Heart-a-Flutter

by Shadowmane PX-41

Flutters and Lemon

"Lemon?" Flutters was the first to break up the silence once Key left the house. She waddled over and lightly tugged on Lemon's trouser legs while looking up to her face. Then, once Fluttershy and Lemon made eye contact, she idly tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah, Fluttershy?" Lemon asked, looking down on Fluttershy.

Fluttershy didn't know what to say. Seeing the titan of a human that was Lemon Zest standing before her made her feel very small. And very disconcerted. She had not made as big of a bond with Lemon as she had done with Keychain, so she had to adopt her defensive personality. Twiddling her fingers together, she looked around to see if there was anything that she could do to try and entertain herself, but nothing seemed to come to mind.

"I'm... small. Too small." Fluttershy finally came out and said it, pushing her hands together. "Can you make me not small?"

"Not small? Ya mean, you wanna get bigger?" Lemon tried to piece together Fluttershy's toddler talk the best that she could have. "Well, I don't think I can make you any bigger, but I can at least do this."

Lemon Zest wrapped her arms around Fluttershy's hips and lifted her into the air. When she was wrested from the floor, Fluttershy made a small yelp of shock. But when she was lifted high enough to see just Lemon's face, that shock disappeared. She was now as big as Lemon, or so she had perceived. Fluttershy's smile came back and she nuzzled herself against Lemon's neck.

"Yay! I'm big!" Fluttershy cheered to herself as she looked down at how tiny the rest of the room now looked to her. "Thankies, Lemon..."

"No problem, kid." Lemon just tousled Fluttershy's hair, which caused the little girl to raise her hands into her hair defensively.

"No touchy! My hair's special." Fluttershy's happiness turned into a pout as she looked grumpily at Lemon. "Messy hair is not special. I don't want messy hair."

"Alright, alright. I get it, kid. Geez..." Lemon rolled her eyes. "No need to bite the hand that's feeding ya."

Fluttershy's smile came back as she thought of another idea. Her feet weren't touching the ground and her eyes were focused on the window outside. She watched as a bird spread its' wings on one of the branches outside and took off, flying into the air majestically. Her eyes widened and her smile grew as she watched the pretty creature fly off. And when she did, she looked back to Lemon's eyes.

"That! That! I wanna do that!" Fluttershy pointed to the window where the bird was soaring, which caused Lemon to carry her over.

"Ya wanna do what, Flutters?" Lemon asked, looking out the window. "So far, all that I really see is a bunch of trees, twigs, leaves, and grass."

"No. That!" Fluttershy pointed towards the bird which flitted its' wings by the window. "I wanna fly like a birdie! Can you help me fly like a birdie?" She asked, turning her head back towards Lemon Zest.

"Ya wanna fly?" Lemon lifted a brow. Then, when she saw Fluttershy nodding politely, she thought to herself, Well, I can't exactly give her a pair of wings, but the least I can do is this... "Well, if you say so, kid. Just make sure to hang on."

Lemon Zest changed the way that she was holding Fluttershy around. She tipped her forward so that her belly was securely locked in with her hands. It looked like she was cocooning Fluttershy in a hand-shaped cylinder. Once Fluttershy was securely held, Lemon Zest heard Fluttershy making an excited noise as her smile grew and she spread her arms out like a pair of wings.

"Ready, girl?" Lemon asked, then watched Fluttershy nod again. "Okay then. Three... Two... One! Let's go!" Lemon did a slow jog around the room, making swooping motions to make Fluttershy seem like she was actually flying. All the while, her moves were accompanied by the energetic and highly euphoric laughter of one Fluttershy.

Fluttershy had never really flown around before. But she had seen the birdies of the world doing it many times; even before she had even met Keychain or any of his friends. So when Lemon Zest flew her around the room, she felt like a bird. Even to the point where, during her laughter, her laughter wasn't even to simulate a bird's wings. It was all because she was having the time of her life playing around with Lemon Zest and swooping around the living room, flying around like the birds that she loved to watch. Now she actually was a bird, or at least, she felt like one. And it gave her the most joy out of anything she had ever done or experienced in this whole ordeal.

Lemon Zest had never really been the best with kids. If her high school experiences had taught her anything, it was that kids tended to usually be very energetic; to the point where she couldn't keep up even if she tried. Lemon might have been hyper, but even she had her limits. And if she burned herself out, then what good was any of it? At least, in the case of Fluttershy, she was easy to manage. She wasn't as hyper as the kids that she had worked with before. And she didn't have any kind of super-young-kid trends to follow. No. She was an honest-to-goodness pure soul who lived in the moment and enjoyed playing the way that she wanted to play. And if she wanted to fly, then fly she would. That was the kind of kid that Lemon could handle. And the kind that she felt jealous at Key for taking care of; even if she was a missing kid.

"Whoa! Where are we going?" Lemon asked playfully as she flew Fluttershy out of the living room and back towards the bedroom. She made Fluttershy do a spiral when she made it to the doors and finally barrelled through them. "Look at that! We've got a landing spot! Coming in for a landing!" Lemon announced as she made one last swoop and was about to land Fluttershy when she tripped on one of the plushie animals that Fluttershy liked to play with and landed face-first into the rest of the plush creatures. She was still able to land Fluttershy safely, with her bouncing on the surface of the bed.

Fluttershy was still laughing at a pitch so high that it would've been a long time before she calmed down from all of the excitement. Even as Lemon Zest was picking herself up from the fall that she had taken. She had, after all, loved her playtime as a bird and still felt the magic of flying even when she had landed.

"Ya like that, huh?" Lemon asked, even though she sounded like all of the breath had been knocked out of her with that fall. Still, she got back up and looked down at the giddily giggling girl once more. "Glad ya had fun, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy's laughter went on for a few moments until at long last, she finally started to calm down. And as she calmed down, Lemon Zest picked her back up and put her down on the ground again with all of her toys. It wasn't until her hands and her knees met the ground that she finally took a breath and stopped laughing. She turned back to Lemon Zest, stood back up, and gave her a big hug; coiling her arms around Lemon's legs.

"Lemon? Can you play with me more?" Fluttershy asked. "I wanna turn you from a special into a super-special so I can be happier with you."

"A super-special?" Lemon asked, before squatting down towards Fluttershy's height. "What's a super-special?"

"Super-specials are people that I really, realy, REALLY LIKE." Fluttershy put her hands together as her smile came back. "Mommy and daddy are super-specials. And Keychain's a super-special as well! They're super-nice and I like them because of how super-nice they are. I want you to be super-nice too. Then you'll be a super-special!" She threw her arms out to the side.

"Well... I'm pretty nice right now, aren't I?" Lemon shrugged.

"No." Fluttershy shook her head. "You're just nice-nice. Not super-nice like Key, mommy, and daddy are." Fluttershy waddled her way over towards the drawing table where some crayons and some already-completed drawings laid. She picked up one and scurried back to Lemon, holding the picture up. "See? This is a picture of all the super-nice people. There's mommy, daddy, and Key. Look, look!"

Lemon examined Fluttershy's drawing. Sure enough, it was very sloppy, but she could at least make out Keychain out of the three people. There were two others; one with hair that looked like a soft serve ice cream and the other with red hair that curled at the sides. She could only assume that those other two people were Fluttershy's mom and dad. And there, tucked right by their feet was a tiny sketch of Fluttershy.

"See? They're all my super-specials." Fluttershy nodded. "Mommy's a super special because she's my mommy. And because she likes to cuddle with me and tell me stories. Daddy's a super special because he's my daddy. And because he likes to make me giggle." Her fingers drifted towards Key at last. "And Key's a super-special because I like him very, very much. And he gave me all these wonderful things." She stretched her arms out towards the toys and games around the room. "Because of this, and because I like him, Key's a super-special too."

"So, all I gotta do is get you a bunch of things and I'll be a super-special as well?" Lemon asked, very confused by the specifications that Fluttershy had for a super-special. So far, Lemon fit none of those things. "Well, I don't really know how I can be a super-special, then. I can't buy you all that stuff like Key did because money and me have a love/hate relationship. And I can't exactly be like your mom and dad because... well, I've got no clue how your mom and dad care for you."

"Hmm..." Fluttershy looked down and brought her hand to her chin, rubbing it tenderly as a sign that she was thinking about things. Lemon was right. She was just a special and didn't really know how to be a super-special like Fluttershy said. But, she had at least made her happy for the time being. "Actually, can we play some more?" Fluttershy finally said as she clasped both of her hands. "Super-specials love to play with me, like Key does. So if you play with me, then maybe you can become a super-special too."

"Well, I can definitely play with you, kid. But what do you wanna play?" Lemon asked.

Fluttershy looked around for something that she could play with. Eventually, her eyes locked onto a large, all-pink rubber ball. She scampered over towards it, grabbed the ball with both hands and lumbered her way back towards Fluttershy; head entirely dwarfed by the toy. "This! This!" Fluttershy said, poking her head out from the side. "A ball is super-fun! Super-specials love to play ball with me. And they love to make it even mroe fun than super-fun!"

"Super-fun, eh? Well, I think I've got something planned for that." Lemon smirked as she closed the door and sealed the window using the flap. Once the room was locked down, she sat on the floor and crossed her legs as Fluttershy gave her the ball. "Kids your age like a lot of things. Cartoons, playtime, being with your moms and dads. But something else that they really like is bouncy stuff." Lemon threw the ball to the ground and watched as it bounced over Fluttershy's head. "See that? Ball's very bouncy. Perfect for a kid like you."

"Whoa..." Fluttershy watched as the ball bounced towards the wall and bounced off of it. The ball lost momentum, but eventually landed back at Fluttershy's feet. She just picked it up and made a tiny chuckle, before looking back at Fluttershy. "Can you do it again? Pretty-please?" Fluttershy asked with her knees pressed together and a polite grin.

"Sure, kid." Lemon scooped the ball back up again and bounced it again. This time, with some more force behind it. The ball bounced much farther and went much higher this time. And when it went against the wall, it had enough momentum to bounce over Fluttershy's head again. It came back to Lemon's chest and she caught it effortlessly. "How's that for ya?"

"It's bouncy." Fluttershy's eyes were fixated on the ball in Lemon's hands. "I wanna try! I wanna try! Can I try bouncing the ball?"

"Heh, sure, Flutters." Lemon held the ball down to Fluttershy, who took it in the blink of an eye.

Despite the size of the ball in her hands, Fluttershy didn't feel any weight behind it. But she knew just how bouncy that it could be, as evidence by Lemon's throws. Fluttershy turned towards the walls and mustered up all of her strength. Then, with a high-pitched grunt, she threw the ball towards the wall as hard as she could. It wasn't as strong as Lemon could throw it, but it still squished against the wall and bounced back. It flew over Fluttershy's head by an inch, hit Lemon square in the legs, then ricocheted back towards Fluttershy. The ball hit her in the tummy, knocking her onto her butt.

"Oh my god! Fluttershy!" Lemon looked shocked at the sudden impact of the ball hitting Fluttershy and knocking her over. Arching her body over Fluttershy's, she put her hand against Fluttershy's cheek. "Are you alright? Oh... Key's gonna KILL ME if you're hurt."

Fluttershy didn't say a word, which only added to Lemon's growing fears and concerns. But then, she ended up making another muted laugh, which soon grew louder and louder until she finally got back onto her feet, laughing happily.

"Oh, thank god." Lemon let out a massive sigh of relief as she picked Fluttershy back up. "Don't scare me like that, girl. Really had me worried for your health."

"I'm fine, Lemon. It was a super-squishy ball too. Doesn't hurt." Fluttershy patted her tummy to show that she hadn't really taken any major damage. Her eyes drifted back towards the ball after she finished patting. "But that ball's very bouncy. Lots of fun too."

"Y-yeah." Lemon didn't exactly feel comfortable with the fact that it had almost taken Fluttershy out. She had definitely taken that little game a step too far. "But y'know, it's not just balls that bounce around the place. Do you know anything else that bounces?"

"Ummm..." Fluttershy went back into her thinking pose again as she looked around the room for something that had the same kind of bounciness as the ball they had just been playing with. However, nothing came to mind for her. "Nuh-uh. Nothing."

"Well, actually, Fluttershy. There's something in here that definitely bounces around." Lemon stood Fluttershy back on the ground and put herself by the door. She watched as Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. "It's looking right at you, girl."

"Looking at me?" Fluttershy got concerned as she looked around. She didn't like the idea that something else other than Lemon Zest was looking at her. Were her toys alive? Or was something else in the room. "Can they stop looking at me? It's scary."

"Flutters, there's nothing in here but you and me," said Lemon Zest. "It's me. It's you. It's us! We're all bouncy like that ball we were just playing with." Lemon was already bouncing on the spot to prove her point. "See this? I'm bouncing up and down like that ball!"

Fluttershy's eyes just bounced up and down as she watched Lemon jumping on the spot. It didn't look as pretty as the ball did, but it did make Lemon look like she was bouncy. When Lemon finally stopped, Fluttershy grabbed both of Lemon's legs and grunted, groaning with all of her might as she made an upward motion with her hands.

"Uh, kid? What are you doing?" Lemon lifted a brow.

"I'm trying to throw you, like the bouncy ball. You're a super-bouncy, and super-bouncy things bounce all around the place when they're thrown."

"Don't... think it works like that, Flutters." Lemon effortlessly pried Fluttershy from her legs and lifted her up into the air. "But if it's throwing that you want, then I can do this at least." And like that, Lemon Zest suddenly tossed Fluttershy into the air lightly.

For that brief instance, Fluttershy felt weightless as she was launched from Lemon's hands into the air. She felt more shock then delight as she looked down at the ground before her. Fluttershy knew that a fall from that high would have really hurt her. With nothing to say, she felt the weight finally return as she started to plunge to the ground, only for Lemon to catch her again.

"See? How was that?" Lemon asked, but instead of joy, Fluttershy's eyes were filled with tears. The way that the girl was snuffling immediately made Lemon regret her own decision. And when Fluttershy finally started bawling her eyes out in sadness, it solidified that regret. "Okay... Don't throw Fluttershy around. She doesn't like that." Lemon said to herself as she sat the crying Fluttershy back down on the ground. "Hey, Flutters? I'm real sorry about that." She reached out for Fluttershy, but Fluttershy slapped at it.

"No!" Fluttershy shouted in denial. "Super-specials don't throw me. Specials don't throw me." Fluttershy sniffled as she looked back at her own trembling hands. She had never done anything like this before when addressing a big person like Lemon Zest. "Only meanies throw me. Mommy and daddy say that meanies are mean people who like to cause me pain."

"Well, like I said, I'm sorry. What more do you want me to say?" Lemon asked, trying to reason with the now-distraught Fluttershy. "Look, I get it now. You don't wanna be thrown. But I wanna promise you that I'm not a meanie. The real meanies wouldn't have the guts to realise that they've screwed up and made a mistake."

"But meanies are still meanies. Because they liked to throw me." Fluttershy clasped her hands together. "I don't wanna play with you anymore." She reclusively scampered towards the bed and hid underneath it, trying to avoid looking at Lemon after what she had done. "I want Key back. Or mommy and daddy..."

Lemon could only watch as Fluttershy burrowed herself under the bed. This was the first time that Fluttershy had ever experienced something like this before and she felt terrible for instigating that sudden shock to the system. Now, Fluttershy was exceptionally upset and didn't want to play with her anymore. She had royally failed as a babysitter.

"Flutters... If there's anything I can do to—"

"No." Fluttershy quietly replied. She didn't move her body or look out from underneath the bed. She just said the word and nothing more. "Go away, meanie. I don't want to play with a meanie."

"I'm not mean, Fluttershy. I've just made a big mistake. Or... as you'd call it, a big oopsie moment." Lemon pushed her hands together. "If you don't wanna forgive me for what I've done, then that's fine. You can keep thinking that I'm a meanie all you want. I won't force you to play with me after what I've done. Just know that I'm really, REALLY sorry, girl." Those were the last words that Lemon Zest said before she left the room. Her heart sank and she dejectedly dragged herself across the room as she opened the door, went out, and closed it behind her, leaving Fluttershy alone with her toys and the other games.

Fluttershy, finally alone, climbed out of the bed again. But instead of going back to playing with all of her toys like any kid would, she started to think. And now that she was calmer, she could tell that Lemon really did mean to say sorry to her, but she had still been so scared by the thought of taking a big fall to the ground like that thatshe had denied her apologies. Fluttershy was only a very little kid; a toddler. They didn't really have the best kind of mindsets when it came to situations like that. She did know what sorry meant, but she didn't want to believe it in the heat of the moment. And now, she had throw away the one person who was willing to look after her while Keychain was out at work, and mommy and daddy were still trying to look for her. Fluttershy felt all alone again. In her loneliness, she crawled over to Angel and gave the bunny toy a cuddle, crying very softly into his fabric.

"Angel... I'm all alone again." Fluttershy whimper-whispered to the bunny toy. "Mommy and daddy are missing, Keychain's gone, and now I've lost her. Nobody's going to play with me and nobody's here to look after me. What should I do?" She got no response from the toy and just continue to softly sniffle into the toy's fluffy skin.

Lemon Zest felt horrible as she slumped back into the living room, throwing herself on the couch. Fluttershy had really been cross with her and it was all her fault for bringing that pain on her in the first place. She just wanted to show the girl a good time and keep her happy in these trying times where her parents were missing and Keychain had to work. And even then, she had completely messed that up as well. And it was all because of her stupid amounts of energy. Something that made her who she was and it had caused others pain. She really did feel sorry for Fluttershy, because she was the only person that could look after her and now Fluttershy didn't want that kind of protection and playtime from her anymore. It felt like she had been abandoned once again.

"Fluttershy... I'm really sorry about what I've done. But I don't know how in the stars I'm gonna try and make it up to you." As she tried to think of apology to Fluttershy, it was then that she remembered something. Looking back towards the drawings that laid dormant on the coffee table, she tried to think of something that she could draw. "Well, I guess it's worth a shot."

Lemon Zest found the energy to stand back up and drag herself off of the couch. Kneeling down on the ground, she took some of the crayons and started to scrawl on a new piece of paper, trying to make something that Fluttershy would enjoy and accept as an apology. She just had to hope that it would be something that she would like.

---

Eventually, as time passed, Lemon Zest went back to Fluttershy's room with a now-complete drawing. She was about to knock on the door when the words ran through her head again. "I don't wanna play with you anymore." Lemon paused as it all bounced around in her mind. Would Fluttershy even want to see her again after that? Or was she stoic in her words and labelling of Lemon as a meanie?

On the other side of the door, Fluttershy was still cuddling with Angel Bunny, as well as a few of the other plushies. A snake, a manatee, a kitty cat, a teddy bear, and many more were locked in her arms. But for however many stuffed animals she held, it wasn't going to replace Keychain or her mommy and daddy. She still felt very, very alone inside. She looked out of the door and worried where someone was, as Keychain hadn't come home and Lemon Zest hadn't come back.

"Oh, to heck with it!" Lemon muttered to herself as she pushed the door open and looked at Fluttershy, recoiling shyly as she looked into Fluttershy's eyes. Fluttershy didn't react to Lemon's sudden body jerk with words or with body movement of her own. Instead, she just stared at her. "Hey, uh... Fluttershy? I'm sorry. Again. For what I did." Lemon took one step forward, then paused.

"Lonely." Fluttershy muttered to herself. It was her reclusive, shy nature that came into play whenever she didn't feel safe. And the last time she had seen Lemon Zest, she had been thrown into the air without consent. "Lonely. Without you." She pointed at Lemon Zest.

"Lonely? But you've got all those toys there, girl. Surely, you've gotta have some kinda happiness from that, right?" Lemon asked, pointing out all of the stuffed animals that Fluttershy was bundled up with.

"Toys are special. But toys are not mommy, daddy, or Key. Fluttershy shook her head as she started to loosen her grip on the toys a little. "I'm sad. Very sad. I NEED a big person. It's bad for me to be alone."

"I know you do. But you said that I was a meanie, so I can't exactly look after you, can I?" Lemon asked as she took another step, her grip on the drawing she had made quivering. "But... I am sorry, girl. I'm not entirely sure if your mommy and daddy taught you about the word sorry, but when someone says that they're sorry, it means they admit that they've made a mistake and they wanna make it up to you."

"What's that?" Fluttershy tilted her head and pointed towards the drawing.

"Oh, this? It's just something I made to try and make up with you." Lemon took one last look at the drawing before she handed it over to Fluttershy. "Here. It's nothing special, but I made it for you."

Fluttershy stood up and toddled towards the drawing. She plucked it from Lemon's hands and took a look at it. It was very, very crude, even for being drawn by a big girl like Lemon. But Fluttershy could still make out the contents. It showed her and Fluttershy; albeit very sloppily drawn, standing together on a hill. It was very similar to the picture that she had made with her other three favourite people, except without any of them and just her and Lemon Zest. Fluttershy took the picture to the other picture with her specials. The way that they both looked similar made her feel a fuzziness in her heart.

"You... really aren't a meanie?" Fluttershy asked for confirmation.

"No. I'm not a meanie." Lemon Zest walked forward and gave Fluttershy a pat on the head. "I'm really, really, really sorry for throwing you, Fluttershy. And I promise that it'll never, ever happen again." She held Fluttershy's hands and looked her in the eyes. A special connection was fostered between the two of them as they stared into each other's eyes. "Can we be friends?"

Fluttershy took a moment, but finally said, "Yes. We can be friends." She nodded as she said those words and laid the picture Lemon had made down with the one that she had made.

"Thanks, Fluttershy." Lemon Zest pulled her into a very gentle hug. One that Fluttershy was happy to return. The little rift that had been made between the two of them had finally been plugged up and now, they were ready to take on the rest of the day as friends.

"So. Can I fly again?" Fluttershy asked. "I really like flying like a birdie. Birdies have so much fun when they fly."

"Well... Alright. But I'm gonna have to make sure that you're extra-tightly held onto." Lemon Zest picked Fluttershy back up and made the hand position that she had made the first time she had taken Fluttershy flying. Then she stood back up and opened the door. "Ready for take-off, Fluttershy?"

"Mmhmm." Fluttershy nodded. "Can I count down this time?"

"Sure thing, girl," Lemon remarked.

"Okie-dokie. Three! Two! One! Let's go!" She exclaimed, and as she finished, Lemon started to jog off, carrying Fluttershy around the house again. Once again, Fluttershy felt like she really was flying and her unmatched happiness came back. With every swoop, turn, curl, and even a few loop-de-loops, Fluttershy really did feel like she was flying through the air like a bird. It completely made up for any of the sadness that she had been feeling earlier.

Lemon Zest could only laugh herself as she took Fluttershy for another flight around the skies of Keychain's house. Where she once felt like she had failed at her job, now she felt jovial. As long as both she and Fluttershy were having fun, it didn't matter how she got there in the end. Now, she could proudly call herself a successful babysitter now that Fluttershy was having fun. With pride, she flew Fluttershy around and let her energetic laughter fill every corner of the house. Now, Lemon really knew what it was like to have a little kid that loved her very much; even if it wasn't her own.

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

...I think I'm going to die from cute at this rate. RIP Me.

[FourShadow]

Awwwww.... Once again, more adorableness. Really nice job, I enjoyed the sweet fluff between Lemon and Flutters.

[HB_DS2013]

F for everyone