Under the Harvest Moon

by Rangelost

Saturday, 19th of Harvest Moon

Dear diary,

I was wondering, what does it mean to be a good friend? Oh, I know you can't answer that, but it's okay. I just wanted to share a thought with you.

You see, ever since the girls and I found out about the Elements of Harmony, I've learned a lot of things about friendship. From what I understand, being kind isn't enough to be a good friend. That's because there are four other elements to it: laughter, generosity, honesty and loyalty.

Without all five, the sixth element – magic – won't awaken. Does this mean somepony who is generous but dishonest won't make a good friend? What about somepony who is kind but dull? Oh, I hope my friends don't think I'm boring. I'm not very good at entertaining other ponies.

But anyway, like I was saying, each element is very important. Now, just because a pony isn't honest all the time, or just because they act a little rude once in a while doesn't mean they can't be a good friend, right? After all, the elements don't always agree with one another.

When a friend who obviously can't cook invites you for dinner and asks you if you like it, you have to choose between being honest, or being kind. If you choose honesty and tell them the truth, you might motivate them to get better at cooking, but you risk hurting their feelings. If you choose kindness and pretend you like it, you will spare their feelings, but their cooking might not improve.

Either way, I like to think we have to find a balance between the elements. You can't always lie to your friends or they won't trust you, and you can't always be blunt or they won't feel comfortable around you. It isn't always easy, but the choices we make and the chances we take in all sorts of different situations is what defines us and makes each of us unique.

---

Mr. Martinson has been doing well. He should be able to fly south for the winter without injuring his wing again. Harry had a new delicious recipe he wanted to teach me this evening. The sun was already setting on my way back home.

I was going to make some tea when I heard a knock on the door. I flew over and cracked it open to peek outside. I like to be careful when I get visitors at this hour. After all, you never know – it could be a timberwolf, or a dragon, or a salespony!

“Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash greeted me from the other side. With relief, I unlocked the chains and opened the door to welcome her in.

“Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash. Please come in.” I closed the door behind her, but I didn't lock it back. I didn't want her feeling trapped, even though she rarely uses the door when she leaves. “Would you like some tea?”

“Uh, yeah,” she answered, seeming a bit distracted. “Thanks,” she added after a short pause. It wasn't like her to not look at me in the eye when we talked, so I figured she needed to relax a bit. She usually avoids looking at ponies when she feels uneasy.

I nodded. “Please make yourself comfortable, I won't be a minute.” With that, I walked back to the kitchen. I added some sugar to Rainbow Dash's iced tea – that's how she likes it best – then grabbed the plate and brought it back to the living room. When I arrived, Rainbow Dash was sitting on the couch, fiddling with her hooves.

After setting the plate on the table and pouring us a drink each, I sat next to her and gave her a little smile, hoping it would cheer her up. “Is everything alright?”

“Uh huh,” she replied absentmindedly as she grabbed her drink. She brought it to her muzzle and threw her head back slightly. After gulping half of it down, she lowered her cup and began staring into it thoughtfully.

I knew giving her my undivided attention always made her feel better, so I turned to her and silently waited for her to talk. She glanced at me sideways a couple of times, then sighed in defeat.

“I...” she began, then paused. She put her drink back on the plate. “I have this weird feeling when I...” She paused again, running a hoof through her mane nervously. “Fluttershy, have you, uh...” I could have sworn she blushed a little before her hoof met her face. “Ugh!”

She was never very good with words, but that's okay. It's what ponies truly mean to say that matters. I scooted closer to her and put a forehoof on her shoulder to calm her down. “Take your time, Rainbow.”

Her eyes darted across the floor, as if looking at invisible butterflies. When she finally spoke again, her voice was much softer.

“Have you ever had a crush on somepony?”

My mind reeled at the question for a bit. I certainly wasn't expecting that, especially not from Rainbow Dash. When addressing an embarrassing topic, she generally asks what others think about it first so she can evaluate her own opinion. But did that mean she had a crush on somepony? Oh, Rainbow Dash, you really are growing up after all...

“Oh, um...”

Before I could answer, she nervously started again, a bit louder this time. “I mean, it's not really a crush! It's more like... like...” She was intensely staring at her own hooves, making some kind of hoofbump gesture, but I couldn't understand what she meant by it. Although, I could feel she was getting frustrated. She finally deflated again. “It's... It's sappy.”

“It's okay,” I reassured her. Letting it out would make her feel better, I was sure. Besides, I didn't mind sappy. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Rainbow nodded, but kept her eyes on the floor. “I just want to...” Her voice was barely over a whisper now. “I want her to hug me. And nuzzle me, and...” She slowly hugged herself as she talked. “Yeah...” Rainbow Dash remained silent for a while after that.

I smiled. She looked really cute, so absorbed into her dreams. But I figured there had to be more. “Um... is that all? I mean, we already hug and nuzzle as friends.”

Maybe it was something I said, but her cheeks gained an exceptional shade of pink. “N–no! I mean, yeah, we do, but— it's not the same thing!”

I didn't follow. “But how?”

She lifted a hoof to her muzzle and thought about it for a second. “When we hug, we... like, both hug. Right? But I just want her to... hug me,” she explained. Or at least, I think that was an explanation.

I had to admit, I was a bit confused. “You... don't want to hug her back?”

“O–of course I want to hug her back! I just... ugh, forget it.”

Why wouldn't she want to hug somepony back if she likes them?, I thought to myself. That's when I realized just how nervous Dashie was. She wanted to be hugged... “Oh! Did you mean like a spoon hug? And you would like to be the little spoon?”

At first, the dumbfounded look on her face indicated that I was wrong. “Whuh?” But the more she thought about it, the redder she became. “Oh! Uh... y–yeah. Yeah, just like that. I want to be the... ugh, that sounds so lame.” She tried to hide her muzzle in her hooves.

I couldn't suppress a giggle. I had always pictured Rainbow Dash wanting to wear the saddle in a relationship – she was a born leader, after all –, but to be honest, I had always had my doubts. With the kind of friends she made during flight camps, I'm not sure she would have been able to anyway. Most of them didn't have a very good influence on her. Or at least, that's how I felt about them.

It made me curious, though. She had changed a lot since then, especially with what happened with Gilda not too long ago. But then, which one of her new friends could possibly make her this nervous?

“Who is it?” I blurted out before realizing what I had said. “Um, if you don't mind me asking, that is...” I quickly added so that she didn't feel pressured into telling me. In truth, I really didn't need to know. She already had had enough trouble admitting having a crush on somepony, interrogating her was rude of me.

She hesitated regardless, I could tell. After a while, she glanced at me. “You promise not to tell anypony?”

I nodded. That was the least I could do. “I promise.”

Her voice was shaking a little. “It's uh...” She looked around carefully, probably making sure none of my animals were paying attention, then leaned in close and whispered, “It's Applejack.”

I hadn't realized how tense I was until hearing that name. I felt so relieved. “That's wonderful!” I exclaimed. Applejack was a good pony, and I knew she would take good care of Rainbow Dash. After all, she was the first close friend we made after moving to Ponyville a few years ago.

But Rainbow disagreed. “No, it's not wonderful!”

I must say, I was taken aback. “It's not...?”

That was all I could ask before she took off and began gesturing around wildly with her hooves. “What am I supposed to tell her? I suck at mushy stuff! I'm totally gonna mess up and our friendship will be ruined and it's all gonna be my fault!” she finished, holding her head in her hooves desperately.

“Um...” So that's what she needed help for. It made sense when I thought about it; she had so much trouble telling me how she felt, it's no wonder she was afraid of embarrassing herself in front of Applejack. However, I was good friends with Applejack too, so I knew better. “Maybe you don't have to tell her.”

Rainbow wasn't buying it. “What do you mean, I don't have to tell her? I can't just keep feeling like this, I can't even sleep at night!”

I didn't think she understood, so I repeated, “No, I mean, you don't have to tell her. Instead, maybe you can show her?”

Suddenly, she calmed down. “Hey... hey, yeah!” She landed back on the couch, looking rather perplexed this time. “But... how?”

I smiled and put a foreleg around her shoulders. “Well, you could start with spending some more time with her.” I knew that meant we would spend less time together, but if it made her happy, then it made me happy, too.

“But we already see each other every week with the other girls,” she argued.

I figured she was rather confused, so I gave her a hint. “Yes, but that's the point. You should spend more time alone with her.”

“Ohhh...” she slowly responded. “But wait, I can't be alone with her. She's always working at Sweet Apple Acres!”

Now, I knew she was just making up excuses. “Then why don't you go over there in the morning and offer some help with her chores?” Knowing Applejack, she was probably busy with applebuck season at this time of the year.

Rainbow was staring at me like I had said something silly, so I explained: “That way, you'll have the rest of the day to yourselves. Plus, I'm sure she'd appreciate a helping hoof.”

She instantly brightened up at the idea. “Oh my gosh, you're right!” She lightly smacked herself across the head. “Why didn't I think of this?” She was soon flying again, but this time, she looked excited. “Now I can't wait for tomorrow! But I gotta get rested up first if I'm gonna be working all day.” She hugged me goodnight, and I gently hugged her back. “Thanks a lot, Fluttershy. You're the best!”

With that, she bolted through the open window and into the night sky. I giggled and waved, although she was already far out of sight.

I can't wait to hear how it goes.

Love,
— Fluttershy ♥

Comments

[Fluttershy20]

This has captured my attention intently. Is there going to be Flutterdash later, or maybe Appleshy, or is Fluttershy going to play matchmaker with the two and record it through her diary? If I am honest, I hope it goes for the latter; it would be interesting, and rare, to see a romance story that is written from a completely seperate point of view, like this chapter.

Please keep it up.

[Rangelost]

3257118
Well, that was unexpectedly positive!

The biggest clue I can give you right now is the chapter's title. I'll do my best to keep it interesting!

[Blagdaross]

Holy cow Rangelost wrote a story!

And it's good! Like, really good!

Though to be honest, my favorite part is this:

I nodded. That was the least I could do. “I promise.”

At that point, you could have named pretty much any pony (except that you're Rangelost, which kind of narrows it down), and the story thus far would have worked perfectly. That's good setting-up.

[applebuckingAJ]

Ya know what? This is so well told at the moment I don't even care if its not apple dash, even though its my otp. AWESOME

[Rangelost]

3257148
Thanks for the praise, but am I really that predictable?

3257174
That's quite the compliment, thanks!

[DbzOrDie]

I'm afraid to read this...

[Rangelost]

3257417
You should be.

[DbzOrDie]

3257459
I mean, you added it to the AppleDash group so it must have AppleDash but knowing you, it'll change into AppleShy and LightningDash later :p

[Rangelost]

3257461
DbzOrDie wrote:

knowing you

AppleShy

[DbzOrDie]

3257471
Fine, LightningDashShy then

[bookplayer]

Very nice, Rangelost. You have a good voice for Fluttershy and Dash. I'm impressed!

[Rangelost]

3257475
How about you comment on what I wrote, instead of what you think I'm going to write?

3257505
Yaaay!

3257557
Are these legitimate grammar mistakes, or does it just look better that way? As you already know, I use French structure since I can't English, and I haven't found any rules proving my sentences wrong yet.

Otherwise, thanks for the support. I try, sometimes.

[Rangelost]

3257753
Alright, then. I wish I'd had proper English classes. I passed advanced English in college with people who hardly knew more than "yes", "no" and "toaster".

[bookplayer]

3257746
The first one is a legit mistake. The key to telling is to take out the other subject (ever since me found out about the Elements of Harmony) however, since you're writing first person, it can be allowable when the narrator wouldn't have perfect grammar (for example, Dash or AJ.) Unfortunately, Fluttershy speaks pretty properly.

The second one is also a legit mistake, though it would be nice if someone who knows more about grammar could explain why. At least one reason is that -ing verbs describe an action in progress (I am getting dinner.) What you want to describe is a potential future action (I want to get dinner.) Those use different forms of a verb.

The third one is the least incorrect, though it is still technically incorrect. It's a "rule" of writing that names are always set off with a comma when they're being used to speak directly to someone. (Hey, Rangelost, good story.) I say it's the least incorrect because when you're talking about dialogue, it can sometime be sacrificed to make the sentence flow better.

Anyway, I know you've been hesitant before, but you might want to get a prereader who can just go over the fic to check for stuff like this.

[Rangelost]

3257829
That already helps a lot, thanks for taking the time to explain this to me. Now, I'd get a proofreader, but I think if most readers don't even catch the mistakes, then it's fine with me. I know, it's a lame excuse, but I'm not trying to do anything big here, so I'd rather work solo like I always do.

[Roughhouse]

Psh. I hardly even noticed those grammar mistakes. It certainly looked perfect on my first round through it.

More! Just make sure you update sometime before the next decade, and we'll be good.

[FixedTargus]

3257879
And to think i coulda helped proofread your storiesi.imgur.com/yVVgXSo.png
"I'd rather work solo like I always do" but what about friendship?

[The Vicious Cannibal]

O.o What's with that intro?...
Oh well, not gonna stop me from reading it anyways.

[The Vicious Cannibal]

Oh... my gosh. This... fic... was so CUTE!!!
And yet, still tangible to my hunger of imagination... I gotta favor this!

[gwg]

3257879 Taking on a proofreader or an editor can only be helpful, improving you as a writer. It still remains your work and it comes out better when another set of eyes looks at it before publishing. The best (opinion) writers on this site have like two-three editors and proofreaders.

[Rangelost]

3382455
But it's more of a hassle than it is helpful for people like me who rarely ever write, and do so very casually.

[gwg]

3382460 two additional steps: 1. send story to editor, 2. apply editor's corrections
even casual writers have someone to look it over, and there are many here that are willing to fill that position

[Rangelost]

3382468
I don't trust editors.

[gwg]

3382473 Why?? I am an editor myself so I find it difficult see why someone wouldn't trust an editor
We aren't editor's in the journalistic sense; you as the writer have absolute authority over what you write; I just correct grammar mistakes not change the story

[Rangelost]

3382482
gwg wrote:

Why?? I am an editor myself so I find it difficult see why someone wouldn't trust an editor

We aren't editor's in the journalistic sense; you as the writer have absolute authority over what you write; I just correct grammar mistakes not change the story

[gwg]

3382489 haha I tend to be more lax in comments and also shows that if I do decide to write some fics then I should look into an editor for myself
but you are dodging the question... If you doubt my abilities or that of any other proposing editor/proofreader then you should test us
otherwise I can't see why

[Rangelost]

3382501
Honestly, I'd just rather work on my own. It's a stubborn habit of mine; art is something I do by myself, and if I make mistakes, then I can look back at them and see how I've improved since. It isn't something I'll ever do professionally, so I'd rather not stress with the resulting quality of it all, so long as it's presentable.

[gwg]

3382508 Fair enough.

[LoyaltoRainbowDash]

I really liked this story. I cant wait to read the next sets

[TwilightUCrazy]

Rainbow Dash and Applejack's relation, as witnessed through the eyes of a silent observer...

Usually when I see the "romance" tag and three different ponies, I assume one of three things: 1) Threesome, 2) love triangle in which somepony gets hurt, 3) one isn't involved except in a supporting role.

I have to say, of the three, number three is my personal favorite, and one of the hardest ones to do well, I've found in my readings. In this case, I love how supportive Fluttershy is. I love how Rainbow Dash can, despite their massive differences in... well, pretty much everything, Rainbow still feels like she can come to her friend with her problems, and that Fluttershy can help resolve them. It establishes a nice dynamic in their relationship, how the two can lean on each other - one for emotional support, the other for emotional strength - and never even comes close to touching Fluttershy as being a pity trip for Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash's nervousness is well played too. Under most circumstances, she has a vast overabundance of confidence that would make most ponies wanna strangle her until her face turned more blue than it is. Her raw capacity for courage notwithstanding, it seems like whenever it comes to something really, truly important to her, she usually runs out of gas just before the finish line, and needs somepony else to put the wind back under her wings.

In this instance, Fluttershy is that gentle, cooling breeze on a hot summer's day that gives one that second wind they need.

Now I want to see what Rainbow does with that second wind.

[SHL]

This is good! Very good, yeah, I'll keep my eye in this

[DbzOrDie]

*coughs at the emptyness that is your fic*

[Rangelost]

3953847
Look who's talking. There's a reason why I ended the chapter openly.

[HyperMonica]

Why DIDN'T you think of that sooner, Dashie? Like, really? I mean, are you really THAT clueless about love?? pfft. Of course you are. I forgot I was talking to - well, you.

aaaaaand I'm talking to a cartoon pegasus that can't even hear me.

[Onerepublicfan]

I love this <3