Fulfilling

by PegasusMesa

Ch 7: In Which Fluttershy Has a Revelation, and Luna Has an Argument

Fluttershy trudged down the street to where her fourth date waited. Her thoughts drifted back, remembering the dates she had been on over the past month; Rarity took the liberty of planning them, but only after obtaining the her friend's approval on the chosen of stallion.

"We can't let anything like...that... happen again," the unicorn had said, in regard to the fiasco with Magnum.

For the second date, Fluttershy met with one of the weather team's pegasi, a stallion recommended by Rainbow Dash. The yellow mare couldn't help but admit that he was a very nice pony, and he had shown definite interest in her, but the feelings weren't reciprocated. The stallion was clearly disappointed, but remained admirably courteous to the end.

Stallion number three had been nearly the same. He had recently gone through a very public falling-out with his (ex) marefriend, but Twilight affirmed that his character was sound. For the entirety Fluttershy's date with him, he dropped frequent hints that he found the yellow pegasus fascinating, but like before, she found it impossible to view the poor stallion in a romantic light.

Since then, Fluttershy's couldn't help but wonder why success eluded her. What was wrong with those two ponies? she thought fretfully each night before going to bed. Or... is it something wrong with me?

Despite her negative thoughts, she put on a brave face when Rarity told her that a fourth stallion had been lined up. The unicorn wouldn't give any details on the mysterious pony, other than to say Fluttershy already knew him well.

Well, after tonight, I'll just tell Rarity that it's no use, the pegasus thought sadly, coming back to the present. I'm destined to be alone forever... Her musings were interrupted when she ran, nose-first, into something very solid.

"Fluttershy?" asked the thing she had collided with. "Are ya okay?" She looked up into the concerned eyes of Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh.

"Big Mac," she said, slightly confused. "I'm fine, but...why are you here?" She realized that she stood in front of the restaurant where she would be eating.

"Well, that Rarity told me to be here to meet some friend of hers. Ah reckon it's a date or somethin."

What?! I'm dating Big Macintosh?! "Uh uh uh um..."

"Somethin' wrong?"

"W-w-w-well, I-I'm, th-that is, I th-th-think that she m-m-meant m-me." This is terrible! Big Mac's a good friend! How do I let him know I'm not interested? Oh no, what do I do?

"Huh. Well, ain't that interestin'," Mac said, seemingly unfazed. "I guess we should sit down, then." He politely held the door open for the yellow mare.

Rarity and I are going to have such a talk when I see her next...

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In a bush right outside the restaurant, Rarity suddenly sneezed, causing her to nearly drop her binoculars. "Hmm, I hope that doesn't mean somepony's thinking bad things about me..."

"Who's there?" demanded a nearby voice. The branches parted to reveal Applejack, who had been hiding in the very same bush. "Rarity! Are you spyin' on mah brother?!"

"I'm just here to ensure Fluttershy's well-being," the unicorn retorted. "After that disaster with Magnum, it's my solemn responsibility to look after her, no matter how much I trust the stallion! Besides, aren't you doing the exact same thing?"

"...Fine, ya caught me. But the only reason Ah'm here is to make sure Big Mac doesn't stick his hoof in his mouth!"

"And why would he do such a thing?"

"Don't tell me ya haven't noticed," Applejack said. "That big doofus's had a crush on Fluttershy for years. Iffen he did somethin' to mess this up, he'd be devastated! As his kin, Ah gotta do what Ah can to help."

"So it seems we both have noble intentions. Well then, it's decided!" Rarity clapped her hooves and stood quickly.

"What's decided?"

"We'll get ourselves a table in there so that we can keep track of their progress, of course!"

The earth pony tossed her friend a doubtful glance. "Isn't that a bit too obvious? There ain't no way they won't see us."

"And that, dear Applejack, is why I prepared disguises! It's a good thing for you that I have an extra."

"...Why do Ah feel like Ah'm not goin' to like this?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cow!"

"Cad!"

"Half-wit!"

"Insufferable bed-sore!"

Celestia walked quickly into the banquet hall to find Luna and Discord nose-to-nose and in the midst of a battle of insults. "What are you two doing?" she demanded.

"Here I am, minding my own business, when our sheltered Princess of the Night decides that she has the authority to tell me what to do!"

"That is because We do have the authority to command thee!" Luna shot back. "And Our only request was that thou cleanse thy mess! It is thine own creation that is running rampant, after all."

"How many times do I have to say this before it sinks into your thick blue skull?" he said. "I built that thing a couple-thousand years ago, then promptly forgot about its existence! I can't remember what I ate for lunch, how do you expect me to remember anything about a stupid trifle like that specter?"

"For the life of Us, We cannot tell what it is that Fluttershy sees in thee."

"As if I care what some moronic winged moose thinks of me," the dragonequis said with a snort. He realized immediately that he could have chosen better words, due to the way the entire hall darkened; a seething Luna's body drew in nearly all of the afternoon light streaming in through the room's majestic windows.

"Choose thy words with care when speaking of Fluttershy," she rumbled dangerously. Just as Celestia opened her mouth to intervene, Discord spoke up.

"Pssh, I was talking about you, Miss Moronic Winged Moose, not that unfortunately timid pegasus. Although... now I'm wondering why you're getting so angry over her." For a few seconds he stared into the dark princess's eyes, searching for something. The dragonequis apparently found what he wanted, because his face lit up with mirth and he collapsed to the floor, holding his ribs; peals of his laughter echoed through the castle.

"What dost thou find so humorous?"

"HAHAHA—oh, noth—heheh—nothing." Discord wiped the tears out of his eyes and stood, still snickering. "It's just that...ah, haha... wittle itty bitty Wuna's in wuv!" With that, his body coiled in on itself and he disappeared into thin air.

In Discord's absence, heavy silence pervaded the atmosphere. The two alicorn princesses glanced at each other uneasily.

"Luna," Celestia said finally, "is that true?"

The other princess took a moment to gather her thoughts. As she calmed, her language moved into a more modern dialect. "It is true that I am very fond of Fluttershy, but..."

"But what?"

"... I do not know; I have never loved before, so I know not how I would feel. However, I feel that Discord is just saying it to annoy me."

"So you don't love anypony?" the white alicorn asked.

"I do not believe so."

Celestia sighed deeply. "That's a shame... It's a wonderful feeling." Suddenly, a puff of green smoke bloomed in mid-air and a tightly rolled scroll fell to the ground between the two mares.

"It seems that Twilight Sparkle has a message for you," Luna said. "I shall take my leave so you—"

"No, Luna, the letter isn't for me. It has your name on it."

The dark princess received correspondence on such a rare basis that her heart nearly skipped a beat. She eagerly accepted the message, coming close to tearing the parchment in her haste to get to the words inside.

Dear Luna,

I am writing to invite you to once again spend time with my friends and me for an evening, three days from now. If this is agreeable to you, you can let me know with a letter sent straight to Spike. I'm sure Princess Celestia would be happy to share the spell with you that will allow you to do so. Thank you, and I hope to see you in three days!

Your Friend,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. This time, I asked the girls if they were free before deciding on a set date! See, I can learn from my mistakes!

Celestia couldn't help but grin at the way her sister's eyes lit up as she read the letter out loud. "If you want, I can show you how to send scrolls to Spike right now."

The halls reverberated with the sound of Luna's subsequent, "Huzzah!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah knew Ah wasn't goin' to like this!"

Applejack and Rarity sat together at a table squeezed into a corner of the room. Both of them had ridiculously large-and-frilly hats perched upon their heads.

"What do you mean? These bonnets are the height of fashion!"

"Maybe if yer ma dropped y'all on yer head when y'all was little," the earth pony said with a snort. "Plus, aren't these s'posed to be disguises? We stand out more with 'em than without!"

"Tell me, would Fluttershy or Macintosh ever guess that you would willingly wear something like that?" Rarity asked.

"I... ok fine, ya win this round."

"Good! Now hush, let's see if we can hear what they're saying!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the other side of the room, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh meekly poked at their salads. The conversation up until this point hadn't developed beyond "yes or no" questions, and both ponies were beginning to wonder if it wouldn't just be better to run screaming from the restaurant.

Finally, the pegasus reached the point beyond which she couldn't stand the tension. "M-Mac, I'm sorry, b-b-but I d-don't think this is a g-g-g-good idea."

"...Yup," he said, "Ah was 'fraid you'd say that."

"P-please, don't feel bad! You're wonderful, it's all m-me!"

"...Yup," Mac said again, but his voice lacked conviction. As the stallion's expression fell, so too did Fluttershy's heart.

I can't just let him feel awful for something that isn't his fault. I suppose I have no other choice... "Um, M-Mac, can you—can you keep a secret?"

His face showed confusion, but he nodded anyway.

"Um, well I... oh, how do I say this... I, um, I d-don't like... I don't like..."

"What don't ya like?" he asked. "Red hair? Yokes? Apples? Charminly rustic accents? It's fine, Ah don't—"

"Stallions!" she blurted out quietly. "I d-don't like stallions!"

"Huh? What's wrong with..." Fluttershy could have sworn that she heard a *ding* as realization dawned in the stallion's eyes. "Oh. OH!"

"I d-didn't mean to waste your time..."

"Naw, it's fine."

"I'm still j-just trying to fi-figure it all out for m-myself."

"Don't worry yourself. If anythin', it's a load off mah chest. Ain't nothin' Ah can do 'bout bein' a stallion, that's for sure."

The pegasus gave him a tiny smile. "I'm glad you're feeling better..." She stood to leave. "I'll—I'll pay the bill on my way out, so—"

"Now hold on there." Macintosh touched her lightly on the shoulder to keep her from departing. "There ain't no reason to leave. We can still be pals, can't we?"

"I..." Fluttershy returned slowly to her seat. "Yes, we can!"

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"There," Rarity said with satisfaction, "they're getting on famously!"

"Fer once, Ah have to agree with ya," Applejack replied reluctantly.

Ever since Fluttershy had stood, like she was leaving, she and Macintosh had been far more talkative towards each other. It seemed like "Mission: Get Fluttershy a Good Stallion" was a rousing a success.

"I believe that our presences are no longer required." The unicorn pushed her stool back and stood. "Macintosh seems to have the situation well in-hoof, wouldn't you say?"

"Ah... Ah guess he's goin' to be fine."

"Very good, I'm glad you think so. Now! Who wants to get some ice cream?"

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A giddy Princess Luna dropped onto her bed and waved her hooves in the air. "So many years," she said, "and finally, I'm being invited to 'hang out' with a group!"

"...wittle itty bitty Wuna's in wuv!" Discord's words floated through Luna's mind, severely dampening her excitement.

Hmph, love. The very notion is ridiculous.

But you do have strong feelings towards the mare, a dissenting voice told her.

Yes, but merely because she's only my second friend, the princess argued. I am certain that I will feel the same towards Twilight's other friends when I meet them!

Maybe, but if that was true, then wouldn't you also feel the same towards Twilight herself?

Luna had a more difficult time finding an answer to that. She is—Twilight Sparkle is different.

The voice chuckled. Do you really believe what you're thinking?

Yes! I—yes! Fluttershy is a good friend, nothing more! I would never wish for anything beyond that!

You do realize that you're arguing with a strange voice in your head, right? That type of behavior can get you committed, you stupid cow.

Stupid cow...? The princess's eyes narrowed as she realized just who she had been mentally sparring with. "Discord!" she barked. "Show yourself!"

A tiny form emerged from the depths of Luna's billowing mane. "Phew, the inside of your head is certainly cramped," Discord said. "Not a lot of room, just like I thought. Truth be told, I was beginning to get claustrophobic."

She whipped her head suddenly, sending the little dragonequis tumbling to the ground, where she trapped him under a hoof. "You try my patience," she growled. "If you value your continued good health, it is my suggestion that you leave me be."

"Bah, you really need to learn how to lighten up." His body became paper-thin and slipped out from under the princess's weight. "It's not like I'm just fabricating this 'love' stuff off the top of my head. Trust me, acceptance is the first step to moving on!"

A wicked smile spread across Luna's face. "I hear that dragonequis steak is particularly fine this time of year." A dark-blue glow encompassed her horn. "Why don't we journey to the kitchens and find out—"

"I assure you, that won't be necessary. I think I can take a hint." He exploded in a shower of confetti and was gone.

"Pfft, that creature is a pox upon this land," the princess said disdainfully. She made to return to the bed, but paused when she found that a white box now occupied her place. A piece of paper on top bore the words, in curvy writing, For Luna. "Where did this come from?"

Any other pony would have been immediately suspicious of a gift that appeared out of nowhere. In fact, most other ponies would expect there to be a pie inside, sitting on a coiled spring, just waiting to be launched into the face of whoever opened it.

The guileless Luna never stood a chance. Face dripping in whipped cream, strawberry filling, and pie crust, she bellowed so loudly that her voice carried all the way to Ponyville, and likely beyond. "DISCOOORD!"

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"Diissscoooooorrrddd..." Fluttershy and Big Mac's ears swivelled as the eerie voice floated through the air.

"What in tarnation..."

"Oh dear, I hope Luna doesn't hurt him too badly," the pegasus mumbled.

The two ponies stood at the gate to Sweet Apple Acres, where they said their farewells before parting ways. "Well, thank ya for a fun time," Big Mac said. "Ah hope it weren't too awkward."

"Oh not at all, I'm just glad your feelings aren't hurt."

"Yer a kind pony. Some mare's goin' to be mighty lucky to have you."

Fluttershy's mind froze. "A-a m-m-mare?"

"Er, well, yeah," the stallion said. "Ah just reckon, if ya ain't into stallions ...well, who else is there besides mares?"

"That's—why—you—" The pegasus stuttered while her mind tried to assimilate this new information; a wide smile grew across her face as it sank in. "Thank you, Mac! Thank you thank you thank you!" She gave him a quick hug, then turned and pranced happily away.

"Yer welcome? Ah don't get it," he muttered, waving briefly before moving towards the farmhouse, where his sister likely sat waiting for him to tell her how things had gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hee, mares, heehee! Why didn't I think of that?" Fluttershy said in a cheery voice. "I'm so happy!" But, what'll the other girls think? I'll tell them, of course! I tell them everything! But... this is so embarrassing to talk about... The idea of having a chat about sexuality with her best friends caused a bright blush to form on her cheeks. I can't keep this a secret forever, but... maybe just a little longer.

Comments

[PegasusMesa]

3445063

Yeah, I've had this thing finished for a few days. Since it's my first fic that I'm putting up for real people to see, I wanted it to be done before I started posting.

[Phaoray]

3445203 Well I look forward to seeing how this continues as you post the rest of it. : D

[nemryn]

Ain't nothin' Ah can do 'bout bein' a stallion, that's for sure.

I don't know, Twilight could probably find a spell for that

[nemryn]

3445203
It's still Incomplete, you dirty liar