Ear Flappies

>If there is anything anyone would notice about pony foals, then it’s how wiggly they are when happy.
>Let it be just a friendly tailwag like of a puppy’s, or getting really jumpy, it all condenses down to one truth.
>Foals have too much energy and it shows the most when they are the most happy, always in a rather adorable form.
>Then comes the question, what about you?
>Why would this affect you, a fully grown mare?
>Well, the answer is rather simple.
>You never grew out of your wigglies.
>When you were a little filly, whenever you felt joyous your ears began to wiggle!
>They flippy-flapped, like a birdy’s wings, making you look silly but adorable.
>The fact that you are a pegasus didn’t help this either, but thankfully this gives you no problem nowadays.
>Except it does, your wigglies carried over.
>This led to you develop a habit of always holding your head with either wings or hooves (whichever is available at the moment) to stop your ears from flapping!
>Inconvenient, and when you forget about it… embarrassing.
>All of those laughs behind your back, the hooves pointing at you, the hushed whispers and giggles… they hurt.
>it also means that no stallion would take you seriously.
>Being lonely is difficult, but, you have to do with what you have…

>...

>Be Sunshower Raindrops, the pegasus weather pony of Ponyville.
>You are done with your weather patrol duty for the day and on a little grocery trip, you are running low on supplies!
>Of course, those ‘supplies’ are like carrots, apples, other fruits and vegetables, the usual thing a pony buys on a grocery trip.
>As you try to decide which beetroot you should pick from the selection the vegetable stand has to offer, you hear some commotion nearby.
>Turning your attention to the source of the noise, you notice it’s that alien bipedal primate that always wears clothes, no matter the occasion.
>You think about this for a fleeting moment, but a new turn of events drags you back to reality.
>The human, as his species is called, looks frustrated: he is trying to buy produce but is met with unkind words for a reason you do not know.
>His culture is different, you learnt, but your fellow ponies don’t care much for that.
>With a sigh you pick a random beetroot, pay for it and make your way to him.
“What’s the problem here?” you ask in a neutral tone, looking at the mare on the other side of the counter and at Anon - that was his name, right?
>Anon speaks up first, sounding like he’s had about just enough of this.
>”I’m just trying to buy potatoes! What’s wrong with that?!” As he talks he opens his arms wide in an exasperated motion.
>The mare selling the vegetables just makes an unamused expression, her forelegs crossed before her chest, she seems entirely disinterested in selling anything to the man.
“Excuse me ma’am, but what’s the problem with Mr. Anon here?” you ask her, trying to sound as polite as you can muster.
>Problem? Nothing. There is no problem here. It’s not your business anyway, ear flappies,” she replies, shooting you a nasty look.
>Blushing in embarrassment, you mumble something, take a last look at Anon, then turn and walk away, head lowered in shame.
>You can’t take this, not even after this many years.
>You hear Anon let out a tired/resigned groan and walk away.

>...

>It’s the evening now, you are sitting on the edge of the stone bridge above the creek of Ponyville.
>The sun is about to set, which you intend to watch.
>Every time you feel sad you watch the sunset, the slowly disappearing crescent of the sun giving you a feeling that things will be… better.
>If you’ve had any friends, they would ask why are you watching the sunset everyday.
>As you stare at the orange half circle, you notice somepony approaching.
>Or rather, someone, since as you look at them, you realize it’s Anon.
>Without a word he just sits down next to you, joining you in watching the sunset.
>Minutes pass in this comfortable silence, then the sun disappears below the horizon.
>With a sigh Anon speaks up, you look at his tired expression.
>”Thanks for trying. Most ponies wouldn’t do as much as you did,” he tells you, shaking his head before returning your gaze.
“Uhm… you are… welcome?” you reply, trying to smile.
>Another minute of silence follows, none of you really moves.
>”Why did that mule call you... uh.. ‘ear flappies’?” he asks, arching an expressive eyebrow.
>As you look at him you notice how expressive his face is, despite being so different compared to a pony’s.
“Heh. Mule. Well, that’s a long story and I’m sure you are not interested in it,” you tell him, wing-shrugging.
>He looks at your form for a few silent seconds, then looks back at where the sun was some time ago.
>”I’m not going to force you to tell me anything,” he says, then starts to stand up, “Twas a pleasure meeting you, uh…?”
“Sunshower Raindrops,” you introduce yourself, also standing up.
>He is easily towering above you, you would guess he is taller than Princess Celestia herself!
>Crouching down he holds out his five fingered right hand, and as a sign of trust you put your right forehoof in it.
>”Anonymous. Well, I guess I should head home now. See you around.”
>You are surprised by how soft and warm his hand is, but before long he lets go of you, stands up and starts to walk away.
“Y-yeah, see you later...” you reply, unsure what to think.
>The way back to your home is spent with thinking about all the things you know about Anon.

>...

>It takes a good couple days until you see the lone human again.
>This time you spot him having a ‘picnic of one’ in the park, enjoying the shade of a tall oak tree, eating some sandwiches.
>You are still on-duty, so you are not sure if you should land there and greet him, but….
>Buck it, you might as well.
“Hello Anon!” you say as you land next to his picnic blanket.
>”Raindrops, was it? How is it going?” he asks politely before taking another bite of his sandwich.
“On duty, looking for stray clouds… how about you?” you ask back, smiling awkwardly.
>Why exactly did you go and greet him again?..
>”I have a day off, no couches to move or quills to deliver today,” he replies and pats the picnic blanket next to him, “come, take a seat. It’s too nice of a day to waste it on work.”
>You aren’t sure about his offer, but... You /are/ hungry, so maybe you could…
>”Want one?” he asks, holding up a plate with sandwiches on it, “Don’t worry, they don’t have meat in them,” he reassures you.
“Uh, what?” you ask, caught in surprise by this statement.
>”Meat. I need meat to survive. Humans are omnivores. Did… did nobody tell you about why they act like jerks towards me?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Uhh… no? What’s wrong with a diet like that anyway? I-I mean, griffons eat meat too…” you reply, getting mildly confused.
>This all makes no sense to you!
>”Well, forget about it then. Just take one, I made too many,” he offers again and this time you do take a sandwich.
>It tastes good, made with a different palate in mind.
“Hnuhm, thizsh ish goowd!” You happily say with a full mouth, making Anon smile.
>”Glad you like it,” he chuckles, taking a bite from his sandwich.
>Despite being relatively alone the park is far from empty however.
>Before long a couple mares trot past you, and you can’t not hear them whispering.
>”Look, the two weirdos found each other!” One of them says and both of them chuckles.
>Anon looks like he is about to say something but after a few seconds he slumps back, an irritated expression on his face.
“Hey, don’t get worked up on them, it’s not worth it,” you tell him, patting his left shoulder with your right wing.
>”I know. I don’t want to make myself look bad either. Well, look worse than I already am in their eyes,” he replies and sighs, “I have been lied to by your ‘Princess of Friendship’, this place is not friendly at all.”
>It’s your turn to raise an eyebrow.
“You know Princess Twilight?”
>”Yes, she was the one insisting on finding me a home and a job here. Look where it got me to,” he explains poking a finger towards the mares in the distance, still chuckling and looking back at the two of you.
“I think I understand,” you nod, looking up at him, “though my problem doesn’t seem as bad as yours,” you muse, not even realizing that you said that aloud.
>”How so?” he asks curiously, “I think you should just tell me your secret, Raindrops. Would be easier for both of us,” he tells you, making you realize, you /did/ say that out loud.
>He shrugs though, so you get the feeling that you can say no... but decide against that.
“Well... “
>You spend the next about ten minutes explaining your foalhood carryover in all of its details, ending it with showcasing the problem.
>Anon’s been listening intently throughout your explanation, he even stopped eating his food!
>As you start to wiggle your ears, his neutral expression breaks.
>”Oh my goodness. That’s adorable,” he tells you, his eyes going wide.
>He looks like he wants to reach out and… touch your head?
“Uhm… want to touch them?” you ask, stopping the ear wiggle.
>”Yes please. It’s just too adorable to say no to,” he he says while nodding enthusiastically and reaching out with his left hand.
>As he touches your ears, you feel that soft warmness of his fingers.
>Your ears begin to wiggle and flap again.
>On their own.
“Huhh…” you mutter, wondering about why would they do... that?
>”This made my day ten times better, thank you, Raindrops,” he tells you, pulling his hand away from your head: your ears flap once more then they stop.
>A feeling of disappointment spreads in you.
“Y-you are, uhm, welcome?” you reply, awkwardly smiling.
>You feel your cheeks burning.

>...

>The next day your mind is in the clouds. You don’t hear the instructions for the day, you don’t see the clouds you should move into position to create a drizzle, you don’t notice your boss yelling at you.
>Then, you spot Anon pulling a cart with a couch on it.
>Your ears begin to flippy-flap.
“Uh-oh, no, not now!” You reach up and hold your ears close to your head.
>Too late, one of your colleagues noticed it.
>”What’s up Raindrops, got the ear flappies again?” she asks and laughs.
>Soon others join in too, making you want to just fly away and hide in shame.
>Which you do.
>In a cloud.
“Why is this happening to me?!” you yell at yourself, feeling your ears flapping as you think about Anon pulling that cart...

>...

>The following days pass you by in an incredibly slow pace.
>Your embarrassment saves you from doing the ear flappies too much, thanks to that you are able to talk to your boss and get a sick leave, but that’s all.
>Now you are within the confines of your bedroom, feeling almost sick.
>Your stomach is churning, as if something is clawing at it and… oh.
>You are hungry.
>For the better part of the day you were lying in your bed, of course you feel hungry, duh!
>With a sigh you climb out of the comfy bed and look for some food.
>And look for it more.
>Empty.
>All drawers, cupboards, even the fridge, it’s all empty.
“I guess I will have to go out and resupply…” you mumble to yourself, getting yourself mentally ready to do the task.
>It’s difficult… but you manage.
>It’s mid-afternoon so the marketplace is still open thankfully.
>You quickly make your way to the usual stands where you buy your groceries, trying to focus on just buying what you need and closing out everything else.
>You don’t even notice how rude you come off as, but when a snarky comment about your ears finally gets through your mental block, you are broken out of it.
“W-what?” you ask the disgruntled mare who talked to you.
>”I said you shouldn’t act like this, ear flappies, unless you want to get the same treatment as that monkey!” she repeats.
>It’s… the same mare Anon had troubles with.
“He isn’t a monkey!” you snap back, angrily staring at her.
>”Fine then. Take your dirty bits and walk away,” she responds, smiling vilely, as if she was expecting you to say something that would give her an excuse to turn you away.
“What?! Why would you… Oh, I see where this is going,” you tell her, a plan hatching in your mind, “fine then, don’t take my ‘dirty’ bits.” With that said, you grab the nicest looking tomato from her stand and bite in it.
>The fruit - it’s a fruit - tastes sweet and juicy, just the way a tomato should, and the surprised expression on the mare’s face makes it all the sweeter.
>”You can’t do that! Pay for it!” she snaps angrily.
“Oh, you need my bits now? Oh, too bad, you just told me to take my bits elsewhere! I think I will take a few of these too,” you reply and shove a couple potatoes in your bag.
>Anon wanted those, no?
>The mare is fuming now, you can see that she is about to start screaming, so you take your bit pouch, grab a hoofful of bits that should cover the expenses and throw them right into her face.
“Keep the change!” you exclaim and take off.
>You remember where Anon’s house is, so you head there, enjoying the angered pony noises behind you as you fly away from the marketplace.

>...

>Throughout your flight you wonder about the thing you just did.
>It felt darn satisfying, that’s for sure, finally able to ‘strike back’, however… you are not sure about the repercussions that will surely follow.
>With a little sigh you land in front of Anon’s house.
>You can’t tell if he is inside or not, so you just knock on the front door.
>”A moment!” Comes a familiar masculine voice from inside.
>Half a minute of patient waiting later the door in front of you opens, revealing Anon in… a kitchen apron? He even has a chef’s hat on his head!
>”Oh, Raindrops? What’s the occasion?” he asks with a happy smile on his face.
>You feel your ears starting to twitch, about to flap.
“Uhm, hi, may I come in?”  you ask and without waiting for an answer, rush inside.
>”Uhh… sure..?” Anon replies, closing the door behind you.
“You are cooking? I brought you some potatoes! Where do you want me to put them? I guess the kitchen, so where is it? This way? Whatever you are cooking smells nice, so I guess I will follow my nose!” You keep talking, not giving him the chance to respond.
>The interior of Anon’s house seems to be based on the Ponyville standard but modified with his height in mind.
>In fact, everything is given extra height, otherwise he would need to lean forward all the time.
>”You got me potatoes?” you hear him talk as you find his kitchen: it’s spacious and clean.
>Something is on the stove in a tall pot, giving off that nice smell.
“Yupp, had a little chat with that mare we both met  the other day, she gave them to me for free, but I insisted on paying her,” you answer and take a seat at a proportionally larger dining table, on one of the two wooden chairs.
>”Alright, make yourself home…” Anon says under his breath, returning to cook whatever might be in the pot.
“Right!... So, here are the potatoes!” you take his attention again and grab said vegetables from your saddlebags, placing them on the table.
>”Oh wow, you weren’t kidding. Thank you, Raindrops,” he replies and walks to the table, taking the potatoes with his left hand - his hand is that large apparently - and ruffles your mane with his right hand!
>Your ears go into overdrive, flapping viciously upon his touch, making your eyes go wide and a blush spread on your face.
>It does not avoid Anon’s attention.
>”Awww, so cute!” he exclaims, putting the potatoes back on the table so he can cup your face with both of his hands and pet you, “How can ponies not love this cute face and those wiggly ears?” he cooes, scratching behind your ears.
“Nhhh-nhm-hmmm…” you reply sagely, unable to keep your eyes open.
>His warm fingers, the softness of his hands on your face and mane, it’s too much for you to handle.
>You hear him chuckle with joy, having a happy moment.
>Then it hits your mind.
>You are a mare, you shouldn’t behave like this!
>This is the most unmarely way a pony could behave, making everything so much worse!
“Uh-uhm, Anon p-please stop…” you manage to whisper it, and thankfully he draws his hands back.
>”Uh… did I… did I do something bad?” he asks cautiously, suddenly looking and sounding rather worried.
>Without his touch you can recover and look him into the eyes.
>You can still feel your ears wiggling, but you have enough focus to respond to him.
“N-no, it’s not that.. I love it when you do… that, but… other ponies have a different, uh, view,” you explain, staring at his hands longingly, “this t-thing I did, it’s unmarely, and-and frowned upon, I shouldn’t…” you look away, feeling the blush of shame on your face.
>”Oh… right… I forgot. I’m sorry,” he apologizes, “I caused myself enough trouble because of this before, I’m sorry Raindrops.”
>You can’t think completely straight, but this is caught by your attention.
>This caused him troubles?
>’This’ as in petting mares?
>Well, that explains it, sorta…
>You would muse on this for a while longer, however Anon’s quiet cussing and rush to the stove takes your attention.
>”Uhh… wanna help?” he asks, awkwardly smiling.
“S-sure! I will... I will peel the potatoes, alright?” you ask and he just nods, trying to stir the potful of food before it is ruined.
>You realize something.
>You will have to protect this nitwit from harm, he is too pure and innocent for this world.

>...

>Anon’s cooking is... exquisite… or at least you hope that’s the proper expression for describing ‘very tasty’ in a sophisticated way.
>The stew he made is rich and filling, making you forget about all of your problems.
>As the two of you sit at his table and eat - you pushing the cooked meat pieces on the edge of your plate -  you wonder, what topic should you talk about with him.
>”So, Raindrops,” he breaks you out of your thoughts, “you are acting very friendly towards me, is there a… uh, reason for that? I mean, ponies are misjudging me or something, but you are doing the thing Twiggles told me ponies would. Being friendly and all, that is.”
>As he tells this to you, you start to wonder.
>Are you really that friendly?
>Wait… ‘Twiggles’?
“Twiggles?” you ask in confusion, “what on Equestria do you mean by that?” You can’t hold a happy grin back, you have an idea whom he might be addressing.
>”Princess Twilight, of course!” Anon answers and grins back, barely able to stop himself from chuckling, “Ponies get really upset when I call her that, no idea why. I think it’s adorable if anything.”
>He makes a point, however…
“Hmm… they get upset?..” you ask and tap a hoof on your chin, “I think I have a theory… which means we have something to discuss.”
>”Ho boy…” By his response you can guess how much he wants to talk about whatever you want to present to him.

>...

>It’s a bit later now, Anon and you are sitting on his… surprisingly comfortable, large couch.
>You can guess, he got this from his workplace because he is an employee or something.
>As you look at his relaxed features, Anon picks up a newspaper and starts to read.
>He is probably expecting you to tell him something.
>How long were you staring at him?...
“Uhm, so…” you begin, rubbing the back of your head with your right forehoof, Anon looks up from his newspaper, “about the ponies, uh, disliking you.”
>”Oh? I’m listening,” he replies and puts the papers down.
“So from what I understand you like to speak out your mind, give adorable nicknames to ponies and, well, pet and cuddle them?”
>Anon nods, wearing an expression of agreeing.
“But after a while they began to act mean to you, correct?”
>”Yeah. No idea why, though.”
“I also heard that in your culture the males behave the way the mares do here, right?
>He nods, though you see a hint of confusion on him.
>You humm, the picture is clear for you… and you have no idea why it isn’t clear for him.
>Then you realize, he is a big doof, he doesn’t know better.
“Okay Anon, I think I know what’s the problem and how to solve it,” you tell him, your expression lightening up with pride.
>”Alrighty, do tell!” he grins, looking excited.
“So… if my theory is correct…” you say and tap your chin again, looking at the ceiling, “what would you do if a fellow human male would go up to you and pinch your cheeks and ruffle up your hair?”
>The confused expression now clearly present on Anon’s face is a reply enough but you wait for him to give an actual answer.
>”Well, I guess… I wouldn’t be too happy about it.”
“What would you do if that stalli.. Uh… /guy/ would call you nicknames?”
>”I would ask him to stop… oh… oh,” he responds, his expression falling.
>Textbook example of realization hitting a person, fig. A.
>You pat his right shoulder with your left wing, feeling sympathetic.
>”And I’ve been doing it for months now… Oh I’m so sorry…” he says as he hides his face behind his hands.
“H-hey, it’s alright, nothing is lost just yet, we can fix this!” You reassure him, then almost instinctively draw him into a hug.
>Stallions love hugs, so even if he isn’t a stallion per se, he should still love it!
>Anon is quick to react to it, wrapping his proportionally large arms around your smaller frame, nuzzling his face against your neck.
“There there, everything’s alright,” you quietly tell him, patting his back.
>He nods, then about ten seconds later he lets go of you.
>”Thank you, Raindrops! This means a lot… thank you,” he tells you and lifts his right hand to presumably pet your mane, but stops himself mid-motion, pulling his hand back.
>Your ears begin to wiggle and flap, but as disappointment settles in, they stop.
>This… it won’t do.
“You can still… pet me…” you mumble, meekly looking away from him.
>”Huh? Can I? Really?” he asks, to which you nod.
>You can’t see his happy grin, but his soft and warm hands on your mane, petting your (once again) flapping ears make sure that you won’t care about it for now either.

>...

>It’s been a couple days since you gave Anon his big revelation.
>You even remember seeing him talking with Princess Twilight at some point, which led to the event you are actually heading to right now.
>The Princess called the entire town together in the Town Hall, to announce something.
>As you arrive you notice that no standing space is left, but you are fine with hovering above the crowd.
>It’s hecking swell to be a pegasus!
>A couple minutes later Princess Twilight appears from behind the curtains, smiling her usual, neurotic-awkward smile.
>”Good evening, everypony! I have called you all together today to announce something special about someone special! Please, welcome warmly Anon the Human,” she… introduces him, and as she finishes talking said person walks through the curtains, wearing an elegant suit (which looks suspiciously like Rarity’s works) and a happy little smile.
>You can’t help yourself, your ears begin to flippy-flap again, you can even feel your heart beating faster!
>The other residents of Ponyville doesn’t have the same reaction however, even though Princess Twilight only stepped aside and is scanning the crowd with her eyes.
>Nopony cheered or stomped to greet him.
>”Good evening, everypony!” Anon greets them enthusiastically, maybe overly so, “I called this town-wide meeting together to apologize. The other day I have learnt about my mistakes and, uh…” he stops and pulls out a little card from a pocket, quickly reading it, “unacceptable behaviour towards the public, therefore causing public dismay.”
>After reading that he looks at Twilight with an unsure expression, to which she just awkwardly smiles and nods.
>Anon rolls his eyes and throws the card away, making a few ponies chuckle.
>”Okay, so, what I want to say is that.. I didn’t know and that I am sorry. To me ponies are incredibly adorable and I… can’t help myself but do what, well, I did so far. Buuut, thanks to a special pony I learnt of how bad that is… ah, there she is! Thank you Raindrops for teaching me about my mistakes!”
>He is staring at you.
>Everypony is staring at you.
>Your ears are still flippy-flapping like a wiggly foal’s.
>Literally all of Ponyville is looking at you and your flappy ears.
>The last thing you remember before fainting is the giggling of the ponies below you...

>...

>You wake up to comfy warmness all around you, as well as to the feeling of something covering up your head.
>Opening your eyes you try and look around, immediately noticing that some bandages are hanging in front of your eyes: they aren’t blocking out your vision but they are definitely in the way.
“What the hay?...” you mutter, reaching up and trying to pull the bandages away.
>”Oh! You are awake!” You hear Anon’s voice and see his face a moment later, albeit only the lower half.
“Y-yeah? I am? What happened?” you ask, tilting your head so you can properly look at him.
>”Well… you fell and hit your head. Nurse Redheart says you have a concussion, hence the bandages, and that you should rest for a day or two. Buuut… you were sleeping for that many days now, so I guess you are good to go?”
>What.
“Did I… I was out for two days?!” you practically yell at him, your wings flaring in both surprise and shock.
>The door of your hospital room suddenly opens, revealing none other than Princess Twilight.
>She is by your side in a moment, looking you over worriedly.
>”Raindrops! Are you alright? Nothing's hurt? I feel personally responsible for getting you into this state, I should have known something like that would happen…” she is genuinely worried.
>”It’s my fault and mine only,” Anon says, lowering his head.
>You don’t know how to react to them, so you hold up your forehooves.
“Guys, guys! Shush! It’s… fine, I’m okay, this is not a big deal, alright?” you tell them, trying to calm both overly worried pon- uh, persons.
>They look at each other, then back at you, nodding.
“Good, good… now… I really need to use the toilet.”

>...

>Three days has passed since you woke up after your little incident.
>The ponies of the town became more friendly towards you and Anon as well, most likely because of Princess Twilight’s doing.
>Job’s going the same way as it always went, although now you are not getting laughed at when your ears take on a life of their own, moving independently of your thought and will.
>Given how often you see Anon, it’s a really good thing.
>For example, right as you finish setting up a special rolling cloud formation, you spot him on the streets below, pulling the usual cart of couches.
>Your heart flutters, as well as your ears!
>Making a beeline to him, you are quick to meet your cherished friend.
“Hey Anon!” you greet him, grinning from one flappy ear to the other.
>”Oh, hello Raindrops. How is it going?” he responds, stopping the cart.
>A moment later his hands are on your head, petting, scratching and caressing wherever they can reach you.
>It feels so nice!...
“Things are alright… how about you?..” You ask, barely able to properly talk.
>”With you around to brighten my day, it’s so much better!” he chuckles… then suddenly stops.
>Disappointed you look up at him.
>He is looking back, at the cart.
>Which is moving away.
>In the opposite direction.
>”Oh, no no no nononononooo!” he yells and starts running after the rapidly accelerating cart.
“Heh, silly colt,” you giggle and fly after him, “what would you do without me?” you ask from nopony in particular, watching the silly form of Anon rushing after the stray cart.

THE END