It Turns Out They're Windmills

by J Carp

Where Your Eyes Don't Go

Rainbow Dash splayed her back legs on the ground, feeling the stretch in her hips and back. "Little more," she said to Fluttershy, who dutifully put more weight as she pressed on Rainbow's shoulders. "Okay, great, leave it like that a minute." Properly positioned, she directed her thoughts back to her friend's problem. "So... Twilight was flirting with you."

A slight jostling indicated that Fluttershy was nodding. "It was very uncomfortable. She winked at me."

Rainbow grinned despite herself. "Oh man, I kind of wish I'd been there. I bet it was hilarious."

"That's not the word I'd use..."

"Yeah, you know what I mean, though. OK, let me up, your turn."

They switched positions. Rainbow always forgot how limber Fluttershy was and she was always impressed whenever she was reminded. She figured that worked out well for everypony. "Listen," she said with only a little hesitancy, "you know Twilight's deal, right? She freaks out sometimes and acts crazy. I bet she didn't even know what she was even doing."

"Do you really think so?"

"Psht. Yeah. It's gotta be that. Twilight wouldn't do anything on purpose to mess with you and Moon Dancer. She's, like, you guys's biggest fan." She gently pulled away from Fluttershy, who stood and regarded her apprehensively. "Okay, come on," Rainbow said. "Wing squats, let's go."

Fluttershy frowned. "I don't like wing squats."

"Nopony likes wing squats, you do them because they're good for you. Come on." Rainbow began her exercise very lightly, gesturing with encouragement. "I promise, if you're worried about something, a workout always does the trick."

They wing-squatted for a bit, and then they did a few sit-ups. Fluttershy needed all her energy for the exercises, and Rainbow used the time to think of what to say next. That was a bad idea, because she ended up saying, "It's you dating Moon Dancer. It made everything weird."

Fluttershy froze and stared at Rainbow in horror. "What...?"

"No! I mean... sorry, I said that wrong." Rainbow sighed. "Listen, we're all really, really happy for you, I promise. We all want you to have a special sompony. It's just... look, we were all friends for years without any of us dating, and now all out of nowhere, one of us has this super serious relationship. It's new. We gotta adjust. It's not fair that you have to deal with us being weird because you found a special somepony, but that's what's going on."

"...so you're not all mad at me?"

"What? No! Of course not. You got a right to tell off anypony that makes you think they are." Rainbow stood. "Okay, laps. C'mon." She rose into the air and took off at a leisurely (maddeningly slow) pace.

Fluttershy was already a little out of breath. "But all of you are having a hard time?"

"I wouldn't say 'hard time,'" Rainbow replied. "Nopony's gonna act as bad as I did. But yeah, we're all trying to adjust. Like how Rarity's always working really hard to make sure you know you can talk to her about Moon Dancer. And, like, Pinkie was showing us all these decoration colors for your birthday party because she's nervous about it going right. Little stuff."

"And Applejack?"

"Pffft. Applejack's the only one who's totally fine. Well, I mean, about all that. Which is strange, because..."

"It was one date, Rainbow."

"Whatever. Anyway, she's just weird because she's super-judgy about Canterlot ponies."

Fluttershy panted. "She is?"

"Oh, yeah. You know, her big book-learnin' vs. common-sense farmpony stuff, I don't really get it. But she knows it's not fair, so she's sitting on it." Rainbow appraised Fluttershy's state and nodded smartly. "Okay, time for a break." They glided to the ground. "Come on, resting doesn't mean we're not moving."

They slowly walked, Fluttershy panting and sweating. Finally, she said, "I didn't know all this was going on."

"Because none of it is your problem," Rainbow replied airily. "I didn't tell you because you're supposed to do anything about it. You're doing everything right. It's all just gonna take a little bit of time."

Fluttershy looked down at the ground and softly asked, "so why would Twilight be acting like that?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Who knows? Probably some crazy-complicated Twilight freakout thing. I bet she didn't even know ponies could be gay until she found out about you and Moon Dancer. She's probably figuring stuff out about herself."

Fluttershy frowned. "I don't think that matters. It wasn't okay."

"What?" Rainbow shook her head. "That's not what I'm saying. Break over!" She took off, Fluttershy begrudgingly following. "Look, what Twilight did isn't cool," Rainbow continued. "If you're upset about it, then that's totally fine, and I'll be right there with you. But if you're not upset about it, then maybe just think about forgiving her? I mean, who knows, when this is over, your gay trivia team might have another member."

"...maybe." They flew in silence for a few moments. "Lyra's not gay, she's bi," Fluttershy clarified.

"Ugh, whatever, you know what I'm saying," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. She looked over at her exhausted friend. "So... are you upset, or not?"

"Right now... my wings hurt too much for me to be upset."

"It's working!" Rainbow pumped her hoof and did a loop. "I rule! I told you wing-squats were good for you."

Fluttershy grimaced and panted. "Because... they hurt so much... they distract you from your problems?"

"Yeah! And also, they build your traps."

"Traps?!" Pinkie exclaimed, pedaling her flying bicycle beside them. "Oh no!"

Fluttershy squeaked in surprise, but Rainbow just sighed. "Not that kind of trap, Pinkie."

"Oh." Pinkie giggled at her own mistake. "Anyway, sorry to interrupt your workout, girls, but I had a question for Fluttershy about her party! Actually more like several questions. Three or four eensy tiny dozen questions."

Fluttershy just looked at Rainbow and pointed pleadingly at the ground. Rainbow nodded and they all glided to the ground, Pinkie simply hopping off her bicycle and letting it float away. "So," Pinkie said with desperately feigned casualness, "I heard a craaaazy rumor that Twilight went out of town this morning! Isn't that craaaazy?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "It's true, Pinkie."

"Ha ha!" Pinkie laughed, her eyes flashing with mania. "Twilight leaves town the day before Fluttershy's birthday! The day before Fluttershy's birthday party! That's hilarious!"

Fluttershy slowly caught her breath. "I think she's planning on being back tomorrow morning," she said. "The party's not until nighttime."

"That's cutting it awfully close there, doncha think!?" Pinkie shrieked, then she clutched her chest. "I mean! That's fine! Super dandy duper! We'll be fine! Heyyyy, Fluttershy, which do you like better, parties with balloons, or parties with balloons and also streamers?"

"I like the same things I've always liked, Pinkie," Fluttershy said sharply. "I'm not a different pony just because I'm dating now."

It wasn't until a moment later that she realized Rainbow and Pinkie had stopped walking when she said that. She looked back and saw them standing there, Rainbow awkward and Pinkie hurt. "Oh..." Fluttershy walked back to them, hanging her head. "I'm so sorry, Pinkie; it was really rude of me to snap at you. It's just... I have so much happening to me right now, and I really do trust you to make a party I'll enjoy."

She looked over at Rainbow, who began running in place, staring back at her meaningfully. Fluttershy sighed and began to slowly trot along, Rainbow following.

Even as she smiled gratefully, Pinkie joined in. "I know, I'm being a silly-filly."

"It's okay, Pinkie, I know the party will be great." The three of them ran on for a moment. "Uh, Rainbow?" Flutterhy said hesitantly.

"Yo?"

"I think I need to lie down for a long time. When can I do that?"

Rainbow glanced at her stopwatch. "Ten more minutes."

Fluttershy squeaked in despair. Pinkie groaned. They all jogged.

---

Rainbow Dash nodded in thanks as Rarity handed over the can of sparkling water. It was a routine, now: head up to Rarity's bedroom and talk about how much they hated Weeping Willow. Rainbow had an ally, and it made things a little more secure. Sure, they all hated Weeping Willow, but Rarity really hated Weeping Willow.

"...and all along, he was giving me that look. You know the one. And he tells me... oo, I can't believe it." Rarity balled up her fist and glared. "He tells me, 'Science says women who wear makeup are more likely to be lonely and depressed.'"

"What??" Rainbow leaned forward, bugging out her eyes. "Augh, he just keeps getting worse somehow!"

"I remained perfectly polite, of course, and I asked him why he thought to mention that. And he just looked at me and said..." Rarity fanned herself in distress and rage, "...he said, 'Well, you look like someone who wouldn't know any science.'"

Rainbow was actually too shocked to reply. She vaguely realized she should stop thinking there was no deeper Weeping Willow could go.

Rarity flung herself onto the chaise lounge she kept in the corner of her room. "And that was when Fluttershy came back with her math book, and they left." She dramatically perched the back of her hand against her forehead. "The worst part, however, was when they were leaving, he said to me, 'I'm just kidding around, don't take it too seriously.'"

"He always does that!" Rainbow exclaimed, punching Rarity's bed in anger. "He'll be the worst and then go 'Oh, it's just a joke, can't you take a joke?'"

"He continuously adds annoying habits," Rarity said. "He kept mentioning Fluttershy's big birthday surprise and how amazing it will be for her. Three times in four minutes. I counted. And he kept sniffling. After every sentence, a sniffle."

"Oh man, the nose thing!" Rainbow agreed. "I didn't even notice at first, but once I did, it was the only thing I could pay attention to. Oh, and what's with that notebook he keeps carrying around?"

"Oh!" Rarity sat up, an odd smile on her face. "That was the other thing I wanted to mention. It's completely unbelievable. I asked him about it, because he kept glancing at it. And he told me... goodness." Rarity let out a giggle. "He told me, it was where he was writing down his 'rhymes.'"

"What?!" Rainbow fell back onto the bed, laughing harder than she had in weeks. "If his big birthday surprise is that he's going to rap to her, that would be amazing. If it wasn't Fluttershy that had to sit there and listen to him, this would almost all be worth it just for how hysterical that'll be."

"Exactly!" Rarity exclaimed. "Anyone else would tell him to stop, but Fluttershy will sit there and listen to the whole thing." She sighed, sipping her mango-flavored sparkling water. "Rainbow, really. What are we going to do?"

Rainbow stopped laughing. She lay back on Rarity's bed, watching the ceiling fan spin lazily. "I dunno. Wait for Sunset to come up with a plan?"

"I don't think she's going to. She's taking a long time, and she seems frozen about it. I'm not sure why. Maybe she's still concerned that we were somehow unwelcoming to him first."

Rainbow snorted. "You know what the first thing he said to me was? I went, 'Yo, dude.' And he said something like, 'Oh, typical, girls totally ignore me until I get a girlfriend, and then they all want to talk to me.'"

Rarity sat up. "I have been perfectly civil, but I honestly don't care anymore. We just need to be rid of him. And of course I'm perfectly straight..." She looked at Rainbow expectantly.

Rainbow blinked, unsure of what she was supposed to do. "Um, yeah, you're straight?"

Rarity nodded smartly. "Yes, and so because I'm straight, I can't directly understand. But Fluttershy deserves to live openly." She sighed pensively, gazing into the middle distance. "Can you imagine it? Fluttershy with a beautiful girlfriend? It's so sweet."

"Yeah. She deserves it." Rainbow felt a bit sleepy and mopey, staring up at the fan. "I guess we just have to keep waiting." There was a long pause. Rainbow sat up. "I hate waiting."

Rarity simply drank her sparkling water. "Me too, darling. But what can we do?"

They just looked at one another helplessly.

---

"...um. And then I told her she shouldn't travel if she's not feeling well, and I flew away." Fluttershy looked back at her special somepony hesitantly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you immediately, I was really confused."

Moon Dancer did not move. Her mouth hung open slightly in an expression of shock, but her eyes were shifting and bulging this way and that. There was a lot going on in her head.

"...Moon Danc--"

"I need a minute!" Moon Dancer bellowed suddenly. She whirled around and marched out of the room.

Fluttershy stood alone, akwardly. She noticed Moon Dancer had not done her dishes recently, then she felt rude for noticing.

Moon Dancer strode back into the room. She looked calm and frantic simultaneously. "I'm better now," she announced. "Please be aware, my inclination is to use intellectualization in situations like this. Is that all right?"

"Um, what does that mean?"

"It means I act like a parody of a university professor, because it helps keep me calm."

"Oh. Yes, that's fine."

Moon Dancer nodded sharply. "All right. First things first. Are you okay?"

Fluttershy smiled gratefully and leaned against her special somepony. "Yes. I was upset this morning, but I'm fine now."

"All right." Fluttershy could practically hear the quill scraping across Moon Dancer's mental checklist. "Okay. Second thing: mind control, emotional manipulation, et cetera. There are a number of spells and artifacts that could have been affecting her. Did you notice any strange glowing in her eyes? Was there a noticeable change in pressure in the air around her horn?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment. "I don't think so."

"Was there a teapot in the room anywhere? Or a small statue of a sphinx?"

"Uh. No."

"All right." Moon Dancer nodded again. "Next: Collateral damage. Is there any way you can think of that somepony outside the three of us could be hurt as a result of Twilight's actions?"

Moon Dancer's way of dealing with this was very alien to Fluttershy, but there was something comforting about it. "Pinkie Pie. She wants my birthday party to go well."

"How big a priority is that?"

"Um." Fluttershy sighed. "It's kind of important. I really don't want her to feel like she can't make a good party for me. I just heard she's been upset about it."

"I see. But your party is tomorrow night. So if Twilight gets back tomorrow, that only leaves us that day to talk to her."

"I know," Fluttershy said, frowning. "But... I don't want to wait too long, anyway."

"Me neither," Moon Dancer agreed. She sighed and laid her chin on Fluttershy's back. "Okay. Next: Twilight herself."

"Y...yes."

They stood in silence for a moment. "This is the hard one," Moon Dancer said. Fluttershy just nodded.

"Okay." Moon Dancer pulled back and looked at Fluttershy seriously. "The worst possibility is that she has feelings for you, and she was attempting to... steal you away." She looked away for a moment, then looked back just as seriously. "I think we can discard that."

"I think so, too."

"Okay." Moon Dancer could not hide her clear relief. "Next: She has feelings for you, and she could not keep herself from expressing them, due to the closeness of your friendship, her lack of experience with romance, and confusion about a same-sex attraction."

Fluttershy squeaked lightly. "M...maybe."

"...Yeah, okay." Moon Dancer's intellectualization was slipping, but she was clearly doing her best to keep it together. "Next: She was acting strangely because of some unknown, internal factor that has nothing to do with you."

Fluttershy looked away. "I don't think so. Because... she said she was going to the Crystal Empire. That's where Cadence lives, and Cadence can... um. She can tell when ponies are... in love."

"I see. Yes." Moon Dancer looked at the floor for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed her mouth again. Finally, she said, "Indeed."

"Hey." Fluttershy lifted Moon Dancer's chin to look into her eyes. "Please don't get scared. I love you. Not Twilight. I mean... I do love Twilight, just not... oh, you know what I mean."

Moon Dancer chuckled, then leaned forward and kissed Fluttershy briefly. "Yeah. I know. And I trust you."

Fluttershy nodded. "Do you... trust Twilight, too?" she asked hesitantly. "I think I decided that I do. I think... I think she did something wrong, but she didn't mean to hurt anypony, and I can forgive her."

Moon Dancer was quiet for a long time. Finally, she looked up and, as sincerely as she could, she said, "I do trust Twilight."

Fluttershy released a breath she was holding. She smiled softly. "No matter what happens tomorrow, it won't be my worst birthday ever. Because it can't be worse than the time I got thrown into a cage with six porcupines."

Moon Dancer gaped. "You what?"

"Well, that circus was kidnapping those poor porcupines and locking them up!" Fluttershy exclaimed, stomping her hoof. "They didn't even know how to take care of them! So Applejack and I snuck in and... well, it worked out eventually. But I had to swordfight a clown with a porcupine quill."

Moon Dancer simply stared at her special somepony in wonder. "I think I can't possibly be any more in love with you," she breathed, "and then I hear you dueled an evil clown."

"Oh! I mean." Fluttershy blushed. "The... the important thing is, the porcupines were safe."

Moon Dancer leaned against her special somepony, smiling bittersweetly. "Tomorrow's gonna suck," she said. "But later tomorrow will be okay. And then tomorrow night will be great. That's what I think."

Fluttershy exhaled gratefully. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

They sat together, warm and anxious.

---

Shining Armor always had a joke: It was a good thing Twilight was so talented at magic, because if she was just slightly worse, her cutie mark would have ended up symbolizing her amazing ability to be anxious. She could worry intently and then, without a break, worry about how much she had been worrying. She was able to maintain a high level of fretting hours after most ponies would have keeled over with exhaustion.

He did not make any jokes when he saw the state she was in as she got off the train. Instead, he just frowned and hugged her. "Oh, Twily," he said.

She was in no state to go to the special sibling lunch he had planned, so they went directly to the castle, walking slowly. She looked tired in a way he had never seen before. "So... did something bad happen, or did you do something you think is bad?" he asked.

"The second one," she answered, looking straight ahead.

He nodded. "I thought so. Hope we can help."

"Me too. How's Flurry Heart?"

He smiled. "She's getting a bath from Uncle Butler right now. You'll see her later, but... we figured you'd want to talk first." He hesitated, then decided to go for it. "We were really worried when we got your message. Are you all right?"

She hung her head and kept walking. "Don't know."

That was all they said to each other on the way to the castle.

When they arrived, Cadence was halfway through her salad, surprised to see them back already. She waved cheerfully, flitted over, and embraced Twilight. She was doing a surprisingly good job of hiding her concern over her sister-in-law's state, but Shining Armor could tell she was worried already. She clearly did not want to waste time.

They retired to the living room, comfortable and cluttered. Shining caught Twilight giving a soft smile to one of Flurry Heart's toys lying on a sofa, and he felt his optimism rising. "Okay," he said. "Tell us what happened."

So she did. It was long and detailed and very, very awkward.

When she finished, she was lying on the floor, huddled in mopiness and shame. Shining looked helplessly over at Cadence, who visibly steeled her resolve. "All right," she said so quietly he could barely hear. "We're doing this."

She walked over to Twilight and lay down next to her. "So," she said, "you made a pass at Fluttershy."

Twilight groaned. "Is that what that was?"

"Yes. A... terrible pass, but it was a pass."

Twilight levitated a blanket over and dropped it over her own head. Shining quickly removed it. "C'mon, Twily, we need you talking to us."

Cadence wrapped a wing around her sister-in-law. "We're family, and that means there's no judgment here. You can say anything, and we won't hold it against you."

Twilight kept moping, so Cadence bumped her playfully with her side. "Hey, can I tell you something? I've been waiting to have some version of this talk with you since you were a tiny little foal. I used to daydream about how fun it would be to talk to you about romance and dating when you were old enough."

Twilight sniffled. "Really?"

"You bet! You were going to be a secret weapon for me, actually."

"Secret weapon? What do you mean?"

Cadence smiled brightly. "I imagined you coming to me with these big, complicated, weird situations that I would help you with. Because you were always too smart to put up with anything simple, right? And ponies would praise me all over, 'Oh, Cadence, what an amazing love genius you are!' But they didn't know your secret: You have the most beautiful heart, and so those complicated situations were always going to work out anyway. I wouldn't have to do any magic at all; I was just going to take the credit."

Twilight smiled; it looked genuine. "You're so sneaky."

"I admit it," Cadence said, nodding. She paused slightly. "So... do you think you can really talk to us about this?"

Twilight sighed. "It's hard, though, because I don't even know what I was thinking. I love Fluttershy and Moon Dancer. I love that they're together. I want them to get married and have foals and be little old ladies together. I just couldn't get it out of my head that Moon Dancer and I are the same. We look alike, and we act alike. Because why would..." She looked away, searching for words, then gave up. "I don't know."

Shining Armor took a step forward hesitantly. "Maybe your feelings for Fluttershy just were too strong?" he suggested.

Twilight gazed back at him blankly. "...Feelings for Fluttershy?"

He blinked. "Um, yeah?" He looked to Cadence for help, but she was unreadable. "Usually when you make a pass at somepony, you have feelings for them."

Twilight stared for a moment, then her face morphed into an expression of utter horror. "I have feelings for Fluttershy??"

"Actually," Cadence interjected. "I've... never noticed any signs of love in Twilight towards Fluttershy."

Twilight froze, looking at her with a tiny bit of hope. "You haven't?"

"No. Little things maybe, but nothing that wouldn't fit in to friendship. Nothing like what I saw the night Moon Dancer and Fluttershy met."

Twilight relaxed. "Oh, I'm so relieved. That would make things even worse."

Shining Armor fell to a seated position, utterly perplexed. "Wait. Twily... you don't have feelings for Fluttershy?"

She shook her head. "I guess not."

He blinked. "Are you... attracted to mares at all?"

"I don't think so."

"...Do you even want to date anypony right now?"

"No."

Shining noticed that Cadence did finally seem surprised. "But... Twilight, then what have you been so upset about?"

Twilight cringed and looked away. "I can't," she said finally. "It makes me a bad pony."

Shining Armor frowned. He slowly walked over and lay down on Twilight's other side. "Remember the bake sale?" he asked.

"What?" Cadence asked, confused, but Twilight clearly did remember the bake sale, and it was not a flattering memory.

"When I was in school, my class had a bake sale," Shining explained. "Twilight was really young, you hadn't even met her yet. And our dad was making cookies for me to take to the sale. And Twilight got it into her head that it would be within the realm of possibility for her to put lemon juice in the cookie dough to ruin the cookies."

"I wasn't going to do it!" Twilight defended, still obviously embarrassed about Cadence thinking ill of her.

"Right, of course," Shining said quickly. "She didn't want to put lemon juice in the cookies. She just realized she could. And she was so upset, she ran upstairs and accidentally conjured a big magical storm and our dad had to deal with that. So, the cookies burned, and I didn't have anything to take to the bake sale." He looked at her, hoping his uncontrollable smirk was not visible. "That's what this reminds me of. A demon attacks Equestria, and you fight it off without a problem. But if something that feels bad gets into your head, it's a disaster."

"It is a disaster!" Twilight argued. "That's how it works. I have a bad thought, and the next thing you know, bam, Moon Dancer's a hermit, or Starlight loses her friend, or a safe falls on my head!"

"Twilight." Cadence was fully in babysitter-mode, calming and serene. "Listen. Thoughts can't be bad. They're just your thoughts. You shouldn't act on all your thoughts, and there are some ponies you shouldn't express certain thoughts to, but that's all." She leaned closer. "And we're not those ponies. We're not Fluttershy."

Twilight closed her mouth and was quiet for a long time. Finally she said, very softly, "Why not me?"

She looked up at them with wide, sad eyes and continued, "Fluttershy knew me for years. If I'm like Moon Dancer, then I'm the kind of pony she could be in love with, right? So why not me?"

She was building up steam, getting louder and more anxious. "And that's awful, right? I want Fluttershy to have these pining, unreciprocated feelings for me?" She shook her head, as if reminding herself of something important. "And listen, I get it. Moon Dancer is cooler than me and a better studier than me and she has those sexy smart-pony glasses. But Fluttershy should have felt something, right? In all those years?"

"Love doesn't work that way," Cadence said soothingly.

"I know, but..." Twilight's eyes were red and damp. "I just wanted her to look at me like she looks at Moon Dancer. It's selfish, but I wanted her to like me, so I could feel okay again. But she wouldn't, she just got scared."

"Why were you thinking about this, if you don't even want to date anypony?" Cadence asked gently.

"Before Moon Dancer and Fluttershy got together, friendship was friendship and romance was... this weird, far-off thing. Now it's always there, and... I don't know. It's this whole new thing in my friendships." Twilight looked off to the side, sniffling. "And there's... the other me. The human one. She has a boyfriend. That's what they call special someponies over there. And she's exactly me, but... boys like her."

Shining Armor laughed. His sister and wife both whipped their heads on him in rage and shock, but he couldn't help it. "Oh, come on," he said finally, "are we really supposed to take it seriously that ponies are never going to be attracted to Twilight?"

"She feels how she feels!" Cadence defended.

"I know, and how she feels is valid, but... come on."

Twilight glared at her brother coldly. "You wouldn't understand. You've always been popular."

"You didn't care!" Shining Armor argued, feeling petulant. "Twily, literally the same day you first opened yourself up to other ponies, you got five best friends. I'm not saying romance isn't hard, and I'm not saying how you're feeling isn't important. But you have to realize that you're making up a catastrophe in your own head. As soon as you want to date other ponies, other ponies are going to want to date you, I'm sure of it."

She looked down between her hooves. "Nopony ever has before."

Cadence frowned. "Twilight, it's easy for love to feel impossible. I think you know that you're smart and you're beautiful, and I think you trust that you have a loving heart. But sometimes ponies start thinking love is ineffible, so there must be something ineffibly wrong with them if they can't find it."

"Exactly," Twilight confirmed. "I just have a broken... love... thing." Shining Armor started to speak, but she shoved her hoof against his chin, pressing his mouth closed. "Quiet, you. I know that didn't make any sense. I know there's nothing wrong with me. I just..." She sighed. "I just wish I knew of one pony who liked me like that, just once. So I could stop worrying about it."

She lay her chin on the floor glumly, and they nestled in closer to her.

"Am I gay?" she asked hesitantly.

Shining Armor did not even look at her. "No, probably not. You just said five minutes ago you aren't attracted to mares."

"Oh, right." Twilight sighed. "That's all it takes, huh?" She paused. "But... can you guys anyway...?"

"We'll love you a hundred percent, no matter what you are," Cadence said. "So will your friends. So will your parents. I know for sure."

They were quiet for a long time, and Shining began to feel his sister relaxing. Finally she asked, "What should I do about Fluttershy and Moon Dancer?"

"Apologize," Cadence replied quickly.

"Apologize a lot," Shining Armor added.

"Basically, don't ever stop apologizing," Cadence finished.

Twilight moped. "I really did mess up big this time."

"You did." Cadence tilted her head and looked at Twilight very seriously. "I think they'll forgive you. But you know that we can't promise they'll forgive you, right?"

"Yeah."

They lay quietly for a few moments before Shining noticed the water coming out from under the door. He heard the muffled shouts a second later.

Cadence looked over at him dryly. "What do you think? Magical maelstrom?"

"I think she conjured a sea monster."

Shining Armor stood up when the urgent knocking on the door finally happened. "Want to go see your niece and the kraken she probably just summoned?" he asked. Twilight nodded glumly and stood.

She did not look like she felt good. But she did look like she felt better. She sighed, the first rays of hope beginning to show up in her expression. That was when the tentacle crashed through the wall.

Author's Note:

Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of.

Comments

[Aurora Dimmet]

8974227

There are straight people married to gay people, y'know. Some of them even have families the natural way. I imagine it takes some soul-searching and such, and being just THAT super comfortable with your partner to get around the inherent lack of sexual attraction to their genital situation.

[Darkstarling]

I always like it when Cadence is good at her job. And I'm glad to see the Fluttershy and Moondancer are smart enough to dismiss Twilight trying to be scummy,

Willow continues to disgrace one of my favorite trees.

[Texus]

I still hope she isn't joining the herd just because of her crazy moment and self esteem.

Maybe you should make it cleat if we are back to the pony world.

Oh I can see an anime/cartoon being called Fluttershys adventure that last two minutes every day. One of those episodes she fights a clone and in another one she nearly get's a heartattack by meeting someone around the corner.

8985692
That was actually one of her better moments in my opinion yes, but i think they can also write her horribly wrong and often use her to kind of force two ponies together faster than they are comfortable with it. Often enough I think it even happens before the main char even noticed that he is in love with someone himself, which made it look a bit weird and then it get's a bit into the mind control direction for me.
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It was a nice chapter.

[Linksta]

She did not look like she felt good. But she did look like she felt better. She sighed, the first rays of hope beginning to show up in her expression. That was when the tentacle crashed through the wall.

I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going.

[JetstreamGW]

Wait, you forgot the part where Cadance and Shining tell Twi that she really needs a goddamned therapist.

[XxTestName69xX]

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She and me both, buddy

[Natedogg2006]

I think this is one of the few situations where you can in all legitimacy prescribe the often half heartedly recommended treatment, "she really needs to get laid." Not a one night stand, and definitely not like a gigolo. Take a week off and have some kind of one off fling / whirlwind romance in Vegas or something. Seriously Twilight, go get some

[Tanglemane]

A very appropriate TMBG quote.

[PresentPerfect]

Rainbow being an actual good friend instead of the worst pony ever is my fetish.

"Twilight." Cadence was fully in babysitter-mode, calming and serene. "Listen. Thoughts can't be bad. They're just your thoughts. You shouldn't act on all your thoughts, and there are some ponies you shouldn't express certain thoughts to, but that's all." She leaned closer. "And we're not those ponies. We're not Fluttershy."

I feel like she was talking directly to me.

[Vaguely Demented]

Seriously. He has teeth. How?

[Soge]

The whole plot of Human Fluttershy friends trying to control her love life feels very much Not OK. I wonder where that will lead to.

Also, as horribly awkward and inappropriate as it was, Twilight's "pass" at Fluttershy doesn't seem to be that bad, given her actual intentions.

[cooldash]

Is Weeping Willow supposed to be some sort of Ben Shapiro knockoff? Because I'm definitely getting those "creep with a pseudo-intellectual streak" vibes from him.

[Moproblems Moharmoney]

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I mean her guys an asshole who she lets walk all over her

[Venlinelle]

"Twilight." Cadence was fully in babysitter-mode, calming and serene. "Listen. Thoughts can't be bad. They're just your thoughts. You shouldn't act on all your thoughts, and there are some ponies you shouldn't express certain thoughts to, but that's all." She leaned closer. "And we're not those ponies. We're not Fluttershy."

Very well put.

Twilight glared at her brother coldly. "You wouldn't understand. You've always been popular."

Actually he was explicitly so unpopular that him getting with Cadance required an elaborate scheme on part of his Ogres and Oubliettes group, but that’s another story.