There’s a reason God created the season of summer. Want to know what that reason is? I would love to tell you, but that would be a very long and drawn out explanation, beginning with me telling you that God didn’t create summer, but rather, it was just a seasonal happening that occurred sometime during the earliest development of our planet. You don’t really want to hear that, do you? Instead, I’ll give you my viewpoint of what summer truly is.

Absolute freedom!

Summer had finally arrived! It was a true gift, summer. The ability to do whatever one could imagine (within the limits of reality and physics, I suppose). There was no more homework, no more school, no more shitty teachers, and just no more bullshit in general. I was free to be with my friends and family for three whole months before heading off to college. And the best part about that was that I was actually staying home!

Actually, I truly intended to stay away at school. But, once I found Fluttershy, that all changed. I wasn’t so sure about bringing her with me to college, for a few reasons. For one, where the hell would she stay? My mom wouldn’t pay for me to have a single room for myself. Plus, keeping Fluttershy hidden in general would just be an improbable feet.

So, considering I hadn’t actually made my final decision, I chose one of the schools by where I lived. It actually turned out the school of my choice had everything I was looking for! I would be working with one of the better acting programs of my country, which pleased me greatly! But the icing on the cake was that I wouldn’t have to leave Fluttershy behind!

Why am I babbling like a ninny about all this shit that you probably don’t care about? You want to hear about Fluttershy! Well, come summer, I had been with Fluttershy for about four and a half months now. Being with her was a total blast! I had gotten her so invested in comics that it was insane! I introduced her to a ton of musical groups, showed her tons of movies, and just got her up to speed with how things worked here on Earth. She assimilated pretty easily to everything, actually.

Two of the more memorable days we had before summer had arrived were my eighteenth birthday and my actual graduation. For both events, I celebrated with my friends and family. But afterwards, I would always celebrate with just Fluttershy. Those were some of the most romantic moments we shared. On my birthday, we shared some cake while listening to some Daughtry. They were Fluttershy’s favorite band (my favorite band is always up in the air). It was such a simple evening, but it was somehow so much more fun than the time I had spent with my friends and family.

I think my graduation was even more intense though. That was mostly spent with my family, as most of my friends were busy celebrating with their families. That night, Fluttershy and I just ate pizza, drank some soda and iced tea, and danced together in the basement. Some of my music actually allows for some dancing, believe it or not. At the time, that was the greatest moment we had shared together. It was just so perfect.

However, now that the summer had arrived, some days, I had to work. I actually worked as a lifeguard, and my schedule wasn’t too packed. But, as usual, I just felt shitty leaving Fluttershy alone at home. She got used to it easily, as she had with me going to school. And every night, once I returned home from work, we would greet each other with a huge hug. Those were always nice.

But, as time went by, two things become more and more apparent to me. First of all, Fluttershy still didn’t have her cutie mark. There wasn’t much I could do about that. For her to get it, she would have to talk to some animals, and I didn’t have an active supply of those in my home. Secondly, I began to notice more and more that Fluttershy would sometimes stare out the windows either in my room or in the basement. For the four months that I had been with her, she hadn’t once stepped hoof out of my house. And I, in good conscience, could not keep her here for the rest of her life…

That’s funny. At the time, I was so naïve about thinking I’d be with her for the rest of my life. I completely blocked out the thoughts of her being taken away from me. I didn’t think about the day that she would be taken back to Equestria. I just didn’t think it was going to happen.

With all such thoughts absent from my mind, one day in July, I decided I was going to finally change some things. Fluttershy and I woke up from out slumber. Thankfully, both my sister and mother had work today, so they were not home. And, just as luckily, I didn’t have work either! I was care free!

Today, I planned to take Fluttershy out to the field of my old elementary school. It was a vast open space, with birds flying all around. That was something else I meant to help Fluttershy with; flying. As for getting her to the field without people noticing her, that was a completely different task. Fluttershy was still small enough for me to be able to pack in one of my duffle bags. I hated the idea of it, but it worked.

As Fluttershy and I arrived at the school, I got out of my car and gently lifted the bag onto my shoulder. I walked over to one the corners of the fenced field. Luckily for us, there was no one else present during the day. Likewise, there was a perfect amount of shade to cover us from both peering eyes and the searing heat of the sun (thankfully, it wasn’t terribly hot on this day).

Letting Fluttershy out of the bag, she began to look around and admire all that her eyes could take in. She was enamored by all the colors, the smell of the fresh and crisp summer, and the chirping of the different birds hovering overhead. Her eyes were beaming with joy.

“Oh Matthew, it’s beautiful out here!” she said, elated to be out of the house at last.

“Isn’t it?” I remarked, sitting down under the shade. “Summer is one of the best times of the year. Provided one can get over the heat, which at times can be quite brutal. Other times, like today, the sun can be quite pleasant. I remember days when I was only about ten years old when I’d be on this field all the time, playing with my friends. We would imagine the craziest things to do.” Fluttershy sat down next to me and tucked herself under my arm.

“What kind of games did you play?” she asked curiously. I smiled.

“Well, most often, we would pretend we were all sorts of different heroes of villains. We would get so much inspiration from TV, it was almost laughable. We would ride our bikes everywhere too. Man…” I stopped myself, almost bringing myself to cry. Fluttershy must have noticed, for she started to hug me.

“It sounds like you had a fun childhood, Matthew.”

“I really did. I miss those days.” I looked up to the sky through my sunglasses and smiled contently. I watched as some of the birds hovered above us. Soon enough, a small flock of them had gathered over us. I had not the slightest clue as to what brought them to us, until I notice Fluttershy humming softly as she rested under my arm. She was humming a sweet little tune that I hadn’t heard her sing before. It was so beautiful, and it seemed as though the birds really enjoyed it too.

I nudged her to open her eyes and showed her the crowd she had attracted. She looked up in amazement and smiled gleefully. She stood up and continued humming her tune. The birds began to fly around her, some of them even copying her song. And then, Fluttershy started to actually sing. I felt my heart literally melting into a pile of mush in my chest. Her voice was absolutely, positively, without question, the most beautiful voice I had heard in all my life!

And, so it seemed, I wasn’t the only one to think so. As well as the birds, Fluttershy had even attracted some other animals. From out of the trees came about a dozen squirrels. And, soon enough, six or seven bunnies and rabbits made their way over to the singing pony above me. Hell, even a bunch of butterflies flew over to her!

As Fluttershy continued singing, I finally recognized that she was singing the same song as from the episode of MLP that she earned her cutie mark. She changed up a few words here and there to match her current situation rather than that of the episode, but it was still just as beautiful! And as she hit those last few notes, she landed on the ground in front of me, her new animal friends gathering around her in haste.

“Hehe, why hello little friends,” she greeted all of them. It seemed that some of the animals were starting to talk to her. “Why thank you!” she said. I assumed one of them complimented her singing. And then it hit me; like a goddamn steam train it hit me. She was talking to the animals!

And then, as Fluttershy kept talking to her new friends, her flanks began shining. My heart skipped about ten beats! Right before my eyes, Fluttershy earned her cutie mark! Some of the animals took notice of this too, and I started to cry. Fluttershy turned to me, looking concerned.

“Matthew? What’s wrong?” she asked. I gestured to her flanks, and she looked at the three pink butterflies that had formed there. “W-What’s this?”

“That’s your cutie mark, Fluttershy,” I said, beaming with ecstasy. I started to laugh and cry as I knelt next to her and her animal friends. I explained to Fluttershy that earning her cutie mark was a big deal, and once I had told her everything I could, she wrapped me in a warm hug. I got up and spun her around, smiling and laughing with her all the while.

I placed Fluttershy on the ground and started hopping around like a lunatic. Fluttershy began laughing at me, and I playfully shushed her. The joy within Fluttershy was palpable to a fault. She was beaming with as much pride as I was!

“Oh Matthew, I’m just so happy! I feel like I could soar through the skies for days!” As she said that, she leapt into the air and began to fly once again. And then, I felt as though I received a swift and painful smack to the face. Just moments ago, Fluttershy was hovering in the air! And now, she was completely flying!

“Fluttershy! Holy shit! You’re flying! You were flying a moment ago, and now look at you!” I said ecstatically. Fluttershy immediately took notice, and the smile on her face only grew wider.

“Gosh! I can’t believe it! I’m just so happy right now!” she exclaimed. The birds and butterflies hovered in the air with her, only adding to her gracefulness. I thought I, as a whole, was going to melt into a puddle of the feels (yes, I just said that).

A few moments later, I noticed a group of people from way across the field. This prompted me to beckon Fluttershy to the ground. I then told Fluttershy that we would probably have to go. She agreed, but before she got into my bag, she said goodbye to all her new friends, assuring them that we’d be back in the next few days. I knew for a fact we would be back soon.

I walked back to the car, Fluttershy with me in my bag, and we headed home. Once we arrived, it was about four in the afternoon. We still had about an hour or two left to kill before either my mother or sister returned home. But, quite frankly, neither Fluttershy nor I really acknowledged this. We were just so uplifted by the day’s events!

We celebrated in the basement with some Daughtry and some snacks. It didn’t take a genius to tell how elated we both were. At one point, when I had been tired out from dancing, Fluttershy jumped onto the couch next to me and wrapped me in a tight hug. I gladly returned the hug.

“Matthew, I think this has been the greatest day of my life!” she said, a great deal of cheer in her voice.

“You know Fluttershy… me too!” I ran my hand through her mane as I did very often, and I even kissed her on her cheek. She look at me, her cheeks turning a shade of light red. But, nevertheless, she smiled cheerily.

Soon enough, it was bedtime. By then, we were exhausted. As usual, Fluttershy and I retired to my bed. On this night, it seemed even more comfortable than before. We both cleaned up before snuggling together in bed and enjoying a quick comic book. After finishing it, I shut the light off and held her close, awaiting the moment I would be knocked out. But, before that happened, a miraculous thing happened.

Without warning, Fluttershy pulled me close and pressed her lips to mine. I opened my eyes in surprise, but I quickly shut them and melted in the kiss. The kiss probably lasted about fifteen seconds, but it felt like it lasted an eternity. And it was beautiful. I locked eyes with Fluttershy as we released the kiss.

“I love you, Matthew,” she said. My heart skipped another ten beats.

Fluttershy and I had gotten used to kissing each other on the cheek, and maybe playfully telling each other that we loved each other. But, nothing like this had ever happened before. We just shared our first real kiss, and right after, Fluttershy told me that she loved me. My mind went blank for a moment, I was so surprised. But, after finally finding myself, I replied.

“I love you too, Fluttershy.” We smiled into each other’s souls, and before we knew it, we were asleep. It was just the two of us, together for what seemed like forever.

It was just Fluttershy and me.