Sunset was coming quietly over Ponyville. As the day drew to a close, ponies closed up shop, went home, and prepared to retire for the day after dinner. The skies were the most active out of anything else in Equestria, raging their orange flame in blankets of vivid light as the sun dipped slowly down below the hills near the Everfree Forest.

Near the Everfree was a cottage that looked like it was lifted out of a fairy tale, and at the front door of the cottage was a stallion, shivering with anticipation.

Noble Blade, devoid of any weapons, shields, or armor, was paused outside Fluttershy’s door with his hoof raised. He was about to knock, but he was hesitant to do so. Not yet.

While he was there, waiting for himself to face Fluttershy, he was reflecting on the nature of mares. Fluttershy definitely stood out from the rest of the crowd in more ways than one, but the rest of her friends were remarkably similar to each other; though they had different natures, they were all so quick to uplift and support each other in times of trial or affliction. They all eagerly, earnestly helped each other to become better people.

Well, these mares were, at least.

Back in Canterlot, the mares were so stuck-up and prideful that they thought they didn’t need to help anypony. When something bad happened to somepony in Canterlot, such as economic trouble, personal tragedy, or even just a horrible nagging feeling of inadequacy because of the unnecessary splendor of wealth in Canterlot--which was how Noble felt whenever he spent time there--nopony was there to give them a helping hoof or reassure them that everything would be all right. There was always just ponies looking down on each other. They were not only slow to act kindly, but they were simply slow to act in general. They thought of themselves above certain...others...that didn’t measure up to their standard of perfection.

Here in Ponyville, however, Twilight and her closest friends came together to shoulder the load any one of them was going through. Sharing the load evenly had made all of them grow stronger together. Here, no problem was so big that they all couldn’t handle it if they all did it together. It was what made them all so special.

It was what made them all powerful.

And here he was, head-over-hooves in love with one of them. Something Noble was grateful for was that they had all been so understanding of his crush on Fluttershy. They didn’t protest, they didn’t try to cheat him out of it--they all encouraged it. He knew that some of them were disappointed that he wasn’t with somepony else instead--notably, Twilight and Rarity. But what had astounded him was that they were nevertheless happy that he was with Fluttershy, which was just unlike the normal behavior of other mares that he had met.

He was so grateful for it that he had even seen how either of them could be potential marefriends. Just because he had a crush, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t notice good qualities in other girls. Twilight was smart, bookish, and proficient in magic. Rarity was better than he had initially thought of her, and he now saw that she had only the best intentions for everyone she met.

But it was Fluttershy who he had noticed, Fluttershy that he felt nervous and awkward around, Fluttershy whose Cutie Mark he shared wings with, Fluttershy who he wanted to stand by and support and love and lay down his life for. There was simply no question about it. None at all.

Noble, after he had finally snapped out of his line of thought, summoned the strength to knock. Three loud raps on the door. The door opened with a creak, and the most beautiful face in the world poked itself out. Fluttershy instantly smiled at the sight of him. “Oh, um, h-hi, Noble. Are you here t-to, um, dance?” Her voice shook, but whether it was because of nervousness or excitement, Noble could not say.

What Noble did say was, “Well, yes, I’m here to learn how to dance with a partner. I, ah, look forward to dancing with you at the Gala.”

Fluttershy sighed pleasantly as she pictured it in her mind’s eye. Noble holding her close as they spun in the grand hall, music filling their ears, feeling the heat he was giving off, hearing the pound of his heartbeat as they were so close together. She blinked to get herself out of the daydream and said, “I, um...I look forward to it too.”

“So shall we go inside? I’m looking forward to this.”

“Oh, no!” Fluttershy said quickly. “The inside is too crowded to really do it effectively. I was thinking, um, maybe we’d have a bit more space in the backyard?”

Noble smiled. She had thought of everything after all. “Great idea. Let’s go, then.”

Fluttershy came out, shut the door, and led Noble Blade around her house to the backyard. After a few minutes of them walking, they both noticed subconsciously that they were both sneaking glances at each other. Rather than feel embarrassed about that, however, it was as if they felt a twinge of happiness, a starburst of life in their hearts that made them feel warmer than they were before.

Noble Blade noticed once more the way Fluttershy’s curls at the end of her long, rich mane fell so low they almost graced the ground. He let his eyes observe the joints of her long, rich golden body, and saw just how curved they were. He observed how her teal green eyes stood out from her pink mane and her yellow body like gemstones, and he noticed that those same eyes were flickering back to look at him from time to time. He noticed that her hips were gently sashaying back and forth as they walked; a subtle motion that Noble noticed but decided not to point out.

Fluttershy admired the way Noble’s rich, thick mane stuck up at random spots, and she wanted so badly to reach out and smooth it all over, just to have an excuse to touch him and feel his skin. She noticed his body was muscular, but in a small and subtle way, a way that you needed to get close in order to notice. He was quiet, but she noticed he had a nervous, small smile on his face as his eyes flickered to spots on her body, his magical dark blue eyes shining in the setting sun, then look down to the ground periodically.

High in the sky, above Fluttershy’s house, two pegasi peeked over the edge of a thin cloud to observe the path the two ponies made as they went behind her home.

“Oh…” Rainbow Dash grinned. “This is what you meant earlier today when you said you’d take me to something entertaining?”

“Ho yeah,” Firestorm answered her. “I told you you were going to like this.” He grinned as he looked over next to his crush, fighting down the lump in his throat as he saw once more how hot she was. “But whadda ya say? You want to, ah, help the romantic mood along?”

“Let’s do it!” Rainbow agreed.

The two ponies came at last to an empty meadow behind Fluttershy’s home. The fiery orange sun was gently gracing the top of the trees lining the Everfree, torching the western sky a bright orange color. Shadows stretched far, and a navy blue color was rising in the east the further the sun set. A few birds flitted around them as they stood, and the chorus of the night bugs rose among them as they came to the field's center.

“Okay, so, um…” Fluttershy rubbed her front leg up and down. “I suppose we should start with the, um, dancing position. The idea is for us to stand on our hind legs and have the two of us support each other.”

Noble accordingly rose on his hind legs as Fluttershy did so herself, and they put their hooves on each other’s shoulders. They were now the same height; both of them were now at eye level.

“Now, um...we put our hooves out to the side.” Fluttershy stuck out her right hoof just as Noble stuck out his right as well. The result was that the both of them had their hooves sticking out at opposite ends.

“Oh!” Noble realized, then used his left hoof to hold Fluttershy’s right. “Oh, I get it. My left, your right. Sorry.”

“No, it-it’s fine,” Fluttershy giggled.

“So what do I do with this one?” Noble asked, wiggling his right hoof.

“You…” Fluttershy started, then swallowed. “You...p-put y-your hoof on my w-waist…”

Noble took a sharp intake of breath and looked down at her shapely hips. She was inviting him to touch her there! He needed to, in order to dance properly. And he even wanted to--just a little. But still he hesitated. “Are you sure?”

Fluttershy was blushing, but she nodded. “Absolutely. Please put your hoof on my waist.”

Noble slowly slid his hoof down her body, making her shiver in pleasure, and it came to rest just above her Cutie Mark. Noble felt unworthy of doing this. Touching the perfect manifestation of beauty near such a spot felt alien and unnecessary. But he shook his head in resolution, making his glorious mane sway, and he held her tightly there.

“Okay...now what we do is we just move in one direction a step.” Fluttershy took a step to the right, and Noble followed, a little late.

“Now we go in the other direction,” Fluttershy continued, and she took a step to the left. Noble followed again, but not as late as before.

“Is this really that easy?” Noble asked quizzically.

“Um...yeah. Yeah, I guess so,” Fluttershy said as she stared into his eyes.

“Huh.” He took another step, allowing Fluttershy to lead again. “I would have thought it would be more complicated than this.”

“It’s really not that hard,” Fluttershy commented. “You just needed to take the time to learn it. It’s okay.”

“If it was this simple, why didn’t I take the trouble to learn this before?” Noble asked himself as he took another step, turning around.

A trilling noise caught their attention, and Noble saw that the birds in the meadow were rising up and letting loose a high, musical note. Then, of one accord, they burst out into song, but it was a melody Noble recognized. It was a high, rising, beautiful sound that floated near his ears and made his mind jog with beautiful memories. It was an exultant yet melodious song.

“Fluttershy?” Noble asked, nodding his head at the vocalizing birds. “Was that your job?”

Fluttershy nodded, smiling deeply. “D-do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” he breathed, keeping his voice quiet so that the song of the birds could be heard better.

They moved their bodies slowly to the hypnotizingly beautiful music the birds were singing. The sky’s color seemed to mix like a swirl of color out of the corner of Noble’s eye, like the clouds themselves seemed to dance along with them. The result was that the atmosphere was even more surreal, even more trance-like, even more dreamy and...romantic.

High in the sky, Rainbow Dash and Firestorm were flying at high speed through the sky, gathering clouds and spreading them like dough and throwing them around into thin strips and putting them in strategic spots in the sky so that the color of the sun would disperse better through the sky. That high up, the orange light was almost blinding to their eyes, but they averted their gaze, avoiding looking up.

“You think this is gonna make a difference?” Rainbow asked as she bucked a final cloud into its place.

“Trust me, Rainbow. This is gonna be amazing.”

“I got a question.”

“Hm?”

“Does Noble know you’re here?”

“Um…” Firestorm gave a sheepish grin. “No. But,” he said, flapping up next to her, who was resting on her belly. “Does Fluttershy know you’re here?”

Rainbow Dash giggled and tousled his mane. “You got me there, Stormy!”

Rainbow Dash silently cheered for herself when she did that, and she cheered again when she saw him squirm, but cheerfully. She noticed that he was smiling, and she loved it.

“...So...” Rainbow Dash continued, in what she hoped was a casual tone. “What do we do now?”

“We watch and we learn,” Firestorm said, floofing up his fiery mane again with a hoof.

“Learn what?” Rainbow curiously asked.

“We...um…” Firestorm looked uncertain. Then he rested his chin in his hooves. “We watch how they, um...interact?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Sure,” she chirped, then she lay next to him, making sure to have their shoulders touching side by side. Firestorm saw this with a distracted glance, then smiled even wider and wrapped a hoof around her. The two of them, feeling warmer than they remembered being before they touched each other, then set their eyes downward to observe their best and closest friends wrap themselves deep in romance.

For an indeterminable amount of time that neither of them measured, Noble Blade and Fluttershy just danced to the melody of the songbirds. The sun was still setting in the west, but apparently Celestia was taking her time tonight. The sun was agonizingly slow to set as the two lovers danced together in the field’s grass, bathed in the faint light of the twilight.

Fluttershy almost felt like this was a surreal experience. She was dancing-- with Noble Blade, of all ponies! He was touching her, he was dancing with her, he was making her heart beat at a frenzied clip. He was strong as he held her, but he held her gently enough that it didn’t hurt. At first he was hesitant in leading the dance, but as time went on and he developed a rhythm, Noble was able to have a bit more confidence in leading her. Fluttershy obediently followed him wherever he went, allowing herself to fall fully into his trust. She never let her gaze deter from his eyes. Never before had his soft eyes seemed so enticing and loving.

Noble Blade felt as though he was in a trance, a dream-like state. He was actually dancing--with Fluttershy, of all ponies! At first he took slow steps to avoid swinging her around too fast, causing a mistake and disappointing her. But as time went on and the movement became more familiar to him, he noticed that he was moving smoother, stepping more easily from side to side, sweeping Fluttershy along effortlessly. Her body was just so light and toned...her mane swayed every time they moved, the pink waterfall always swishing, always changing, draping over her shoulders in long jagged lines, falling in front of her face in a single strand. Noble wanted so badly to brush that strand aside, to gently caress her face as he did so.

He felt the shape of her waist under his hoof, observed the curve it had, absorbed the heat he felt on her body. He hadn’t known that he would one day be touching her there, feeling her so lovingly. Her eyes had never left his own, and they were full of joy. Those teal green eyes had never before seemed so beautiful and magical.

Finally, she talked, breaking the silence. “Noble?”

“Yes?” he asked.

“I was wondering something about you,” she admitted.

“What is it?”

“Why are you so...so shy?”

The words reminded him of what Spike had pointed out to him earlier that day. Noble pondered on that. Should he rehearse to her what he had said to Spike? He decided against it. Coming up with another, better answer, he looked down on Fluttershy. “Because of you.”

“M-me?” Fluttershy asked with widened eyes.

“When I was growing up, my father taught me that no matter what, I should behave with honor,” Noble said quietly, allowing the songbirds to continue their heavenly melody. “And so I’ve tried my best to act honorable and chivalrous around you. I’m just...so scared of messing up around you that I’ve just been playing it safe with you. I don’t know when or if I mess something up, or when I should apologize for the way I act, because I don’t know what will be okay for you. You’re just so sweet, and so delicate…”

“Why do you have to be scared?” Fluttershy asked sweetly, still revolving in Noble’s loving grip. “What could you possibly have done to drive me away?”

The question made Noble’s mind jog. What had he done, anyway? The more Noble reflected on it, the more he couldn’t find anything that he had messed up in social situations surrounding Fluttershy. Was it really just his own superfluous mindset all this time?

“I...I don’t know,” he admitted, still spinning her around in a sensual, stimulating dance. “I’m sorry, I--” He widened his eyes. “Dang it! Still apologizing. Sorry about that.” He shook his head in incredulity instantly. “Dang it! Again?!”

Fluttershy’s laugh reassured him, however, that he was doing his job right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R-spdD_2fQ

Finally, when the song was fading and the songbirds were ending, Fluttershy and Noble Blade stopped. They were too tired to continue dancing on. And the beautiful color in each other’s eyes was too distracting. They just stood there on their hind legs, admiring the love each other showed in their complexion. Behind Noble Blade, the setting sun contrasted against his pale, pale blue. And behind Fluttershy, the oncoming twilight contrasted against her golden yellow body.

“You don’t...have to feel so awkward around me, you know…” Fluttershy whispered to him.

“But I do,” Noble breathed. “It’s because you--you’re so...I just…” He took several deep breaths, trying to steady himself for what he would say next.

Fluttershy waited with baited breath, quivering under Noble’s grip. She felt his hoof slide up her body, curl up and around her shoulder, up the side of her cheek, and brush the strand of hair out of her face, coming to rest with his hoof behind her head. She in turn wrapped her hoof around the back of his own head, bringing them in closer.

They were so close now. Their bodies were pressed together. Their faces were so close they could feel the breath on each other’s mouths.

“Fluttershy,” he breathed. “Have I ever told you how beautiful thou art?”

Fluttershy turned warm in anticipation. He was using that warm, fuzzy old-time language! “B-but I d-didn’t even do my mane today...or prepare to meet you…”

“I speak not about how thou appeareth to me. I did not say that thou appeareth beautiful. But thou, Fluttershy...thou art beautiful. Who thou art as a pony. There is nothing about thee that is rotten or soiled. Thou art such a kind, breathtaking, inspiring, wonderful mare. Thou art a divine gift to the weary world. And I…” He found the next words hard to say all of a sudden. “I…”

“You what?” Fluttershy innocently asked, bringing her right hoof, holding Noble’s left, in between their bodies. This allowed both of them to feel each other’s body with their hooves instead, and this did not help Noble’s nerves.

Noble’s mind was tripping all over himself. This was possibly the most important moment he had ever experienced before, and words seemed to elude his best efforts to track down. It had been only through tremendous effort that he had managed to say anything at all. But looking into the perfect pair of eyes in front of him, words blurted out.

“I love thee for it!” he exclaimed with every fiber of his soul, with all the strength of his being. “Thou art what I can only hope to be, but I am such an imperfect, flawed being, and thou...thou art a goddess.”

Fluttershy grew a wide, wavering smile at his words. A single tear of happiness was at the corner of her eye, her face as pink as her mane.

“I crave you, Fluttershy. I worship you. I…” He gulped. “I love you.”

And that was it.

Nothing could be turned back now.

She gave a small squeak of joy and buried her face into his shoulder. “Oh, Noble,” she gasped haltingly, wetting his shoulder. “You...you have no...idea how long I...I wanted to hear you say that!”

She drew her head up, spotting the magical, dark blue color of his eyes staring back at her with unrestrained love. “I love you, Noble Blade! Since I met you, I’ve...I’ve always loved you!”

And that did it. For Noble Blade, it was as though his soul had been cleansed and made strong and pure. Overwhelming joy consumed him, set his heart on fire, and that fire ran in the blood in his veins, made every cell in his body come alive with elation.

Fluttershy loved him.

Noble looked at Fluttershy’s lips, open slightly. Can I do it?

Fluttershy looked at Noble’s lips. Will he do it?

Their heads leaned in closer. And closer.

The tension between them was unbearable. Both of them had felt more daring than they had ever felt in their life.

And finally, finally, their lips met.

It was a magical rush of passion that made each other’s world stop. The kiss wasn’t fast, or violent; it was a steady, soft kiss that almost made both of them black out.

Noble Blade felt everything around himself disappear--the chirping of the cicadas in his ears, the soft wind blowing their manes around them, the warmth of the sunset at his back. None of those senses mattered anymore. All that mattered was touch, and taste, and smell. The soft lips that tasted like pure sugar, the sweetest thing in the world to him, and the smell of flowers in her mane.

Fluttershy’s entire being was lit with euphoria. She probably would have melted onto his body if he hadn’t been holding her so passionately. Her daydream was coming true, except that the daydream could not possibly be as good as the real thing. Her crush loved her. She, Fluttershy, was Noble Blade’s, the special somepony of the best stallion she could imagine.

High in the skies, unseen by either lovestruck pony, Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue when she saw that they had kissed. “Oh, gross! Ew! Yikk!” She started to brush off imaginary dust on her tongue, hoping to gain Firestorm’s agreement.

But Firestorm was not paying attention to her. Instead, he was looking downward at his best friend, finally achieving happiness. He wasn’t reacting like Rainbow was. Instead, he was smiling warmly. “Well, congrats,” he muttered to nothing in particular. “Now I got something to work on myself.”

Rainbow Dash heard this and stopped her tongue brushing. She now observed his lips moving by themselves.

“I knew it, of course. I knew from the start that you were crushing on Fluttershy hord. I’m gonna lay this down on you mercilessly later on, of course,” Firestorm murmured. “But for now, I’m just gonna let you have this moment. Have something special, friend.”

Rainbow Dash smiled and wrapped her wing around him as they both lay on their stomachs, peeking their heads out over the cloud. “Way to go, Flutters,” Rainbow murmured. “Good job gettin’ that love you deserve.”

Silence reigned up there for a moment as the both of them reflected on both of their best friends finding love with each other.

“You know something, Rainbow?” Firestorm asked, out of nowhere.

Rainbow craned her head to look at her crush, who was smiling at her warmly. Then he turned his head forward to regard the setting sun, and Rainbow followed his gaze. Both of their wings draped over each other like comforting embraces.

“I’m glad you’re with me.”

Eternity was so short. After so short a time, they pulled away, their vision swimming and their faces raging with flaming blushes.

They had done it. They had both gotten their first kiss, and it was with the most perfect pony that either of them could imagine. None of them could say much of anything except--

“Wow,” Noble whispered.

“Y-yeah,” Fluttershy agreed.

“You love me,” Noble breathed.

“I always have,” Fluttershy said eagerly to him. “You’re so strong, and so...so loving towards me, and you’re so kind to everyone you meet. And it…” She rubbed the top of his mane, admiring the soft way it felt. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re so...handsome…”

The goosebumps rising all along Noble Blade’s flesh had nothing to do with the cool, oncoming twilight. He in return ran his hoof through Fluttershy’s voluminous mane. Everything about her was just so perfect!

“Fluttershy…” he also whispered. “Since the day I first met you, I was entranced. You...thou art the most beautiful mare I have met in my life. Thou art the sweetest, kindest, most selfless pony I know of. Thou art brave, and thou art strong, and I love thee so much for who thou art. Thy voice maketh me tremble. The way thou movest taketh my breath away. Thy smile outshineth Celestia’s sun. And thine eyes...art the most precious gems in Equestria, without price and without an equal measure of wealth to me.”

“I…” Fluttershy gasped in pure delight, holding a hoof to her mouth. “I…”

“Shh,” Noble breathed, holding them closer together. “Simply allow me to look into thine eyes.” As he did, they held warmth as bright as the stars. “I promise to never leave thy side, Fluttershy. Never will I desert thee nor forsake thee, my love. I swear, in the holy name of Faust, to love thee forever. Wilt thou accept mine humble pledge?”

“Oh, Noble…” she said with a wavering smile of joy, then kissed him again. It was so sudden that Noble lost his balance and tipped over, and suddenly he was lying on his back in the cool grass with Fluttershy on top of him, kissing him with a ferocity of passion that he hadn’t expected out of her.

Noble did not fight it. He did not like fighting, especially when it came to resisting kisses from beauty itself. So instead of fighting against the kiss, he instead kissed back the pale yellow pegasus with all the force he could muster. Fluttershy kissed him back with an equal joy.

It was as though a missing piece of each other’s soul had been filled. They felt whole, they felt right, they both made each other into perfect, flawless beings. Noble Blade and Fluttershy. The sword and the butterfly. Like Noble’s Cutie Mark, they were now inseparably fused to each other. Their love was now a beautiful thing that would never, ever die.