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Organised by
Anonthony
Word limit
2000–25000
Prizes
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Silent Growth
It was a calm day in Equestria, as Celestia’s sun gently beat down on the small town of Ponyville. It seems everypony was outside enjoying the brand new day. A particular pink pony was prancing about Ponyville with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. Her name was Pinkie Pie, she was Ponyville’s resident party thrower and one of the most spontaneous ponies anypony has ever seen. She was currently busy with her daily routine of greeting everypony that she passed, making sure that there was a smile on every face she could find. It was going well, as she continued on her quest to brighten up Ponyville’s day.
Outside of Ponyville, a mare was participating in a much calmer activity. A light yellow pegasus named Fluttershy was partaking in a picnic with a plethora of creatures. The mare was enjoying the tranquility of her method of recreation, and she caught herself humming a gentle tune while songbirds echoed the melody flawlessly. Fluttershy was Ponyville's animal caretaker and one of the most reclusive ponies in all of Equestria. However, she was one of the kindest and sweetest ponies anypony could come across. She sighed happily as she passed another slice of toast to her little bunny friends, but there was one thing on her mind. There was one thing that seemed to make her feel lightheaded. Although there was always something worrying her, but for the past month, there was something that had stuck into her subconscious and would never seem to go away. She knew what caused her anxiety, but she didn’t know why it did. Every time she thought of it, it made her weak in the knees. Pinkie Pie. That mare kept invading her thought at almost every opportunity. She couldn’t figure out how it could be. To her, there was no reason why simply thinking about the bouncy pink party pony caused such strange feelings.
She sighed in exasperation, still trying to solve her mystery. As she sipped on her cup of tea, she started to realize something. All these feelings she has been experiencing, she remembered somepony that has exhibited the exact same symptoms. Well, not somepony, somedragon. Spike the dragon, to be exact. All the symptoms that Fluttershy had whenever the pink earth pony entered her thoughts were the exact same symptoms Spike showed when talking or even thinking about Rarity, a unicorn the young purple dragon happened to have a crush on. Could that possibly be the reason? Being in love? No, it just couldn't be. She tried dismissing the possibility of love being an explanation as she took another sip of tea. However, as she thought about it more, it started to make more sense. All her worries seemed to go away whenever the two pink-maned ponies shared a hug. And Pinkie Pie was usually the first one that was able to cheer her up whenever she was feeling down. Maybe it truly was a crush. But that only gave the pegasus more stress. Yes, she may have solved one problem, but that now caused several more dilemmas. Two mares in a romantic relationship? It was possible, but mare-mare relationships were rare in Equestria. For that matter, would her friends accept that fact that she had a crush on a mare? Would Pinkie accept it? Just the thought of it troubled the pegasus even more. She stood up and suddenly walked away from the picnic, not saying a word to any of the critters as they stood there perplexed at what just happened.
Pinkie Pie had just finished spreading cheer around Ponyville, and was now making her way to Sugarcube Corner. She was jumping up and down, singing a random tune that she was making up on the stop. As she was bouncing, she was thinking about how happy she was. The mare was very lucky to have such wonderful friends. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy… Fluttershy had started to become one of Pinkie's favorite friends. While seeing her friends smiling made her jubilant, Fluttershy seemed to make her especially happy. It seemed that Fluttershy always found a way to make Pinkie's smile even bigger, and that she always seemed to make Pinkie feel funny in her tummy. It started to confuse her as to why exactly this happened, But she didn't dwell on it much longer as she had reached her destination, With a spring in her step, she pranced inside the doors.
Fluttershy was pacing the floor of her cottage with worry. Was she really falling head over hooves for Pinkie Pie? She tried to deny it, but it simply didn't work. She couldn't shove visions of her and the earth pony together out of her mind. Her face began to glow red as she kept the image strong in her head. Then another vision started to show itself to her. It was her being laughed at. She was being laughed at for being in love with another mare. The entire town was roaring with laughter, all their hooves pointed at the timid pegasus. Fluttershy shut her eyes as tight as she could, but teardrops managed to trickle out. As she slowly wiped them off with her hoof, she had made a decision. She needed to get it off her chest. She needed to tell Pinkie. She immediately set off for Sugarcube Corner. However, as she cantered, she slowly realized that telling Pinkie Pie how she feels might just be the scariest thing she has ever done. But Fluttershy simply shook her head. She had to be brave. She had to be strong today. This is something she needed to do.
The pink pony at Sugarcube Corner was rapping at the tables. Business was slow today, and Pinkie needed to do anything to keep moving. It seemed as if she feared that if she had to stay still for more than 5 seconds, she would explode. Her boredom was suddenly interrupted by a familiar ring. Somepony had to be at the door. She turned around with a smile to greet whoever was there. Pinkie's eyes widened, it was Fluttershy that decided to pay her a visit. But there was one detail about Fluttershy's appearance that troubled Pinkie. Her face. There was a look of sadness on her face instead of a look of happiness. This was something Pinkie couldn't bear to see. As her friend, it was her duty to make sure her feel as pleased as possible. She flashed another bright smile at her pegasus pal, who weakly smiled back. This made the pink pony more concerned. Something was troubling her friend, which made Pinkie more determined to cheer her up. She trotted over to a table and motioned with her hoof to come join her.
Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie, and tentatively walked over towards her. This was it. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Pinkie was already walking off towards the kitchen. She took the time to look around the building which Pinkie Pie called home. It was a very large, bright, and colorful place, the various scents of confections and sugary treats assaulted her nostrils with no sign of letting up. It was a very pleasant place to relax, but Fluttershy was not here to order a cake. Today, her purpose was to talk to a specific pink mare. As she waited for her return, however, thoughts of doubt once again entered her mind. Maybe it was a terrible idea to talk to her. Maybe she should just turn back and pretend nothing ever happened. She shook her head in an attempt to clear out the nasty thoughts. She just had to do it. She needed to be brave. It wouldn't get better unless she was brave and told her. …Told her what? That she has a crush on her? That just seems too forward. It frightened Fluttershy to imagine how Pinkie Pie might react. Would she be scared of her? Would she be angry? Would they never be friends again? As more negative scenarios presented themselves, they all seemed insignificant to one positive situation-That she would accept her. Or even better, return her feelings. It made Fluttershy feel warm inside to picture the rest of her life with Pinkie Pie. Her mood suddenly sunk as she realized how unlikely that situation is. Although that one possibility was enough for her to try anyway.
Soon after, Pinkie Pie returned, presenting Fluttershy with a large plate of cookies before placing it down on the table. She gave Fluttershy a quick grin before stuffing her mouth with several cookies. This was Fluttershy's opportunity. She cleared her throat to gain Pinkie's attention. Before she could talk, her heart started to beat faster, her knees began to buckle, and she broke into a cold sweat. More feelings of doubt infiltrated her brain. She tried pushing the words out of her mouth, but no sound came out. She tried again and again, but she was met with the same silence. Fluttershy began to feel more hopeless after each attempt. Pinkie looked at her friend uneasily. The pink pony moved in closer to ask what was wrong, but without warning, Fluttershy broke out in tears. The sudden breakdown caught Pinkie off-guard, and soon, without thinking, wrapped her arms around the weeping pegasus. Fluttershy pushed Pinkie away, running out the door, her flowing pink mane covering her teary eyes. Pinkie tried pursuing her, but she was already too far away to chase. Pinkie turned around and somberly walked back inside Sugarcube Corner.
Pinkie lay still in her room upstairs in deep thought. She wondered what had just happened earlier. Was it something that she had said? Was it something she had done? Why would Fluttershy act so strangely? It was obvious that something had to be bothering her friend, but what? She was acting incredibly nervous, and it seemed as though the closer she was to her, the more nervous Fluttershy got. Was Fluttershy scared of her? No, it couldn't be that. Fluttershy was one of her bestest friends ever. It wouldn't make sense for her to be scared of her. What else could make a pony nervous around somepony else? Spike used to get really nervous around Rarity, but Spike has a crush on Rarity. Was it possible that Fluttershy had a crush on her? It was a silly notion, but it did make sense. What if Fluttershy really did have special feelings for the party pony? And was it also possible that those feelings were also returned? She thought about it, how every smile she got from the pegasus made her feel fuzzy inside, how hearing her gentle soothing voice made any troubles seem to magically disappear, and how Fluttershy always seemed to make her heart beat just a little bit faster. It started to embarrass her that she didn't see the signs before, but she needed to do something about it right away. Without a second thought, she made her way towards the outskirts of Ponyville, all the way to a small secluded cottage.
Fluttershy lay face-down on her bed. A seemingly endless stream of tears flowed down her eyes. She tried. She tried so very hard to be brave, to be strong, but she failed. With each passing second she hated herself more. Her animal friends tried to comfort her, but to no avail. Thoughts of hatred and worthlessness now clouded her thoughts. She felt stupid. How could she have been so foolish as to thinking she could be brave? She couldn't be brave, she was just a worthless pegasus.
A sharp series of knocks on the door made Fluttershy lift up her head from her tear-stained pillow, but she just fell back down and continued with her misery. Another loud sequence of knocks caught the melancholy mare's attention, but she ignored it once again. She wanted to lay down and become the insignificant mare she thought she was. Another knock, this time it appeared as though whoever it was was now pounding on her door. She sighed and slowly rolled off her bed. She decided to see who was constantly banging at her cottage enterance. Sniveling, she wiped the tears from her eyes and half-heartedly opened the door.
A worried pink mare stood at her door. In her mouth was a single fresh crimson rose. Fluttershy blinked. Surely this was some sort of dream, maybe a mirage or hallucination. She gingerly put a hoof out to make contact with the mare in front of her. It didn't seem like a dream. Pinkie stepped towards her, and the timid pegasus shrank back against the wall. Fluttershy felt a soft hoof press against her mouth. She looked up and saw Pinkie smiling, the rose still held firm in her mouth. She moved forward and tucked it behind the pegasus's ear. Fluttershy began to tear up. She had never felt more joy in her entire life. All because of the unspoken message Pinkie had given her. Without hesitation, Fluttershy found her hooves slowly wrapped around Pinkie Pie. The usually talkative pony stayed silent, wrapping her hooves around the pegasus she now held very dear, and yet she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Outside of Ponyville, a mare was participating in a much calmer activity. A light yellow pegasus named Fluttershy was partaking in a picnic with a plethora of creatures. The mare was enjoying the tranquility of her method of recreation, and she caught herself humming a gentle tune while songbirds echoed the melody flawlessly. Fluttershy was Ponyville's animal caretaker and one of the most reclusive ponies in all of Equestria. However, she was one of the kindest and sweetest ponies anypony could come across. She sighed happily as she passed another slice of toast to her little bunny friends, but there was one thing on her mind. There was one thing that seemed to make her feel lightheaded. Although there was always something worrying her, but for the past month, there was something that had stuck into her subconscious and would never seem to go away. She knew what caused her anxiety, but she didn’t know why it did. Every time she thought of it, it made her weak in the knees. Pinkie Pie. That mare kept invading her thought at almost every opportunity. She couldn’t figure out how it could be. To her, there was no reason why simply thinking about the bouncy pink party pony caused such strange feelings.
She sighed in exasperation, still trying to solve her mystery. As she sipped on her cup of tea, she started to realize something. All these feelings she has been experiencing, she remembered somepony that has exhibited the exact same symptoms. Well, not somepony, somedragon. Spike the dragon, to be exact. All the symptoms that Fluttershy had whenever the pink earth pony entered her thoughts were the exact same symptoms Spike showed when talking or even thinking about Rarity, a unicorn the young purple dragon happened to have a crush on. Could that possibly be the reason? Being in love? No, it just couldn't be. She tried dismissing the possibility of love being an explanation as she took another sip of tea. However, as she thought about it more, it started to make more sense. All her worries seemed to go away whenever the two pink-maned ponies shared a hug. And Pinkie Pie was usually the first one that was able to cheer her up whenever she was feeling down. Maybe it truly was a crush. But that only gave the pegasus more stress. Yes, she may have solved one problem, but that now caused several more dilemmas. Two mares in a romantic relationship? It was possible, but mare-mare relationships were rare in Equestria. For that matter, would her friends accept that fact that she had a crush on a mare? Would Pinkie accept it? Just the thought of it troubled the pegasus even more. She stood up and suddenly walked away from the picnic, not saying a word to any of the critters as they stood there perplexed at what just happened.
Pinkie Pie had just finished spreading cheer around Ponyville, and was now making her way to Sugarcube Corner. She was jumping up and down, singing a random tune that she was making up on the stop. As she was bouncing, she was thinking about how happy she was. The mare was very lucky to have such wonderful friends. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy… Fluttershy had started to become one of Pinkie's favorite friends. While seeing her friends smiling made her jubilant, Fluttershy seemed to make her especially happy. It seemed that Fluttershy always found a way to make Pinkie's smile even bigger, and that she always seemed to make Pinkie feel funny in her tummy. It started to confuse her as to why exactly this happened, But she didn't dwell on it much longer as she had reached her destination, With a spring in her step, she pranced inside the doors.
Fluttershy was pacing the floor of her cottage with worry. Was she really falling head over hooves for Pinkie Pie? She tried to deny it, but it simply didn't work. She couldn't shove visions of her and the earth pony together out of her mind. Her face began to glow red as she kept the image strong in her head. Then another vision started to show itself to her. It was her being laughed at. She was being laughed at for being in love with another mare. The entire town was roaring with laughter, all their hooves pointed at the timid pegasus. Fluttershy shut her eyes as tight as she could, but teardrops managed to trickle out. As she slowly wiped them off with her hoof, she had made a decision. She needed to get it off her chest. She needed to tell Pinkie. She immediately set off for Sugarcube Corner. However, as she cantered, she slowly realized that telling Pinkie Pie how she feels might just be the scariest thing she has ever done. But Fluttershy simply shook her head. She had to be brave. She had to be strong today. This is something she needed to do.
The pink pony at Sugarcube Corner was rapping at the tables. Business was slow today, and Pinkie needed to do anything to keep moving. It seemed as if she feared that if she had to stay still for more than 5 seconds, she would explode. Her boredom was suddenly interrupted by a familiar ring. Somepony had to be at the door. She turned around with a smile to greet whoever was there. Pinkie's eyes widened, it was Fluttershy that decided to pay her a visit. But there was one detail about Fluttershy's appearance that troubled Pinkie. Her face. There was a look of sadness on her face instead of a look of happiness. This was something Pinkie couldn't bear to see. As her friend, it was her duty to make sure her feel as pleased as possible. She flashed another bright smile at her pegasus pal, who weakly smiled back. This made the pink pony more concerned. Something was troubling her friend, which made Pinkie more determined to cheer her up. She trotted over to a table and motioned with her hoof to come join her.
Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie, and tentatively walked over towards her. This was it. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Pinkie was already walking off towards the kitchen. She took the time to look around the building which Pinkie Pie called home. It was a very large, bright, and colorful place, the various scents of confections and sugary treats assaulted her nostrils with no sign of letting up. It was a very pleasant place to relax, but Fluttershy was not here to order a cake. Today, her purpose was to talk to a specific pink mare. As she waited for her return, however, thoughts of doubt once again entered her mind. Maybe it was a terrible idea to talk to her. Maybe she should just turn back and pretend nothing ever happened. She shook her head in an attempt to clear out the nasty thoughts. She just had to do it. She needed to be brave. It wouldn't get better unless she was brave and told her. …Told her what? That she has a crush on her? That just seems too forward. It frightened Fluttershy to imagine how Pinkie Pie might react. Would she be scared of her? Would she be angry? Would they never be friends again? As more negative scenarios presented themselves, they all seemed insignificant to one positive situation-That she would accept her. Or even better, return her feelings. It made Fluttershy feel warm inside to picture the rest of her life with Pinkie Pie. Her mood suddenly sunk as she realized how unlikely that situation is. Although that one possibility was enough for her to try anyway.
Soon after, Pinkie Pie returned, presenting Fluttershy with a large plate of cookies before placing it down on the table. She gave Fluttershy a quick grin before stuffing her mouth with several cookies. This was Fluttershy's opportunity. She cleared her throat to gain Pinkie's attention. Before she could talk, her heart started to beat faster, her knees began to buckle, and she broke into a cold sweat. More feelings of doubt infiltrated her brain. She tried pushing the words out of her mouth, but no sound came out. She tried again and again, but she was met with the same silence. Fluttershy began to feel more hopeless after each attempt. Pinkie looked at her friend uneasily. The pink pony moved in closer to ask what was wrong, but without warning, Fluttershy broke out in tears. The sudden breakdown caught Pinkie off-guard, and soon, without thinking, wrapped her arms around the weeping pegasus. Fluttershy pushed Pinkie away, running out the door, her flowing pink mane covering her teary eyes. Pinkie tried pursuing her, but she was already too far away to chase. Pinkie turned around and somberly walked back inside Sugarcube Corner.
Pinkie lay still in her room upstairs in deep thought. She wondered what had just happened earlier. Was it something that she had said? Was it something she had done? Why would Fluttershy act so strangely? It was obvious that something had to be bothering her friend, but what? She was acting incredibly nervous, and it seemed as though the closer she was to her, the more nervous Fluttershy got. Was Fluttershy scared of her? No, it couldn't be that. Fluttershy was one of her bestest friends ever. It wouldn't make sense for her to be scared of her. What else could make a pony nervous around somepony else? Spike used to get really nervous around Rarity, but Spike has a crush on Rarity. Was it possible that Fluttershy had a crush on her? It was a silly notion, but it did make sense. What if Fluttershy really did have special feelings for the party pony? And was it also possible that those feelings were also returned? She thought about it, how every smile she got from the pegasus made her feel fuzzy inside, how hearing her gentle soothing voice made any troubles seem to magically disappear, and how Fluttershy always seemed to make her heart beat just a little bit faster. It started to embarrass her that she didn't see the signs before, but she needed to do something about it right away. Without a second thought, she made her way towards the outskirts of Ponyville, all the way to a small secluded cottage.
Fluttershy lay face-down on her bed. A seemingly endless stream of tears flowed down her eyes. She tried. She tried so very hard to be brave, to be strong, but she failed. With each passing second she hated herself more. Her animal friends tried to comfort her, but to no avail. Thoughts of hatred and worthlessness now clouded her thoughts. She felt stupid. How could she have been so foolish as to thinking she could be brave? She couldn't be brave, she was just a worthless pegasus.
A sharp series of knocks on the door made Fluttershy lift up her head from her tear-stained pillow, but she just fell back down and continued with her misery. Another loud sequence of knocks caught the melancholy mare's attention, but she ignored it once again. She wanted to lay down and become the insignificant mare she thought she was. Another knock, this time it appeared as though whoever it was was now pounding on her door. She sighed and slowly rolled off her bed. She decided to see who was constantly banging at her cottage enterance. Sniveling, she wiped the tears from her eyes and half-heartedly opened the door.
A worried pink mare stood at her door. In her mouth was a single fresh crimson rose. Fluttershy blinked. Surely this was some sort of dream, maybe a mirage or hallucination. She gingerly put a hoof out to make contact with the mare in front of her. It didn't seem like a dream. Pinkie stepped towards her, and the timid pegasus shrank back against the wall. Fluttershy felt a soft hoof press against her mouth. She looked up and saw Pinkie smiling, the rose still held firm in her mouth. She moved forward and tucked it behind the pegasus's ear. Fluttershy began to tear up. She had never felt more joy in her entire life. All because of the unspoken message Pinkie had given her. Without hesitation, Fluttershy found her hooves slowly wrapped around Pinkie Pie. The usually talkative pony stayed silent, wrapping her hooves around the pegasus she now held very dear, and yet she wouldn’t have it any other way.