“They should be in here somewhere,” Fluttershy mused as she rummaged through the storage closet under her staircase, in which, she had informed me, she kept all of her arts-and-crafts-related things. I was simply amazed by all of the objects she casually pulled out of there, only to shake her head and set them aside, creating a small pile of intricately-crafted, oft-unfinished, hoofsewn creations. Some of their designs would make Rarity green with envy; they were absolutely beautiful.

“Oh, here we are,” Fluttershy said as she began lifting out small tubes of oil paint and carefully laying them on the floor before me, one by one. “I’m sorry, it looks like I don’t have very many colors.”

This was true—she only had eight different colors, two of which were merely different shades of blue. I rubbed my chin with a forehoof whilst I examined the containers.

No, no, this will not do.

I was not about to compromise when it came to painting Fluttershy’s portrait, even if it meant more work.

Time for plan B.

“Do you have any white or black paint?” I said, looking to her expectantly.

Fluttershy considered my request for a moment, blinking a few times.

“I think so... One moment, please.”

Fluttershy walked back into her storage closet. A few moments of (extremely quiet) rustling followed; apparently she had to really dig around. After being startled by a loud clang and a telltale, whispered little ‘ow,’ I was about to poke my head in to see if she was all right—and to ask if perhaps I could be of assistance in locating the elusive tubes—but at that very moment Fluttershy finally came out of the closet. In her mouth, she was carrying a very large tube of paint.

I let out a squee and took it from her, placing it on the ground to examine the large, bold text on the label:

Windsoar and Newtown

Enchanted Mineral Oil

11-0602TPX “Snow White”

A large smile crept across my face.

Perfect!

“Um, will this do?” Fluttershy asked dutifully, even though my expression should have already told her all she needed to know. “I know I still have some black in here somewhere, should you really need it...”

I quickly shook my head. “No, this is perfect, absolutely perfect!” I replied happily, idly scanning the labels on the other tubes. In doing so I noticed something I had overlooked before, and I gave Fluttershy a perplexed expression. “But... These are all high quality enchanted paints! How in Equestria could you ever afford all of these?”

Fluttershy covered a small laugh. “Well... aside from all the food for the animals, and a few morsels for myself, I don’t really spend my bits on much,” she informed me. “I already have everything I need right here,” she added, gesturing a foreleg across the room in a wide, sweeping motion. “Many ponies come to me with their animals when they are sick or hurt. I always tell them that I will help for free, but most of the time they refuse to let me...”

“So, you’re actually a vet then?” I asked quizzically.

Fluttershy shook her head, before walking toward the staircase to her room. “Well, not exactly...” she said, smiling modestly. ”I’m not professionally licensed, if that’s what you mean—but I have done a lot of studying over the years.”

She waved a hoof for me to follow her upstairs.

I nodded and followed after her, while she continued her tale.

“I’ve already read everything related to animal care in the Ponyville library. So now, whenever Rarity makes one of her frequent trips to Canterlot, I ask her to bring back books for me,” she said, pointing to a book shelf on the far wall of her room.

Fluttershy crossed the room, heading toward another small closet, while I trotted up to her impressive collection of literature and began reading the tiles out loud.

“Advanced Studies on the Digestive and Reproductive System of Rodents”

Sounds complicated...

 “Biology of Equestrian Native Wildlife.”

That would explain a lot.

Out of all the books on the shelf there was one in particular that stood out; it dwarfed every other tome on there, even though they were all rather thick books. It also looked very old, the binding so worn and faded that it was difficult to make out even half of the words that were printed on it.

“Something, Bones... Something... Flesh? Com—Compendium, by... Magister Stitches?” I said, confused by the vaguely sinister-sounding, difficult-to-decipher title. I looked over to Fluttershy, hoping for an explanation.

“Oh, that one’s special... It was a birthday gift from Twilight. She said it was from her personal collection, but that I could probably make more use of it than she ever would. It’s really informative,” she told me, before beckoning me over with a hoof. “Here we are! I haven’t really painted in a while, so I kind of just put everything away.”

She began pulling painting after painting out of her bedroom closet as I sauntered over. The more of her creations she produced, the wider my eyes became.

Fluttershy turned back to me with a soft smile, inclining her head toward the paintings she had lined up along her bedroom wall. “These are my most recent ones,” she said, not without a measure of pride.

I trotted up to the first one and examined it with barely-veiled look of concern.

What is this?

The thing in the painting appeared to be some manner of brown object; I couldn’t begin to guess what it was actually supposed to represent, given that it looked as though it were painted by a two-year-old foal. Hastily deciding to withhold judgement on that painting in particular, I went on to the next one, and then the next, and so on. As I made my way from one end of the wall to the other, however, looking over all the paintings, my concern (and sense of dread) only grew.

“So, what do you think?” Fluttershy asked with an expectant smile, perhaps interpreting my lack of comment as a simple case of being rendered speechless.

Which wasn’t really that far off the mark.

“T-They are, um... n-nice,” I replied with a forced smile.

Fluttershy’s own smile fell just a little. “Nice?”

I shook my head. “I mean, they're great!” I corrected myself, shifting my eyes nervously.

Fluttershy’s ears fell back slightly, and her smile vanished altogether.

Fluttershy, please don’t make me—

“What do you really think of them, Prism?” she insisted, fixing me with a sad but resolute look as she slowly walked up to me. “I really want to you to give me your honest opinion.”

I paused, frantically trying to think of a distraction, some means of escape out of this unexpected, horrible predicament, before finally letting out an exasperated sigh of defeat.

“If you want to know my honest opinion, then, well...” I took a deep breath, but found myself unable to meet her eyes while I was trying to figure out how to phrase the painful truth. ”I honestly don’t think, uh, that painting is for you. To be frank...” I looked over to the paintings again and winced, only daring to shoot Fluttershy the most fleeting of glances. I was certain that I was going to hurt her feelings, but saw no convincing way to sugarcoat the facts. “I think this is all a big waste of your bits, not to mention some very high-quality paint.”

Fluttershy’s expression sank a little more, getting very close to hitting rock-bottom. “Oh... well, could you, um... maybe show me what I did wrong? That is... if you don’t mind. I would like to get better, like you.”

I reluctantly looked back to the paintings, biting my lower lip. “I don’t know...”

“Please?” she pleaded, ”I really want to know what is wrong so I can, um, get better?” She walked up to me, making an impossible-to-say-no-to face. “Please, Prism?”

That just wasn’t fair...

Exhaling audibly, I steeled myself and looked her in the eye. “All right, if you really want to know...” I paused, taking a deep breath, and then began gesturing to each of her paintings in turn, talking rapidly.

The first one looked more like a still-life of multi-colored mud than anything found in nature. “It looks like you didn’t clean or change your brush often enough when you were making this painting; the colors are all smeared together, creating these discolored hue streaks—”

I gestured to the next one, which consisted mostly of clumped-up and flaking paint. “—whereas with this one over here, well, it looks you just let your paints dry out too much during the process of painting. When working with oil paints, you really have to be quick, or take breaks in between sessions.”

Then I turned to the third, which I think was meant to be a portrait of Angel. “You went over this one section with way too many layers, causing the paint to form large, thick clumps and giving it a overly-textured look.”

I stopped at the next one, which appeared to depict Rainbow Dash. It was hard to tell, given that she really didn’t stand out very much against the sky. “Over here, hmm... You used far too light a hue of cyan for the shading, giving the image a hollow appearance; for a more three dimensional appearance, darker shades are needed—”

Finally I pointed out the last one, which seemed to be a painting of an owl perching on a branch in the midst of night. “—although, on the painting over there, you used colors that are too dark to do the shading. In fact, I’d even say that the shade-lines simply extend out too far, making it appear as though they’re intended to be actual coloring, rather than shading.”

It took a moment for me to catch my breath again, and then I turned back to Fluttershy. “But, you know, they, uh, really aren’t that bad.”

She gaped at me with a dumbfounded look for several seconds, before shaking herself out of her daze.

“W-Wow, you, um... really do know a lot about painting, don’t you?”

I let out a small, sheepish laugh and looked back to the paintings. “Well, I am the daughter of a famous artist. My mother taught me everything I know.”

Fluttershy gasped suddenly. “Oh! Rarity told me about that. She said your mother was Canvas,” she exclaimed softly. Then her expression darkened. “I... heard about what happened to her, and—”

“Fluttershy, please,” I stopped her, holding up a hoof. “Today has been a really good day; I don’t want to taint it with sad memories.” I flashed her a soft smile.

On to happier things—like Fluttershy’s portrait!

“Anyways... you ready?” I gestured to the staircase.

“Oh, right,” she replied, nodding. “Sorry, I just wanted to show you my paintings, since you, um, said you wanted to see them.”

“Thank you for showing me, Fluttershy. If you really want to learn how to paint... Perhaps I could teach you?” I beamed her a smile, which, together with my suggestion, seemed to brighten her mood a little.

“I would love that! That is, if it wouldn’t too much trouble for you. I mean... I’m not very good...” Fluttershy trailed off, looking down to the floor, seemingly embarrassed.

“No, I was just being overly critical,” I said quickly. ”I’m sorry; everypony has to start somewhere. I’d be more than happy to help you, any way I can.” I wrapped my forelegs around her in a quick hug. “So cheer up, okay? We will have you painting masterpieces in no time!” I assured her.

She looked up to me slowly, with a soft smile. “Thank you, Prism.”

I gave her a quick wink. “You’re welcome! Now... let’s go get everything set up, shall we?” I suggested.

“All right,” she replied as she followed me back downstairs.

“So, you said you had a canvas and easel I could use?” I asked her as I stepped down into her front room.

“Oh yes. They're nothing special, but I hope they’re good enough,” she replied, turning from the stairs back to the familiar closet of supplies below them. “Now, they should be riiight... Oh, wait, here we are!”

Fluttershy slowly began pulling out what looked to be a rather sizable fold-up easel from the closet with her teeth. It was kinda fun to watch her; she looked really cute when she struggled.

I simply love all of her little quirks...

As I watched her, a warm feeling welled up in my chest and a soft smile adorned my face. “Do you need a hoof with that?” I asked her casually.

She paused to catch her breath before quickly looking up to me, her mane in complete shambles from the struggle to tug loose the large, unwieldy object.

“N-no... I got it, don’t worry,” she replied, still winded, before returning to her—thus far completely fruitless—battle to remove the easel from its firmly entrenched position.

She closed her eyes and let out a cute little strained groan as she desperately tried once more. I decided to pitch in despite her declining my offer to help, and focused my magic on the easel, attempting to levitate it, however slightly. Through our combined efforts, it finally (and abruptly) gave way, sending Fluttershy sailing backwards. She landed flat on her back with a small squeak, the easel, unfortunately, landing on top of her.

“Ow,” a muffled voice from beneath the easel said.

“Are you okay?” I chuckled, trotting up to her and pulling it off her.

“See...? Told you I had it,” she said, still panting softly but wearing a large smile.

“I guess you did,” I conceded with a wink. Then I looked up to the clock to check the time.

I only have a few hours before dinner with Big Macintosh, which means I don’t have time to paint Fluttershy and the entire cottage. So...

“Fluttershy? Do you mind if I paint you in here?” I asked her. “Unfortunately, I am running a little short on time, given my dinner plans with Big Macintosh,” I added with a disappointed frown.

Fluttershy’s ears fell back, and she looked away for a moment. “Y-yes, that’s fine...” she replied softly. Her ears suddenly perked back up. “Oh! I just remembered something!”

She rolled over and hopped back onto her hooves. “Wait here for just a moment,” she told me, “I’ll be right back.” With that, she quickly made her way back up stairs.

I stood there simply waiting for a little while, staring after Fluttershy, already envisioning her painted image in my mind. Idly looking over the supplies that lay strewn across the floor, my eyes came across the easel, shaking me from my reverie.

“Well... I guess I’d better start getting things ready, then,” I mused aloud to myself.

I decided the best place to have Fluttershy pose for me would likely be on her couch. Not only did it look lovely, but it would be far more comfortable than having her simply lie down on the floor. I went about collecting both a palette and the tube of white paint from before, and laid them on the couch, before dragging the easel to rest a few hooves away from it, in exactly the right spot.

Whoa. This thing is heavy! No wonder she struggled with it so much.

Once I was satisfied with the preparations I gave a small, approving nod, and continued waiting patiently for my model to return. Several more Fluttershy-less minutes went by, and I found myself wondering what she was doing.

I know I am going to be painting her and everything, but I hope she doesn't think she has go out of her way and get dressed up or anything special like... that...?

My train of thought came to a screeching halt when Fluttershy appeared, gracefully descending the staircase from her room. She wore a strikingly beautiful green dress. It looked vaguely familiar; it took a few moments for it to register, but then I realized where I had seen this dress before.

That is the dress Rarity was working on last night...

“I’m sorry that took so long. I just wanted to, um, look nice for your painting,” she said softly, stepping down into the room and slowly sashaying over to me. “Rarity just made me this and I, uh, wanted to try it on. It’s modeled after my gala outfit.”

I was at a complete loss for words, and openly gawked at her. To say that she was beautiful, or even gorgeous, would absolutely not be doing her justice.

Her outfit was themed around the colors green and white, and accented with decorative, white butterflies. Her hair had been subtly styled, differing from her normal look only in that the long strands of her mane were now complemented by a little bit of curling at the tips. Tiny butterflies had been placed along the length of her hair and tail as well. But perhaps the most eye-catching feature of her outfit were the green, plant-like vines that came up from her shoes. They wrapped around her forelegs several times and crossed the back of her shoulders, only to come together along either side of her neck, their ends attached to a single, large, white butterfly that lay across her chest.

Blushing, I found myself unable to take my eyes off her. She was simply stunning.

“So, um, what do you think?” she asked shyly.

Amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, breathtaking...

Those were the words I wanted to say, but, sadly, only incoherent, flustered stammering came out. After taking a few moments to compose myself, and recover from the mental trainwreck Fluttershy had left me in, I finally managed to form some words.

“You look... amazing, Fluttershy,” I said hazily, before shaking myself out of my daze. “Yes, the outfit is absolutely gorgeous. Green really is your color!”

Fluttershy blushed and looked away bashfully. “T-thank you.”

I gestured to the sofa with a forehoof. “Anyways, please make yourself comfortable. This will probably take an hour or two—perhaps a little longer,” I said as I levitated the supplies I had put on the sofa over to me.

Opening the tube, I squeezed out twelve little pools of paint onto my palette before putting it down on the floor for the time being.

Fluttershy eyed the palette and then looked up to me, clearly puzzled. “Um, Prism? How are you going to paint me with just white paint?”

“Don’t worry, they won’t be white for long,” I replied with a laugh, glancing up to give her another quick little wink. “I’ve created my own spell that allows me to imbue paint with my magic, so as to change its color.”

“Really? You can do that?” Fluttershy said, sounded impressed.

I nodded. “Yes, as long as the paint is already enchanted,” I explained, before looking back down to the items in question. “White is the easiest color to change into another, which is why I said it was perfect.”

“But, um,” Fluttershy said, frowning a little as she considered the implications, ”wouldn’t that mean that white paint is basically the only thing you’d ever need?”

I hadn’t really considered this, and brought a hoof to my chin in thought. “Well... technically yes,” I told her eventually, ”but it does take a lot of magic to imbue paint with colors. You would be surprised how much is needed just to alter even this small amount,” I added, gesturing to the palette.

Fluttershy brought a hoof to her muzzle, her frown deepening. “Oh no, I can’t have you be straining yourself like that; I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I laughed, waving a hoof at her dismissively. “It won’t hurt me, Fluttershy, don’t worry. Besides, the last thing I want to do is make you mad at me,” I said smugly. “So just relax while I get things ready.”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. “O-okay...”

I focused my magic on each individual dab of paint, my prismatic magic slowly changing their color, one by one—butter yellow, soft pink, lime green, a soft white, and aquamarine, for starters. The remaining samples of paint I adjusted to slightly different shades of the aforementioned colors, leaving only two unaltered whites in case I needed to create more colors later.

As I finished adjusting the last color, I felt a dull pain at the base of my horn. Changing a paint’s color was actually a lot harder than I had let it on to be, but I didn’t want Fluttershy to worry about me unnecessarily.

“Hmm...” I hummed aloud as I examined my subject. “Sit up a little higher, arch your back a bit, lower your shoulders, and tilt your muzzle up ever-so-slightly.”

Fluttershy adjusted herself according to my commands, and said, “Like this?”

I nodded. “Yes, very good. Now, try and hold still as best you can. I’ll try to be quick.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Painting Fluttershy was, surprisingly, much easier than I thought it would be. I had never painted with somepony modeling for me before, but my very first model did an excellent job of holding the pose I had asked for. As her image began to take shape on my canvas, I couldn’t help but smile.

She is so beautiful...

Fluttershy was a picture-perfect example of beauty; at times, I caught myself just staring at her dreamily, forgetting my work entirely. There was such a strong feeling swelling in my chest as I painted her. A large part of me just wanted to stop altogether and join her on the sofa, to wrap myself around her. I yearned to be in close physical contact with her.

Is this feeling... love? Am I in love with Fluttershy? Am I in love with Big Macintosh?

I found myself comparing the feelings I had around Fluttershy to those I had around Big Macintosh. They were so similar, yet so different at the same time; It frustrated me.

Around Big Macintosh, I tended to feel weak and flustered. I experienced these exhilarating feelings whenever he spoke to me; his voice made my heart skip many a beat, and my face flush hot. I felt safe whenever he was near me, like I had nothing to fear. He was strong and sexy—the stallion of a mare’s dreams, in all respects.

Around Fluttershy, on the other hoof, I was relaxed and calm. She was like a delicate, beautiful flower which I wanted to protect. Nothing made me happier than seeing her cute smile. I honestly had to suppress the urge to just reach out and hold her close whenever I was near her. I felt warm inside whenever we touched, even if only accidentally; it was a feeling I craved, and one I simply could not get enough of.

Love... such a complicated thing...

I knew Big Macintosh liked me; this had already been confirmed by Applejack. Fluttershy, however, I was still unsure about. How exactly did she feel about me? I was her best friend, I reckoned, and somepony she could really relate to. Would she even want something beyond a close friendship with a pony like me? I couldn’t be sure, though one thing was very clear: I (for one) certainly had feelings for her, but they were complicated by the closeness of our friendship.

Just what do I want? Whose love do I want? I... I don’t even know any more...

* * * * * * * * * *

“Almost finished...” I thought out loud as I filled in the final, finer details on the shading of Fluttershy’s portrait.

I took a step back to examine the painting, glancing back and forth between it and Fluttershy. I was very proud of this piece; in fact, I don’t think I had ever painted anything I was quite so proud of before. I put a lot of thought into each stroke of my brush, meticulously paying attention to every last detail, and accepting nothing less than perfection even if it meant going over a few sections many times in order to get them exactly right. Though in the end, it was all worth it—I was thoroughly satisfied with the result.

“Come take a look,” I said, beckoning her over with a hoof. “Tell me what you think!”

Fluttershy slowly climbed off the sofa and took a moment to enjoy a long, luxurious stretch. I couldn’t blame her, she had been sitting stock-still in that same position for some time now. I had modeled myself once, for Mother, so I knew how difficult and strenuous it could be.

When she had finished ridding herself of some of the stiffness in her limbs, Fluttershy trotted over to me and eagerly examined the painting. She immediately let out a sharp gasp, and took a step back. She stared at my work for several long seconds more, before looking to me in astonishment.

“Prism, this is... I-I, I don’t even know what to say.” She stared dumbfounded at the painting. “It’s like I’m looking at a photograph... It looks so... real.” Fluttershy leaned in, studying the details up-close, and then turned back to me. “I mean, I knew you were a talented artist, and that you're the daughter of a famous painter, but this is...” She trailed off again, apparently struggling for words, her eyes constantly drifting off to glance at the painting. “This is like something you see in museums.”

I let out a sheepish laugh, scratching the back of my neck. “I tried my best, but surely it isn’t that good. Mother was much better than me, you should see her... paintings...” I trailed off slowly, my ears falling back and my eyes downcast.

If there were actually any left...

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by a sudden hug from Fluttershy.

“I’m positive you’re just as good as your mother was. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Prism, this really is amazing,” she said, gesturing a forehoof back to the painting. “I’m honored that you chose me as the subject of a painting this wonderful.”

“You see, the truth is, uh... I have been wanting to paint you since the first moment we met,” I confessed with a faint blush, drawing circles on the floor with a forehoof. “You’re, um... very beautiful, and I kind of wanted to capture that beauty on canvas for everypony to see.”

“Prism,” Fluttershy said softly, in a surprisingly serious tone, “there is something I, uh... need to tell you...” She fell silent, pawing at the floor for a few moments. “The truth is that I... um...” She extended a hoof towards me, looking as though she was about to speak, only to hesitate once more.

“Yes?” I prompted breathlessly, watching her expectantly.

Again she opened her muzzle to speak, but again she paused, letting out a small sigh instead. Then she walked up right to me, and looked into my eyes. My heart began to race. I felt lost in that wordlessly pleading gaze; it was as if I were a fly trapped in a spider’s web. We stood there in silence for several long seconds before she slowly began to lean in closer to me. My heart only pounded faster when she closed her eyes and—

“Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo...”

The sudden, loud chime of the cuckoo clock snapped me back to reality; in an instant, I realized just how close Fluttershy was to me. I instinctively took a step back, and looked to the clock.

Six o’clock... Dinner with Big Mac.

My eyes went wide in realization. “I’m late!” I blurted out.

Fluttershy jumped up with a loud squeak at the sudden outburst, and landed on her side, gasping for air.

“I’m so sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I have to go. I’m late for dinner!”

I took a few steps for the door, but then looked back to the painting and bit my lower lip.

“I’ll be back for the painting later. Thank you so much! I’m sorry I have to leave so suddenly...”

With that, I hastily exited through the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sun was setting when I stepped outside, the golden hues of dusk only just beginning to paint the landscape around the cottage. Lovely as it was, I had no time to admire it. I took off down the path and across the bridge, setting out on my way back to Ponyville.

“Prism, wait!”

Slowing to a stop, I turned around just in time to see Fluttershy making a nosedive at me, capturing me in a tight hug.

“Fluttershy?! I have to—”

I was abruptly cut off by the sensation of Fluttershy’s muzzle being pressed hard against mine. I reeled back in her clumsy, enthusiastic embrace, my eyes going wide from the shock. Though the warm sensation of her lips, pressed against mine, quickly overtook me, and my eyes fluttered to a close as my defenses crumbled. I slowly wrapped my own forelegs around her and relaxed into her embrace. My chest burned with a warm fire, my stomach was full of butterflies, and the soothing scent of fresh spring flowers flooded my senses.

Time seemed to slow to a stop.

They say your first kiss is a special one—that it should be cherished. I never would have guessed just how true that was. The two of us stood, caught up in each others embrace, for what seemed like an eternity, unwilling to break away from one another.

Though, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Fluttershy slowly pulled away from me. The two of us stood there, our eyes locked together, silent but for our heavy breathing.

I have waited my whole life for this moment... I'm not going let it escape so quickly.

I closed my eyes and slowly leaned in towards her, softly pressing my lips against hers to return the much-welcomed kiss. The same, warm sensation flooded over me again as I gently pulled her close to me. Words could not even begin to express the flood of emotions that coursed through my veins at that moment. Years of locked-away loneliness, pain, and sadness, melting away in a single instant, all thanks to the quiet acceptance of this amazing mare.

Fluttershy again pulled away, this time softly nuzzling the side of my face.

“I love you...”

Three little words. Three little words that, for the longest time, I thought nopony would ever say to me, were whispered into my ear just like that. As shocked as I was, I did not hesitate to reply.

My answer was a simple one.

“I love you, too...”

With that, Fluttershy’s gentle embrace tightened tenfold. I felt her wings slowly glide down my sides, the tips of her plumes coming to rest on my cutie mark. I was not sure why she chose to do that, but there was one thing I was sure of: I wished that time could simply stop, so that I could stay lost in this euphoric moment forever.

Unfortunately, time waits for nopony, and eventually reality caught up to me. I suddenly remembered where I was, what I was doing, and where I had to go.

“Fluttershy?” I whispered, muffled by a mass of pink mane.

“Mhmm?” she hummed back gently.

“I have to go...”

Fluttershy pulled away once more, her shimmering aquamarine eyes growing wide. “Please, don’t go...” she pleaded softly, her voice only barely above a whisper. “Stay with me tonight...”

My cheeks went bright red in response to her unexpected request and uncharacteristic assertiveness.

“I-I.. I can’t...” I stammered, my eyes fixed on the ground. “A-at least, not until I let Big Macintosh know that I can’t go out with him tonight,” I added. Looking up to her cautiously, I hoped she would understand.

A warm smile appeared on her face, and she slowly nodded. “Okay”

“I’ll be back soon, I promise,” I reassured her, before breaking the embrace and taking a step back.

Fluttershy kept on nodding, but her face quickly went flush; her sudden bravery seemed to have vanished.

“I-I’ll... um, s-see you soon...” she replied softly, while backing away in an awkward, self-conscious manner. “Um, h-hurry back, that is... if it’s not too much trouble?”

I laughed softly, glad to see her shy antics had returned. “I will.”

She beamed at me, before quickly turning away and flying back to her cottage.

Once she had disappeared inside, I let out a long sigh. I was not looking forward to what I was about to do.

What I had to do.

To claim one heart, I have to turn away another...

Loath as I was to disappoint him, I wasn’t about to just stand Big Macintosh up, or leave him with a glimmer of false hope, thinking there might still be a chance. Because after the moment Fluttershy and I had just shared, I figured it was safe to say that the two of us were now officially more than best friends.

I steeled myself and turned back in the direction of Ponyville, swiftly setting off for Sweet Apple Acres. After but a few paces, however, I found my grim expression fading, to be replaced by a large smile. Frantic thoughts raced through my mind.

Fluttershy loves me! How long has she felt that way about me? Oh, but what am I going to say to Big Mac? How do I break this news to him? Am I really going to spend the night with Fluttershy? Should I let Rarity know I won’t be coming home toni—

“You’re a tough pony to find, little mare.”

My ears perked up at the deep and gruff voice that suddenly addressed me from somewhere above me. I turned my head, looking up just in time to see a large silhouette come crashing down on top of me, knocking me over and pinning me firmly to the ground.

“LET ME G—”

I was promptly silenced by a large cloth being pressed over my muzzle. A sickly sweet smell immediately flooded my senses. My mind screamed out for me to attempt to levitate my assailant. I grit my teeth, knowing full well what would happen to this stallion if he would not let me go. I focused my magic on him and...

Nothing.

I desperately attempted to summon my magic once more, but again, to no avail. I couldn’t even feel it building up in my horn.

Why can’t I feel it?! Why can’t I cast?!

With every breath I took into the rag, my mind was getting fuzzier; it was becoming very difficult to think clearly.

“What are you doing to my friend?!” a gentle voice suddenly shouted, far, far off in the distance.

...Fluttershy?

“That’s the other one!” another voice called out. ”Don’t let her get away!”

The overwhelming lightheadedness I was feeling quickly became unbearable. I staggered, my body going limp, and soon after, all light slipped away from my view.

Darkness enveloped my world.