Twilight's Ballad

"Yes," Fluttershy sighed, "I'm finally home. That walk felt like a thousand miles."

She trotted groggily into her warm, cozy cottage, relaxing instantly as she was met with the sights and smells of home. She went upstairs with memories of that night racing through her mind. She tried shaking her head vigorously to relieve herself of them, but to no success. Exhaustion swept over her as she entered her bedroom. She felt her hooves about to give out under her and a yawn escaped from her weary body.

Angel was curled up and fast asleep on his own little bed next to Fluttershy's. The adorable sight made Fluttershy pause and smile sweetly.

"Isn't he just adorable?" she whispered to nopony in particular. There was something about the fuzzy bunny that made the widest of smiles spread across her face. Fluttershy gave one last look to Angel before climbing into bed and letting the night fade away from her.

The day was an alluring one, as the birds chirped high songs and the wildlife looked livelier than ever. Fluttershy was putting feed up in the birdhouses that hung on the many trees near her cottage.

She let out a relaxing sigh. "Nothing like feeding the birds to start this beautiful day." She poured a pile of feed in one of the birdhouses, making the birds tweet happily at her. Fluttershy smiled, "Hello there little birdies, it's good to see all of you today. I do hope you enjoy your food."

Fluttershy went on to the remaining birdhouses, taking a deep breath along the way and letting it out slowly so that she was filled with a calm energy; the feeling was terrific. She flapped her wings to propel herself a few meters off the ground and took in the view, gazing in wonder at the trees, the hills, the valleys, the farms, the cities, the mountains, and all of Equestria.

"Being a pegasus sure has its benefits." Fluttershy laughed softly, "I'll never get tired of this view."

The scenery reminded Fluttershy of all the times she had seen glimpses of Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres from Cloudsdale when she was a filly.

She and her mother had always waited for her father to return from work, and in the meantime, they waited for the sun to set. Soon, it became a tradition, and was the highlight of both their days. And when the clouds were painted with magnificent pinks, purples, yellows and oranges, she swore she could have heard the land singing.

"Hah, 'heard the land singing'. I must be going crazy." she murmured.

Fluttershy hurried to put the rest of the feed into the bird’s homes, stopping only when she remembered she needed to set up a couple more birdhouses in a tree that had none. She went inside her cottage, merrily humming a tune that she had sung for Celestia's rising of the sun one year. She kept humming, looking for the new birdhouses, until she hummed a measure that seemed odd to her. A measure that was familiar to her in the most intriguing way, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it.

"Was that just a part of a piece from choir?" She questioned herself. "No, I'd remember something like that. Hmm."

Then it hit her like a speeding chariot. That measure she hummed was part of the ballad Twilight had sung just the other night.

"I love that part," a voice echoed from behind Fluttershy. She spun around to find Twilight standing behind her.

"I really love the way you sing, Fluttershy. It always gives me chills."

Fluttershy smiled uneasily, "Thank you, Twilight. When did you get here?"

Twilight cocked her head in confusion, "You invited me here earlier, did you not?"

"I don't think I did, not that it's not nice having you over. It's just that I wasn't expecting you, that's all." Fluttershy was becoming anxious.

"Come on, Shy!" Twilight joked. "I know you're sometimes forgetful, but even this is unlike you!"

"Yeah," Fluttershy whispered to herself. “It isn’t…” she had noticed she hadn't been acting quite like herself since last night. "Well, you’re here now, so what do you want to do?"

"I’m not sure," Twilight answered, tilting her head slightly to the right as she pondered the possible activities they could do. "If I remember correctly, a few days ago you said something about fixing up the table that broke last week. I could help you get started on that if you want."

"That would be great." Fluttershy smiled. She hadn't been able to make the time to do it herself, but now with Twilight’s help they’d be able to get it done in no time.

"Wonderful! Let's get started, then!" Twilight chirped happily. They trotted to Fluttershy’s cottage and went inside. It struck Fluttershy immediately that things didn’t seem right. The ceiling seemed a lot higher than usual, new furniture had replaced the old, and the living room seemed generally bigger. Fluttershy began to feel dizzy, promptly falling onto her haunches and shaking her body to rid herself of the nauseating feelings.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed worryingly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Fluttershy managed, "I just got a little dizzy, that's all."

"Are you sure you want to be working if you’re feeling ill?" Twilight asked.

"I'll be fine, Twilight," Fluttershy assured her. She smiled weakly and struggled to her hooves, only to collapse on the floor in a panting heap. She grunted and shook her head, overwhelmed by the confusion that clouded her mind.

"It's alright, Fluttershy," Twilight said, "Let’s go get you on the couch.

Twilight helped her to the comfy new sofa that Fluttershy had no recollection of.

"You had me scared there. I don't know what I'd do without you." Twilight murmured.

Finding Twilight’s statement a bit off, Fluttershy replied uneasily, "I should be fine with some rest.”

"Alright… Well, while you’re resting I'll go ahead and start on the table, okay?"

“Okay, I guess that’s fine.” with that, Fluttershy tilted her head back onto the soft pillow that rested near her head, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Fluttershy awoke in a field just outside of Whitetail Woods. After allowing the confusion of sleep to fade, she found she couldn't move her body very well. She struggled for a few minutes to stand and found that act in itself to be nearly impossible. With a groan she flopped back onto her haunches and took a few deep breathes. The air was nice, she thought. Springtime in the woods filled the air with the most sensational aromas.

"Fluttershy!" a familiar voice called out. Turning, Fluttershy could see Twilight in the distance, galloping towards her. Fluttershy called back to her and smiled, "Hey Twilight! I'm over here!"

Twilight laughed and jumped onto Fluttershy. The two of them rolled down the sloped hill and felt the dandelions bounce off their coats and take to the light caress of the breeze. Their momentum slowed and finally they came to a complete stop at the bottom of the hill. The cool breeze felt wonderful on Fluttershy’s hot skin, and she reflected on how this was a perfect, beautiful day.

The two ponies stopped and gazed at each other for a moment, Twilight's eyes gleaming in the afternoon sun. If only I could look into her eyes forever, Fluttershy wished. That's all I want.

Twilight broke the heated gaze and slowly leaned down, giving Fluttershy a sweet, lingering kiss. Fluttershy couldn't help but to embrace Twilight, wanting nothing more than to prolong the euphoric feeling of their shared kiss. Never in her life had she been kissed like this; never had she felt something that made her feel as loved and safe as she did now. Some unnamed voice in her head told her that Twilight would never let anything happen to her.

All the thoughts that were rushing through her head came to a complete standstill. All that was on her mind was Twilight.

Suddenly, her vision deteriorated and became blurry. All she could hear was the faint sound of Twilight whispering Fluttershy's name. But even that soon faded into nothing.

Fluttershy shot up. She looked around the room in a panic, her eyes shooting to the window where she saw the sun beginning it’s brilliant descent.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy gasped, "I overslept!"

"Don't worry Fluttershy," Twilight soothed, silently appearing near the couch. "I took care of the table, see?" Fluttershy looked to where the formerly broken table rested at the other side of the room and smiled gratefully when she saw it was once again upright and sturdy. She wiped the sweat away from her forehead with a hoof.

"Thank you, Twilight." Fluttershy grinned. "I didn't mean to sleep for that long, but I guess you had things under control, didn't you?"

"Only helping out a dear friend, Fluttershy." Twilight replied happily.

"Is there anyway I can repay you, Twilight?" Fluttershy inquired.

"You don't need to do anything for me, Fluttershy.” at Fluttershy’s scowl Twilight continued, “But if I think of anything that I might need help with later I’ll be sure to let you know. Now, I should probably be getting back to the library; I don’t want Spike eating all of the ice-cream before supper again! I'll see you later, though."

"Wait," Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. She really didn't want her to leave. A strange urge came over her, developing suddenly into an inexplicable fear that she would never see Twilight again.

"Please, don't go, Twilight."

Twilight cocked her head to the side. "Are you feeling alright, Fluttershy?

"I'm fine. Just don't go. Please." Fluttershy begged brokenly.

"Fluttershy," Twilight said softly, kneeling to bring herself face-to-face with Fluttershy. "I don't want to go, but I need to get back to the library."

"Please!" Fluttershy begged, louder this time, throwing her hooves around Twilight's neck desperately. "Don't go! Please!"

"Fluttershy..." Twilight was at a loss for words. All she could do was hold Fluttershy as her friend’s tears soaked into her coat. Fluttershy looked up into Twilight's eyes.

Those eyes.

The ones from her dream.

They were the same ones.

The gleam from the setting sun reflected off Twilight's eyes and sparkled. With a pitiful sniff Fluttershy tried in vain to hold back some of the tears that were escaping her.

"I..." she started, "I… I love you.” she squeaked. “There! I said it! I love you, Twilight Sparkle!"

Fluttershy hung her head in shame and began to cry again. What would Twilight think of her now that she knew the truth? Would she feel the same way? Would Twilight hate her now? Fluttershy felt Twilight's hoof gently raise her muzzle so she could lock eyes with her.

"Fluttershy..." Twilight began in a soft whisper, "I love you, too."

Then it happened. The kiss. The real kiss. Fluttershy couldn't even express what she was feeling the moment Twilight touched her soft lips to Fluttershy’s own.

Fluttershy could taste Twilight on her lips, and she never wanted it to stop; it was driving her insane. She wrapped her forelegs gently around Twilight’s neck and drew her closer, driving her tongue deeper into her friend’s mouth. Twilight let out a lustful moan and began twisting her tongue around Fluttershy's. The longer the kiss drew on, the more Fluttershy wanted.

The kiss, however, broke after several seconds, leaving both of them panting.

Twilight chuckled softly, brushing Fluttershy's mane out of her face with a hoof.

"Oh Fluttershy..." she sighed, gazing into the pegasus’ eyes.

“You need to wake up.”

Fluttershy awoke from her slumber and jolted upright in her bed. With a groan she rubbed the back of her head, surprised to feel a slight throbbing pain as she rubbed at her scalp. She looked over the side of the bed and found Angel still sleeping soundly in his tiny bed, and, judging from the light outside, Fluttershy figured the sun had just risen. Slowly, her various dreams from that night began trickling back into her mind.

"What's going on with me?" Fluttershy whispered in bafflement. "Why do I feel this way about her?"