
"Um..." Fluttershy tilts her head unsure of how to respond to such an odd statement. "O-okay."
"Alright you may ask your question." Moonlight gestures her hoof toward Fluttershy indicating her to speak.
"Well..." Fluttershy puts a hoof to her chin and takes a minute to think about what she doesn't know about Moonlight. A question pops into Fluttershy's mind and she can't stop herself from asking it. "How do you feel about Discord?"
Moonlight flinches taken back by the question, but she smirks as if she had been excepting it. She puts her hoof back down on the ground and turns her full attention to Fluttershy. Fluttershy taps her fore hooves together anxiously.
"I love him." Fluttershy's face turns beat red, and both her heart and her jaw drop to the floor.
"W-what?" Fluttershy stammers out, Moonlight's smirk turns smug.
"I've loved him since the first time I saw him." Moonlight answers coldly.
"You mean a few days ago?" Fluttershy curses herself for not being able to control her mouth.
"Sure." Moonlight narrows her eyes, that combined with her smirk makes her look very sinister. "Let's go with that."
"What do you mean by-" Fluttershy begins.
"Well I gotta go." Moonlight abruptly turns and begins walking away, Fluttershy opens her mouth to speak, but she can't before Moonlight suddenly turns around. "Oh right the friendly thing I was suppose to say."
"Oh Moonlight that's okay, you don't have to." Fluttershy says waving her hoof.
"No Fluttershy I want to." Moonlight smiles sweetly, but it makes Fluttershy uncomfortable.
"O-okay then." Fluttershy stammers. Moonlight tilts her head and her smile gets bigger.
"I wish all your dreams come true." Fluttershy's eyes pop open as wide as they can, her mouth drops open. She just stares at Moonlight, whose sweet smile as been joined by a sinister look in her eyes. Fluttershy's door is enveloped in a familiar red shimmering light, just before Fluttershy's view of Moonlight is completely gone, she swears that Moonlight's sweet smile had turned sinister.
Fluttershy continues staring at the door for a few minutes, she let's her mind wander. She thinks of the dream she had just before Moonlight showed up, and about Moonlight's answer to her question. At that moment Fluttershy had the answer to her own question, the one that had been in the back of her mind sense the wedding she had dreamed about. Tears enter her eyes, and she slaps herself in the face for taking so long to figure out why seeing Discord with Moonlight hurt so much. She hangs her had solemnly as she makes her way back to her room. Once back in her bed she pulls the covers up over her face, she closes her eyes and let's some tears out.
"I want it to be me... not her."