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A small mix-up4,117 words
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle3,470 words
The heart of the issue3,972 words

The heart of the issue

Earlier that day.

Fluttershy was out, running her usual errands for the day. She had to pick up some more feed for her animals in the shelter. It didn't take long for her to finish up and get distracted window shopping. While she felt a little better than yesterday, she wasn't back to her usual self. An unnatural amount of couples had swarmed the marketplace. Fluttershy just tried to keep her head down.

Once she arrived back home, Fluttershy sighed and started to get everything ready for the day. It was a nice distraction! Until she noticed the paper's on her counter. Her pupils landed on the opening sentence, "Dear Princess Twilight," and her heart sunk.

Fluttershy quickly grabbed the papers and skimmed them, realizing the true extent of her mistake. The timid pony's knees started to buckle as anxiety overwhelmed her.

"Angeeeeeel!" Fluttershy screamed out to her loyal pet. He hopped up onto the counter, rubbing his eyes since he was so rudely awoken. He was then scooped up by Fluttershy. "Oh Angel! I sent the wrong letter to Twilight! Now she's gonna read that terrible story I wrote about her!"

While this was clearly a big deal to Fluttershy, Angel didn't really care, yawning loudly as he tried to escape her grasp. Fluttershy only panicked more, releasing Angel so she could pace.

"Ooooh no! What do I do? I don't know if I could face Twilight if she reads that story! It'll be so... Embarrassing." Fluttershy looked out her window, weighing her options. "Maybe it hasn't been sent yet! I could go down to the post office and tell them I sent the wrong letter. Yes! That's it. Oooooh. I hope I'm not too late."

Fluttershy rushed out of her cottage, making a beeline for the post office. Once she arrived, she found a massive line leading out the building. Fluttershy's worry only grew as she heard loud voices from inside. It was clear something was going on today and somepony was not happy about it. Fluttershy meekly went to the back of the line and tried her best to wait patiently.

That would only last so long as she saw a familiar grey pegasus pony leaving the office with a courier bag. Fluttershy eyed a letter sticking out of Derpy's bag and immediately followed after her. That was Fluttershy's story! She had to catch up with Derpy and get that story back!

"Derpy! Derpy wait up," Fluttershy called out to the mailmare, which made her pause. The grey mare turned her head towards Fluttershy and smiled before waving.

"Sorry Fluttershy, I can't talk right now. I got a bunch of letters to deliver," Derpy responded, taking off again before Fluttershy could catch up.

Fluttershy picked up her pace, getting more desperate now as she tried to speak with Derpy more. "I just... I need to grab something before you go! I sent something I didn't mean to and I'd like it back."

Fluttershy lunged at the grey pegasus but she simply dodged out of the way before Fluttershy could catch her, causing Flutters to crash into a nearby cloud. "Nooooo can do Fluttershy~ I can't let anything get between me and delivering the mail~ It's my sacred duty as a mail carrier," she sung in a sing-songy voice.

Fluttershy was getting frustrated now. She charged again, trying to catch Derpy off guard by feinting at the last second, but it didn't work. "Derpy! Give me that letter!"

The mailmare clutched her bag as she dropped from the sky, falling below Fluttershy's most recent attempt at mail fraud. "No! It's my mail! If you want to deliver it, become a mailmare yourself!"

With that, she disappeared below a cloud barrier and sped off, leaving Fluttershy in the dust. Fluttershy tried to get any sight of her but Derpy was just gone. Honestly, Derpy could probably give Rainbow Dash a run for her money if she was motivated enough.

Luckily, there was something left behind! In the mare's haste, one letter floated down to the ground. Fluttershy snatched it up quickly, realizing it was the one she saw before! Only to then realize it was somepony else's letter. It looked a lot like her own, but this was not her story that she accidentally sent to Twilight. And now Derpy was gone.

Fluttershy brought herself to the ground, landing as tears welled up in her eyes. A few teardrops fell onto the lookalike letter before she tossed it aside. The letter was picked up by the wind and carried off... directly into the face of a certain pink pony on a walk.

Pinkie's eyes buldged out cartoonishly from beneath the letter as she let out a playful, "Ooooooo~ Somepony's not getting their mail today~" She giggled as the foal sitting on her back reached for the letter. Pinkie shook her head before Lil' Cheese could get ahold of it and grabbed the letter with her hoof. "No, Lil Cheese. It's bad to read other pony's mail. Oh! Hi, Fluttershy!"

As soon as she called out to her, Pinkie could tell something was wrong with Fluttershy since she didn't respond to her. Pinkie called out again, but much louder this time. "Heeeeeeeey! Fluttershyyyyy! Are you okay over there?! You look reeeeeally mopey!"

That seemed to snap Fluttershy out of her daze, making her head shoot up to Pinkie. Now she could see the tears in the Fluttershy's eyes. She wiped them away before speaking. "Oh... Hi Pinkie Pie. I'm not in the mood to talk right now." It wasn't a complete lie. She wanted to talk to her friend but the anxiety of wondering how Twilight will react was making her want to run away and hide forever.

Pinkie bounced closer and gave Fluttershy a bright smile. "Okay~ We don't need to talk. Wanna hold Lil' Cheese?"

Fluttershy seemed confused, looking to the tiny, messy haired foal Pinkie was now holding out to her. "I... I don't..."

"Holding Lil' Cheese always makes me happy when I'm feeling down~ He's just a ball of fluffy energy~!" Pinkie giggled as Lil' reached out to Fluttershy. He coo'd softly, wanting to play with Fluttershy's long hair.

This did not make Fluttershy feel better. Instead, she felt angry. She narrowed her eyes and started to step closer to Pinkie, making the Earth Pony recoil. "Why don't you hold your own foal? Not everycreature wants to carry around your kid!"

Pinkie head Lil Cheese close as the baby started to tear up. Pinkie did her best not to do the same as she lightly bounced Lil' to calm him down. "You could've just said no... I didn't think-"

Fluttershy's anger boiled over as she interrupted Pinkie. "That's right. You didn't think. Cause all you ever think about is yourself and that... That... That damn kid! We get it, you're a mother now! Well good for you! Nocreature cares!"

Lil' Cheese was full on crying now, scared by Fluttershy's loud words and angry tone. Pinkie tried to remain calm and soothing her child. "Well... I thought as my friend... You would be happy for me..." Pinkie's hair drooped a bit, still rocking Lil' Cheese.

"Well I don't! Why would I be proud of you for an accident?! We all knew why the wedding happened when it did. The only ponies who didn't were your parents!" As soon as she said that, Fluttershy's hooves quickly covered her mouth. She knew she overstepped and the anger started to leave her body.

"P-Pinkie... I'm sorry I-" Fluttershy reached a hand out to Pinkie, but the usually bubbly pony turned away from her.

"I... I need to put Lil' Cheese down for a nap now. I'll see you later Fluttershy." Pinkie walked away from Fluttershy, too upset to even bounce right now.

Hot tears burned Fluttershy's cheeks as she watched her friend leave. She couldn't hold it back anymore. Fluttershy burst into a run, heading straight to the Everfree forest.

***

Small flowers and grass were trampled under hoof as Fluttershy desperately tried to find a place to hide. She whimpered and whined while desperately trying to catch her breath. She had been running for far to long, that scene with Pinkie playing over and over in her mind. Why did I say that? Why did I want to hurt Pinkie like that? Jealousy and rage bubbled up in her again as she kept running. How come she can be so happy all the time? Why can't I be happy like that? Thoughts kept swirling and swirling, sending her into an abyss of anger, regret and despair. Why am I the only one who doesn't have things figured out? Why can't I-

A loud crunching sound echoed through the woods, followed by an intense shot of pain through Fluttershy's wing. Blood dripped onto the floor and on the bark of a nearby tree as Fluttershy realized her wing slammed straight into the side of sharp branch. Fluttershy screamed in pain, still not fully aware of her surroundings and moved too close to the chasm separating the castle of the two sisters from the rest of the Everfree. She didn't fall in, but the loose stone started to crumble beneath her weight before giving way. Fluttershy tried to fly up but her wing was in too much pain to move. She desperately reached of for anything, finding purchase on a loose root sticking out from the new cliff face. It creaked under her weight, making Fluttershy panic more.

"Some creature! Any creature! Help me!" She cried out, but she knew it was pointless. No one was out here this late. Fluttershy had to face it. Her worst fear was going to come true.

I'm going to die alone.

And with that thought, the root snapped. She screamed, but something caught her before she could be splattered or impaled. Fluttershy had kept her eyes shut tightly, unsure if she'd just died too quickly to notice it, but with the straining grunts of a familiar voice, she realized that wasn't the case.

"I... I got you Fluttershy!" Twilight's voice rang out, both comforting and worrying the yellow pegasus.

Twilight dropped Fluttershy off on more level ground, huffing softly from the exertion and adrenaline. She looked up to Fluttershy with a tired smirk. "I... I got here just in time, huh?"

Fluttershy stood stock still, too paralyzed to speak. She wanted to run and embrace her friend for saving her life and just enjoy the moment of meeting up again, but her mind wouldn't stop reminding her. She couldn't stop thinking about the letter. It felt like it took forever before Fluttershy found her voice.

"Thank you... Twilight. I... I was scared that would've been the end... I should... Probably get back to my cottage now." Fluttershy tried to brush past Twilight, but she held her wing out to stop her.

"Can I... Come with you?" Twilight had a bright, curious look on her face. Maybe... Had Twilight not read the story?

"I... It's a bit of a mess right now. Everyone's been a little rowdy lately."

"That's okay! Rowdy animals has to be better than rowdy Canterlot ponies. C'mon. It'll be nice to catch up." Twilight smiled and started to walk towards the cottage, letting Fluttershy have some time to gather her thoughts.

Fluttershy still couldn't tell if Twilight read her story or not. She didn't want to ask, on the off chance she had, but maybe Twilight never got it. Or left before she could read it. The suspense was killing her, almost literally!

The walk back was quiet, with neither pony making any sort of move to speak up first. It wasn't until they got back to Fluttershy's cottage that the two decided to speak up again.

"I can make us some tea Fluttershy. I think I remember where everything is still." Twilight stepped inside and started to search the cabinets, finding what she was looking for pretty quickly.

"Oh. Uh... Thanks Twilight. I'd like that..." Fluttershy sat down and slumped in her sofa. She hated this feeling of tension! Why was Twilight here if she didn't read the story? Did she read it and just isn't bringing it up? Was she sparing Fluttershy's feelings? Or was she just waiting for her to calm down before talking? These thoughts made Fluttershy want to leave again, but before she could, Twilight returned with a teapot.

Twilight poured them each a glass before levitating a chair over for herself. She calmly took a sip from her glass and gave Fluttershy a calming smile. She had to ask.

"Twilight... Why were you in the Everfree forest?"

"I had a feeling you were in trouble. I could ask you the same Fluttershy. Why were you out there so late? And what happened to your wing?" Twilight gestured to Fluttershy's blood stained wing. Luckily, it had stopped by now, but she would definitely need to stay grounded for a bit.

Fluttershy sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I... I hurt Pinkie's feelings... I got really angry at her and said some things I didn't really mean."

Twilight frowned, setting her cup down on the table. "Why'd you get into a fight with Pinkie?"

Fluttershy hesitated, still not sure where Twilight landed on the story issue. She just shook her head. "It was something dumb. I shouldn't have snapped at her and I need to apologize next time I see her."

Twilight didn't seem to like that answer. She leaned in close, giving Fluttershy a serious expression. "Fluttershy. Is there something you want to ask me?"

Fluttershy almost crumpled under Twilight's steely gaze, but she knew she had to ask. She couldn't leave the answer up in the air anymore. "Twilight... Did you... Get a letter from me today?"

A weight felt like it had been lifted, only for it to be placed right back onto Fluttershy's shoulders. "Fluttershy, I get a lot of letters. Was there anything more specific about those letter you sent?"

Fluttershy stammered and stuttered, struggling to figure out what to say. "It... Was a letter... With a story..."

"A story? About what?"

Fluttershy locked up. She knew. She definitely knew. Twilight just wanted to hear the words leave Fluttershy's lips. "It was... A story about you. And... Flash Sentry."

Twilight nodded and relaxed more. "Ah. Yes. Now I remember the one. It was a love story, right?"

Fluttershy just nodded meekly. She felt like she could explode from embarrassment right about now.

Twilight noticed this and sighed. "Fluttershy, I'm not mad. I'm just wondering why you would send me something like that? Did you mean to?"

Fluttershy shot up, shaking her head. "Oh no! Why would I ever send something so embarrassing? Especially to the pony it's about..." Fluttershy recoiled again, still anticipating some sort of call out from Twilight.

"Fluttershy... Are you alright? I talked to Rainbow Dash and she said it's been a long time since you've done something like this."

Fluttershy paused, hearing no accusations or malice in Twilight's voice. "Dashie... Told you about this...?"

Twilight made a noncommittal sound as she rocked her head side to side. "She told me a bit. Like how when you were feeling down as a filly you'd write stories about your classmates. Why?"

Fluttershy wished nothing more than to die of embarrassment in that moment. "I... I don't know... Maybe it just... Helped to make ponies a bit nicer than they were? Make stories where... I could be friends with people... Instead of them laughing at me."

Twilight nodded, like she understood Fluttershy. "Okay. Then why write romance stories with them?"

"I... I guess it was to help with my own lack of romance in my life." Fluttershy sat up a bit more, trying to relax herself.

"You're interested in romance? I never would've guessed."

Fluttershy giggled quietly. "I love romance~ It's one of my favorite subjects to read about." She then slumped back down. "Not like I have a lot of it in my own life..."

Twilight was definitely starting to understand now. "Well... If you want romance in your life, why don't you go out and talk to ponies? There's plenty of ponies looking for relationships."

"That's easier said than done, Twilight. I may be better about my shyness but it's hard to put myself out there... Plus I... I can't just be with somepony on their looks alone. I... I need a connection. And I don't think I'm all that impressive on a first impression... How do you just make somepony like you with one interaction?"

"I guess you have a point but... You're a great person Fluttershy. You're sweet, kind, passionate, you have a lot of great qualities."

"Qualities that I can only show around people I know. Whenever I meet someone new I just... I don't know what to say. Unless there's something I know we'd get along on, I'm terrible at making connections."

"I wouldn't say that Fluttershy. You take care of all these animals. Plus, I've seen you make friends with all manner of creatures! You were the first one to become friends with Discord."

"That's different. Animals ARE what I'm passionate about. And that doesn't exactly help with the lack of romance in my life. And Discord... Well Discord and I aren't like that. I know some ponies think that way but he's just a friend." Fluttershy sighed and stood from her seat, getting tired of conversation. "Twilight... Why haven't you mentioned how you feel? Do you not care about the story I sent you?"

Twilight stayed down, her size making it so she was still at eye level with Fluttershy. "The story isn't what I'm worried about. It wouldn't be the first time I've read stories about myself. I'm just worried about you Fluttershy. Why write that story now?"

Fluttershy was relieved, but it still felt weird that Twilight didn't care. "I... I guess I've just been feeling lonely lately... It seems like everywhere I look I see happy couples and... I want something like that... It's something I've wanted since I was a filly. But it never works out."

"So... You write romance cause it's what you want, but something you feel like you can't have?" Twilight cocked her head to the side, seeing if she got that right.

"Kind of? I write romance cause it's an expression of who I am too. The kinds of... Acts of love I'd like to see or think are cute. These stories they're... They're a part of me."

"I think I see now. Is there any particular reason you write about ponies you know?"

Fluttershy hesitated a bit, but the calming smile Twilight gave her made her push forward. "Well... I know we have the Counsil of Friendship but... I can't help feeling like we're drifting apart. Like our time together is... Over. Writing about you guys it... It's a way to keep us together. At least in my mind. It keeps our friendship alive. It means that our time together never has to end. This... This is probably all stupid..."

Twilight stood and shook her head, placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "No Fluttershy... It's not. I... Think I see where you're coming from. I've been feeling lonely too. Not in the sane way you have but I miss our friends. I miss seeing each other every day. I miss the wacky antics. I miss the chaos. And yeah, our days of spending every day together are over, but that doesn't mean we are. We can keep our friendship alive as long as we keep living. We just need to keep each other in our hearts. If we do that, we can always meet again."

A tear rolled down Fluttershy's face. She looked up to Twilight, an unsure expression forming. "But... What about the time between...? It doesn't help the lonely nights where I just want someone to be there... I... I don't want to die alone..."

Twilight ran her hoof through Fluttershy's mane. "You won't die alone Fluttershy... We'll all be here. If not in person then in spirit."

"That's not what I mean Twilight... I don't want to be alone all the time... I want someone to struggle with, to fight with, to love with. I want someone through the good times and the bad times. I want to wake up and have somepony there with me. That way... At least the bad times wouldn't feel so bad anymore..."

"Why does that need to be a romantic partner...? You have friends who can help you. Friends who love you."

"I... I don't know! I just... I don't want to be alone anymore..." Fluttershy was fully crying now, having let out the deepest part of her she kept hidden. This desire, just to feel like someone was there for her through it all on a deeper level than a mere friendship having finally revealed itself.

Twilight held her friend there, gently hugging her as she sobbed. Twilight thought about it more. She didn't really have the same feelings as Fluttershy. She didn't need someone that way. But she understood that Fluttershy felt like she did.

"Fluttershy. I'm... Not sure I can help you with your love problems. I'm not Cadence. But... I think I can alleviate some of your loneliness. I think you've undervalued your friendships. You may feel like you need to be with someone to be happy, but you don't. Happiness is a choice. A choice to enjoy the moment and take in what you do have. You have loving friends and found a purpose in your life. I'm not saying not to shoot for love or want for more. Just... Realize that what you do have, is really incredible."

Fluttershy sniffed and considered her words. Despite the strange circumstance, Twilight was still here, comforting her and supporting her despite sending a weird letter to her and hurting a mutual friend. It wasn't romantic love, but it was love.

"I... I guess you're right... I just... I'm just tired of feeling alone." Fluttershy hugged Twilight again, just enjoying the warmth of her friend.

"I understand Fluttershy. Just remember you're not alone. At least consider that before you go running off into the Everfree next time." The two ponies shared a chuckle before separating.

Fluttershy rubbed her forehoof before sighing and looking to the ground. "Do you... Think it'll end? That feeling... If I found the right pony. Would the loneliness end?"

Twilight considered her words before speaking. "I'm not sure Fluttershy. But I think, whether you find your special somepony or not, I think you'll be fine. You're stronger than you know. You can keep going. And when it's hard, you've got good friends by your side."

That made Fluttershy smile. While she still felt lonely and worried about her future, it felt a little brighter now.

"Besides. Maybe you could write more. The story you sent wasn't half bad." Twilight giggled softly.

Fluttershy blushed a bit and rubbed the back of her head. "I... Might. I really just write for myself. But maybe I can write something for others. And maybe the next one won't have any romance at all!"

"Well, I look forward to it Fluttershy~ You know, for when you accidentally send me that one too~" The two ponies couldn't help but giggling at the thought.

After a while, Twilight started to head for the door, gesturing for Fluttershy to follow after her. "We should probably tell the others that you're fine. We kinda formed a search party."

Fluttershy sheepishly followed after, a little sad she'd made her friends worry like that. "Twilight... When we get everyone back together, do you think we could all go to Pony Joe's?"

Twilight beamed brightly at her friend. "That sounds perfect."

Author's Note:

Aaaaand it's done. My return to fanfiction. I don't know if I'll write more. It's kind of a feeling that comes and goes. Right now, I want to say I will, but who knows. This isn't a story anyone is really reading but it's one I wanted to write because it's true to me. This one was cathartic to write and I'm glad I did. So if anyone is reading this, thank you. Thank you for letting me express myself to you. I hope you stick around. I might have more stories in the future.

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