Twilight Sparkle mused her own joyful attitude to herself as she strode along a path in the foothills surrounding Ponyville. “Well, I guess now is a time as good as ever to get started on this research. And who better to ask than Fluttershy?” Twilight often talked to herself, perhaps as a side effect of living in near isolation for much of her life. The purple unicorn had decided earlier that warm summer day to find out what “Spring“ meant. Her research was on a whim; she had brought a book or two, but after taking some time to slowly read them rather than zip through like she normally did, her curiosity was raised further by what “Spring” in Ponyville is. The residents of Ponyville make it their effort to traditionally wrap up winter by plowing all the snow and raising all the animals, rather than allowing the seasons change, naturally or magically.
As she neared Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight closed her eyes and reassured herself that the most nature-loving and peaceful pegasus would have the best answers to start her research.
Twilight didn’t see the pegasus as she passed the many bird houses, nests, and trees on the way to the earthen cottage. Nor did Twilight see her as she crossed the arched bridge over the creek just before the path leading right to her door. If Fluttershy was home, Twilight thought, she would have surely greeted any guests she saw by now, especially if that guest was now at her doorstep. “Is Fluttershy even here?” Twilight thought. Since Twilight had no intention of interrupting her friend, even if she was home, she decided to wait rather than knock. Eventually, her eyes drifted around the landscape. It was very green; flowers dotted the landscape and creatures moved about. Because of the lushness of the mid-summer land, Twilight found it hard to understand how Spring could be so different. To her, it seemed like Springtime around Fluttershy’s cottage.
Twilight, absorbed in the lush scenery, took a moment to step back and study the cottage. Even though Twilight’s library in Ponyville was in a hollowed-out, still-living tree, she was still surprised by how appropriate this cottage was to its owner: it had bird houses all around it and on the roof, a tree was growing from it, and the roof itself was a green overgrowth. To Twilight, it was an embodiment of Spring. It was a very bright green, and there were shrubs growing from a flower plot on a windowsill; yet, even more appropriate to Ponyville’s Spring, all of this grew on a cottage built by somepony, presumably Fluttershy herself. Twilight found it rather impressive.
“Amazing,” she proclaimed.
Twilight’s proclamation was hardly louder than the wind, but regardless, Twilight heard a light, startled squeak from what she now noticed to be an open window on the second story of the cottage. Twilight knew immediately who had made this sound, and the proper response was therefore, “Oh, I’m sorry Fluttershy! I thought you would have noticed me on the way here. How are you?”
The timid pegasus pony finally took notice of her surroundings and gently flew out and down from her window, landing next to her friend. Fluttershy was a light-yellow mare with a very long, curvy, and thick pink mane. Amongst all creatures, Fluttershy’s disposition and appearance immediately stood out as both kind and in need of kindness, with Twilight’s happy and concerned look stating no difference. “Oh… I’m fine, Twilight. I mean, I’m great! I was just admiring the landscape from my bedroom window, when I heard quite the jubilation from below.” Fluttershy nervously rubbed one of her forelegs with the other, expressing her disturbance, “It startled me.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, and sarcastically remarked, “You don’t say…”
With this remark, Fluttershy’s face went from nervousness to distress. She backed down a bit in embarrassment and looked away from Twilight, hiding her face behind her mane.
“Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Twilight kindly responded, “It was just me. You know, I almost figured you were busy with the animals when I got here, so, in assuming you weren’t here, I began thoroughly studying the landscape. Eventually, I got to studying your amazing cottage. Did I tell you your cottage is amazing?” Twilight was conducting her usual social awkwardness, wearing a wide grin and leaning forward. She might have been gesturing a question, but she had forgotten what that question was.
Fluttershy, however, did not notice Twilight’s awkward gestures or compliments as soon as she heard that Twilight had also been admiring the landscape. She was brought to joy from this discovery. “Oh, Twilight, isn’t it amazing? Even though it’s summer, it looks just like Spring! Or, well, not just like Spring, but close enough. All the creatures seem to love it, too. The grass is very lush, the trees are still blooming, and I even think I could see a little bit of flowers! I didn’t have much to do this morning and since it was so beautiful out, the animals insisted on playing freely. And I have even less to do now--nothing to do, even! So I decided I would admire this beautiful weather from the comfort of my own home.”
Though Fluttershy was expressing boundless joy, her exceedingly soft voice made it close to impossible for her to express any amount of cheer. Twilight was well-acquainted with her friend, but such softness sometimes made it hard for any pony to take Fluttershy seriously. She assumed the best for now, seeing as Fluttershy’s words fit her interests. “That’s great, Fluttershy. I actually came here meaning to ask you some questions about Spring,” she then motioned to the door with her right hoof, “Why don’t we go inside?”
Fluttershy’s empathy brought her to do nothing but agree as she joyfully replied, “Sure, Twilight! Let’s go.”
Fluttershy went in first, and as soon as Twilight passed the entrance and shut the door, she noticed that the inside of the cottage seemed different. The cottage had been a bustle of activity every time she had been there before, as Fluttershy had many animals live with her inside. All the animals were gone now, and it was very peaceful within the cottage. Twilight thought that this was the perfect place to read a good book, or ask a good question.
Fluttershy turned around in the middle of her living room, and looked back at Twilight, who seemed to be spacing out. Though Twilight confused Fluttershy sometimes, if Fluttershy had spoken her guess as to what was distracting Twilight, she would have been right. Instead, Fluttershy got down to business. “So, Twilight, what did you want to ask me?”
Twilight responded Fluttershy with a blank expression, and levitated a pair of books out of her saddlebags onto a couch in front of a window. All of Twilights observations were driving her whimsical determination away, making her feel much the lesser pony in the cottage. “Well, Fluttershy, I came here to ask you what ‘Spring’ meant. Not the word, or, well, yes the word. I mean to say, I guess I already know what ‘Spring’ means, but it’s… different in Ponyville. I’m not sure which is artificial, winter or spring. And I’m not sure what Winter-Wrap Up means for the land, even though I do know that it means to say that ‘it is now Spring Time and not Winter Time’ and that every pony in Ponyville must work hard.”
Fluttershy was almost sure she had a prepared response to this sort of question, especially from Twilight, but she was still fairly perplexed, and she showed it. “Um, well Twilight, neither are artificial. We just wrap it up so it goes quicker for … everything. At least, I think so, but that doesn’t matter. Spring is Spring all the same.” Fluttershy paused to let her friend speak, but Twilight’s flattened ears and large eyes spoke for her. Fluttershy could tell that she had confused Twilight, so Fluttershy searched for a more appropriate answer. “Umm, Well… I guess it would be better for you to consider what Spring means to every pony. Like, for me, Spring means being able to watch all the animals play in the lush green land, but for you, I don’t know what Spring means! You seem to get your best answers from a book, why haven’t you read one about Spring yet, Twilight?”
Halfway through Fluttershy’s words, Twilight had started paying attention. However, when Fluttershy inclined to Twilight that she should read a book about Spring, she rolled her eyes again, deadpanned, and said, “If I had only thought of that before…”
Fluttershy, acting far too oblivious for her own entertainment, decided to take Twilight seriously. “Oh, so you didn’t just think of it before, you actually did it? So, what did the book say, Twilight? Did it answer your question?” Fluttershy’s tone indicated to Twilight that she was talking ridiculously slower than she was thinking. Fluttershy’s isolation and kindness had driven her to speak slowly most of the time, and even though she was moving the conversation slower than what one might expect from anypony, she was still speaking faster than she normally did so as to try and keep pace with her quick-minded friend. Fluttershy’s sped-up speech slowly turned the key in the lock of Twilight’s mind and set her thoughts free.
Twilight tried to catch right up to where Fluttershy was thinking, and levitated a book over from the couch to in front of her eyes, opened it, and began reading aloud from the first page. “Spring; the season after Winter and before Summer…” She looked over the book to Fluttershy, who had just trotted to Twilight to see her face as she read. Fluttershy’s pleased expression told Twilight that she was on the right track, and, finally, she got to the answer Fluttershy had wanted to give. Twilight’s tone was gratitude as she spoke, “Oh, thanks Fluttershy. I guess I just over-complicated things, like I so often do. Spring is just a season, between Winter and Summer, some marks on the calendar with some events to go with it. Sometimes it’s lush and green and beautiful, but I guess if the ponies weren’t here to wrap Winter up, it might be sometimes cold, frosty, and dull. And I’m sure in some parts of Equestria, it is.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Oh, but you forgot one thing Twilight. Since we aren’t in Spring now, Spring can’t mean anything except what we have in our memory. So, to answer your question, Spring is what you, or I, remember it to be. And that’s why I asked you to read a book, because ponies usually write down things they want remembered.” She smiled warmly at Twilight, hoping that she’d given her friend the answer she’d wanted to give.
Twilight was joyful now. She smiled back at Fluttershy, and happily spoke, “I guess I should finish reading this book, and when I’m done, I think I’ll follow your advice and take notes on this. It certainly seems to be a valuable lesson!” After speaking, Twilight went back to reading the book, surprising Fluttershy in the process.
After some moments of reading, Twilight finally asked the question she had really wanted to ask, “Fluttershy, you don’t mind if I stay here and read, do you? It‘s really peaceful in here, just like Spring!”
Fluttershy nodded, and gently dictated with her eyes closed, “Of course you can stay, Twilight. You’re always welcome.”
