Loveliest of Trees (Old)

by Nordryd

Ch.2: Insomnia

Twilight couldn't stop thinking about what she and Fluttershy just witnessed with Coppermane. It was one thing to hear from your best friend that they were been bullied in the past; it was another thing to see it happen for yourself. Twilight cursed herself inside for just standing there and not taking action sooner. She was happy that she could help him out afterwards, though.

Twilight was also extremely giddy about the moment Fluttershy had with Coppermane. Even afterwards, she noticed the two of them were blushing profusely whenever they talked to each other. When they started to leave, she noticed that Fluttershy was falling behind since she decided to wave goodbye to Coppermane.

Did they already have crushes on each other?

As the two girls walked to Pinkie Pie's house, Twilight noticed that Fluttershy looked rather… happy. She had a big smile on her blushing face. She was also twirling her hair and looking down at the ground as she walked, as if she was thinking about something.

"You alright over there, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

"Huh?" Fluttershy asked, as if she was in a trance. "Oh… um… yeah… I'm fine. Why?"

"Oh it's nothing. It just looks like you have something on your mind," Twilight said.

"I'm fine, Twilight. Don't worry," Fluttershy said with a timid smile.

"Alright. Well, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm always here," Twilight said.

"Thanks, Twilight," Fluttershy said, returning her attention to the ground as her smile returned.

She so has a crush on him.

---

"Wait… you're kidding…" Sunset asked.

"I've never heard of anything like that happening before at CHS," Rarity said.

"It happened. Fluttershy and I saw the whole thing," Twilight said.

Everyone was gathered in Pinkie Pie's kitchen eating pizza, and Twilight had just finished telling the girls about what she and Fluttershy witnessed earlier today. She told them all about how the bullies had come out of nowhere, slapped his books out of his hands, and pushed him onto the ground, reducing him to tears. She also mentioned how the bullies had the audacity to announce to the passing students that he's a "nerdy, wimpy crybaby".

"That's just uncool," Rainbow Dash said.

"Why would anyone do that?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," Twilight said, "He was also mumbling things to himself like stupid, worthless, and pathetic. Seems like he's been through a lot."

"Why doesn't he just go to Principal Celestia about it? He shouldn't have to deal with that," Sunset said.

"He's probably afraid," Twilight said, "And I don't think he wants to be a tattle-tale either."

"Do you know his name?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, his name's Coppermane," Fluttershy said, "He's the new student."

"Wait…" Rarity said, "I think I might know who you're talking about. Does he wear a black hoodie, black pants, and have messy reddish-brown hair?"

"Um, yeah, that's him…" Fluttershy said. She looked down as her thoughts began to drift.

"Oh, yeah!" Sunset said, "The new student in our calculus class right?"

"Oh, right!" Applejack chimed in, "Ah knew he sounded familiar."

"I know who you're talking about! Sunset and I showed him around school the day before he started," Pinkie Pie chimed in, "Remember, Sunset?"

Sunset nodded, "Sure do!"

"Oh, now I know who you're talking about," Rainbow Dash said, "I saw you two walking him around."

"Mmmhmm!" Sunset said, "He was pretty shy, but he was really nice."

"Yeah… he was…" Fluttershy mumbled to herself.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Fluttershy?" Sunset asked.

Fluttershy's face went red, "Oh… um… I… just… he… well… um…" she said, quieting down towards the end, and feeling her face heat up.

"Fluttershy, are you alright, darling? Is there something on your mind?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy said nothing, but looked away and twirled her hair, smiling.

What was up with Fluttershy? She's smiling, blushing, she's not making eye contact with them, and she's twirling her hair, whilst they're talking about the new student. But that would mean…

Almost simultaneously, everyone drew the same conclusion, and got huge grins on their faces.

"Fluttershy, darling," Rarity asked with a teasing tone, "What do you think of the new student?"

Fluttershy stopped twirling her hair and looked up to see all her friends looking at her with big smiles and wide eyes.

"Um… what?" Fluttershy asked, afraid of what they were asking her.

"We want to know what you think of the new student," Sunset said, putting her hand on her shoulder.

Fluttershy could feel her face getting hotter. "Um… wh-why?"

"You've been unusually quiet over there, even for you," Rainbow Dash said, "We just want to know what you think of the new guy."

Fluttershy's heart rate began to rise. She looked at all her friends' faces, all having wide eyes and smiles as if they were expecting a certain answer. Oh no, did they figure it out? Had Fluttershy been subconsciously dropping hints this entire time?

Her friends were still waiting for an answer, and Fluttershy could see that there was no getting out of this. As much as she didn't want to tell them, they were her best friends, and they were just asking a simple question.

"Um… well… he seems… really nice… and…" Fluttershy began to say, trailing off.

"Yeees?" Sunset said.

Fluttershy began twirling her hair, "And… it… it was kind of… really cute when he was acting shy…"

All of her friends' eyes widened, and smiles grew on their faces.

"Fluttershy has a crush!" Pinkie Pie said, jumping up and down and squealing in excitement.

All of the girls began giggling, and Fluttershy's face went bright red, "Oh… well… I… I mean… what makes you think that…?"

"Fluttershy," Rarity said, "Do you know you've been twirling your hair this entire time?"

Fluttershy paused for a second before realizing that she had indeed been messing with her hair, and didn't even know it. She immediately stopped as her heartbeat skyrocketed.

"Oh, you so have a crush on him!" Sunset said with a big smile on her face.

Twilight spoke up, "Oh, I forgot to tell you girls! When we were helping Coppermane pick his stuff up today… the two of them had a little moment," she said teasingly.

Twilight then told them about the moment Coppermane and Fluttershy had together. She mentioned how Coppermane seemed to be nervous too, blushing, rubbing his neck, and smiling a lot. She also told them about how Fluttershy paused on their way out to give him a wave. As Twilight told the story, Fluttershy's face was bright red as she played with her hair again.

"Aww…" Sunset said, "That's so cute!"

"Did he wave back?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy looked away and smiled, "Yeah… he did…" she said, giggling to herself.

"Sounds like he might be crushin' on you too, sugar," Applejack said, taking a bite of pizza.

Fluttershy blushed, "Oh… I… I don't know about that…"

"Oh don't be like that, Fluttershy," Rarity chimed in, "From what Twilight said, all the signs are there."

"R-Really?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at her friends.

"Rarity's right, Fluttershy," Sunset chimed in, "Acting nervous, blushing, smiling, and sneaking glances at you? Those are tell-tale signs of a crush."

"Wait… he was… l-looking at me?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight giggled, "Indeed he was."

Fluttershy giggled to herself, and began playing with her hair again. He was… sneaking glances at her? Could he actually have a crush on her?

Fluttershy's thoughts were interrupted by her friends giggling in excitement.

"Um… can… can we talk about something else? I think I need to sleep on this…" Fluttershy asked, still blushing.

Rarity nodded, "Sorry, darling. We're just so excited for you!" Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Oh, it's fine," Fluttershy said, blushing, "Th-Thanks…"

"No problem, sugarcube," Applejack said.

Twilight couldn't help but smile about what had happened today. Not the bullying part, but the exchange between Coppermane and Fluttershy. It hasn't even been one day yet, and Fluttershy already had a crush on him! And from what Twilight observed, Coppermane already had a crush on Fluttershy. Twilight knew that her Equestria friends would miss her, but she might have to stay for a while, or at least until the formal was over (she couldn't stay forever). Three weeks from today was the musical showcase, and the day after that was the Fall Formal. She wanted to see if Coppermane and Fluttershy would end up together in this world as well, and from what she saw today, they were headed in the right direction. Yeah… Twilight could see her time in this world getting very interesting…

---

The girls stayed up for as long as they could before all of them started to black out one-by-one. All were sleeping soundly, except for one.

Fluttershy couldn't go to sleep. Her mind was filled with thoughts of… him. She sat up and leaned against the bed. She stared out the open window at the full moon, the only thing illuminating the room, and tried to collect her thoughts.

Fluttershy could admit to herself that she had a crush on Coppermane. There was just something about him that was… different. His shyness was really cute, and he seemed like a really sweet guy. And when Fluttershy got a closer look, she discovered that he actually wasn't that bad looking.

Fluttershy's thoughts shifted to how Coppermane was acting before they had their little moment together. He was so scared. Fluttershy's never seen anyone so frightened of other people before. He seemed so reluctant to accept their help, almost as if he was expecting them to betray him. Even before they walked up to him, he mumbled words like stupid, pathetic, and worthless. It's like he was mentally cutting himself. All those tears… all that fear… all the self-hate… it broke Fluttershy's heart to think about. Even after he calmed down, he was still berating himself. Why would anyone do that to themselves? Fluttershy just didn't understand how one could bully themselves like that.

But, could Coppermane actually like her back? Fluttershy giggled at the thought of Coppermane sneaking glances at her. Was that really a tell tale sign of a crush? Could he really have a crush on her?

Fluttershy let her mind wander, imagining what it would be like to have a boyfriend. She's always seen couples walking around school together, holding hands, flirting with each other, and just being happy. The thought of having a guy to love made her smile, and the thought of a guy loving her made her smile even more. She always imagined what it would feel like to have a guy play with her hair, or hold her from behind, or even just hold her hand. She twirled her hair at the thought.

It was something Fluttershy always fantasized about, but never thought it would actually happen for her. Fluttershy knew that she needed to be realistic. She and Coppermane barely knew each other, and maybe he's just naturally nervous like that around other people.

Still… maybe if she got to know him more…

Fluttershy was still wide awake. She grabbed her phone and popped in her headphones. She sat there against the bed as she listened to her music.

I wonder if he's thinking about me…?

---

MEANWHILE

Coppermane couldn't fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried. He sat up in his bed, looking out the window at the full moon, and tried to collect his thoughts.

All he could think about was Fluttershy. Wow, she was even more beautiful than the full moon in the starry sky. Her flowing pink hair, those big teal eyes, and a smile that could illuminate the darkest night. Coppermane didn't know how it was possible for a girl to be that gorgeous.

Coppermane knew he had calculus with Fluttershy, and has always seen her surrounded by her friends. He always thought she was really pretty, but that was before he was able to get a closer look.

He couldn't help but think about how shy she acted around him. How she was hiding behind her hair, how she was smiling, and how red her face was. Coppermane smiled at the thought of Fluttershy blushing.

Coppermane originally didn't read much into this. He assumed she was just naturally shy. But that was before he and Fluttershy locked eyes again, and she smiled and waved at him. She even lingered for a little bit until Twilight called out to her.

Coppermane smiled at the memory of how Fluttershy looked when she waved at him. The way she hid behind her hair, the way she stood with her knees bent inward, and the way she smiled; it was just too adorable.

Coppermane let his mind drift, imagining what it would be like to have a girlfriend. He would love to have a girl all to himself, and be able to love her. Hold her hand, hold her in his arms, kiss her cheek, give her random gifts, tell her every day how beautiful she is; the list goes on. The thought of having a special someone and treating her like a princess always brought a smile to his face.

Coppermane didn't want to admit it to himself, but he did have to be realistic. What did he really have to offer any girl? Even if Fluttershy, by some miracle, had a crush on him, he'd just end up disappointing her with how dull he is.

Besides, how could a girl have a crush on someone after seeing him get jumped, and cry like a baby after the fact? She probably thought he was pathetic after seeing him like that. Appropriate, since he is pathetic.

Coppermane was still wide awake, so he grabbed his phone and popped in his headphones. He sat up against his bed, listening to his music as he gazed into the astral night sky.

I wonder if she's thinking about me…?

Comments

[mtf0330]

This is a good chapter, it helps show that Coppermane and Fluttershy share very similar mindsets and a common desire for romantic companionship, as well as there ideas of what a relationship would have. It hammers the fact that they are very compatible and would compliment each other very well.

I can tell that dislikes for the story are from people who either don't like the pace or are die hard fluttershy shippers that disliked the story for her involvement. Don't let them discourage you, they need to realize that every story is different, and that you please everyone, I look forward to seeing more soon!

[Harmony Pie]

Okay, this is unfairly adorable! I love seeing them try to sort through their feelings. The bullies were a nice touch; as Fluttershy would reach through Coppermane's hardest moments to help him. So cute. You write very well. If Fluttershy were to ever have a boyfriend in the show, it would be someone like him. Although, a small nitpick, I did notice that Fluttershy played with her hair a lot. Perhaps you should change up her actions a bit?

Thank you for writing, Jake

[Winter Fox]

7148823 option a

[John the brony and yknow]

Oh bruh LOL, the girls teasing making Fluttershy blush! God I love her shyness so much

[Magna]

7301681

Probably a very late response as im very late to these great fics. But yes. I completely agree on fluttershy's actions with playing with her hair. She does it awfully alot and puts me off a tad. Still a great fic considering im just reading it now

[FL4MING_R4VEN]

"I wonder" ex machina.