Wednesday (August 24th) Fluttershy's POV
It was early morning when I woke up. Light was still sleeping and had, at one point, gotten his arms around me. My first sight was of his broad chest. I smiled.
I wriggled my way out and went downstairs to start the morning chores. However, when I got to the first floor, all the animals were fed.
I looked around and saw Stella sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of, what appeared to be, coffee.
"Did you feed all the animals?" I asked her as I walked into the kitchen.
She nodded. "Morning."
"Good morning." I responded. I sat down at the table. I wouldn't start making breakfast till I heard Light get out of bed.
"So... did you like sleeping with my brother?" She asked in a suggestive tone. Once again, I felt my face heat up. She laughed.
"I'm joking. But it's just too easy with you, you know?" She stated.
"Moving past that; yes, yes I did. I felt... safe." I didn't know why I was so comfortable around her. It had taken me awhile to get completely used to Light and I had liked him since he first spoke. I was downright terrified of him when we first met.
"That's just the aura my brother gives off. Whenever he was around, stallions didn't even look in my direction out of fear. To bad they didn't know he wouldn't hurt a flower without a good reason." She told me.
"You two seem to be very attached, may I ask why? It definitely seems to go beyond the reason that you're siblings." I asked her.
"Light and I have always been close. It was something our parents stressed throughout their lives. Saying stuff like 'You two are siblings. When all else fails, just know that you can always count on the other', or something like that, it was a long time ago; but, it had a huge effect on Light and I guess it just rubbed off on me over the years." She explained.
"Fluttershy, I do need to talk to you about something after Light leaves. It's important, so don't go anywhere." She said out of the blue. It caught me off guard. I remember her saying something like that last night, but it hadn't seemed this serious. All I could do was nod.
"Good. Light should be up sometime in the next thirty seconds, so you can start making breakfast if you like. He'll be down in about ten minutes." She told me. How well did she know her brother? Maybe a little too well.
Sure enough, within those thirty seconds, I heard Light step out of bed. I went over to the fridge and grabbed everything I needed for breakfast for him, his sister, and I.
It took about ten minutes to make and Light arrived just as I was setting the table.
I heard Stella whisper 'good timing' to me as Light sat down.
"Thank you, Fluttershy." I smiled at him. He always said thank you, whether it was with his mouth or his eyes.
We all ate in silence and Light left about an hour later after he finished getting ready.
Once he was down the path, Stella pulled me to the couch and sat me down. She sat across from me, still in her night shirt and pajama pants.
"Alright, here's the deal. I approve, but I don't really approve. Do you get what I mean?" She asked me.
"No." I answered, confused.
"Good, you shouldn't. Now I know you aren't a petty liar." I felt offended that she would think that.
"It's not you, it's the situation. Once I explain everything, you'll understand." She told me.
I just stared at her.
"Alright then. Light and I are, as someponies would say, special. Well, more importantly, our family is special." She looked like she was having a difficult time with this.
"Every two generations, two siblings are born. A mare, and a stallion. Something happens in our genetics where the stallion becomes a type of supreme example of the race. This is the reason Light is so huge. However, in earth ponies at least, intelligence suffers." She took a calming breath before she continued.
"The mare however, gets the bad end of the deal. I probably won't live to see next summer." She looked like she wanted to burst into tears.
It took me a moment to comprehend what I had just heard.
"You... won't see next summer?" I asked her.
"Yeah. Most likely. It has something to do with the genetics. The stallion becomes physically perfect while the mare rots away. You know, I've never even experienced the heat? I've been sterile my entire life." She looked like the slightest provocation would send her into tears. I still didn't understand why she was telling me all this. It was hard on her, definitely, but what did I have to do with all of this?
"The reason I'm telling you this is, Light will shut down when I die. He did it with our parents, and he wasn't as close to them as he is to me. I'm afraid, with no pony to help him out of it, he might wither away. Throughout his entire life, all he has ever needed, or wanted, is me. He never understood the concept of a mate. Hell, no pony even attempted to explain it to him. So, he has never met anypony that could replace me. Until now. I was so scared about what would happen to him when I died. I was terrified. Many a night, it kept me up. I love my brother Fluttershy, as much as a sister can. And I don't want to have him stop living just because I have." She was crying now. She took a few breaths to calm her self. I didn't know if I should console her or let her handle it on her own.
"I've made my peace with it and now that Light, hopefully, has you. I can let go without regrets. Will you do me the honor of loving my brother?" She asked me.
I had to have time to think. To process. She let me take my time and think things through.
It took me about a half hour, I came to a decision. "I...I can do that." I told her.
"Thank you." She hugged me tightly. I patted her back to console her.
We sat there for what felt like hours. Eventually, she let go of me. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as best she could.
"So, you probably have some questions." She said, shakily.
"Does Light know?" I asked her.
"No, he doesn't. My parents and I knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. When he loves, it's deep. When he hurts, it's powerful." She explained.
"Does he understand anything about having a mate?" I asked her.
"No, never has. He doesn't even know what his stallionhood is for." She explained.
"If I remember correctly, he calls it evil." I told her. She laughed.
"That makes too much sense. But, no. He doesn't understand the concept at all. A few times I've woken him up in the morning when he's been stiff and he didn't care that I saw it. He also never batted an eyelash whenever he saw me step out of the bathroom after a shower, without a towel. He didn't jerk his head away, he didn't stare, just kept on going. He just doesn't comprehend sex. It will be up to you to teach him these things since they are the only ones I couldn't. Let's just hope that his second experience isn't like the first." She explained.
"That does explain a few things." I told her.
"Is there anything I can do to help it along?" I was reluctant to ask this question, but after hearing Stella's story, time was not our friend.
"Keep making him uncomfortable. The more he feels it, and nothing goes wrong, the more comfortable he'll be overall. Be a little lewd now and then. It can't hurt. Winter would also be a good time to get closer. Whenever I was cold, and the heater was broken, he would wrap me up in his jacket in his arms to keep me warm, no matter how cold he got. Hardship, any at all, will definitely bring you closer. Not to mention, this place doesn't look like it has central heating. How do you keep warm in the winter?" She asked me at the end of her explanation.
"I have a heater at my friends house that I grab whenever I'm cold. But usually, I can stand the cold pretty well. I am a pegasus after all." I spread my wings with a giggle to remind her.
She laughed. "I forgot, to be honest. Well, just don't grab the heater."
"Anything else?" She asked me.
"Why does he speak without conjunctions?" I asked her. I had noticed it, but didn't think he would answer.
"To be honest, I don't know. He's never used em as far as I can remember. He just doesn't." She told me.
"What is his relationship with the moon? He seems to be almost scared of it." I asked her.
"He's terrified of it. When we were foals, our parents told us the tale of nightmare moon. Light feinted from fear. I assume he's forgotten the story but he hasn't forgotten the terror. When he see's the moon, not much can calm him down. I've only been able to do it once out of, maybe, a dozen times." She responded.
"Wow, it's that bad?" I asked her. I knew some ponies were scared of the story, but never any that were terrified of it. She nodded.
"Anything else?" She asked again.
"I guess that's all I can think of for now." I told her.
"Now let me ask you a question." She said. I nodded.
"Have you kissed him yet?" She asked. I felt my face flush.
"A-almost." I told her.
"What do you mean almost?" She looked like she didn't believe me.
"The day after the incident. My friend Twilight was here with her son. She was helping me figure out what to do about Light and the up coming heat, which has already passed. When she left, I walked over to Light and looked him over. I just felt an urge to kiss him, but he was awake with his eyes closed. He said something before our lips touched and I backed away." I told her.
"So close, yet so far." She uttered.
"So, when will you be leaving?" I asked her.
"Probably sometime after Light gets back. I can only miss so much work so I have to get going before sundown if I want to get a good night's sleep." She responded.
"Alright. He should be home soon. Aloe and Lotus had to take a lot of time out of their days to restock the spa from the shipments, and with Light helping, they're probably spreading it out for him so he doesn't overwork himself. He should be home..." I looked over at the clock and saw it was around eleven.
"Probably in the next hour or so." I told her.
She nodded.
We talked till Light came back about an hour and a half later.
"Hello, sister. Hello, Fluttershy." He called to us.
"Welcome home, Light." I got up and went over to him. I needed to show Stella that I was going to keep my promise. When I reached him, I wrapped my arms around him. It felt awkward to do it out of the blue, and he stiffened like a board, but he eventually hugged me back.
"Fluttershy?" He asked as I pulled away.
"Just happy to see you." I told him. He looked confused.
"Well, I'll be off brother. I need to get back home and ready for work tomorrow." Stella told him.
"You are leaving already?" He asked her. He sounded almost depressed. If he missed her this much when she was right in front of him, it terrified me to think what would happen when he lost her for good.
"Yeah. Sorry, Light. I could only spare today and yesterday. I've been working on an important project back home that I need to get back to." She responded. He looked a little happier, but not by much.
"Okay." He said.
Stella walked over to him and hugged him. He picked her up and I could see the muscles in his arms as he hugged back.
"I approve, Fluttershy." She said before she grabbed her bags, which I hadn't noticed, and walked out the door.
"What does she approve?" Light asked me.
"Hmm?" I had been preoccupied by her sudden departure. I didn't even know why we didn't follow her.
"Oh, uh... She meant my new table. I told her how you accidentally broke the last one and she said she approved it." I lied to him. I didn't like it, but things would be too complicated if I told him the truth. I also didn't trust myself right now not to let Stella's inevitable death out.
"Oh, alright." He didn't sound like he bought it.
"Is there anything you'd like to do for the rest of the day?" I asked him.
Sunday (September 4th) Light's POV
I had saved up a lot of bits since I had started working at the Spa, and I was looking for a present for Fluttershy. Her birthday was tomorrow and I wanted to get her something special. Ever since sister had left, she had been even nicer to me.
Pinkie Pie was planning a party to happen sometime around noon tomorrow. At the moment, I was looking through Ponyville's shopping road for a store where Fluttershy might like something.
I could feel the start of fall in the wind and the leaves were changing color. It was nice living in a village where I could see the changing of the seasons clearly.
As I was walking down the road, I passed a china shop.
"I did not know Ponyville had one of these." I said to myself.
I went inside to have a look around. I looked for anything that might stand out.
About five minutes later, I found something. An old tea set that looked very nice. I was sure Fluttershy liked it.
I looked but could not find the price tag anywhere.
I went searching for the owner and found her in the back.
"Excuse me, but how much is the tea set out front?" I asked her. Her back was turned to me and she was bending down, looking in a box.
"About two hundred fifty bits." She answered. I was pretty sure I had that much.
"I would like to buy it, could you ring it up for me?" I asked her.
"Sure." She stood up and turned around. She led me over to the counter and brought out a scanning machine for a bank card. I handed her mine and she swiped it.
"Looks like you have just enough. Are you sure you want to deplete your savings over a simple tea set?" She asked me.
"Yes, it is a present for my friend's birthday." I explained to her.
"Oh, that's kind of you. Sure." She swiped it again and it made a buzz. The transfer was complete.
"Would you like me to help you wrap it?" She asked.
"Sure, that would be nice. Thank you." She nodded. We walked over to it after grabbing some wrapping paper. We put it insided its carrying case, and she helped me wrap it up.
After we were finished, I thanked her and left. I hoped Fluttershy was still out. I did not want her to see the present.
I made my way back to Fluttershy's house and knocked on the door. When no pony answered, I went inside.
"She is not home yet. Good." I said to myself.
I went upstairs and placed the wrapped tea set under my bed.
I heard the door open downstairs. I went down there and saw Fluttershy carrying a lot of groceries.
I grabbed some from her and helped her put them away in the kitchen.
Monday (September 5th)
Today was Fluttershy's birthday. Fluttershy and I were walking to sugarcube corner for her birthday party. I was planning on giving my present to her when we got back to her cottage.
We reached sugarcube corner about an hour before sundown. Fluttershy walked in first and I heard everypony in it say 'surprise'.
I walked in and saw Fluttershy's friends. It was only the six of them and me.
The mares started talking to each other and I went to get something to eat. I saw the same type of sausage and cheese that was at the last party and, remembering how good they were, grabbed some. I also grabbed the delicious punch and went and sat over at one of the booths.
As I was eating, I heard somepony walking over to me. I turned my head and saw Rainbow Dash.
"What's up, Light?" She said. I swallowed the sausage in my mouth.
"Hello Rainbow Dash." I called to her.
She sat down in the opposite side of the booth.
"How many times have I asked you to call me just Dash?" She asked.
I thought about all the times she had. "A lot." I finally answered.
"Exactly, now please...call me Dash." She begged.
"I will try." I told her.
"Good. Now, about that show I promised you?" She said.
"The flying show?" I asked.
She nodded. "What about it?" I asked her.
"I'm free tonight if you wanna see it." She said.
"I am sorry, but I can not. I want to spend tonight with Fluttershy." I explained to her.
"You really like her, don't you?" She sighed then frowned
"I like her a lot, but I like you a lot Dash." I told her. She seemed to brighten up. She grabbed a piece of sausage off my plate and ate it.
"Well, I'm going to go talk to Rarity. Have some things i need to speak to her about. See ya around." She said.
"Alright." I did not know why she wanted to leave so badly. Had I dissapointed her? I did not have a long time to think about it since Pinkie had some games planned out. We played until the moon was high in the sky.
When I noticed what time it was, I knew I had to leave. I found Fluttershy talking to a purple maned mare.
"Fluttershy?" I started.
"Yes, Light?" She asked. The purple maned mare walked away.
"I need to leave." I told her. I could feel the moon pushing down on me. If I did not get home soon, I would lose myself.
The feeling in my gut was very strong right now. I was having a hard time not giving in.
"Why?" She asked. She frowned.
"The moon." I pointed out the window to it. "Let me just tell the girls we're leaving. It will only take a second." I nodded.
She walked over to her friends and I heard them talking. Rainbow Dash looked at me with worry on her face. I did not think I had ever seen that before on her. The rest of the girls did not look at me.
Fluttershy came back over and we walked out. Once we were outside, it was worse.
Each step I took, felt like a million weights on me. After a little while, when it was almost too much, I felt something in my hand. I looked down to see Fluttershy's hand.
"Everything's fine, Light. I'm right here." She said to me. It helped.
We made our way towards the cottage. When it came into view, I could not take it anymore. I picked up Fluttershy and galloped. I opened the door and set her down. I collapsed on the couch and held my head in my hands.
I felt a hand on my back. I was breathing very hard and very fast. It was worse than usual. I felt my hands get sweaty.
After what felt like hours, I felt myself being moved.
I looked around to find myself being held by Fluttershy. My head was in her arms and she was whispering something. I felt her hand going through my mane. I also noticed my arms wrapped around her waist.
Slowly, I started to feel better.
When I felt better, I lifted my head and looked at Fluttershy. She was smiling. I was sitting right next to her and our faces were very close. It felt weird. I moved away.
"Thank you." I told her. Sister said I could spend whole nights like that.
"It was my pleasure, Light. I'm always here if you need me." She said.
I remembered her present. "Close your eyes." She looked confused, but did it.
I galloped upstairs and got the present. I brought it down and placed it on the table. I went over and sat down right next to her on the couch.
"You can open them now." She did and looked at me. I looked at the present and she did too.
She gasped. "Is it for me?" I nodded. I could feel myself smiling.
She started opening it carefully. After she was done, she opened the lid. "Oh my, Light. This must have cost your entire savings. You didn't have to buy me something this expensive." She had a frown on her face.
"Do you not like it?" I asked her.
"I love it, but you shouldn't have spent this many bits on me. It's too expensive for me to just accept." She answered.
"Sister always said the price never mattered. It is the thought that counts. And nothing is too expensive for Fluttershy." I told her. She smiled at me.
She leaned over and did something really weird. She put her lips on mine.
I moved my head away quickly, surprised.
"What was that?" I asked her.
"It's called a kiss." She pushed a strand of her long hair behind her ear. I noticed her wings were a little spread out.
"Did you like it?" She asked me.
"I do not know. It was so short." I told her.
She leaned over to me again. I leaned towards her and we 'kissed' again. I did like it. She looked like she did too.
I felt her arms wrap around my neck.
I heard something fall a few moments later.
"Light!" I knew that voice. I stopped the kiss and looked at the door. Fluttershy did too. Standing in it, was angry Rain.
A/N: Exposition! A plot twist! And a secret! What more could you ask for?! On second thought, don't answer that. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. See ya on the flip side.