Over a Heartbeat
One breath in, one breath out.
Sheets rustled in the cramped space that was Fluttershy's nook. She stayed deathly still against the blankets, which were too warm against her fur, contrasting uncomfortably with the harsh cold where her blankets didn't reach. She stared, wide eyed at the bunk above hers, as the stars flitted past her window in a hurry. The steel ground against the tracks beneath them as the train ran it's way to Appleoosa. She breathed in, and breathed out.
In the distance, she heard some whispering. Rainbow Dash.
"Psst, Pinkie Pie! Are you asleep yet?"
A candle's light bounced off the walls, making the stars that much less bright. Fluttershy's lips pursed. Of course Dash was talking to Pinkie. Of course.
"No, are you?" Came the response.
Rainbow's tone went sour. "If I was sleeping, how could I have asked if you were asleep?"
"Oh yeah!" Pinkie Pie giggled, and Fluttershy imagined what her smile looked like when dimly lit by a candle.
One breath in, one breath out.
"When we get to Appleloosa, you think we'll have to carry that heavy tree all the way from the train to the orchard?" Rainbow Dash inquired, and Fluttershy felt somewhat sick of her voice.
Concern transitioned into Pinkie's words. "What tree? You mean Bloomberg?" A smile wormed it's way onto Fluttershy's lips.
Rainbow Dash was not nearly so endeared. Her tone was thin and peeved. "No, Fluttershy."
Her heartbeat suddenly grew thick at the mention of her name, and Fluttershy almost forgot to breath.
One breath in, one breath out.
"Fluttershy's not a tree, silly!" Pinkie Pie's voice bounced back, and Fluttershy felt her joints tighten at how Pinkie said her name.
"What's going on?" Twilight piped up, clearly as interested in the conversation as she was... Maybe if Twilight could join, so could she?
"Rainbow Dash thinks Fluttershy's a tree!" Pinkie Pie explained, sounding as though she truly believed that this was a serious issue. Fluttershy stifled a giggle, moving for the first time since they'd turned out the lights.
Rainbow seemed offended. "I do not think she's a tree! I was just–"
"Did you say she was a tree?" Twilight inquired.
Fluttershy shifted in her bed, attempting to work up the courage to join the conversation, which was about her.
Dash sputtered in an attempt to defend herself. "No. Well.. Yes. But not exactly–"
One breath in, one breath out. She could do it. She could join the conversation.
"You know she's not a tree, right?" Twilight's voice spun in her ears, as her heartbeat increased. She bit her lip and pushed her covers to the side, still unsure.
"She's not a tree, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Instantly, courage was on her side, just from the sound of Pinkie's voice, and she gracefully hopped down.
"I would like to be a tree," Fluttershy whispered, and felt her emotions swell when Pinkie looked up at her.
"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Spike grunted. He hopped down and retreated from the room noisily, clearly peeved by their awake state.
A succinct silence passed, before Twilight spoke up. "Well, that was kind of huffy."
Fluttershy giggled, glancing to Pinkie Pie and then down. "Huffy the magic dragon."
They all burst into laughter, before a soft growl was heard from above, followed by Rarity sitting up.
"Would you all be QUIET... NOOOOW!?" Her voice shook the cabin and they all exclaimed in surprise, blowing out the candle.
Fluttershy, disoriented in the dark, couldn't tell which way she was going. Her breaths were erratic, no longer as careful as they'd been before, and she smacked into somepony.
"Oof- hey there!" The voice which distinctly belonged to none other than the most alluring pony whispered back at her, and as Fluttershy's eyes adjusted to the moonlit cabin, she saw Pinkie Pie smile back at her.
Fluttershy glanced down and saw that she'd essentially latched onto Pinkie's rump in her panic, and was holding to it tightly. She gasped and jumped back, smacking into a bedpost and whimpering. She stared down at the wooden floor with unyeilding anxiety, feeling a horror stir within her chest. Pinkie Pie neared her slowly, with a caution she only held for Fluttershy, and sat down next to her.
One breath in, one breath out. One breath in, one breath...
"Hey," Pinkie's lips were millimeters from her ear, which twitched as Fluttershy felt an uneven amount of breaths escape her. "I'm glad you're not a tree, Fluttershy. Hate to give you away like we have to with Bloomberg." She rubbed a hoof against Fluttershy's mane with practiced gentility, and then quickly hopped onto her bed.
Fluttershy stayed, tense, in that spots, for several moments, before her lips twitched into a warm smile. An elation grew within her and she felt her face redden as she squeaked, covering her face with her hooves.
"Fluttershy, get to bed." Rainbow Dash hissed at her from across the cabin, causing her to jump.
She retired to bed with a smile on her face that night.
This was originally intended to be a valentines day gift for a friend of mine, but I didn't like the unoriginality of it and wrote him a new one. Hope you enjoyed.