Goals to Strive For

by DigitalPhoenix

Take a Chance

Fluttershy returned home for a brief time to prepare a lunch for their picnic. Hers was a strange abode amongst the Ponyville suburbs, an entirely natural cottage built from the nearby woodlands. It had been her passion project throughout high school, creating a home that had everything she needed to live on her own. It wasn't very 'modern', as the only heat system in it was a fireplace, but it was cozy for Fluttershy and any of her visitors. The only bill she had to pay was wi-fi, and that was easily covered by her part-time job at the clinic.

The home itself seemed to blend with the forest around it. It was a rounded wooden structure decorated with shrubbery outside its doors and windows. A large garden sprawled across the clearing in her backyard, and various feeding stations were set up throughout the property. Small plots of colorful flowers adorned the front of the home, ranging from typical roses to some more exotic varieties that even some of the best florists in town never heard of; Fluttershy prided herself on her connections.

Opening the front door, Fluttershy was greeted by a swarm of various critters; mice, beavers, birds, and even a few bats, though she was surprised to see them out and about at this hour. Her attention was seized by the small white bunny pulling at her sock.

"Aw, yes Angel, I've missed you too." Fluttershy scooped up her own pet and cuddled him in her arms. "Treehugger, are you here?"

Fluttershy continued through her home, finding the designated caretaker conked out on her living room couch. Fluttershy rolled her eyes, knowing that she likely put too much of her special herbs in her tea again. Everybody asked her whether or not Treehugger was on drugs, considering her usual oblivious nature, and while Fluttershy was certain she didn't take any conventional drugs like marijuana, she always had to wonder just what it was that she added to her brew. Fluttershy had already sworn to herself she would never try it, out of fear of what she'd do in such a state.

After taking care of her animals, Fluttershy set about making lunch. She decided on a salad for herself, mixing a variety of her home-grown fruits and veggies into a colorful blend, with Angel sneaking away a leaf of lettuce every now and again. She knew Rainbow was less keen on salad, so she opted to make some sandwiches for her. Peanut butter and jelly would be too ordinary for her, but luckily Fluttershy kept a varied stock of preserves to use. Rainbow always loved the surprise, anyway.

She packed up everything within a classic wicker basket, setting a folded tablecloth over the rest of the lunch. As she made her way out, she attempted to shake Treehugger awake, to no avail. I think I'm going to have to fire her. She did one last routine check on her animals before heading out.

---

Canterlot Park was one of Fluttershy's favorite places outside of her own home. Simple cobblestone paths interlaced the green fields that stretched around a centerpiece lake. The cool breeze rolling off of the water made it a common hangout for anybody during the summer, and the tall trees provided plenty of shade. Fluttershy chose a spot towards the center of the park, settling down underneath a large oak tree. She was already halfway finished setting up the picnic when Rainbow arrived in her signature blur.

"Sorry it took me so long, my mind is still having trouble keeping up with the rest of me," she remarked as she sat down.

Fluttershy could only stare. Rather than the normal jacket and skirt combo, Rainbow was instead wearing a pair of light-gray denim jeans and a hot-pink camisole covered by a red shirt, the wide neck hanging just slightly off her shoulders. It wasn't terribly fancy, sure, but it was still far enough from Rainbow's usual style to turn a few heads, especially Fluttershy's.

"That's an... interesting ensemble you're wearing. I didn't even know you had anything like that."

Rainbow looked down at her own outfit. "Yeah, it's just some stuff my mom got me for my last birthday. Never really saw a reason to wear it before, but..." She turned and scooted closer to Fluttershy with a smirk. "I figured I'd do something a little special for you."

Fluttershy blushed at both Rainbow's tone and their sudden closeness. She quickly grabbed a bag from her picnic basket and held it between them. "I brought lunch!"

After the sudden action startled her for a second, Rainbow took the bag from Fluttershy. "I don't think it'd be a good picnic if you didn't." She pulled out the sandwich from the bag. "So what's today's mystery flavor?" she pondered as she took a bite.

Fluttershy always enjoyed having Rainbow try to guess what jelly was in the sandwich, even if it didn't take very long. Rainbow was getting better and better every time.

"Aw, you gave me an easy one. Do you know how many apples we've collectively had? If I didn't recognize the flavor, I'd be the dumbest person alive."

Fluttershy gave a soft chuckle before she began to eat her salad.

Rainbow broke their momentary silence. "So, how's Treehugger handling her 'project'?"

"Oh, you know, the same way she usually does."

Rainbow's just gave her a deadpan look. "She was passed out on the floor, wasn't she?"

"On my couch."

Rainbow sighed. "I told you she wasn't going to do it right. That girl is just seriously weird. It says a lot when even you of all people can't tell what that 'special herb' she's got actually is. Zecora couldn't tell you what it was?"

Fluttershy settled against the trunk of the tree behind her. "It's not anything she's familiar with. The best she could tell me is that it's possibly not even a natural herb. It's reminiscent of chamomile to some degree, but its far stronger. Possibly some sort of cross breeding or a new mutation, or maybe- why are you laughing?"

"You're sounding like Twilight again."

Fluttershy harrumphed and gave Rainbow a light punch on the shoulder, eliciting more laughter from her friend. "You're the one who asked!"

"You have to admit, it's pretty funny."

Fluttershy simply sat there with her arms crossed, acting angrier than she actually was.

Rainbow brought her arm around Fluttershy's back, pulling her shy friend right next to her. "Aw, I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you."

Fluttershy looked away from Rainbow, their sudden closeness making her heart pound within her chest. "And how do you plan in doing that?"

"Well, how's about you tell me why you wanted me here in the first place?'

Fluttershy froze, her heart throbbing even harder than before, her entire body trembling. "I-I-I j-just wanted to s-spend some more t-t-time with you..."

Rainbow tightened her grip on the girl next to her. "Is that all?"

"Yes." Fluttershy managed to squeak out. This was it, this was when all her hard work came crashing down before her. She felt like an elephant was sitting atop her shoulders, threatening to flatten her the moment Rainbow broke what little resolve she had left. She felt like breaking from her friend's grasp and running away, not looking back for fear of what Rainbow would say to her for her insipid fantasy.

"Fluttershy, please tell me." Rainbow said, her voice almost pleading.

That voice. The moment Rainbow let her own walls down always reassured Fluttershy. The arm trapping her against her friend was now a comforting embrace, and Rainbow's voice pierced the fear that had settled into her core.

She was still at a loss for words, though, and simply remained within her friend's grasp, worried that anything she might say would upset the precarious situation she found herself in. No longer afraid of what Rainbow would think, she was more concerned with what she might do if she couldn't stop her fear from getting the better of her.

Rainbow decided it was time to try and help things along. "Listen, Fluttershy, I've been trying to let you do this at your own pace. I understand you're scared. I understand that you don't want to ruin our friendship." Rainbow put a finger to Fluttershy's mouth before she could interject. "And don't try to argue with me. You may be quiet, but you're not always subtle." Rainbow earned a blush from her friend at that comment.

"Look, I'm not too sure about this whole thing myself. I don't know what I feel, what I should or shouldn't feel, or, hell, what I'm even doing right now. You know what you want, and I need to know what you want. You can't live in this state of limbo forever." Rainbow paused to choose her next words. "I know it's rather unconventional for me, but if you want to take things slow, that's up to you, but I need to know if you wanna take that next step. Otherwise, you're just tormenting yourself even more."

Rainbow could always read her like a book, even when she wasn't very good at empathizing with others. It was one of the things she always enjoyed about Rainbow's company, to be able to confide in someone without having to utter a single word. It was a blessing in disguise, especially since most people found it frustrating to know someone they couldn't slip anything by.

But was closure what Fluttershy actually needed? She had spent the past several months fighting with herself, saying that whatever she hoped to gain wasn't worth the risks involved. Rainbow said that it all rested on her, but...

Wait...

It all rested on her. Whatever choice she made, that's what Rainbow would go with as well. That means...

She'd say yes...

Fluttershy couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face, her relief washing over her just as the droplets hit the ground and her soft sobs could be heard.

"Did I say something wrong? Aagh! I thought I had this right! I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I-mmph!"

Her voice was silenced by Fluttershy turning towards her and bringing their lips together for a soft and quick union. IT only lasted a moment, but that moment was enough to tell Fluttershy just how happy she was going to be.

Rainbow simply smirked. "Heh, coming on a little strong there, aren't you?"

"Oh, hush, Dashie." FLuttershy earned herself a blush from Rainbow.

"Please don't call me that in front of everybody else."

"I'll try."

---

Fluttershy awoke the next morning to the sound of the mourning doves outside her window, her evening gown gently clinging to her form. She rose from her bed with a slight yawn and opened the window to allow the birds entry. Some made straight away for the bird feeder she kept in her room, while the others settled upon the shape that still occupied her bed, causing it to shift slightly.

"Ugh, is this always how you wake up?" Rainbow shooed the birds off of her, stretching as she left her spot on the bed.

"Pretty much, though sometimes there's this beautiful family of cardinals that comes by."

"I swear you live in some sort of fairy tale."

Fluttershy smirked. "Then where's my handsome prince? All I got was a beautiful princess."

"Why do you have to be so sweet? It makes me sick."

"Oh, I could get you some medicine if you need it."

"I- you- wha- Oh, come here!" Rainbow shouted as she tackled her girlfriend to the floor, the two laughing together in the early morning light.

Author's Note:

And that concludes this story. I'm debating what exactly I want to work on next, so I thought it'd be fun to give the viewers a choice. Let me know which of these you guys wanna see next.

- Sunset's return to Equestria
- Rarijack ship fic (EQG)
- Twinkie ship fic (Pony)

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time

Comments

[Gidano90]

Beautiful story, my compliments. I really enjoyed this story and can not wait to read your next stories. I vote for the return of Sunset in Equestria!

[OmniFox]

Sunset's return to Equestria.

[TonyHulk]

Simple, but adorable. Good job, person-I-don't-know.