Shared Feelings

I gasped as a sudden trifecta of assertive knocks flowed into my ears. Twilight was already there, and I had barely even started on the mess of dishes I had made. “Oh my…goodness,” I mumbled beneath my breath as I quickly wiped the suds from my hooves.

I took in a deep breath of air to calm myself, along with pushing away the worries of what she’d think of the mess; and the fact that I wasn’t even close to being prepared for her visit. I gave myself a quick shake and trotted to the door.

“Hello, Twilight,” I said softly as I opened the door, her smiling face and lavender fur glinting in the morning sun.

“Hey, Fluttershy, how are you?” she asked with a chipper tone.

I was stressed, very stressed. Yet that smile of hers was already calming me down. It was amazing; she was amazing. Of course, I wasn’t going to say that. “Oh…I’m good,” I managed to mumble out, still lost in my thoughts and worries.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, raising her eyebrow smugly, and causing my heartbeat to quicken. “You seem even more nervous than usual. Is everything okay?”

“Yes…” I quickly shook my head. “No, I mean, it’s just that the animals have kept me so busy this morning that I’ve barely had time to prepare myself for your visit. I hope you don’t mind.” Getting that out of my system released some of the tension, and I finally remembered to invite her inside. The door creaked ever so slightly as I opened it wide, and then motioned my hoof for her to enter.

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said sweetly as she stepped into my home, and used her magic to close the door behind her. “I may have accidentally come a little bit early.” She gave me a sheepish smile.

“Oh, okay then,” I said softly. At least I now had some form of excuse for my unpreparedness. “I’ll go start making the tea. I was already going to have it almost finished when you arrived, but…”

“Like I said, it’s fine,” she assured me as she followed me to the kitchen. A mess of bowls laid in the form of an unsteady pile in the sink, crumbs of food still clinging to their surface.

“And I do apologize for the mess. I just finished feeding the critters. I’m sure you don’t want to see all those dirty bowls… should I clean them up for you?”

“Fluttershy,” Twilight said with a smirk, and rolled her eyes at me playfully. “It’s okay. If you’re really that worried about the dishes, I can get started on them while you make the tea.”

“What?” I mumbled softly. I felt horrible. It was as if I had somehow tricked her into cleaning up the mess I’d made. “Oh, no, no… I never meant for you to… there’s no need to do that.” As I finished, it was already too late. With a few quick zaps of her horn, the sink was filling with soapy water, and she was already busily scrubbing away at one of the dishes.

“Consider it a thank you for the tea. Besides, what are friends for, after all? I’m sure you’d do just the same for me.

“Oh, yes, of course.” I wasn’t quite sure if she was truly doing it as a favor, or her OCD was kicking in. Her library was always spotless, after all. “Can I sneak in there, please?” I asked through my teeth as I carried my well used kettle to the sink. Twilight nodded her head and stepped aside as I filled it, then went back to washing as I made my way to the stove.

“It must take a lot of energy to care for all of these critters on your own. I’m not sure how you can do it alone,” Twilight said in marvel, causing my cheeks to grow red.

“Oh, it’s just what I do best… Although, it would be nice to have somepony else around to help. There’s times when I have so many critters here, that I have a hard time tending to them all.” Was that possibly a hint? Was she interested in helping me? I was sure it wasn’t. If it was, she’d simply just say so, being the straightforward pony that she was. “Anyways, what kind of tea would you like?” I asked as I dug out multiple cartons from the cupboard, and set them on the counter.

Finishing up the last of bowl, Twilight pulled the plug from the sink to let it drain, and walked over to me. “Well, you have quite the selection, don’t you?” she asked with a smile, her beautiful, deep violet eyes traveling across each of the labels. Those eyes were one of her most attractive aspects. Well, that, and her personality… and her smile… and her mane… oh, everything about her was attractive. I couldn’t help but blush at the thought. Luckily for me, she was too busy deciding to notice.

“Well, a variety of choices is always nice,” I said. “I think I’m going to have one of my favorites, lavender.” I pointed a hoof at the box. “It’s just so soothing.”

“Hmm, I might as well have that too,” Twilight said with a shrug. “My coat is lavender after all.” She chuckled softly.

I smiled. “That is tr-”

My sentence was interrupted by the shrill whistle of steam expelling from the kettle. I quickly trotted over, pulled it away from the stove, and turned off the flame. As I returned, Twilight had already set out two teacups. I was surprised she’d remembered where they were from her last visit. It was quite some time between the two. Using her magic, she placed a teabag in each, and I gently filled them with steaming water, making sure not to spill any.

I couldn’t help but smile as I set the kettle down, and turned to see my friend sniffing the air, her nostrils flaring ever so slightly as they sucked in the aromatic steam. “It smells amazing, doesn’t it?”

“Very,” Twilight said, looking up and smiling as she noticed my own.

“Would you like to go sit on the couch?”

***

I was both content and excited when Twilight sat down so close to me on the couch. We were close friends after all. I was sure it meant nothing; but it was still nice to feel the warmth of her body radiating against mine, even if we weren’t touching.

I’m not sure how long, but for quite some time we were silent. We were simply enjoying our tea. Its calming scent filling our nostrils; its steam clearing our lungs; its equally relaxing, and mild flavor traveling over our tongues; and then there was warming sensation which it left in our stomachs as we swallowed.

“It’s a beautiful day out so far,” Twilight said, breaking the silence, and causing me to realize how much of it there truly was.

“Oh, is it? I haven’t really been outside yet. I’ve just been so busy.”

It was once again silent for a moment as she took a sip of her tea, then swallowed. “Well, you really should at some point. Knowing you, I’m sure you will. You know, I always love walking to your cottage.”

“Oh, and why is that?” I tilted my head at her curiously.

“I know it’s just at the edge of Ponyville, and barely out in the wilderness, but there’s always so much nature. I guess it’s just nice to hear the sounds of birds chirping, critters rustling through the bush, the water rushing through the creek, and so on without the noise from town. It’s just so peaceful. No wonder you chose to live here.” She then gave an almost dreamy sigh.

I smiled at her appreciation. “Oh yes, you know me. I love nature.”

“And your home is wonderful too, always so nice and cozy. I just feel welcome here. You know, I wouldn’t mind living out here. Have you ever thought about a roommate?” she teased; or was it teasing? Could this be another hint? Did she truly want to live with me, of all ponies? I was sure she was just kidding around. “…Fluttershy?” I looked up and suddenly remembered she was awaiting my response.

I smiled, blushing lightly. “Oh, hehe, very funny, Twilight… I’m sorry, I just was thinking.”

“About?” she raised her eyebrow curiously.

“Oh, nothing important.”

Twilight gave me a simple shrug in response, and began to sip away at her tea once more. Once again, the two of us grew quiet, and it was all my fault. Why did I always have to make things so awkward? I wondered what she thought of me when I shut down like that. I assumed she thought it was pathetic, just like I did. I couldn’t help it though. It just happened. Even if I pushed myself, it was hard to recover from something like that. Thanks to her though, she made it easy. One of the many other reasons I liked her so much.

“So, how’s life, Fluttershy? Done anything interesting lately?”

I quickly swallowed the hot sip of tea I had taken, barely having time to even taste it. “Good. I haven’t been doing much though. Well, just the usual, that is.”

“Yeah, same here. Believe it or not, I’ve actually had time to read books that I actually want to read.”

I couldn’t help but smile wide; her eyes and face lighting up as she spoke. “That’s very good.”

Twilight chuckled happily in response. “Oh, you don’t even know! It’s nice when we don’t have to go defeat some evil villain, or stop some evil magic, isn’t it?” she asked with a smirk.

I giggled. “Oh, yes, very nice. So, anyways, how are the other girls doing? I haven’t seen any of them for a few days.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me, almost as if in shock from what I’d said. “They’re all good… but nopony has stopped by to see you?”

I shook my head softly. “I’m sure they’ve been busy.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m here then. I don’t want you getting lonely,” she smiled softly, nudging my side with her hoof.

I giggled at the feeling. “Thanks, Twilight. You’re very sweet.”

“Actually, I think I have an idea for how we can spend a little more time together.”

“Oh?” I asked, looking up at her curiously as a sense of excitement overcame me. I would gladly spend as much time with her as possible.

“Would you be interested in a picnic? We won’t have to go far. We’ll just do it right outside in your yard. Like I said, it’s a lovely day, so why not enjoy it?”

I could feel my lips spreading wide, and then my teeth exposing in a grin. “That would be wonderful!” I gasped softly. My cheeks then began to heat up, realizing how silly I was acting.

“Cute,” Twilight teased, knowing it would make me blush even further; and of course, it did. I couldn’t control myself, and let out a small squeal, feeling even dumber afterwards. “Calm down there. I was only playing around,” she chuckled.

I nodded my head, and took another sip of my tea, the cup shaking in my hoof as I lifted it to my lips. “Sorry.”

“I’m not really sure what you’re apologizing for, but it’s okay. Now, once we finish up this tea, how about we go make some sandwiches?”

“Cucumber?” I asked, my mouth watering at the thought.

Twilight thought for a moment, then nodded her head. “Sounds good to me.”