5: Lessons on Romantishism
A happy day, A boring night.
Pinkie didn't have much to do. She brushed her teeth, said good night to the babies, and went to bed.
Simple as the cherry on top of a hot fudge sundae. Yup, simple, simple, simple…
So why did she feel so confused?
Turning over and over again in her bed, she played the day back in her head. Fluttershy was there, and in a considerably better mood than she had been in a while. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie had been her goody old self as always. But something else, something that shined brighter than those other things, had popped into her horizon. A presence she'd never felt before.
His.
Areson Gaeon's.
She felt something for him that she'd never felt about any other pony before.
Something about remembering those bright blue eyes, that shy, yet honest smile, his comforting philosophical talks, he didn't seem like the kind of pony she'd be incredibly close to. She'd be his friend, of course, but there wouldn't be any unusual twist to their relationship.
But that wasn't so.
Not at all.
He may not have been as enthusiastic as her; not as bouncy, or as energetic. On the contrary, he was much more methodical. He'd bury everything he didn't want to be heard deep inside, and would only speak if the need came for something to be said.
But maybe that mystery was exactly why she felt the way she did. Perhaps, what he'd been missing all these years was a friend who wouldn't shoot down what he wanted to say without a thought. Somehow, she'd have to find a way to reach him.
But she couldn't.
She just couldn't figure out how.
She knew her heart did a roll like jelly in her heart when his face came to mind. When she'd see them walking together, a joyful face would light up on her face like daises first getting to see the morning sun after a long winters' retirement.
Why that feeling was so prominent in regards to him was what she didn't understand.
And after a while, she felt nothing but sleep for thinking about it for so long.
"Shoulda brought some extra high fructose corn syrup ice cream to bed with me."
Her head flopped against the pillow, her mane as wild as ever. Diverting herself to more humorous pursuits, she watched her alligator Gummy try to eat her mattress. It didn't work, but she was sure when the day would come when he'd get a set of chompers of his own. That would sure make breakfast interesting. Especially since he would sometimes fall under the impression she was the breakfast.
Giggling at the thought, her mind started to snuggle with the night's warm embrace, her unsure thoughts leaving her as she entered chocolate covered fantasies, mixed right in with the vanilla frosting, and mint flavored whipped cream.
In the midst of her dreams, she never once thought of Fluttershy. Inside, Pinkie knew she was going to be okay.
The next day, she grabbed the chance to talk to Rarity before her work hours started. If anypony might understand what was going in her heart, it was her.
"Well, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out already, darling," She said, twirling threads around various spindles. "You're in love,"
"Huh? How can you be 'in love'?"
Rarity giggled. "No, you harbor romantic feelings towards him. In other words, you love him. Now, tell me," She straightened her posture towards Pinkie Pie. "Do you feel your heart racing whenever you see him, or even when you just notice the image of his face flash through your memory?"
"Yeah. I feel like my heart's doing super fast jogs inside my heart. I just can't figure out what it all means. Wait, did you just say I love him..?" The feeling made her fur combust with embarrassment. "Could that really be it?"
"I don't know what else to tell you, darling. It's a textbook case of romantic affection. All things considered, he probably feels the same way about you..
"Really?" Her heart pounded inside her chest. "That would be… Amazing," She felt totally freaked out that she was talking so love struck in front of Rarity. After all, she'd never spent so much time lost in optimistic day dreams before. Still, Rarity just nodded, seeming to understand what she was going through.
"Listen, I can't tell you for sure that he feels that way, but the point is, it is how you feel about him. Once you accept that, then you'll have nothing to be perplexed about."
"Wow… My first crush, a real crush… That's totally awesome!" She started skipping super fast. "Wow. I really have never felt like this before, have I?"
"It's perfectly normal, darling. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think you of all of us would be the first to develop romantic affections, but there's absolutely no reason you should be concerned about it."
"What do I do now?"
"Well, that all depends. What do you want to do?"
"What'dya mean?"
"If you just want to be friends with him, than things should stay the way they are. But if you want to further your relationship, you're going to have to work at it."
"Hm, I'll have to think about that…
"Well, it's not like you don't have time." She casually tossed a pile of fabric onto a table. "I'm opening up in few minutes, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut our conversation short. I'm sorry about this."
"That's okay. If I need any more help, I'll call ya later."
"Alright, see you then,"
Pinkie Pie skipped outside, trying to absorb all of the information Rarity had just told her.
"Pinkie Pie?"
Her heart twisted 380 degrees as she heard Mr. Right's voice behind her.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's actually 320 degrees…"
"Quite a coincidence to find you here."
"Yup, coinkidink to find you here to. What's up?"
"'Playing hopscotch,"
"Really?"
"No," He said flatly, also letting out a small chuckle. "I have to get to work."
"Oh, that's right, duh, silly me. I just got caught thinking, and you know what happens when you get caught thinking, things just get totally out of that thinking that when normally thinking, you'd think of, ya know, right?"
He left a small pause, seemingly considering her response as she desperately tried to hide the red on her face. "I think,"
"Haha, good one…" Suddenly, she started to feel lost. What was she supposed to say next? Ask him about his day (that seemed kinda redundant), talk to him about her day (that would sound strange unless something exceptional happened), or talk about some random pony's day? Well, she knew she couldn't talk about her own day. Then she'd have to say something about her visit to Rarity, and there was NO way she was going to mention that to him.
She'd never acted like this before. Never once in her life felt even the slightest bit insecure just talking to somepony.
She suddenly knew that feeling all too well.
"…What do ya think of the job so far..?" She suddenly spoke, realizing that he had also been silent.
"It's not that bad, actually. Once I memorize all of the different fabric materials, I think I'll be pretty good at it. 'Course, I might still get a fashion term mixed up once in a while."
Another uneasy laugh escaped her, a similar one coming out of him. Why couldn't she think of a good conversation topic? Her heart was still doing that crazy beating job at speeds that made her wonder for a second if she was actually on fire.
"Oh wow, it's getting late. You better get going. Would you like to meet after work?"
He slyly smiled, chuckling as he did. "'Shouldn't be surprised you'd be the one to ask some stallion out."
"No, it's not like that at all," She laughed. "I just wanna meet up, ya know, talk about things, and stuff like that."
"It's a joke."
"Yeah, I'm good at that," Another anxious laugh, but Pinkie's chest was still ringing from that 'joke' he made.
"Well, see ya then."
"Yeah, see ya," He trotted inside, Pinkie sighing as he left. In comparison, he almost looked more confidant then she did. Still, she could kinda sense the same awkwardness coming from him to. Maybe their talk wasn't a total loss.
"Still, if I'd acted like that in front of any other pony, they'd totally think something was wrong."
That assessment wouldn't have been entirely false, either.
She ultimately decided to visit Fluttershy, feeling she might as well try to improve her already stable mood.
Fluttershy answered the door after she arrived, giving Pinkie Pie a smile. "How are you today, Pinkie?"
"Great," Her enthusiasm slowly leaked out of her as she joined Fluttershy inside. "But confused," her body collapsed lazily against a couch.
"Are you… tired?"
"No, just not sure what to think, that's all."
"Oh, I see,"
Fluttershy walked over to her position, sitting herself down next to her. "What's up?"
"Well… It's about Areson."
"Oh, I see. What about him?"
"I think I… Kinda have a crush on him," She felt like burying her face in a pillow, but none were immediately available.
"To be honest, I'm not surprised."
"Really?" She jumped out of the couch, now standing on the floor.
"Well, you did look like you were getting pretty close, after all."
"Well, I guess it was kinda obvious now that I think about it. But, I just feel weird. Normally, I have no problem talking to other ponies, but now, I feel kinda shy, you know?"
"Well, of course." She passed a cup of cold water to Pinkie Pie before continuing. "But, the only reason you feel shy is because you feel that way about him. Honestly, all you can do is just relax, and enjoy yourself like you always have. If it makes you feel better, I have a feeling he's thinking the same thing."
"I kinda had that suspicion to," Pinkie flashbacked to various times she'd met him, and laughed. "'Funny I never thought of it then. But, this is gonna sound kinda weird, but, why do you think he likes me?"
"Well…" She put down her cup, stroking her chin. "Maybe it's because he's kinda shy about a lot of things. Maybe seeing you be so social and outgoing makes him happy because he knows you'll always listen to him."
Pinkie had received consul from other ponies before, but getting it from Fluttershy seemed kinda ionic. "That does make sense," She gulped down her water. "Okay, I'll just act like myself."
"Yes, that's really the best thing you can do." Fluttershy grinned, clearly pleased with Pinkie's conclusion. "Just remember, don't try to be anypony else but yourself,"
"Absolutely," She started pacing back and forth. "It'll be kinda tough, but I know I can do it! Because I am Pinkie Pie, the King of Sociality, and all Things Fun!"
Something didn't sound right. She remembered.
"Oh, I mean the Queen of Sociality Interaction and all Things Fun."
Fluttershy giggled. "Can't argue with that."
Afterwards, they talked some more about how Pinkie was feeling. Throughout all of it, Pinkie Pie noticed how engaged Fluttershy appeared in the conversation. It almost made her forget about how unsure she felt about the conversation she was going to have to carry that afternoon.
Still, Fluttershy was helping her to understand her feelings, and she was really glad to see she was having a good time.
After saying goodbye, Pinkie Pie again pondered over what to do. She noticed an tired looking pony sweeping his front porch.
"Good morning, Mr. Cacky,"
The middle aged stallion turned her way, waving as he did. "Good morning, Pinkie Pie,"
"Need some help cleaning up?"
"No, I'm fine. Besides, I've got bigger things on my mind then cleaning."
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, you needn't worry about. It probably ain't that big of a deal. Still, when such strange things happen, people start to wonder what else could go wrong…"
He started to trail off, now carrying a conversation with himself. Pinkie didn't find that weird. She'd done that all the time in the past.
Walking through town, she slowly started to realize why Fluttershy might have been feeling more upbeat. After all, they had seen Twilight several times in the past. Although she wasn't always there, and especially not there as often as before she left for Canterlot, she'd been there when big things were happening, and that was probably what Fluttershy's mind had finally decided to focus on.
'Course, if she hung out with Mr. Cacky a lot, hearing about the weird things that were going on, her mood might start getting moody once again.
Returning to Sugar Cube Corners, she helped the Cakes bake a new treat they'd come up with for tomorrow's bake sale. Still, Pinkie noticed a similar anxiety to Mr. Cacky earlier that day in both of the Cakes. She started wanting to know exactly what was going on, but didn't have much time to ask. The afternoon was fast approaching, and she knew she'd have to practice.
The Baby Cakes were both awake, playing with each other in their crib. Although they'd been mischievous before, as they grew older, they'd learned to stay in the crib when their parents were working.
"Okay, babies, things are gonna get rough for me out there, and I need your help."
Pinkie pointed her right hoof at both of them, Pound Cake responding with an "eh?".
"Ah, I see you're confused. Ha, I don't blame ya. I have a serious icccasion I'm about to attend to, and I need your help… Wait, accasion, yoccasion, mecassion..? Oh never mind,"
The babies met her eyes with profound blankness.
"I have an important pony to meet, and I need to make sure I've got what it takes to talk to him like a normal pony. Now you Pound Cake," She nudged his cheek. "You pretend to be him, alright?"
He didn't actually ask who 'him' was, he just nodded.
"Alright, then let's get this started!" Pinkie put on a faux, conversationally inclined Hey, how ya doing, did you hear about the chocolate milk rain that poured back in Manehatten? Yeah, it's kind of a long story. It all started when this big giant factory suddenly…"
Ten minutes later, she was still at it, shifting from topic to topic as she desperately tried to keep up an interesting conversation. Abruptly, she stopped herself.
"Aw, this is silly of me. I can't really imagine you being Areson. It's just not the same." She glanced from picture to picture in the Cakes' bedroom, trying to find something to encourage her.
Fluttershy's words echoed in her ears. However well-meaning Fluttershy's words were, though, Pinkie still found it difficult to find how Fluttershy could actually connect to her situation.
Rarity's advice still rang in her head as well, but she'd already firmly accepted the fact she had a crush. The tough part was actually talking to him now that she knew.
She hadn't thought of this before. But she felt the smell on her lips would give her some confidence in front of him.
"Why, of course you can borrow my cotton candy perfume, Pinkie. Though, I really don't think you…"
"Oh, don't worry," She dabbed some of the funny smelling stuff on her face as she talked to Mrs. Cake. "This is just for a special occasion. And if I ever needed to use it again, I'll just buy some."
With that, she hopped out the door as she headed over to the Boutique. She'd come a little early, but she wanted to give herself some time to rehearse what she was going to say.
"Okay Pinkie, remember what Fluttershy said, just be yourself. Be yourself, it's that easy. Be yourself."
She annunciated each syllable in 'Be yourself' as she repeated it in her head over and over and over again. Taking a big whiff of that kinda like cotton candy smell, she looked up at the sky.
"I'm ready,"
Hearing Pinkie try to explain her feelings about Areson made Fluttershy forget about the previous night. But as soon as Pinkie walked out the door, preparing herself to deal with a dilemma Fluttershy never thought she'd have, it all came back to her.
He must have forgotten she was there. Considering the way he looked around to see if anyone was there, he must have not wanted anyone to see what he was writing. Possibly, he had been thinking of Pinkie Pie, and with that thought in mind, he had failed to realize she was even with them anymore. That was definitely a possibility.
Something about it didn't seem right, though. Why she felt that way, she couldn't be sure. Writing something on a scroll you didn't want anypony to see wasn't all that strange. Maybe it was just the word she saw that made Fluttershy worry.
What could it possibly mean?
If it was a secret, he obviously wouldn't tell her if she mentioned it. She pondered the fact he was writing something for Rarity. After all, the word was a pretty sophisticated one. Still, just thinking of that possibility haunted her. It bit at her, taking a grip on her soul, and refusing to let her go. Her cheeriness, her optimism, had all disappeared; all because she'd seen that one word.
She just wished Twilight were here now.
But she wasn't. She'd be here one minute, gone the next. That's how she'd acted for quite a while now. She'd be here when she could, but no pony could be everywhere at once. Not when that pony in question was a Princess. Combined with her search for the keys to the mysterious box they discovered, Twilight spent most of her time on her hooves.
Looking out her window, she watched a flock of geese flying through the air, honking to each other as they tried to communicate their direction to each other. Most ponies found them annoying, but Fluttershy didn't.
She found them absolutely lovely.
Of course, most ponies agreed they didn't look unattractive, they just thought the sound they made was irritating. She didn't think so, but she understood why ponies might think that way.
She couldn't sit in the house anymore. No, all of these thoughts, worries, and questions she had only made her feel worse.
She needed to get out from this prison she'd incarcerated herself into.
A few minutes later, she was outside again. It was calmer then her house and she didn't feel nearly as obligated to think. There were so many ponies around; it wasn't especially difficult to get distracted.
"Good morning,"
A hoarse, dry voice told her from behind. She addressed the voice, remembering him as the pony who had spoken to her multiple times before.
"Good morning. I didn't actually catch your name before…"
"Cacky,"
"Oh... I see. My name is…"
"Fluttershy." He interrupted. "Most of us in Ponyville have heard of you and yer friends. Not surprising, considering you've saved Equestria on more than one occasion…"
"Oh, it wasn't really that big a deal. Without the elements of harmony, there's no way we could've done all that…"
"Still, it takes courage to fight some of those guys you've fought in the past."
"Well, I guess so, but… I think anypony could've done it if they put their mind to it."
He grabbed a broom, and started casually sweeping the porch. Before she could leave, he spoke again.
"I hope I haven't been bothering you. With all this talk about things goin' wrong and a such, I figure' you're probably freaked out by now."
"Well…"
"I can see it in your eyes." He leaned his back against his house's wall, dropping the broom next to his back hooves. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk to ya about all this, especially since I don't know if it's even somethin' I should be worrying about."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm fine, really. I'll only worry about it if the matter calls for it."
He met her eyes, a sigh leaving his mouth. "Yeah, you're probably right. 'Still, I'm one of those guys who're really used to the way things are here and now. I'm not big on change, and this kinda thing just screams like there'll be change, right?"
It sounded like her. Too much like her. For a moment, she wondered whether these conversations were just in her head, and that one side of her conscience was now passively bringing ideas into her head. She knew that wasn't true, though. After all, she'd never, ever received odd looks during the day while talking to him.
"'Guess I better get back to house work. But don't get yourself all worked up about this. I do enough of that for the both of us." Ending with that, he headed back inside his home, leaving Fluttershy outside.
Solemnly, she continued to walk, the chatter amongst the populous sounding hushed and distressed. Nopony seemed to much like change, especially the type of change the predicament seemed to suggest.
She tried to remember what she did know about the elusive incident. The ceremony was for a guard who was going up in rank, but she didn't know what he 'suddenly' did. Did he quit, try to attack Canterlot Castle, say something offensive to her? She discarded the second theory, as she was absolutely sure Twilight would have let her know about something as serious as that.
Then what did happen?
"Wait, is he the..?"
No, that couldn't be it. Fluttershy didn't feel he was lying when he revealed some information about his past. It just didn't sound right. No, what she said earlier was probably right. There was something in his past, whether it be something he did, something he said, or something he was a part of that he didn't like. And he wasn't going to let anyone find out what that was.
"Maybe I'm just being pensive." She thought to herself "After all, I wouldn't want my past to be an open book to everyone. Only my closest friends know about all of my insecurities."
The thought conflicted with her suspicious inclinations, causing her to shake her head rapidly.
"But how can I ever be sure?"
Regardless of her positive theory's validity, she still worried about Cacky's words. Even worse, it wasn't in a way she was familiar with. Not an obvious fear that somepony could see, but a dark, evasive fear that seemed to claw inside of her, and peer around every corner to find her. Something that was always there, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out what it was. If she went out of her way to do so, however, she could figure out what that fear was.
"But I can't do that. It would only make these feelings worse."
Still, the mystery of Areson's past made its way into the ignorance she felt about Ponyville's every day worry.
She needed something to do. Those days, she was spending far too much time just sitting around, worrying about one thing or another.
Pinkie Pie wasn't an option. She'd be preparing for meeting with Areson later that day. Rarity would probably be open. And there wasn't a reason Rainbow Dash or Applejack wouldn't be around. Still, she didn't want to bother Applejack, and Rainbow Dash never liked such sentimental talk.
Sure enough, she found herself knocking on Rarity's door that evening after an afternoon of watering plants and caring for her animals, sure that she would be preparing for tomorrow's business day, and her store would be closed.
Rarity opened the door, and glanced at Fluttershy. Immediately, she became cheerful. "Come in, Fluttershy, come in. It's always good to have an excuse to take a break from work on some occasions."
"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you…"
"No, not at all, please follow me."
The door shut behind them, and they sat together on the couch.
"Was there something you needed? Something important you wanted to talk about?"
"Not really, I just wanted to visit a friend, that's all." Rarity passed her a cup of tea which Fluttershy nervously shook in her right hoof. In response, she gently set the expensive ceramic glass on the table. "But, now that you mention it, I have been worrying about something lately."
"What would that be?"
"Have you heard about what happened in Canterlot?" The cup of tea Rarity had poured for herself stopped moving. It took her a moment to regain her composure.
"Yes, I have,"
A sound of clattering glass reached Fluttershy's ears, but she didn't pay any attention to it.
"I'm worried about it."
"I don't think there's a need to. After all, it seems more unsettling then it is. It's probably just a publicity stunt, or something like that."
"I don't know the whole story, but it seems a royal guard did something unusual at a promotion ceremony, right?"
"Yes," Rarity's eyes quivered, jumping left to right, up and down in her eye lids as she talked. "That is correct,"
"I don't know if I want to hear the rest of it."
"As I said, there's no need for you to. There's no guarantee that anything will happen because of it."
"Well, to be honest, it looks like you're still worried."
Rarity's face in no time at all was directing all of its attention at Fluttershy. "I am, dear. But as you know, I myself have my insecure moments."
"Still, I'm even more insecure. But, are you really sure this isn't something bigger..?"
"I hope you know that if it was, I, or one of the others, would tell you about it." Fluttershy hated to say she wouldn't, but she didn't have the heart to dismiss her question. "It isn't. I promise that if things go badly, we will let you know."
"I trust you Rarity, and everyone else. But, if you don't mind me asking, why is this happening in the first place?"
"Twilight,"
Rarity's voice suddenly became flat, and her eyes had evaded from Fluttershy's. "What about her?"
"She hasn't come recently. Don't you find that a bit strange?"
Fluttershy thought for a moment, and nodded. "Normally, she does at least show up around town from time to time."
"Yes, that's why I find it quite strange. She should have visited by now. She hasn't come back to Ponyville ever since that ceremony."
"True, but she has been busy. Maybe it's just been one of those weeks."
"That could be all it is." She adjusted herself, smiling as she did. "But enough about such melancholy topics, is there anything else you'd like to say?"
"Well, I'm worried if Areson could be somehow connected to all this. I tried to tell myself he wasn't, but I have been worrying a lot lately."
Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I've talked to him many times since he started working for me. He is a bit mysterious, but he doesn't seem like he's lying about anything. I feel that his stories, as strange as they are sometimes, aren't at all balderdash. In fact, this seems more like a secret he may be keeping about something that happened in the past; not something that he's currently involved in."
Fluttershy had come to those same conclusions. Hearing Rarity say them, however, felt that much more convincing. "You're probably right. It will be hard to shake the feeling, though."
"Don't worry, you will." She took a sip of her tea, and persisted in the conversation. "Pinkie Pie came talking to you about him, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did. Oh, it was so funny to see her being so nervous. It seems so unlike her."
"Yes, she met with me also. It was... interesting, to say the least."
"Yes, it certainly was."
"I wonder what will happen when they next meet. Do you think she'll take our advice seriously?"
Fluttershy knew she hadn't actually told her anything about what advice she'd given Pinkie Pie. Still, Rarity looked like she knew without Fluttershy having to say a word on the matter.
"I'm not sure, but you know Pinkie Pie, it's hard to tell what she's thinking most of the time."
"But she always knows. Well, whatever the case, at least she seems to be doing a pretty good job of lifting your spirits."
"Well…" Her face fell into her hooves. "Most of the time. I still get lost in these thoughts when I'm just sitting at home. Accepting change is just so hard sometimes."
"I know that, darling, and I don't blame you in the least. It took me some time to adjust to her being a Princess and all. But you know," Fluttershy reacted to a soft, warm touch on her heart. "Our friendship will last through anything. Physical barriers won't make us any less friends then we were before. You know that, don't you?"Fluttershy shook her head. "Then, really, there's nothing else you need to know." She gazed at a clock up on her wall, and sighed. "I'm going to have to get back to work. I do apologize…"
"No, it's no problem at all. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You to,"
The sky was dark. Fluttershy took advantage of the moment to watch the stars twinkle in the sky.
Only for a moment, though. She wanted to get to sleep as quick as she could, and start fresh tomorrow morning.
On her way back, she overheard Mr. Cacky, scrubbing his porch with a crudely made sponge, and dull colored soap. Appearing to be very busy, he quickly waved to Fluttershy before continuing with his work.
"Maybe I could help him with that sometime."
That night, she lay in bed, watching those stars once again. Brighter than usual, their appearance started to fill her with giggles. A thumping sound on the floor interrupted her.
"Hello Angel," The bunny snuggled close to her. "How have you been?"
He wasn't answering.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. I just had a wonderful talk with Rarity."
His facial expressions were subtle, but the thought was clear; "How did it go?"
"Very well. I think I'm starting to realize that maybe the reason I feel so sad sometimes is because I forget about all the good things I still have."
Angel happily agreed.
"I haven't even thought how bad things must be for Twilight. At least I have my four other very good friends. All she has back at Canterlot for close friends is Spike…"
Angel stared at her, shock on his face.
"No offense intended, of course. It's just… I haven't realized how much other ponies have been there for me. They've probably felt terrible, worrying about me and how well I'm doing every day."
Angel affirmed her conclusion by putting on a determined look.
"But not anymore. I'm going to try my best to be as optimistic as I can."
Angel stood up, motioning to her as if he was her motivational coach. Considering the circumstances, that was oddly fitting.
"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to head into town, and help as many ponies as I can."
Another nod.
"And I'm going to do it in as cheerful as a mood as I can." Her heart swell finished, she relaxed back into her bed. "But first, I have to deal with a fear that's been pulling me down recently."
Angel nudged her, desperately wishing to hear her last thought before she gave away to sleepiness.
"It's probably nothing, but if I don't address it someway, how can I truthfully feel content like I say I'm going to be?"
He was asleep now. The only person Fluttershy could talk to now was herself.
"I'm going to talk to Areson."
"Tomorrow, I'll make Pinkie Pie proud."