Inner Strength

by Krickis

Chapters

1 - Eavesdropping
2 - Hiding Away
3 - Wishful Thinking
4 - Pen Pals
5 - Unexpected Results
6 - Taking Chances
7 - First Date
8 – Full of Surprises
9 – Pride
10 – Adequate
11 – Another Side
12 – Season of Change
13 – Talk of the Town
14 – Damage Control
15 – Standing Together
16 - Stay With Me
17 - Welcome to the Family
18 - Things Kept Inside
19 - Oubliettes and Ogres
20 - Night and Day
21 - Of Mountains and Molehills
22 - Picking Up Pieces
23 - Front Page News
24 - Storm Front
25 – To Know and to Believe
26 - Only As Blind As We Want to Be
27 - Inner Strength
Epilogue

1 - Eavesdropping

⠀

Act I

Fear

⠀

Chapter One
Eavesdropping

⠀

⠀
There was something worrisome going on in the kitchen. The sounds were traveling down the hall and reaching the sitting room, where Twilight Sparkle was lounging with a book. Her head popped up as she heard it. Someone was moving around her kitchen, and they weren’t being quiet about it.

She stood up and hesitantly walked down the hall. Tentatively sniffing the air confirmed her fears – something smelled delicious. She stopped by the door to the kitchen and braced herself for what she knew she would find inside. She took a deep breath, just like Cadance had taught her to do when she felt her anxiety welling up, and gently pushed it open.

The calming breath didn’t help, not once she got a look at what her kitchen had become. That morning it had been perfect. It was immaculately organized; from the giant crockpot to the tiniest eighth of a teaspoon, everything had its place. And from what she saw, although everything certainly had a place, absolutely nothing was in its place.

“Spike, what are you doing?” Twilight asked frantically.

The little dragon had lived with Twilight for his whole life. He was her beloved little brother, her invaluable assistant, and, at times, he was her most merciless tormentor.

“Don’t worry about it,” Spike said, as if it were that easy. “I’ll clean everything up.”

Twilight looked around the room again. It could be worse, she forced herself to remember. As messy as Spike was, he was actually a very competent cook. So she at least could take solace in the fact that the castle wouldn’t burn down. “But why are you even doing all this in the first place? It’s not like we have company coming over.”

Spike shrugged. “I just wanted to practice some fancier recipes.”

That made things click into place. There was only one explanation for why Spike would be interested in anything fancy. “These fancy recipes wouldn’t happen to be a way to impress somepony in particular, would they?”

“Well, uh…” Spike suddenly found himself very busy stirring the contents of a large bowl.

Twilight sighed. She walked over to stand beside her brother, and looked over the recipes he was making. Half the pots and pans he got out weren’t even required for any of them.

She was going to point that out, but changed her mind she turned to him and saw his determined expression. He loved cooking, and she loved seeing him do something other than reading comic books. Besides, it was important to encourage his interests, and that included the messy ones.

“I’m sure Rarity will love it,” she said, causing him to blush. Another look around the room confirmed that she needed to get out of there. “I think I’m going to take a walk. Try not to make too much of a mess.”

“You got it!” Spike replied enthusiastically.

Twilight tried to avoid dwelling on the state of the room as she left it. She knew that her day would end with helping Spike clean the kitchen, but at least he was happy. Still, every clinking pan would drive her mad if she stuck around. She could retreat to the library, but she was afraid her curiosity would compel her to check in on Spike’s culinary experiments, and that wouldn’t be good for either of them.

So even though she had no particular place to go, she walked out the door and into Ponyville. It was beautiful, as always. The early afternoon sun was shining warmly, and every face was friendly. That was her favorite thing about life in Ponyville. Everywhere she looked, she would see another pony smile and wave. And she knew it wasn’t just because she was a princess; Ponyville ponies had been nothing but friendly since she first stepped hoof in the town.

Since she didn’t have a destination in mind, she wandered to the market. There were more smiling faces there than anywhere else in town, and she was always sure to run into somepony she knew in the marketplace.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before she heard the one pony who smiled more than any other. “Hi, Twilight!”

“Hello, Pinkie,” Twilight answered brightly. She turned to find the pink pony already keeping pace beside her. Her saddlebags were filled with paint, balloons, and all manner of other supplies. “Planning a party, I take it?”

“Yupperony! Cherry Blossom is coming to town for Cheerilee’s birthday, so I’m throwing a sister reunion birthday party! And with twice the reason to celebrate, I have to make sure the party is twice as much fun!”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, I’m sure if anypony is up to the task, it’s you, Pinkie.” Until recently, Cheerilee and her sister Cherry Blossom hadn’t been talking. It had taken a sprained hoof and a championship wrestling match to get them to be friends again. Twilight was thrilled to hear things were still going well for them, and it sounded like she knew how to spend the rest of her day. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Hmm…” Pinkie tapped on her chin and adopted a contemplative expression. Only for a moment however, then she suddenly popped back into her usual happy smile. “Nope! It’s all taken care of.”

Twilight tried to keep from looking upset. “I’m sure there’s something I could do. Maybe I can finish picking up your supplies while you get started on other things.”

“Twilight, please, I’m a party planning professional. Trust me when I say everything is in the bag.” Right on cue, the saddle bag popped open and confetti exploded into the air. Several passersby jumped back in surprise, but Pinkie didn’t seem concerned. “Literally!”

Twilight had long since gotten used to Pinkie’s eccentricities – and the eccentricities that just seemed to happen around her – but she still never failed to put a smile on her face. “Well, I’m not doing anything anyway. There must be something I can do to help. Another set of hooves never hurts when setting up a party.”

“Ooh! I know what you could do!” Pinkie said excitedly.

“Yes?” Twilight leaned in to hear better.

“Fluttershy told me she had a busy day with the animals today. I’m sure she would appreciate somepony lending a hoof.”

Twilight just blinked. Visiting Fluttershy certainly seemed like a good idea, but she had thought Pinkie was going to have her do something with the party. “Oh. Uh, okay then.”

“Okie dokie lokie! Say hi for me!” As she hopped off she began singing a song, leaving her good mood on everypony in her wake.

Twilight was left slightly puzzled by the end of their conversation, but shrugged it off. It was Pinkie Pie, after all.

Rather than dwell on Pinkie, Twilight happily made her way towards Fluttershy’s cottage. She had barely set out when an idea occurred to her. Knowing her friend, she probably had been too busy taking care of her animals to take care of herself. She had probably gone the whole day without eating, not even noticing how hungry she was.

Which gave Twilight the perfect chance to fill in and help take care of her! Twilight could get lunch for the two of them and surprise Fluttershy with it. She would help her finish her work for the day, then the two of them would have an impromptu picnic, and they could spend the afternoon relaxing together. It was the perfect way to put Spike’s mess out of her mind.

After a quick stop to pick up some hayburgers for their lunch, Twilight made her way to Fluttershy’s cottage. As she walked, she hummed along to the birds singing. It was hard to resist when the day seemed so much like it was going to turn out wonderfully. The sun shining, the happy townsponies, the birds singing merrily, and an afternoon spent with Fluttershy. Nothing would bring her down.

She wasn’t sure if Fluttershy would be in her cottage or out with her animals, but the cottage was the most logical place to look first. When she arrived, she paused outside the door. Setting the hayburgers down, she took a moment to fix her mane. The breeze had been nice, but she didn’t want to look like a mess in front of her friend.

Before she could knock, she heard Rainbow’s voice coming from inside the cottage. She looked guiltily at the hayburgers. She had only brought two. She frowned and reminded herself that she was stopping by unannounced. Still, there was no reason all three of them couldn’t have a nice day together. Maybe they would go into town for lunch, or Twilight could always just make herself a sandwich, as long as Fluttershy didn’t mind letting her use some ingredients.

Her smile returned and she gently chided herself. Just because she hadn’t expected Rainbow to be there didn’t mean it was a problem. She was about to knock on the door when she heard Rainbow speaking more clearly. “Well, do you even know if she likes mares?”

Twilight froze in place, her breath catching in her throat. This clearly wasn’t a conversation she should be listening in on, but she couldn’t help herself. ‘Does who like mares?’ Twilight wondered. Fluttershy answered, but she was too quiet for Twilight to make out the words.

“Shy, if you don’t tell her, you’ll never know what might happen.”

Twilight abandoned all pretense of not listening and pressed her head tightly against the door. She heard Fluttershy squeak something. For once, she wished the shy pegasus was a little less soft spoken. ‘Just say a name! Who is it? Please, just say it’s…’

“You can’t really believe that,” Rainbow said skeptically. “Come on, Shy! Whether she feels the same way or not, Rarity is not going to hate you.”

Rarity. Fluttershy had feelings for a mare, and it was Rarity. Twilight stepped away from the door, but she kept staring at it without really seeing anything. She backed away slowly and didn’t hear whatever they said next. She forced herself to take a deep breath, which did nothing to make her feel better, and then walked away calmly.

The day didn’t feel so nice along the way home. The pleasant breeze had stopped, which just made the sun feel hot. The birds were still chirping, but to Twilight they were all off key. She took the long way back, avoiding the crowded marketplace. She didn’t really feel like talking to anypony, and she definitely didn’t feel like smiling and waving.

Instead, she spent the walk in her own head. She hadn’t heard a word of what Fluttershy had said, but she’d heard enough. After so much wondering about what Fluttershy might think, she finally knew. She already had feelings for a mare, and it was Rarity.

Even her home wasn’t much comfort. Sure, it offered familiarity, and that would be nice. But it was also an entire castle, which was far too big for just one pony and a young dragon.

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike said sheepishly as she stepped inside. He was covered in ingredients that Twilight didn’t care to guess. “You, uh, might want to stay out of the kitchen for a while.”

Twilight didn’t answer him. She barely noticed what he said at all, and found she no longer cared much about the state of the kitchen.

After a moment, he added, “I’ll clean it all up though, just like I promised!”

Although she hardly felt like it, Twilight managed a smile. It was important to encourage his interests, no matter how she was feeling. “It’s fine, Spike. How’d the food come out?”

“Uh, well…” He twirled his claws together. “I might have burnt it a little.”

“It was your first try,” Twilight reminded him. “I’m sure you’ll do better next time.”

Spike seemed to cheer up a little. “And you’re not mad about the kitchen?”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Should I be?”

“No!” Spike answered quickly. “But, uh, are you sure nothing’s bothering you then?”

‘I guess that’s what happens after living together for so long,’ Twilight reflected. As much as she hadn’t wanted to worry him, she knew that she might as well explain herself. He was too young to understand everything, but she could at least tell him the short version. “I just overheard something I shouldn’t have, and I feel a little guilty.”

Spike cocked his head to the side. “That’s it? Come on, Twi, if it was just an accident then I’m sure whoever you overheard will understand.”

“You’re right, Spike.” Twilight smiled genuinely. “I’m just gonna go relax with a book for now, and I’ll sort everything out later.” As she turned to go towards her room, the little dragon ran up and hugged her, then scurried back to the kitchen. She really did feel better, even if she had what looked like peanut butter in her fur.

True to her word, after cleaning off she did grab a book. Not the kind he would have expected, though. It was a large brown journal with a yellow and orange star on the front. Her duties as a princess had kept her from visiting her human friends as often as she’d like to, but she did keep in regular contact with Sunset Shimmer.

Initially, Twilight had been a mentor to Sunset, helping her to learn the magic of friendship. But as it turned out, she didn’t need too much guidance. She’d already learned a lot from her friends at Canterlot High, and was learning more on her own each passing day.

But even if Twilight wasn’t much of a mentor these days, the two of them still had a close bond. They’d become as close as Twilight was with her Ponyville friends, and there were some things that were just easier to talk to Sunset about.

‘Dear Sunset,

Today while I was out, I overheard Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash talking and, well… I shouldn’t have been listening in of course, but I heard that Fluttershy has feelings for somepony else. Before you ask, I’m fine, and I really do want to help her. This could be a chance for her to be happy, and with how shy she is, I get the feeling that she’ll need all the support she can get if she’s ever going to tell the other pony how she feels. But at the same time, I don’t know if I should mention it, since I was never meant to hear about it in the first place. What do you think I should do?’

Twilight smiled. The irony of the Princess of Friendship asking the former terror of Canterlot High for friendship advice wasn’t lost on her. But she wasn’t worried; Sunset had come a long way, and in some ways, Twilight really looked up to her.

And perhaps most importantly, she knew she could count on Sunset for a second opinion without running the risk of spilling Fluttershy’s secret to someone close to her. She just wouldn’t say it was Rarity specifically. They never did figure out exactly how similar the alternate world doubles were, and she didn’t want to betray the human Fluttershy’s secret if she felt the same way about the human Rarity.

She set the book aside, wondering when she’d get a reply. The waiting was always torturous, and she looked around the room for some sort of distraction.

Her eyes fell on the quill, still wet with ink, and she knew there was another letter she ought to write. She had been putting off writing a particular letter to Cadance for years. To some extent, she had spent most of her life avoiding it.

She sighed and grabbed some parchment. Given what she had learned, it was more important than ever. So she dipped her quill in the ink, brought it to the blank paper, and wrote nothing.

‘I suppose I should start with a greeting.’ Greetings were a good way to start letters. The best way. Some might say that they were the only decent way to start a letter. Especially a friendly letter, where she would write about her day-to-day life, ask about how Cadance was doing, plead for the solution to the problem that had been weighing her down for years on end, and ask her to say hi to Shining Armor.

Twilight didn’t write a greeting. Nor did she write any of the other things. As the minutes droned on, the page remained pristine.

Mercifully, she was saved from pretending to write the letter by a knock on the door. “Twilight?” Spike called through it.

Happy to have an excuse, Twilight practically leaped to the door. She threw it open, even though she knew it probably meant helping with the kitchen. “Yes, Spike?”

Spike stood fidgeting in the doorway. “Rainbow Dash is here, and uh, she’s pretty angry. Was she the one you overheard earlier?”

Oh buck. Had she been seen? She must have been; why else would Rainbow be angry with her? She collected her thoughts for a few moments longer than strictly necessary, then took a deep breath. “Yes.” She smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t think anypony saw me. I suppose I better talk to her. It’s better than pretending I didn’t hear, in any case.”

Spike walked with her as far as the stairs before turning away. “Well, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

Twilight was tempted to ask him to stay. Rainbow wouldn’t yell at her if Spike was right there, would she? But that was just silly. She and Rainbow needed to have an adult discussion involving things that Spike wouldn’t understand. So she just nodded as he ran off, then approached the entry hall to meet her fate.

Spike had been telling the truth when he said Rainbow seemed angry. In fact, Twilight couldn’t help but question why Rainbow looked so angry. It’s not like she had gone announcing Fluttershy’s secret to everypony in town.

“Twilight, were you at Fluttershy’s earlier?” Rainbow asked, straight to the point.

If Rainbow had seen her then why did she have to ask? Twilight briefly wondered if denying it was a possibility, but decided it would be better to own up to it. Rainbow apparently knew she was there and getting caught in a lie wouldn’t do her any favors. “Yes, but I didn’t mean to listen in. I’m sorry.”

“How much did you hear?” Rainbow asked, her eyes narrowing.

Twilight sighed. No point in denying what this was all about. “That Fluttershy has feelings for Rarity.”

“Did you tell anypony else?”

“Of course not,” Twilight said, surprised Rainbow would even think that. “I know how big of a deal something like this must be to her.”

“And why’s that?” Rainbow took a step forward. “What’s such a big deal about it anyway?”

Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “Well, I mean, Rarity is a mare…”

Rainbow huffed. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“I didn’t say anything was wrong with that.” Twilight took a step back. Rainbow definitely seemed too angry.

It had been an accident. Mostly. She did intentionally listen in at the end. That had to be why Rainbow was upset; somehow she knew Twilight had intentionally been listening in. “I know I shouldn’t have stopped to listen. My curiosity got the better of me, but when I heard –”

“You were listening in on purpose!?” Twilight had been wrong about Rainbow being angry before. She had been restrained before. Rainbow lowered her head and her nostrils flared.

“Well… not at first!” Twilight replied desperately. She was aware that it sounded like a horrible excuse. She was also aware that was because it was a horrible excuse.

“Why would you do that!?” Rainbow demanded.

“I just… I heard you mention something about Fluttershy liking a mare, and well…”

“And you just thought that was a good enough reason to butt into her business?”

“No, of course not!” Twilight shook her head. Why was this getting so out of hoof? “That’s why I’m apologizing; I was wrong.”

Rainbow scowled, making it clear she didn’t accept Twilight’s apology. “Why do you even care!? She’s the same Fluttershy as always! She’s your friend. Or at least, you’re supposed to be her friend.”

Twilight was taken aback. She folded her ears against her head and shook her head. “Rainbow, how could you even say something like that? Of course Fluttershy’s still my friend.”

“Then why the buck did you leave!?” Rainbow pressed her face right up close to Twilight’s.

Fight or flight instinct kicking in, Twilight closed the gap further. “Because I shouldn’t have been there in the first place!”

Rainbow stared unflinchingly for a moment, eyes locked with Twilight’s. “Do you have something against gay ponies?”

“What!?” Twilight stood slack-jawed. If they hadn’t been yelling a moment before, she might have laughed. “Do I… what? No!”

Rainbow maintained her glare but lowered her voice. “So you don’t care that Fluttershy likes mares?”

“Of course I don’t! What could possibly make you think that!?”

Rainbow took a step back and stared off to the side. “Well… when we realized you were there, and that you just left all of a sudden…”

Twilight lowered her voice to match, although it still carried an irritated tone. “Because I was embarrassed that I heard something I wasn’t meant to, and I know Fluttershy wouldn’t want me to find out like that. I just thought it would be better to address it later.”

“Oh.” Rainbow was quiet for a moment. She rubbed the back of her neck and frowned. “I guess that makes sense. I’m, uh, sorry I yelled at you. I guess I overreacted.”

Twilight shook her head. “Maybe a bit, yeah. Mind filling me in on why you decided to just start yelling at me?”

Rainbow sighed. “It’s just… Fluttershy’s terrified all our friends will hate her if they know, and I just don’t want her to get hurt. So when we realized you left, she kinda assumed the worst. I told her it’s dumb, that she should just come out. Nopony that matters is gonna care. Buck anypony who doesn’t realize how awesome she is, right?”

Although she was still irritated at being yelled, Twilight took a calming breath and put it behind her. “Coming out can be the hardest thing for some ponies to do. Even if she has no reason to be worried, it’s easy to see signs that aren’t there. Like, say, thinking that just because a friend leaves to avoid causing more problems, that means she doesn’t want to be friends anymore.” Rainbow looked abashed at the comment. “I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow. She should know we all love her no matter what.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll head back over there now to let her know, she was pretty upset when I left.” Rainbow stepped towards the door, but stopped and turned back to shoot Twilight a grin. “Oh, and Twilight? If you’re gonna flee the scene of the crime, don’t leave any evidence next time. Even delicious evidence.”

Twilight facehoofed. “The burgers. I left the burgers.”

Rainbow laughed. “Yeah. She knew it was you ‘cause you’ve been bringing her lunch, and you’re the only one who remembers she doesn’t like mustard.”

“Mayo.”

“Whatever.” With one last eye roll, Rainbow opened the door and flew out of it.

She left it open, so Twilight had to close it behind her. She thought about following after her, but it was getting late and she had a feeling that they were going to have a long talk ahead of them.

“What’s the big deal?” Spike asked.

Twilight turned to find his head popping in from the hallway. “Spike, were you listening in?”

“Twilight, I was three rooms away. If she was that loud when you ran into her earlier, I’m not surprised you overheard her. Everyone in Ponyville could have heard that racket!”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile, although she certainly hoped it was just Spike who heard. But that did mean it was time for her to have a talk with him that she had been hoping would wait a while longer. He was only ten, he was still too young to understand. At least she had only said Rarity’s name before they were yelling; the last thing she needed was for Spike to think Fluttershy was some sort of romantic rival.

“Now, Spike,” she began, as calmly as possible, “I know this might seem strange to you, but –”

“Twilight, I know what ‘gay’ means.” Spike shook his head. “And so what if Fluttershy likes mares? Why would she be afraid of telling other ponies about it? I mean, aside from being Fluttershy and being afraid of everything.”

Twilight smiled, barely able to contain her pride for her little brother. So she didn’t. She grabbed him unaware and pulled him into a tight hug. To his credit he didn’t squirm. Much. “Come on,” she said, once she had let him go. “We can talk about it while I help you clean the kitchen.”

2 - Hiding Away

Chapter Two
Hiding Away

⠀

It wasn’t like Fluttershy to stay in bed. She had always been a morning pony, and spending ten years as Ponyville’s official animal caretaker had exaggerated that. Most days, she was up before the sun so that she could be out the door as it was rising.

But although the sun had been filtering in through her bedroom window for the past hour, Fluttershy was still in bed. The animals needed her, and yet she was alone with her thoughts. They weren’t good company.

‘Why did I have to talk about all that yesterday, anyway? If I just kept everything with Rarity to myself, then none of this would be happening.’

Even though it was well into the morning and she had to take care of her animal friends, she rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. She wasn’t even tired, but she was too daunted by the day ahead of her to face it.

She tried to think positive. Rainbow had told her about her talk with Twilight the night before, so now she knew that Twilight didn’t hate her.

Probably.

There was always the chance that Twilight only said she didn’t hate her. And the more she thought about it, the more likely that chance seemed… Twilight would be coming by to talk to her about what she had heard, and then Fluttershy would find out exactly how much Twilight really hated her.

The thought made her want to curl up into her bed and become one with it, something she was trying her very best to do.

There was a knock at the door. Fluttershy threw her head under her pillow. It had to be Twilight. Maybe she’d go away if she thought Fluttershy wasn’t home?

Another knock, so probably not. What was she going to do? She couldn’t just stay in bed. It was rude to leave the door unanswered, but when she thought of hearing what Twilight had to say to her… it was horrifying.

Almost as horrifying as the idea of Twilight thinking Fluttershy hated her because she wouldn’t answer the door. There was nothing else she could do. No matter how scared she was, she couldn’t let Twilight think she didn’t like her anymore.

With a whimper, she pulled her head out from under the pillow, only to see a pair of magenta eyes staring at her. She screamed.

Rainbow sighed. “Come on, Shy, it’s time to get up. You can’t keep hiding forever.”

Fluttershy pulled the pillow away from her face. Rainbow was right, of course. “I know. I shouldn’t put myself through this. I need to be stronger.”

“No. Well, yeah, but I meant that I almost got eaten by a hungry bear.”

Fluttershy giggled. Of course, Harry wouldn’t really hurt anypony, but he would still be waiting for his breakfast. It was time to face the day! Or feed her animal friends, at least. She could face that part of her day.

And she didn’t have to face it alone. Everything felt more manageable with Rainbow helping her. Well, Rainbow didn’t so much help as she took the chance to practice some aerial stunts, but Fluttershy appreciated her presence nonetheless.

As always, the animals did a lot to put her mind at rest. Between them and Rainbow, she was able to forget about Twilight and the idea that somepony knew about her. That is, until she realized how nice it was to not dwell on things, which was the cue to begin dwelling again.

For every friendly badger she saw, there was a thought that Twilight might not want to be her friend anymore. For every singing bird, the fear that word might get to Rarity. For every raccoon, rabbit, and fox, half a dozen other anxieties scurried from her head to her heart.

So she moved slowly, weighed down by her thoughts. As practiced as she was, it didn’t usually take her very long to get everyone fed, but the sun was high in the sky by the time she finished.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m beat,” Rainbow said, despite having taken the chance for a mid-morning nap while she thought Fluttershy wouldn’t notice.

“Would you like some tea? Or coffee?” Fluttershy offered.

“Coffee sounds good.”

Fluttershy didn’t actually drink coffee herself, but she always kept it around for Rainbow. Even if she had managed to get a nap in, she wasn’t normally up in the morning. Fluttershy felt guilty for not thinking to offer it sooner, especially since Rainbow had been over late into the night making sure she was okay.

She got the water boiling and added the coffee grounds. While they were waiting for it to brew, there was another knock on the door. Fluttershy stayed in the kitchen and panicked, wondering how she would ever manage to answer it, while Rainbow took the liberty of answering it herself.

“Hello, Rainbow. How’s Fluttershy?”

“Alright. She’s in the kitchen.”

Fluttershy heard the door close and two sets of hoofsteps approaching. Lacking any reasonable place to hide, she hid in her mane.

“Hello, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, tactfully ignoring the fact that Fluttershy was cowering in her mane.

“Hello,” Fluttershy squeaked. It was all she could do to not run away.

Twilight walked over and wrapped a foreleg around her. “Fluttershy, everything’s okay.” Fluttershy peeked through her shield to see Twilight smiling warmly. “I know it’s not how you would have wanted me to, but I’m glad I found out. You’ve been carrying this alone for too long, and I want you to know you can talk to me about this.”

Fluttershy tried to form words, but all she managed to form were tears. She held them inside, but only barely.

“And you certainly don’t have any reason to worry about hiding anything from me,” Twilight continued. “Or any of your friends, for that matter. We all love you no matter what.”

“But… I’m a…” Fluttershy shook her head. She knew it was ridiculous, but she felt like if she never said it nopony could hold it against her.

“You like mares,” Twilight said simply. “It’s really not a big deal, Fluttershy.”

When Twilight was the one saying it, it definitely sounded like it wasn’t a big deal. Fluttershy came out of her mane, but didn’t return the hug. “Thank you, Twilight. But… it’s okay if you don’t, uhm, want to be so close to me anymore…”

Twilight kept hold of Fluttershy. “That’s just silly. This doesn’t change anything between us, and I’m not letting you go until you hug me back.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile as she hugged her friend. It definitely didn’t dispel all of her worries, but it was comforting that she could be so close to Twilight even after she knew about her.

“See, just like I told you!” Rainbow flew across the room and landed next to the other mares. “Our friends care about you. They wouldn’t let something like that get in the way.”

Twilight nodded. “And Rainbow has something else to say to you too, I think.”

Rainbow frowned and looked down at the floor. “Yeah, I’m… sorry if I push you too hard sometimes. I just want you to be happy, Shy.”

She’d had Rainbow’s support for years, but hearing it reaffirmed with Twilight’s support added threatened to overwhelm Fluttershy. Since she and Twilight were still hugging, Fluttershy took the chance to pull Rainbow into it as well. “Thank you, both of you. I know I shouldn’t worry so much, but the idea of telling other ponies…”

“I understand,” Twilight said. “And we won’t pressure you to tell anypony you don’t want to. That’s an important decision that you need to make for yourself.”

As they pulled away from each other, Fluttershy looked between her friends, who were both smiling warmly. Fluttershy couldn’t believe how lucky she was, and a few happy tears finally managed to escape. “Oh, thank you girls so much. You’re the best friends anypony could ever ask for.”

Twilight hugged her again, but Rainbow stepped away. “Well this best friend needs coffee,” she said with an eye roll, but Fluttershy could tell she enjoyed the attention anyway. “I can’t believe I woke up before noon…” Rainbow helped herself to a cup, leaving Fluttershy feeling inhospitable.

“Oh and, uhm… Spike kinda found out too.” Twilight rubbed her shoulder bashfully. “Sorry.”

Rainbow turned to look at her sharply. “You told Spike?”

“Of course not! Somepony was screaming it from the other room though, so he kinda overheard.”

“Rainbow! You said you two just talked. You yelled at her?”

Rainbow looked between the two ponies, then attempted to avoid the question by taking a big gulp of coffee, which was still scalding hot and left her eyes watering.

“It’s fine,” Twilight said. “We both yelled a bit actually, and we really did talk afterwards.”

Fluttershy knew she was probably covering for Rainbow, at least a little bit, but things seemed okay between them now, so she decided to let it go. “As long as you two don’t argue anymore…”

“I’m sure we won’t,” Twilight said. “It was just a misunderstanding, after all. Oh, and Spike’s fine with it too! I’m sorry, I’m sure you would have wanted him to find out from you once you were ready.”

“It’s… it’s okay. Maybe it’s kind of better this way. I still can’t imagine telling anyone myself…” Fluttershy had spent years hiding it from everypony except Rainbow, and she had been prepared to spend her whole life hiding. Even if it was just Twilight and Spike, part of her was glad she had at least a few more friends she wouldn’t have to hide this from.

Although a larger part of her was still worried. “Uhm, does he know about… Rarity?” She squeaked the last word, but Twilight seemed to know what she meant.

“No, he didn’t hear about that.”

“Oh, good. He’d probably be upset.”

Twilight chuckled. “I’m sure he’d be fine. He’ll have to come to terms with Rarity being with somepony else someday. I really don’t think she’s interested in dating a kid.”

‘I guess we both will. She’d never want to be with a mare either,’ Fluttershy thought. She smiled and shook her head. “I’d just hate for him to feel bad because of me. Especially since, uhm, nothing will ever happen between me and her anyway.”

“Why do you say that?” Twilight asked. She smiled as if it was the most innocent question in the world.

“Well, it’s just that I know she likes stallions, so…”

Twilight smirked. “Fluttershy, you do know some ponies like both, right?”

“Exactly!” Rainbow said suddenly, apparently deciding it was safe to jump back into the conversation. “That’s exactly what I said! If you want to know for sure you’ve got to tell her.” Twilight glared at her. “Right. Too pushy. Sorry.” She continued to quietly sip her coffee while Twilight set the tea kettle.

“What if we did know, though?” Twilight asked. “If we knew how Rarity felt about mares, do you think you would want to ask her out then?”

“I… oh, I don’t know. I’m sure she isn’t, though.” Fluttershy partially retreated in her mane again while her heart started pounding away. “Has she… has she said anything to you?”

It was impossible. There was no way Twilight meant anything by that, Rarity wouldn’t be… she wasn’t like that.

“No, but I could ask. Of course I wouldn’t say your name or anything, I could just tell her that I know a mare who has a crush on her, and ask if she might be interested.”

A crush? Well, that was one way of putting it. Another way was that Fluttershy had been hopelessly in love with Rarity for years, and desperately wanted to know if there was even the slightest chance that Rarity would feel the same way.

But even though Twilight’s plan sounded like it would work, it was still too daunting. Rarity might somehow figure out who it was that was interested in her, and really there was only one way that could end. “Uhm… I’ll think about it.”

The tea whistled, and Twilight served them both a cup while Rainbow stuck with coffee. Fluttershy made some quick snacks and the three moved into the living room, where Rainbow launched into the story of her crazy week with the weather team.

Fluttershy tried paying attention but she kept glancing at Twilight. Occasionally, Twilight would glance at her and smile before looking away again. ‘What does she think of me now? She’s probably just being nice. Even if Twilight is being honest and doesn’t hate me, things probably won’t ever be the same now.’

“So Cloud Kicker’s stuck in the attic with this tornado and –”

“Is it weird being around me now? Oh! Sorry, that was rude. Uhm, please finish your story, Rainbow.”

Rainbow looked slightly annoyed, but she didn’t say anything.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Well, do I make you, uhm… uncomfortable?”

Twilight looked confused. “Of course not. Why would you?”

“Well… I, uhm, like mares.” She winced as she said it. “And… and you’re…” She hid in her mane.

“A mare?” Twilight smiled. “A lot of ponies like mares, and I don’t mind being around any of them. Why would I feel uncomfortable around you, but not around, say, Big Mac?”

“Oh, uhm… but he’s a stallion.”

Twilight shrugged. “Why is it okay to be friends with a stallion that likes mares, but not a mare who does? I could never feel uncomfortable around you, I promise.”

Fluttershy could see her point. Logically, she knew it made sense. But still, she couldn’t help but feel like there was a difference, even if she couldn’t explain why.

“Besides, you don’t seem to worry about Rainbow knowing,” Twilight said.

“Oh, but that’s different. I’ve known Rainbow for so long, and she’s really more like my sister,” Fluttershy explained. “Besides, she was there when I was figuring everything out, and even helped me understand how I felt about other mares.”

Twilight tried, and failed, to hold in a laugh, while Rainbow facehoofed. Fluttershy looked between the two until it dawned on her how what she said must have sounded, and then blushed from inside her mane.

“Not like that!” Rainbow said. “What she means is my awesome advice helped her accept her feelings.”

This time Twilight didn’t even try not to laugh.

“It’s true, actually,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight grinned. “Really? Rainbow Dash, the after-school special?”

“Whatever, it’s not important,” Rainbow deflected. “I was kinda a jerk back then anyway.”

“Oh, Dash, you always meant well,” Fluttershy said.

“Alright, so what actually happened?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow just grumbled in her chair.

Since it didn’t seem like Rainbow was going to tell her, Fluttershy did. It was kind of nice to finally be able to talk about it. “She was the first pony I told. Well, the only pony, I guess. It was the day she moved to Ponyville. I didn’t really know what I felt at the time, but she told me it didn’t matter either way, and to never apologize for who I am. That I shouldn't be ashamed of myself no matter what.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s so sweet, Rainbow.”

“Shut it,” Rainbow grumbled.

Twilight and Fluttershy giggled. “Aww, come on Rainbow, nopony thinks any less of you because you care about your friends,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow waved a hoof. “Anyway, so like I was say– woah!”

Fluttershy interrupted Rainbow again, this time by pulling her into a hug. Rainbow sighed and hugged her back while Twilight smiled from the couch. “I don’t know what I’d do without you girls. I can’t believe I was so afraid of talking to you about this.”

“So what do you say, think you’d maybe want to tell everyone else?” Rainbow asked. Noticing the look Twilight was giving her, Rainbow held up her hooves. “Not, pushing, just asking.”

“I don’t… that’s, uhm…” She thought of what everypony might say.

‘Fluttershy, she’s a mare. That’s just crazy!’

‘Now that just ain’t natural. I bet ya just need to find the right stallion is all.’

‘I’m sorry, darling, but I hardly think it’s appropriate for a lady to feel that way.’

Fluttershy shook her head. “I… I’m not ready yet.”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Whenever you are ready, we’ll be there to support you. And in the meantime, I hope you know you can always come to me about anything.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Thank you, Twilight. I’m just glad I have you two to support me.”

They spent the rest of the day just talking. They didn’t even talk about Fluttershy’s feeling towards mares that much, they just talked. About Rainbow’s newest athletic accomplishments, about Twilight’s research project she was working on, about the animals Fluttershy had been taking care of recently. About anything and everything, they just talked.

It was exactly what Fluttershy needed. Things were so normal that Fluttershy began to feel like maybe things could be okay. The occasional worry did still pop up, but a quick hug from Twilight was usually enough to keep her fears at bay.

She really did have the best friends anypony could ask for.

By the time Rainbow and Twilight left, Fluttershy even began to feel like it might not be such a bad idea to tell somepony else after all. But who to tell? She knew Rainbow would tell her she should just tell everypony, and that was still too big of a step.

‘Maybe I should ask Twilight for advice?’ She sighed and rejected that idea too. She didn’t want to remind Twilight any more than she had to that she was… that way. Even though they were two of her best friends, she also didn’t want to tell Applejack or Pinkie Pie. She knew there was only one pony she wanted to tell, but she would also be the hardest.

The more she thought about it, the less okay she felt. Sure, Twilight seemed like she didn’t hold it against her, but who knew how she really felt? She spent a lot of time with Twilight, almost as much time as she spent with Rarity, and she’d never noticed Twilight casting her so many glances. Thinking about it, she was positive – there was something Twilight wasn’t saying. Something she was just too nice to say.

Fluttershy decided to go to sleep early and moved to the bedroom. She had a feeling that she wouldn’t be sleeping well, and didn’t want to be exhausted when she went to the spa with Rarity in the morning.

If she did tell Rarity, she’d have to stop these weekly spa trips. Even if she was understanding, there was no way she’d want to keep doing something so intimate with somepony like her.

No, she couldn’t do that. She smiled as she tucked herself into bed. ‘I already have such wonderful friends. Why risk losing them? Things really are better this way.’

Author's Note

Fluttershy’s cutie mark in this and other chapter headers created by GuruGrendo :twilightsmile:

3 - Wishful Thinking

Chapter Three
Wishful Thinking

⠀

⠀
The Carousel Boutique displayed a ‘Sorry, we’re closed’ sign, which Fluttershy ignored. She was meeting Rarity for their weekly spa day, and after how stressful the past couple days had been, she was looking forward to it more than usual.

“Fluttershy darling, is that you?” Rarity called from her inspiration room. Even though she knew the unicorn called everypony ‘dear’ and ‘darling’ she always loved to hear Rarity say it to her. Whenever she imagined what being with her would be like she always called her ‘Rarity darling.’

“Yes, it’s me,” Fluttershy said, walking into the back room. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Rarity said, although she remained staring at a ponyquin. It had several swaths of fabric draped over it, with many more lying near it on the ground. “I was just trying to decide the color scheme for this order I’m working on, but nothing seems quite right.”

“Oh, uhm, I don’t mind waiting if you wanted to work on that first,” Fluttershy said. “Or we could skip this week if you’re too busy.”

Rarity turned to her and smiled radiantly. Something about that smile always made Fluttershy feel so welcome, as if Rarity wanted nothing more than to spend time with her. “Nonsense, I wouldn’t dream of cancelling. Besides, I think some time away from the problem might be just what I need to get a fresh perspective.”

As she always did when she was with Rarity, Fluttershy melted. She didn’t show it, though; she was well-practiced at keeping things to herself.

They made their way outside and walked towards the spa, Rarity keeping pace beside Fluttershy. That was just another thing Fluttershy loved about her – usually she would lag behind her friends, but Rarity would stay beside her.

“So tell me darling, is anything new happening with you?”

Fluttershy smiled. ‘More so than I’d like.’ But she couldn’t tell Rarity about any of that, of course. “No, everything’s been peaceful. How have you been?”

“Oh, I wish I could say the same. Work has left me simply exhausted lately. I’ve been trying to get a headstart on my new fall line, but Hoity Toity just placed a huge order which naturally he needs straight away. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It is, of course, excellent for business.”

“Uhm, you know, I’m always happy to lend you a hoof,” Fluttershy said. “If, uhm, you wanted.” Happy was an understatement. She’d love nothing more than to have an excuse to spend more time with Rarity, and helping her create something so beautiful was even better. She could imagine hours spent together, creating the perfect dress. Maybe when it was finished Rarity would even ask her to model it. She’d be shy about it, but for Rarity, she’d do it. They’d work until the sun came up before either of them noticed and she’d be so tired she’d just sleep over…

“Thank you for the offer darling, but I think I shall manage.” Rarity said.

Fluttershy smiled despite the poor turn of events. ‘Probably better this way. If I spend too much time with her I might slip up.’

They mostly talked about Rarity’s work on the way to the spa. Fluttershy didn’t keep up with fashion trends, but she had always loved the crafting part of dressmaking, so she enjoyed talking about it.

When they arrived, Rarity ordered their usual treatment, so they began with a sauna. They kept talking as they wrapped themselves in towels and settled in to relax in the steam.

It wasn’t that what Rarity was talking about was boring; she was explaining what she was working on and Hoity Toity’s expectations for it. Fluttershy wanted to listen to her friend and be ready with any suggestions or support she could offer, she really did.

It was just that as Rarity was talking, one strand of hair had fallen out of her towel, and it was proving very distracting. Something about the single strand of the usually flawless mane flowing down the side of the mare’s face kept catching Fluttershy’s eye. ‘She even sweats pretty.’

“What do you think darling?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy hadn’t heard what she was supposed to be answering but Rarity was smiling expectantly. “Uhm… sorry, what was that last part?”

“The accents. What color do you think they should be?” If Rarity noticed something was amiss, she didn’t say so.

“Oh, uhm…” Fluttershy couldn’t remember what color the rest of the gown was. She tried to think, surely she had heard it, but she couldn’t focus. She was lost looking into those blue eyes, with that one curl on the side of her face. “Purple?”

“Hmm, really?” Rarity asked. Fluttershy instinctively tried to hide in her mane, which unlike Rarity’s, had just clumped in a mess on her face. “Well, I suppose it would be quite bold, to say the least.”

Fluttershy let out a small sigh of contentment. Her answer had apparently sufficed, because Rarity was talking about something else. After a moment, though, she stopped.

“Are you alright?” Rarity asked, looking at Fluttershy with concern.

“I’m fine, why do you ask?” Fluttershy smiled, but inside she panicked. Had Rarity picked up on something? She’d noticed Fluttershy staring… Why did she have to be so lecherous?

“Perhaps it would be best to cut the sauna short today. You’re looking a little flushed, and I’d hate for you to overdo it.”

“Uhm…” Fluttershy glanced at the strand of mane again. “I think that’s probably a good idea. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Of course not, dear.” Rarity stood up. She must have been really concerned, because she offered Fluttershy a hoof in getting up. Although she didn’t need it, she took it anyway. Feeling Rarity’s hoof wrapped around hers caused her to blush even more, which only made Rarity look even more concerned.

‘What’s wrong with me? Why am I acting like this all of a sudden?’ Fluttershy wondered. She’d been in love with Rarity for ages, and had long since gotten used to hiding these feelings. Why was it suddenly so difficult?

“Done already? Did you want to move on to your facials?” Aloe asked.

“In a moment, dear,” Rarity said. “But first, could I trouble you for a glass of water? I’m afraid we may have overdone it in the sauna today.”

With a nod, Aloe was off, while Rarity escorted Fluttershy to a seat.

“Thank you, Rarity, but I’m fine, really,” Fluttershy said.

“Well then, just take it easy for my peace of mind,” Rarity insisted.

Aloe returned with the water, which Fluttershy drank slowly. There was no way she could explain what was really going on in her mind, so she decided to just play along. “Thank you. I think I’m feeling better now.”

Facials went by without incident. While Rarity would always be beautiful, having a thick layer of green paste cover that beauty certainly made it easier to ignore. Besides, Rarity had cucumbers covering her eyes, which blocked out any stolen glances.

She left them on afterwards, which was convenient during the massage as Fluttershy kept smiling at Rarity's adorable attempts to maintain her ladylike composure while moaning in pleasure from Lotus Blossom’s skilled hooves. Still, it wasn’t so bad, because Fluttershy’s own massage was enough of a distraction.

The mud baths, however, were a different story.

Rarity’s face had been cleaned off, returning her dazzling looks. Even if she did have cucumbers covering her eyes and was submerged up to her neck in mud, Fluttershy couldn’t help but use Rarity’s blindness to her advantage as she constantly admired the unicorn.

‘Stop it, what would she think if she knew I was staring at her?’ Fluttershy reminded herself as she sank a little further into the mud. ‘She’s not like that. Not like me.’

Fluttershy made a point of not looking at the unicorn during their hooficure, since Rarity was able to see her. She just hoped that nothing happened to make her blush again.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, uhm, yes,” Fluttershy said, grinning even though she had no idea what she was agreeing to.

Rarity furrowed her brow. “Fluttershy dear, are you still not feeling well? You seem a little under the weather today.”

“No, I’m fine,” Fluttershy said, then immediately regretted it. Rarity was offering the perfect explanation for her behavior and she was denying it.

“Is there something on your mind then?” Rarity asked.

‘If you only knew.’ “No, I just, uhm…”

“I certainly hope it’s nothing I did that’s troubling you?”

Fluttershy shook her head. She wasn’t going to let Rarity blame herself for something that was her own fault. “I guess I am feeling a little under the weather.” Although she felt guilty for lying, she knew it was really the safest thing to do.

“I thought as much. And you even tried to suggest cancelling today, didn’t you? I feel just awful for dragging you here when you’re clearly not up to it.”

“No, I wanted to come. I wanted, uhm…” ‘...to be with you,’ she finished in her head. “I wanted to spend the day relaxing.”

“While I can certainly understand that, I think we’d best get you home,” Rarity said.

As much as Fluttershy didn’t want the day to end early, she followed Rarity to the front. And of course the generous mare had to insist on paying for both of them since Fluttershy was feeling ill, which made her feel even worse.

Stepping outside, Fluttershy had to lift a hoof to block the sun from her eyes. While she adjusted to the natural light, she was surprised to find Rarity pressed against her.

“Can you walk on your own or would you like me to help support you?” Rarity asked.

“Uhm, I’m fine,” Fluttershy said. She couldn’t take advantage of her friend’s hospitality like that. But she also couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed Rarity’s body pressed against hers… “Although, I do feel a little dizzy.” She cast her eyes down as she said it, ashamed for her lie. She was horrible. Rarity was concerned for her well-being, and she was manipulating that.

“You poor thing,” Rarity said. “Here, just lean on me and I’ll take you home.” They walked slowly towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

‘I can’t do this to her. I need to tell her, then she can decide if she wants to be my friend or not. Oh, who am I kidding? I let myself get spoiled by Dash and Twilight yesterday. That’s why I can’t stop thinking about her today. But it’s different, they would never put up with me if I was in love with either of them. Rarity wouldn’t want to be my friend if she knew the truth.’

Fluttershy had never felt so torn. She hated herself for allowing Rarity to be so close to her, but she couldn’t do anything to distance herself from the other mare. She didn’t want to do anything. She never wanted this walk to end.

She kept her pace slow, pretending it was because she felt uneasy, but really she just wanted to put off when they’d inevitably had to separate.

Eventually they did reach Fluttershy’s house, and all too soon. Rarity opened the door with her magic and led Fluttershy inside. “Well, here we are, darling. Would you like me to help you to your bed?”

“No, here is fine,” Fluttershy said. Rarity helped her to the couch, and as she stepped away, Fluttershy made up her mind that having Rarity close enough to feel her breathing was worth a guilty conscience any day.

“Are you hungry?” Rarity asked. “Perhaps I could make you something.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m fine, Rarity. You’ve done so much already.”

“Nonsense. You really need to keep your strength up, dear.” Rarity shook her head. “At least let me get you something to drink.”

Before Fluttershy could say anything Rarity was already in the kitchen. ‘Why is she so nice? It’s bad enough she’s the most beautiful mare I’ve ever seen. Being so nice on top of that is just not fair. Maybe… maybe she’s always so nice because… No, I can’t think about her like that, she would never be interested in mares, she’s better than that. She’s so perfect and I’m just a… just a…”

“Fluttershy, you’re crying.” Fluttershy looked up to see Rarity set a glass of water on the table and take a seat next to her. She tried to pull away from the snow-white hoof, but Rarity pulled her close anyway. “Whatever is the matter, dear?”

Fluttershy sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Why are you always so nice to me?”

Rarity frowned. “Because you’re my friend, of course.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m… I…” She tried to look into Rarity’s eyes but found she couldn’t, so instead she buried her face in her hooves. “I love you.”

“Come again, darling? It almost sounded like you said –”

“I love you.” Fluttershy cringed as she repeated herself, then sat straight up. Her vision was blurry but she could still see the surprise on Rarity’s face. “I… I’ve been in love with you for years. I’m so sorry, I just… I…”

She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the look of disgust on Rarity’s face. First Rarity would yell at her for hiding it for so long, then she might slap her for the walk home, then she’d be running out the door, leaving Fluttershy alone with her tears.

Instead of doing any of that Rarity pulled her back into the hug.

“Oh, Fluttershy, I had no idea.” She let go of the pegasus but held onto her hooves. “And I’m flattered, really, but I just, well…”

“You don’t feel the same way.” Fluttershy cast her eyes down.

“It’s nothing personal, darling. Any mare should consider herself lucky to have somepony half as wonderful as you are! But it’s just, well, I’m not attracted to mares.”

“Oh. Right, of course. I… I mean, I knew but… Well, I just wanted you to know.” Fluttershy said. She smiled, but inside, she just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. She had ruined everything.

Rarity chuckled. “So then can I presume you weren’t ill at all today?”

Fluttershy blushed. Rarity didn’t sound angry yet, but once she realized how much Fluttershy had taken advantage of her good will… “I’m sorry.”

“Please, there’s no need to apologize,” Rarity said. “But I am still worried about you, and if you won’t let me cook for you, then at least let me buy you dinner.”

“But I’m… why would you want to go to dinner with me?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well I certainly hope you still want to be friends,” Rarity said.

“Of course!” Fluttershy answered abruptly, causing Rarity to giggle and Fluttershy to blush. “Uhm, I mean, if you’re not, uhm, too uncomfortable around me…”

Rarity gave her a stern look. “Fluttershy. You are one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I’ll never allow anything to tarnish our friendship, and I never want to hear anything about me feeling uncomfortable around you. It is simply not the case.” Fluttershy nodded and Rarity smiled again. “Good. Then we’re going out to dinner. And don’t give me that look, my mind is already made up.”

Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to protest, so she followed Rarity back into town. Oddly enough, even though Rarity now knew a secret she’d thought she’d never share, Fluttershy felt like everything was back to normal. Sure she’d never feel the same way back, but what did it matter?

First Rainbow, then Twilight and Spike, and now Rarity. One by one, her friends were finding out about her and nopony was treating her any different than before. She really did have the best friends anypony could ask for.

Rarity was such a great friend. All throughout dinner she smiled and laughed, and she was even just as affectionate as always. Not once did she let slip how disgusted she was.

But of course, she was disgusted. How could she not be? Fluttershy had assumed somepony like Rarity, somepony so good, could have feelings for another mare. Could even have feelings for her. What did she think, that they could ever be happy together? She didn’t deserve to be happy.

Fluttershy was in bed. She had spent hours crying into her pillow. Angel had done his best to comfort her, but at some point the little bunny had fallen asleep, leaving her to stare at the ceiling.

She bucked up. Everything would be different now. No matter how much Rarity hid it, she would always think of Fluttershy differently. She could already imagine it. ‘Oh, Fluttershy. I think we should cancel our spa trip this week. Or rather, I don’t think we should plan on going together at all anymore. I just hardly think it’s appropriate, given the circumstances. You understand, I’m sure?’

She got up and walked to the closet. She opened the door and stared at all the outfits Rarity had made her over the years. Fluttershy still had every one. From the simple white sundress Rarity had made her the first time they met – which she had grown out of years ago – to the dangerous mission outfit she had made when Trixie had taken over Ponyville – even though it was practically torn to shreds.

Rarity had put her heart into every one of them, and now Fluttershy wondered if she’d ever make another outfit for her again. She sighed and sat on the floor, surrounded by the reminders of the friendship she’d ruined.

Author's Note

Fluttershy's daydream about helping Rarity around her shop is a nod towards elmago02'sLove Me... I Mean, If You're Okay With Me.

4 - Pen Pals

Chapter Four
Pen Pals

⠀

⠀
It had been some time since the sun went down. The only light came from the soft glow of moonlight through the window and a single flickering candle on the desk. The candle cast long dancing shadows over everything, from the overflowing trash can, to the empty bed, to the purple alicorn scrunched over a sheet of paper.

Twilight reread the letter she had written. There was nothing wrong with it. It stated in plain terms what she wanted it to, avoiding sensationalism while also giving all the important details. It was the perfect letter for the matter at hoof.

She balled it up and threw it towards the trash, where it bounced off and landed on the pile of other balled letters on the floor. She let her face fall to the desk. “Why is this so hard?” she grumbled to herself.

There was a slight vibration on the desk. Twilight frowned. She hadn’t expected to hear from Sunset again so late, and she doubted her human friend would be sharing good news. She opened the journal in time to see the final words appearing.

‘I just can’t catch a break. And she seemed so nice too! Another wasted night on a bad date.’

That’s exactly what Twilight had been afraid of. She quickly grabbed her quill, hoping she could catch Sunset before she was too far from the book. So she could help her friend sort through her problems, of course, and in no way because she was avoiding writing a certain letter.

‘I’m sorry it didn’t go well. Do you want to talk about it?’

It was only a moment before a reply came. ‘Twilight? What are you still doing up? Probably researching something knowing you. It’s already one in the morning, in case you didn’t realize.’

Twilight rolled her eyes. ‘I've only done that once.’

‘I find that a little hard to believe.’

‘Okay, maybe a few times more than that.’ Really, Twilight couldn’t say how many times she’d done that over the years, but Sunset didn’t need to know that. ‘The point is that I know what time it is, and I’d like to hear about your date if you want to tell me about it.’

‘If you say so. Anyway, the night started out great. We caught a movie and went out for dinner afterwards. It was a pretty standard first date, but she was charming, nice, funny, and best of all she really seemed understanding about the whole Fall Formal incident. But then I let it slip that I live alone and she started implying things. Once I made it clear I had no intention of taking her home to bed, she just totally changed her tone. Fifteen minutes later, she’s already out the door and I’m stuck picking up the bill. I don’t think I’ll be able to date a girl who cares about more than getting me naked until college.’

‘I’m sorry it didn’t go well. You’d think they’d get the hint eventually.’

‘That’s what I thought at first, but now I think that’s part of the problem. Everyone sees me going on dates with all these different girls and they probably assume they’re all just random hookups. I think all the good girls are scared of the bad girl past, and everyone else just wants sex. I shouldn’t even give them a chance anymore, I’m just encouraging them.’

‘I hate to say it, but you’re probably right.’ Then again, Twilight didn’t know much about dating, and she didn’t want to give Sunset bad advice. ‘Still, don’t give up completely. I’d hate to see you let someone slip by that might be good for you.’

‘I’m fine, Twi. It’s not like anyone else has asked me out or anything. Besides, graduation is right around the corner. I’ll just spend this time with my friends, then I can worry about romance once CHS is behind me. Anyway, how are things on your end?’

Twilight hesitated. She didn’t really want to talk about that, but she knew it was for the best. ‘I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I’m starting to think you might be right.’

‘Of course I am! What am I right about though?’

Twilight chuckled. ‘About telling other ponies. Actually, the whole reason I’m up is because I was taking your advice and finally writing that letter to Cadance. But no matter what I write it just seems wrong.’

‘You’re probably just overthinking it. Here, write to me like I’m Cadance.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes! Come on, I know it’s silly, but just give it a shot. What’s the worst that can happen? I already know what your ‘deep dark secret’ is.’

‘But the journal just sends whatever I write, I can’t edit it!’

‘Yeah, that’s the point. Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed? Come on Twi, you don’t have to worry about me. I just want to help.’

Twilight sighed. The whole thing was ridiculous. But Sunset was playing her cards right because Twilight really couldn’t turn down a friend who was genuinely trying her best to help. She suspected Sunset knew this by now and was intentionally exploiting her weakness.

It didn’t really matter either way; whether Twilight knew it was a trick or not, it was working. She shook her head and wrote her letter to ‘Cadance’.

‘Dear Cadance,

I hope this letter finds you well, and things in the Crystal Empire are running smoothly.

I’m writing to ask for your advice on something, but it’s difficult for me to talk about it. For some time now, I’ve been ~~in lo~~ ~~had a cru~~ had feelings for a friend of mine. I’m sure this would be confusing enough, but the thing is that this friend is another mare. I know I should have told you this ages ago, but I’m a lesbian. Don’t worry, I’ve come to terms with how I feel years ago. To be honest, accepting myself wasn’t actually a problem for me, but telling other ponies is terrifying.

Which brings me to the problem at hoof. I’ve never even told my friend that I like mares, let alone my feelings for her. When I first came to Ponyville, I was still figuring out how I felt about myself. Then when I finally did, I was afraid to tell anyone because I didn’t know what they’d think of me. They were the best friends I’d ever made, and I didn’t want to lose them. Not to mention what it could mean for Equestria if the Elements of Harmony stopped being friends!

I’ve had crushes on other mares before and figured it would pass just like every other time, but it hasn’t. I care about her more and more as time goes on, and lately she’s all I can think about. Eventually, I realized our bond was strong enough that she would want to stay friends whether she felt the same way or not, and I made up my mind to tell her.

But then while I was building courage, I became a princess and suddenly everything became so much more complicated. Now I have to worry about what everypony will think! Will Equestria accept a gay princess? Will they still respect me as their Princess of Friendship if I have a marefriend? And that’s all only if she says ‘yes’ in the first place! She was recently turned down by the mare she has a crush on, and I don’t want her to think I’m trying to take advantage of that. But how long are you supposed to wait for this sort of thing?

I wish I talked to you about this years ago, before I became a princess. It seems like it would’ve been so much easier back then. I don’t understand why I waited so long to come to you about this. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to talk to ponies I know will still care about me. You’re technically the first pony in Equestria I’ve told, but I’ve talked to my friend Sunset Shimmer about everything. I don’t know what I’d do without her, she’s been so much help in figuring everything out and staying at least somewhat sane in the process. She was actually the one who finally convinced me to write to you.

As terrified as I am of sending this letter, I’m also excited. It’ll be nice not having to keep this secret from at least one pony, and I’m sure you’ll know what I should do. I can hardly wait for your response.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle’

Twilight set her quill down and sighed. She couldn’t place what, but something still didn’t seem quite right.

‘Hold on, Fluttershy likes mares? You never told me that!’

Twilight’s ears folded against her head as she blushed. Almost reluctantly, she picked up the quill again. ‘Uhm… whoops. I must be more tired than I thought... I kinda forgot I was really writing to you.’

‘Oh, so you weren’t just adding that part about me for my benefit then?’

‘You know what? Let’s just forget that this ever happened.’

‘I’m just teasing, I’m happy I’ve been able to help you. I owe you so much for everything you’ve done, it’s nice to know I can pay you back, at least a little. And I won’t say anything to Fluttershy. We don’t even know if the whole double thing works like that anyway. Actually though, come to think about it, maybe you were right about not giving up on love so easily. I can see why you like her so much, maybe I should talk to her. See if I can find out if this Fluttershy’s gay too. Who knows, right?’

There was a long pause from Twilight’s end as she glared at the journal. Sunset couldn’t see that, of course, but Twilight glared with enough intensity that she imagined Sunset could feel it.

‘I was just joking! She’s really not my type, and I know it’d be pretty weird for me to date your marefriend’s double.’

‘She’s not my marefriend.’

‘Not yet. But seriously, that letter was perfect. Just copy that and you’ll be good to go.’

‘Alright. Thank you, Sunset. And I really did mean what I said, by the way. As far as I’m concerned, with how much you’ve been supporting me lately, I think we’re even now. And sorry for talking so much about my problems. I’m still up for hearing about your date, or anything else on your mind.’

‘Oh no, you’re not dodging this anymore. Go write your letter, I’m fine. I don’t really want to talk about it anymore anyway. I actually feel a lot better just talking to you. Besides, it’s getting late and I have work tomorrow. You should get some rest too. After you write that letter.’

‘You’re right. Again. Goodnight, Sunset.’

‘Goodnight, Twi.’

Twilight pulled out a fresh sheet of paper. Writing the letter felt easier this time. She felt calmer. She actually managed to get through the whole thing exactly as she had written it to Sunset, and she didn’t doubt herself once.

When she was done she read it back. ‘Hmm… maybe just one more rewrite.’

The book vibrated again. Twilight read the note, rolled her eyes, and sealed the letter in an envelope.

‘And don’t throw it out!’

The following week was torturous. What if the letter fell into the wrong hooves? Her life could be destroyed! Maybe she shouldn’t have signed her name? She definitely shouldn’t have signed her name. She could have let Cadance know who was writing without explicitly stating who she was. It wouldn’t even have been hard, if she had just thought about it. But she hadn’t, and now everypony would find out, and it would cause a huge scandal.

That knocking on the door was probably an angry mob to run her out of Ponyville. Did angry mobs knock? Probably not. But sneaky angry mobs?

Nevertheless, she asked Spike to get the door. There was only one pony there, a grey pegasus in a blue uniform. “Special delivery for Princess Twilight Sparkle! Straight from the Crystal Empire, first class.”

Spike reached for the letter, but Twilight had already grabbed it with her magic. “Thank you, Derpy!” Twilight called as she raced to her room, practically slamming the door, and tearing open the envelope.

Dear Twilight,

I’m so happy you finally decided to tell me this. And while I do wish you had told me sooner, what’s important is that you have now. And as usual, you’re worried about things that you shouldn’t be. While I doubt that public reaction to you coming out would be as bad as you think, that bridge can be crossed later.

You have to realize that it’s not just black and white, in and out. You can come out to ponies you trust first, and then when you feel the time is right, you can tell everypony else. Start with your friends and family. I won’t mention anything to Shiny until you’re ready, but I promise you he’ll give you his full support as well. I’m sure you know, but the same goes for your parents.

But before that, how about you start with someone closer to home? I’m surprised you haven’t told Spike yet. You may think he’s too young to understand, but I think he might surprise you. Having a safe home where everyone around you accepts you and you don’t have to hide anything can make a world of difference.

Now, as far as what to do about your friend. The best thing to do is to just talk to her. Explain your feelings. Understand that she might need time, and that’s not the same thing as rejection. Everypony is different, and if she’s just been rejected by somepony else then she may need time to herself to get past it, or she may already be ready to move on. You can’t assume you know what she wants to do, the only way to know is to talk to her and let her make the decision herself. You already said you don’t think your friendship is in danger, so what do you have to lose? If nothing else, you’ll feel better when you’re not hiding things from the ponies you care about, and If you continue to not say anything, there can only be one outcome.

I know you can handle this. You’re one of the strongest mares I’ve ever known. Just remember to take everything one step at a time, and don’t get blinded by the big picture. If there’s anything at all I can do, you know you should never hesitate to ask. And please, keep me posted on what happens.

All my love,

Cadance

P.S. Is it Rainbow Dash? You two would be so cute together!

Twilight set the letter down. She smiled as she wiped tears from her eyes. She was accepted. She had finally told another pony, and she was still loved. It felt so much better than she thought it would.

It had been easy to tell Sunset. Well, relatively speaking. Actually, Sunset had come out to Twilight first, and in a combination of bravery inspired by Sunset’s announcement and early morning sleep-deprived honesty, Twilight confessed as well.

Then she tore out the page. It turned out that it didn’t matter, the message still sent, and all that was accomplished was that Twilight felt guilty for defiling a book.

She knew Cadance was right about coming out to select ponies, and that she should take things one step at a time. Twilight was good at that. And at organizing those steps. She already had her quill and paper ready to write a checklist.

1. Talk to Spike. She had been reluctant to tell Spike because she was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep a secret, but she realized that lately he was more mature than she gave him credit for. And Cadance did have a point; it would make her feel much better if she didn’t have to worry about hiding things at home.

Step two was a little trickier. At first, she thought it would be best to invite all her closest friends over to tell them all at once. That’s what Sunset had done and it worked well for her, after all. But while in some ways it seemed easier, she just knew as soon as Rarity found out she liked mares, the next question would be if there were anypony in particular she was interested in. She’d either have lie to her friends, or she’d be forced into admitting her feelings for Fluttershy to everypony.

Too much all at once, and besides, she wanted to tell Fluttershy privately. Not to mention the idea of telling Fluttershy that she was gay, even if she left out the crush, made her chest tighten. No, she’d do it individually, or at least in smaller groups.

So then who second? She wanted to talk to somepony who could give her some more advice. Cadance was great, but her friends simply knew Fluttershy better. Rarity and Rainbow already knew Fluttershy liked mares, which made them the obvious choices. Rainbow would probably tell her to just go for it and damn the consequence, which wasn’t really as encouraging as she seemed to think it was. And after Cadance, Rarity would normally be Twilight’s choice for romantic advice, but she was probably too close to the situation and Twilight didn’t want to make things awkward.

So that left Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She knew Pinkie would be happy to help, but Twilight doubted she would be much help with something so delicate. She’d probably just want to throw a big party, and that was the last thing Twilight needed. Applejack, on the other hoof, was perfect. Her down to earth advice and grounded nature would be exactly what Twilight needed.

2. Talk to Applejack.

3. Talk to Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie in no particular order. Even if not for advice, she’d still want their support. She could decide how much she wanted to tell them when that time came.

4. Talk to Fluttershy. Even thinking of it made Twilight nervous. She forced a deep breath and reminded herself to take it one step at a time. Talking to Fluttershy was four steps away. If she wrote all her friends separately, it’d be six steps away. ‘Maybe I should rewrite the list…’

“Twilight?” Spike said, knocking on the door. “Is everything okay? You kinda freaked out back there.”

Better to just get started. Twilight smiled and pulled open the door. “Yes, Spike, everything’s fine. Can you come in? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

5 - Unexpected Results

Chapter Five
Unexpected Results

⠀

⠀
A good idea did not mean an easy one. Twilight had already known that, of course, but she was relearning it as she made her way to Sweet Apple Acres. She kept her head held high and walked with confidence, but inside she was screaming at herself to turn back. Telling Applejack was just too big of a risk.

She kept her pace brisk because she was liable to abandon her goal if she didn’t. This was important. She needed to do this. Everything would work out. She repeated the words in her head, but couldn’t get herself to believe them.

Still, she continued because this was important. She knew Cadance’s advice was good, but it never hurt to have a second opinion. True, she did already have Sunset backing Cadance’s advice, but while Sunset had definitely been on more dates than Twilight – by virtue of having been on any dates at all – they had all gone badly. Meanwhile, Spike had given her the unconditional love and acceptance he always did, but she obviously wasn’t about to go to him for relationship advice, not unless she decided the best way to win over Fluttershy was to follow her around like a lost puppy.

Unlike Cadance, Applejack wasn’t an expert on relationships, and she’d been on about as many dates as Twilight had. But she was always happy to lend an ear and offer a fresh perspective. Besides, she knew Fluttershy, and would be able to look at the situation from both of their points of view. She was the logical choice.

But no matter how Twilight rationalized it, she was terrified of telling Applejack. Still, she kept trying. So far nopony cared. Why would Applejack be any different? She was a good friend, and not to mention one of the most supportive ponies Twilight knew. Logically speaking, there was nothing to worry about. And what was she if not a pony driven by logic?

So she kept on, forcing herself to keep moving forward and to not dwell on how things could go wrong. Better yet, don’t think of anything. So she cleared her mind as best she could of all her troubles and focused on the rhythmic sound of her hooves against the packed dirt.

It didn’t erase her anxieties, but it carried her the rest of the way to the farmhouse. She had expected to find Applejack working on something around the farm, but instead she was standing back watching in amusement as a Pinkie dashed around, displaying a level of hyperactivity only she could possess.

After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Twilight approached her friend. ‘Well, I guess it’ll be two with one stone.’

“Good morning, Applejack. What’s going on here?”

“Hey there, Twi,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “I told Pinkie she could throw Cheerilee’s party here, and she said she needed to plan the decorations.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side as she watched Pinkie zip around. “Even though she’s thrown plenty of parties here already?”

“Eeyup.” Applejack smiled, clearly enjoying watching the pink blur. “I don’t reckon I’ll ever understand that one.”

Twilight chuckled. “That’s Pinkie alright.”

“Well of course it’s me!” Pinkie said, causing Twilight to jump back. She could have sworn Pinkie was still across the yard, but here she was standing right next to them. If Pinkie noticed Twilight’s shock, she didn’t show it. “I mean, I’ve known Applejack a long time, Twilight. I’m pretty sure you don’t have to tell her who I am.”

Twilight laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So is this a social visit, or is there something I can do for ya?” Applejack asked.

“Well, actually there is something I wanted to talk to you about,” Twilight said. She cast her glance down. Was it too late to turn back? She wasn’t sure she still wanted to do this.

“What’s eatin’ at ya, sugarcube?” Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders.

Twilight looked at her friends. Applejack was frowning slightly in concern, while Pinkie smiled encouragingly. She was being ridiculous, she could trust her friends. “Well, the thing is, there’s somepony that I’ve had a bit of a crush on for a while.” She blushed and brushed her mane back. “Well, more than a bit, actually.”

Applejack broke into a grin. “Aw shucks, ya had me worried there for a second. Relationships ain’t so hard, Twi. Knowing you, ya probably haven’t talked to him ‘bout it, but really that’s all there is to it. So, who is the lucky stallion?”

Of course Applejack would think it was a stallion. Why wouldn’t she? Twilight had been doing her best to keep it secret for years. Still, Twilight winced at how naturally the assumption came.

Meanwhile, Pinkie’s smile was so big her face was scrunched up. She nodded and inclined her head slightly towards Twilight.

“Well, the thing is…” Twilight bit her lip, willing herself to finish the sentence.

“Shucks Twi, ya don’t gotta tell us if ya don’t want to,” Applejack said. “Wasn’t tryin’ to be nosey.”

Pinkie threw her foreleg around Twilight’s other shoulder so she was in the middle of a group hug. “Aww, it’s okay, Twilight. You just got to talk to them, and everything will work out.”

“It’s not that easy,” Twilight said.

“You’re making a mountain out of a molehill,” Applejack said, shrugging as she broke away from the others. “Okay, so you don’t want to say who it is. Fair enough, but can you tell us a little about him? Maybe we can help ya out.”

Him. Another reminder. Twilight knew she shouldn’t read so much into it – a few days ago she would have been upset if Applejack hadn’t assumed it was a stallion. But every passive reminder that she was expected to date a stallion was changing her mind more and more.

“Well, uhm…” Twilight took a deep breath. She was doing this one way or another. She would tell Fluttershy how she felt.

“Hmm… I bet the pony Twilight would love must be really sensitive,” Pinkie said. “Somepony kind. I bet it’s somepony who appreciates nature. Sort of quiet, and you know, shy.”

Was Twilight imagining it, or did Pinkie’s smile grow a little bigger on that last word? “Well… yes.” She stared at the pink pony, then shook her head. ‘Come on, this is just Pinkie being Pinkie. There’s no way she knows.’

Applejack’s eyes went wide for a second, and her smile turned into a grin which turned into a laugh. Twilight smiled nervously while she waited for Applejack to compose herself. “So ya don’t want to tell us who it is, which means it’s probably somepony we know. I get that much about right?”

“Well, yes,” Twilight said with some reluctance. “It is.”

“And then everything Pinkie just said.” Applejack shook her head and looked like she might burst out laughing again at any moment. “Twilight, be honest with me. Is it Big Mac?”

“What? No, it’s not Big Mac.” Twilight shook her head.

“Really? ‘Cause Pinkie pretty much just described Big Mac,” Applejack said. “If you’re worried about me, then you should know better than that. I don’t have any problems with you dating my brother. Shoot, I’d love to have you as part of the Apple clan!”

“That’s, uh, good to know Applejack, but it’s really not Big Mac,” Twilight said. Applejack looked a little disappointed. Pinkie seemed amused by the misunderstanding.

“That boy’s never gonna get a marefriend,” Applejack muttered to herself. She shook her head. “Well, anyway, I suppose I can see why you’re havin’ trouble. If he’s half as shy as Big Mac, that could make talking a bit difficult.”

“That’s not really the problem.” Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. “The problem is, well… it’s not a stallion.”

When she opened her eyes, Applejack’s head was tilted in confusion, while Pinkie just grabbed Twilight in another hug, tighter than the last. “Silly Twilight, that’s not a problem.”

“I’m, uh, not sure I follow,” Applejack said.

Twilight had already committed by now, she might as well clear the confusion. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie… I’m a lesbian. The pony I have a crush on is, well, a mare.”

Applejack arched an eyebrow. “A mare?”

“Good for you, Twilight!” Pinkie said. “But that’s no reason not to talk to her about it!”

“But what am I supposed to say?” Twilight asked. She looked to Applejack, but the farm pony seemed to still be processing. ‘I didn’t think I hid it that well.’

“Well, do you know if she likes mares?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes, but only a couple of weeks ago she was rejected by the mare she has feelings for. I want to tell her, but I don’t know if I should. I mean, she obviously doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

Pinkie laughed. “Twilight, you can love more than one pony you know.”

“I don’t really think she’s like that. And besides, I don’t want her to think I’m just trying to get her on the rebound.”

“Aw, she won’t think that. She’s your friend, and she knows that you’d never do anything like that!”

“Pinkie, I haven’t even told you who it is,” Twilight said.

“Oh, Twilight.” Pinkie smiled and shook her head. “So predictable.”

Twilight frowned. She was never going to understand Pinkie. She turned instead to Applejack. “What do you think?”

“Hmm? Oh, I don’t know Twi. I don’t reckon I’d know much ‘bout that type of thing.” Applejack looked off to the side.

“Well, what would you do if you were in my place?” Twilight asked. “Cadance said I should tell her anyway, but I’m not really sure.”

“I reckon Cadance knows what she’s talking about,” Applejack said, fidgeting with her hat.

“If the Princess of Love tells you to talk to somepony, I think you should do it, Twilight,” Pinkie said, deathly serious all of a sudden. “If you don’t do what she says, she might throw you in her love dungeon, and I don’t think Shining Armor would be too happy about that!”

Twilight facehoofed. She wondered if Pinkie even realized everything wrong with that sentence. Choosing not to dwell on it, Twilight turned back to Applejack. She realized she never should have mentioned anything about Rarity. She couldn’t tell them it was Fluttershy now; it wouldn’t be right for Twilight to let them know she was gay. “I guess if it was me I’d like to know,” she said. “It’s only fair I let her decide for herself.”

“Well, sounds like ya got everything figured out then,” Applejack said. “I guess I’ll leave you to it, I got a heap of chores to do.”

Twilight’s ears fell. “Is… something wrong?”

“Course not, I just figure all that’s left to do is for you to talk to her.” Applejack’s smile was unconvincing, and it faltered a bit when she said ‘her.’

Twilight couldn’t believe it. Applejack was the most dependable pony she knew; there was no way she wouldn’t stand by Twilight now. “Does it... bother you that I like mares?”

Applejack hesitated a moment before answering. She wouldn’t meet Twilight’s eyes as she spoke. “Well, I suppose you’re still the same Twilight as always.”

Twilight shook her head. “That doesn’t answer my question, though. You were happy to help when you thought it was a stallion, but once I said it’s a mare you began acting differently. Just tell me, what do you really think?”

“I, uh, reckon it’s none of my business, really.” Applejack took a step towards her orchard, away from Twilight.

“Of course it’s your business! We’re friends, and the pony I love is kind of a big deal to me.” Twilight took a step closer to the fidgeting pony.

“Look, Twi, don’t get it the wrong way. Of course we’re friends, and of course I want you to be happy. But this whole thing is just, well... You can do whatever you want, but I don’t see what I can do for you.”

This couldn’t be happening. She had thought she was prepared for this. She was always acutely aware how badly ponies could react. But Applejack? Applejack had always stood by her. Didn’t she realize how important this was?

“So, what then? If I do talk to her and things go well, what am I supposed to do? Pretend this isn’t a thing whenever I’m around you? I’m not talking about some one night stand, you know. I think... I think I might be in love with her. She could be my marefriend. How is that not something you care about?”

“I never said I don’t care about it, I just, well…” Applejack looked around uncertainly before kicking idly at the ground. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

Twilight just stared at Applejack, unable to say anything. Even when a pair of hooves wrapped around her, Twilight kept her eyes lingering on Applejack for a few moments more. When she did turn away, she saw Pinkie’s mane had deflated somewhat and her ears were folded down. Even though she hardly felt like it, Twilight smiled for her friend. “Thank you, Pinkie. I think... I’d like to head home now.”

Pinkie looked like she was going to argue, but eventually just sighed and let go of her. “Okay, Twilight.”

Twilight took a few steps away and looked back. Pinkie waved sadly while Applejack didn’t acknowledge her leaving at all. Turning away, she launched herself into the air where the earth ponies couldn’t follow her.

As she flew she couldn’t stop thinking about the ponies she left behind and what would happen now. Pinkie had looked so distraught, but at least she had been accepting.

Applejack... She wasn’t sure what would happen with Applejack. How were they supposed to remain friends when Applejack wanted to deny some part of Twilight’s life? And even if Twilight was okay with continuing to hide that part of herself, how was she supposed to do that if things did work out with Fluttershy? And what was she even supposed to do about Fluttershy, anyway? She had been counting on Applejack for more than just support, she needed somepony who was close with both of them to give her some advice!

She barely felt anything when she crashed into the cloud. Her lungs filled with moisture, causing her to cough and sputter. On instinct, she began flailing around.

By the time she came out the other side, she found herself spiraling to the ground, which was sure to be much less pliable. Panicking, she forgot to use her wings and continued to flail her legs around uselessly. She closed her eyes and screamed.

At first there was only falling. The roar of wind rushing past her intertwined with the sounds of her own screaming. Then her mind went blank, and there wasn’t even that.

The next thing she was aware of was a crash, except it was from the wrong side. When she opened her eyes, she was still falling, but much slower and at an angle. She still hit the ground hard, but she was able to roll with it instead of crashing head first, reducing the damage.

Initially, she just lay on the ground. Her entire body was in pain, which she couldn’t be happier about; she had to be alive to be in pain. She moved one foreleg up to her head, gently pressing it to her temple, and used her other to pat the ground. Solid, just the way she liked it.

“What the buck was that about?” Opening her eyes, Twilight saw Rainbow Dash. She was clearly roughed up but was already pushing herself into a sitting position. Either she had hit the ground softer than Twilight, or the athletic pegasus was simply more used to crash landings.

“I wasn’t looking where I was going. I hit a cloud and spun out of control.” Twilight groaned as she forced herself to sit up. She did a quick survey of her limbs, finding that nothing seemed to be broken.

But as the initial euphoria of surviving began to wear off, she couldn’t believe her own stupidity. She could have saved herself with either her wings or her magic, but instead she flailed around like a filly who didn’t know how to swim. And because of that, her friend was probably hurt too. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow skeptically and ignored her question. “So you just decided to try stunt flying, huh?”

Twilight replayed the scene in her head as she thought about how to answer. Part of her wanted to tell Rainbow what happened, but she didn’t want to cause problems between her friends. Rainbow and Applejack were really close, and she couldn’t help but think about how Rainbow had acted when she thought Twilight didn’t accept Fluttershy. “I was just practicing. Guess I’m still not very good at flying yet.”

“Nope, not buying it,” Rainbow said, an agitated expression on her face. “I taught you way better than to lose control from one little cloud. So either tell me why I had to save you from a free fall, or at least come up with a better excuse than that.”

Twilight gingerly stretched her neck, which hurt quite a bit. “I’m fine, really. Thank you, by the way.”

Rainbow sighed. “Look, I get that you don’t want to talk about it. And okay, that’s your business. But if you don’t talk about it now, you’re just gonna bottle it up until it’s this whole big thing. Eventually you’ll tell everyone anyway, and we’ll all hug and stuff. You’ll be all ‘I shouldn’t have kept secrets and you’re the best friends ever’, and we’ll probably sing a song about it. And that sappy stuff is okay once in a while, but we just did all that with Fluttershy. So can we just skip it this time?”

Twilight was annoyed at how accurate that was. “Fine. I was over at Sweet Apple Acres and I… well, I told Applejack I’m a lesbian.”

To her surprise, Rainbow smirked. “And she probably was dumbfounded and said something stupid. Come on Twilight, Applejack’s great and all, but you do realize how old-fashioned her family is, right? How did you think she’d react?”

“So what, I should have just – oww!” Twilight had dramatically thrown her hooves into the air, an action she immediately regretted. She lowered them and rubbed at her shoulder. “Should’ve just kept hiding it from her?”

“Not what I’m saying. You just should of known she’d need some time afterwards.” Rainbow carefully stretched out each of her own legs. “And you definitely should know better than to let yourself get distracted while flying.”

Twilight rubbed her temple. She wasn’t sure if her headache was because of the fall or Rainbow’s lack of empathy. “Why weren’t you this calm when you thought I was the bigot?”

Rainbow turned to her with a slight glare. “That was different. You made Fluttershy cry.” She shook her head. “Wait, why didn’t you tell us then? It would’ve meant a lot to her, you know.”

Twilight looked away, feeling ashamed. “I know, I should have. But, well, Fluttershy isn’t the only pony who’s scared to talk about it, you know. Actually, it’s because of her that I decided to come out. I think it’ll be easier for both of us knowing we’re not the only one. I guess I should have picked somepony else to start with though.”

Rainbow walked over and sat next to Twilight. “Listen, I’ll talk to AJ about it. I know she’ll come around, just give it time.”

“You’ll talk to her? Like you ‘talked’ to me?” Twilight said, grinning.

“That was different.”

Twilight just shook her head. All things considered, she did feel a little better. “Oh, and by the way… Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m a lesbian.”

Rainbow covered her mouth in mock horror. “What? And you never told me?” She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think I want you around Scootaloo anymore.”

Twilight snickered, then they were both laughing. Out of all her friends, Twilight would have probably gone to Rainbow last for comfort, but she had to admit she had underestimated her friend.

All of a sudden Rainbow sat straight up. Twilight could practically hear the gears in her head turning. “So, Twilight… Fluttershy?”

Twilight was not ready for this talk. Had she guessed already? Twilight couldn’t ask Rainbow to keep a secret from Fluttershy, but she also couldn’t let Rainbow be the one to finally tell her how she felt. “What about her?” Twilight tried to smile as innocently as possible.

“Would you… maybe you could, I don’t know…” Rainbow awkwardly looked off to the side as she scratched at the back of her head. “I mean, if you don’t already have somepony in mind, maybe you could try asking Fluttershy out?”

Well, that was unexpected. She didn’t know what to say, so while her mind tried to catch up, she played dumb. “Ask her out, like, on a date?”

Rainbow shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah. Look, Fluttershy is great and all, but she’s kind of…” She moved her hooves around, trying and failing to wordlessly say what was on her mind. Twilight just furrowed her brow and watched. “I think she’d be happier with a marefriend, but other ponies would, well… I know you wouldn’t push her into doing anything she didn’t want to.”

Twilight was confused for a moment more before it clicked. “Wait, are you talking about s–”

“Besides!” Rainbow interrupted loudly. “You two could probably spend hours walking through flowers and looking at clouds and stuff. You’re perfect for each other.”

Again, the accuracy was kind of annoying. “Well, first things first, I have to finish coming out to everypony. Then, who knows?” Even if Rainbow did keep her feelings a secret, Twilight suspected that if she were to actually let slip how much she wanted to do just that, she wouldn’t have a moment’s peace until she did. She had to do this in her own time. Still, it was nice to know she had Rainbow’s approval, since she was the closest thing Fluttershy had to family.

“Yeah, I know. Just… think about it.” Without waiting for an answer, Rainbow flew off towards Sweet Apple Acres, leaving a rainbow stream in her wake.

Twilight waited for a moment before pushing herself up. Rainbow thought she and Fluttershy would be good together. Did she maybe have some kind of insider information that suggested Fluttershy would actually accept if Twilight did ask her out? There was a lot of potential in talking to Rainbow Dash about her feelings, but there was a lot of risk as well. Either way, she could decide that later. For the moment, there was still one more friend to come out to – Rarity.

Fluttershy had told her that she had come out to Rarity, so Twilight knew that she wouldn’t have a problem with her being a lesbian. But even if she wasn’t worried, she wasn’t looking forward to it either. The only thing she was looking forward to was a hot shower to soothe her muscles and wash off the dirt. Maybe afterwards she’d take an afternoon nap. Not like she had any other plans for the day, not after things went so poorly with Applejack.

‘All the more reason to get this over with now.’ If she had any chance of relaxing for the rest of her day, she had to get everything else taken care of. She’d be plagued by the nagging thought of not completing her plans, otherwise.

For the entire walk to the Carousel Boutique, Twilight found herself wondering how Rainbow had managed to fly away so soon after their fall. Athlete or not, she had to be almost as sore as Twilight was, and every step for her was a reminder to never take her hooves off the ground. She knew she must look like a mess too, even without all the stares she got when she made it into town. She did her best to not pay them any attention. ‘Just tell Rarity, then I can go home.’

As soon as Twilight walked into the Carousel Boutique, she realized it was a mistake. There were several mirrors around the entrance, and they all showed a pony that Rarity would be appalled at the state of. The last thing she wanted right now was for the fashionista to make a huge fuss over her, although she knew that was exactly what was sure to happen.

“Just a moment!” Rarity called from the next room. Twilight took advantage of it and ran a hoof through her mane and tail. Even if she didn’t have the time to make herself look good, she at least hoped she could get herself to look somewhat presentable.

“So sorry about that, I was –” Rarity stopped dramatically when she caught sight of Twilight. “Twilight, darling, whatever happened? Are you alright?”

Twilight turned away from her tail and put on her best reassuring smile. Which, given her day so far and her reservations about telling Rarity the truth, was likely not very reassuring. “Is ‘Rainbow Dash’ an acceptable answer?”

Rarity scowled at the absent pony. “I swear, that pony…”

Twilight realized she couldn’t leave it at that. It would be unfair to place any of the blame on Rainbow, who had actually saved her from a much worse injury, then helped her feel better about the whole situation on top of it. “Actually, I wasn’t looking where I was going during flight practice and took a fall. Rainbow saw and tried to catch me, but ended up as bad as me. Which, uh, isn’t as bad as it looks.” She could only hope that since Rarity hadn’t witnessed the accident, she’d be more likely to believe the excuse than Rainbow had been.

“Not as bad as it looks? Well, I should certainly hope not! Darling, have you looked at a mirror? No, we simply must fix this!”

Rarity was already levitating several beauty appliances towards them. “No, really, I’m fine. I just wanted to tell you something, then I’d really like to get home.”

Rarity pouted but put everything back to wherever she had pulled it all out from. “Well, if you insist. What is it you’d like to talk about?”

‘Okay, let’s do this one right.’ Twilight thought carefully about what to say next. She had to properly word it so Rarity would know it was an important and difficult decision to talk about, but not make it sound like too big of a deal so that way she’d know nothing was actually changing. “I’m a lesbian.”

Or she could just shut down the brain-to-mouth filter and blurt it out.

Rarity remained composed, but Twilight did notice her eyes widen slightly. “Oh? Well, congratulations on deciding to come out with this. Of course, I fully support you, and this changes nothing between us, so please don’t take this question the wrong way but, well… Is there anything else? That is to say, is there a reason you came here to talk to me? Specifically?”

Twilight blinked and tilted her head to the side wondering what she meant. What more did she want? Wasn’t this already a big enough announcement? “No, I just… Oh.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile when she realized what Rarity was trying to say. “No, I’m not here to confess any hidden feelings for you. And if I were, I’d like to think I’d at least make a better impression than showing up like this.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “Of course,” she said. “And I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be presumptuous. It’s just that I had a similar conversation with another friend of mine recently, and I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

Twilight smiled. “You mean Fluttershy. I already know. I… sort of overheard her and Rainbow talking about that a few weeks ago, then the three of us talked it all out. I was pretty surprised when she told me she’d actually confessed her feelings, though.” Twilight felt guilty as she remembered how happy she had been to hear Rarity had turned down those feelings.

“Well, that does make things a bit simpler. I just don’t want any more awkwardness among our little circle of friends. Not that I find Fluttershy’s affections awkward, I really am flattered, but I fear it has been causing her trouble. Do you know I practically had to drag her to our weekly spa day? She seems to think I don’t want to be alone with her anymore, which is of course preposterous.”

“I’ll talk to her about it,” Twilight said, smiling. “I still haven’t come out to her, so we’ll probably have a lot to talk about, actually.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, darling. Here I am going on, and this is such an important day for you! So, if I may ask, what did make you decide it was time? A certain somepony perhaps?” Rarity grinned expectantly.

Twilight had seen this coming. She had already decided she wouldn’t involve Rarity in her romance with Fluttershy, but she supposed simply telling her wouldn’t be too bad. And after the day’s failures, it might actually be nice to finally tell somepony who accepted it. “Well, yes, actually.”

Rarity clapped her hooves excitedly and practically skipped over to Twilight as she pulled out two chairs. “Ooh! Do tell darling! And while we’re talking, perhaps you’d allow me to…” She levitated a brush over.

Twilight rolled her eyes, but she realized she was getting off light from the full makeover that Rarity must have wanted to do. “Fine.”

Rarity began working out the knots in Twilight’s mane. “Now, don’t spare any of the details.”

Something about Rarity’s enthusiasm made it hard for Twilight to refuse. She looked at Rarity, who was leaning forward and almost literally on the edge of her seat. “Well…” Twilight looked away, blushing. “It’s Fluttershy.”

“Fluttershy?” Rarity lit up. “Yes, yes, I see it. Oh, you two would be simply adorable together! And of course it’s no wonder you’ve decided to come out now. Oh, I do hope I haven’t caused any problems in this… No matter, we shall simply have to come up with a plan for you! Now normally we’d want to go extravagant – all the better to win a fair lady’s heart – but I’m afraid dear Fluttershy is too easily overwhelmed.”

She put down the brush, either satisfied with Twilight’s mane, or just because she had found something else to divert her attention to. In its place, she levitated a notepad and quill out of a desk drawer and began furiously taking notes. “I believe the proper setting will be the key aspect of your courtship. Something romantic, simple yet elegant, secluded goes without saying. Maybe… oh, now there’s an idea.”

“Rarity, thank you, but please don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Fluttershy and tell her…” What would she tell her? After telling all her other friends, the idea of coming out to Fluttershy was definitely easier, but asking her out? She had no idea how she would manage that.

“Oh, nonsense. Nothing could be better than to play a role in two of my closest friends finding happiness in each other! Trust me, darling, with the two of us putting our heads together on this, dear Fluttershy simply won’t be able to resist you!”

Twilight hesitated. She hadn’t wanted to involve Rarity in her love life, but it was undeniable that the socialite was more knowledgeable on romance than she was. “Alright,” Twilight said at last. “What should I do?”

Rarity clapped her hooves and started going over ideas with Twilight, who was giving her full attention. She would learn everything she could in order to win Fluttershy’s heart. She was going to make this perfect.

6 - Taking Chances

Chapter Six
Taking Chances

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It was well into the afternoon by the time Fluttershy was preparing lunch for herself. She had let herself get so caught up in feeding her animal friends that she forgot to feed herself, and her stomach was growling in complaint. She found herself doing that more often over the past month. Being around the animals was always a comforting feeling, and ever since more of her friends had found out her secret, she found that comfort more and more appealing.

Determined to not let her thoughts get the better of her, she hummed merrily while she worked in the kitchen. She had a quick taste of the sauce she’d been stirring and decided that it was perfect. And it was good timing, as checking on her pasta revealed it was cooked just right.

She strained the pasta, but before she could do anything else, there was a knock on the door. “One moment, please,” she called as she set the pasta back in the pot.

She hadn’t been expecting company, and she felt a little guilty at the thought of not making enough food for whoever her guest was. When she opened the door, she found Twilight standing on the other side. She was wearing a yellow sundress and didn’t seem to notice Fluttershy had answered the door, as she kept fussing with her mane. “Oh, hello, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, prompting her to stop suddenly.

“Hello, Fluttershy!” Twilight held up a picnic basket and smiled hopefully. “I know it’s a bit late for lunch, but I was wondering if you wanted to have a picnic?”

Fluttershy smiled. “That sounds lovely. I was just about to make lunch, actually. Uhm, give me just one moment to put everything away.” She gestured for Twilight to sit in the living room while she walked back to the kitchen to put her would-be lunch in the refrigerator.

She didn’t want to let Twilight know that she had already made food, fearing she might decide there was no point in spending the afternoon together. Twilight hadn’t been by to visit her as often ever since the whole incident with Rarity, and Fluttershy missed her company. So ignoring her stomach’s complaints, she put the spices away in the cabinets and the pots in the sink.

When she returned to the living room, she found Twilight straightening her tail. Fluttershy cocked her head to the side, wondering if Twilight was planning on meeting somepony else as well. She was dressed up, after all, and was even wearing makeup. While Fluttershy was watching, Twilight glanced over and jumped to her hooves. Fluttershy quickly turned away and stared at the floor. “Oh, uhm, I’m ready to go if you are.”

“Oh, yeah, me too!” Twilight levitated the picnic basket and made for the door, holding it open for Fluttershy.

Once they were both outside, Fluttershy fell in step behind Twilight, letting her pick the destination. ‘Stupid!’ she thought. ‘Now she thinks I was staring at her. It’s no wonder Twilight doesn’t want to come around anymore. She probably hates being around me now.’

At least Twilight seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go, moving purposefully away from Ponyville. Although Twilight kept smiling, Fluttershy knew she already regretted suggesting the picnic. At least the walk was short. Twilight was far too nice to admit it, but there was no way she would want to draw out their picnic, especially after catching Fluttershy staring at her.

Twilight gestured to a patch of shade under a tree. “How’s this for a spot?” They were in a field, but the outskirts of the forest were visible. It was a nice view; the trees created a backdrop of greenery while leaving the sky visible overhead. There were all sorts of wildflowers growing all around, including sunflowers as tall as a pony.

“Oh, it’s lovely,” Fluttershy said. Twilight didn’t seem uncomfortable, but Fluttershy wondered if she was just hiding it for her friend’s sake. Still, even if that was the case, Fluttershy decided to make the most of it. Really, it was more than she could ask for; her friends were willing to put up with her despite what she was. She would just have to make sure she returned the favor and not do anything weird around them.

“So how are all the animals?” Twilight asked as she set down a blanket and began unpacking the picnic basket, setting aside sandwiches and a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider.

Happy to have something safe to talk about, Fluttershy smiled as she answered. “Oh, the cutest little ducklings hatched the other day, and they’re just the most precious things ever! Today they were learning to swim for the first time. I was a little worried because they’re still so small, but of course, their parents knew best.”

“Aww, that’s adorable!” Twilight passed over the sandwiches. “Do you think I’d be able to see them?”

“Of course! We can visit them after we eat, if you want.” Fluttershy took a bite of her sandwich. She really was starving. “So, are you researching anything right now?”

“Well, actually I’ve been a bit busy with other things lately, but there was a fascinating theory on the core principles of magic published earlier this week that I’ve been looking forward to reading. It’s been causing some controversy because if it’s accurate, it’ll mean a lot of what we thought we understood only works because of some lucky guesses. Basically…”

Twilight launched into an explanation that mostly went over Fluttershy’s head, even though she knew Twilight was trying her best to simplify it. Still, it gave her a chance to eat, and she did enjoy watching Twilight get so caught up in her explanation. Fluttershy really admired her passion.

“Which really goes back to Clover’s classification of the different magic elements.” Twilight suddenly seemed to realize she was rambling and stopped talking. She looked away bashfully. “Sorry, guess I got a little caught up there.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Fluttershy insisted, but the conversation returned to everyday fare.

Fluttershy kept trying to get Twilight to tell her what she had been up to for the past month, but every time she touched on the subject, Twilight would start talking about something else. Growing more frustrated every time, she eventually decided to just ask the question on her mind.

“Uhm… Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“Uhm… I was wondering… why don’t you come visit me anymore?” Fluttershy squeaked.

Rather than answer Twilight tilted her head to the side and smiled. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but could you repeat that?”

Fluttershy gulped nervously and took a deep breath. Trying to speak a little louder, she repeated, “It’s just… you used to come see me at least once a week, but now, uhm, you haven’t come to visit me. Is it, uhm, did I do something wrong?”

Twilight looked taken aback by the question. After a moment of composing herself, she answered, “I’ve just been busy. I’m sorry if I made you feel ignored. You haven’t done anything wrong, and I’ve missed spending time with you too! That’s why I wanted to come by today.”

‘She’s been busy. She has a lot of important responsibilities as a princess. I’m just being selfish.’ Fluttershy told herself. Of course she was being silly, but still… “Is it because I’m a… I like mares?” She asked. “It is, isn’t it? It’s okay, I don’t blame you.”

“Fluttershy…” Twilight moved in closer, putting her face in front of Fluttershy’s to try and maintain eye contact. Fluttershy tried turning her head, but Twilight kept moving hers to always be in view, not letting Fluttershy look away. Eventually, she gave up and settled on just casting her eyes downwards. She didn’t want Twilight to see the tears already welling up.

Since she couldn’t make eye contact, Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder instead. Fluttershy felt guilty for allowing her friend to be so close to somepony like her, but couldn’t move away. Part of her liked the contact, finding it comforting that Twilight would still even want to touch her. That made her feel guilty, too.

“I talked to Rarity the other day,” Twilight said gently. “She’s worried about you, and she told me that you’ve been avoiding her because you’re afraid she doesn’t want to be around you anymore.”

Fluttershy wanted to explain herself, but she couldn’t find the right words. How was she supposed to make somepony like Twilight understand how she felt? She was a princess, and even before that she had always been the picture of an ideal pony. She didn’t have to worry about her what her friends would think of her if they knew what she was really like.

“I just…” Fluttershy said eventually, speaking slowly and quietly. “I think it would be better for everypony if I stopped bothering them.” She chanced a quick look up at Twilight, and regretted saying anything. Twilight looked so worried, but Fluttershy knew she didn’t deserve that sympathy.

“Fluttershy, I know it can be hard to believe, but we really do accept you. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and I all love just the way you are. You’re not bothering anyone, and there’s nothing wrong with you.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly. She was appreciated that Twilight was trying to make her feel better, but she just didn’t understand. Good ponies couldn’t understand, because they weren’t like her.

“You keep saying you’re worried about us not accepting you, but I don’t think that’s really what bothering you. I think the real problem is that you don’t accept yourself.”

Fluttershy finally looked at Twilight properly. She was smiling, but there was something else in her expression. She looked sad. It didn’t look like an act, not really. Twilight wasn’t pretending like Fluttershy kept thinking, she was genuinely sad to see her friend so hurt.

Looking into Twilight’s eyes, she couldn’t hold back anymore and began to cry. Twilight pulled her into a hug and Fluttershy cried on her shoulder. She sobbed loudly as she clung to Twilight, and for a time her mind went blank. She didn’t worry about what anypony would think of her, or the fact that she had her forelegs wrapped tightly around another mare, or anything else at all.

Twilight stroked her mane and didn’t say much, just the occasional ‘It’s okay,’ as Fluttershy let out everything she had been bottling inside, all the fears and self-consciousness. Even if Twilight did try to say more, she wouldn’t have really heard it. But Twilight was giving her exactly what she needed, and she slowly found herself calming down thanks to her friend’s comforting presence.

She couldn’t say how long she cried for, but once the tears subsided she collapsed onto her back in the grass. Twilight lay next to her, leaning her head against Fluttershy’s. She placed a foreleg on top of Twilight’s, who responded by wrapping it in her own. Together they lay under the tree for a while, not saying anything. Fluttershy watched as the light shifted through the branches, moving the shadows over them as the sun slowly made its way across the sky.

Eventually, Fluttershy broke the silence. “The day you and Rainbow came to talk to me, I was so happy. It was the same when I told Rarity, even after she said she couldn’t feel the same way about me.”

“It must have been nice to finally get it out,” Twilight said softly.

“it was.” Fluttershy thought back to that feeling. It was the same way she felt now, certain that Twilight truly did still accept her. “I had finally told at least a few of my friends, and everypony was still with me. It was the most liberated I’ve felt since I first left Cloudsdale.”

“But it didn’t last?’

Fluttershy shook her head. “Afterwards when everypony went home, I felt horrible. Like, uhm, maybe everypony was just pretending to be okay with it. And that… I guess that I didn’t deserve to be happy… and that I should have never thought somepony like Rarity could be like me. It’s like…” Fluttershy trailed off as she searched for the right words.

“Like you know there’s nothing wrong with you, but no matter what you do it still feels like there is?” Twilight finished for her.

Fluttershy nodded. It was exactly like that.

“I know what you mean…” Twilight’s expression shifted, becoming sadder. “There’s something I should have told you as soon as I overheard you talking to Rainbow. Something I should have told everypony a long time ago, but I’ve been too scared.”

Twilight paused. The silence went on for so long Fluttershy thought she might have changed her mind. She wanted to hear what Twilight was going to say, but didn’t want to push her.

Eventually, however, Twilight continued. “Fluttershy, I understand how you feel. Because the truth is that actually… well, I’m a lesbian too.”

Fluttershy sat up and stared at Twilight, who was looking off to the side. She must have misheard. Twilight was a princess. She was one of the best ponies Fluttershy knew. She might be the best pony Fluttershy knew. Twilight was a good pony, and good ponies were not like her. “What?”

Twilight sat up too. “I like mares,” she said simply, looking into Fluttershy’s eyes. Twilight blushed and smiled a little. She placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s again. “I… I like you, Fluttershy. I… I have for a long time, but I was too afraid of what you’d think to ever tell you.”

Fluttershy’s mouth fell open as her brain stopped working. She was aware that Twilight’s expression was changing from hopeful to nervous, but she couldn’t process any words to say.

Eventually Twilight continued, looking at their hooves which were still pressed together. “I know you don’t feel the same way, and that’s okay. But I just, well, I guess I wanted to tell you.”

Fluttershy tried to get her mouth to start saying something, anything, but nothing came out. This wasn’t happening. This kind of thing just didn’t happen to her. As she continued to not say anything, Twilight looked more concerned. Eventually, she pulled her hoof back and stood up. Only as she stepped away did Fluttershy realize exactly how close they had been. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have –”

“Ducklings,” Fluttershy squeaked out the first coherent thought she could latch on to.

“I’m sorry?”

“We haven’t seen the ducklings yet,” she said, standing up herself.

“Oh, uh, that’s right. Uhm… we should go then! Lead the way,” Twilight said, smiling awkwardly. She haphazardly used her magic to stuff everything back into the picnic basket, and followed after Fluttershy.

She led them towards where the ducklings had been learning to swim earlier. They walked in silence, each pony lost in her own thoughts. Fluttershy tried to figure out what she should be doing, but she wasn’t even sure what had happened. A small part of her wondered if this was some sort of cruel joke, even though she knew there was no way Twilight would ever do anything like that.

By the time they reached the lake, they found the ducks were gone. They were probably asleep after their tiring day. But in their place was a family of otters playing, which the two ponies stopped to watch. Once they realized they had an audience, the otters began doing tricks to show off, much to Twilight’s delight.

‘Twilight… Twilight loves me? If I love her back I won’t have to be alone anymore…’ Fluttershy kept one eye on the otters, and the other on Twilight. Every time one of the otters did a flip or dive, Twilight would laugh and cheer.

Fluttershy did her best to find it. That spark that had ignited when she had realized she loved Rarity. She wanted so much for it to ignite now for Twilight.

There was a lot she liked about Twilight. She had to admit, she did enjoy watching her friend’s excitement at the show, the way her face would light up. Twilight was able to find joy in Fluttershy’s passion for animals, and while she’d never understand magic, Fluttershy did spend a lot of time reading. Twilight was caring, supportive, rarely pushed her into things she was uncomfortable with, and when she did, it was only ever for her own good. And perhaps most importantly, Twilight not only liked mares but, for whatever reason, liked her.

But she also couldn’t deny that she just didn’t feel the same way about Twilight as she did for Rarity. Not even close. Twilight was a great friend, but no matter how much she tried to force something more, that was all Fluttershy could manage to feel for her.

Besides, it would be unfair to Twilight to accept her feelings when she knew she would always really have another mare on her mind. Twilight was her friend, and Fluttershy wanted her to be with somepony who was able to love her completely.

While Fluttershy worked through her feelings, Twilight realized she was being watched and turned towards Fluttershy, beaming. Fluttershy blushed, but rather than hide like she wanted to, she forced herself to smile back.

After leaving the otters, they walked aimlessly for a while. They passed time chatting about the animals they saw, while never mentioning what they were really thinking about.

Eventually, Fluttershy found herself worrying a little bit less about her thoughts, and she managed to enjoy her afternoon with her friend. She even felt a little better about Rarity. Knowing that Twilight had feelings for her didn’t bother Fluttershy at all, so maybe Rarity really did mean it when she said she wasn’t bothered by Fluttershy’s feelings.

All too soon, however, afternoon turned into evening, and they found themselves heading back to the cottage.

“Spike’s probably waiting for me to start dinner,” Twilight said regretfully. “I didn’t tell him I’d be out all day.”

Fluttershy nodded. “And if I don’t start Angel’s dinner soon, he’ll get cranky.”

At first, neither pony made to leave. Eventually one of them had to though, so Twilight said, “Goodnight, then,” and walked off.

Fluttershy turned towards the door and hesitated. ‘I should just go inside. We had a nice day, and that’s enough,’ she thought. But she turned to look at Twilight walking away, and she felt torn.

It was true that she didn’t exactly share Twilight’s feelings, but she did really enjoy the time they spent together. ‘Maybe I can learn to love her. Maybe just once, it’ll be okay if I take a chance.’

“Wait!” she called. Twilight must not have heard because she was still walking away. Hating her quiet voice, Fluttershy jumped into the air and glided over to the alicorn.

“Huh? Fluttershy?” Twilight stopped in her tracks and quirked her head to the side.

Fluttershy realized she didn’t know what she had planned on saying. “Hi,” she squeaked out eventually.

Twilight looked confused, but she didn’t seem to be too bothered by the awkward entrance. “Is… everything okay?”

Fluttershy spoke directly to the ground. “Uhm, are you going to Cheerilee’s party?”

“Of course,” Twilight said. “I’ll see you there, right?”

“Yes… well… actually, I was wondering if you, uhm, if you wanted to go. With… me.” Fluttershy closed her eyes. Even seeing Twilight’s hooves made her nervous.

“Do you… mean as a date?” Twilight asked. Even without seeing her, it wasn’t hard to imagine her hopeful smile. She could even hear it in her voice.

Fluttershy nodded, unable to speak. She peeked one eye open and glanced up to see Twilight’s face go from surprise to joy in mere seconds.

“Of course! That sounds perfect,” Twilight said.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. She felt her legs go weak as she added, “It’s a date then.”

“Yup. I can’t wait.” Twilight’s face could barely hold her smile. She gave Fluttershy one more hug before departing. “Good night, Fluttershy.”

“Good night, Twilight.”

Fluttershy kept calm as she steadily made her way back to her house, doing her best to not think about the sudden change of plans. But once she was inside, she gently closed the door behind her, then promptly collapsed against it.

“It’s a date. I asked one of my best friends on a date. Not to mention she’s a princess, so does that mean it’s a royal date?”

As she panicked on the floor, an irritated white rabbit ran up to her. He lifted a foot to start kicking the floor impatiently, but then he got a better look at his caretaker’s face. Instead, he nuzzled against her, and – when he was sure she couldn’t see his face – rolled his eyes.

“Oh, Angel, what am I going to do?”

She hadn’t really expected an answer, but the bunny gave one anyway. He hopped away for a moment, then returned with her calendar and the sketch Rarity had made for Fluttershy’s gala dress. He pointed to the calendar first then to the sketch.

“You’re right, Angel.” Fluttershy picked herself up off the floor, feeling a little bit more confident. “The party is in three days, that’s plenty of time to make sure everything is perfect.”

The rabbit jumped excitedly, then changed his expression back to annoyance and pointed towards the kitchen.

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, right. After we get you your dinner, of course.”

She went into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for Angel’s salad, setting aside the pasta to reheat for herself. She tried to think positive. She had her first date ahead of her, and it was with a wonderful mare. True, she didn’t love Twilight, but maybe she could in time.

‘What’s the worst that could happen? If things don’t go well I can just tell her. We only agreed to one date. I’m sure we’ll still be friends no matter what. Maybe. Hopefully.’ She shook her head and tried to focus on preparing the salad. ‘What if I break her heart? I hope she doesn’t hate me too much…’ She sighed. She had three very long days ahead of her.

7 - First Date

Chapter Seven
First Date

⠀

⠀
Things could change so quickly. It had been a month since Twilight had found herself outside of Fluttershy’s door, expecting nothing other than to spend some time with a friend. Only a month, and Twilight’s world had turned upside down.

Now her friends all knew her most well-kept secret. Now she didn’t have to hide a big part of herself from the ponies she cared about most. Now she was standing outside the same door that had started it all, about to go on her first date, with her first ever…

What were they to each other, anyway? It was probably too soon to call Fluttershy her marefriend, but were they still just friends? They were about to go on a date together, an actual date!

It was exciting just as it was daunting. Although she told herself that she was contemplating a major change in her life, when it came down to it, she was really just stalling. She kept reminding herself that it was just a party they had both planned to go to anyway. And besides, Fluttershy had asked her out, so clearly there was nothing to be worried about.

It was a perfectly rational outlook. It didn’t help. She wanted their night to be perfect, she needed it to be perfect. She needed Fluttershy to see how happy they could be together, or else she might decide not to go on another date.

‘Well, sitting here isn’t going to make anything perfect…’

With one last calming breath, she knocked on the door. At first there was no answer, but just as she was about to knock louder, the door opened – seemingly of its own accord, until she looked down to see Angel motioning for her to come inside. She followed him into the living room and looked around, but saw no sign of Fluttershy. Angel pointed to the couch, then hopped up the stairs. Twilight sat down and waited as Fluttershy called out, “Uhm… I’ll be down in a moment.”

“Oh, take your time,” Twilight replied. “I’m sorry, I know I’m a little early.” She was still panicking, but at least now she was panicking from the comfort of Fluttershy’s couch.

After a minute, Angel came back down. He stared at Twilight. Not his usual glare of annoyance, more so like he was looking for something. Twilight glanced around and couldn’t see anything he could be interested in; he was definitely looking at her. He looked up to Fluttershy’s room, then back to her. His ears folded down as he nervously rubbed his paws together. Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she could understand the rabbit.

Eventually, her attention was drawn away by the sound of hoofsteps on the stairs. Twilight turned to see Fluttershy descend. She let out a small gasp as Fluttershy reached the bottom and turned towards her. The yellow pegasus was wearing a purple halter sundress with a teal sash. Angel jumped up to fix a strand of her mane, which had been braided. She looked at the ground as she squeaked out a greeting.

“Fluttershy, you look beautiful.” Twilight felt her cheeks grow warm as she openly spoke her mind about her crush for the first time. It was nothing compared to Fluttershy, whose face had gone completely red at the compliment. She tried to hide in her mane, which proved impossible with it braided and only served to frustrate the little rabbit still hanging on her head. Twilight suspected that was Rarity’s plan, to not let the shy pegasus hide away as she usually did.

“Oh, uhm… thank you,” Fluttershy managed to say. She pried her eyes off the floor to look at Twilight, who was wearing a sunflower yellow sheath dress with blue trim. “Uhm, you too,” she said, blushing even harder and looking away again.

Twilight smiled. Fluttershy had called her beautiful! Well, sort of, but she knew better than to expect more than that right away. She walked over to the pegasus, who seemed determined to go from yellow to red. Twilight put a hoof around her and nuzzled her cheek. “Are you ready to go? I know we said we’d help set up, but I sent Spike ahead already so I’m sure they’ll be fine if we take our time.”

“No, I’m ready,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s go.”

They departed and walked side by side towards Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight felt a rush from being so close to Fluttershy. She always enjoyed her friend’s company, although there had always been a measure of guilt involved, as well as the fear of being found out.

But for the first time, she didn’t have to worry about any of that. She walked with a spring in her step, and a smile spreading from ear to ear. While her shy companion initially seemed to be more weighed down by her nerves, eventually the positivity proved infectious and she lightened up as well.

Still, there was something that needed to be addressed. “So what do you want to do about telling other ponies?” Twilight asked as she nervously pulled at the hem of her dress. She tried to keep her tone casual, as if it was just a meaningless question asked out of curiosity.

Fluttershy stopped in her tracks, a look of panic returning to her face. Twilight had expected this. She knew they had to decide before seeing everypony, but she still felt horrible for ruining the mood.

Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “We don’t have to tell anypony anything if you don’t want to. I won’t push you into a situation you’re uncomfortable with.”

“I… I know I should just tell everypony and get it over with, but what will everypony think? I wish I was stronger…” Fluttershy moved some dirt around with her hoof.

“Fluttershy, you know it doesn’t have to be everypony, right? We could just tell our friends for now and decide what to do about everypony else later.”

“Well, it would be nice to not have to hide things from them anymore. And, well, I uhm… I told Rainbow already. I hope that’s okay.” Fluttershy folded her ears back.

Twilight smiled softly. “Of course it is. I’d never ask you to keep secrets from her.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Besides, I kind of already told Spike.”

Fluttershy smiled a little and nodded. “And Rarity knows, so I suppose it’s really just Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I guess maybe that won’t be too bad.”

Twilight hesitated while thinking of how much she should say about Applejack. All their friends had a soft spot for Fluttershy, so she doubted Applejack would do anything to make her feel unwelcome. Still, Fluttershy deserved the right to make an informed decision. “About Applejack. I told her about myself and she, well, she didn’t exactly take it well.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy stared at the ground.

“She didn’t say anything against it, exactly. I asked her for advice on what I should say to you. I didn’t tell her it was you specifically, of course, I just told her it was a mare I like.” Twilight frowned remembering the details, but Fluttershy needed to know what she was getting into before she decided what she wanted to do. “She made it very clear that she was willing to ignore my love life so long as I kept it to myself.”

Twilight took a moment of self-pity, staring idly off to the side. She felt Fluttershy’s foreleg wrap around her shoulders as the pegasus instinctively moved in to comfort her. Whether it was because she didn’t know what to say or because she had the same thoughts weighing down her own mind, Fluttershy didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter. Having Fluttershy next to her, on their first date no less, made Applejack a distant concern.

“We don’t have to tell her anything,” Twilight said. “Pinkie was there too, and she was, well, Pinkie. I don’t think she could ever look down on her friends, no matter what. I know she’d be really happy for us.”

Fluttershy looked surprised. “Did you… already tell all our friends?”

“Yeah, about a week ago. I, uhm, wanted a few opinions on how to talk to you about it.” Twilight hoped she didn’t sound weird for talking about how nervous she had been. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m just surprised you did it all by yourself. I don’t think I could ever be that brave.”

“Well, it wasn’t easy, and I didn’t exactly do it alone. I let it slip to my friend in the human world, Sunset Shimmer, and she supported me when I was ready to tell other ponies. But you know, I probably would have kept hiding it except, well…” Twilight trailed off as she gave Fluttershy a sideways glance.

“Except what?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

“I found somepony worth being brave for,” Twilight finished, causing Fluttershy to blush. She felt a little guilty at how much she enjoyed it, but she couldn’t help herself. She was simply too adorable when she blushed.

“I… I think telling Pinkie wouldn’t be so bad,” Fluttershy said, turning her face away to try and hide the redness. “But maybe we could tell Applejack later, when we’re not working on a birthday party.”

Twilight’s mind raced at the implication in what Fluttershy said. ‘We can tell her later. That means we’ll still be together later, it’s not just one date! But did she mean that, or was she just not thinking about what that sounded like?’ She simply smiled and said, “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said as she leaned on Twilight. “But I really do want to tell our friends about me, and us. Even, uhm, Applejack. You’ll help, right?”

Twilight felt like she might explode. Was this how Pinkie felt all the time? Because she suddenly understood how the party pony was able to pull off so many impossible feats. She only just barely managed to remind herself that not only were the laws of physics still a thing, but she didn’t want to make a scene in front of Fluttershy. “Of course I will,” Twilight said as she wrapped Fluttershy in a hug.

Eventually they broke apart and resumed their walk. Twilight was relieved to find the positive spirit from before had returned as they walked the rest of the short trip to Sweet Apple Acres.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and stopped to compose herself. “Okay, I can do this.”

“We can do this,” Twilight reminded her with a gentle nudge. Fluttershy smiled as they made their way towards the barn.

“Well howdy, y’all!” Applejack said as they approached. She was up on a ladder hanging ‘Happy birthday’ streamers from tree to tree. “Glad to see ya. Rarity’s helping Cheerilee get ready, and Rainbow failed to show up, as expected.”

Fluttershy frowned. “She told me she’d be here.”

Applejack just laughed it off. “That’s Rainbow for ya. Thanks a bunch for sending Spike over, he’s been a big help with the decoratin’. Him and Pinkie are in the barn, and I reckon she can tell you what’s left to be done better than I can.”

On one hoof, Twilight appreciated Applejack not causing a scene, but on the other, she was frustrated with how casual the farm pony was. As if they could just pretend nothing had happened between them, pretend Applejack hadn’t undermined Twilight’s feelings when she had needed help.

But despite still being hurt by her friend’s actions, Twilight knew bringing that up would only cause more problems, so she smiled along with Applejack and did what she could to keep her tone amiable. “Alright, we’ll go talk to her then.”

She gave Fluttershy a quick look, just to see if she seemed to have changed her mind about telling Applejack. The answer was plain as day – if anything, she looked even more nerve-wracked than before, so Twilight led the way into the barn.

They were greeted by Spike as they entered. “Hey, guys.”

He was setting up a snack table, and seemed to be doing a good job of it. Twilight smiled. “Hello, Spike. The decorations look great.” She looked around and saw no sign of anyone else. “Where’s Pinkie?”

“Hiya, Twilight!” Pinkie said as she popped out from inside a haystack. Twilight yelled and fell to the floor. “Hi, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy only jumped slightly and was quicker to recover. “Hello, Pinkie.”

“What in the hay were you doing in there!?” Twilight demanded as Fluttershy helped her up.

Pinkie gasped. “Was that a pun because I was in the hay?” Twilight facehoofed. It absolutely was not. “I’m rubbing off on you!” she added in a sing-song voice.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I probably don’t even want to know, do I?”

“I was testing hiding places for when Cheerilee gets here. A lot of ponies think all that matters is yelling ‘surprise!’, but if you really want to go the extra mile, you gotta think about things like hiding places.”

“Oh, I didn’t know it was a surprise party,” Fluttershy said.

“It isn’t,” Twilight groaned. “Cheerilee already knows about the party! She sent out invitations herself!”

“That’s why it’ll be such a great surprise! Nopony will suspect a surprise party at a regular party!”

Twilight gave up. She would never understand Pinkie and that was all there was to it.

“Uhm.” Fluttershy started to say something, but she lost her nerve when everypony turned to look at her. Twilight moved beside to support her while Pinkie looked between them, her smile growing.

“So,” Pinkie said, busying herself with fixing the haystack she was in a moment ago, “anything new going on?”

“Well, I uhm, I mean we…” Fluttershy looked to Twilight who smiled encouragingly. She knew it would do the shy mare good to say it herself. And if she was being totally honest, she really wanted to hear Fluttershy say they were dating.

Pinkie stopped pretending to be busy and started bouncing excitedly. “I know!” She propelled herself across the barn, grabbing both of them and pulling them into a group hug.

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged confused looks. “You do?” Twilight asked. Her glance fell on Spike.

He held his open palms up innocently. “Hey, don’t look at me. I haven’t told a soul!”

“Of course I know! I always know what’s going on with my friends, even when they don’t know it themselves yet! Besides, Twilight’s crush was pretty obvious.”

“It was not!” Twilight said. “Nopony else knew!”

“That’s just because nopony else was looking. They all fell for that Flash Sentry distraction just because he’s a stallion, but I always knew you two were OTP.”

“What does that even mean?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie gasped. “Does this mean I can throw a party to congratulate you two?”

“No!” Twilight said quickly. “We haven’t told everypony else yet, so no parties.”

“Aww… okay,” Pinkie relented.

“Thank you.” Twilight noticed Fluttershy had been quiet for most of the conversation and was surprised to find she was giving her a strange look. “Is everything okay?” Twilight asked her.

“Oh, yes,” she said with a shy smile. “I was just thinking how cute you are when you’re all flustered.”

Now Twilight was the one turning red. She wondered if this was Fluttershy’s revenge for making her blush earlier.

“Isn’t she? Sometimes I go out of my way to mess with her just to see her reaction!” Pinkie said.

“You do what!?” She asked and immediately regretted it as both Fluttershy and Pinkie giggled. Even Spike snickered, trying unsuccessfully to hide it behind his claws. Twilight would have probably been more upset if Fluttershy hadn’t just called her cute.

Once everypony was done picking on Twilight, the four of them set about actually putting up the rest of the decorations. “Just so we’re clear, we haven’t told Applejack that we’re together yet,” Twilight said.

“Why not?” Spike asked. “Didn’t you see her on the way in?”

“Yes, but…” Twilight didn’t really want to go into it all over again, and figured it wouldn’t exactly make Fluttershy feel any better about coming out herself.

“Aww, I don’t think you have to worry too much about that,” Pinkie said. “After you left Rainbow came over and we talked to her about it, and I even got to sing a song!”

Twilight snickered, remembering how much Rainbow had wanted to avoid exactly that.

Spike looked around at everypony. “I don’t get it,” he said when no one offered an explanation. “What did you guys have to talk to her about?”

Realizing she wasn’t getting out of explaining it, Twilight walked over to Spike. It was probably for the best that they talk about this. “Remember how I told you some ponies wouldn’t understand?”

“Yeah, but Applejack’s your friend,” Spike said, shrugging. “Why would she care?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know, but she was pretty clear that she didn’t want any part of it.”

Spike tapped his chin. “I guess it makes sense. I mean, her family can be pretty backwards, especially the ones that don’t live in Ponyville.”

“How do you know that?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Apple Bloom told me. She said that sometimes the Apples at the family reunions talk about how bad it is to be gay like it’s just something everypony thinks.”

Although she hated that Applejack’s family would do that, Twilight still smiled. It was good to hear that Spike had talked about this with his friends. “When did you two talk about that?”

“After that day Rainbow came over and yelled at you,” Spike said. “I mean, I didn’t tell them about you two or anything, we just talked about it. None of the Crusaders think it’s a big deal. I guess Apple Bloom thought it was kinda weird at first, but then we talked about it and she doesn’t anymore.”

It always surprised her to see Spike growing up. She had been so worried about telling him, and here he was convincing other ponies that there was nothing wrong with being gay. She probably would have pulled him into a death grip of a hug, but she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, so she just gave him a one-forelegged sideways hug before returning to work.

Even at their leisurely pace it didn’t take long to finish up, and soon everypony was making their way outside to help Applejack. Before leaving, however, Fluttershy stopped Twilight and they lingered until they were the only ones in the barn.

“Uhm… do you think Applejack will come around like Apple Bloom did?” she asked.

“I’m sure she will,” Twilight said. “But Apple Bloom’s younger and less set in her ways. It’ll probably just take a little more time.”

Fluttershy nodded. She seemed to be debating something. Twilight wondered if she should say something else, or hug her, or maybe do something else entirely. How was she supposed to act on a date, anyway?

“I think… I think we should tell her,” Fluttershy said after a while.

“Really?” Twilight asked. “What made you change your mind?”

“Well, if she keeps ignoring it then she won’t ever change her mind,” Fluttershy said. “Maybe if she knows that, uhm, that we’re dating… maybe that’ll help her get used to it.”

Twilight smiled. “That makes sense. As long as you’re okay with waiting for her to figure everything out.”

Fluttershy hesitated a moment, but eventually nodded. “I… I think I can handle that. Uhm, as long as, well…”

Twilight cocked her head to the side, but Fluttershy just shook her head. “As long as what?” She smiled encouragingly and put her foreleg around Fluttershy’s shoulders.

“Well… I, uhm… I don’t think I could actually tell her…” Fluttershy said. She looked pleadingly at Twilight, who suddenly felt guilty for trying to make her tell Pinkie before.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell her,” Twilight said. Fluttershy smiled and hugged her, then the two finally left the barn.

“Was wonderin’ where you two got to.” Applejack said as they walked out. “Could one of you fly this end up there?” She gestured to a tree across from where she was.

“Sure.” Twilight took the streamer from Applejack and tied it off where she had indicated, before returning to Fluttershy. She looked to the pegasus who nodded, then back to the earth pony. “Applejack, there’s something we wanted to talk to you about.”

“What’s on your mind, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, stepping down from the ladder to talk properly.

Twilight took a deep breath then put her foreleg around Fluttershy. “Applejack, the pony I came to talk to you about the other day is, well, Fluttershy. Today is actually our first date.”

Lacking the ability to hide away in her mane, Fluttershy nestled her head into Twilight’s shoulder. It almost didn’t matter what Applejack did, not when Twilight got a reaction like this from Fluttershy.

Applejack stared at the two ponies in complete bewilderment. “Wait. You mean you’re both… you two are…” She pulled her hat over her face for a moment before pulling it away, revealing a more composed expression. “Well I’ll be. That’s, well… I’m happy things are working out for ya.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said. Nopony quite seemed to know what to say, but before the silence could drag on too long, a small explosion went off beside them.

Everypony turned to see a grumpy Spike covered in glitter, while Pinkie stared at her party cannon. “Whoops, I must have calibrated it wrong.”

Applejack smiled and shook her head. “Well, this place don’t look too bad. How ‘bout I go get us some drinks? Come on Spike, you can come in and get washed up.”

Once Applejack was inside the house, Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie. “Thank you for the distraction, Pinkie, but did you have to hit Spike?”

Pinkie shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Twilight just shook her head, knowing she wasn’t going to get a straight answer. She didn’t always understand Pinkie, but she knew her well enough to know that her party cannon going off wasn’t an accident.

It didn’t take too long for Applejack and Spike to return. He was considerably cleaner, although he still sparkled in the sunlight and probably would for days. He was clearly a little upset about it, but didn’t seem to mind too much.

As they all sat around drinking the apple juice Applejack had brought for them, Rarity showed up. “So sorry I’m late, but there was a last minute change of plans on Cheerilee’s dress.” She noticed Spike, who was unsuccessfully trying to not be seen by his crush while he sparkled. “Oh, Spike, whatever did you do to your scales? They’re simply dazzling today!”

“I, er…” Spike glanced at Pinkie who smiled innocently. “Oh you know me. Just wanted to look my best for Cheerilee’s birthday!”

“So how’s the birthday girl?” Pinkie asked.

“She’ll be along soon,” Rarity said. “I ran ahead to make sure everything was ready, but it seems I needn’t have worried.”

“Yup. Got it covered while you were out gettin’ pampered,” Applejack teased.

“Hmph. I’ll have you know we spent the whole morning putting the finishing touches on her dress. It was a complicated design, even before the change. I took up so much of her time that afterwards I just had to treat her to a spa trip. So excuse me if I think a lady deserves some special treatment on her big day.”

Rarity took a seat next to Fluttershy. Twilight wondered if she was just imagining the way Fluttershy’s eyes seemed drawn to her. As inconspicuously as possible, Twilight placed her hoof on top of Fluttershy’s.

“I’m just messin’ with ya, Rare,” Applejack said, waving a hoof. “Like I said, everything was fine here. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, it’s better you than me with all that prissy stuff.”

“Oh come now, darling, you really ought to come with us more often.” Rarity pouted. “You always enjoy yourself whenever I do manage to get you into the spa.”

“Pass.”

Shaking her head, Rarity turned towards the others. She smiled at Twilight and Fluttershy, and pointed with her eyes towards Applejack.

Fluttershy smiled. “It’s okay, Rarity. We already told them about us.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear it! And I really can’t hold it in any longer, you two do make such a lovely couple!” Rarity said, clapping her hooves together and making both of them blush.

“I know!” Pinkie popped up from behind them, putting a foreleg around each of them. “Just imagine how cute their foals will be!”

Everypony turned to her with variations of the surprise spectrum. Twilight was definitely not ready to go there. “Pinkie, that’s not how that –” She realized Pinkie was grinning and facehoofed. “You’re doing it again, aren’t you.”

“Doin’ what now?” Applejack asked.

“Teasing Twilight, ‘cause she’s just so cute when you do!” Pinkie answered as she smooshed Twilight’s cheeks together.

Applejack eyed her suspiciously. “Oh, uhm, right…” she turned her attention to fixing a decoration that was fine to begin with.

“I dunno though,” Spike said. “Twilight as a mom? I’d be afraid for the foal.”

“Spike! Don’t encourage her!” Twilight snapped.

Everypony laughed except Fluttershy, who gave Twilight a comforting smile. “Aww, don’t listen to them,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be a great mom.”

Twilight felt her face go red as she tried to respond, the words getting lost somewhere between her brain and her mouth. Before she had wondered if Fluttershy was getting revenge for Twilight making her blush, but now she was sure.

Twilight was saved from her torment when Cheerilee and Cherry Blossom showed up. “Hello, everypony!”

“Surprise!” Pinkie jumped out of the haystack, which Twilight was positive she had left in the barn.

“Oh, my!” Cheerilee jumped back. Cherry Blossom just looked confused. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Pinkie. I never would have suspected a surprise party at a regular party.”

Pinkie gave Twilight a victorious look.

As everypony greeted the sisters and wished Cheerilee a happy birthday, Twilight had to admire Rarity's dress work and the amount of thought she clearly put into each one. The dresses Twilight and Fluttershy wore were simple in comparison, but they accentuated one another perfectly. Rarity herself had also gotten dressed up, and while Twilight had no doubt her dress was at the peak of current fashion trends, it made room for Cheerilee’s to really shine. She had certainly gone all out on Cheerilee’s gown, making her the star of the show.

Soon other ponies began to show up – a lot of other ponies. Alongside her friends and family, Cheerilee’s whole class came for the celebration. And not just them; between current students, former students, and families of students, it seemed the whole town was present. There could be no doubt that the teacher was loved by all of Ponyville.

By the time Rainbow Dash showed up, the party was in full swing. She found Twilight and Fluttershy talking to Cherry Blossom and grinned, declaring herself the ‘best matchmaker ever’.

“What’s that all about?” Cherry Blossom asked.

“Oh nothing,” Twilight said. She cast Rainbow a dirty look, but she had already flown off somewhere else.

Cherry shrugged it off and glanced at the clock. “Well, it’s about time.”

“For what?” Twilight asked.

“For our little surprise.” Cherry waved at Cheerilee, who was talking with one of her former students, and pointed at the clock. Cheerilee nodded. Twilight looked at Fluttershy, but she seemed equally confused. Cherry just grinned and disappeared behind the barn.

After a few minutes, the Mystery Mare – Cherry Blossom’s masked wrestler alter ego – made a surprise appearance. A large group of excited fillies and colts ran up to meet the unexpected guest and ask for autographs.

“Happy birthday, Ms. Cheerilee,” Mystery Mare said once she had met with all the foals.

“You know the Mystery Mare?” the young stallion Cheerilee had been talking to asked.

“Oh yes, we go way back,” Cheerilee said.

“So, since it’s your birthday how about I show you a few moves?” Mystery Mare asked. Her entourage of young ponies all gasped.

“Oh, I don’t know, I don’t think wrestling is really my thing. Besides, I don’t want to mess up my dress.” Most of her students looked relieved to hear their teacher was out of harm’s way.

“Aw come on, I’ll go easy on you.”

“Well, I suppose maybe just a small lesson.” Cheerilee undid a hidden latch on her dress and most of the frills came off, leaving it much more form fitting. Rarity really had thought of everything.

Everypony made room for the two. Cheerilee’s students watched with a mixture of worry and excitement. True to her word, Mystery Mare went easy on Cheerilee, but only at first. Cheerilee kept showing up the wrestler at every turn, initially making it look like blind luck, but eventually taunting her as time went on.

“I think that’s enough for now,” Cheerilee said after a while. “We wouldn’t want to wear down the Mystery Mare too much.” She hadn’t even messed up her dress.

“Alright, but one of these days I’ll get you in the ring for real.” Mystery Mare promised. The group of foals that had been following Mystery Mare around ran over to Cheerilee and all began talking excitedly as one. Mystery Mare used this chance to make her escape. The foals didn’t even notice, their attention entirely on the teacher.

At least until Cherry returned with cake.

Eventually the party had to end, sooner than anypony wanted it to. But Cheerilee insisted; there was school the next day, birthday or not.

“Do you want any help cleaning up?” Twilight asked Applejack.

“Sure, I –”

“Absolutely not!” Rarity interrupted, giving Applejack a dirty look. “The night is still young, after all, and I’m sure we’ll manage just fine.”

Applejack waited a moment to make sure it was safe to talk before speaking up. “Well, y’all heard the lady. I reckon we’ll do alright over here.”

“Oh, but it wouldn’t be fair,” Fluttershy protested. “Besides, there’s just so much to do we couldn’t just –”

“Rainbow!” Pinkie called as the pegasus was attempting to make an escape. “Could you take care of those streamers over there?”

Rainbow gave a desperate grin. “Well, you know I would, but I’ve got this thing…” Rarity cleared her throat and flicked her tail in Fluttershy’s direction. Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, alright, I’ll stay.”

“I knew we could count on you!” Pinkie said. Rainbow just grumbled.

“See, we’re fine here,” Spike said through an armful of streamers and balloons. Most of the little dragon was hidden behind the decorations.

“You’re sure it’s okay?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course, darling,” Rarity insisted. “Now you two enjoy yourselves.” She winked and gave a look that left them both blushing.

As they left they heard Rainbow call after them. “But don’t enjoy yourselves too much!” They turned and looked at each other before both ponies broke into laughter.

Once they had recovered and began walking again, Twilight asked, “So what would you like to do? I mean, if you don’t want to go home yet.”

“Oh, uhm, I don’t know. But I, uhm, wouldn’t mind if you wanted to do something else together.”

Twilight’s spirits soared. She smiled enthusiastically. “I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk in the moonlight. The sky’s clear tonight, so it’s perfect for stargazing.”

“That sounds lovely.”

They made a general path towards the park. “I hope today wasn’t too much for you.”

“No, I’m glad all our friends know now. It’s nice not having to hide anything, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Having you with me made it easier, I think.” Fluttershy leaned against Twilight as they walked. “And when it’s time to tell everypony else, you’ll still be there, right?”

“Of course I will.” Twilight smiled. “We can cross that bridge together when we get to it.”

Twilight felt excited being so close to Fluttershy, talking about a future where they were still together. But at the same time, she felt calm. Fluttershy had a way of making her feel peaceful whenever they were together, and she treasured even the silence as they walked.

“Hmm.” Fluttershy chuckled. “I can’t believe I asked out a princess.”

“I have to admit, I was pretty surprised too. I was planning on asking you out, but I kind of lost my nerve halfway through.”

“Uhm, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, anything.”

“Why me? You could probably be with anypony. Somepony braver, or who understood magic, or just... somepony better than me.”

Twilight shook her head. “Braver? What matters is being brave when it counts, and I’ve seen you rush headfirst into danger plenty of times. And maybe I could find somepony who could keep up with me in magic, but so what? I’d never find a pony as compassionate as you. I want to be with somepony who appreciates simple things, somepony I can enjoy being around whether we’re with friends, or just walking through flowers and watching clouds roll by.”

“That does sound nice.”

“There’s no pony I’d rather be with,” Twilight said. Fluttershy smiled at her as they stopped walking. Twilight stared into her blue eyes and felt her heart race.

‘Is this the right moment?’ she wondered. Was she imagining it, or was Fluttershy’s face moving closer?

She decided to go for it. Fluttershy had been brave enough to ask her out, now it was Twilight’s turn to try to take a leap. She’d never know if she didn’t at least try.

“Let’s take a break over there.” Fluttershy motioned towards a tree.

“Oh, uh, sure.” As Twilight followed the other mare, she couldn’t help but notice her tail was swaying seductively.

‘Probably imagining it,’ she reasoned. As they sat down, she put her hoof on Fluttershy’s. At least the tree gave them some privacy, not that anypony seemed to be out.

They sat in silence for a moment enjoying the cool evening breeze. “I’m glad I asked you out,” Fluttershy said, nuzzling Twilight.

Determined not to overthink things again Twilight bent down and kissed Fluttershy on the cheek. The pegasus’s head popped up and Twilight smiled sheepishly. Blushing, Fluttershy leaned in and kissed Twilight’s lips before she even knew what was going on.

They smiled at each other for a moment before turning away blushing. Twilight smirked. “And you said you weren’t brave.”

“I guess I found somepony worth being brave for, too.” Fluttershy rested her head against Twilight’s neck as Twilight draped a wing over her, and they sat together watching the stars.

~ End Act I ~

Author's Note

For those curious, Cherry Blossom and her wrestling alter-ego the Mystery Mare come from the IDW comics (issue 29 if you wanna look it up, though it’s not important to this story).

I got a commission done of Twilight and Fluttershy under the tree at the end there, done by the wonderful Jay-551. Check it out!

This brings Act I comes to an end :twilightsmile: For those who are interested in this sort of thing, here’s some end of act music for you. You can consider it sort of like a song that appears in the end credits of a season finale; there will be one at the end of every act. Of course if you’re uninterested in that, feel free to just skip ahead to the next chapter.

8 – Full of Surprises

Act II

Trust

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⠀
Chapter Eight
Full of Surprises

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To her amazement, Fluttershy had found herself looking forward to the evening. It was to be her second date with Twilight, and their first that would be relatively private. Other ponies were at the restaurant, but no one else was with them. It was the sort of thing that would normally send Fluttershy into a panic attack, and yet, she had looked forward to it.

Which was why it was much less surprising when she then found herself panicking about it. By the time she was looking forward to it again, it was only slightly surprising, and by the time she was panicking again, she had gotten used to the routine.

It was hard to say which emotion was dominant when Twilight came to pick her up for their date. Her mood had run between two extremes so often that it had at some point tripped and blended the two together, making it impossible to figure out where one ended and the other began.

She had told herself that it would be okay. That once she was with Twilight, things would start feeling more normal. That’s what had happened on their first date, after all. This one would be the same. She’d start the evening feeling awkward, but then Twilight would be there and she’d remember that they had been friends for years, and there was no reason to feel uncomfortable around her friend.

Fluttershy had told herself that it would be okay. She had been wrong.

Twilight sat across from her and adjusted her silverware for the umpteenth time. They had already ordered and were waiting for their meals, which gave them the perfect chance to talk. They sat in silence.

At least Fluttershy had done a little to try and look her best. When they decided to go to a casual restaurant where nopony else would realize they were on a date, Fluttershy had thought that meant they would skip getting dressed up. Applying her makeup had been a last minute decision, and she kept it at a light application.

She had been afraid even that much might be overdoing it, but then Twilight showed up. She hadn’t dressed up, at least, but Rarity had done her makeup and styled her mane in a crown braid. Between that and the perfume she wore, Fluttershy wondered how she thought other ponies wouldn’t think it was a date.

She hadn’t said anything, though. Which seemed to be the tone for the evening. They had walked together through town, going from Fluttershy’s cottage to the restaurant in an increasingly uncomfortable silence. They had only spoken briefly about the items on the menu and what each of them wanted, then they placed their orders and had been sitting silently ever since.

Twilight noticed Fluttershy was looking at her, and grinned sheepishly. It made Fluttershy blush, and she averted her eyes just in time to hear Twilight say, “You, uhm, look nice.”

That made Fluttershy blush even more, just as it had the last two times Twilight had said it. “Thank you…” she mumbled quietly. She tried to look up to return the compliment, but her eyes immediately found the table again. “Uhm, you too…”

Twilight went back to adjusting her silverware.

Their appetizer coming was a relief. Even if it didn’t wind up giving them something to talk about, it would at least give them something to do while they sat in silence.

“Here you go, stuffed mushrooms,” their waitress said as she set the plate down. “Can I get you two anything else? Refills on those waters, maybe?”

“That’d be great, thank you.” Twilight levitated the cups onto the waitress’s platter for her. The awkward silence had prompted both of them to drink more than they normally would’ve.

“These look great,” Twilight said once the waitress was gone.

“Mhmm,” Fluttershy said with a smile. At least that was something easy to agree with, and it just might get them talking after all.

Fluttershy leaned in to get one, but she was stopped by Twilight. “Here, let me get that for you.”

A purple aura surrounded one of the mushrooms and levitated it onto Fluttershy’s plate. Fluttershy stuck an awkward smile on her face and thanked Twilight. Just when she thought things were going to get better, Twilight’s needless doting reminded her this was a date.

Although the mushrooms looked and smelled delicious, Fluttershy found herself wishing they were the main course so they could get the rest of dinner over with. She felt guilty at the thought since she knew this date meant so much to Twilight, but reminding herself of that made her feel guilty too.

This meant so much more to Twilight than it ever could for Fluttershy, which meant she was just toying with Twilight’s emotions by encouraging them. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to hurt her friend, so she ignored the heaviness of the silence and ate the mushroom Twilight had given her.

The only break from the awkwardness came when their waitress returned with fresh glasses of water, and then it was back to silence. It seemed the hope that the appetizer would give them something to talk about had been unfounded, but at least it did give them something else to turn their attention towards. Even so, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel awkward whenever Twilight passed her a mushroom, which she insisted on doing even though the plate was easily within reach of both of them.

Not that things wound up improving when they did find something to talk about. The lack of conversation and their shared desire to busy themselves with something else resulted in the two of them eating their way through the mushrooms quickly, until there was just one left.

“Oh, you can have it,” Fluttershy said when Twilight tried to levitate it over to her.

“But it’s the last one, you should have it.”

Fluttershy pushed the plate towards Twilight. “It’s okay, I know you really like them. Besides, I’m sure our meals will be ready soon.”

“Fluttershy, I insist. I don’t mind waiting, and I…” Twilight blushed and looked down at the table. “I want to make sure you have a good time tonight.”

“I…” Fluttershy looked down at the mushroom. In truth, she really didn’t want it; their food hadn’t even arrived yet, and she was already filling up. But she didn’t want to be rude when Twilight was trying to be nice, so she pulled her plate back anyway. “Thank you, Twilight.”

At least Twilight smiled. Fluttershy awkwardly returned it, then popped the mushroom into her mouth.

“The food here sure is great,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy swallowed and nodded. “Yes, it’s uhm… really good…”

“I’m sure our meals will be here any minute.”

“Yup.”

Twilight shifted in her seat and went back to adjusting her silverware. Fluttershy preoccupied herself with looking around the restaurant. Neither of them found anything else to talk about.

Mercifully, Twilight had been right about their meals arriving soon. Their waitress returned with their meals. Stir-fried sesame vegetables with rice for Fluttershy, and roasted portobello with broiled potatoes in a butter sauce for Twilight.

“Can I get you two anything else?” the waitress asked after setting down their plates.

“No thank you, I think we’re good here,” Twilight answered.

“Alrighty, I’ll be around if you need anything!”

They both thanked the waitress, then Fluttershy took a bite as she walked away. The evening might be awkward, but at least it was delicious.

“This is really good,” Twilight said after trying her own meal.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Mine is too.”

“So… Have you eaten here before?”

Fluttershy giggled. “Uhm, this is where we all went out to eat to celebrate the end of last year’s apple harvest.”

“Oh!” Twilight facehoofed. “I knew that. Well, of course I knew that, I was there. I mean, you know I was there because we were there together, well, not together together of course, it was just that you were there and I was there, but all our friends were there too, and… I’m… going to just stop talking now.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at Twilight’s growing blush, although she at least tried to hide it behind her hoof. She preoccupied her mouth by taking a drink of water while she composed herself.

“I, uhm…” Fluttershy’s eyes darted downwards, but she was determined to try to keep talking now that they had started. Even nervous rambling was better than more silence. “I’ve been to most of the restaurants in Ponyville.”

Twilight nodded. “I guess it’s not that big of a town, and you have lived here for a long time.”

“You say that like you haven’t lived here for a while yourself now.” Fluttershy counted the years since that fateful Summer Sun Celebration in her head. “Three years now. You must’ve seen most of what Ponyville has to offer by now.”

“I guess I probably have. But that’s okay, I love Ponyville. And, uhm…” Twilight blushed and looked away.

Fluttershy quirked her head to the side. “Hmm?”

Twilight’s blush kept up as she idly moved her food around her plate. After a moment, she shook her head and smiled. “It’s nothing. I just… really love Ponyville.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy quirked her head to the side, but she didn’t push for more. Nor did Twilight offer it, preferring to instead busy herself with her meal. She looked around the restaurant idly as she ate, making more conversation unlikely.

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Even if their exchange was brief, the little bite of normality that the conversation brought had been appreciated.

Fluttershy fed the silence for a few moments as she ate a couple bites of her meal. The food itself was perfect, and she loved spending time with Twilight. The two of them often did things without their other friends, after all. Why did everything have to be different now? Why did everything have to be worse?

Even when Fluttershy tried to start a conversation, it only met with limited success. “Do you, uhm, remember the ducklings we were going to see on the uhm, the day you… that day before Cheerilee’s birthday?”

Twilight nodded, although she still wouldn’t meet Fluttershy’s eyes. “Of course. We wound up seeing the otters playing instead.”

“Yup.” Fluttershy smiled. “Well, those little ducklings just started getting their full-grown feathers in!”

“Oh yeah? That sounds really nice.”

“It is.” Fluttershy smiled that the conversation was going, but it only lasted a moment until she realized that she had no idea how to continue it. And, by the look of things, it didn’t seem like Twilight was going to continue it either.

‘Come on, Fluttershy! You know so much about ducks, just say something!’

But one look at Twilight silenced those thoughts. Twilight was just moving her food around and taking small bites, and Fluttershy realized what was going on. She didn’t know how it had taken her so long to put it together.

Fluttershy was not the only one who wasn’t having a good time. Twilight had wanted to date Fluttershy, but now that she had, now that she saw what that meant, she realized that she had made a mistake. What did she have to offer Twilight? How could anypony possibly enjoy going on a date with someone like her?

She didn’t try to talk for the rest of the date. Neither did Twilight, aside from a few questions about whether Fluttershy needed anything. But that was no surprise. If anything, Fluttershy had to give Twilight credit – even though Fluttershy had ruined things, Twilight never faltered in her politeness, never called attention to the failure by ending the date early.

“And do we want to do anything for dessert tonight?” their waitress asked once finally they stopped playing with their food long enough for her to collect it.

Twilight’s smile gave no sign of her disappointment. “What do you think, Fluttershy? Feel like something sweet?”

“Oh, uhm…” Fluttershy bowed her head so she wouldn’t have to look at Twilight. “I think… I’m a bit too full.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back with the check. Did you want me to split it?”

“No,” Twilight answered. “One check is fine.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy watched as the waitress walked away, unable to bring herself to stop her. She turned instead to Twilight. “I, uhm, I have some bits, I could…”

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry about it. You’re my –” she glanced around the room, noticing the other ponies within earshot “– guest. I don’t mind paying for both of us.”

“Oh, uhm…” Fluttershy fidgeted in place. “Okay then.”

The waitress returned with some to-go boxes and the check, which Twilight covered. Fluttershy kept her eyes fixed on the table until they were on their way out, letting Twilight levitate their leftovers alongside them. She barely even noticed as the waitress thanked them and wished them a good night.

Matching the tone of dinner, the walk back to Fluttershy’s cottage was mostly silent. They walked side by side, and Fluttershy kept her eyes on the ground, never daring to look at Twilight.

Several minutes had already passed in silence before Twilight tried speaking. “Dinner was really nice.”

Fluttershy half looked towards Twilight, but didn’t quite turn far enough to meet her eyes. “Yeah, it was… nice.”

“You, uhm…” Twilight’s voice faltered and Fluttershy’s eyes returned to the ground. She never found out what the rest of Twilight’s sentence would have been.

They walked with nothing but their thoughts for a while longer. Fluttershy replayed the dinner in her head, even though there wasn’t much to focus on. Just minute after awkward minute of Fluttershy making things hard on both of them.

Was she disappointed things hadn’t gone better? Sure, she’d had some hopes. But she had never really wanted to be with Twilight when it came down to it. So then why was she so upset about the way things had turned out?

Once they were three-quarters of the way to her cottage, Fluttershy slowed her pace. Twilight didn’t notice at first, getting several steps ahead of the pegasus before turning back. When she did, Fluttershy stopped completely.

“Is… everything okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked

Fluttershy looked up at Twilight and realized she didn’t know what to tell her. How could she, when she didn’t even know the answer herself?

“I, uhm…”

“Are you not feeling well?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just, uhm…”

Why did Twilight have to look at her like that? Why did Twilight have to look so worried? It had been Fluttershy’s fault, she’d been the one to ruin things. What good did this misplaced sympathy do either of them?

“I… You, uhm, you don’t have to walk me all the way back home, if, uhm… if you don’t…”

Twilight stepped closer to Fluttershy and smiled. “Is that all? Trust me, I don’t mind walking you home one bit. Ponyville is always nice to walk through in the evening, especially… uhm… Well, I just don’t mind is all.”

After another moment of hesitation, Fluttershy resumed walking. “I’m sorry… I’m just…” Fluttershy struggled to find a way to finish that thought, but no more words came. She tried to fish for something acceptable to say until it dawned on her that she’d already waited too long and any answer would only be even more awkward.

At least they were close to her cottage. Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the walk, which proved just as well. As unpleasant as the silence had been all evening, talking seemed to be even more painful.

“Here we are,” Twilight announced as they reached the cottage. They lingered by the door and didn’t look at each other.

“Yup.” Fluttershy glanced towards her house, unsure of exactly what to say. “Uhm, thank you for dinner. It was… nice.”

“Don’t mention it! I had a great time too.”

Fluttershy wouldn’t say either of them seemed to have had a great time, but then, Fluttershy didn’t say anything at all. Another painfully long moment passed, and she was left wondering if she should just say good night and go inside.

“Oh, here.” Twilight levitated one of the to-go boxes out for Fluttershy, who thanked her and tucked it under a wing.

More silence.

Eventually Fluttershy stepped towards the door. “Well, I uhm…”

“Right!” Twilight said. “I shouldn’t hold you up. You probably have to get up early to take care of the animals tomorrow.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Yes! The animals! Have to be up bright and early for, uhm, them.”

Twilight nodded, took a small step closer, then hesitated and backed up again. “So… good night then!”

Fluttershy opened her door and stepped inside. “Good night!”

She waved to Twilight, then closed the door. Once it was shut, she let out a sigh of relief which she felt only marginally guilty about. She enjoyed spending time with Twilight, really she did, but not like that.

‘Not when everything I do just makes things worse…’

With a sigh of a different sort, Fluttershy shuffled into the kitchen. She stowed her leftovers in the fridge, then shuffled back out again.

Why had she ever thought things could be different? Why had she let herself get hopeful that this could ever work? Things like this didn’t work out. Not for ponies like her.

Fluttershy wanted to just go upstairs and collapse into bed, but she instead found herself wandering to her bathroom mirror. She studied the pegasus she saw in her reflection.

It wasn’t like Fluttershy was naïve. She certainly wasn’t stunningly beautiful like Rarity, but she knew she was passably attractive. She was not the pony anyone would fall in love at first sight with, but she knew others did find her attractive.

A commonly pretty face, some skill with styling her hair and doing her makeup. Perhaps it wasn’t strange that Twilight saw something in her. It was surprising that she had seen enough to think it worth asking such a nervous mare out on a date, but still, it was something.

But of course, that could never last. Fluttershy was not smart like Twilight was, she was not brave like Rainbow, not fun like Pinkie, nor outgoing like Applejack, and she certainly wasn’t breathtaking in every way like Rarity was. Fluttershy was average in some ways, and disappointing in others. It was a miracle Twilight had even wanted a second date.

Well, it didn’t matter anyway. The date had been horrible, there was no doubt about that. They had tried things out, and now Twilight knew better. The only thing left for Fluttershy to hope for was that things wouldn’t be too awkward the next time they saw one another.

‘Yeah, right. I probably messed that up too… Maybe it’s better if I just leave her alone from now on, then she can find someone else to be happy with…’

And really, wasn’t that better for both of them? Twilight would be happier if she found someone else, and then Fluttershy wouldn’t have to worry about dragging someone as good as Twilight down.

Fluttershy shook her head to try to try to clear the intrusive thoughts. What was she even doing in front of the mirror anyway? It had been a trying night, and she was better off putting it behind her.

Not that the thoughts stopped. She left the bathroom and walked up the stairs, but with each step came a new thought about how she messed everything up, or how she was doomed to be alone, or how somepony like her didn’t even deserve to be happy.

Halfway up the stairs, a knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. It was only a moment’s reprieve though, simply trading her insecurity at her love life for anxiety at the thought of why someone would come to see her so late.

“Yes?” Fluttershy called as she walked back down the stairs.

She was not prepared for the voice that answered. “Fluttershy, it’s Twilight. Can I, er, talk to you?”

Fluttershy paused at the bottom of the steps. What could Twilight want? Did she decide to get it out of the way, to tell Fluttershy that things weren’t working now so they didn’t have to sleep with things left unfinished?

Her anxiety rising rapidly, Fluttershy crossed the room and answered the door. Twilight stood on the other side, eyes pointed down even once Fluttershy was before her.

“Hello, Twilight. I, uhm, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She kept her eyes shut as she spoke, her voice calm and deliberate. “I… I’m sorry. I know tonight was a really really bad date…”

It was good that Twilight had her eyes closed; the word ‘date’ caused Fluttershy to blush. “Oh. It, uhm, it wasn’t that bad…”

Twilight opened her eyes and gave a small smile. “It’s okay, you don’t have to pretend. I just, well… I really wanted to say that I hope you’ll give me another chance. I know tonight probably hasn’t given you much reason to look forward to another date with me, but I know I can get it right next time!”

Not for the first time during the night, Fluttershy’s only answer was silence. This time, however, it was because her mind had gone blank. Twilight wanted to try again? And… thought she had been the reason the date was bad?

Twilight’s expression slowly went from hopeful to anxious. “I… I understand if you don’t want to… But will you at least consider it?”

Fluttershy blinked a couple of times, then found she still didn’t know what to say. Instead, she stepped aside and stalled for time by asking, “Uhm, would you like to come in? I could make us some tea.”

Twilight’s expression brightened a little as she stepped inside. “I’d love to.”

Fluttershy closed the door behind Twilight then led them to the kitchen. Twilight took a seat at the kitchen table while Fluttershy set about making tea.

Although silence again fell between them, it was much less uncomfortable. Fluttershy busied herself with filling the tea kettle and setting it on the stove, and she used the time to run Twilight’s words through her head.

She still hadn’t figured out what to say by the time Twilight spoke again. “I have no idea what I’m doing. Guess it turns out I’m really bad at this dating thing…”

Fluttershy turned back to find Twilight with her head on the table. She took a seat next to Twilight while the tea steeped. “Not any worse than I am…”

Twilight picked up her head and smiled at Fluttershy. “You’re not the one who asked somepony out and then spent the whole meal not saying anything.”

Fluttershy found herself smiling too, just a little. “Well, maybe I didn’t ask you out, but I didn’t exactly do much to make it a good date…”

“You tried though.” Twilight kept her smile, but she looked down at her hooves. “If nothing else works out then… that already means so much to me.”

Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her mane. “Of course. I… I really wanted things to work out. For… for both of us.”

Twilight wasn’t smiling when she looked back at Fluttershy. “But… but you don’t think it is working, do you?”

“I… I don’t know…” Fluttershy hated the way Twilight looked as she turned away. It was almost enough to make her say that no, she did think things were working, that they should just try again and plan another date.

But the words wouldn’t come. This time the silence brought a cold realization with it. Fluttershy had to tell Twilight the truth. For both of them.

“Twilight, I…” Fluttershy paused when Twilight lifted her head to look at her. She couldn’t bring herself to meet the other mare’s eyes. “Being your friend is really important to me. I… I don’t want anything to change that.”

“Of course,” Twilight answered quickly. “Believe me, that’s the last thing I want. And if… if that’s all you want to be, then I’ll be happy to have a friend as wonderful as you.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and tried to keep from crying. She couldn’t cry, not now. If she cried, then Twilight would comfort her, and she couldn’t let that happen now. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s… it’s fine.” Twilight’s hoof against her shoulder caused Fluttershy to open her eyes. The sight of Twilight smiling sadly made her want to close them again, but she refused. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I’m just… Well, thank you for giving me a chance.”

“I… I’m…”

Twilight stood up and looked away. “I should get out of your hair. Good night, Fluttershy.” She stepped forward cautiously and hugged Fluttershy, who barely managed to return it.

Twilight pulled away and walked towards the door. She stopped before reaching it however, distracted by the sudden whistle from the tea kettle.

The sound was enough to snap Fluttershy out of her stupor. She rose from her seat and realized that she was more certain of one thing than she had been of anything else all night: This was no way to end a night with a friend.

“Would, uhm, would you still like to stay for tea?” Fluttershy looked towards Twilight for a moment, but quickly looked away as soon as she made eye contact. “I… I’d like that. If, uhm, if you want to.”

“Of course,” Twilight said, prompting Fluttershy to finally look at her directly. “I’d love to.”

Fluttershy got out two teacups and Twilight filled them before Fluttershy had the chance. She levitated them to the living room, so Fluttershy followed behind her.

They both took a seat on Fluttershy’s couch. Its small size meant they were sitting closer together than they had been at the kitchen table, which felt nice after an evening spent with too much distance between them.

Fluttershy picked up her cup and blew the steam off it while Twilight did the same. As as hard as it had been to get the words out in the kitchen, Fluttershy felt relieved after their talk. Things finally felt a little more normal between them; just two friends enjoying each other’s company, as they had many times before, and as they would many times to come.

“This is nice,” Fluttershy said, really meaning it for the first time that evening.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Much better than spending all dinner worrying so much about what to say that I didn’t wind up saying anything.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Yeah, that’s how I felt too.”

Twilight smiled. “I don’t think you had anything to worry about. I mean, it’s not like I’d mind anything you wanted to talk about.”

“You know, I could say the same thing to you.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and took a small sip of her tea. “You could say that, but at least you knew how I feel.”

Fluttershy blushed, and a glance towards Twilight confirmed she was blushing as well. She tested her own tea, which was still hotter than she’d like but cool enough to take small sips. “I did accept, you know. It’s… it’s not like I didn’t want things to work.”

“Oh, I know. It’s just… I know I’m not exactly your first choice.”

It was almost an automatic response. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly sure what she could have done differently, but Twilight was upset, so there was only one thing to say. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Twilight’s answer came so quickly that it too felt like an automatic response. “You don’t need to apologize for how you feel. I just… I kept trying to think of what Rarity would do or say, and… well, it all worked so well in my head.”

That was a feeling Fluttershy knew too well. “I never expected you to be like Rarity.”

“I know. It’s dumb, I just…” Twilight laughed, a sound that carried both amusement and sadness. “You know, I even talked to her all day about it. She suggested all sorts of things to say, but then I saw you and it all just… faded away.”

Fluttershy sipped more of her tea. “I had a feeling that you visited Rarity. You, uhm…” Fluttershy pointed her eyes at Twilight’s mane as she trailed off.

That caused Twilight to laugh again. But this time, the sound didn’t hide any negative feelings in it. “I guess it was a bit much, huh?”

“Uhm, just a bit.”

And then they were both laughing. Not the uproarious laughter that would accompany her tea parties with Discord, or even the easy laughter that she was used to with Twilight and her other friends. But it was genuine, both of them finally finding the sense of comfort that they should have had all along.

“I’m sorry, this is probably a really weird conversation,” Twilight said as she used her magic to undo the braid in her mane. Fluttershy suspected they both knew it was the least weird conversation of the evening.

“No, I don’t mind. I’m glad we can talk about it.” Fluttershy smiled and took a few more sips of her tea, finally able to drink it comfortably. “So, uhm, what sort of things do you think we would’ve talked about if we hadn’t been so nervous?”

“Hmm…” Twilight seemed to think of an answer, because she blushed and glanced away. “Well, there is something I kept thinking wanting to say, but… I didn’t know what you would think of it.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

Twilight looked into her tea as she spoke, confessing her secret to it instead of Fluttershy. “I wanted to say… how much I love just being with you. And… that I was looking forward to doing more things around town with you.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle. “You were afraid of saying that?”

“Hey, don’t laugh!” Twilight said, even though she herself was barely holding back her own laughter.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Fluttershy shook her head. “That’s so silly. Of course I’d like to do things with you.”

Twilight’s smile was wide and held a happiness that Fluttershy couldn’t place the source of until she spoke. “Even now?”

Fluttershy blushed as she realized what she’d said. But… she didn’t have to think long to realize she’d meant it. “Yes. Even now.”

They both smiled as they drank their tea. Twilight finished hers first, setting her cup on the coffee table. As she did, she noticed the book sitting on it and levitated it closer for a better look.

“ ‘Disharmony: The Lives and Times of the Witches of Gloom Volcano’,” Twilight read aloud. She turned to Fluttershy and smiled. “I heard this is really good, but I haven’t gotten to read it yet.”

“Me either,” Fluttershy said. “I tried starting it earlier, but I was, uhm, a little too anxious to focus.”

Twilight opened the book and flipped past the first pages, stopping at the start of the prologue. “You know…” She smiled sheepishly. “I used to read out loud to Spike when he was younger. I’m pretty good at it.”

Fluttershy caught on and smiled. “Oh yeah? Hmm, maybe you could read some of it for me now then?”

Twilight beamed. “I’d love to.”

She took a deep breath and started reading, and it wasn’t long before she was as enthralled in telling the story as she was in reading it. It was surprising that she hadn’t read it before, given how effortlessly she fell into the role of the narrator.

The characters came to life as Twilight read them, each with their own distinct voice. But Twilight didn’t stop there. Her expression changed to match each scene, with Twilight practically becoming a one-mare show. She even mirrored actions as best she could from the couch, making gestures with her hooves.

The more she read, the less Fluttershy could imagine the story any other way. By the time the prologue was done, she’d decided that she would just have to ask Twilight to keep coming back to read more until they finished the book.

Fluttershy scooted a little closer. “Uhm, maybe you could read the first chapter too?”

Twilight smiled and nodded, then continued to read. And the more she read, the more Fluttershy was pulled in. And when the first chapter ended with a cliffhanger, well, they couldn’t just leave the story there.

She only stopped reading once. She had reached a scary part and was mimicking the character Draggle’s fear. Fluttershy found herself so enthralled in the story that she wished she could’ve been there to hold Draggle’s hoof. She settled for Twilight’s instead.

Twilight face briefly shifted from the character’s fear to her own surprise. She looked at Fluttershy, who just held tighter. “Uhm, please keep going.”

With a nod, Twilight continued. As Fluttershy scooted even closer, Twilight draped a wing over her back. Pressed against her side, Fluttershy could no longer see Twilight’s expression clearly, but it shone through her voice just fine. She closed her eyes and imagined the story unfolding as Twilight read on.

Had Twilight’s voice always been so soothing? Even as she voiced mean or scary characters, there was something about Twilight’s voice that made Fluttershy forget everything else. She wasn’t worried that she was holding another mare’s hoof. She wasn’t worried about being so close to her. She wasn’t worried about what anypony would think, about anything that could go wrong, about how she might mess things up again.

For as long as Twilight read, Fluttershy didn’t worry about anything at all.

“Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy opened her eyes to see the room was much darker. She looked around in confusion and noticed that the room was dark aside from starlight coming in through the window and a soft glow from Twilight’s horn. “Did I doze off?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said softly. She levitated a book back to the table, and Fluttershy realized it was a different one than she’d been reading before. “I hope you don’t mind I started reading another one of your books. I didn’t want to keep reading ‘Disharmony’ once I realized you were asleep.”

The low light obscured Fluttershy’s blush. “Oh, I’m sorry. You could’ve woken me up.”

“I know, but… I wanted to let you sleep a little.”

Twilight still had her hoof around Fluttershy’s and a wing draped across her back. Without the story to distract her, Fluttershy couldn’t keep a few worries about how close they were from creeping into her mind, but they were fewer than she would have expected.

Even more surprising, any concerns were drowned out by a much more prominent thought. Fluttershy didn’t want it to stop. Twilight was so warm against her, and Fluttershy felt safe under her wing.

“Things have been so confusing…” Fluttershy said quietly. “So much has changed lately.”

“Maybe a little,” Twilight said, matching Fluttershy’s soft tone. “But… maybe some change isn’t so bad now and then.”

Fluttershy leaned her head against Twilight’s shoulder. “Maybe… maybe you’re right.”

“Do you…” Twilight stopped and was silent for a moment, then continued even quieter. “Do you think that maybe… when you’ve had a little more time to get used to things… maybe we could try again?”

“I think… I think I don’t ever want you to not be my friend. And… and I don’t think I like, uhm, dating so much.”

“Oh. Okay…”

“But…” Fluttershy pressed even closer to Twilight, letting herself be comforted by her presence. “Maybe… maybe we could also be marefriends?”

Twilight pulled back a little to look at Fluttershy. “Really?”

Fluttershy blushed, but made herself look into Twilight’s face anyway. “I… I think I’d like that. But maybe… maybe we could do more stuff like this than going out on dates? If, uhm, if that’s okay.”

“I think that sounds perfect.”

Fluttershy smiled, then ignored her embarrassment to lean her head against Twilight again. After a moment, Twilight responded in turn, resting her head on Fluttershy’s.

It wasn’t that Fluttershy didn’t have doubts. She knew that she would probably find some reason to regret this decision, and then she’d bounce back to being happy about it, and then back to her doubts. She just hoped that when she finally figured out how she really felt, it would be just like this. The feeling that no matter what else happened, she would be safe and happy in Twilight’s embrace.

“So, uhm…” Twilight said sheepishly. “If we’re marefriends, then would it be okay if I kissed you?”

Fluttershy blushed, but she smiled all the same. “I… I think that might be okay.”

They pulled apart a bit to look at one another, and Fluttershy almost lost her nerve. But as Twilight leaned in, Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled.

Their first kiss had been an unexpected impulse of Fluttershy’s, something she did to see what would happen more than anything. After the fact, she found she could barely remember it; there had been little to remember, just a brief second of her lips touching Twilight’s, then embarrassment.

This time was different. Slower. Fluttershy felt how soft Twilight’s lips were against her own, and warmth spread through her face before they pulled away.

Even when the kiss was over, they lingered for a moment as they looked at each other. No words were said, none were needed. When Fluttershy looked into Twilight’s eyes, she saw everything she needed to. She saw the excitement at their second kiss, but also the confidence that things could work. That she would be there to support Fluttershy through whatever may come from their relationship. That Fluttershy didn’t have to be alone anymore.

It was with that in mind that Fluttershy turned away and said, “It’s, uhm, it’s getting pretty late, isn’t it?”

“Oh!” Twilight’s head shot up. “I’m keeping you from bed when you have to be up in the morning…”

Fluttershy blushed. “It, uhm, it’s already dark out. And you live all the way across town…”

“Don’t worry about that. There’s plenty of moonlight to see by, and it’s Ponyville. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Fluttershy had to smile at how Twilight didn’t seem to pick up on what she was implying at all. It was kind of cute. “Maybe, but uhm… I still hate to think about you walking home at night by yourself.”

“That’s sweet of you, but really, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Fluttershy giggled and looked up at her clueless marefriend. “Twilight?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to stay the night?”

“Would I… Oh!” Twilight blushed and looked away, grinning. “If, uhm, if you don’t mind I wouldn’t mind. Or, well, I’d do more than not mind I’d really really love that! Er, but only if you want me to, I mean, I hate to intrude and I understand if you’d rather I just left, and –”

Fluttershy kissed her cheek, which stopped Twilight’s rambling. Fluttershy giggled at the effect. “Twilight, it’s okay. I’d love for you to stay the night.”

“That… that sounds nice.” Twilight glanced around. “I guess it is getting pretty late. We should probably get to sleep.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy nodded, but didn’t get up. She decided to stall, just a bit. “I can make us breakfast in the morning.”

It didn’t seem like Twilight minded staying up just a bit longer. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but… I think it could be nice.”

“Well, you won’t hear me complaining. And then I can help you with the animals, if you want.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that…”

“Well…” Twilight grinned. “I think it could be nice.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Okay, you win. Thank you, Twilight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Fluttershy gave a small sigh of contentment, then pulled away. “I guess we should get to sleep then.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright. Do you have an extra pillow and blanket I could use?”

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. Of course she did, but she was tempted to offer a different suggestion; that maybe they could just share Fluttershy’s bed.

The thought even surprised herself, and she didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, she stood up and said, “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

Fluttershy climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She ducked into her closet and pulled out a blanket and pillow, making sure to grab good ones for Twilight. By the time she was back downstairs, Twilight was lying across the couch.

It made her feel a little guilty. Fluttershy’s couch wasn’t very big, and although both mares could sit on it comfortably, a full-grown pony wouldn’t have much room to lie on it. And as an alicorn, Twilight was larger than most full-grown ponies were.

Twilight didn’t look like she minded much, though. She smiled as Fluttershy approached, sitting back up to take the blanket and pillow.

“Do you need anything else?” Fluttershy asked as Twilight lay back down.

“No, I’m fine here. Thank you, Fluttershy.”

“You’re welcome.” Fluttershy stepped towards the stairs. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Fluttershy climbed the stairs smiling. Their second date may not have been all it could’ve been at first, but the night had more than turned itself around.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and placed a hoof to her smiling lips. She may not have remembered their first kiss very well, but she doubted she would ever forget their second. After years of assuming she would never get to have a special somepony of her own, Fluttershy somehow had a marefriend who made her happy.

‘Marefriend…’

Fluttershy’s lips fell to a frown at the word. She had been the one to use it first. At the time, it hadn’t felt like a big deal; it was just what they were, after all. But thinking of it now, it reminded her of the whole reason she always felt so insecure about dating someone in the first place.

Twilight was a mare. For years, Fluttershy had reminded herself that she wasn’t supposed to think about other mares like that, and yet, now she was dating one.

Fluttershy collapsed on the bed. It wasn’t like she thought it was bad for a mare to like other mares. There was more than one same-sex couple in Ponyville, and Fluttershy had never been anything but happy for them. It was just… that was them, and this was herself.

‘Why should it matter? It’s okay to be happy I have a marefriend,’ Fluttershy told herself. She wasn’t sure how much she believed that.

The feeling of safety she had felt with Twilight’s embrace was gone. In its place, she had fear at what other ponies might think. Instead of the comfort she had felt at listening to Twilight’s voice, she had unwelcome thoughts creep in. Instead of the softness of Twilight’s touch, she had only an empty bed.

Even knowing Twilight was right downstairs didn’t help much. Fluttershy found herself wishing she had asked Twilight to share her bed…

‘Just need to go to sleep. Things will be better in the morning.’

Although she shut her eyes and tried her best to get comfortable, Fluttershy only tossed and turned restlessly. She had fallen asleep without even trying while Twilight had been reading to her, but now that she wanted to sleep, she seemed further from it than ever.

All the while, the thoughts continued.

‘I should never have brought up being marefriends again.’

‘I’m just bringing her down with me.’

‘She deserves to be with someone who likes her the way she likes me.’

‘I don’t deserve someone as wonderful as her anyway…’

The thoughts echoed through her head, and each one brought half a dozen others with it. There were so many thoughts, and they all felt so big. They filled her head until there was no room left for any positive thoughts she might have used to replace them.

It grew to the point where Fluttershy couldn’t stay in bed. No matter how tired she would be in the morning, she had to get up and wait for her thoughts to dissipate before she even tried sleeping. Otherwise, all she could expect was another restless night and more nightmares.

If only she could get that feeling back. The way she felt when she had been with Twilight, safe and warm. That was what she needed, that would get rid of the thoughts.

She turned towards the stairs. It was hard to see with only the moonlight through her window; the light from Twilight’s horn was gone, as she had no doubt gone to sleep.

Not wanting to wake her by walking on the hardwood floor, Fluttershy flapped her wings and lifted gently into the air. She fluttered over to the stairs and hesitated at the top. She gulped down her nerves and quietly flew to the bottom.

She didn’t land until she was over the living room rug, not wanting her hooves to touch down on wood. She slowly walked to the couch, where she could just make out Twilight sleeping soundly.

Although she knew it wasn’t something she should do, Fluttershy carefully climbed onto the couch. She was glad that it was so dark. She didn’t want to be seen.

Twilight stirred at the couch’s sudden new occupant. “Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy crawled closer before answering. The small size of the couch meant that she was already perched over Twilight, almost standing right on top of her. “Is, uhm… is it okay if I stay here with you for a bit?”

Twilight tried to sit up, but she couldn’t quite manage it with Fluttershy over her. Instead, she shifted to give Fluttershy as much room as possible. “Of course. Is everything okay?”

“I… Yes.” Fluttershy nestled in against Twilight, who wrapped a wing and foreleg around her. “Everything’s fine now.”

Twilight gently stroked Fluttershy’s mane. “Alright. But you know, I’m always here if you need me. I’m happy to help with anything.”

Fluttershy nuzzled against Twilight’s chest. There it was. Everything would be okay as long as she had Twilight to hold her. “I know.”

What more could Twilight do for her? This feeling was already more wonderful than she could imagine. It was silly. Twilight was only a friend just weeks ago, and she had been so sure they wouldn’t work out even earlier that night.

But at that moment, held against her as she felt the rhythmic rise and fall from the other mare’s breathing, she felt something she hadn’t expected at all. “I… I love you, Twilight.”

Twilight’s body went stiff for a moment, then she held Fluttershy tighter. “I love you too, Fluttershy.”

Even then, Fluttershy knew love might not be the right word. But she loved the way she felt with Twilight, and that was enough for her. “Good night, Twilight.”

“Good night, Fluttershy. Sleep well.”

For once, Fluttershy suspected she might be able to do just that.

Author's Note

This act was workshopped in my Discord server (please note that it is a 16+ server, if you are not 16 years old or older please do not join!), with ideas contributed by both regular collaborators ArchAngelsWings, Wendy Gowak, Char-Char-Chan, and Moonlight, as well as lots of other helpful people; Darkstarling, Hoofclid, and TeamSpen210. The writing workshop is open for all members of the server if you feel like dropping in (or just stop in to hang out).

9 – Pride

Chapter Nine
Pride

⠀

⠀
It wasn’t like Fluttershy had expected things to be simple. Right from the moment she allowed herself to suggest she and Twilight keep dating, she knew that her feelings on it would be complicated. They had been since she had asked Twilight out, after all, and there was no reason to expect that would stop.

But she had at least expected it would get a little easier. That each passing day would make her true feelings just a little more clear to her. But if anything, as the weeks rolled by she found she became less sure of how she felt.

And there was no way that trend was changing today. Fluttershy and Twilight were waiting at Fluttershy’s cottage, where one of their friends would be coming to get them. They tried to keep calm and casual, but it was clear the mood between them was tense as both worried what the day would bring.

Neither of them had really been too sure about the idea, but Pinkie had insisted. Two of her best friends were dating, and she ‘abso-positive-lutely’ had to throw a party for them, she had explained. They had immediately shot the idea down for obvious reasons, but Pinkie had promised to keep it secret and only invite their closest friends who already knew about them. Even then, it had taken Rarity offering to co-host the party for them to agree.

It was comforting to know that Rarity would help things from getting too out of hoof, but still nerve wracking to imagine what was coming, especially since neither mare was informing them what kind of preparations they were making.

And so, Fluttershy and Twilight found themselves waiting as their friends decorated Twilight’s castle for a party neither of them was feeling too confident about. They tried their best to keep their minds off it, talking over tea and snacks and reading a bit more of ‘Disharmony’, but it was hard to keep their minds from defaulting back to worry.

Which meant the knock on the door brought a mixture of both relief and spiked anxiety. The waiting was almost over, but that just meant it was time to face whatever was ahead of them.

“Fluttershy! Twilight!” Pinkie called through the door. “Everything’s all set up!”

“Alright, Pinkie,” Twilight called back, then turned to smile at Fluttershy. “Ready to see what our friends did for us?”

“Y-Yeah.” Fluttershy tried to smile, but her nerves made that difficult.

It seemed Twilight saw right through the poor attempt, as she placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. It’s just our friends there.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Right. And they already know, so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t seen any of them since Cheerilee’s party.” Just… not all at the same time, or while the couple was the center of attention.

“Exactly!” Twilight said. She stood up and waited for Fluttershy to do the same, then the two of them walked to the door together.

Pinkie grinned at them as they opened it. “Are you two ready for the superest duperest party ever!?”

Fluttershy looked nervously towards Twilight, who answered for them. “Not too super duper, I hope. This is still just a small thing between our closest friends, right?”

“Oh, psh…” Pinkie waved a hoof as if she could physically shoo away their worries. “Of course, silly filly! You don’t think I’d bring anypony else to something like this, do you?”

Twilight smiled, but couldn’t quite shake the worry from her expression. “Of course not. It’s just… nice to be reminded.”

Pinkie hopped between the two of them and put a foreleg around each, gently guiding them out of the house and somehow closing the door behind them. “No need to worry! It’s just the three of us, Spike, Rarity, Dashie, and AJ.”

That seemed to comfort Twilight, but Fluttershy wasn’t any less worried. She had never doubted that it would just be the seven of them, but those were the ponies she was most worried about letting down.

But it seemed to only be Fluttershy worrying, so she tried to push those fears away. Twilight looked to be at peace with the upcoming event, and Pinkie seemed downright delighted. So Fluttershy would be too. Her friends were throwing a party for her and Twilight; she owed them her gratitude, not her fear.

The thought didn’t keep her from being afraid, not really. But it did make it easier to keep putting one hoof in front of the other. Of course, Twilight and Pinkie helped with that as well, even if neither of them knew it. Pinkie in particular lifted her spirits without doing anything more than simply being her energetic self.

She greeted ponies as they walked past, and each one smiled and greeted the group in turn. The happy expressions of Ponyville’s citizens reminded Fluttershy of how friendly their little town was. It didn’t stop her from worrying about their reactions if they ever found out, but it was something she could remind herself of.

“So…” Pinkie said as they reached the castle. She smiled, but Fluttershy didn’t like the way she drew out the word. Nor the way she laughed nervously as she talked. “I don’t want to worry you two or anything, but…”

Twilight slammed to a halt. “Pinkie, that is probably the most worrying thing you could say…”

Pinkie quickly waved her hooves. “No reason to be worried! I just… thought I should give you two a little heads up is all.” Pinkie looked around for prying ears, but nopony seemed to be paying them any mind. She still leaned in and lowered her voice as she continued. “It’s really gay in there.”

Fluttershy and Twilight exchanged glances, then Twilight answered for them again. “And what does that mean exactly?”

Pinkie chuckled nervously and started to back up towards the door. “Just a few decorations nothing too huge I don’t even know why I’m bringing it up anyway let’s get going inside no time like the present!”

“Pinkie,” Twilight said forcefully, stopping her in her tracks.

Pinkie winced as she turned around. “Well, we were thinking about what the best way to show you how much we support you is, and… we may have gone just the teeniest tiniest bit too far.”

Twilight sighed. “I regret agreeing to this already…”

Fluttershy frowned, then took a steadying breath. She wanted to trust her friends, who had clearly thought this was a good idea while they were working on it. Even though she was unsure, she forced a smile for Pinkie’s sake. “I’m sure whatever you’ve done will be lovely.”

Now it was Twilight that wasn’t so easily convinced, but at least Pinkie looked relieved. “I’m sure you’ll both love it!”

Twilight turned to face Fluttershy and melted. It was clearly forced, but she had a smile on her face when she said, “Well then, let’s see what you two did.”

A purple glow encased the door and it opened for them. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary as they walked in, just the castle’s entry hall as it always was. They both looked to Pinkie as the door shut.

“We set everything up over here,” Pinkie said, leading the way to one of the castle’s many other rooms. “That way nopony could see in when any of us go in or out.”

Twilight nodded. “Good thinking. Is everyone else here already?”

“Yupperoni! Everyone’s waiting right in here!” She gestured to a door in front of them.

Fluttershy took a deep breath as Pinkie threw open the door, but it did nothing to prepare her for what she saw.

“Fillies and gentledrake!” Pinkie announced to the room. “I present to you the cutest couple ever, Twilight and Fluttershy!”

There was a round of applause from everypony in the room, but Twilight and Fluttershy just stared with open mouths. What Pinkie had described as the teeniest tiniest bit too far was a barrage of rainbows everywhere they could see.

There were rainbows on the tapestries hanging from the ceiling, on balloons dotting the room, on the table cloth, the cups, the plates, even the cupcakes. There were garlands of intertwining female symbols that were colored in a gradient from purple to white to red. A banner hung across the length of the room reading “Congratulations Twilight and Fluttershy!” in rainbow print.

And of course, their friends were there. Rarity had gone all out, wearing the same purple-white-red colors on her dress and rainbow heart earrings; Rainbow already matched the theme perfectly, but she had female symbols painted on each cheek and the purple to red gradient on the edge of her primary feathers; even Spike was dressed for the occasion, wearing a jacket, bowtie, and top hat, all of which were rainbow colored. The only ones who weren’t dressed in rainbows were Pinkie, who had needed to slip through Ponyville, and Applejack.

Well, Pinkie didn’t let that stand for very long. As soon as she was through the door, Pinkie was wearing a rainbow party hat and glasses with the female symbol for eyes. Fluttershy had no idea where she got either, but she’d also managed to get a party horn, which she blew to reveal it was also rainbow colored.

Fluttershy hid in her mane.

Twilight looked around and tried to force a smile. “This is… really something! Right, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, uhm…” Fluttershy looked around at everyone. Spike and Rainbow both looked excited, while Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack looked nervous. Rarity and Pinkie had gone to a lot of effort to plan and throw them this party, and all of her closest friends were here to support them. She didn’t want to let anyone down. “I… I think it’s great! It’s, uhm, it’s really… colorful.”

Predictably, Rarity saw right through her. “You don’t like it, do you?”

“Oh no! It’s lovely!” Fluttershy hoped her smile looked authentic, although she doubted it.

Rarity took a step closer. “I know it’s a bit, well, gaudy, but that is how these events usually go.”

These events? How many events like this had Rarity gone to? It wasn’t like there were tons of other ponies like her…

But Rarity had gone through far too much trouble for Fluttershy to disagree, so she nodded along instead. “Of course, and we really appreciate it! Right, Twilight?”

“Right!” Twilight had been examining a picture of a flower on the wall, but she quickly turned back towards Rarity. “You clearly put a lot of effort into this, and we really appreciate it.”

Rarity gave Fluttershy a break, turning to Twilight instead. “But?”

It seemed Twilight was less affected by Rarity’s pout. “It’s just… it is a bit much.”

“I think it’s cool,” Rainbow said through a mouthful of rainbow frosted cupcake.

“Aww, lighten up, Twi,” Spike said. “It’s just friends here.”

Twilight looked at Fluttershy, gave a small smile, and shrugged. “I guess you’re right. And anyway, you all did a great job setting this up.”

At least Twilight seemed content with it, even if Fluttershy still had reservations. But she chose not to say anything, wordlessly following Twilight once she walked further into the room.

Someone shut the door behind them, and Fluttershy took another look around, trying to find something appealing about the decorations. “What are the pink flags?”

“You don’t know?” Spike asked in surprise. “That’s the lesbian pride flag.”

It was strange hearing Spike say the word ‘lesbian’ so casually despite how young he was. Fluttershy had only heard kids say words like that one way, and that way had nothing to do with pride.

“I didn’t even know there was a flag for, uhm, for that,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, me neither…” Applejack muttered as she looked one over.

“There are pride flags for everything on the LGBTQ spectrum,” Twilight explained.

Fluttershy didn’t want to admit how little she actually knew about that, especially since, like Spike, they all probably assumed she knew more than any of them.

Applejack chuckled. “I, er, I don’t reckon I really get it. I mean, we do stuff with rainbows all the time. What’s that have to do with, well, with all this?”

Rainbow Dash flew over, floating above Applejack. “What’s the matter, AJ? Worried we might’ve gotten some gay on you doing Element stuff?”

Fluttershy shot her a sharp look. She knew Rainbow and Applejack poked fun at each other a lot, but she didn’t think this was helpful right now.

And from the sound of Applejack’s voice, she was right. “I didn’t say anything like that!” Applejack said defensively. “I just said I don’t get it is all.”

“Well, rainbows traditionally symbolize harmony,” Twilight explained. “So when ponies used to think being gay was unnatural, gay ponies adopted it as a way of saying we are in harmony.”

“Besides,” Pinkie said, hopping over with a cupcake of her own in hoof, “rainbows are super fun!”

Applejack looked around at everyone and smiled nervously. “If y’all say so.”

For all the times Fluttershy wondered if she was faking a believable smile, she knew there was no way she did as poor of a job as Applejack. But before she could worry about that too much, she was already being whisked away by Pinkie.

“You’ve gotta try some of these cupcakes!” Pinkie brought her to the table, which had various snacks and a punch bowl on it. Pinkie picked up a cupcake for Fluttershy to see. “Rainbow cupcakes! It’s gayke!”

Fluttershy reminded herself that at least her fake smile was better than Applejack’s. “I… see. Thank you, Pinkie.” She wasn’t really sure they needed ‘gayke’, but she politely accepted anyway. Pinkie had probably baked them herself just for them, and Fluttershy didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

She took a bite, which at least gave her reason for an authentic smile. “This is delicious,” Fluttershy said once she’d swallowed it.

Pinkie waved a hoof. “Aww, it was nothing.”

“You’re lucky any of those are left,” Rarity said, walking up behind Fluttershy as she ate. “I practically had to beat Rainbow back with a stick to keep her away from them, and I do believe Spike managed to sneak a couple while I was preoccupied…”

Fluttershy giggled. “That’s okay, as long as everypony enjoys them, I don’t mind if I don’t have too many.”

“Nonsense!” Rarity placed her foreleg around Fluttershy’s shoulders. “Today is all about you and Twilight, you two better make sure to have your fill of everything!”

Fluttershy smiled as she indulged herself in returning Rarity’s hug. That brought a genuine smile to her face, too.

“These are some interesting pictures, Rarity,” Twilight said. Was Fluttershy imagining it, or was Twilight staring intently at the two of them?

“Do you like them?” Rarity pulled away from Fluttershy and walked back towards Twilight. Fluttershy fell in step behind her, keeping her eyes off Twilight’s.

The paintings they were talking about were flowers, and there were numerous along the walls. They were elegant and colorful, and Fluttershy wondered how they fit the theme until she got a closer look at them. “Are they, uhm…”

“Just a few painting prints that I thought might be appropriate,” Rarity explained. “The artist is well known for her use of delicate, yet sensual floral imagery to convey the beauty of female sexuality.”

“Yeah, they’re vaginas,” Rainbow Dash said plainly. Over by the punchbowl, Applejack was coughing up her drink.

Rarity shot Rainbow a sharp look. “They do delicately suggest a certain part of the feminine form, yes.”

Again, Fluttershy was left wondering if something like this was really necessary. And it seemed she wasn’t the only one, as Twilight was casting glances towards Spike. “That sure is… really interesting! But maybe it’s not the most appropriate thing for an all-ages party?”

Rarity laughed and waved a hoof dismissively. “Twilight, don’t be silly! Don’t let Rainbow Dash having her mind in a gutter somewhere ruin your appreciation for fine art. These pictures may be mildly suggestive, but they’re hardly vulgar.”

“I guess…” Twilight said, although Fluttershy wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t that she thought the pictures were too mature for Spike – she was positive some of the comics Twilight let him read had more suggestive art than some flower paintings – but there was just something about the whole thing that didn’t sit well with her.

That feeling persisted throughout the day. Not everything about the party was out of their usual style. There was music, dancing, food, and conversation, just the same as any other get-together between the group of friends.

But the decor and some of the comments it brought served as a constant reminder that this was not one of their usual get-togethers. Fluttershy and Twilight both tried their best to show their appreciation for all the effort their friends had made in the party and the show of support behind it, but it was pretty clear neither of them was really happy with it.

They weren’t the only ones either. Halfway through the day, Applejack made an excuse and left early. Everyone pretended to believe her, and Fluttershy spent the rest of the day pretending that her absence wasn’t felt as a heavy blow.

Soon after Applejack’s departure, Fluttershy made an excuse of her own to get away. Not to go home, she couldn’t do that to Twilight or their friends, but just to get out and clear her head for a bit. She excused herself to the bathroom, but wound up in the kitchen instead.

Fluttershy liked how quiet it was. She didn’t always like the quiet, didn’t always like how she felt when she was left alone with her thoughts, but it was better than the overstimulation that waited for her when she returned to the others.

She sat at the kitchen table and put her head down. This had gotten so much worse than it should’ve. Why couldn’t it just be a fun day with her friends? All of her friends, without one of them feeling like she had to make an excuse to not be around. And why did everyone have to make such a big deal out of this one thing?

“There you are.”

Fluttershy didn’t pick her head up as Rainbow walked into the room. She didn’t turn to greet her, didn’t say anything at all.

After a moment, Rainbow was sitting next to her. “Twilight got worried when you didn’t come back. Even thought you might of gone after AJ or something.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m sure she just needs some time.”

“You’re not letting that get to you too much, are you?”

Telling Rainbow how upset she was would just be a good way to stir up unneeded drama between her friends. “No.”

Rainbow scratched her neck awkwardly. “So… what’s up then?”

Fluttershy looked Rainbow in the eyes, prepared to deny that it was anything, then folded. She always did with Rainbow. “It’s just… don’t you think this party is going a bit overboard?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Everyone just wants you two to know we’re with you. And it’s not like anyone else is here.”

“I know…” Fluttershy sighed and reminded herself that she was being dumb. She should be in there having fun with her friends.

“But you know, it is your party.” Rainbow placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “We could take down some of the decorations if you want. Or move to another room or whatever.”

Part of Fluttershy really did want that, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. “No, I just needed a few minutes. I’ll be fine.”

“So uh…” Rainbow gave her a perplexed look. “What bothers you about it, anyway? I mean, if it was just AJ leaving, I could see that. But you’ve been faking it pretty hard all day.”

Fluttershy winced. “Do you think anyone else noticed?”

“I dunno. But you’re avoiding the question.”

“I just… I wish it wasn’t such a big deal that Twilight and I are dating.”

“We’re just happy for you two.”

“I know.” Fluttershy sighed. “And I appreciate that. But… I don’t think I was really ready for a big thing like this. Especially with what type of party it is, where everything is…”

“Super gay?” Rainbow prompted when Fluttershy couldn’t finish.

Fluttershy nodded. “It feels like that’s all anyone sees, how different we are from everypony else.”

“No one’s saying it like that.”

“I’m saying it like that!” Fluttershy held her face in her hooves. “Because that’s how it feels. Like everyone only cares that we’re both mares instead of caring that me and Twilight are happy together!”

“To tell you the truth…” Rainbow fidgeted in her seat. “I think that’s kind of what Pinkie thought about the whole thing. She wanted a few rainbows, but that was more Rarity than her. And, er… probably me most of all…”

Fluttershy pulled her face from her hooves to look at Rainbow. “What do you mean? I thought it was just Pinkie and Rarity that planned things.”

“Yeah, but then I was talking to Rarity and she was telling me some of her plans, and how she wanted to do some stuff to show you that, you know, it’s okay to be gay. And I thought that sounded great! So I encouraged her to add a bunch more and helped convince Pinkie…”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Rainbow, why would you think I’d want this?”

“I don’t know, I guess I thought you’d probably think it was weird at first then be okay when you saw how totally cool everyone else was with it.”

That sounded extremely dumb, especially coming from the pony who’d known Fluttershy longer than anyone else. Still, she couldn’t stay mad at Rainbow, so she just sighed and gave her a sideways hug. “I wish you would’ve talked to me before doing something like that.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.” Rainbow returned the hug. “We can still move it if you want.”

Fluttershy shook her head and pulled away. “No, it’s okay. We should probably head back though.”

They both stood up, then Rainbow followed Fluttershy out of the kitchen. “And hey, maybe all the rainbows are just for me. Because I’m awesome.”

Fluttershy smirked. “Oh? Is this party because you got a marefriend?”

“Careful, Shy, you almost sounded proud there.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Well… maybe I am. A little.”

As they walked back into the room, Fluttershy took another look around, keeping in mind what Rainbow had just told her. The whole thing felt silly now. Just a misunderstanding because Rainbow had gone overboard. It didn’t make her happy about the decorations, but it made them seem much less important.

And anyway, there was something much more interesting than a few rainbows going on: Everypony was dancing. Or rather, Twilight was dancing, and everyone else was trying to keep dancing while holding back their laughter at how bad the alicorn was at it.

Rainbow nudged Fluttershy. “Yeah, I can see why you’d be proud. Some marefriend you got there.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes and approached the others. “I stand by my words.”

Although Fluttershy intended to join in their dancing, she didn’t get the chance as Twilight stopped when they walked up. “Fluttershy! Is everything okay?”

Everyone turned their eyes towards her, so Fluttershy blushed. “I’m fine. I just… needed a few minutes. I hope I didn’t worry you too much.”

Twilight smiled. “Of course not. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Fluttershy glanced around the room and smiled back. “And I’m glad to see everyone’s enjoying themselves.”

Twilight’s smile turned sheepish. “Yeah, it’s not so bad once you get used to it.”

A white foreleg appeared around Twilight’s shoulders, and Rarity giggled as she prodded Twilight. “It did take a little while for somepony to let her mane down, but I’m delighted to say we finally got Twilight to join in the festivities!”

Pinkie hopped over to take hold of Twilight’s other side in one foreleg and use the other to pull Fluttershy closer. “And now that you two are back, we can really get this party started!”

Surrounded by friends, Fluttershy couldn’t help but let out a giggle. “I think that sounds perfect.”

“Alright alright,” Rainbow said as she kept her distance from the others. “Less hugging, more partying!”

Everyone laughed, and Fluttershy felt like a lot of the weight had gone. The decorations were still more than she would’ve liked, and it did sting that Applejack had left early. But that had been nothing more than a misunderstanding, and she was still surrounded by ponies who loved her. What else could she ask for?

Her good mood even managed to hold up through yet another reminder of how over the top the party was. It seemed that Rainbow wasn’t the only one who decided to sit out on the hugging, as Spike had used the break in dancing to stop by the refreshment table.

“So what’s with the cats?” he asked as he helped himself to the contents of a candy bowl.

“Cats?” Fluttershy quirked her head and looked to the others. To her surprise, both Rarity and Pinkie looked embarrassed. Rainbow just laughed.

“Yeah, all these candies are shaped like cats.” Spike held one up for them to see, then popped it into his mouth. He spoke as he chewed. “Is that some sort of gay thing?”

Twilight walked over to get a better look. “Not that I know of.”

Rainbow flew over them, still snickering. “Well… maybe not ‘cats’, exactly.”

Twilight still looked as confused as Fluttershy felt. She tried eating one of the candies, which didn’t seem to shed any light on what everyone was talking about.

“Well, that is to say…” Rarity cleared her throat and looked around for help. “Er, Pinkie?”

“We just thought Fluttershy would think they’re super cute!” Pinkie said, grinning too widely as she took some for herself. “Besides, they’re yummy! What else could we need, right, Rarity?”

“Yes, that’s it exactly!” Rarity exclaimed.

Fluttershy joined the others and looked at the candy. They were making far too much of a fuss over the cat candy for that to be it, but she decided she would just ask Rainbow later. Besides, eating one herself confirmed what Pinkie said. They were both cute and yummy, and that’s what really mattered.

“So, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said in a not-so-subtle subject change, “we still have some of the fur paint we used on Rainbow. Want me to paint something on you?”

“They tried to get me to do it too,” Twilight said.

“Aww, you didn’t want anything?” Fluttershy asked. “Fur painting is fun.”

Twilight chuckled. “I guess, but with how everything else is here…”

“We don’t have to do anything like that,” Pinkie said. She had already gotten out the paint. “I could do a heart, or maybe a butterfly. Ooh! Or how about a star? Whatever you want, Fluttershy!”

“Hmm…” Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow Dash, who was still flying idly around the room. The paint on the edge of her feathers was even more noticeable in flight. Fluttershy wasn’t sure she was ready for anything like that, but maybe… “Uhm, could you do something like… like what Rainbow has on her cheeks?”

Pinkie beamed. “Of course!”

Fluttershy did her best to slow her heartbeat as Pinkie painted her cheeks. This was only a little bit of fun, just going along with what everyone else was doing. Nopony was even going to see it, not that there was much to see. Just the female symbol, and that could mean so many things.

Besides, maybe it would help hide her blush as she reached for Twilight’s hoof. She couldn’t turn to look at Twilight without running the risk that she’d make Pinkie mess up, but she was pretty sure she saw the other mare smile, and she definitely felt Twilight’s hoof wrap around her own.

“All done!” Pinkie said, taking a step back.

“How does it look?” Fluttershy asked.

She’d meant to ask Twilight, but Spike answered first. “Looks great, Fluttershy.”

Twilight blushed as she echoed the sentiment. “It sure does.”

Fluttershy blushed as well, and couldn’t help but think that the paint did little to hide it after all. But that was okay. Everypony here was happy for her.

‘Happy for us,’ Fluttershy thought as she looked down at her hoof entwined with Twilight’s.

Pinkie leaned in closer to Twilight. “Sure you don’t want anything?”

“Maybe in a little bit,” Twilight said. “For now, I wouldn’t mind dancing a bit more. If, uhm, if that sounds good to you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Dancing sounds nice.”

“Alright then!” Pinkie jumped back towards where everyone had been dancing. “Let’s get things shaking!”

“Way ahead of you, Pinks!” Rainbow said as she placed another record on the turntable.

Upbeat music filled the room, and soon everyone was joining Pinkie on the dancefloor. Twilight took a step closer to the others as well. “Ready, Fluttershy?”

“I… actually…” Fluttershy couldn’t keep her eyes on Twilight, or the blush from her face as she lingered behind.

“Something wrong?” Twilight stepped back over towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy flicked her eyes up for a moment, then let them fall back down. She couldn’t say what was on her mind, so instead she just did it. Hoping the others were too preoccupied to notice, Fluttershy closed her eyes and kissed Twilight before she could think better of it.

Before she could even see Twilight’s reaction, a squeal of delight revealed that they had indeed been noticed. Fluttershy and Twilight were both left blushing and avoided looking at Rarity. “You two are simply the cutest!”

“Aww yeah!” Pinkie joined in. “Go Fluttershy!”

“Wait what?” Rainbow said. “What’d I miss?”

Fluttershy and Twilight both burst into laughter. Fluttershy hid her face against Twilight’s neck, which of course only encouraged them more.

“Aww, and I didn’t bring a camera!” Rarity teased.

“Now now, let’s give them some privacy,” Pinkie said, far too loudly to actually only be talking to Rarity.

“I don’t get it,” Spike added. “You girls hug and stuff all the time.”

“You two okay over there?” Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy finally managed to look at the others. Rarity and Pinkie were practically fawning over the couple, while Spike and Rainbow just looked confused.

And Twilight stood beside her, clearly just as embarrassed, but also just as happy. Fluttershy nuzzled against her one more time. “Better than okay. But, uhm, how about that dance?”

The two of them had decided to take things slowly and hadn’t shared many kisses, and even those had only ever been in private. That wasn’t something Fluttershy had been in any hurry to change.

And yet, as they walked onto the dancefloor side by side, she was glad. She was Twilight’s marefriend, as Twilight was hers. Things were new and there was no telling where they were going to go, but she’d been afraid for so long. She’d spent years being ashamed of herself, and it was about time she tried being proud instead.

Author's Note

10 – Adequate

Chapter Ten
Adequate

⠀

⠀
To say that Twilight was happy with the turns her life had taken would be a colossal understatement. It had been six weeks since she and Fluttershy had started dating, and she could scarcely recall being happier in her life.

There had been a few times where things were uncertain, sure. There had been a lot of doubt about whether or not things would work between them in those first few weeks. They’d even gone back to being just friends after their second date, if only for a few hours. But over the next few weeks, the two of them had slowly started to figure out how they fit together, and it seemed that every day things got a little bit better.

The best part was that Twilight was growing more certain. She didn’t have to worry about trying to make sure Fluttershy wanted to keep dating her; she knew their relationship was something they both wanted to keep going, and that it would only grow stronger in the weeks and months to come.

And she knew that if she stopped by Fluttershy’s house, the two of them could spend the day together and that they’d both have a great time. That was another thing she was growing more certain of – that Fluttershy really did love her and enjoyed spending time together.

Of course, Twilight had told herself that if Fluttershy hadn’t wanted to be with her, she wouldn’t have agreed to the relationship. She had even agreed to it twice! Any uncertainty about what Fluttershy wanted had been completely unfounded, but even so, it had been there.

But as she walked up to Fluttershy’s cottage, she just smiled at her doubts that had all but washed away. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, and she was going to spend it with the pony she loved.

She stopped in front of Fluttershy’s door to double-check her mane and tail. Even if she was sure that Fluttershy would be happy to see her regardless of her appearance, that was no reason to look sloppy. Content that she looked presentable, Twilight smiled warmly and knocked on the door.

Visions of what they might do during the day danced through her head as she waited for Fluttershy to open the door. Maybe they’d go into town for lunch, or just make something at Fluttershy’s cottage. They could go for a walk, or cuddle up and read together, or, well, anything really. Twilight didn’t actually care what they did, just so long as they did it together.

Which was precisely why Twilight’s smile was knocked off once the door opened. For all her certainty in the day ahead of them, she hadn’t prepared for this at all.

“Hello, Twilight,” Rarity said as she opened the door. “Fluttershy’s just upstairs at the moment, but do come in.”

Twilight found her smile again and fixed it back in place as she entered, although it felt wrong and only stayed through effort now. “Hello, Rarity. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Rarity chuckled, completely oblivious to the way Twilight’s chest tightened. “You did almost miss me. And Fluttershy as well; the two of us were just about to head out.”

“Really?” Twilight hoped she kept any of the negativity she felt out of her voice. “What are –”

“Oh, hello,” Fluttershy said, cutting off Twilight’s question. She walked down the stairs that led to her bedroom and stopped at the bottom to nuzzle Twilight. “I didn’t know you were coming over, Twilight.”

Twilight nuzzled Fluttershy back, then glanced between her and Rarity. “I was just on your side of Ponyville and thought I’d drop in. I didn’t realize you already had plans.”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said. “Today’s our weekly spa date.”

‘Date!?’ Twilight forced herself to push Fluttershy’s word choice out of her mind. “Oh, right! I’m sorry, I forgot that was today.”

Fluttershy giggled. “There’s no need to be sorry.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said as she sidled up to Twilight. “In fact, I think your timing might be quite fortuitous! Why don’t you join us? You deserve a chance to pamper yourself as much as anyone.”

Going to the spa with Fluttershy sounded like a wonderful idea. Going with all of her friends sounded like it could also be a lot of fun. But going with Fluttershy and Rarity, just the three of them? Twilight laughed nervously at the idea. “Thank you, but I’d hate to intrude.”

“Now you’re just being silly.” Rarity placed her foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders. “I think it would be lovely if you joined us, and I’m sure it goes without saying that our dear Fluttershy wouldn’t have any complaints.”

Fluttershy giggled. “None at all. It sounds like fun!”

Not fun enough for Fluttershy to have been the one to invite her marefriend to join them, of course. “That does sound fun, but I’m afraid I can’t. I have some work to do back at the castle and only stopped in to say hi while I was in the area.”

Rarity pulled her foreleg back. “Alright then, darling, but you simply must come with us some time! Perhaps next week?”

“Maybe. I’ll have to check my planner and get back to you.” If Twilight didn’t have something else planned that day, she was sure she could find something.

Twilight was about to excuse herself from the others when Fluttershy dashed her escape attempt. “Well, we can at least all walk into town together, right?”

With no good excuse not to, Twilight agreed. She walked out of the house behind Rarity, with Fluttershy following behind to close up. The fact that Fluttershy placed herself in between the other two mares as they walked didn’t escape Twilight’s attention, nor did the way being beside Rarity made Fluttershy light up.

Rarity did most of the talking, telling them both about her recent work at the Carousel Boutique. Or at least, she thought she was telling them both. In truth, she might as well have just been talking to Fluttershy for all it mattered, as Twilight barely heard a word of the conversation. Fluttershy more than made up for that though, clearly hanging on every word Rarity said.

Throughout the walk, Twilight paid attention to Rarity in a way she never had before. The way she held one hoof to her mouth while laughing daintily, the way she couldn’t seem to keep those same hooves to herself as she affectionately touched Fluttershy with more casualness than Twilight could seem to manage, the way she’d accentuate things she said with occasional flutters of those long lashes.

Twilight couldn’t even pretend like she didn’t see why Fluttershy would prefer to be with Rarity. Every one of Rarity’s movements seemed to hold such poise, and it wasn’t like Twilight was blind to the fact that she was stunningly beautiful. Twilight, meanwhile, was known to bump into things regularly due to her habit of walking around with a book in front of her face.

“Are you okay, darling?” Rarity asked Twilight. “You’ve hardly said a word since we left.”

Twilight forced a grin. “Oh, sorry. I’m just thinking about the paperwork waiting for me at the castle.”

“I hope it isn’t too much for you,” Rarity said.

Twilight chuckled. “No, it won’t be a problem. Besides, you know me! I’ll have all those papers sorted out in a jiffy!”

Fluttershy giggled. “You’re certainly the right mare for the job.”

Of course she was. Twilight was great at paperwork. And at organizing, planning, and all sorts of other boring stuff. Why was she even trying to compete with somepony as interesting as Rarity?

“I do wish I shared your passion for that sort of thing,” Rarity said with a sigh. “That’s one part of owning the Boutique I could do without.”

“I’ve never liked doing paperwork either,” Fluttershy said.

“I could always help if you want,” Twilight said, eager to remind Fluttershy that no matter how boring she was, there were perks to dating her.

“Thank you, Twilight, but I don’t really have to do paperwork very often.”

Or not. At least Twilight didn’t have to suffer for much longer, since they soon reached the spa.

“It was nice seeing you, Twilight,” Rarity said as she gave Twilight a hug. “And do take a look at your schedule for next week!”

“Will do,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy replaced Rarity in giving out hugs. “Bye, Twilight. Maybe we can do something tomorrow if you want.”

“That sounds good to me. Enjoy your spa day.”

Twilight stepped back and waved goodbye as they walked inside. Her presence was clearly not missed, as they were already talking happily again by the time the spa door closed behind them.

That left Twilight to walk home with her head hung low. With each step, a new tangent crashed through her thoughts, each less pleasant than the last.

Fluttershy sure did laugh a lot around Rarity. Did she do that with Twilight? Probably not. No, definitely not; don’t even bother holding out hope on that one. And she definitely didn’t look at Twilight the way she looked at Rarity.

Besides, who would? Rarity was gorgeous and Twilight was, well, she was just Twilight. The only ponies who would be wowed with her were the ones who only cared about her title. It was no wonder that Fluttershy couldn’t stop fawning over other mares even while she was with her marefriend.

Thought after intrusive thought, all the way home. Even as she stepped through the castle doors, they ate at her.

Twilight stopped in the entry hall and realized she didn’t have any other plans for the day. She’d finished all her work in the morning so she would have the chance to spend time with Fluttershy.

There were a number of other things she could do, she supposed; there were plenty of books on her reading list, there were research projects she’d been interested in picking up, there were chores she could do around the castle.

There were many things she could do, but she dismissed each in turn. With a sigh, Twilight made for the stairs. She wasn’t sure what she’d do once she got to her room, but at least getting there was a step.

She got as far as the second floor, but Spike noticed her as she was walking past his room. “Hi, Twilight. What are you doing home already?”

Twilight stepped over to Spike’s open door. Unsurprisingly, Spike was sitting on his bed with an open comic book. “Fluttershy had other plans already.”

Spike laughed. “Guess that’s why you usually plan things out with her in advance.”

“Yeah…” Twilight bowed her head and looked off to the side.

“Uh oh…” Spike frowned and set his comic book aside. “What’s wrong?”

“Who said anything’s wrong?”

“That’s your ‘something’s wrong’ face.”

Twilight wondered if it was still her ‘something’s wrong’ face once Spike’s comment brought a smirk to it. If anyone was going to recognize when Twilight wasn’t saying something, it would be Spike. “I’m just a little disappointed is all.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Geez, Twi, you’ve been dating for a month and you already can’t go a few days without spending time with her?”

It was Twilight’s turn to roll her eyes, which she accompanied with a head shake. She walked into his room and took a seat on his bed. He’d have a point if it was as simple as that, but she wasn’t about to tell him the full story.

So instead, she decided to change the subject. “So what are you reading?”

“Myth Agency,” Spike said. Twilight levitated the comic to look at its cover. It had two ponies on it – an orange one whose mane didn’t seem to connect to her head, and a blue one with claws instead of hooves and glowing eyes. “I just got to where the heroes infiltrate the evil Neon Overlord’s lair, only to fall into one of her sinister traps!”

Twilight laughed and passed the book back to him. “This stuff is going to rot your brain.”

“Aww, come on, Twi!” Spike opened the book to the first page and held it where she could see. “I bet you’d like it if you gave it a chance.”

Twilight smirked and nudged him. “After the Power Ponies incident? I think I’ll pass.”

“That was one time…” Spike grumbled.

“Maybe another time.” Twilight stood up and walked to the door. “Oh, and Spike? Could you do me a favor and check if we have anything on the schedule for Friday next week?”

“Sure thing. Planning something with Fluttershy?”

“Not exactly. If we don’t have anything going on, could you see if there’s something we can reschedule so we do?”

“Uh… sure, I guess. But why?”

Twilight hesitated. Sure, Spike was getting a little more mature these days, but he was still just a kid. No need to put her issues on him. “I just know Fluttershy’s going to be busy on that day, so I might as well use it to get work done.”

The excuse worked, and Spike just grinned playfully. “You really can’t stand to go too long without spending time with her, huh?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That’s enough out of you. I still remember how often you used to try to find excuses for us to go to the Carousel Boutique, you know.”

Spike quickly hid his face behind his comic, but not before Twilight saw a blush spread across his cheeks. “What? No way, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

That left Twilight chuckling as she left the room. “Of course you don’t.”

She was still smiling as she walked away. Talking to Spike always helped her feel better after a bad day. Her little brother had always been a constant in her life since his hatching, and he made everything feel more grounded and normal. Whether it was talking about books or teasing him about his crush on Rarity, everything just seemed to be a little bit better after one of their talks.

‘Although it seems like he’s not the only one fawning over Rarity these days…’

That one thought was all it took to bring Twilight’s mood crashing back down to her hooves. She sighed and let her shoulders slouch as she finished the walk to her bedroom.

She shut the door behind her and looked around her room, unsure of what to do. Although she wasn’t normally one for mid-day naps, she wondered if it might be a good idea to try and sleep a little. It wasn’t like there was any reason she had to be awake.

Instead, she found herself sitting in front of a vanity mirror along the side of the room and frowning at her reflection. Twilight really was a very plain mare. She’d never really thought about that much before, never really saw a reason to.

Other mares gave a lot of thought to that sort of thing, but not Twilight. Sure, she’d make sure she looked presentable for Fluttershy, but that was usually all. Presentable. Adequate. These were the words Twilight could use to describe her appearance.

And even when she did have a reason to go a step further and get prettied up with clothes, hair, and makeup, she always just left that to Rarity.

Rarity. She was so good at what she did that she had even been able to make Twilight feel pretty. Something she had done twice now before Twilight’s dates with Fluttershy. In a way, that made her feel worse. Twilight wanted to be upset with Rarity, but she couldn’t. Rarity had been a dear friend for many years, and she didn’t deserve Twilight’s anger simply for being herself.

And she couldn’t be upset with Fluttershy either. Twilight had known about her feelings towards Rarity from before she had ever confessed her own feelings. She had entered this relationship knowing about them, and she couldn’t reasonably expect a crush Fluttershy had held for years to be gone in a matter of weeks.

There was nopony to be upset with. Nopony but herself for being dumb enough to have these feelings.

‘Maybe… maybe I could do something about it…’

Twilight opened a seldom-used drawer under the mirror. It was filled with makeup, and only a few items in it had been used more than once or twice. The majority had come from Rarity, years-old gifts from before it became obvious Twilight was not the type of mare likely to use them.

Well, she was going to use them now. Twilight levitated everything into the air so she could see it all at once. A few of the items that had been near the top were things she did actually use once in a while; a few shades of lipstick, a thing of mascara, things that were relatively simple to apply. She set those on the table and selected a few other things to try.

It wasn’t like Twilight didn’t know anything about makeup. In fact, she knew quite a bit about it. When Rarity had first given her a makeup set as a gift, Twilight had read up on it so she might actually be able to put the gift to use. She never wound up putting her theoretical knowledge to the test, but she did learn a thing or two that should help her apply it. Then she got caught in the history of cosmetics and its cultural significance, and walked away from the experience with a renewed appreciation for Rarity’s craft.

At least part of the work was done for her – everything was chosen by Rarity with Twilight’s coloration in mind, so as long as she was able to pair the right items together, it should look nice. Twilight got to work.

First was foundation, of course. That much was obvious, it was even right in the name. But if selecting it was an easy first choice, it was the last easy part before everything fell apart. Twilight found she couldn’t quite remember what she’d read about applying it after all, and had to take her best guess.

It was hard to tell how she did. The foundation was a similar shade of purple to her fur, meant only to make sure it was an even shade throughout, which meant it blended in with her natural color by design. And try as she might, Twilight simply didn’t have the practiced eye to see the subtle difference it made.

Deciding it looked as good as she was going to get it, she moved on. She remembered what highlights and contour did, but not where to apply each. That was enough to make her want to take a break and try again with a book to guide her, but she knew that if she stopped she was liable to give up for good, so instead she guessed, trying to remember how Rarity did it for her.

But whenever Rarity did her makeup, the brush became a ballerina against her skin, dancing along with all the grace of the mare who wielded it. It did the same now; a drunken dance that was just as graceless as Twilight herself. It divided its time between cautiously avoiding Twilight’s face and crashing into it, sending a fine mist of powder airborne as it ambled along.

At least she knew where to apply the blush. But how much? That was more guessing, and she knew she could only possibly guess wrong. Even after trying her best to be cautious, she was certain she’d applied too much. She was ready to give up by then, but she was so close to being done.

Although she wasn’t really happy with her face, she moved onto her eyes. Eye shadow was important; Rarity always wore that. It went about as well as anything else. Mascara was something Twilight actually applied herself from time to time, so at least that much was no problem.

Lipstick was the final step, another thing she was already comfortable with. It didn’t do much to improve her confidence, though. Before she even took in the full effect, Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. Half of her wanted to run to the bathroom and wash it all off without ever getting a good look. There was no way she would like what she saw.

But she still had to look. Perhaps it was nothing but morbid curiosity. Perhaps she needed to prove to herself that this was something she just couldn’t do. Whatever the reason, Twilight had to look.

Opening her eyes, she hated what she saw. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t even adequate, which was the one thing Twilight could always count on from her appearance. And as much as she wanted to believe that she might do better next time, she didn’t. It was a shoddy attempt at a skill that Twilight simply didn’t have.

She had known how it would turn out. Had known that this was a waste of time. She levitated all of the makeup over to the trash can, knowing there would never be a reason for her to use it again.

But she couldn’t throw it away. She held it over the trash can, but couldn’t drop it in. Whether she used it or not, the makeup had been a thoughtful gift from a friend. Rarity might have stolen her marefriend’s heart, but that wasn’t out of malice. It wasn’t even intentional; she was simply too good, and that wasn’t something Twilight could hold against her.

Twilight levitated the makeup back to the vanity and sat back down, facing away from the mirror so she couldn’t see herself. She knew she should go wash it off, but she didn’t want to risk running into Spike. The last thing she needed was for him to tease her about it.

What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t match Rarity, let along compete with her. And sure, she knew that Fluttershy had chosen her, but only because the pony she really wanted wasn’t an option. Twilight was only the runner up. She was merely adequate, as always.

But was she really even that? If Twilight were good enough, truly good enough, would Fluttershy still be so hung up on Rarity? Would she still light up when she was around her? Still laugh at everything she said?

If anything, perhaps Twilight was just a consolation prize. She was someone who was there, an option when nopony else was. Did Fluttershy spend the time they were together wishing it was spent with Rarity instead? Did she think of Rarity when Twilight held her?

Even now, Fluttershy was off with Rarity. With her. Just the two of them, relaxing at the spa while Twilight was alone. What were they doing while Twilight was feeling miserable? Rarity was probably going on about her exciting career while Fluttershy hung on her every word.

It was probably a good thing Twilight hadn’t gone, even if it meant the two of them were alone together. Fluttershy probably preferred it that way. Now she could dote on Rarity all she wanted without worrying about how Twilight would feel. Not that she had seemed to be too worried about how her marefriend might have felt earlier, not when Rarity was around.

No, this was definitely better. Fluttershy was happier this way, and Twilight wanted her to be happy. And whether she was interested in dating her or not, Rarity would be right there returning and magnifying any and all affections Fluttershy showed her. It was something she did, after all. Every compliment would be returned tenfold, every small touch turned into a larger gesture.

Whether she wanted to date her or not, Rarity would be there with Fluttershy while Twilight was alone. Would be with her marefriend, would further her hold on her heart as she showered her with affection and captivated her with her dazzling beauty.

Twilight stood up and levitated the makeup once more. She brought it to the trash can and dropped it in on her way to her bed. She couldn’t even find it in herself to care that she got makeup on her pillow as she buried her face in it.

Whatever makeup didn’t rub off on the pillow was left to run down her face as she started crying. But it didn’t matter; it wasn’t good enough to worry about, after all.

Author's Note

Don’t ask me how horse makeup works, I really don’t know...

11 – Another Side

Chapter Eleven
Another Side

⠀

⠀
There was only so much that filling her schedule could achieve. Sure, it gave her an excuse to avoid going to the spa with Fluttershy and Rarity, but it couldn’t take her mind off what they might be doing without her.

Which was dumb. Twilight knew that. They weren’t doing anything worth worrying about; Rarity was straight, and even if she wasn’t, Twilight trusted both of them. There was no reason to worry about at all.

‘I just wish she felt that way about me…’

Twilight sighed and leaned her head against her desk. She was sitting in the private study connected to her bedroom with a stack of letters in front of her. Answering letters about friendship problems was a regular part of her job as Princess of Friendship, giving advice to more ponies than she could possibly meet with face to face.

But every oblivious pony who hurt a friend’s feelings became Rarity; each pony who seemed to be losing interest in a friendship was Fluttershy. How could Twilight give these ponies advice when she was struggling with her own friendships? And who did the Princess of Friendship turn to when she had a friendship problem? She was supposed to be the expert.

That wasn’t entirely true, and Twilight knew it. This may be a friendship problem, but it was something else too, something she didn’t have experience with. Twilight had never had a relationship problem before. And, as it happened, there was somepony she could write to about that.

But… what would Cadance say? Twilight wasn’t a faceless mare that Cadance was unlikely to meet, she was her sister-in-law. Even if Cadance could set aside their familiarity and give an objective answer as the Princess of Love, there was no separating her feelings after that. When she next saw Fluttershy, as she was sure to at some point, how would she possibly keep the incident from her mind? How would she come to think about the mare that couldn’t love Twilight as much as Twilight loved her?

No, Twilight couldn’t write to Cadance. Not about this. But then what could she do? She didn’t know how to fix something like this, and she had no idea who to turn to.

Rainbow Dash had dated a few stallions before, so she might have some advice, but talking to her about a problem with Fluttershy would be an even worse idea than Cadance. She wasn’t going to get relationship advice from Pinkie Pie, and asking Applejack for advice had already proven to be a horrible mistake once before. And, of course, Rarity wasn’t an option.

Besides, all her friends knew Fluttershy. Although they may be less likely than Cadance to take sides since they were friends with both mares, it would still be putting any of them in an awkward place.

Twilight sat up and looked at the letter before her. With a frown, she put it back on the pile of letters that were waiting for a reply. As much as she hated leaving letters unanswered, she couldn’t find the motivation to read it, let alone reply. Having nothing else to occupy herself with, she let her eyes wander around the room.

They settled on a book, and Twilight realized she hadn’t considered all of her friends. She levitated the brown journal with Celestia’s cutie mark on its cover and opened it to the first blank page.

She frowned as she debated whether or not she should write to Sunset, and if so, what she should say. Of course, Sunset was friends with a Fluttershy, but she didn’t know the pony one. Twilight still wanted her friend to have a high opinion of her marefriend, but at least she wouldn’t have to worry about what thoughts Sunset might have if she met Fluttershy, since that was unlikely to ever happen. And Sunset did have some experience with dating, and dating other girls at that.

She almost put the book back, but she knew she needed to talk to someone about what was going on; even aside from seeking advice, she felt like she might go mad if she didn’t. So she took hold of her quill with her magic, dipped it into the inkwell, and began writing.

‘Dear Sunset,

There’s something I was hoping to talk to you about, but it’s kind of personal. Nothing to be worried about, but if you have some time soon, I’d really appreciate it. I hope you’re doing well. Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.’

Twilight stared down at the book and hoped she wouldn’t have to wait long for a response. Sunset had recently graduated from Canterlot High School, which meant Twilight was never quite sure what her schedule was.

Thankfully, it seemed her schedule was open at the moment. Hardly any time passed at all before the journal vibrated and words appeared in it.

‘Hey, Twi. I got some time now if you want to head over. I could be at CHS to meet you in twenty minutes.’

Twilight had only planned to talk to Sunset through the journal, but thinking of it, there was nothing she’d like more than to get away from Equestria for an afternoon. Spending some time with a good friend only made the idea better.

‘Sure, I’ll see you then. And thanks, Sunset.’

Twenty minutes was more than enough time for Twilight, who only had to go down the hall to her library to get to the human world. But before she could do that, she knew she’d better make a quick stop. She closed the journal and brought it with her as she left the study, going through her bedroom then walking down the hall in the opposite direction of the library.

She stopped in front of Spike’s room and knocked on his open door. “Spike? I’m heading to Everton to visit Sunset for a little bit.”

Spike gave her a confused look. “Even though we scheduled all that stuff for you to do today?”

Twilight frowned, feeling guilty. Spike had been the one who handled the rescheduling, and now she wasn’t even going through with it. “I got through some of it, but then something came up up with Sunset.”

It didn’t seem like Spike minded too much, as he just shrugged it off. “Fine, but you’re on your own for figuring out how to reschedule the rest of today’s stuff.”

Twilight nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll be back before too long.”

Spike seemed more upset with that than he had been about the schedule. “Can’t I come too? It’s been a while since I got to see all our Everton friends.”

Twilight hesitated. Spike loved visiting Everton, but she didn’t really want him around for the discussion. “Sorry, Spike, but it’ll just be me going this time. Sunset wants to talk about something personal. Besides, I don’t think I’m seeing all our friends there this time.”

It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it was as close as she could get to it. That didn’t stop her from feeling guilty as Spike deflated at the news. “Oh…”

Twilight walked into the room and put a foreleg around him. “How about when I get back we go out for dinner tonight? I think we might be overdue for a trip to Grass-E-Graze.”

That got Spike smiling again; Grass-E-Graze was his favorite. “Okay. But maybe we can plan another trip soon?”

Twilight smiled and ruffled his spines. “I think that could be arranged.”

Spike’s high spirits returned. “Alright. Say hi for me!”

“Will do,” Twilight said, then left for the library. Maybe planning a trip with Spike would give her an excuse for why she couldn’t go to the spa next week.

It was still too early to meet up with Sunset, but taking a few minutes to get used to only having two legs never hurt, so Twilight made straight for the portal once she was in the library.

The large machine connected to the mirror always stood out among the rows of bookshelves. Twilight had considered moving it to its own room; Celestia knew she had enough of them. But some of the equipment was delicate, and if she was being honest, there was something she liked about having the portal nearby.

Twilight levitated the journal into a slot above the mirror, which would activate the portal. She stepped up to the mirror and took a deep breath, bracing herself for the sickening sensation that always accompanied using it.

She took a step forward, and the world dissolved around her. It was a feeling that was impossible to fully get used to, no matter how many times she’d used the portal. It felt like moving and staying still at the same time. Like the world was speeding past her and it couldn’t decide whether to drag her along with it or leave her in place, and somehow, it managed to do both at once. All of which would be bad enough without the the feeling of her body being stretched and squashed into all sorts of wrong shapes.

And then it was over – all at once, Twilight came to a sudden stop. The force propelled her forward, and like usual, Twilight wound up falling to the ground.

At least repeat trips through the portal had made this part easier. Twilight was quick to right herself, standing on two legs as she looked around the schoolyard.

It was late July, and school was out for the summer. That was good; although she had Principal Celestia’s blessings to come and go as she pleased, it was still better to avoid awkward questions concerning the portal and what she was doing. A new school year would be starting in a few weeks, and that would mean students who hadn’t been around for all the otherworldliness that had gone on in the past year.

Twilight walked leisurely away from the school. She stopped when she reached the sidewalk near the street, wanting to stay near the portal so Sunset would know where to find her.

She passed her time by watching the world around her, noting people out for walks and cars driving by. The sort of things that would be everyday and uninteresting to the residents of Everton, but were so fascinatingly different for a pony from another world.

The minutes passed quickly, and soon Twilight was smiling and waving as a motorcycle pulled up along the side of the road. Its driver waved back, then pointed to a nearby store. Twilight flashed a thumbs up to show that she understood, and the motorcycle drove off.

After a quick check for other cars, Twilight walked across the street. By the time she had crossed, the motorcycle had doubled back to pull into the store’s parking lot. It took a few moments longer to get there on foot. The motorcyclist pulled off her helmet as she walked up, letting her red and yellow hair cascade down past her shoulders.

Sunset Shimmer flashed her trademark confident grin as Twilight walked up. “Hey there, stranger. Fancy going for a ride?”

Twilight laughed. “I go a month without visiting and I’m a stranger now?”

“A month? Someone’s been letting time get away from her now that she’s got a girlfriend. Try two.”

“I guess I’ve been a little busy.” Twilight held out her arms and Sunset accepted the hug. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too, Twi.” Sunset pulled away from the hug, but kept a hand resting lightly on Twilight’s shoulder. “You didn’t answer about that ride, though.”

“Oh, you were serious?”

Sunset shrugged. “Sure, if you want. I know you came to talk, but I’ve got nothing planned if you want to spend some time hanging out.”

“I’d like that,” Twilight said, then realized she was on a time limit. “I did tell Spike I’d take him out for dinner tonight though.”

“That still gives us a few hours at least.” Sunset handed Twilight the helmet. She always insisted that Twilight be the one to wear it when they were on her bike. “How about we take the scenic route to Sugarcube Corner and I can get us some milkshakes? If you don’t think that’ll spoil your appetite for dinner too much.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if she would want to talk at Sugarcube Corner. Just like back home, this world’s Pinkie Pie worked there, and Twilight wasn’t sure how weird it would be to talk to her human friends about her relationship with her world’s Fluttershy – Sunset Shimmer notwithstanding, of course.

But Sunset was right about them having plenty of time before Twilight had to be back in Equestria. If Pinkie was around, they could just postpone the conversation until after they left.

“Sure, that sounds great.” Twilight put on the helmet as Sunset took off her jacket and handed that to Twilight as well. She always felt guilty that her friend set aside her own safety for Twilight’s, but she took some comfort in the knowledge that Sunset was an extremely competent driver.

Sunset started the motorcycle’s engine again. Twilight climbed on the back and put her arms around Sunset’s stomach, just like she’d been taught to do the first time Sunset had given her a ride on it.

They pulled out slowly, and Twilight couldn’t help but grin. She was far from an adrenaline seeker, but she did enjoy riding Sunset’s motorcycle. In no small part because she knew Sunset kept things nice and easy for her; she doubted she would enjoy it nearly so much if Sunset drove as fast as Twilight suspected she did when she didn’t have a passenger.

Even in the hot summer afternoon, the wind chilled Twilight’s skin. That was just part of the experience though, and she didn’t mind it. The roar of the engine, the surroundings moving past them, and the chill of the wind all worked together to drown out any other thoughts as they drove.

“And Fluttershy’s also gonna be starting college,” Sunset said as Twilight sipped her milkshake. “She’s planning on studying to be a veterinarian. No surprise there.”

“That’s great news,” Twilight said. “She’ll be perfect for that.”

“Yeah. Things are looking good for everyone here.” Sunset smiled and took a sip of her own milkshake.

Pinkie wasn’t at Sugarcube Corner, so they were free to talk about Twilight’s relationship problems without worry. But before diving into the heavier topic, Twilight had taken the chance to ask about her human friends, and Sunset had just finished catching her up on their post-graduation plans. Or at least, she’d mostly finished.

“There’s still one person you haven’t told me about,” Twilight pointed out. “What are you doing these days?”

Sunset took a moment to answer, sipping her milkshake in silence before setting it down and smiling. “I’m not up to much, to tell you the truth. Mostly just working and saving money. You know, that sort of thing.”

Even if Sunset was still smiling, Twilight couldn’t manage to do the same upon hearing her words. “No college plans? But you’re so smart! It shouldn’t be hard for you to get into a good college.”

Sunset didn’t seem worried about it, just shrugging it off. “Getting accepted? Sure, no problems there. But paying for it is a bit trickier. That’s why I’m just taking the chance to work some extra hours now that high school’s over. If I skip this semester and save up, I’ll be more financially secure once I go back to school.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Twilight said, even though she really wasn’t so sure. “I just want to see you succeed. I know you’ll do amazing things.”

Sunset grinned. “Come on, Twi, you’re gonna make me blush. But really, I’m fine. Besides, I’m not the one you came here to talk to me about. What’s going on?”

Twilight glanced down at the table. She’d come to talk to Sunset about what was going on with Fluttershy and Rarity, but now that she was faced with actually doing it, she found herself second-guessing that decision.

It seemed Sunset could tell the change in Twilight’s demeanor, as she placed her hand on Twilight’s. “Hey, it’s okay, Twi. Whatever it is, you know you can count on me to do my best to help.”

As always, Twilight found herself wondering if Sunset realized how effective her words were. Twilight never could turn down a friend who just wanted to help.

“It’s… about Fluttershy.”

“I figured.” Sunset squeezed Twilight’s hand, so she looked up to see Sunset smiling encouragingly. “And I’m gonna take a guess and say it’s not the one training to be a veterinarian.”

“Perceptive as always.”

“I do try.” Sunset pulled her hand back and rested her chin on it as she leaned across the table. “And since you’re talking to me about it, I’m also guessing that this isn’t the kind of problem you can go to Cadance with.”

“Well… I know I could, but I’d really rather not…”

Sunset smirked. “I thought this might be coming, though I wasn’t sure if you’d actually work up the nerve. But sure, I can help you out.”

“Hold on, why did you think this was coming?”

“Come on, Twi, you two have been together, what? Two months now? It’s only natural to take that next step in getting more intimate.”

It took a second for Twilight to catch up with what Sunset was implying, but once she did, she blushed furiously. “What!? Sunset, what are you… why would you think…”

“Twi, it’s me. There’s no need to be so embarrassed. You’re both adults in a relationship. Sex is a perfectly normal thing, and I’m happy to give you some pointers.”

“I know, but you’ve got the wrong idea!” Twilight couldn’t even look at Sunset, turning back to the table. “We haven’t even talked about doing that sort of thing.”

“Oh, I see. So you want to figure out how to bring it up with her then.”

“No!” Twilight looked into Sunset’s face only to see she was wearing a sinister grin. “Hold on; you’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

“Well… yeah.” Sunset’s grin grew into a full smile. “Sorry, Twi, but you’re just so fun to tease.”

Twilight folded her arms and frowned. “I was serious, Sunset…”

“Hey now, don’t be like that. It was only a little teasing.”

Twilight didn’t say anything.

Sunset’s smile fell away. “Come on, Twi… Look, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Maybe I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“What? Twilight, I’m sorry, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, and –” Sunset stopped when Twi failed to hold back her own smirk. “…and now you’re the one teasing me. Okay, fair enough.”

Twilight broke into a grin. “Maybe now you’ll think twice before picking on me.”

“Yeah, you sure showed me. I’ve definitely learned my lesson now.” Sunset had the distinctive look of someone who would not ever think twice of picking on her, but in truth, Twilight wouldn’t have it any other way.

“So then,” Sunset said, “what did you want to talk about?”

Once again, Twilight’s smile disappeared. “Well… you know how I told you that Fluttershy had a crush on another mare before we started dating?”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, the thing is… Fluttershy’s still spending a lot of time with her, and I don’t really know how to feel about that.”

“I see.” All trace of playfulness was gone from Sunset’s expression as she finally gave her friend’s problem her full attention. “Have you talked to Fluttershy about it at all?”

“No. I don’t know what to say to her about it. The last thing I want to do is make her feel like I don’t trust her.”

“Right, of course. But, well… you do trust her, right?”

“What!?” Twilight shook her head. “How could you even ask me that? Of course I trust her!”

Sunset held her hands up, palms towards Twilight. “I know I know. But, well… I know you want to trust her, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you she’s someone worth trusting. It’s just, you know, sometimes fears aren’t really rational.”

Twilight glared at Sunset. If this was more teasing, she was going too far.

Sunset sighed. “Twi, it’s me. You can tell me anything, you know that. And if that’s what it is, if you’re worried she’s doing something even if you know she isn’t, then you’re not going to get past this by pretending that’s not the issue.”

Twilight kept up her glare for another few moments, then closed her eyes. She sighed and furrowed her brow. She didn’t appreciate the question, although she understood why Sunset would ask it. “No. I’m not worried about what Fluttershy is doing at all. I trust her, and besides, Rarity is straight.”

When Twilight opened her eyes, she saw Sunset was staring with her mouth hanging open. She had no idea why at first, but then Sunset said, “Oh, shit… it’s Rarity?”

Why did she say that? Twilight let her face fall into her palm.

“Sorry, not helping. Just took me by surprise is all.” Sunset’s tone brightened as she continued. “But hey, that means it’s with someone else you trust, right? I can see why it’s awkward that it’s someone you’re both friends with, but that’s also kind of a good thing, right?”

“I do trust them.” Twilight lifted her head and spoke definitively. It was important to her that this was understood. “I trust both of them completely. I’m not worried that anything will happen.”

“Alright, so what’s going on?”

Twilight sighed. “That’s the thing… I don’t know. I know it shouldn’t bother me, but… Ugh, this whole thing is stupid!”

“It’s okay. It’s your first relationship, unless you wanna count that one dance with Flash. It’s normal to feel insecure about things, and you’re working on it.”

“Did you feel like this when you first started dating?”

Sunset leaned back. “Speaking of Flash, remember my first relationship wasn’t exactly typical. I never really worried what he was doing or if he was interested in someone else because I didn’t really care even if he was.”

With as far as Sunset had come in the past year, Twilight sometimes forgot how she used to be. “Oh, right…”

“I guess I got a little more worried about relationships after that.” Sunset shrugged. “Probably not as bad for me, though. Even if it wasn’t a good relationship, Flash still gave me a lot of practice for when I was in a real one. Which… kind of makes me sound even worse, huh?”

“No!” Twilight answered quickly. “Sunset, you’re a good person. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over what happened in the past.”

Sunset grinned. “Thanks, Twi. But we aren’t here to talk about me.”

Twilight’s head drooped again. “Right…”

Sunset drummed her fingers on the table for a moment before speaking again. “Alright, so, you’re not sure what bothers you about it. That’s okay, you don’t need to know right now. But you should remember one important thing.”

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. “I know, they’re both good ponies that I can trust.”

Sunset nodded. “Sure, but that’s not what I meant. Fluttershy chose to be with you. You’re the one who asked her, but she didn’t have to say yes. She chose this, chose you.”

Twilight hesitated. It didn’t seem that simple to her. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

“Well, yeah,” Sunset said with a grin. “Was there ever any doubt?”

Twilight grinned too. She wasn’t sure she felt any better about Fluttershy and Rarity, but she was worrying about it less with Sunset around. “Thanks, Sunset.”

“No problem. But uh, you gonna finish that shake?”

Twilight chuckled and went back to drinking her milkshake. She hadn’t really found any answers, but she was still glad she decided to visit.

Although… maybe there was still one answer she could get… “Can I… ask you something weird?”

“A minute ago I was ready to give you sex tips. I’m pretty much down for whatever questions you’ve got, Twi.”

Twilight blushed, in part because of the reminder of the earlier topic, in part because of her question. “Am I… pretty?”

For once, even Sunset seemed embarrassed. “Well… sure. But why do you ask?”

“W-Well, it’s not normally something I really think about, but I’ve kind of been thinking about it lately and I thought maybe you’d be a good judge because you like girls too, but oh! Not that I was, uhm, thinking about it because of you or anything, I was just asking you because I wanted to know and I trust your opinion and –”

“Twi.” Sunset smiled as Twilight abruptly stopped talking. “Take a deep breath, then let’s try that again a bit more calmly.”

Twilight did as Sunset suggested, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She was still nervous and embarrassed as she continued, but she was able to do so much more calmly. “It’s just… I know Rarity is so much more dazzling than I will ever be. And I guess that’s probably what really bothers me about it. Even if I’ve never felt that way about Rarity, I can see exactly what Fluttershy sees in her that she’ll never see in me.”

“I’ve never met the pony Rarity, but if she’s anything like the one here, I can see what you mean.” Sunset smiled and inclined her head. “You’re wrong, though.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, Sunset, but it’s okay. I know I’ll never be like Rarity, I guess I just hope I’m maybe not too far off.”

“Oh, you’re right that you’ll never be like Rarity.” Sunset reached her hand across the table for Twilight’s again. “But, well… let’s look at it this way: Who’s prettier, Rarity or Fluttershy?”

Twilight cocked her head to the side. “What? Fluttershy, of course.”

“Really?” Sunset leaned a little closer. “I know you think that, but be objective. Really think about both of them and what makes each of them special. Do you actually think Fluttershy is as dazzling as Rarity is? Is Fluttershy really the type of girl who can walk into the room and have all eyes turn to her?”

“I really don’t think Fluttershy would want that.”

“Me either, but that’s not the point.”

Twilight didn’t really care for this exercise. It seemed that Sunset wanted Twilight to pick Rarity, but what good would it do if she decided somepony else was more attractive than her own marefriend?

But she had gone into this to see things from another perspective, so she resolved to do just that. “Rarity is definitely more of a show stopper. Like you said, she’s always drawing attention with her appearance, and for good reason. I’ve never met another pony that knows as much about style. She’s incredible.

“But Fluttershy is too, in her own way. She never even seems to be trying to, but she’s always beautiful. Rarity looks like she came straight from a fashion magazine or work of art, like she’s not even someone who should be around regular ponies. But then Fluttershy is the opposite, like she’s the most natural thing in the world. She’s soft and welcoming, and I think she’s perfect.”

Sunset nodded. “You know, that doesn’t sound like Fluttershy’s actually prettier. It sounds like they’re both great in their own way, and there’s really no sense in comparing them.”

“I guess that’s true.” Twilight shook her head. “So why did you have me compare them?”

Sunset patted Twilight’s hand. “Don’t you see, Twi? If you can’t compare Fluttershy and Rarity, why should you compare yourself and Rarity?”

Twilight’s eyes fell to the table, lingering on where Sunset’s hand rested on hers. “That’s different though. Fluttershy and Rarity might each have their own kind of beauty, but I’m not like either of them.”

“No, you’re not. You’re like you.” Sunset cupped her fingers around Twilight’s hand. “You go on adorable little rants when you get nervous. You get lost in things you’re talking about when you’re excited, and your face just lights up when you get to explain what you’re doing to someone else. You aren’t dazzling like Rarity or serene like Fluttershy, but that’s okay, because they’ll also never be adorkable like you.”

Twilight blushed. “I don’t think ‘adorkable’ is really what other people look for in a relationship, though.”

“Why, because it’s not what you’re looking for?” Sunset pulled her hand back and looked away. “You know, don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but I’d much rather be with someone like you than someone like Rarity.”

Twilight blinked in confusion. “Wait, really?”

Sunset blushed. “I mean, don’t read too much into that.”

“No! Of course not.”

“Not like, actually you and me.”

“Right, that’d be weird.”

Both of them looked away awkwardly. Eventually Sunset cleared her throat. “Anyway, I just meant that while you might not be interested in dating someone like you, that doesn’t mean Fluttershy isn’t.”

“But… I already know what Fluttershy is interested in…”

“One of the things.” Sunset turned back to Twilight with a grin. “Come on, don’t tell me every girl you’ve ever had a crush on was the same as Fluttershy.”

It wasn’t like Twilight had a long list of mares she’d had crushes on, but there had been a few before. And thinking back on them, Sunset did have a point. “Do you really think someone like me might also be Fluttershy’s type though?”

Sunset smirked. “Are you kidding? Of course I do.”

It was at least something worth considering more, even if Twilight did still have trouble seeing it. There was just one other problem. “Even if… if Fluttershy might have more than a crush?”

Sunset frowned. “What do you mean?”

Twilight closed her eyes. She didn’t even want to admit this to herself, let alone to Sunset. “Fluttershy says she loves me, but… I know she’s had feelings for Rarity for a long time now, and it’s hard to think she might really be getting over them. Sometimes I think Rarity is the pony Fluttershy really loves.”

“I think love is more complicated than that. But if Fluttershy says she loves you, I think she probably means that. Maybe for now, you should try just focusing on that part. Build up Fluttershy and you, don’t worry about Fluttershy and Rarity.”

That wasn’t a very satisfying answer, but Twilight appreciated that Sunset was trying her best. “I guess you have a point.”

“It’s been known to happen.” Sunset pulled out her phone and checked the time. “We should probably get you back home though. Don’t want to disappoint Spike, after all.”

Twilight smiled and stood up. “Yeah, he’s pretty excited about going to his favorite restaurant. Thanks for the milkshake, and for the talk.”

“My pleasure.” Sunset collected their empty milkshake glasses and brought them to the counter while Twilight pulled on the bike jacket once more.

They walked back to the motorcycle, and Twilight once again looked forward to the ride. This time, however, it was mostly because it would give her a few minutes to think over the day’s conversation.

But as soon as Sunset started the motor, those thoughts were left behind at Sugarcube Corner while the two young women sped down the city streets. They would catch up to Twilight later, but for now, she simply held fast to Sunset and found herself once again caught up in the thrill of going too fast for her worries to keep up.

It was only a short ride to Canterlot High School, but it was a worry-free one. Sunset pulled into the same parking lot she had met Twilight in. She shut off the engine and put up the kickstand, dismounting with Twilight.

They smiled to each other as Twilight took off the helmet, handing it to Sunset as they started walking together to towards the portal. She kept the jacket on for the walk.

“Today was nice,” Twilight said. “Much better than sitting around at home worrying about things I shouldn’t be worried about. That’s what I did during their weekly spa day last week…”

“I’m glad I could help. And it’ll get better once you’re more used to being in a relationship.”

“I hope so…”

Sunset placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Trust me.”

Twilight smiled at her and nodded. “I do.”

They checked for oncoming cars and crossed the street. Their pace slowed as they started to get closer to the statue. “So they go to the spa every Friday?”

Twilight frowned. “Yes. It’s something they’ve done for as long as I’ve known either of them.”

Sunset nodded. “So hey, why don’t we do a weekly meetup too? I know the girls would love to see you some more, and I have Friday afternoons off. That way it’ll keep your mind off things, and maybe if you’re also out having fun, you’ll have less to feel insecure about.”

Twilight thought about it for a moment then nodded. Sunset had a good point, and it would keep her from having to come up with new excuses every time she was asked to go to the spa with Rarity and Fluttershy. Besides, she had told Spike they could come back together. “I think that sounds like a great idea. Thank you, Sunset.”

“Like I said, my pleasure.” They reached the statue and stopped in front of it.

Twilight took off the jacket and handed it to Sunset. “And you know… if you ever wanted to, you could always come visit me too.”

Sunset took the jacket and looked away apprehensively. “Twilight, I…”

Twilight placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer now. Just… think about it.”

Sunset hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let you know if I decide to visit.”

Sunset moved in for a hug, then they said their goodbyes. Twilight waved to her as she walked away, then turned back to the portal.

Maybe Sunset had a point after all. She knew Fluttershy wasn’t over Rarity, that much was obvious. But maybe… maybe that would still be okay. Fluttershy had chosen to be with Twilight, and then had chosen to stay with her when they weren’t sure if things would work out. Maybe there was something that Fluttershy saw in her after all.

Hoping that she could hold onto that thought the next time she saw Fluttershy and Rarity together, Twilight stepped into the portal, and let herself slip away.

Author's Note

Because I never liked the idea of using too many horse puns in the human world, the city Sunset lives in is Everton in Who We Become.

12 – Season of Change

Chapter Twelve
Season of Change

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There were a lot of good reasons to look forward to fall. The beautiful colors on the leaves, the cool air that was perfect for cozying up in bed, the seasonal treats at Sugarcube Corner. If for that alone, Fluttershy would have been happy for the change in season.

But this year was different. Something special was happening, something that only happened once every six years. Fluttershy had missed it last time, and she hadn’t lived in Ponyville the time before that, so this would be her first time getting to see the spectacle. She might have missed it this time as well if not for an offhoof comment from Twilight about how many newts she’d seen around lately.

That was another thing that was different about this fall – Twilight. There had been lots of new experiences since they’d started dating, and fall was no exception. It turned out that the cooler weather wasn’t just good for cozying into bed herself, but also for cuddling up with her marefriend. Afternoon strolls through town, drinking warm drinks together, even things like helping each other make sure they were prepared for the coming winter. Everything just seemed a little bit better when it was spent with someone who loved her.

And a nature expedition was no exception. The two marefriends were walking through White Tail Woods together, admiring the fall colors. Or at least, Fluttershy wanted to admire them. In truth, she was more than just a little preoccupied worrying about how the day would go.

It had seemed romantic when she asked Twilight to go along with her. A walk through the woods amidst the autumn colors, just the two of them. But now that they were out, she realized it was a very long walk, and autumn wasn’t cool enough to keep them from sweating. Fluttershy didn’t suggest many dates, and she couldn’t help but worry about how her marefriend might feel about her choice of one now.

“It can’t be much farther now,” Fluttershy said, hoping that was the case. She really didn’t have any idea, although they had been walking for a while, so maybe…

“I think we’ve still got a little ways to go,” Twilight said, dashing Fluttershy’s hopes. Not that she minded a walk through White Tail Woods – it was particularly lovely this time of year – but she was just a bit worried.

Not that Twilight seemed to be. Fluttershy tried to take what comfort she could in that. Still, she could feel her heart sink when Twilight asked, “Do you think we have enough time for a little break? It’s been a long time since I walked this much.”

“Oh, of course. We should have plenty of time.” Fluttershy looked around. As much as the autumn colors were nice on the trees, it meant the ground was covered in a layer of dead leaves everywhere she looked. “I, uhm, I’m not sure where to rest though. Maybe I could clear a spot for us to sit.”

Twilight giggled before taking a seat on the ground, leaves and all. “Don’t be silly, there’s no need to do anything like that.”

Fluttershy sat down beside Twilight, close enough that they were almost touching. The ‘almost’ part didn’t last long, as Twilight draped a wing over Fluttershy’s back. It had been a few months since they’d started dating, and the closeness was something they were both growing more comfortable with.

“The woods are really beautiful,” Twilight said as she looked around.

Fluttershy nodded, allowing herself a small smile. “They are. Thank you for coming out with me.”

“Of course! I’d be happy to even if we were just walking through the woods. It’s been really nice to get to see it with you.”

Fluttershy smiled a little more. “You, uhm, you don’t mind how long it’s taking to get there?”

“Are you kidding?” Twilight leaned her head in and they both blushed as their faces moved closer together. “A walk through the beautiful woods with a beautiful mare? What would I possibly mind about that?”

As they kissed, a few of Fluttershy’s worries flew away from her. If Twilight said she was enjoying the walk, well, who was Fluttershy to say anything different?

They were still blushing as they pulled apart. Even after three months, they still blushed almost every time they kissed. Although they were growing closer and becoming more comfortable as marefriends, kisses remained something special.

“It’ll be time for the Running of the Leaves soon,” Twilight said.

“Yeah. Are you going to participate again this year?” Fluttershy found Twilight’s hoof and held it with her own.

“I think so. This nature walk is a good way to get a little workout in.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Yeah, gotta get you out of the library once in a while.”

Twilight smirked. “Hey, I leave the house to visit you! And helping with the animals is no picnic, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Even if the conversation wasn’t anything intimate, Fluttershy felt closer to Twilight than she had all day. If anything, especially because of how casual the conversation was. It was a reminder that Fluttershy’s misconceptions about what a relationship had to be were unfounded – they could cuddle up and talk about everyday life without worrying about trying to make it a romantic conversation.

“Well, ready to get back to it?” Twilight asked after a while. “Those newts and salamanders won’t wait for us.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

As they got up and went on their way again, Fluttershy tried her best to not worry that she might be boring Twilight with their long trek through the woods. Maybe it wasn’t romantic, but this could just be another casual thing they shared with each other.

She managed pretty well, all things considered. Guilty thoughts of what else Twilight could be doing did still pop into her head, but a look at her marefriend’s content face was usually enough to dispel the worst of them.

And if that didn’t, her excited gasp when they reached the stream would have. The salamanders had already arrived, but the newts were nowhere to be seen. That was good though, it meant they hadn’t missed anything.

“I can’t get a good view from here…” Twilight muttered.

“Me either.” Fluttershy looked around. While most of White Tail Woods was fairly clear and easy to travel in and see through, this section was a bit denser. There were a lot of trees with low hanging branches, coupled with thick bushes obscuring things on the ground.

It wouldn’t have been that bad for most things, but as neither newts nor salamanders were particularly large, it proved to be a bit of a problem for their purposes. Although, there was the stream itself…

But no, Fluttershy couldn’t suggest that. Casual date or not, mucking about a dirty stream wasn’t something she could do with her marefriend.

“We could hover a bit,” Twilight said, although she was looking uncertainly at the branches. “We’d have to stay pretty low though, and I don’t want to scare them away. Maybe we could find a tree with a good view to sit in?”

With how thick the branches were, that didn’t seem likely. “Uhm…”

“What is it, Fluttershy? Do you have an idea?”

Fluttershy frowned, certain that Twilight wouldn’t approve. “Well… If we waded into the stream a bit, we’d be able to get around the bushes without flying over them. But…”

“That’s a great idea, Fluttershy!” Twilight took a step towards the stream and dipped her hoof in. “Oh, it’s really chilly!”

Fluttershy nodded. “R-right. Maybe we can find another way.”

“I don’t think so, not without running the risk of disturbing them.” Twilight took another step in, then turned back and frowned. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Did Fluttershy mind getting a little wet and dirty to see an amazing animal experience? Not at all. It would take a lot more than a cold stream for her to want to turn back. But did Twilight realize that? Was that the only reason she was willing to do it?

Fluttershy took a look at the salamanders and hoped Twilight wouldn’t mind her being a little selfish. “No, I don’t mind. Let’s go.”

She stepped into the water with Twilight, which was indeed much colder than she expected. Her hooves sank into the soft mud under the water, which they kicked up as they walked, leaving a dark cloud around them. It was good that they weren’t on the lookout for anything too close to them.

“I think this is a good spot,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy looked towards the salamanders and agreed. The view was clear, and the two ponies would be well out of the way once it started. A few salamanders were watching them, but none of them seemed to mind having a few ponies standing by well out of the way. This far into the woods, ponies were just other animals.

“Uhm, you know,” Fluttershy said with an embarrassed smile. “This water is pretty chilly. Maybe we should, uhm, get a little closer. Just to keep warm.”

“Oh?” Twilight smiled playfully. “Well, as a good marefriend, I can’t let you be cold.” She stepped closer and draped a wing over Fluttershy, who leaned her head into Twilight’s neck.

“You’re so good to me.”

Twilight nuzzled against her. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have some ulterior motives to wanting to get closer.”

“What?” Fluttershy asked in mock surprise. “No, of course not. I just – oh!”

“Everything okay, Flutter – oh!”

They both looked at each other and giggled. It seemed the newts had arrived, and they were taking just a bit more interest in their pony guests than the salamanders had. The little tiny amphibians were swimming around them, occasionally bumping into them.

“Oh, hello.” Twilight lifted her wing slightly. The tip of it must have been dipped into the water, because a newt clung to one of her primary feathers.

The newt looked over the two of them, then dove into the water. Twilight and Fluttershy laughed, then Twilight dipped her wing back into the water.

The newts soon decided they’d seen enough of the ponies and swam towards the edge of the stream. And finally, everything else just felt less important as Fluttershy watched with bated breath.

This was a meeting that only took place once every six years, and ponies didn’t really understand the phenomenon. Fluttershy was positive of that, because Twilight had said as much. As much as she’d tried to learn about what they were about to witness, all she had been able to learn was that it happened.

Which suited Fluttershy just fine. She didn’t need the answers, she only wanted to see it with her own eyes. And as the newts waded onto the land, she finally got the chance to do just that.

One of the newts walked ahead of the others, and one of the salamanders walked up to greet them. They stared at each other for a moment, some sort of silent communication no doubt passing between them.

And then a moment later, the dancing started. There was no other word for it, as one by one they partnered up and began swaying rhythmically to some sound that Fluttershy and Twilight simply couldn’t hear.

The dance picked up. The usually quadrupedal amphibians rose to their hindlegs, and the dance began in earnest. They moved with surprising grace, and Fluttershy got the feeling a certain pony princess might learn a thing or two about dancing if she studied them well enough.

As they watched, it became clear that it wasn’t all on land. Some of the salamanders had entered the water, where they and the newts swam around each other in ways that could only be seen through the ripples they caused on the water’s surface.

The dance alone would be a wondrous sight to behold, but there was more to it. Just as there was more to the salamanders and newts. The Fireforged Salamanders generally made their homes deep inside Canterlot Mountain, where dragons had once lived. The area was a natural source of glowstone, which was a substance too hot for ponies to touch, but which salamanders and dragons loved.

The newts, on the other hoof, were Frostchill Newts. They originally came from the Frozen North, although were known to appear south of it through frigid underground waterways.

Neither species usually lived in or around Ponyville, and when they got together, the dance wasn’t the only unexpected thing to happen.

It started with steam, and then the steam grew to form little clouds. It was like the meeting of a miniature cold front with an equally small heat wave, and the steam just kept coalescing into the clouds.

Soon the little white clouds were neither little nor white. Dark grey rain clouds hovered just above the ponies and the amphibians, and there was only one way that could go.

The rain came in droplets at first, then fell more consistently. The heat from the salamanders and the coldness from the newts made the unscheduled rain unseasonably warm.

It felt wonderful. Even huddled up together, the water they were in was still far too cold for comfort, but the warm rain shook off those chills.

And she wasn’t the only one to enjoy it. As the rain fell on them, she heard Twilight giggle and looked up to see her marefriend beaming at the sight. There was no way she was faking her reaction for Fluttershy’s sake; Twilight was not that good of an actor.

Twilight loved this just as much as Fluttershy did. This wasn’t sharing something casual with her marefriend, this was sharing something that Fluttershy had wanted to see for years with somepony who became more and more important to her every day. And best of all, this was finding out that Twilight loved it too, and realizing she hadn’t ever been so sure that she loved Twilight as she was in that one moment.

Even so, Fluttershy didn’t have to do anything. No big romantic kiss, no declaration of her feelings. She just pressed a little closer to her marefriend and enjoyed watching the dance with her, confident that Twilight felt the same way.

If only that perfect moment could’ve stayed frozen in place. But unfortunately, the weather didn’t suit either animal, nor did each other’s temperatures, so it couldn’t last long.

The dance ended in a freeze frame spectacle, with each of them posing dramatically. Fluttershy wondered if that was what they always did, or if they secretly liked having a couple of ponies watching their show.

With the dance complete, the salamanders huddled up for warmth and moved slowly back into the woods towards Canterlot. The newts that weren’t already in the water dove in, hiding from the warm rain by staying under the surface. Twilight and Fluttershy were left giggling as a sudden rush of colder water passed them, ensuring that the newts were on there way back to their secret underground streams.

“That was incredible!” Twilight said as they waded out of the water. “I’m so glad you invited me.”

“Me too,” Fluttershy said. She looked down at their hooves as they made it onto land. “Uhm, even if we did get a little messy…”

Twilight just laughed it off. “Pretty sure a bit of mess is a given when going on deep woods animal expeditions. Besides, after seeing that? I wouldn’t mind if we had to crawl through the mud to get there.”

Fluttershy just smiled, happy to know that she could share her passions with Twilight. It had been silly to think Twilight would hold this to some sort of lofty date standard. Hadn’t she learned better than that after their second date? Why had she thought that Twilight would have a problem with getting a little messy?

‘Because Rarity would’ve.’

The thought hit her as soon as she reached for an answer, and unlike most of her intrusive thoughts, Fluttershy knew this one was true. The reason she had been afraid of letting their date get a little dirty wasn’t because she thought Twilight would mind, but because she knew Rarity would in her place.

Realizing how much she was still comparing Twilight and Rarity made her feel a little guilty. She thought she’d moved past it, and she knew Twilight deserved better. This was different than other times, though. In the past, she had thought of how much she wished Twilight acted the way Rarity did in all the daydreams Fluttershy had of the two of them. This time, it had been something about Rarity that she didn’t like, and yet had still projected onto Twilight.

Was the idea of being with Rarity really that important to her? Even after the months she spent with Twilight had been so good?

Fluttershy took a good look at Twilight. It had never been more apparent that she and Rarity were very different ponies. She was drenched, and before being rained on, the steam had caused her mane to get frizzy. The result was that her usually well-kept if simple mane was an absolute mess. The rest of her fur clumped together from the muddy water and the rain not being able to wash it all out, and her wings weren’t in any state for flying, to say the least. She even still had dirt caking her legs from where they’d sunk into the mud. Fluttershy had never had a daydream where Rarity looked like this on a date.

But then she turned to smile at Fluttershy, and that made it apparent just how different she was from Rarity, too. If the idea of Rarity even allowing herself to look like this was questionable, the idea that she’d be happy about it was laughable. And of course, Fluttershy knew she had to look the same as Twilight did. Yet Twilight still smiled at her, completely taken by the experience they shared rather than how they looked.

Twilight was not Rarity, and it wasn’t fair to anypony for Fluttershy to compare them. And she’d known that right from the start, but now she realized… Twilight was not Rarity. And that was a good thing.

“Twilight?”

“Yeah, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy didn’t blush. For once, she felt completely comfortable stepping up to her mess of a marefriend, placing a wing around her to pull her closer, and kissing her.

The two of them must have been quite the sight to see. And indeed, ponies kept glancing at them the entire time they walked through town. It was almost as if they hadn’t seen two silly mares covered in dirt and matted fur giggling excitedly on their way through town before.

“Another six years until we can see it again,” Twilight said, a little sadly.

“That’s okay,” Fluttershy said. “We’ll have lots of other new experiences before then.”

Twilight grinned. “What’s this? You almost sound excited, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Should I not be?”

“No no, I didn’t mean that. It’s just nice to hear you get excited about new things.” Twilight chuckled. “You’re usually so, well, shy.”

Although it made Fluttershy’s blush increase, she nudged Twilight. “Maybe, but… you’ll be there with me, right?”

Twilight brushed her wing across Fluttershy’s back. “Of course I will be.”

“Then… I think I can be excited about that.”

They both smiled and turned to face ahead, and Fluttershy was sure they both would’ve gone for a more intimate gesture if they weren’t in public. Oh well, they were on their way back to Twilight’s castle, where they would have dinner together. There, behind closed doors with only the two of them and Spike, they wouldn’t have to worry about what anypony else thought.

A few staring ponies and a couple questions to make sure they were okay later, and they reached the castle. “Spike? We’re home,” Twilight called.

There was no answer, but that wasn’t surprising. He’d declined to go with them and instead was spending the day playing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It was still late afternoon, so he had a few hours before he had to be home for dinner.

“Guess we’ve got the place to ourselves,” Twilight commented. “Although we should probably get cleaned up before doing anything else.”

Fluttershy giggled. “You’re right. But there’s one thing I want to do first.”

“What’s that?”

Fluttershy stepped closer and kissed Twilight. “That.”

Twilight wore a goofy grin. “You’ve been giving a lot of kisses today. What’d I do to deserve that?”

Fluttershy giggled. “I guess I’m just in a really good mood after seeing the dance, especially since I got to see it with you. I love you, Twilight.”

“I love you too, Fluttershy.”

They nuzzled against one another, then Twilight led them upstairs. Past Spike’s room was a bathroom, and Twilight surprised Fluttershy by stepping in it. Having multiple bathrooms meant they could both clean up at the same time without getting in each other’s way, but she’d assumed Twilight would take the master bathroom.

After a moment, Twilight stepped back out and chuckled nervously. “Spike doesn’t always keep his bathroom tidy, and… I don’t always remember to remind him. But it looks safe this time.”

Fluttershy laughed and stepped inside. She blushed as a thought occurred to her; there was no real reason they had to take separate showers, was there? Maybe… maybe it could even be fun to shower together.

But while Fluttershy weighed her options, Twilight turned to walk away. “See you in a bit!”

“Oh, uhm…” Any chance of Fluttershy suggesting they shower together was lost as the words failed to come. “Right. See you soon.”

Twilight left, and Fluttershy closed the door. She smiled to herself at the thought of how close she had come to suggesting they do something new together. Maybe next time.

This time, however, she still had to get cleaned up. A look in the mirror confirmed what Fluttershy had suspected all along – she was an absolute mess, at least as bad as Twilight had been.

That was another thing she laughed off as she stepped into the shower. It was chilly when she first turned it on, but she didn’t mind. It wasn’t any worse than the stream had been, and it felt nice to wash all the dirt off.

Without even using any shampoo, the water was still coming off dirty by the time it warmed up. Between the warm water and the feeling of finally ridding herself of all the dirt, it was tempting to just stay under the stream without actually cleaning up. Tempting, but the thought of getting her fur nice and smooth again was too good to pass up.

Fluttershy spent a long time in the shower, long enough that she would have expected Twilight to come check on her if she hadn’t been just as dirty. Between her fur, her long mane and tail, and her wings, there was a lot to clean.

But as nice as the water was, stepping out and feeling squeaky clean was even better. She wrapped her mane in a towel and put on a fluffy bathrobe, then left the bathroom.

There was still no sign that anyone else was out and about in the castle, although it wasn’t always easy to tell considering how big it was. But as she approached Twilight’s room, she could hear the water running from the bathroom next to it. With how long she herself had taken in the shower, she vaguely wondered how Twilight wasn’t clean yet.

Rather than wait around for her, Fluttershy stepped into the bedroom. Hoping she wasn’t too wet, she climbed onto the bed to wait. In the past months, Fluttershy had gotten used to Twilight’s bed. They often spent the night at each other’s houses, and had given up on any pretense that they’d be sleeping in separate rooms.

‘Only sleeping, though…’

Fluttershy frowned, wondering as she often did if Twilight expected more from their relationship. They were slowly getting more comfortable with each other in every way, but that was one barrier that Fluttershy wasn’t ready to take down. She couldn’t do that. Not to Twilight.

In search of something to take her mind off her thoughts, she looked around the room. There was, of course, a book on the bedside table. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the sort of thing Fluttershy would be likely to enjoy reading – a biography on a centuries-old author that Fluttershy had never heard of.

Instead, her eyes turned to the letter next to it. She wouldn’t read it, of course, but she did have to smile to herself when she saw it was addressed to ‘Twily’. That was a much more amusing thought to distract herself with.

The sound of water soon came to a stop, which further helped pull Fluttershy out of her thoughts before they could run away from her. She rolled over and faced the door.

A few minutes later, Twilight came into the room. She hadn’t bothered with a bathrobe, and was too busy vigorously drying herself off with a towel to notice her bed was occupied.

“Uhm, hello.”

Twilight pulled the towel from her face and gave Fluttershy a surprised look. “Oh, hi, Fluttershy. Done already?”

Fluttershy giggled. “You, uhm, you’ve been in there a long time, Twily.”

Twilight blushed deeply and dropped the towel in surprise. “I, er… Did you call me ‘Twily’?”

Fluttershy blushed a little too. “I’m sorry. I just saw it on the letter and thought it was cute.”

Twilight jumped onto the bed. She wouldn’t meet Fluttershy’s eyes. “Don’t be sorry. And… you can call me ‘Twily’ if you want.”

Fluttershy giggled and draped herself over Twilight. She didn’t mind that her marefriend was still damp. “Okay. Well, in that case, I love you, Twily.”

Although she couldn’t see her face, Fluttershy knew that Twilight must have been blushing. “I love you too. I’ll have to think of a nickname for you.”

“I like the sound of that.” Fluttershy stroked Twilight’s mane, enjoying how nice and soft she was after her shower. Although she did notice one part of her marefriend stood out as a little less cared for. “Silly Twily, you didn’t even preen your wings.”

Twilight shifted onto her side so that she was lying on one wing. She tucked the other closer to her body. “Oh, well, I usually take care of that after showering.”

In truth, this wasn’t the first time Fluttershy had noticed Twilight wasn’t always on top of taking care of her wings. It was strange for Fluttershy to think of; pegasi placed a lot of emphasis on wing care.

But Twilight wasn’t a pegasus, and, Fluttershy realized, she wouldn’t have had anyone to teach her about preening. No doubt she’d read all about it, but that wasn’t quite the same. “Here, let me help. Roll onto your other side.”

Fluttershy moved so Twilight could do as she was told. It took a moment’s hesitation, but she complied without complaint. Once Twilight’s back was to her, Fluttershy used her hooves to gently extend one of her wings.

It was a little strange to be preening somepony else. The only other pony Fluttershy was close enough to even consider doing something like that with was Rainbow Dash, but she’d never let anypony near her wings. It reminded Fluttershy of very long ago, back when she was in Twilight’s position.

“You must think it’s pretty dumb of me to need help with this…”

“Of course not,” Fluttershy said once she’d straightened out another feather. “And I know you don’t need help. But you know, it’s kind of nice.”

Twilight’s tone lightened a little bit. “This does feel pretty good…”

Fluttershy giggled. “Well, that too. But I meant… you’re so incredible. Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing I can really do for you, because you can do everything. So… it’s nice to be able to do something for you, even if it’s just something little like this.”

“That’s not true.” Twilight turned her head to look back at Fluttershy. “There are a lot of things I can’t do. And you do so much more for me than you realize. You… you make me feel calmer. Even before we started dating, you always helped keep me grounded whenever it felt like everything was too much.”

Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she could possibly do something like that. Most of the time, it felt like everything was too much for her too; how could she help somepony else when she was struggling with the same thing?

But she wanted to believe what Twilight said, so she didn’t argue. Besides, she also wanted to take the time to preen Twilight’s wings, which she’d never manage to get done before Spike came home if she kept talking.

“I’m glad I can help. But for now, I think I should finish helping with your wings.”

Twilight chuckled. “Alright, but one of these days I’ll have to oh sweet Celestia that feels nice.”

Fluttershy giggled through a mouthful of feathers. As she worked her way from one wing to the other, Twilight eventually lost her embarrassment at Fluttershy helping her with something that was so simple for most winged ponies. Or maybe she was just enjoying herself too much to complain.

Either way, Fluttershy enjoyed herself too. And always, her thoughts brought her back to when she was a filly and her mom would help her preen her wings. Simpler times, back before Fluttershy had nightmares and worried about what it meant that she liked mares.

Back when life was good. Back before he had ruined it for her.

“Ow!”

“Sorry!” Fluttershy had let herself get distracted and had been perhaps a bit too forceful with a feather. She quickly smoothed it out.

If Twilight was upset, she did a poor job showing it. “Mmm, that was great, Fluttershy!” She stretched out her wings and turned around so they were face to face. “I’m definitely going to have to return the favor someday.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I’m looking forward to it, Twily.”

Twilight blushed again at the nickname, although not as bad as before. She wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy and guided her down to the bed, so they were lying down together.

“Funny you mentioned that letter, actually. It’s from my parents.”

“Oh?”

“They invited me to spend Hearth’s Warming with them, and… I was thinking maybe you could come with me.”

Fluttershy’s mouth fell open and she blinked in surprise a few times. Twilight must have mistaken her hesitation, because she quickly added, “You don’t have to if you’re not ready for something like that. I just thought it might be nice, you know, if you wanted to come…”

“I… I do, but…” Fluttershy looked uncertainly at Twilight. “Do you… think they’ll be okay with us? With, uhm, me?”

“I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t. They always taught me to accept other ponies for who they are.” Twilight glanced back to the letter, and Fluttershy could tell she was nervous too. “And, well, why should accepting me be any different, right?”

Fluttershy thought back to the two times she had briefly met Twilight’s parents. Once for Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding, once for Twilight’s coronation. They hadn’t talked much either time, but they had seemed like nice ponies, and both Twilight and Spike spoke fondly of them. “I’m sure it’ll be okay then. And Hearth’s Warming is still a few months away, so there’s no need to worry too much about it now.”

“Exactly. No need to worry at all.”

Fluttershy cuddled in closer to Twilight. “I wish… sometimes I wish I could do the same thing. I’m sure my mama would love you.”

Fluttershy wasn’t sure of that at all. But just like Twilight, she said it because she wanted to believe it.

Twilight held Fluttershy closer and stroked her mane. “I wish I could meet them too.”

While they lay cuddled up, they heard the sound of the castle door open and close. Fluttershy was the first to rise and put on a brave face in spite of her worries about parents. “Sounds like Spike’s home. We should go down and meet him.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Yeah. He’s gonna be so jealous when he hears what he missed.”

Fluttershy nudged Twilight before leaving the bed. “Now now, don’t you go teasing him.”

“Sorry, but I have to. It’s in the big sister rule book.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Okay, but go easy on him.”

“Alright, but only for you.”

On their way out of the bedroom, Twilight stretched a wing over Fluttershy’s back. There had been a lot of changes in the past few months, and it sounded like a lot more were on the way, but for once Fluttershy didn’t mind. She just snuggled in closer as they walked, content in the knowledge that she could see them through so long as Twilight was there by her side.

Author's Note

Happy chapters are hard...

Got Pasu to do a commission for the newt-salamander dance. Check it out over here!

13 – Talk of the Town

Chapter Thirteen
Talk of the Town

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If Fluttershy were to single out one thing about Ponyville that made it her favorite town in all of Equestria, she might say it was how friendly everypony that lived there was. Whenever she walked through Ponyville, she was sure to find lots of smiling faces and friendly greetings. Which made it very strange when instead, she found ponies staring at her and whispering things to their friends as she walked past.

It was unlike the other day, when her disheveled state had caused her to stand out. Ponies had been concerned about her then. Now she felt more like a curiosity, something on display for everypony to gawk at, and she had no idea why.

It wasn’t everyone. There were plenty of ponies who offered friendly waves and smiles, or who simply went about their day without noticing her. But just when she thought she might’ve imagined it, she’d catch another sideways glance.

She considered asking somepony what was going on, but she couldn’t work up the nerve. Maybe one of her friends would know something about it. Rarity was the closest, so Fluttershy shifted course towards the Carousel Boutique.

She didn’t make it to the Boutique before being stopped. A young unicorn mare approached her, smiling nervously. “Uhm, excuse me, Miss Fluttershy?”

“Oh, hello,” Fluttershy said, trying to figure out if she knew the younger mare.

“I was just wondering if, uhm, if it’s true? About you and Princess Twilight?” She levitated over a tabloid magazine for Fluttershy to see.

Fluttershy knew as soon as she saw the picture. It was from the other day, showing Fluttershy and Twilight walking through town after the newt-salamander dance. Although both of them were extremely disheveled, it was easy to see that they couldn’t be happier. More to the point, they were looking at one another in adoration, with Twilight’s wing resting on Fluttershy’s shoulders.

That had been one tiny moment, something Fluttershy could barely recall even having happened, but there was no way to tell that through the photo. Viewing just that one moment frozen in time, anypony might assume Twilight had walked with her like that the whole way through town.

So of course, Fluttershy knew what the article was about without having to read it. She knew, and yet every word struck her. The headline read ‘Princess Twilight and Fluttershy – Caught in a Secret Tryst?’ and a quick skim of its contents revealed that even if the tone was speculative, the implication was obvious. It even noted that the two of them had been seen spending time together constantly over the past few months.

Fluttershy was left speechless. The unicorn seemed unaware. “It’s all anyone’s talking about! I know it might just be nothing, but if it’s true then this is huge news!”

“I…” Fluttershy looked around and noticed several ponies were listening in. She grasped for an answer, any answer, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Oh, it’s true, isn’t it! I can’t believe it, this is so exciting!”

Fluttershy took a step back. She should deny it, or say that she preferred not to comment on her personal life, or… or something.

Instead, she turned and flew away without a word. She couldn’t think of how to say what was on her mind, couldn’t even decide exactly what was on her mind. All she knew for sure was that she had to get out of there as soon as possible.

There was no doubt that she drew more attention to herself by flying through town, but it was too late to care about something like that now. She had to go. She had to get to Twilight.

She tried her best to avoid looking at anyone else on her way to the castle. She certainly didn’t stop to talk to anyone else. She didn’t even stop to knock on the door once she reached it, throwing it open and letting herself in.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy called as she flew through the castle. There wasn’t a response, but Fluttershy had a pretty good idea of where she would be.

She flew up to the library, once again going in without knocking. Predictably, Twilight was sitting at a table hunched over a book.

“Twilight, I –”

“Aaah!” Twilight jumped up and stared wide-eyed at Fluttershy. After a moment, her expression softened to a smile. “Oh, hi, Fluttershy. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, frowning at herself for startling Twilight. But they had something more important to discuss, so she put that aside. “I was just in town, and… Somepony found out about, uhm, us…”

Twilight frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a magazine article about us with a picture of us on the way back from White Tail Woods the other day. It, uhm, it makes it look like we were walking through town with you holding me in your wing. And… it talks about how much time we’re spending together, and how we’ve been seen going to each other’s houses so much, and, and… And somepony asked me about it, but I didn’t know what to say!”

With every word, Twilight looked more and more panicked. “Wait… Somepony wrote about us!? And… And other ponies are reading it!?”

Fluttershy could only nod.

Twilight held her head in her hooves. “Oh, this is bad! I wasn’t ready for this! I didn’t plan for this! What are we going to do!?”

“I… I don’t know…”

Twilight fell to the desk with her hooves over her head. She stopped talking, and instead switched to rapid breathing.

Fluttershy recognized that Twilight was having an anxiety attack and walked across the room to sit next to her. She wasn’t sure what she could say, so she just pulled up a chair and put her forelegs around her marefriend.

Although she didn’t look up, Twilight shifted one foreleg from its place over her head to put it around Fluttershy. Her breathing slowed to a more normal pace, and Fluttershy might’ve thought she was calming down if not for the whimper that escaped her mouth.

“It’ll be okay,” Fluttershy said without even thinking of the words. Twilight was upset, and Fluttershy would calm her down. She didn’t need to think to know that. “We’ll get through this.”

“But how!?”

“We’ll get through this together.” Fluttershy smiled, even if she felt like doing anything but. “We’ll lean on each other. No matter what happens, as long as we’re together, it’ll work out in the end.”

“I… I wish that was true…”

“It is. I love you, Twily.”

That was her secret weapon. Even now, Twilight couldn’t help but smile when Fluttershy called her ‘Twily’, and she answered in turn. “I love you too, Shy.”

As silly as it was, Fluttershy smiled too. When Twilight had decided to find a nickname for Fluttershy, that’s what she came up with. It was hardly original; Rainbow had been calling her ‘Shy’ since they were fillies. But in a way, that was even better. Just as ‘Twily’ was what Twilight’s family called her, so was ‘Shy’ for Fluttershy.

“No matter what anypony else think, I’ll still be there with you,” Fluttershy said softly. “And you’ll still be there for me too, right?”

“Of course I will,” Twilight said, starting to sound a little calmer.

Hearing Twilight start to sound better emboldened Fluttershy. “And who knows? Maybe it won’t even be so bad. Maybe ponies won’t pay much attention to it, or… or maybe they won’t even care.”

“Maybe…” Twilight sighed. “I just wish I had prepared for this.”

“You can’t prepare for everything. Sometimes… sometimes we just have to take things as they come.”

Twilight turned to her and smiled. “You’re right. Thanks, Shy.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Fluttershy said, although she was smiling as well.

“You keep me grounded. And you can ask Spike, that’s no easy feat.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, I don’t think anything could keep you grounded. Maybe just… a little closer to the ground than usual.”

Twilight laughed, which helped push away more of Fluttershy’s worries. “Since when do you pick on me?”

“That’s just part of being marefriends.”

“Oh yeah? Who told you that?”

Fluttershy nuzzled against Twilight. “Nopony. I just figured it out on my own.”

“I guess that’s how things have mostly gone for us. Figuring it out on our own.”

“Yeah. But I think we’ve done pretty well so far.”

Twilight nodded and leaned against Fluttershy. “Yeah, I think so too. And I guess… this is just another thing we’ll have to figure out together, huh?”

“Exactly.”

Even though they still didn’t know what to do, Fluttershy was feeling much better. Maybe it was time for something like this to happen. They had been dating for three months, and somepony was bound to figure it out sooner or later.

And no matter how scary it was, maybe this was a good thing. When they had first started dating, Fluttershy hadn’t wanted anyone to know. But now that she thought about it… there was an undeniable appeal to being able to walk through Ponyville with Twilight without needing to hide anything.

“Hey, Shy?”

“Yeah, Twily?”

“Will you… stay the night tonight?” Twilight blushed. “I know that’s part of what got us into this situation, but if I’m alone, I’m going to panic all night…”

If Twilight hadn’t asked, Fluttershy would have. “Of course I will. I… probably would be doing the same thing if I was home alone…”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Everything will be okay… no matter what happens.”

Fluttershy thought of everything ahead of them and how hard it would be. But then she looked at Twilight and she knew that didn’t matter. “Yeah,” she said. “Everything will be okay.”

Things seemed better after the night went by without any cataclysmic disaster. Nothing out of the ordinary happened – Spike made them dinner, the three of them ate together, Fluttershy and Twilight read to each other for a bit, then they turned in for the night. No ponies came knocking, no distressing letters from concerned citizens arrived, nothing happened at all.

Of course, all that fell apart in the morning. They had both started the day a little anxious, but they smiled through it during breakfast. It was only when they couldn’t put it off anymore that the full weight of the day hit them.

They got stuck in place while staring at the door. Once they went through it, there was no telling what would happen. But they both knew that they were doing themselves no favors by delaying the inevitable. Good or bad, it was time to face their peers.

“Ready?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy wasn’t, of course, but she couldn’t say that. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Twilight opened the door, and for better or worse, they walked out into Ponyville.

At first, it seemed that all their worries had been for nothing. They walked into town towards Fluttershy’s cottage – their eventual destination, as Fluttershy had to take care of the animals – and no one stopped them. A few ponies greeted them, and Fluttershy did wonder if it was just her imagination or if ponies were glancing at them a little more than usual, but nopony had any difficult questions for them.

“Are you sure about that magazine?” Twilight muttered.

Fluttershy nodded. “I saw it myself.”

“Then maybe ponies really don’t care.” Twilight smiled slightly. “Maybe this whole thing can blow over without us needing to even do anything.”

“That would be a relief.” Even if this whole experience showed Fluttershy that it might be time to think about addressing their relationship, she still wanted to do it on their own terms.

Not that they would have much choice in the matter, as an earth pony stallion approached them with a grin that suggested he was all too happy to find the two of them together.

“Princess Twilight, a moment of your time for the Canterlot Daily?”

Twilight’s smile was a little too big, but it was better than Fluttershy’s reaction – she just hid in her mane.

“What can I do for you?” Twilight asked, only sounding slightly nervous.

“What do you have to say about the rumor that you and Fluttershy are dating?”

“Oh, yesterday’s silly tabloid gossip.” Twilight laughed nervously. “Well, the truth is that…” Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy, who couldn’t manage to look back at her. “…that we’re working on a research project together!”

Both Fluttershy and the reporter turned to look at Twilight. “A research project?” the reporter repeated.

Twilight nodded. “Yes! That’s why we’ve been spending so much time together! We’ve been studying the local amphibian population, chiefly newts and salamanders.”

The stallion looked between the two mares. “So… just research then? No secret trysts or anything like that?”

Twilight laughed, which caused Fluttershy to look back towards the ground. “No, of course not. Fluttershy and I are just friends with a mutual love of nature, and that’s all. We did discover some very interesting things though, which I’d be happy to discuss for the Canterlot Daily!”

Just friends. Why did that hurt to hear?

“Er, afraid that’s not quite the type of news our readers are looking for, Princess. One final question, though.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Fluttershy, do you have any comment on the rumors?”

Fluttershy hesitated. Had he noticed her reaction to Twilight’s comment? She looked at Twilight but found she didn’t like her awkward smile. “I… no. Just what Twilight said.”

“I see. Well, thank you both for your time.” He quickly bowed his head, then went off on his way.

Twilight sighed in relief. “I expected that to go a lot worse.”

Fluttershy had expected it to go a lot better, although she couldn’t say how. This was what they wanted, for the whole thing to just blow over. So why was she questioning it now?

“I… I think I should go take care of the animals on my own,” Fluttershy said.

She had expected Twilight to disagree, but she simply nodded. “Good idea. Putting a little distance between us for now will help keep the rumors down.”

Fluttershy didn’t want to put distance between them, not really. But she also didn’t really feel like being around Twilight right now. She didn’t know what she wanted, just that somehow, she didn’t want this.

But whether she wanted it or not, it seemed that this was all she was getting. She said goodbye to Twilight, then they went off on their separate ways. No ‘I love you’, nothing to remind Fluttershy that she was important to Twilight. They had to keep up appearances when other ponies were around, after all.

Maybe… maybe that was all she wanted. Just for Twilight to disagree about spending time apart so that she would know Twilight did still want to spend time with her. Not that it mattered. Not when Twilight was already walking away.

Fluttershy could stop her. She could say that she changed her mind, ask Twilight to come with her after all. She was pretty sure that even now, Twilight would come with her.

But she didn’t. Fluttershy found herself walking away as well, heading off to be by herself once more.

She walked slowly to her cottage, thankful that no one else stopped her at least. It was hard enough to agree with Twilight once, she didn’t want to have to do it again.

If anypony tried paid her any attention, she didn’t notice them. Instead, she spent the entire walk back to her cottage trying to sort through her thoughts, getting nowhere.

She was out of town before anypony spoke to her. Thankfully, it was a welcome voice that finally did. “There you are!”

Fluttershy looked up to see Rainbow Dash land in front of her. “Dash?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you! There’s uh…” Rainbow looked around, making sure there was nopony nearby listening in. “There’s something you should see.”

“Do you mean in the magazine article?”

“Oh, you saw it already then…” Rainbow brushed a hoof through her mane awkwardly. “Some ponies asked me if I knew anything about it, and I thought you should know.”

Fluttershy nodded and continued walking towards her cottage. “What, uhm, what did you say?”

Rainbow walked beside her. “I told them not to bother you two, and that they shouldn’t listen to rumors.”

That was better than hearing Twilight say they were just friends, at least. “Sorry that you had to do that… I wish ponies would just let us figure this out without spreading rumors…”

Rainbow shrugged. “Hey, that’s just how ponies are, you know? I hope nopony’s been bothering you about it, though.”

“I had somepony ask me about it yesterday, and then a reporter asked me and Twilight about it today.”

“Oh geez, reporters? What’d you tell them?”

“I… I didn’t really say anything. Twilight told them it was just a rumor, and that we’ve been together so much because we’re researching animals together.”

“Smart.” Rainbow grinned. “Leave it to Twilight to figure out the perfect excuse.”

“Yeah…”

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “Is everything okay, Shy?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Well, what’s wrong? It sounds like Twilight has everything covered.”

“She does.” Fluttershy shook her head and forced a smile. “You’re right, I should be happy.”

“I’m not saying that you have to be. I just… don’t see why you’re not.” Rainbow stopped walking. “Unless you don’t want to keep it a secret anymore!”

Fluttershy winced. She didn’t like how excited Rainbow sounded. “I do. That’s, uhm, that’s what we agreed on, and… and I’m not ready to tell everyone yet.”

Even though Fluttershy had only gotten a few steps ahead, Rainbow still flew the distance between them. “So then what’s the problem?”

“Nothing.”

Rainbow frowned. “Promise me that nothing is bothering you.”

Fluttershy tried, but she couldn’t. “That’s not fair…”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Come on, Shy, it’s me! What could be so bad that you don’t want to talk to me about it?”

“I just… I don’t know, okay?” Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut tight. It had bothered her when Twilight denied their relationship. It had bothered her when Rainbow wanted them to come out. How could she say what was wrong when her feelings kept contradicting themselves? “I just wish this had never happened.”

“Is that all? You know how these things go, in a week there will be some new gossip and nopony will even care about this anymore.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. They didn’t really comfort her like she wanted them to, but she couldn’t deny that Rainbow’s words rang true. “Yeah. You’re right.”

Rainbow looked at her uncertainly, but she didn’t say anything.

Fluttershy crumbled anyway. “I guess I just didn’t like the way Twilight handled it.”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. Just… hearing her dismiss our relationship hurt.” Fluttershy sighed. “But I’m being dumb. What else was she supposed to say?”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Wait, did she not talk to you before telling other ponies that the rumors aren’t true?”

“Well, we did talk about it. But I thought we were going to tell ponies we are dating, and that we’d figure things out from there. It doesn’t matter though, this is better.”

“Maybe, but she should’ve talked to you before changing her mind like that! That’s really messed up of her.”

“She didn’t…” Fluttershy shook her head. It wasn’t like Twilight changed her mind, exactly. More that they just didn’t really reach a real conclusion. “We just misunderstood each other. It’s fine. I… I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

It was clear by her hesitation that Rainbow still did, but she didn’t press it. Besides, they had reached the cottage.

Even if Fluttershy was used to taking care of the animals alone, she had been looking forward to having help today. “Do you… maybe want to help me with the animals?”

Taking care of the animals had never been Rainbow’s favorite job. Nor was she particularly good at it, as she couldn’t seem to master the delicate balance of being caring enough for the animals to want to be around her, but forceful enough that they would listen to her when need be.

But when it came down to it, they probably both knew that Fluttershy just didn’t want to be alone. “Sure, I can help.”

Fluttershy smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Dash.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Fluttershy glanced back towards town. At least she had Rainbow to stand beside her. No matter what happened, Fluttershy knew she would always have that.

But Twilight had her own concerns with her reputation as a princess, and if rumors like this kept popping up, all she could do was hope that Twilight would choose to stand beside her as well.

Author's Note

Because horses sure do love their gossip :raritywink:

14 – Damage Control

Chapter Fourteen
Damage Control

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During the year since Twilight became a princess, she had learned many new skills related to her new title. She was still far from becoming an expert, but she did think she was getting the hang of her new role and responsibilities.

But nothing she’d learned so far was very helpful for the skill she suddenly found herself needing to master: damage control.

Of course, that was surely something Celestia and Luna would know all about, and even Cadance had probably found herself in a few PR disasters over the years that she’d been a princess. But none of them knew about Fluttershy, which meant that even if Twilight did reach out to them for advice, they couldn’t possibly help her with her current situation.

So she’d have to improvise. After all, wasn’t that what she and Fluttershy had talked about? They would figure things out as they went, as they always did. Twilight wasn’t always good at that, but this wasn’t just about her – Fluttershy also needed her to handle this, and Twilight was not going to let her down.

It wasn’t much of a plan, but Fluttershy’s idea to split up made Twilight realize that being seen around town on her own might help. Plus that way she might be able to catch anyone else who insisted on asking questions, which would keep Fluttershy from having to worry about it.

Without any clear destination in mind, Twilight more or less wandered around aimlessly. She stopped at a few few shops and talked to some acquaintances, mostly just killing time and staying visible. As expected, a few ponies did ask if she’d seen the article, but fewer than she feared. Even better, nopony really seemed to believe it was anything more than an unfounded rumor.

She was able to think of one thing she really wanted to do, though. It wasn’t until around noon that she finally got the chance to make her way to the newsstand.

“Well hello there, Princess!” the salespony greeted her. Although he used her formal title, he dispensed with all other formality, which made it feel almost like a friendly nickname. Ever since Twilight became a princess, she found herself with more reason to keep up with current events, and chose this particular newsstand to do so because of the friendly face. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a magazine, but I’m afraid I don’t know the name of it. It came out yesterday and there’s a story about me in it.”

The stallion nodded, although he wore a frown. “I know which one you mean, but, Princess… You really don’t need to worry about junk like that. It’s nothing but a gossip rag, they just print whatever to get ponies to buy their magazine instead of a real paper.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about it,” Twilight said, although she’d been worrying nonstop since she first heard about it. “I just think it would be fun to see for myself is all.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, suppose I can see how that could be. Maybe bring it around to show Fluttershy, give her a laugh too.”

“I think I might do just that.” Twilight would do no such thing, but she did want to buy the magazine so she had a copy on hoof in case she decided to do something about it. Not that she was likely to – the magazine was no doubt well aware of libel laws, and would certainly have played it safe in any story involving a princess. Even if she wanted to, she would have no legal grounds to do anything.

But that didn’t matter, since now Twilight had a perfectly reasonable excuse to spend the day with Fluttershy! No one could think they were dating if they were spending the day laughing about how ponies thought they were dating!

On second thought, that might be a horrible idea… For it to work, they’d have to tell ponies that was why they were together. Otherwise, they were just spending time together again. Fluttershy had obviously found it difficult to talk about it before, so maybe it would be better to leave her alone for now.

But Twilight could still use this to her advantage, she just had to rethink her approach. “I bet Applejack would get a kick out of this. I think I’ll go show her.”

There. Now somepony knew she was heading to Applejack’s, and with any luck, some others would find out as well. It was all well and good for Twilight to be by herself, but it would be even better to remind ponies that she spent time with all of her friends.

She paid for the magazine, much as she didn’t really want to give them her patronage, and said goodbye to the salespony. She set out towards Sweet Apple Acres, and was delighted when somepony asked her what she was up to. The more ponies who knew she was spending time with Applejack instead of Fluttershy, the better.

She did consider alternatives as she strolled through town. There was a significant chance that with Twilight unavailable, Fluttershy would go to Rainbow if she needed to talk to someone. Or Rarity. Twilight chose to believe Fluttershy would go to Rainbow and crossed her off the mental list.

As for Rarity herself, she would already know about the magazine and might even be able to help her figure out how to deal with the news. All in all, she’d be a great choice, and Twilight knew it. But as much as she hated to admit it, Twilight still hadn’t managed to stop comparing herself to Fluttershy’s crush.

‘Former crush,’ Twilight reminded herself. Fluttershy said she loved Twilight, and Twilight believed that. She didn’t still have feelings for Rarity, and the sooner Twilight fully accepted that, the sooner she could go back to feeling normal around her friends.

Good reason or not, Twilight was feeling insecure enough without adding anything other factors, so Rarity was out of the question. That left Applejack and Pinkie Pie. And as much as Twilight loved Pinkie, she was the last pony Twilight wanted to go to with a delicate situation like this.

And even if Applejack still wasn’t the best about situations regarding their romance, she was the least likely to even know about the magazine. Twilight would be able to spend the day with a friend and they wouldn’t even need to worry about anything awkward.

Thinking of it, Twilight sent the magazine away to the castle with a flash of her magic. Better to not have it on hoof at all, that way it couldn’t come up.

She felt better about her decision with each step towards Applejack’s. As much as she wanted to be seen without Fluttershy in Ponyville, she only felt how tiring it had been to be in town once she was leaving it. And the rustic countryside of Sweet Apple Acres made it hard to let her worries get the best of her.

Surprisingly, the first pony she met at the Apple orchard wasn’t a pony at all. “Twilight?” Spike shot her a confused look as she walked up, which she shared. “What are you doing here?”

“I just thought I’d pay Applejack a visit. What about you?”

“The Crusaders and I were going to play in the woods, but then Apple Bloom had some chores. So the four of us are chipping in to help get them done faster.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s sweet of you. Wonder if Applejack has anything she could use help with.”

Spike shrugged. “She’s out back if you want to ask her. But you better be quick, I think she’s on her way out to the orchard.”

“Thanks, Spike, I’ll head there now.”

As he had said, Applejack was in the back, although she was a good deal farther than Twilight had expected her to be.

“Applejack!” she called. Applejack looked up and waved, so Twilight mimicked the action. She chose to fly the distance, noting how much smoother she was flying ever since Fluttershy’s pointers on preening.

She landed next to Applejack, who was dragging a cart with an axe in it. “Hello, Applejack. Want some help?”

Applejack smiled. “Howdy, Twilight. I reckon a bit of help and some company would be mighty appreciated.”

Twilight fell in step beside Applejack. “What are we working on?”

“There’s a few older trees that don’t bear fruit no more and won’t make it through the winter, so we’re gonna chop ‘em down for firewood.”

“Getting a head start on winter already? We haven’t even done the Running of the Leaves.”

Applejack nodded. “Gettin’ an early start gives us time to strip the bark off the trees, which we can use to make mulch. We’ll spread a layer of that around the apple trees to keep their roots warm in the winter.”

Learning something new about her friend’s work brought a smile to Twilight’s face. “That’s really interesting! But are a few trees really going to have enough bark to make mulch for all of Sweet Apple Acres?”

Applejack chuckled. “Nah, not even close. But it doesn’t hurt to get what we can for ourselves. One of my pa’s old friends is a woodcutter, he’ll sell us the rest of what we need.”

“Makes sense.” Twilight noticed a withered old apple tree and inclined her head towards it. “Guessing this is one of them?”

“Eeyup.” Applejack stopped and unhooked herself from the cart, then pulled out the axe. “Now stand back.”

Twilight did as instructed, watching as the practiced earth pony got to work. She looped her front hooves through handles on the axe so she could wield it, then reared back on her hindlegs and brought the axe down with a crack!

Although the tree was very thick, Applejack managed to get a sizable scar in it. She reared up and struck the same place, then did it again, and again. Most ponies would’ve been chopping for quite a while to bring down such a large tree, but Applejack made short work of it.

Applejack set the axe off to the side. “Alright, make sure you’re good and clear.”

Although Twilight could easily handle a falling tree if she needed to, she still took a few extra steps back for Applejack’s peace of mind. “Ready when you are!”

Rather than use the axe, Applejack backed up to the tree and gave it one solid kick with both hindlegs. There was a loud crack, then the tree came crashing down.

Although it didn’t fall too close to Twilight, she still tensed up as she watched it land. Applejack just grinned. “I reckon she’ll make quite a few good logs for us.”

Twilight quickly composed herself. “I’m sure you’re right. Now, what should I do?”

“Ya ever sawed a log before?”

Twilight smirked. “Not unless you mean ‘pass out in the library until Spike wakes me up’.”

Applejack chuckled. “That’s about what I thought. We’ll never get through this whole thing with a regular axe, so we’re gonna use the saw. Goes by better with two ponies, so I was thinkin’ I’d need Big Mac to come help once I got the tree down, but I guess no reason we can’t give it a shot seein’ as you’re here.”

Applejack pulled a saw out of the cart and balanced it on the tree. She stood on one side, and Twilight took the other. They took turns pushing the saw back and forth between one another, which was much harder work than Twilight had expected it to be.

It could have been done much easier with magic, but Applejack was finicky about Twilight using magic on the farm. It wasn’t that she never allowed it, but rather that she decided when magic was okay to use without any sort of logic Twilight could figure out.

If she had wanted Twilight to use magic, she could have asked. And in the meantime, becoming an alicorn hadn’t just given her wings; she had earth pony magic she could rely on as well. She could almost sense where the weak parts of the tree were and guided the saw towards them.

“You know, you’re not too bad at this,” Applejack said. She spoke effortlessly, as if she was doing nothing more than idly walking around the orchard.

“Uh huh,” Twilight managed with obvious effort.

Applejack stopped. “You okay, Twi? If you need to take a break, just say so.”

Twilight’s breathing was heavy as she answered. “But we… haven’t… gotten through… the tree!”

Applejack let go of the saw and walked over to Twilight’s side. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.” She gently guided Twilight away, leading them towards the farmhouse.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t realize how tough that would be.”

Applejack chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. You did do pretty good for what you did, though. Me and Big Mac can finish the rest.”

Twilight wondered if she should point out that she could easily split the log with magic if Applejack was okay with it. She decided against it, not wanting to do anything her earth pony friend might view as untraditional if she could help it.

They were still on their way back to the farmhouse when they were interrupted. A blue streak flew in from above, landing in front of them. An entrance like that was hardly out of the norm for Rainbow Dash, but in place of her usual cocky grin, she wore a determined expression. And Twilight didn’t like the way it was pointed directly at her.

“Hey there, Dash,” Applejack said. “We were just headin’ inside for some refreshments. Feel like joining us?”

“Not really a good time,” Rainbow said, her voice as serious as her expression. “Gotta talk to Twilight about something.”

There was no doubt what Rainbow would want to talk about. ‘So much for getting away from that for the afternoon…’ Twilight forced a smile in spite of the unwanted subject. “You mean the magazine. I already know about it, but don’t worry; everything’s been taken care of.”

Rainbow glared. “Oh, I know one thing that’s not taken care of.”

Twilight frowned. Why in the world was Rainbow upset with her?

Maybe she thought Twilight hadn’t actually taken care of it? Or… maybe she hadn’t? Had Rainbow heard something Twilight didn’t? “Did somepony in town say something else about it?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “The only thing I heard in town was that you were here.”

At least it seemed that Twilight’s plan for ponies to take note of where she was apparently paid off. But she couldn’t exactly be happy about that when Rainbow was inexplicably upset about something. “So… what’s the problem exactly?”

Rainbow frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one? How can you seriously not know what this is about?”

Twilight’s ear twitched. Why the hay couldn’t Rainbow just get to the point? She wasn’t the only one wondering that, as Applejack cleared her throat. “Ya wanna maybe tell us what’s goin’ on here? Don’t sound like either of us knows what you’re talkin’ about.”

Rainbow turned away from Twilight slowly, then finally started to give a straight answer to Applejack. “Somepony caught wind of Twilight and Fluttershy and wrote some stupid article about it.”

“Oh.” Applejack turned to Twilight and frowned. “You didn’t mention anything about that.”

Yeah, why in the world would Twilight not want to talk to Applejack of all ponies about a problem like this? But she took the high road and gave a diplomatic response. “Because I handled it. Hardly anypony in town even cares about the article, let alone believes it.”

Rainbow’s eyes snapped back to Twilight. “Yeah, as far as you know…”

This was getting ridiculous. “Okay, what? What is it? If nopony said anything, is there another article or something? Because all I know is I was trying to put this past me, then you came in out of nowhere and started getting an attitude with me!”

“Wonder why that could be?” Rainbow said accusingly. “Maybe something to do with the fact that your bucking marefriend is miserable because of you!?”

“What?” Twilight recoiled and shook her head. “What are you talking about? And not so loud!”

“Oh yes!” Rainbow said, even louder. “Celestia forbid anypony learn about your deep dark secret! Because that’s what’s really important here!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight gritted her teeth and took a step closer to Rainbow.

“Now hold on!” Applejack stepped between them and turned to Rainbow. “Somepony writes about Twilight and you get mad at her about it? Wanna maybe explain yourself a bit better, ‘cause ya ain’t really makin’ a lot of sense here.”

Twilight threw a hoof into the air. “Thank you!”

“I’m not mad about the article, I’m mad about what Twilight did afterwards.”

“Which was…?” Twilight asked through gritted teeth. The slow trickle of explanation was trying to hold off a river of Twilight’s mounting irritation, and it was losing.

“You just had to jump at the chance to deny your relationship, then you left Fluttershy all by herself!”

Twilight shook her head, still failing to understand what the hay Rainbow’s problem was. She tried to keep her voice quieter than Rainbow’s, but that was becoming more of a challenge. “What? You know we always planned on keeping it a secret. And splitting up was Fluttershy’s idea.”

“Bet you were really happy with that one though. Couldn’t wait to get away from her once your little secret was at stake.”

“It wasn’t like that! I was with her this morning and she’s fine.”

“Yeah? Well, I was just with her twenty minutes ago and she’s not.”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but a stamp from an orange hoof silenced her. “Enough! Both of y’all need to calm down! Now.”

“Hmph.” Rainbow turned away. Twilight just kept frowning at her, waiting for an explanation.

Applejack wasn’t waiting, though. “Rainbow, what exactly is going on with Fluttershy, and why do you think it’s Twilight’s fault?”

“Because it is!”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Now what did I just say? Calmly.”

Rainbow sighed. “Because Twilight thinks it’s okay to deny she cares for Shy, then just fly off and leave Fluttershy alone! She didn’t even think to check on her or anything!”

“What!? I –”

“Calmly,” Applejack said with a sharp look.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Of course I planned to check on her. It’s only been a few hours, and again, it was her idea.”

“Yeah, but news flash, Twilight: You have to talk to your marefriend before doing things like that!”

“What?” Twilight ignored how Applejack squirmed at the word ‘marefriend’. That just meant she wouldn’t stop Twilight from being blunt. Being ‘calm’ didn’t matter anymore; she’d heard enough from Rainbow, and was ready to shut her up. “I talked to Fluttershy! I talked to her, I planned it, and I stuck to the plan! And since you weren’t there, I don’t know where you get off on saying otherwise! And I also have no idea why Fluttershy would be upset, since this is exactly what was decided!

“Yeah, you planned it!” Rainbow shot back. “You stuck to your precious plans so you could save your precious reputation, even though it’s been bucking months! Just how long are you planning on keeping this a secret for?”

Twilight shook her head. “We’ve both kept it secret for years, I don’t think a few months to get used to being together is that big of a deal! And I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

Rainbow glare turned to a scowl. “Fluttershy is always my business!”

“No, she’s not!” In a conversation where Rainbow did nothing but go too far, this was still more than Twilight could stand. “I know you two are close, but when it comes to our relationship, just stay out of it! She’s my marefriend, not yours!”

“Maybe I’d stay out of it if you weren’t too ashamed of having a marefriend to notice when she’s hurt!”

“I’m not ashamed of her! It’s just complicated!” Twilight shoved past Applejack to get up close to Rainbow. “Not that you know what it’s like to have to worry about something like that. All the stallions you date, and nopony bothers to write any articles about that!”

Rainbow glared. “What are you trying to say?”

Thankfully, Applejack yanked Twilight back before she could say anything else. “Enough! Twi, that was uncalled for and you know it. Besides, you have to realize Rainbow has a point.”

Twilight’s head whipped from Rainbow to Applejack. “She what?”

“Look, I get why ya did what ya did, but it’s important to tell the truth.” Although Applejack was unfazed by having Twilight’s anger directed at her, she couldn’t maintain eye contact as she continued. “Even when it comes to, er, your ‘friend’.”

“Fluttershy is not just my friend!” Twilight was practically shouting, but she didn’t care. All she had wanted was to get away from the stupid magazine, but instead she got two of her best friends teaming up on her.

“That’s not what you said earlier!” Rainbow shot at her.

“Ugh!” Twilight had finally had enough. She was done sitting around listening to her friends berate her for something that wasn’t her fault.

Without another word to either of them, Twilight lit her horn and disappeared. She could only teleport so far, but she had no hope of outflying Rainbow. Better to teleport as far as she could first, that way when she did take to the air, Rainbow wouldn’t be able to see where she was taking off from.

There were only two places that made any sense to go. She could go after Fluttershy, or she could go back to her castle. From the sound of it, Fluttershy would benefit from Twilight checking in on her.

‘If Rainbow isn’t full of it, that is…’ Where did Rainbow get off saying all that stuff? Fluttershy had suggested they split up, that was what she wanted. If anything, that proved they were on the same page.

Twilight shifted course for her castle, positive that’s what Fluttershy would want. Rainbow didn’t know what she was talking about, and that was all there was to it.

She didn’t pay attention to anyone as she flew through Ponyville. She just had to get to her castle as quickly as she could, had to shut herself away from everyone else until she was ready to face them.

Nopony tried to stop her, but she only really felt safe when she was on the other side of the castle door. As soon as it was shut behind her, she leaned against it and slid down to the floor, holding her head in her hooves.

All she could think about was the argument that had just happened. Applejack’s hesitance at anything gay was to be expected, even if it was frustrating; the bigger deal was that she had sided with Rainbow on coming out, as if she didn’t see how important it was that they take their time with that.

But worst of all was Rainbow Dash. She had just been so hostile. It was the same as the day she found out that Twilight had overheard Fluttershy talking about being gay. It was the same baseless anger directed at someone who was supposed it be a close friend.

And like then, this had to be some silly misunderstanding. But whereas that argument had been short and ended with things being cleared up, this one still wasn’t resolved.

‘Some Princess of Friendship I am…’

A glance at her surroundings revealed that the magazine from earlier was lying on the floor near the door. A reminder of what started this whole thing, exactly what she needed.

With a sigh, Twilight picked herself up and walked to the kitchen. She didn’t really want anything, but getting herself a glass of water was at least a reason to pick herself up off the floor.

It didn’t keep her preoccupied for long. Within a minute, she was sitting at the kitchen table and sipping on a glass of water that she didn’t really want, still replaying the argument over in her head and trying to figure out exactly what went wrong.

That’s where she was when Spike came home and found her. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed with her sitting alone. It was only when she saw the worried look on his face that she shook off her daze enough for the weight to hit her, and she immediately had to hold back tears.

“I, uh, I heard everything with Rainbow Dash…” Spike took a seat beside her.

Twilight sighed. “Great… Did anyone else hear?”

Spike frowned. “Yeah… Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all did. But I don’t think Big Mac or Granny Smith were around, at least.”

That didn’t feel like much of a comfort. She groaned and let her head fall to the table. “Now I’ll have to figure out how to explain it to them! I’m sure Rainbow will be just thrilled about that…”

Spike patted her on the back. “Don’t worry about it, I already talked to them.”

Twilight lifted her head up to give him a surprised look. “You did?”

“Of course I did! Why do you think it took me so long to get here? I was making sure they were okay with it and wouldn’t tell anypony.”

Twilight wanted to believe that Spike had handled it, but that was hard. He was only eleven, and only barely at that. True, he was mature for his age, but how far did that go with something like this? “So… how’d they take it?”

“Pretty well.” Spike smiled reassuringly. “They were all pretty surprised, but they already knew to keep it a secret before I even said anything. Turns out two of Scootaloo’s aunts are gay, and Rarity’s taken Sweetie Belle out to dinner with Hoity Toity and his coltfriend. Apple Bloom didn’t know any gay ponies, but she laughed and said it wasn’t as weird as finding out you became a princess.”

In the end, there wasn’t much she could do but hope Spike was right. She wasn’t too worried about Sweetie Belle, since Rarity would be sure to talk to her about it once Twilight told her what happened, but who knew what Applejack and Rainbow would tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?

So Twilight smiled, even if it wasn’t reflective of how she really felt. “Thanks for talking to them.”

“Of course!” Spike beamed proudly, but turned it down as he said, “But speaking of talking to ponies, how come you’re here instead of with Fluttershy?”

No. She was not going to get this from Spike too. “Like I told Rainbow, Fluttershy is fine. This is what we both want.”

“Oh, I know,” Spike answered quickly. “But, well… you’ve still got to talk to her.”

She knew Spike meant well, but he was just a kid and he didn’t understand. “I can’t just tell Fluttershy ‘Hey, did you know Rainbow can be a huge jerk?’ They’re too close.”

“So… you’re just going to pretend this whole thing didn’t happen?” Spike frowned. “But what if Rainbow tells her about the fight first? Wouldn’t it be better to get your side of the story in before she does?”

That was actually a good point, and Twilight mentally kicked herself for not being the one to think of it. “I guess I should talk to her. If Rainbow isn’t already there…”

“Oh yeah… She left after you did, but I don’t know where she went…”

Twilight sighed. She’d had the head start, she should’ve gone right to Fluttershy after all. “Why can’t this just be easy?”

She had only been thinking out loud, and hadn’t meant for Spike to reply. He did anyway though, but not with words. He leaned closer to her and put his arms around her, holding her in a sideways hug without saying anything.

Following suit, Twilight wrapped a wing around his back and levitated his chair a little closer. At least no matter what else happened, she could always count on Spike sticking by her side.

Even if she did turn out to be wrong. Although she hadn’t wanted him involved in this at all, he already was. And, after all, he was mature for his age. “What do you think, Spike? Was I wrong to shut down the rumor?”

Spike hesitated, and she felt him squirm awkwardly beneath her wing. “I dunno… I don’t think so. But… maybe you should talk to Fluttershy, and not just so you can tell her your side of the story. Rainbow’s wrong about a lot of stuff, and she’s probably wrong about stuff here too. But you know, she’s usually right about when Fluttershy’s upset.”

That was true. Twilight didn’t want it to be, but it was true. She’d just been too focused on being right to see it. “I’ll talk to her. I should probably go do that now, even if Rainbow might be there…”

“Probably…” Spike pulled away to look up at Twilight. “Want me to come with you?”

Although that would probably keep any arguments away, Twilight didn’t want to use her little brother as a shield. “No, I think it’d be better if I went alone. Besides, if Fluttershy’s there, maybe Rainbow will keep her temper in check.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Twilight smiled. It was a real smile, even if she wouldn’t be happy until this whole thing was behind her. Spike was growing up and becoming more dependable by the day, and that was reason enough to smile all on its own. She kissed the top of his head. “Thanks, Spike.”

Then again, in some ways, he was definitely still a kid. He immediately squirmed away and rubbed his claws over his head as if he could wipe away the kiss. “Okay okay, no reason to get all sappy.”

Twilight giggled, which was a lot more than she expected to do under the circumstances. “I’ll probably be back sometime tonight. Hopefully not too soon though.”

“I’ve heard that one before.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but he had a point; she’d developed a bit of a habit of spending the night at Fluttershy’s on a whim. She could only hope that things would go well enough for that to be the case this time.

“Well then, if I’m not back tonight, I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” She stood up and started walking away, then turned back. “Love you, Spike.”

Spike rolled his eyes, but still grumbled an “I love you too.”

At least that put a smile on her face as she left the kitchen. It fell away by the time she reached the front door, however.

With a deep breath, Twilight opened it and stepped out to face whatever would come.

15 – Standing Together

Chapter Fifteen
Standing Together

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Maybe she should have waited until later. It was already late in the afternoon; if she just waited a few more hours it would be dinner time. Then even if Rainbow did go to Fluttershy’s, she would probably be gone by the time Twilight got there.

But Twilight didn’t wait, and she was already at Fluttershy’s cottage by the time she thought better of it. She considered leaving and coming back later, then chided herself for being afraid to see one of her friends. Argument or not, Rainbow was a friend, and Twilight shouldn’t just avoid her like that.

She could, however, hope desperately that Fluttershy would be home alone as she knocked on the door. Hoping to avoid a friend wasn’t the same as actively avoiding her, right?

It didn’t matter either way, because it wasn’t Fluttershy who answered the door. As was fitting for Twilight’s luck, Rainbow was on the other side frowning at her. “Twilight.”

“Hello, Rainbow. I came to check in on Fluttershy.”

“Decided that you care about how she’s doing after all then?”

Twilight held her tongue. She’d already had this argument, and it didn’t get her anywhere. She decided the best way to address Rainbow’s comment would be to ignore it completely. “Can I come in to talk with her?”

Rainbow stepped aside and allowed Twilight to come in. “She’s in her bedroom.”

For a moment, Twilight had let herself believe that Rainbow might let Twilight go up to talk to Fluttershy by herself. But of course, her luck was nowhere near good enough for that, and Rainbow followed her up the stairs. Maybe she would concede if Twilight asked for privacy, but she didn’t want to accidentally step on anyone’s tail after the blow up earlier.

As Rainbow said she would be, Fluttershy was sitting on her bed when they got there. She looked surprised to see Twilight in her doorway, but Twilight wasn’t able to maintain eye contact for long enough to read much else from Fluttershy’s expression.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy sounded as surprised as she looked, but at least she didn’t sound upset. “What are you doing here?”

‘Well, I didn’t come to see Rainbow Dash…’ Twilight took a few steps into the bedroom, but she stayed off the bed. If Fluttershy was upset with her, it would be best not to presume to get too close. She looked at the floor as she spoke. “I wanted to see how you were doing. Rainbow said you were upset earlier.”

“Oh…” It seemed that was more worrying to Fluttershy than Twilight showing up was. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Twilight said quickly. She chanced a look at Fluttershy to find the other mare was also looking away. “I just, well… are you okay?”

Fluttershy turned towards her and smiled. “I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Really?” Twilight looked at Rainbow, who rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Shy,” Rainbow said, walking over to the bed and sitting down on it. “You’ve gotta talk about things.”

Fluttershy sighed and pawed at her bed. “I guess maybe I was a little upset…”

Twilight nodded. That wasn’t good, of course, but it was good that Fluttershy was talking about it. “Alright, so what did I do to make you upset?”

“Oh no, you didn’t –” Fluttershy caught sight of Rainbow’s look and stopped short. She bowed her head as she continued. “I, uhm… I guess… The way you were so okay with me just going off on my own. Like… Like you didn’t want to be around me…”

“Oh, Fluttershy…” Twilight decided to risk it and took a seat on the bed as well. It was crowded with all three of them on it, but that was just reason to sit closer to her marefriend. “Of course I wanted to be around you. And I would’ve stayed with you if you’d asked me to. Why didn’t you say you wanted me to?”

“I… Like you said, it was better to split up…”

Twilight frowned. Fluttershy had been the one to say that. Or at least, Twilight thought she was. “We could’ve stayed together. Sure, it might’ve helped convince a few ponies, but hardly anyone believes the rumor anyway.”

“They don’t?” Fluttershy asked.

Right, she’d been at her cottage all day while Twilight was figuring out what she could about how everypony was reacting to the article. “Most ponies don’t listen to those tabloid magazines. No one even bothered to ask me about it, aside from that one reporter. So see, nothing to worry about!”

Fluttershy gave a small nod. “That’s good. So we were just worried over nothing.”

“Exactly.” She placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s, smiling when she saw Fluttershy was doing the same. “And… I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said. “And… and I did say I wanted to go alone…”

“Hold on, you did?” Rainbow said. “I thought that was Twilight’s idea.”

Twilight couldn’t resist mumbling, “I told you.”

Fluttershy looked between the two of them. “You two talked about this already? Is that where you went when you left earlier?”

Rainbow grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I found Twilight and we, uh, talked about it.”

And ponies said Twilight was a bad liar. Unsurprisingly, Fluttershy wasn’t buying it. “You two, uhm… you didn’t fight, did you?”

Both Twilight and Rainbow suddenly found themselves very interested in studying different parts of Fluttershy’s decor.

Fluttershy sighed and pulled her hoof away from Twilight. “You two should know better. I hate the thought of you two fighting, no matter what happens. Especially fighting about me…”

“You’re right,” Twilight said. She turned towards Rainbow. Even though she blamed Rainbow for starting the fight and being the primary antagonist in it, that didn’t really matter. Not when Fluttershy was sitting between them, at least. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. I should’ve listened to you when you tried to tell me Fluttershy was upset.”

Rainbow scratched at her neck. “Sounds like I maybe should’ve listened to Shy better before going to talk to you. I saw she was upset, and I guess I stopped paying much attention to anything else… I didn’t even realize Fluttershy was the one who wanted to split up in the first place.”

It wasn’t much of an apology, but Twilight would take it. Besides, Twilight had another question on her mind. “If you wanted to stay together, why did you suggest we split up?”

“I… I didn’t even realize it would bother me at the time…” Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m sorry, I know it’s really dumb.”

“No, it’s not.” Twilight took Fluttershy’s hoof in hers, this time deciding to hold it properly. “But you should tell me when something’s bothering you, even if you don’t think it should be.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. I will.”

Rainbow stood up and made a show of stretching. “Well, I guess I should probably head out. Looks like you two are fine here now, anyway.”

“Oh, uhm, you could stay for dinner if you want,” Fluttershy suggested. “Both of you could. That sounds like it would be nice.”

“Maybe another time,” Rainbow said, much to Twilight’s relief. The look she gave Twilight suggested they both felt the same way; even if they had made up, neither of them was really interested in sitting down for dinner together. “I told Scootaloo I’d swing by her place for dinner.”

That reminded Twilight that she still had to find out what Rainbow had told Scootaloo after she left, but that could be a conversation for another time. She didn’t need to give Fluttershy more reasons to be anxious right now by bringing up the Cutie Mark Crusaders, at least until Twilight had the chance to talk to their sisters first.

“Thanks for staying with me today, Dash,” Fluttershy said.

“Any time, Shy. See you later, Twilight.”

Twilight wondered if that was just a friendly goodbye or an actual promise that they’d be talking later. She supposed she would find out in due time. “Bye, Rainbow.”

Finally, Rainbow left the two marefriends alone. Twilight didn’t realize how anxious she was being around Rainbow until she left and took the anxiety with her. Guilt at being so anxious around a friend took up the space the anxiety had filled, but that was soon replaced by relief that Fluttershy didn’t seem to be upset with her anymore.

“So am I still invited to dinner then?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

Fluttershy giggled. “You’re always invited to dinner, Twily.”

Warmth spread through Twilight at the nickname. It was a silly nickname that she had more or less just put up with, not something she was ever fond of. But hearing it from Fluttershy was changing her mind. From Fluttershy, it was like a little ‘I love you’ that no one else would understand.

“Maybe we can have some pre-dinner snuggles though?” Twilight suggested.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”

Fluttershy lay back and held her forelegs open, so Twilight took the invitation and curled up beside her. Fluttershy used her wings to get a better hold of Twilight, so even though she was much larger than the small pegasus, she still felt like she was surrounded by her lover.

“Uhm…”

“What is it, Shy?” Even if her own nickname for Fluttershy wasn’t particularly clever, Twilight still smiled as she said it.

“I… I should tell you when I’m upset, right? Even… even if it’s for a dumb reason?”

Twilight’s smile faded. “It’s not dumb if it’s upsetting you.” She shifted so that she could look at Fluttershy better, although Fluttershy wasn’t looking at her. “You’re not upset now though, are you?”

“No,” Fluttershy answered quickly. “Not now. I was just… maybe not completely honest with Rainbow earlier. I, uhm, I didn’t want her to be upset too…”

“Alright, well, what do you mean?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I said I wanted to take care of the animals alone because I was already upset.”

“Oh…” Twilight frowned and tried to remember the conversation from earlier, searching for any reason Fluttershy might have been upset before they split up. She found nothing. “How come?”

“I… I don’t know.” Fluttershy opened her eyes and turned to Twilight. “I guess… when you were talking to the reporter… I just… I don’t know.”

Twilight wished she had more to go on. “It was a pretty stressful situation.”

“Yeah…”

“Was that it? You were just stressed out about the article?”

“I… probably…” Fluttershy leaned her forehead against Twilight’s. “But… maybe we could’ve talked a little more about what we would say before we said it.”

“Yeah…” Twilight had thought she handled it pretty well, but maybe Fluttershy would have rather been part of the plan? She supposed if the situation were reversed, Twilight would’ve wanted to know the story they were sticking to before they told anyone. “If something like this comes up again, we’ll talk about it more. Okay?”

“Okay.”

With that settled, Twilight turned instead to a more pressing matter: how to best cuddle Fluttershy. She decided to nuzzle her way to Fluttershy’s neck and plant a kiss on it, which earned her a giggle.

“I love you,” Fluttershy said.

“I love you too.”

“We… when we visit your parents, we’re telling them we’re dating, right?”

Twilight hesitated for a moment. That had been what she had in mind, but this recent scare made her think maybe it wasn’t such a great idea. “Well… we can do it either way. Sometimes Shining’s friends used to spend the holidays with us, when they didn’t have anywhere else to spend them. We could say you’re just doing that if you want.”

“Mmm.” Fluttershy held Twilight closely. “I… I want to tell them. But I wanted to make sure that, uhm, that’s what you want too.”

It was so much more complicated than that. Sure, Twilight wanted to tell them. But she wanted them to accept Fluttershy as readily as they would accept a coltfriend. She wanted them to accept that their daughter was gay and for that to not change anything between them. She wanted to tell them, but she wanted to know it would work, and she just couldn’t be sure.

But if she said that, then it would just be giving Fluttershy more reason to worry. When they first started dating, Fluttershy had a harder time accepting herself than Twilight did. The fact that she was ready to take such a big step was important, and Twilight wanted to support her no matter what the consequences were.

“I agree. We should tell them.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy kissed the top of Twilight’s head.

She looked up and smiled, then pulled herself up enough to kiss Fluttershy properly. “Everything will work out, Shy. My parents will love you. Besides, Cadance will be there, and she already knows I’m a lesbian.”

“Shining and Cadance are coming?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah. I didn’t mention that?”

“No. Is… is it really okay for me to come to something that your whole family will be there for?”

‘You are my family,’ Twilight thought. But she wasn’t sure how Fluttershy would react to a statement like that after only a few months together, so she held her tongue. “Everyone will love you. I’m sure of it.”

“I… I can do it. As long as you’re with me, I know I can.”

“I know you can too. You’re a lot stronger than you know, Shy.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

Twilight planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “If you did, then it wouldn’t be ‘stronger than you know’.”

Fluttershy smiled. “I guess not. So… ready for dinner?”

“Mmm, you mean ponies can’t just live on cuddles?”

“Sorry, but I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Alright then, let’s go eat.”

Fluttershy let go of Twilight, so she got off the bed and stretched. She stopped before walking out of the bedroom to look at Fluttershy, who was smiling.

There was no way to tell what her parents would think, so she would just have to focus on what she did know. And that was that she and Fluttershy would stand by each other, no matter what.

Twilight lifted a wing, and Fluttershy ducked under it to walk side by side to the stairs. She wasn’t the only one who felt like she could do more with her marefriend beside her – both of them were so much stronger together.

~ End Act II ~

Author's Note

And so completes Act II! Here’s some music to finish the act :twilightsmile:

16 - Stay With Me

Act III

Doubt

⠀

Chapter Sixteen
Stay With Me

⠀

⠀
Twilight smiled in her sleep, which caused Fluttershy to smile as well. She had just woken up and was enjoying watching her marefriend sleep so peacefully. And as if seeing how adorable she was wasn’t enough, It was comforting to know that even in the face of the coming days, Twilight’s dreams still left her smiling.

Waking up did make Fluttershy notice the chill of the winter morning, however. But no matter. She just pulled herself closer in response, placing her head on Twilight’s chest. Closing her eyes, she focused on the other mare’s heartbeat, and let its gentle rhythm bring her peace.

A moment later, she felt a wing drape over her and heard Twilight mumble something unintelligible. She knew Twilight would be awake soon, and really the sooner the better. ‘Not right now, though,’ Fluttershy hoped. ‘At least a few more minutes won’t hurt.’

“Mmm… good morning,” Twilight mumbled and stroked Fluttershy’s mane.

‘Oh well, it’s for the best anyway.’ “Good morning,” Fluttershy replied. She pulled away from the soothing sounds of Twilight’s heart just long enough to kiss her, then she went back to cuddling.

“Sleep well?” Twilight asked as she went back to stroking Fluttershy’s mane.

“I always do when I’m with you.” Fluttershy tried to get up, but Twilight kept holding on to her. She smiled. “We have a busy day, Twily. We really should get up.”

“No,” Twilight refused. She kissed Fluttershy’s head and kept her held close.

“Oh, you finished everything yesterday? I didn’t realize.” Of course, Fluttershy knew that Twilight had done no such thing. In fact, she had blown off all her preparations the day before to spend the day with Fluttershy at her cottage

“It’s cold out there,” Twilight protested. “I want to stay here, where it’s warm.”

“Cold or not, you’re a princess. You can’t just go away for a week without making any preparations.”

Twilight sighed, and Fluttershy thought she’d won until Twilight said, “Your princess demands cuddles.”

Fluttershy giggled. “A demand? Well, I guess I better cuddle you then.” She waited for a moment to let Twilight think she’d get her way before pulling out her secret weapon. “Only… I do hope all the animals are okay. It was so cold last night, and some of the poor babies are so fragile. But if Princess Twilight Sparkle demands cuddles…”

With a sigh, Twilight let go. “Why are you so mean to me?”

Fluttershy pulled her into a kiss before getting up. “Because I love you.”

Twilight sat up and yawned. As she stretched out, she was so cute that Fluttershy was tempted to take her up on her offer of more cuddles, but she knew that if she let Twilight have her way, they’d never get out of bed. ‘A compromise,’ she decided. “How about something nice and hot to start the day? We have tea and cocoa.”

“Cocoa sounds great,” Twilight said, finally rising from the bed at the promise of the warming beverage.

Although leaving the bed was a challenge, cocoa did sound pretty appealing. Fluttershy climbed out of bed and smiled at the sounds Twilight made as she stretched. It took Twilight a bit longer than Fluttershy to actually leave the bed, but once she did they walked downstairs together.

No matter how much she loved lounging in bed with her marefriend, Fluttershy always found it rejuvenating to start her day. The simple act of getting up and walking out of her bedroom was usually all it took.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was a different matter entirely. When they reached the kitchen, Fluttershy cheerfully began making their cocoa while Twilight sat at the table and put her head down on her hooves. She had been known to fall asleep like that on occasion.

Apparently, she used to rise with the sun every day to start her lessons with Princess Celestia, but it was a habit she had long since broken out of. For all seven months that they’d been dating, Twilight had been completely useless in the mornings. She blamed it on years of studying late into the night, but Fluttershy suspected it had more to do with no longer having anypony to keep her to the sun’s schedule.

Fluttershy didn’t mind though; she was happy to take over the morning chores, and Twilight would often go to bed with Fluttershy, even if she didn’t always go right to sleep.

Fluttershy hummed cheerfully as she filled two mugs with hot cocoa, liberally pouring marshmallows into Twilight’s. “Be careful, it’s still hot,” she said as she sat down next to Twilight, placing a mug in front of each of them.

Twilight pulled her head up only to rest it on Fluttershy’s shoulder instead, letting the cold air cool off her drink. Leaning her head on Twilight’s, Fluttershy absentmindedly rubbed her hoof along the other mare’s back and smiled to herself.

After a minute, she gingerly tested her own cocoa and found it not too hot. “If you don’t hurry up soon it won’t be hot at all.”

Without getting up, Twilight lifted her mug in her magic and took a sip. Perking up at the heat, she sat up on her own and took the mug in her hooves. “Thanks, Shy. It’s perfect.”

They sipped their cocoa in silence for a while as Twilight finished waking up. Once she did, she smirked. “So, you had to take care of those poor little animals, huh?”

Fluttershy blushed. She had hoped that by the time Twilight was awake enough to see the hole in her excuse, she wouldn’t even remember it. “Well, I had to say something. And I am worried about them, I’m going to check on them as soon as I finish this cocoa. Besides” – she nuzzled against Twilight’s chest – “somepony was being unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable?” Twilight said. She sounded annoyed, but her smile betrayed her. “For wanting to spend more time in bed with a beautiful mare? Hardly.”

“You were abusing your power as a princess.”

“Was not. Princesses get to demand cuddles. I’ll have you know cuddling is an important part of being a princess. The most important part, actually.”

“Oh? Does that go for all the princesses?” Fluttershy tried to match Twilight’s matter-of-fact tone, but some of her amusement carried into her voice.

“Oh yes. And you should be thankful that you’re not in Shining Armor’s position. Being the Princess of Love means cuddles almost around the clock, you know. And don’t tell anypony I told you this, but the real reason Luna turned into Nightmare Moon was that she didn’t get enough cuddles.”

Fluttershy laughed and almost spit out her cocoa. “Oh no, I can’t let that happen!” She set down her mug and threw her hooves around Twilight. “What about Princess Celestia? Would the same thing happen if she didn’t get cuddled?”

“Nopony knows, actually. Nopony’s willing to risk it.”

“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing I’m around. We’ll never have to find out what happens to you without cuddles.”

“Good. Then I guess we should just get back in bed.”

Fluttershy pulled away and raised an eyebrow at her.

Twilight held up her hooves as she amended her statement. “Joking! Just joking.” Fluttershy just smiled and shook her head.

Once she had drained the last of her cocoa, Twilight stood to leave. “Well, I guess I do actually have a lot to do. Sorry that I can’t help you with the animals today.”

“It’s fine, I understand.” Fluttershy kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t work too hard. I love you, Twily.”

“I love you too, Shy.”

Fluttershy followed Twilight as far as the door so she could wave her off. Twilight waved, then turned and flew off. Not quite in the direction of town – she always went in a wide path around Ponyville so that when she did enter it, nopony would know where she was coming from.

Once Twilight was out of sight, Fluttershy stepped back inside. She quickly drank the rest of her cocoa, filled the mugs with water to soak, then rushed back out the door to care for her animal friends.

On top of feeding the animals as always, Fluttershy had spent several hours making sure their houses were keeping the snow out. She was completely exhausted – not to mention freezing – and she still had to pack and make sure everything would be in order while she was gone.

Of course, she knew Twilight was just as busy, and didn’t begrudge her for leaving, but she couldn’t help wishing she hadn’t. Although she took a while to get going in the mornings, she never seemed to tire once she did. She said it was because she was an alicorn, then said a lot of stuff Fluttershy didn’t understand about the difference in their anatomy. Regardless of the reason, Fluttershy certainly missed her energy.

As she was preparing a list of instructions, there was a knock at the door. She answered it to find Rainbow Dash, who ran in as soon as it was open.

“Hello, Rainbow,” she said as she shut the door against the cold.

“Hey, Shy. Sorry to barge in, but it’s freezing out there.” Rainbow pulled a thermos out from under her wing. As she unscrewed it steam came out, and the smell of apples and spices filled the room. “Big snowfall tonight. Gotta get ready for Hearth’s Warming.”

Fluttershy nodded. Ponyville had a perfect snowfall every Hearth’s Warming, turning the town into a winter wonderland. She was kind of sad she was going to miss it.

“So, all ready to go?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, no. I haven’t even started packing yet. I’ve been so busy making sure all the animals are taken care of.” She went back to her list.

Rainbow facehoofed. “Fluttershy, they’ll be fine. AJ knows what she’s doing.”

“Well, it’s just that I know she’s busy, so I wanted to make sure everything is ready for her.”

“She doesn’t harvest in the snow, you know. She’ll have plenty of time.” Seeing the worried look on Fluttershy’s face, she sighed. “Look, I’ll stop by tomorrow and make sure she doesn’t need any help.”

“Aww, thank you, Dashie. Uhm, it isn’t too much trouble, is it?”

“Naw, it’s fine. Now go pack.”

Even after her reassurance, Rainbow had to practically drag Fluttershy into the bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed while Fluttershy began packing.

“So, you nervous?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Twilight says they’ll understand.”

She was sure she’d kept her tone perfectly calm, but Rainbow’s look made it clear she didn’t buy it. “Uh huh. But you’re nervous.”

“I’m terrified.” She never could hide anything from Rainbow.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re like, literally the pony parents dream of having for a daughter-in-law.”

“Well, we won’t really be in-laws.”

“Close enough. Anyway, Twilight says they’ll be fine with it, so what’s the problem?”

‘Then why hasn’t she told them yet?’ Fluttershy wondered to herself. ‘If they’re fine with it,am I the problem then?’ She wouldn’t bring that up with Rainbow, though. The last thing she wanted was another fight between the two ponies most important to her.

Instead, she decided to talk about her other concern. “Oh, but what if they don’t approve? What if they’re upset their daughter is with another mare? They’ll be disappointed with her and it’ll be all my fault!” Fluttershy realized she had just packed a dozen sets of socks for a week-long trip. She usually didn’t even wear socks, and honestly couldn’t remember where they had come from. She began unpacking them.

Rainbow gave her a deadpan stare. “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll be so disappointed in their screw-up daughter. I mean she’s only the Princess of Friendship, so you know, it’s not like she’s done anything impressive with her life. Plus she’s dating the Element of Kindness, who only saved Equestria, like, fifty times. No big deal there.”

“They’re her parents, they won’t see it like that.”

“Look, even if they are somehow disappointed, how is that your fault? I mean, it’s not like you made her gay.”

Fluttershy knew she was right, but it didn’t help. “Twilight won’t say it, but I can tell she’s worried, too. What if there’s some reason that she’s not telling me? Maybe they’re not as supportive as she wants me to think they are.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Of course she’s worried. She worries about everything. She’ll never stop worrying until everything’s done with. And that’s exactly why you guys should just tell everypony!”

Fluttershy had her head in a drawer, looking for a brush. She found one, pretended she didn’t, and kept looking.

“I know, I know, your decision.” Rainbow mumbled something else, but Fluttershy couldn’t make it out.

Once she couldn’t realistically expect Rainbow to believe she was still looking for something in the drawer, she pulled her head out and put the brush in her saddlebag. She tried to think of anything else she might need, but couldn’t. Packing really didn’t take too long once she stopped grabbing the wrong things.

She sat on the bed next to Rainbow. “Twilight has a lot to think about. It’s not just about us. As a princess, everypony from every walk of life needs to be able to respect her, even the ones who wouldn’t approve of us.”

Rainbow threw her hooves up in frustration. “And you’re okay with that!?”

“Oh, I understand completely.” Fluttershy didn’t meet her eyes.

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, reading between the lines of Fluttershy’s answer. “But are you okay with it?”

Fluttershy suddenly regretted being done packing. “Dash, I’ve really never been happier.” She finally made eye contact. “I love Twilight. And we’re getting there. Telling her parents is a big step.”

Fluttershy was satisfied that would be the end of it. Rainbow wasn’t. “Have you told her you want to go public?” Fluttershy hesitated before answering. “We’ve talked about it.” Fluttershy broke eye contact again.

“And you actually said ‘I want to tell everypony.’ ” Rainbow sounded doubtful.

Fluttershy gave up. “I don’t know what I want!” She fell onto her side and curled around a pillow. “Some days I’m just so tired of secrets. I’ve kept so many secrets for so long, and I’m sick of it. About everything back in Cloudsdale, about liking mares, about Rarity, and now about Twilight. Sometimes I wish I just didn’t have any more secrets, and whenever I finally tell somepony it always works out. Well, except Rarity, but now that I have Twilight I wouldn’t want to change that anyway. I just don’t understand why I keep everything secret.”

She looked up to see Rainbow giving her a comforting smile. Fluttershy knew that was exactly what she wanted to hear. “You don’t have to! You never did, Shy.”

“But then other days… I just feel so scared. I just want to hide away from everything, just Twilight and me. Those days, I just feel like the rest of the world doesn’t need to know, that they’ll only try and pull us apart.” Tears began rolling down her cheek so she buried her face into the pillow.

She felt Rainbow’s hoof on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Shy. Nopony’s gonna tear you two apart, trust me.” She wiped away her tears and tried to believe what Rainbow said. “Have you told her about, uhm… Cloudsdale?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I can’t tell her about… that. She might not love me anymore.”

“Are you kidding me? That mare’s crazy about you, we all know it. Did you know Rarity’s already designing wedding dresses?”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh my… isn’t it a little early for that?”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, Rarity’s getting ahead of herself, not surprising. But to be honest, we kinda all see it coming. Even AJ realizes you two are perfect for each other.”

“Really?” Fluttershy smiled. Applejack remained friendly with both her and Twilight, and aside from being less affectionate than she was before, she more or less acted the same as always. At least, whenever she was around them individually. When they were all together, it became very apparent she was uncomfortable with the couple. She never said a word against them, but she would always find plenty of excuses to not stick around for too long.

“Really! My point is that Twilight will not stop loving you.” Rainbow hesitated, clearly not wanting to make Fluttershy cry anymore. After a moment she said, “You should at least tell her he’s still alive, and… what he was like when your mom was around.”

Fluttershy thought about it. She could do that much at least. “You’re right. I should.” Looking at Rainbow, she amended her statement. “I will.”

“There ya go!” Rainbow patted her on the back, almost knocking Fluttershy off the bed. “And you know, if you ever need any support, I’ll be there. I could even tell her for you, if you don’t feel up to it.”

“I… I’ll tell her,” Fluttershy said. She loved Rainbow and knew that she always meant well, but if she started talking about him, there was no telling what she would say. “I think she should really hear it from me.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Rainbow said. “Just don’t worry so much. She’ll understand. She’s a good pony.”

“Yeah.” Fluttershy nodded, but she couldn’t help but have doubts.

Fluttershy had planned on getting to bed early. They were leaving on the first train in the morning, after all. But once Rainbow left, she immediately went back to preparing for her week away, making detailed notes and portioning out food. The sun had set by the time she was done, and she had expected to drift easily to sleep as soon as she was bundled up in bed.

Instead, she was just staring at the ceiling.

‘Nothing’s wrong with me,’ She reminded herself. She didn’t believe herself. ‘What’s wrong with me?’

Like she didn’t know. She was a freak. And Rainbow Dash was wrong, she was ruining Twilight’s life now too.

‘Did you hear about Fluttershy?’

‘No dear, don’t talk to that pony.’

‘You’ve always been sorry.’

‘No way, she’s too nice to be gay.’

‘She’s not coming back! And it’s all your fault.’

‘Hey, faggot.’

‘Let’s go, I don’t want to be around her.’

‘Nopony would believe you.’

Fluttershy couldn’t stop crying. She had a death grip on one of the pillows, which still smelled like Twilight. ‘I should just leave her alone. I shouldn’t drag her down with me. And if she loves me,then that’s my fault too.’

It had been Fluttershy, after all, who had first insisted they spend the night together. Back on the evening of their second date, Fluttershy had been the one who asked Twilight to stay the night. All so she wouldn’t be alone.

And then Twilight was perfect, as always. She had respected Fluttershy’s boundaries and volunteered to sleep on the couch without a second thought. But Fluttershy was so selfish, and it just wasn’t good enough for her to have Twilight asleep in the next room. She barely lasted ten minutes before she snuck down to the living room and climbed onto the couch as well.

‘Why am I so needy?’ Lately they spent most nights together. She let Twilight fall further every night, just so somepony would hold her.

She was weak.

Weak and needy.

She knew that she shouldn’t even go, shouldn’t make Twilight tell her parents she had a marefriend.

But she knew she would. She would, because she was weak.

She curled into a ball around the pillow and threw her blanket over her head. She tried to think about anything else. She listened to the sound of the wind outside, blowing through the tree branches. She loved all the sounds of nature, and was calmed by rustling leaves.

Until she heard a thunk.

‘Was that a hoofstep?’ She was being ridiculous, of course it wasn’t.

But she heard it again.

And again.

She was a little filly, crying into her pillow, just hoping the sound would stop, that nothing would come get her.

She was sure she was hearing hoofsteps now, it was the only thing she could hear.

They stopped by the bed and she could smell the alcohol already, hear his breathing.

‘Mama, save me…’

Fluttershy screamed. She threw the blankets off her and looked around wildly. She was alone. She was soaked with sweat, and her heart felt like it was going to break through her chest, and every shadow reminded her of him. She got out of bed.

Without thinking, she grabbed her saddlebag and descended the stairs. She stopped only to kiss Angel while he slept, then stepped out into the cold. She locked the door behind her and began walking.

At first, she didn’t think of anything. She hadn’t even really made the decision to leave the house, it was just an automatic response. But as she walked through the town in the dead of night, she knew she was being foalish. She should be home in bed, not trudging through the snow.

Glancing at the clock tower on the way by, she saw it was almost midnight. Their train left in six hours, and the smart thing to do would be to turn around and go back to bed. She kept walking.

She didn’t stop once all the way to Twilight’s castle. Of course, it was quiet as she entered. She did her best to keep it that way, shutting the door gently behind her and flying instead of walking so there were no hoofsteps.

At least the hallways were kept illuminated, so Fluttershy was easily able to get to Twilight’s bedroom. Surprisingly enough, there was light coming from under her door as well. Fluttershy opened it cautiously and mumbled, “Twily?”

Twilight wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but the door to the adjoining study was open. Since it seemed Twilight was awake, Fluttershy landed and walked the rest of the way towards it. Poking her head in, she found Twilight facing away from her, working her way through a big stack of papers.

“Uhm, hi –”

“Aah!” Twilight jumped. She whipped around, then sighed in relief. “Oh, hello, Shy. You startled me.” She got up and walked over to Fluttershy, giving her a smile and a kiss. “I didn’t think I’d see you until the morning.”

For the first time all night, the constricting feeling in Fluttershy’s chest finally went away. “Sorry… I know it’s late, but I guess I’m a little nervous. Uhm, do you mind if I stay with you tonight?”

“Of course not! And there’s nothing to be nervous about, Shy, really. I do have a lot of paperwork that I need to finish first, though. You should head to bed and I’ll join you in a bit.”

Although Fluttershy had hoped they could go to bed together, it would still be comforting to have Twilight nearby. “Oh, okay. Try not to be too long. Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’ll try. Love you, Shy. Good night.”

“Good night. Love you, Twily.”

Fluttershy left the study and lay down on the bed. She grabbed one of Twilight’s stuffed animals and tried to sleep. She didn’t feel as bad with Twilight in the next room, but she still lay awake.

A vibration came from the table. “Twily, Sunset wrote to you.”

“At this hour?” Twilight called from the other room. “Well, she is kind of a night owl, so I guess I’m not too surprised she’s up. Could you read me what it says?”

Opening the book, Fluttershy read the passage out loud. “She said, ‘Just got back from Pinkie’s party kicking off winter break. Don’t know how that girl has time to plan a party and still study for her midterms.’ ”

“No matter which world, Pinkie’s still Pinkie,” Twilight said. Fluttershy could tell she was laughing even though she was a room away. “I really want to get to sleep before we leave though, so since it’s not urgent, I’ll just write to her later.”

Fluttershy and Sunset had never ‘talked’. They occasionally exchanged greetings and general well wishes, but only ever through Twilight. The idea of talking to somepony a whole world away seemed a little intimidating to the shy pegasus.

But… she really didn’t want to go to bed alone. And since bothering Twilight while she worked was out of the question, the journal provided a unique opportunity. “Uhm, do you think it’d be okay if I wrote back? I… I’m still too excited to sleep.”

“I think the two of you getting to know each other would be a great idea!” Twilight’s happiness at bringing her friends together was obvious in her voice. “Just try not to stay up too late.”

Fluttershy stared at the page wondering what to say. ‘If I wait too long she’ll just go to sleep. I should start with introducing myself, at least.’

‘Hello, Sunset. This is Fluttershy. Twilight’s busy right now. But I’d like to talk, if you wanted.’

Fluttershy stared at the words. She had expected something magical to happen, like the letters to flash while it sent the message. She wondered if it only worked for unicorns. Or alicorns and former unicorns, as was the case for its usual users. But then as she stared, letters started appearing, as if somepony invisible were writing them.

‘Hi, Fluttershy. Nice to finally get a chance to talk with you. Twilight’s told me all about you, of course.’

Fluttershy instinctively started to hide in her mane. She always panicked when talking to somepony new, and liked to let her friends handle most of the conversation. When she had to talk to other ponies by herself, she always thought of what to say when it was too late to say it, and she could feel the other ponies watching her, wondering why she wasn’t talking.

Except now she couldn’t. As she looked down at the book, completely unable to see the pony she was talking to, it dawned on her exactly how perfect this situation really was. Sunset couldn’t see her, she couldn’t hear her mumble or trip over words. She could take her time thinking of how to reply without the fear of being judged.

She thought for a moment, and she found that without the pressure of being face to face it wasn’t really that hard to come up with a response. ‘You know, on our first date, Twilight told me you were the one who convinced her to come out to everypony, including me. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think we ever would have gotten together. I’ve never had a chance to thank you, and I could probably never thank you enough. Twilight is the best thing that ever happened to me.’

As Fluttershy watched the page, she wondered if Sunset did the same thing – think of her reply before sending it. She smiled, thinking of how wonderful this journal was. This time as words came, she felt excitement. She couldn’t believe she actually felt excited to continue a conversation with somepony she didn’t know.

‘Hey, you’re making me blush over here. Really though, it wasn’t a big deal. You two would have figured it out eventually. Besides, I wanted to help her. She’s actually the best thing that ever happened to me too, you know.’

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, what did she tell you about me the first time she went through the mirror?’

‘She told me you were just alone, and only needed a helping hand to show you how to be friends.’

‘That definitely sounds like what she’d say. But I bet she didn’t tell you that the ‘helping hand’ was her lifting me out of a crater and forgiving me after I tried to kill her and her friends, not mention take over Equestria.’

Fluttershy was glad Sunset couldn’t see her reaction. She had to take a moment to remind herself that no matter what happened, Twilight had forgiven her and that they were friends now. ‘No, she didn’t tell me all that.’

‘She probably just didn’t want to worry all of you. Well, anyway, here’s what really happened...’

Sunset explained everything that happened on Twilight’s first trip through the mirror. Fluttershy was reminded of exactly why she loved Twilight so much, and while she was worried she wouldn’t be able to forgive anypony who tried to hurt Twilight, she found she actually had a lot more respect for Sunset for managing to turn her life around.

Once the story was finished, they talked about other things. About Twilight, and telling her parents tomorrow. About Sunset’s holiday plans with her friends, and the differences between Hearth’s Warming and all the different winter holidays the humans celebrated. They even talked a little about the other Fluttershy, which still was really weird to her.

They talked for hours, and by the time Twilight came into the bedroom, Fluttershy was gently snoring into the book.

Author's Note

Fluttershy's history and all charecter's in it (except her and Rainbow obviously) come from Weathering the Storm by ArchAngelsWings.

17 - Welcome to the Family

Chapter Seventeen
Welcome to the Family

⠀

⠀
Everywhere they walked, they drew attention to themselves. Twilight had always hated it, but it had become so much worse ever since she started dating Fluttershy. Even when she wasn’t worrying what ponies thought of the two of them being seen together, it was still a lot of pressure to have so many eyes on her.

It wasn’t like she didn’t want ponies to talk to her. She just wanted ponies to treat her like anypony else. At least in Ponyville, everypony knew her. She wasn’t just a princess there, she was a friend and neighbor.

But in Canterlot, friendly waves and casual greetings were replaced with open stares and awkward bows. Even when ponies did greet her, it was always with far too much formality, calling her ‘Your Highness’ and talking about how it was ‘an honor to meet her’.

None of which was helping Twilight’s nerves. She was a wreck at the thought of coming out to her parents, just as she had been for months. Each day since she had first talked to Fluttershy about it, the date drew closer and Twilight grew more anxious.

Until it was finally time. Now she was walking through Canterlot, on her way to her parents’ house. The big moment was finally arriving, and it was looming over her. All while ponies insisted on treating her like a mini-Celestia and dealing with the fact that she was exhausted.

But then she looked at Fluttershy, who smiled. Even in the snow, that smile warmed her heart, and that made everything a little bit easier. She wasn’t just doing this for herself, she was doing it for both of them.

And they wouldn’t have to do it alone. Spike was with them, ready to give his support. He was riding on Fluttershy’s back. He had decided that if he attempted to hitch a ride with Twilight in her current mood, he’d just wind up face first in the snow. He was probably right.

Of the three of them, Spike was the only one in the holiday spirit. He even waved at all the slack-jawed onlookers. He chattered most of the trip, telling Fluttershy all about their family.

While Twilight tuned most of it out, she did find it cute how excited he was. For him, this was just a holiday family reunion. She only hoped his excitement would help put Fluttershy’s mind at rest; Twilight knew she was more nervous than she let on.

“...and wait until you try Dad’s peach cobbler! He makes it every year, and it’s the best!”

“Well, this is the street,” Twilight announced as they rounded the last corner. She was amazed at how familiar everything felt. “That’s the house right over there.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy stopped, and her eyes grew wide at what Twilight had called a house, but was really more of a manor. “It’s so, uhm… big.”

After glancing around to make sure the coast was clear of nosey neighbors, Twilight pulled her marefriend into a hug. “It’ll be fine, Shy.”

“It’s just, uhm…” Fluttershy broke her gaze away from the house and instead stared down at her hooves. “They must be very important.”

“You mean snobby.” Twilight smiled. “Trust me, they’re not. Yes, they’re a little on the fancy side, but they’re regular ponies.”

“They’re not regular ponies,” Spike said, jumping down to properly talk to Fluttershy. “They’re the best ponies. And seriously, they’re gonna love you. They’d be happy just because you make Twilight happy, but even besides that, you’re, well, you. What kind of parent doesn’t want somepony like you dating their daughter?”

Fluttershy picked up the little dragon and hugged him. “Oh, thank you, Spike. You’re right, both of you.” Setting him down she looked back at the house. “And it is a lovely house, really.”

As always, Twilight was overwhelmed with pride at how mature Spike was growing. When did that happen? “Keep talking like that, and pretty soon Rarity won’t be able to resist you.”

“Really?” Spike said excitedly, before remembering to play it cool. “I mean, yeah, but who could blame her?” He slicked back his spines and did his best to look suave, causing both mares to giggle.

They continued to walk up to the house, but were stopped before they could reach it. “I knew I heard voices out here.” A moss green unicorn approached them from the house next door. “Why, if it isn’t little Twilight Sparkle. Well, you’re not so little anymore, but I’ll always remember the adorable little filly. And Spike, oh it’s been ages, how are you?”

“Hello, Mrs. Ivy Jewel,” Twilight answered. She smiled and glanced at Spike who raised an eyebrow skeptically. “We’re doing well, thank you. How are you doing these days?”

‘You old bat,’ she added in her head. Ivy Jewel had been nothing but trouble for her growing up, and had been known on occasion to voice her opinion against a dragon being raised by ponies. She was not fond of foals, and it seemed that always included Twilight, no matter how old she was.

That is, until Twilight was crowned. That seemed to change her opinion completely.

“Oh, you know dear, I’m not getting any younger and this weather doesn’t agree with me.” Even as she said it she flipped her orange mane back, accentuating her beauty, which Twilight always assumed was more than a little magically augmented. “But enough about me; I don’t believe I’ve met your friend here.”

Fluttershy covered one eye with her mane, and Twilight chose her words carefully. “This is Fluttershy, she’s a friend of mine from Ponyville.” Hopefully mentioning that Fluttershy was from Ponyville would keep Ivy off her rant about Twilight moving back to a proper city fit for her title, like say Canterlot, where she could settle down, and oh by the way, did she mention her son was single? “Fluttershy, this is Ivy Jewel, she was my neighbor back when I lived here.” If Ivy caught the subtle jab that that was the extent of their relationship, she didn’t show it.

“Uhm, pleased to meet you,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh, yes, likewise.” Ivy barely acknowledged Fluttershy before turning back to Twilight. “Well, I won’t keep you, I’m sure you’re anxious to get out of this dreadful weather. But, Twilight, do stop by and catch up while you’re in town. I just know Silver Spark would love to see you too.”

Twilight couldn’t help but notice the invitation was only extended to her. “That sounds lovely,” she lied. “I’ll try and make some time, but unfortunately this isn’t purely a social visit. Princess Celestia requested my presence as well concerning a sensitive matter.”

While Celestia actually had requested to meet with her while she was in Canterlot, Twilight didn’t actually know what she wanted. Honestly, she suspected it was for nothing more than to catch up over tea, but she hoped leaving Ivy out of the loop would get under her skin. “Work never stops, you know how it is.” She didn’t – Ivy had been born into money and married into more of it. She had never actually worked a day in her life, as far as Twilight knew.

“Oh, I certainly do.” Ivy placed a hoof on her brow dramatically. “Enjoy yourselves while you can, then. Say hello to your parents for me.”

As they walked away, Fluttershy gave Twilight a sideways glance. While she would have loved to explain her disdain for her former neighbor, the hag was still within earshot, so Twilight just rolled her eyes.

When they reached the door, they paused for a moment while Twilight smiled at Fluttershy, which she nervously returned. Twilight steeled her nerves and knocked on the door.

To Twilight’s surprise, it was Shining Armor who answered, wearing a blue Hearth’s Warming sweater. “Twily! Spike!” he said, hugging them each in turn. “Hey, Fluttershy,” he added, extending a hoof to bump hers.

“Shining? It’s good to see you, but I thought you wouldn’t be here until Hearth’s Warming,” Twilight said.

“Well, that was the plan, but we managed to clear up enough time to come a few days early. Cadance has been working so hard to get this vacation together.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Truth is there was kind of an incident. Everypony’s okay, but she’s kind of rattled. It involved a changeling.”

“What!?” Twilight exclaimed before throwing a hoof over her mouth.

Shining Armor glanced inside before stepping out and shutting the door. “Like I said, everypony’s fine. It was just one, no sign of Chrysalis or the hive, and the pony it was impersonating was found unharmed. We don’t know what it was doing, but we doubt they’d try a full-scale assault on the Crystal Empire, not after how the wedding worked out for them. All the same, Cadance has been on edge since it was discovered. I think being here will be a big help though.”

Twilight nodded. “You know, if there’s anything at all we can do, please let us know.”

“Thanks, Twily. Right now we’re still investigating, but I’ll keep you updated. Oh, and there’s one more thing I should warn you about.” He smirked. “Somehow mom got it in her head that your mysterious guest was gonna be a coltfriend. Be prepared for an interrogation.”

Spike snickered and Fluttershy blushed. “Trust me, I am,” Twilight said. Shining didn’t seem to pay any attention to everypony’s reactions.

“Well, let’s quit standing in the snow then.” He opened the door and led the way inside.

As they entered the room, Twilight felt herself thaw out. Foalhood memories washed over her as she took in the sights, everything just as she remembered it. The normally classy decor was broken up with strands of colorful lights, tinsel, and wreaths. The fireplace crackled as Cadance and Twilight’s parents sat around it, talking cheerfully. Everypony was wearing sweaters similar to Shining Armor’s.

Cadance was the first to notice they had finally come inside. “Twilight, Spike! And Fluttershy, so good to see you again.” As everypony came over for greetings and hugs, Night Light looked visibly relieved that Cadance had reminded them of Fluttershy’s name. They hadn’t seen her since Twilight’s coronation, after all.

Once greetings were done, everypony returned to the fire. Night Light pulled up three more chairs while Twilight Velvet offered spiced cider. Fluttershy tried to politely decline, but Twilight rolled her eyes and insisted they would both like some.

“Fluttershy, it’s a pleasure to have you here,” Twilight Velvet said once all the guests were taken care of. “We never get to see enough of Twilight’s friends.”

“You know, she never did get along with fillies her own age,” Night Light said. “She usually only ever played with her brothers or Shining’s friends, playing that, what was it? Dungeons something?”

“Oubliettes and Ogres,” Shining and Twilight answered together, him with a grin and her with an eye roll.

“Yeah, that. Well, I’m just glad she finally opened up to other ponies.”

“Although, you could bring a stallion home sometime,” Twilight Velvet said, broaching the topic in record time. “A beautiful mare like you must have tons of suitors.”

“Told you.” Shining shrugged.

“Uhm, well…” Twilight began.

“Oh, I know.” Twilight Velvet waved a hoof. “In your own time, dear. I’m sure you’re far too busy these days to even think about romance.”

Twilight looked at Fluttershy who nodded encouragingly. But before she could fortify her will, Cadance spoke up. “Oh, I don’t know. Something tells me that she’s given it some thought lately.”

Twilight blushed furiously as all eyes fell on her. “Really?” Twilight Velvet asked, leaning forward in her chair.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight addressed the room. “Mom, Dad, everypony.” She took Fluttershy’s hoof in her own and her heart felt like it was going to break through her chest. Twilight couldn’t believe Fluttershy wasn’t hiding in her mane when that’s exactly what she wished she herself was doing. “The reason I asked Fluttershy to come here with me is because, well…”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, and didn’t quite meet anypony’s eyes. “Fluttershy’s actually my marefriend.”

Cadance reacted first, clapping her hooves. This was probably the least surprising to her, after all. Shining Armor looked confused, seemingly slow to realize she meant marefriend romantically rather than a mare who was her friend.

Twilight Velvet’s mouth fell open but she only took a moment to collect herself and join in with the clapping. Night Light looked surprised, but was smiling nonetheless. When they first came in he had elected to just give Fluttershy a friendly hoof bump, but the news seemed to change his mind and he walked over and gave her a hug instead. “Welcome to the family.”

Twilight and Fluttershy beamed as everypony offered their congratulations.

“Ooh! I’ll go get the camera! We need pictures,” Night Light said, heading up the stairs.

“That reminds me, I have something for you two.” Twilight Velvet followed after him.

Shining Armor approached the young couple. “You know, normally as B.B.B.F.F. it’s my duty to warn you not to break my little sister’s heart, but I think we can trust the Element of Kindness on this one.” He gave Fluttershy a hug and checked that their parents were out of earshot. “Something tells me that somepony here has known for a while now.”

He looked at Cadance, who didn’t even try to deny it. “Twilight wanted advice and I am sort of an expert,” she said. “What gave me away?”

“All the letters you two were writing, not to mention the squeals of joy.”

“I do not squeal.” Cadance crossed her forelegs.

Shining grinned at Twilight. “After every letter. Just don’t let mom know you told Cadance before her or she’ll freak out.”

“Do you think I’m crazy?” Twilight asked. “We’d never hear the end of it.”

Cadance came over and pulled the two of them into a group hug. “I’m so happy for both of you. But remember that relationships are never easy. If either of you ever needs advice, please let me know. And I do mean either of you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but she nodded her agreement.

“Actually, there is something,” Twilight said. “Fluttershy doesn’t believe me about the cuddles.”

“What?” Cadance’s face fell. “Fluttershy, cuddles are the most important part of being a princess.”

Fluttershy looked between the two princesses, who both looked deathly serious. Turning to Shining Armor didn’t help either. “Consider yourself lucky,” he said. “Friendship probably isn’t as needy as love.”

“I’m not needy,” Cadance insisted.

“You’re cuddling me right now!” Shining Armor gestured to her forelegs which were wrapped around him.

Fluttershy shook her head and gave up on trying to figure out if they were serious. She leaned her head on Twilight’s shoulder. “Everypony's so nice, I can’t believe how nervous I was. Your family’s the best, Twi.”

Twilight kissed her on the head while Cadance failed to contain her squeal of joy. As Twilight and Fluttershy blushed, a flash went off near them. Twilight was surprised to see Night Light wasn’t pointing the camera at her and Fluttershy, but at Cadance.

“How long have you been waiting to take that picture?” Cadance asked.

“Pfft, years,” Night Light said. “You always gush over ponies in love, and now you can’t deny it.”

“Hmph.” Cadance crossed her forelegs and grumbled, “It’s not my fault that they’re so adorable.”

Shining put a foreleg around her to comfort her, but Cadance was having none of it. Fluttershy giggled.

“Seriously though. Don’t tell your mother Cadance already knew.” Night Light wound the camera. “Now, smile.”

By the time Twilight Velvet returned, everypony was blinking away spots from their vision. Twilight and Fluttershy most of all – Night Light had wanted plenty of pictures of the couple.

Twilight Velvet scooted her chair closer to Fluttershy’s. “Fluttershy, I have something to show you.”

‘Oh no,’ Twilight thought. ‘Please don’t be the photo album…’

“The family photo album!”

Twilight, Shining, and Spike exchanged miserable looks while Cadance, Fluttershy, and Night Light crowded around Twilight Velvet and the book.

“Aww, Twi, you were so adorable!” Fluttershy exclaimed. Twilight threw her hooves over her face as she tried not to imagine which embarrassing photo she was looking at.

“And Shiny, you were… kinda a dork,” Cadance teased.

“Hey!”

“Fine. You were a cute dork.”

Spike was the first of the siblings to give up on the protest. “Check out that good looking guy,” he said after he had climbed atop Twilight Velvet’s shoulders. “Looking good even as a hatchling.”

Somewhat reluctantly, Twilight made her way over to the book, and was soon followed by Shining. Before too long they forgot they were supposed to be miserable, and everypony was enjoying reliving and sharing old memories, laughing at their siblings, and occasionally themselves.

“Oh, I remember that!”

“Woah, look at those braces, yikes.”

“Oh, is that when Cadance was your foal sitter?”

“Aww, that one’s so cute!”

“Burn it. Burn it now.”

“I think this one’s my favorite. Or maybe that one.”

It seemed almost too soon that the pictures came to a stop, with plenty of pages still to go. “Time for a new group photo?” Night Light asked.

“Not quite,” Twilight Velvet said. She pulled out three boxes she had set aside and handed one each to Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy.

Spike tore into his immediately. “Already?” Fluttershy asked. “But Hearth’s Warming isn’t for two more days.”

“Oh, this is just a little something,” Twilight Velvet said. “Family tradition.”

Twilight, already knowing what was inside, opened her box. Sure enough, inside her box was a red Hearth’s Warming sweater. She pulled it out and saw Spike was already wearing his – a blue one, which looked similar to Shining Armor’s.

“Looking good there, Spike,” Shining said, pointing his hooves at the dragon.

“You know it!” Spike said, pointing back to Shining.

Fluttershy, finally convinced it was okay to open her present, pulled out a green sweater. “Oh my, it’s lovely! Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, dear. I may need to make some adjustments though. I did make it with a stallion in mind, after all.” Twilight Velvet sat next to Fluttershy and levitated over her knitting supplies. “Hmm, it doesn’t actually look too bad. Thankfully, Spike was a big help.”

“Ah, it was nothing,” Spike said. “All I really did was ask Rarity about the size.”

“Well, Twilight certainly wasn’t giving me anything to go on,” Twilight Velvet said.

Twilight looked at the ground guiltily. She felt silly now for how long it had taken her to work up the courage to tell her parents about Fluttershy.

Glancing at the clock, Night Light said, “I think I’ll go start on dinner.”

“I’ll help!” Spike ran after Night Light. “Can we make some of the new dishes I’ve been working on?”

“Of course we can!” Night Light said as they disappeared into the kitchen.

“Did you make all these yourself?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yup. I never really did like knitting, but I’ve gotten used to it over the years.”

“Oh, I hope I’m not being a bother. You really don’t have to worry about adjusting it.” Fluttershy said. “I usually wear Twilight’s, and those are a little big for me anyway.”

Twilight Velvet chuckled. “I’m glad somepony does. I’m lucky if I can get Twilight to wear hers all through Hearth’s Warming.”

“Hey, I do too wear them.” Twilight crossed her forelegs. “Alicorns just don’t get as cold as unicorns.”

“Cadance wears hers,” Twilight Velvet pointed out.

“Twi, even Aunt Celestia still wears hers,” Cadance said.

“Spike’s been wearing them for weeks, and he’s a dragon,” Fluttershy added.

Twilight looked around the room eyes falling on the one pony who hadn’t sided against her. “Hey, don’t look at me,” Shining said. “I’m wearing mine. Besides, you never wore them when you were a unicorn.”

Twilight let her eyes fall to the floor again. “…but it’s itchy.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Twilight Velvet insisted. “Besides, it’s only once a year, and it’s a tradition. One I hope you’ll continue on as well when you have a family of your own.”

There were a number of things wrong with that. One was that Twilight hated knitting. Two was that she was bad at it. Three was that without a stallion, it was pretty unlikely she’d ever have foals. Four was that she really hated knitting.

Still, she kept her mouth closed. Pointing this out would only make her mom sad, not to mention she would never force Twilight into keeping the tradition if she didn’t want to. With some reluctance, Twilight pulled on the sweater.

“Oh, I love knitting!” Fluttershy said, noticing Twilight’s reluctance. “I’d be happy to keep up the tradition.” Catching what she had implied, Fluttershy began stammering. “Oh, I mean if, well… not that we’ll definitely be, uhm…” she trailed off as Twilight Velvet wrapped a foreleg around her shoulder.

“That would be lovely,” she said. “Such a sweet mare, it’s no wonder Twilight fell for you.” Fluttershy and Twilight both turned red. “Now, I want to hear the whole story. How did you two get together?”

Twilight told the story with occasional input from Fluttershy. She omitted the parts where she wrote to Cadance for advice and argued with Rainbow Dash, as well as downplaying Applejack’s reaction, but otherwise told the full story. When she was done she was surprised to find her mom giving her a dirty look.

“Seven months? You waited seven months to tell me about this? All those letters, and not so much as a simple ‘Hey, Mom, I have a marefriend now?’”

“I’m sorry, it’s just… hard to talk about.”

“Twilight, how could you even think we’d have a problem with it? We always taught you to never judge other ponies, especially for something like whom they decide to love. And all those years of letting me prattle on about finding a coltfriend.”

“But that’s why I was scared to tell you!” Twilight retorted, more forcefully than she had intended. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in between the two of them, while Twilight Velvet just frowned and waited for Twilight to explain. Cadance mimed her deep breathing technique, which Twilight mimicked before continuing in a calmer tone.

“Of course I know that you don’t have any problem with gay ponies, but it always felt like it was different for me because I’m your daughter. All those years, in every letter and conversation, of how I should find a coltfriend, settle down, and raise foals. I felt like you had this whole life planned for me, and I was terrified that I’d be letting you down.”

“Oh, Twily.” While Twilight had been confessing her fears to the floor, her mom had moved to stand next to her. “Don’t ever think I could be anything but proud of you. And I’m sorry, I never meant to put so much pressure on you. I just want you to be happy.”

As the mother and daughter embraced, there was another flash. Shining Armor held up the camera. “Well, Dad can’t be here to get all the cheesy family moments.” Both Twilights threw pillows at him as he ducked behind the couch.

Twilight Velvet returned to Fluttershy’s sweater. “You’re so much like me, you know. I was afraid that if I didn’t push you to look for somepony, you’d never do it yourself. We can’t always count on somepony like Night Light to stick around like a lovestruck foal.”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, Twilight wasn’t the only one to have difficulty with other ponies,” Twilight Velvet said over the clinking of her sewing needles. “When I was younger, all I wanted to do was write. I thought I couldn’t worry about silly things like love – I wanted to see my name in print. Then, when I did get published, it was on to the next book.” Cadance levitated over a picture of a much younger Twilight Velvet triumphantly holding a book with her name on it.

“So while I was writing my fourth novel, I found that I needed to know more about how the stars affect magic. Of course I went to the library, but it’s a very complicated field, and I never did have Twilight’s enthusiasm for non-fiction. So I decided to get the answers from somepony directly. I arranged a meeting with the most renowned astronomer of the day. Then he cancelled at the last minute and I got stuck with his assistant instead.”

Cadance replaced the picture with one of Night Light standing in front of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He was in a jacket and tie which set him aside from the students, though he hardly seemed much older than them.

“Night Light was, of course, the perfect gentlecolt. He was very helpful and patient with every question I had. As I wrote my way through the book we met up several times, and he’d occasionally make house calls just to see if he could help in any way. Young and naïve as I was, I honestly thought he was just overly helpful. Eventually I finished the book, thanked him for his help, and promised him a place in the acknowledgements. I thought that would be the end of our relationship, but on the day I handed the final draft into the publisher, he asked me out on a date.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Fluttershy said.

“Yup,” Night Light said, entering the room with Spike. They were in matching flower aprons. “And she said, ‘While I thank you for everything you’ve done, the only romance I have time for is in between the pages of a book.’ ”

Fluttershy looked surprised. “You turned him down?”

“Yes, but he was persistent. Once the book came out, I was doing a signing and he showed up early. He said he just wanted to help set up and make sure everything went smoothly, but he stuck around while everypony else was leaving. He waited there at the bookstore with me until the sun was going down, then he pulled out his own copy. At first I thought he had just felt awkward to ask a pony he already knew for an autograph, but when he handed it to me I noticed there was a letter in it as a bookmark. When I opened the page, sure enough, it was a love letter and he had highlighted one of the passages.”

Cadance replaced the picture with a book titled The Heavens Above. “It’s on page eighty-six.”

Flipping to the page, Fluttershy read out loud. “ ‘I only have one chance to do this, he thought to himself. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if he failed. But as the sun faded and the first stars appeared, his gaze turned to the sky. As he watched the twilight sparkle, he knew this was meant to be, and everything would work out.’ ”

Twilight Velvet and Night Light looked into each other’s eyes. “And it certainly did,” he said.

“That’s the sweetest story I’ve ever heard,” Fluttershy said. As she reached for Twilight’s hooves, Twilight instead threw them around her, pulling her surprised marefriend into a tight hug.

Twilight had kind of always thought the story was silly. The stallion in the book wasn’t even talking about love, he was trying to save Baltimare from a looming threat, and her dad had only chosen it because it used the word ‘twilight’. But for the first time, she understood how her dad must have felt chasing after the mare of his dreams, even when it felt he was facing impossible odds. “I love you, Shy.”

“I love you too, Twi,” Fluttershy said, blushing.

Spike looked at Shining Armor and Cadance. “Don’t you two start,” he said.

“Nah, I was just thinking those stories lacked action,” Shining Armor said. “I had to stand up to an obnoxious bully to win over Cadance.”

Twilight laughed, which turned into a yawn. Shining Armor didn’t seem amused. “Hey, I know you already heard the story, but that’s a bit much,” he protested.

“Sorry,” Twilight said. “It’s just that we didn’t really sleep much last night.”

“Dinner won’t be ready for a few more hours,” Night Light said. “Why don’t you two take a nap and we’ll wake you up in a bit.”

“That sounds nice,” Fluttershy said. Twilight just yawned again.

“Before you go, try this on.” Twilight Velvet handed Fluttershy her sweater.

Slipping it on, Fluttershy smiled. “It’s perfect, thank you so much!”

“I’m glad you like it. Now go get some rest.”

Twilight led the way upstairs and into the room they’d be sharing. “Is this your old bedroom?” Fluttershy asked.

“What gave it away?” Twilight asked jokingly. There were still posters of Starswirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever, and other great magic pioneers, as well as a few smaller ones of Daring Do and a framed picture of A. K. Yearling signed ‘To my #1 fan, Twilight Sparkle.’

“Just a hunch,” Fluttershy giggled.

They turned off the lights and lay down on the bed. “Sorry my family’s a little crazy,” Twilight said. “Hope it’s not too much.”

“Please don’t apologize,” Fluttershy said. “They’re perfect. I wish I had a family like yours. Everypony loves each other so much, even when they disagree.”

Fluttershy didn’t like to talk about her family. All Twilight knew was that her parents both died before she came to Ponyville, and that she and Rainbow Dash adopted each other as sisters. “You heard my dad,” Twilight said, hoping she wasn’t crossing a line, “you’re part of the family now.”

In the dark it was hard to tell what Fluttershy’s reaction was, but when she latched onto Twilight as she shimmied under the blankets, Twilight thought she had a pretty good idea. “Thank you so much, Twily. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Twilight smirked. “Well, you wouldn’t be stuck sharing a bed meant for one pony in an itchy sweater.”

“That just means that we’ll have to snuggle extra close. And I love the sweater. She still makes them even though she doesn’t like knitting, it just shows how much love is in them.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Twilight murmured, already half asleep. The last thing she was aware of was Fluttershy stroking her mane as she drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Because I'm some kind of crazy I made hot spiced cider while writing this chapter. I live in Florida. I don't have air conditioning and it's 90° here. I don't know what the hell I was thinking :rainbowhuh:

18 - Things Kept Inside

Chapter Eighteen
Things Kept Inside

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⠀
“Twilight, Fluttershy, dinner’s ready,” Spike called through the door.

“ ‘Kay,” Twilight murmured, before rolling over and wrapping a hoof around Fluttershy. “Morning, beautiful.”

Fluttershy laughed. “Twily, it’s dinner time.”

“Good evening, then.”

Fluttershy was prepared for her daily struggle of convincing Twilight to get out of bed, but to her surprise, the alicorn was already rising after a quick kiss. Fluttershy rubbed her eyes as Twilight lit the room. Rather than actually turning on the light bulb, she created a glowing orb that gave them enough light to see without blinding them.

“Ugh, I shouldn’t have slept in this thing. Even if it is made with love, it’s still itchy.” Twilight rubbed beneath her sweater furiously.

“It’s not that bad. Besides, it’s cute on you.” Even after seven months, Fluttershy still felt a little weird complimenting her marefriend, but it was always worth it for Twilight’s smile.

As they made their way downstairs, Fluttershy could smell the wonderful aroma of dinner, and realized exactly how hungry she was. They entered the dining room as Night Light was setting down the last tray of food.

“Oh my.” Fluttershy stopped in her tracks at the sight. She had never seen a family dinner with so much food.

Twilight grinned and used a wing to gently guide Fluttershy forwards again. “Just wait until you see what they do for Hearth’s Warming.”

“Evening, girls. Sleep well?” Twilight Velvet asked.

“Yes, I feel much better now,” Twilight said as Fluttershy nodded.

Night Light noticed Fluttershy eyeballing the food and grinned. “Before we can eat, there’s one more thing to do. Everypony gather round.”

Everypony came together as Night Light set up his camera. Twilight Velvet stood in the middle with Twilight on her left. Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder, and Spike used it as a boost to pop up over Twilight’s head, while Shining Armor and Cadance stood on Twilight Velvet’s other side. Night Light set the timer and ran over to stand between Twilight Velvet and Shining Armor. “Everypony smile!” he said. Right as the flash went off, Twilight kissed Fluttershy on the cheek.

“Perfect,” Night Light said as everypony took seats at the table.

The table was large and round, leaving Fluttershy to question how anypony would get to the food in the middle, until she remembered that everyone except for Spike and herself could use magic. Twilight sat next to Shining Armor, with Spike on Fluttershy’s other side. In front of them was enough lasagna for everypony to eat their fill and then some, with enough sides to make a meal by themselves.

“Did you two make all this?” Fluttershy asked as Night Light took his seat next to Spike.

“And dessert too!” Spike said excitedly.

Even on Hearth’s Warming Day, Fluttershy couldn’t imagine making a meal this big. Of course, Hearth’s Warming was usually just her and Rainbow Dash, and on occasion, Rainbow’s parents whenever they were trying to make up for lost time with their daughter. She had been worried about leaving Rainbow alone for the holiday, but she wound up getting invited to dinner with Scootaloo’s family.

“Everything smells so good,” she said.

“Thanks,” Night Light said. “Hopefully it tastes even better.” He poured everypony drinks, offering wine, juice, water, and milk. Twilight chose wine while Fluttershy asked for juice. Spike tried asking if he could have a glass of wine but retracted his request at the collective glare from both Twilights.

“Before everypony begins, I’d just like to thank you all for coming,” Twilight Velvet said. “I know everypony’s busy, and the holidays are no exception. But this old house just doesn’t feel the same without you all in it, and everyone being together means the world to us. And, of course, a big welcome to the newest member of our family. I hope you know we’re always here if you need us.”

“Yeah, you’re stuck with us now,” Shining Armor said.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. She would have liked to say ‘thank you’ but she didn’t trust herself to speak. Being accepted so readily into Twilight’s family was more than she could have imagined, and she could feel herself on the verge of tears.

“To family,” Night Light said, raising his glass.

“To family!” everypony echoed.

After the toast, five different magic auras began shuffling plates around. Fluttershy had never eaten in a unicorn household, and was surprised anypony knew what was going on with their plates. As every plate came their way, Twilight made sure Fluttershy got what she wanted before levitating them away. For a minute, Fluttershy was so mesmerized with all the food in the air that she forgot about the food on her plate.

“Yeah, it’s kind of crazy,” Spike said. “You get used to it after awhile.”

“Oh. Was it weird, not being able to use magic when everypony else could?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah. I was pretty jealous for awhile, until I realized there were things only I could do, like breathe fire. Besides –” Spike held up his claws “– I’d rather have claws than hooves anyday.”

Once all the plates had settled, everypony finally began eating. It was no surprise that Spike had become such a good cook; everything was delicious.

“That’s hollandaise sauce,” Night Light replied when Fluttershy asked.

“It’s so good,” Fluttershy said. “I’m surprised you didn’t decide to become a cook.”

Night Light chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think I’m that good. I just learned some things here and there cooking for a family of five.”

“We learned it’s best if I just stay out of the kitchen,” Twilight Velvet said. “I don’t know how I ever managed before Night Light.”

“Mom’s cooking is still better than Twilight’s,” Spike whispered, holding a claw up to his mouth.

“I heard that,” Twilight snapped as Fluttershy giggled.

“Twi’s not that bad,” Fluttershy said. Twilight gave Spike a victorious look. “She can make, uhm, sandwiches.”

Spike almost laughed himself out of his chair. Twilight turned and pouted. “See if I make you sandwiches anymore.”

“Mares like us are simply too focused on other things to worry about cooking,” Twilight Velvet said.

Night Light and Spike huddled together. “Or cleaning,” Spike said.

“Watering the flowers,” Night Light added.

“Remembering to feed the pets.”

“Remembering to turn off the lights.”

Both Twilights glared at the homemakers. Night Light at least looked embarrassed; Spike just snickered and returned to his food.

“So, Fluttershy,” Twilight Velvet prompted, pointedly ignoring her husband and son, “tell us a little more about yourself.”

Fluttershy always hated talking about herself, especially open ended questions. She looked to Twilight for help, but her marefriend gave no sign of acknowledgement, probably because she was still mad about the sandwich comment. “Well, I, uhm… I take care of the animals in Ponyville.”

“Like a veterinarian?” Twilight Velvet asked.

“No. Well, sometimes. But mostly I feed and take care of the wild animals.”

“Ponyville has way more wild animals than Canterlot,” Spike added.

“Wild animals?” Twilight Velvet asked. “That sounds a bit dangerous.”

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy said. “They’re really all such sweethearts. You just have to know how to behave around them.”

“She can even talk to them,” Spike said. “She understands them and everything.”

“Really?” Twilight Velvet asked. “I didn’t know ponies could learn to understand animals.”

“Well, I didn’t so much learn it. Understanding animals is just something that came naturally to me when I first came to Ponyville.”

“Where were you from originally?” Night Light asked.

Fluttershy felt her heart drop. There were so many ways this could go wrong. Why wasn’t she more careful with what she said? “I was born in Cloudsdale.”

“Fascinating place,” Night Light said. “Is that where your family lives?”

There it was. “Oh, uhm… Well, Rainbow Dash moved to Ponyville with me,” Fluttershy told her plate. “I, uhm, don’t really have any other family.” Suddenly she could feel everypony’s eyes on her.

“Oh, you poor dear,” Twilight Velvet said.

Under the table Fluttershy felt Twilight’s hoof find hers. She could leave it there. That’s all anypony really needed to know. She was so tired of secrets, but she also didn’t want to ruin dinner when everypony was so happy.

She felt Twilight’s hoof squeeze hers and made a decision. There were too many secrets in her life, and every time she came out about them, things worked out for the best. “And, well, I don’t speak with Stormy Skies. My, uhm, father.”

She looked at Twilight. She had told Twilight, told everypony, that he was dead. Would Twilight be mad that she lied to her? And what would happen when she knew the whole truth? There was no way she’d still want to stay together.

But for right now at least, Twilight’s look held concern, and maybe a little curiosity, but she didn’t press Fluttershy to say more. Fluttershy hadn’t expected her to, however. Not in front of her family.

“You know we’re all here for you,” Night Light said. “If there’s anything you want to talk about or anyway we can help, just let us know.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said. “But I’m fine. It’s something I moved past a long time ago.”

Something about Twilight’s look made Fluttershy suspect she didn’t believe that, but again, her marefriend held her tongue.

“Of course,” Night Light said, setting a hoof on Twilight Velvet’s, who had just opened her mouth to ask something else. She closed it, but didn’t look happy about leaving things where they were.

“So, Mom, what are you reading now?” Twilight asked.

“Equestrian Gods.” Twilight Velvet practically had to pry her eyes off Fluttershy to address her daughter. “Have you read it yet?”

“No, what’s it about?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy squeezed her hoof and smiled as a silent thank you, which Twilight returned.

The conversation stayed safely away from Cloudsdale and Fluttershy’s family for the rest of dinner. Instead, they talked about what everypony was doing lately. Fluttershy found she had an easier time talking than she usually did, in no small part because Twilight or Spike would help guide her along when she struggled.

The conversation kept time moving quickly, and everypony remained sitting at the dinner table well after they had all eaten their fill. But even if the meal had been more than enough, it seemed that they weren’t through quite yet.

“So, anypony ready for dessert?” Night Light asked. He was looking directly at Spike, who sat straight up.

“I ate too much,” Shining Armor grumbled.

Cadance grinned. “Oh, he’ll change his mind once he has something else in front of him.”

Night Light disappeared into the kitchen for a minute, then returned with two platters. The big one, which he set in the center of the table, had a large cheesecake topped with strawberries. The smaller one, which he set in front of Spike, had a miniature version of the cheesecake, but with red gemstones replacing the strawberries.

And just as Cadance had predicted, once he had food in front of him, Shining Armor sat upright with his plate ready. Although everyone smiled at the delicious looking dessert, his enthusiasm was only truly rivaled by Spike.

“So, Fluttershy,” Twilight Velvet asked as she passed around slices of the cheesecake, “have you ever had a chance to go sightseeing in Canterlot?”

“Not really,” Fluttershy said after savoring a bite of the rich dessert. “We mostly just visit the castle while we’re here, and even then it’s usually only when the Elements of Harmony are needed.”

By the time Fluttershy felt Twilight nudge her under the table, it was too late; Twilight Velvet was already frowning. “I worry about you girls so much. All that dangerous business.”

Although her concern felt completely warranted to Fluttershy and her tone had been anything but harsh, she noticed everypony glance around at each other. They all looked afraid of saying anything.

“Now, honey, I’m sure Princess Celestia would never ask them to do anything they couldn’t handle,” Night Light said. Fluttershy couldn’t help but think that just maybe Twilight didn’t tell her mom the full stories of most of their exploits.

“I know, but sometimes I feel like she relies on them too much,” Twilight Velvet said. “Like when that Tirek was stealing everypony’s magic. I still can’t believe the princesses let it get that far, and then left Twilight to take care of it.”

“That was a complicated situation,” Twilight deflected. “Things didn’t exactly go according to plan.”

Cadance set her fork down. “And even when it did go a little awry, we had every confidence that Twilight was the perfect mare for the job.”

Twilight Velvet smiled at her daughter-in-law. “Oh, I didn’t mean you, Cadance dear. Of course I wouldn’t expect you to take care of it either.” Twilight and Cadance exchanged annoyed looks.

“Mom, we’ll be fine,” Twilight said. “We’ve been through a lot, but we’re never alone. We look out for each other, and there’s nopony I’d rather have looking out for me than my friends. They’re the reason I know that no matter what happens, everything will always be okay. So please, don’t worry so much about us.”

“Twilight, I’m your mother, I can’t just not worry about you.” She looked around the table. “All of you. I never could have imagined everything you have all accomplished, everything you’ve all grown into. Twily, when you became Princess Celestia’s personal student, and Shiny, when you became captain of the royal guard, I thought nopony could ever ask for more.”

Even in face of the praises, everyone only looked down at their plates. “Then you did more! Now you’re the Princess of Friendship and one of the Elements of Harmony, and you’re the Prince of the Crystal Empire. And even Spike, you’re still a kid by pony or dragon standards, and you’ve still helped save both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire! And who knows that else there is that nopony’s telling their mother about.”

Everypony looked around, not meeting anypony’s eyes. Even Spike who normally stood proud whenever anypony talked about his accomplishments just sat idly with his claws in his lap. “And I wouldn’t change any of that for the world. No mother has ever been as proud as I am of you all. But with all these titles comes all this danger. And I’m just here, not able to protect you from any of it!”

While the conversation earlier had come easily, now nopony knew what to say. For her part, Fluttershy could only mentally kick herself for having brought up the Elements at all.

Eventually Night Light cleared his throat. “Well, if everypony’s done with dessert we’d better get these dishes taken care of,” he said. Twilight Velvet nodded in agreement.

“I’ll help,” Fluttershy and Cadance offered at once.

“Thank you, girls, but we’ve got it,” Night Light said as he and Twilight Velvet levitated the dishes into the kitchen.

Once they closed the door, Twilight dropped her head onto the table. “I can’t believe I forgot to warn you not to mention Element stuff to Mom.”

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said with her head hung low.

“Don’t worry about it,” Shining Armor said. “You didn’t know.”

It didn’t do much to help ease Fluttershy’s guilt.

“It would be nice if she at least considered us real princesses,” Twilight grumbled.

Cadance smiled. “It’s kind of endearing. We’ll always be her little fillies.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you really saying it doesn’t bother you?”

“Well…” Cadance’s smile faded. “Okay, it does a little.”

With no more reason to stick around the dining room, everypony awkwardly made their way back into the living room so they could at least now know what to say in comfortable lounge chairs. They all seemed to be waiting for somepony else to break the silence.

Eventually, Shining turned to Fluttershy. “You know, if you haven’t ever seen the town, there’s tons to check out. Maybe Cadance and I can show you around tomorrow.”

“That’d be nice,” Fluttershy said. “Uhm, if you don’t mind, that is.”

“Of course we don’t. It’ll be fun,” Cadance said, smiling.

“Ooh! I know where we can go!” Twilight said, grinning with excitement.

“We’re not spending all day going to different museums,” Shining said, giving his sister a deadpan expression that suggested he’d let her make the itinerary a few too many times.

Twilight turned and pouted. “Well, maybe not all day…” She turned to Fluttershy, giving her the puppy dog eyes. “But maybe we can go to the Equestrian History Museum? They’ve got an exhibit on prehistoric animals I know you’ll love!”

Fluttershy was sure she’d like the animal exhibit. She was also sure they’d probably wind up spending more time than anypony other than Twilight wanted to at every other exhibit as well. Still, there was simply no way she could say no to that face. “Well… maybe just one museum would be okay.”

“Yes! You won’t regret it!” Twilight hugged her, and when she thought Fluttershy couldn’t see, stuck her tongue out at Shining, who was sitting with his forelegs crossed.

“Well, you can count me out,” Spike said. “I’ve seen enough of Canterlot, and way too much of the Equestrian History Museum. I’d rather just stay here.” He stretched and leaned back in his chair, which was almost big enough for him to lay down in, given how small he was.

Fluttershy was reminded that he had been up just as early as she and Twilight had been, and he spent the day cooking while they took a nap. Cadance and Shining Armor didn’t look much better; they no doubt also had a busy day travelling from the Crystal Empire.

Soon, Twilight Velvet and Night Light came in. Twilight Velvet looked a little embarrassed at her earlier display. “We’re gonna turn in for the night,” Night Light said. He smiled when he noticed Spike. “Looks like we aren’t the only ones with that idea.”

Spike waved a claw without opening his eyes. “I’m not sleepy.”

Twilight Velvet chuckled and lifted him in her magic. “Come on, Spike. Maybe Twilight is a little lax with bedtimes, but as long as you’re here you’ll be going to bed at a decent hour. You’re still a growing boy and you need your rest.”

Spike looked at Twilight, but she just shrugged. “Sorry, Spike, but you know the rules. Sleep tight.”

As they went upstairs to bring him to his room, Spike seemed to accept his fate, even if he did it with a scowl. Fluttershy was sure that he would be out as soon as he hit the bed, despite his protests. Cadance and Shining Armor didn’t wait long before deciding to call it a night as well, leaving Twilight and Fluttershy to themselves.

Fluttershy leaned against her marefriend. “I can’t believe how nice everypony’s been.”

Twilight grinned. “It’s not that surprising. I mean, who wouldn’t love you?”

Fluttershy nudged her. “So you weren’t even a little nervous?”

“Well, okay, maybe I was a little bit worried. But I should have known better. I mean, they’re my family, I know them better than that.”

“Hmm, I bet that’s how it’ll be when we tell everypony about us,” Fluttershy said. Being so accepted by Twilight’s family made Fluttershy even more resolved to finally tell Twilight she wanted to come out. If they could accept Twilight dating a mare, then why should anypony else have a problem with it?

“Maybe,” Twilight said, shifting in her seat.

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around her marefriend. “Are you nervous?”

Twilight smiled. “Kind of. But I know we’ll get through it alright.”

‘Okay, this is it. Just tell her the truth.’ Fluttershy forced a smile. “So, I, uhm…” Twilight turned to her and Fluttershy looked away. “I love you, Twily.”

Twilight tilted her head to the side. “I love you too, Shy. Is something wrong?”

“No,” Fluttershy answered too quickly. “I mean, uhm… I was just wondering…” She nuzzled against Twilight’s neck, hiding her face away. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t ask Twilight to tell everypony about her. She was being selfish.

Twilight hugged her closely. “Come on, Shy. You can tell me anything. What’s on your mind?”

“Well… I was wondering when, uhm, when you think we should tell other ponies.” Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly. She knew better, but some part of her still expected Twilight to be angry that she’d even ask something like that.

“I don’t know. I guess…” Fluttershy opened her eyes to see Twilight tapping a hoof on her chin before shaking her head. “Well, we’re still on vacation now. Let’s worry about that after we get back to Ponyville.”

Fluttershy kept her head on Twilight’s shoulder so she wouldn’t notice the frown. “You’re right,” she said. Twilight did have a point. Even if Fluttershy was ready, they could at least wait until they were back in Ponyville.

“What do you say, Shy? Ready for bed?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Fluttershy said. The nap earlier had helped, but she was definitely looking forward to a good night’s sleep. She followed Twilight up to the bedroom.

“So, Shy…” Twilight said as she closed the door behind them. Fluttershy frowned, she knew what question was coming. She had been expecting it since dinner. “Why didn’t you ever tell me your dad was still alive?”

Fluttershy sat on the bed. She looked at Twilight, trying to read her expression, but her face remained impassive. “I just… I don’t like to talk about him.”

“Okay,” Twilight said. She looked away for a moment before turning back with a concerned look. “Well… do you mind if I ask what happened between you two?”

How could she explain? Twilight’s family was so perfect, the worst that she was used to was when her mom was too worried about her. So instead she just smiled. She was fine now, there was no reason to talk about him. “We just… don’t see eye to eye. It’s fine, Twily, it really is something I put behind me a long time ago. And, uhm, I’d rather just leave it alone.”

Twilight frowned, ears folded down. “Okay, if you’re sure…” She pulled off her sweater and haphazardly tossed it on a dresser before climbing into bed next to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy snuggled against Twilight as the alicorn turned out the lights. She was glad the bed was so small, it meant Twilight wouldn’t wonder why Fluttershy was extra close to her. She closed her eyes and focused on her marefriend’s breathing. Everything was okay now. Twilight was holding her, and she was in the safest place in the world.

Author's Note

So Pasu-Chan drew a wonderful comic based on a scene from this chapter, check it out!

19 - Oubliettes and Ogres

Chapter Nineteen
Oubliettes and Ogres

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While it was objectively meant to be a day of sightseeing, most of the sights they saw were in the Canterlot History Museum. Fluttershy had expected as much, though, and she did find it more interesting than she thought she would. And even if she didn’t share Twilight’s enthusiasm, she certainly enjoyed it. Her marefriend seemed to find everything on display fascinating, and she never hesitated to explain why.

Fluttershy found she often enjoyed Twilight’s explanations more than the displays, and she would smile to herself as she imagined Twilight as a teacher. Maybe to her own student, as Princess Celestia had been to her, or maybe someday to a little foal of their own. She didn’t say anything out loud, and really, she knew it was far too soon to even think about things like that anyway.

While she was content with the museum, she felt bad for Shining Armor. The closest he came to enjoying himself seemed to be when he eventually realized that Cadance and Fluttershy were having fun and gave up on trying to hurry the day along. Still, once lunchtime rolled around, Cadance took the chance to recommend a restaurant far enough from the museum that they wouldn’t be making a return trip, and the rest of the day was spent going around town, seeing local sites and visiting a few shops.

As the day went on, Fluttershy found herself wondering more and more what it would be like if they didn’t have to hide their relationship. She watched Cadance and Shining, and as much as she enjoyed seeing them happily engage in little displays of affection, she found she was also a little jealous.

At first, hiding things had been easier to her than it would have been to be open. Whenever they were alone she had actually been more worried; how was she was supposed to act as Twilight’s marefriend? Especially since, at the time, she really couldn’t see Twilight as being more than a friend.

But things slowly changed, and eventually, she got more comfortable being affectionate. She wasn’t sure how or when, but at some point when she said ‘I love you’, it wasn’t just because she felt like she was supposed to say it. She really meant it, or at least, she was pretty sure she did.

She had to keep reminding herself that keeping things secret was something they had agreed to. Besides, Twilight had said they would talk about it once they were back home.

Still, she couldn’t deny that it stung a little bit whenever she noticed Twilight put a little extra space between them, or how they’d only touch if Cadance was pulling them together for a group picture in front of a city landmark. As much as she enjoyed the day out, she was happy to return to Twilight’s parents, where her marefriend could once again be hers.

As soon as they walked in, they could smell cinnamon. That, along with the warmth, dispelled all of Fluttershy's concerns from earlier. “Welcome back. Have fun out in town?” Twilight Velvet asked. She was sitting by the fireplace with a book in front of her.

“Yeah, even if we did have to drag Twily out of the museum,” Shining said.

“Oh come on, we didn’t even go through the whole thing!” Twilight said

“Well there’s always next time, dear,” Twilight Velvet said, returning to her book. “Spike’s in the kitchen, he’s been waiting for you all to come back. He said he had an idea for something all of you could do together.”

They left Twilight Velvet to her book and made their way to the kitchen. The closer they got, the stronger and more delightful the aroma became. Fluttershy already suspected what they’d find inside. And sure enough, Night Light was mixing batter in a large bowl while Spike added ingredients into it.

“Is that your special cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookies?” Cadance asked, savoring the aroma.

“Sure is,” Night Light said. “We have some sugar cookies in the oven, too.”

“It smells amazing,” Fluttershy said. “Would you like help with anything?”

“Hmm…” Night Light tapped on his chin, getting flour on his face in the process. “Well, we’re almost done with these, and I think we made enough for everypony. We could definitely use your help tomorrow though, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I’d love to,” Fluttershy said. “You’ve all been so welcoming, I feel a little guilty. I’d like to do something to repay you.”

“Nonsense. We’re happy to have you here, you don’t have to do a thing,” Night Light said. “If you want to help cook you’re more than welcome to, but Spike, Cadance, and I can handle everything if you’d rather just take it easy.”

“You might want to be careful what you get yourself into,” Shining Armor warned. “Dad likes to go overboard for Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“I never hear you complaining once everything’s done,” Night Light said with a grin.

Shining rubbed at his neck. “Well, that is true.”

“I really would like to help,” Fluttershy said. “I do love cooking, and I think it’ll be fun cooking together.”

“Speaking of doing something fun together…” Spike grinned excitedly. “I was thinking, and we should all play Oubliettes and Ogres!”

Shining Armor instantly matched his grin. “That’s a great idea!”

Fluttershy had heard Twilight mention the game she used to play with her brothers, but she didn’t really know anything about it. She looked to Twilight to see what her thoughts on playing were and saw her and Cadance exchange worried looks. “I dunno, Spike,” Twilight said. “It’s a little complicated, and we’re only here for a week. You know how long a full campaign can take.”

“Hey, we went to your museum, you can deal with an O&O game,” Shining said. “If we play with expedited rules, we can probably get through a campaign before everypony leaves.”

He did have a point, it was only fair that they do something the boys wanted to do, too. “I’ve never played before. Is it fun?”

“It’s, like, the nerdiest game ever,” Twilight said.

“Said the biggest nerd ever,” Spike pointed out. “It’s a great game, Fluttershy. It’s all about making up a character and doing all sorts of things you can’t normally do. I’m Guillaume, a griffon fighter.”

“You fight griffons?” Fluttershy asked. That seemed like an odd thing to want to do.

Spike laughed. “No, my character is a griffon. Fighter is my class, it’s like what type of character you play. Like a sorcerer or a rogue. You can be anything you want to be in O&O!”

Fluttershy thought about Sunset Shimmer and the journal. She almost felt like somepony else when she wrote in it, somepony brave who could talk to ponies she didn’t know. She loved that feeling, and the idea of being somepony like that did have a certain appeal. Besides, if she had any doubts, seeing Spike so excited to play erased them. “It can’t be that bad, Twi. What’s your character?”

“I used to play as unicorn wizard named Crystal Gaze,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. “But you pretty much are a wizard.”

“Twily and I have been playing since we were kids,” Shining said. “Back then, we only dreamed of the kind of lives we’d have. Which is why I play a unicorn paladin, Brilliant Knight.”

“Besides, not everypony plays characters they wish they could be,” Cadance said. “Some of us prefer to stay closer to what we’re already familiar with.”

“You play, too?” Fluttershy was surprised. Twilight really was the biggest nerd ever – which Fluttershy always found adorable – and she knew her brothers weren’t far off, but Cadance didn’t seem like the type of pony who would play something like this.

“Once in a while. Shiny plays every week with some of the guards, so I figured why not give it a shot? I’m Hopeful Heart, a pegasus cleric. And if you’re playing, I’ll play too.”

Spike turned to Twilight. “Please, Twi?”

“Fine. But don’t blame me if you wind up bored. Or worse, addicted.” Twilight grimaced.

“Well, I think it sounds like a great idea,” Night Light said. “I’ll get these cookies in the oven and bring some down to you once they’re done.” He looked at Spike as the excited dragon jumped off his chair and smiled. “Well, after somedragon washes up first. I don’t think being covered in flour is part of the game.”

As Spike ran to the bathroom to wash up, the others went down into the basement. It must have been where Shining Armor and his friends used to play, judging by the posters still on the wall; they were all of terrifying monsters and rugged heroes. There was a table near a bookshelf, which Shining dusted off and set several of the books down on.

Fluttershy walked over to the bookshelf to read the titles when a framed picture caught her eye. Just when she went to examine it a purple glow surrounded it and it flew behind Twilight’s back.

“What was that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothing,” Twilight said, but her smile was a little too broad.

“It looked like a drawing.” Fluttershy tried to look around Twilight but the picture was turned away from her.

“So, let’s get to designing your character!” Twilight said

“Twily.” Fluttershy gave her a look that made it clear she’d see the picture one way or another.

“Fine.” Twilight frowned and levitated the picture to where Fluttershy could see it.

It was a crayon picture of a purple unicorn in a Star Swirl hat, next to a larger white unicorn in gold armor.

“Twily drew that,” Shining said. “Back then, it was impossible to pull her away from an O&O game.”

Twilight kept the scowl but the blush ruined the effect. “It’s adorable,” Fluttershy said, nuzzling against Twilight.

“Why do we still have that thing?” Twilight demanded.

“Because,” Shining Armor said, “it’s adorable.”

Twilight haphazardly dropped it on the shelf before sitting at the table and grabbing the nearest book to bury her face in. The cover read ‘Oubliettes and Ogres Players Manual, 3rd edition.’

“Are all those books just for this game?” Fluttershy asked. There were four different books stacked on the table, all tall hardcover books, at least a couple hundred pages a piece.

“Actually, that’s a pretty basic set. You should see what he has at home,” Cadance said.

Shining began explaining the basics of the game, how everypony made a character that they would play as, and one pony would be the gamemaster, in charge of everything else in the world. They usually had a quest that they would all band together to try and overcome, and some campaigns would last for years, with new quests being added as time went on. Spike joined them while he was explaining.

“Have you made a character yet?” Spike asked.

Cadance smiled. “We’re getting there. It’s only been ten minutes.”

“Alright, so the first thing you should do is decide what class you want to be, followed by your race and alignment,” Shining Armor said.

Twilight, who got over her embarrassment once there was something to explain, flipped to a page with a burly minotaur, which she explained was a barbarian. They flipped through the book and everypony gave their input on which classes were the best. Twilight and Shining mostly focused on stats and who was best in what situations, which more or less went over her head. Spike explained things in a way Fluttershy could actually understand, but his enthusiasm made it impossible for Fluttershy to make a decision. In the end it was Cadance whom Fluttershy decided to listen to, winding up as a druid.

“Alright, now which race do you want to be?” Shining Armor asked. “Certain ones are better at different things, but you can be whichever you want.”

“I don’t know. Should I just be a pegasus?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight flipped to a page with a picture of a pegasus with two swords drawn and a bow strung to his back. “You can be if you want to, but pegasi excel at classes requiring agility,” Twilight said. “They’re usually rangers or rogues, although they don’t make bad druids. Diamond dogs and minotaurs are probably the worst druids, but you could make that work too, if you wanted to. Earth ponies and zebras have the strongest connection with nature, so they’d probably be your best bet.”

“I think I’d like to be an earth pony then,” Fluttershy said. In a lot of ways, she felt like she was always meant to be an earth pony.

“Alright, now we need your alignment.” Twilight flipped to a chart with nine boxes, ranging from lawful good to chaotic evil. “Shining, Spike, and I are all lawful good. Some classes have restrictions. For example, as a wizard my magic works best when my character has an organized mind, which means being lawful, although I could have been lawful neutral or lawful evil if I wanted. Shining is a paladin so he didn’t have a choice at all, all paladins are lawful good. Spike could have been anything he wanted, but he chose to be lawful good.”

“I guess I want to be lawful good also,” Fluttershy said. She certainly didn’t want to play as a bad pony.

“Actually, druids are impassive like nature, which means you have to be some sort of neutral,” Twilight said. “You could be lawful neutral or neutral good, though.”

“Oh. Is that bad?” Fluttershy asked.

“No, my character is neutral good,” Cadance said. “It means she prefers to do good even when it goes against the established order.”

“Okay. That sounds good,” Fluttershy said.

“Right. That’s the big stuff out of the way. Now for the fun part: the details.” Shining Armor grinned.

As they went over stats, starting equipment, age, and so many more things, Fluttershy couldn’t help but question if this was such a good idea after all. Twilight and Shining debated everything back and forth, while Cadance and Spike helped her fill out her character sheet while they were distracted. Fluttershy was happy to hear that she got to have an animal companion. Her first thought was to pick a rabbit, but Spike convinced her to choose a hawk since her character wouldn’t have wings to fly herself.

As the whole process droned on, Fluttershy found herself absentmindedly flipping through the monster guide. Mostly she was just looking at the pictures while thinking that some of the monsters were probably just misunderstood. She was beginning to wonder if they’d ever move on when Spike finally said, “Alright, all that’s left is your name.”

“Sky Shimmer,” Fluttershy said automatically. She had decided it immediately when they first started to talk about playing.

“You want a pegasus name as an earth pony?” Spike asked.

“Is that bad? I could change it.” Fluttershy tried to think of an earth pony name. Maybe she could be named Posey?

“It’s fine,” Twilight said. “Any race can have any name. Maybe it could even be part of your character’s backstory if you want. She could have pegasus parents or something.”

“Fine,” Spike said as he filled in the last blank space on her character's page. “So who’s GM?”

“I am,” Twilight and Shining said at the same time.

“Twily, if you’re the gamemaster she’ll never want to play again,” Shining said.

“What? I’m a great gamemaster!” Twilight said. “Besides, you’re the one who wanted to play this game, you should be happy we even agreed in the first place.”

“Yeah, you’re great at pounding players into the ground,” Shining said.

“Do you really think I’m going to go out of my way to make things miserable?” Twilight asked.

“I have an idea.” Cadance leaned in close to Shining and whispered conspiratorially. As she talked, he began to smile.

“Okay, you can be GM, but there’s a condition. We’ll play the Nachtmahr campaign.”

“Fine,” Twilight said.

“And Crystal Gaze will be the hostage,” Shining said.

“That’s ridiculous!” Twilight said.

Fluttershy looked to Spike for an explanation but he just shrugged. Shining elaborated. “In Nachtmahr, the evil spirit Mara is trying to rule Equestria. She takes a pure-hearted pony hostage to sacrifice on the full moon, and the adventurers try to stop her before then. Since she’ll be the gamemaster, Twilight doesn’t have to be one of the adventurers to be part of the game, so instead her character will be the one we’re trying to save. That way if she kills us, then she losses too.”

“Not happening,” Twilight said. “That idea’s dumb.”

“What do you think, Fluttershy?” Cadance asked. “Do you want to try and be Twilight’s hero?”

Fluttershy mirrored the puppy dog eyes Twilight had used to get her to go to the museum. The alicorn’s expression went from exasperation to resignation. “Alright, fine. But what makes you so sure I won’t make it super easy?”

“Because you’re still you, and nopony’s ever survived one of your campaigns,” Shining Armor said. “Maybe this will tone it down, but I get the feeling rescuing you won’t be all that easy.”

Twilight grinned. “You know, I can still kill you and let the others finish the campaign.”

Shining’s grin was identical to his sister’s. “You can try.”

“Just remember, you’re not Fluttershy in the game,” Cadance said. “You’re Sky Shimmer, and you don’t know any of us.” Fluttershy nodded.

Twilight pulled up the gamemaster’s guidebook and propped it open in front of her. “Alright,” she said, “let’s begin.”

Sky Shimmer could feel corruption in the wind. Something sinister was coming to the forest. She stood on a precipice overlooking her burrow, and hoped she’d have the fortitude to stop it once it came.

A shift in the wind caused her to swivel her ears back. Somepony approached.

“Greetings! My name’s Hopeful Heart, and I believe I’m looking for you.” Turning to look at the pony speaking, Sky Shimmer saw she was a pink pegasus, clad in chainmail. A large wooden shield painted with a braided tree sat on her back.

Sky Shimmer said nothing, prompting Hopeful Heart to continue. “I serve the spirit of the forest Ehlonna. She tasked me with entering these woods and seeking out help, and I believe she meant for me to find you.”

“For what purpose?”

“Something dark is coming. I believe she means for me to stop it. I do not know what role she plans for you, but I think my journey starts here.”

“I do not serve Ehlonna,” Sky Shimmer said. “I feel the corruption you mentioned, and I will do what I can to stop it, but I will not leave the forest.”

“Be that as it may, I’d still like to ask for your help. Maybe you are not meant to accompany me, but rather just have some information that might help.”

Sky Shimmer had little time for the games of spirits, even Ehlonna. “If your spirit knows so much, why seek me out at all? Leave me be.”

Though she doubted the cleric would give up so easily, Sky Shimmer turned to go. She was interrupted by a hawk swooping in. She offered her foreleg and the hawk landed on it.

“What is it, Amitola?” Sky Shimmer asked her companion. The hawk cawed and Sky Shimmer ran off at a gallop.

“What’s going on?” Hopeful Heart asked, flying after her.

“Ghouls have appeared in the forest.” Sky Shimmer feared they were connected to the corruption she had felt earlier. Ghouls should not be anywhere near these woods. The forest was sacred, and had a way of warding off unnatural creatures like the undead.

The ponies followed the hawk into a glade, which was already filled with half a dozen of the abominations. They were surrounding a unicorn and a griffon, who were standing back to back with swords drawn. Without stopping to think, Sky Shimmer called a wolf to fight with them and ran to the warriors.

“Thanks,” the griffon said. He was rushed by a ghoul, which he ran through with an enormous sword far too big for a pony to wield; even the griffon required both talons to swing it properly. He swung the sword at a second ghoul, which dislodged the first, although he missed his target.

The unicorn slashed at another one, cutting it across the chest, but the ghoul kept coming. It bit into his shoulder just above where his armor stopped. The wolf latched onto the ghoul’s neck and pulled it off the unicorn, killing the creature. A light teal glow surrounded the wound as it sealed itself up.

As a ghoul approached Sky Shimmer, Amitola dived in front of it. With its attention shifted to the hawk, Sky Shimmer swung her staff as hard as she could into its face. There was a sickening crunch as its face sunk into itself, but the creature kept coming. She swung again, fully collapsing its skull and killing the ghoul right as a second lunged at her.

Prepared for the worst, Sky Shimmer braced for the attack, but Hopeful Heart swung a mace at it, catching it in the leg. Most of its skin was torn off, but the ghoul crawled forward still. Before either mare could react, the wolf jumped on top of it, ripping the decaying creature to pieces.

The unicorn took inspiration from the cleric and aimed his next swing at another ghoul’s leg. Once it was down he drove the blade through its eye. The ghoul was killed, but his sword was stuck.

As the last ghoul made for the helpless unicorn, the griffon stood in its way, swinging his sword in an arch over his head, and cleaving the creature in two.

Everypony looked around while trying to catch their breaths. There was no sign of any other ghouls. “Is anypony hurt?” Hopeful Heart asked.

The unicorn inspected his shoulder. “I think we’re all okay. You must be very talented. I thought I was done for back there.”

“You’d have been fine,” the griffon said.

Sky Shimmer got a proper look at the two warriors. The griffon’s feathers were brown, except his head, which was black. He was wearing dull armor that looked heavy even for him, and had the royal insignia on his chest plate. The griffon’s size dwarfed the unicorn’s, although Sky Shimmer couldn’t remember ever seeing a stallion so large. He was white with a blue mane, and his armor seemed to be steel, but it shone as brightly as silver.

“But why were those things attacking you?” Hopeful Heart asked.

“Well, actually…” the unicorn rubbed his neck.

“We saw them from a distance, but he didn’t want to wait for a plan. He just runs in screaming ‘for justice!’ like an idiot.”

The unicorn blushed. “Well, what would you have done, leave them be!?” he snapped at his companion.

The griffon just shrugged. “No, but we could have at least known what we were doing first.”

“In any event, I’m glad we came when we did. My name’s Hopeful Heart. I’m a cleric serving Ehlonna.”

“My name’s Brilliant Knight,” the unicorn said. “My gruff companion here is Guillaume.”

Everypony turned toward Sky Shimmer. She sighed. “My name is Sky Shimmer. I think it would be best if you left the forest.”

“Please, Sky Shimmer,” Hopeful Heart said. “You know ghouls shouldn’t be here. This must be a sign of the coming darkness. Help me, please.”

“My ladies,” Brilliant Armor said, kneeling. “I believe we are seeking the same thing. My companion and I are on a quest to rescue Crystal Gaze, a court mage who was taken by a malevolent force. Surely, this is the same evil you face. We would be honored if you two would accompany us.”

Hopeful Heart looked like she might swoon. Sky Shimmer rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, that wolf was awesome,” Guillaume said. “Got more ghouls than Sir Cheesy over here. And having a real cleric would be great. Brilliant Knight is okay, but he’s no healer.”

“I would be honored to join your quest,” Hopeful Heart said.

“I would prefer you left the forest,” Sky Shimmer said.

Brilliant Knight frowned. “Then we’ll respect your wishes.” Guillaume looked shocked and Hopeful Heart disappointed, but neither said anything against it.

“Thank you,” Sky Shimmer said. But as she turned to go, she felt a presence. “Everypony get down!” she shouted. Everypony obeyed, and a moment later a dark force came crashing through the trees overhead.

“What have we here?” a mare’s voice spoke. “You four killed some of my ghouls. No matter, there’s always plenty more corpses to play with.” The darkness took shape, becoming an alicorn seemingly made from shadows.

Guillaume raised his blade, which only caused the mare to laugh. “Insolent foals,” she said.

“Are you the one hurting the forest?” Sky Shimmer asked.

“I’ve done no such thing,” she answered. “However, If the forests are dying because of my magic, well, that's really not my problem.”

Amitola flew at her while Sky Shimmer barred her teeth. “What gives you the right!?”

The mare didn’t even flinch as Amitola flew right through her. “What gives me the right? Do you know who I am? I am the rightful queen of this land, Mara! All should bow before me!” Her eyes glowed and everypony found themselves kneeling except for Brilliant Knight, who remained standing through obvious effort.

“What have you done with her? Where is Crystal Gaze!?” Brilliant Knight demanded through gritted teeth.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean her.” A young mare appeared, bound in chains.

“Help me!” she screamed.

“Aaargh!” Brilliant Knight charged, but his sword faded through the shadow. Finally unable to resist, he too fell to his knees.

“Foalish knight,” Mara said. “I must commend your bravery, though. Here, a token of my respect.” She kneeled down and kissed his forehead, a dark mark appearing where her lips had been.

“Now then, my toy and I are leaving. I could just kill you now, but I have a feeling you four will prove amusing, so I’ll let you live.” With a sinister cackle, Mara and her prisoner disappeared.

Freed from their bindings, Hopeful Heart and Guillaume ran to Brilliant Knight, who was still collapsed on the ground. Sky Shimmer sat back in reflection as Amitola landed on her shoulder.

She sighed. “What do you think, Amitola?”

“Can you stand?” Guillaume asked Brilliant Knight.

“Let me look at it,” Hopeful Heart said. “Oh dear Ehlonna, no.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should go with them,” Sky Shimmer said.

“What is it?” Guillaume asked.

“Blight,” Hopeful Heart said. “It’s dark energy infecting his blood.”

“Oh, that’s just silly,” Sky Shimmer said, blushing slightly. “You know I only care about saving the forest.”

“Will he be okay?” Guillaume asked.

“I can hold it at bay,” Hopeful Heart said, “and even heal him after a fashion. He won’t die, but the blight will forever rob him of his holy energy. He won’t be a paladin anymore.”

“Fine. You’re right, she was cute. But I’m not doing this for some mare just because she’s beautiful. We really do need to stop Mara before she corrupts the forest.” Sky Shimmer pouted slightly at Amitola being able to read her so well.

“I’ll fly him back to town,” Guillaume said. “We’ll fix it.”

“Wait!” Hopeful Heart said. “I need to stay with him to hold the blight at bay, and I can’t concentrate while flying.”

“Dammit!” Guillaume shouted. “Then what can we do?”

“Could he be moved near where we met?” Sky Shimmer asked, causing both of them to jump as they hadn’t noticed her approach.

“I suppose that would be okay, but the sooner the better,” Hopeful Heart said.

“Right,” Sky Shimmer said. “Amitola will lead you to my burrow. Bring him there, and do what you can for him. I’ll follow on hoof after I gather some supplies.”

Hopeful Heart looked doubtful, but didn’t have a chance to argue as Amitola and Guillaume took off, leaving her to either follow or be left behind. Once they were gone, Sky Shimmer walked over to examine the ghouls they had fought. She frowned at the sight before cantering into the forest.

The sun had already set by the time she finally entered her burrow. Brilliant Knight was lying on her bedding. The blight hadn’t expanded much, which was a testament to Hopeful Heart’s healing prowess.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Guillaume said. “I was beginning to be afraid you weren’t – oh sweet Pelor there’s a bear behind you!”

Sky Shimmer didn’t acknowledge his outburst. Instead, she turned to the bear. “Thank you very much, you’ve been a huge help. You can set them down here.” The bear dropped the herbs she had asked him to carry. Sky Shimmer reached into her stores and pulled out a honeycomb, which she gave to him. He left the burrow with Sky Shimmer waving cheerfully and the others gawking.

Without a word, Sky Shimmer gathered the herbs and began grinding them using a mortar and pestle. Despite constant questioning, she gave Guillaume only the most basic of answers, if she answered at all. Eventually Hopeful Heart asked him to let her finish her work in peace, to which he reluctantly complied.

“It’s done.” She rubbed the bright green poultice on Brilliant Knight. She circled the area around the black markings before covering them completely. He screamed as she worked.

“You’re hurting him!” Guillaume yelled.

Sky Shimmer didn’t look at him. “I never said I wouldn’t.”

“What? What is that? What are you doing to him?” Guillaume looked torn between trusting her and forcing her to stop.

“Look.” Hopeful Heart gestured at the goop, which was turning black. “You’re drawing the blight out, aren’t you?”

Sky Shimmer nodded.

“That’s good, right? Why are you so pale?” Guillaume asked Hopeful Heart.

“Yes, it’s good,” she answered. “But I can’t imagine the pain he’s in. It’s ripping the tainted blood out of his body.”

“He’ll live, and he won’t have any trace of corruption,” Sky Shimmer said. Guillaume just gulped. She walked outside.

“Where are you going?” Hopeful Heart asked.

“To sleep where it’s quiet. We’ll go after Mara in the morning.”

“I can’t believe you gave me blight!” Shining Armor said.

“Hey, you knew what you were doing when you attacked Mara,” Twilight said.

“Don’t worry so much, Shiny,” Cadance said. “Everything worked out, thanks to Fluttershy.”

“I hope I’m doing okay,” Fluttershy said.

“You’re doing great!” Spike said.

“But my character’s kind of… a bitch,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight shrugged. “That’s how druids are.”

“I’m sure there are nice druids,” Fluttershy said. She had tried to be nicer after the encounter with Mara, but her limited knowledge of the world meant she had to give Spike the cold shoulder when she couldn’t explain what her character was doing.

“Dinner’s ready,” Twilight Velvet called from the top of the stairs. It had been some time since they’d finished the cookies, and Fluttershy was pretty hungry. Still, she couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the interruption.

“So should we call it a night?” Twilight asked.

“No way! We can keep playing after dinner,” Spike insisted.

“Uhm… I’d like to play more too. If nopony minds, that is,” Fluttershy said.

Shining Armor grinned. “So I guess you’ll need your own set of O&O books and dice.”

Twilight facehoofed. “What have we done?”

“It’s too quiet here,” Guillaume said.

“You’ve said that at least three times a day since we left the forest,” Brilliant Knight said. It had been a fortnight since they had left Sky Shimmer’s burrow. She had agreed to go with them to everypony’s surprise. “What do you expect? Look at where we are.”

They were walking through the ruins of an ancient city. Once it may have been a great civilization, but now everything was in shambles. The tallest buildings left were towers scarcely higher than a house, and even those they gave a wide berth, as the wrong wind could send them down at any moment.

“He’s right though,” Sky Shimmer said. She also felt something wrong this time.

Everypony stopped. They had reached a much better understanding over the past weeks, but still the reclusive pony only spoke when what she had to say was important, and they had all come to revere her ability to detect unnatural beings.

“Show yourselves!” Hopeful Heart said as her eyes glowed. A light radiated outwards from her. It passed over the travellers and the rubble, but it stuck to the shadows, revealing forms within them.

“It’s an ambush!” Brilliant Knight shouted drawing his sword. The blade gave off a warm glow, as it was enchanted with a holy aura.

The shadows moved towards them. They were similar to Mara – darkness in equine form. The four travellers took combative stances, raising their weapons.

Brilliant Knight’s horn glowed and Guillaume’s sword began to glow with a holy energy of its own. It was only a temporary spell, unlike the permanent enchantment on the paladin’s own blade, but it would do well for this fight.

Guillaume was the first to move, charging into the fray as soon as his sword was enchanted. He used his flight to stay just above the enemies, using the impressive reach of his sword to slash at them from above. It worked well until several of the shadows grew wings and chased him into the air.

Brilliant Knight kept an eye on his partner, but Guillaume was an accomplished fighter by now. Trusting him to take care of himself, Brilliant Knight took a defensive position in front of Hopeful Heart, keeping the shades away from her. Sky Shimmer prefered to keep a wall at her back and choose targets, staying on the sidelines. She conjured flames and tossed them at any shadows foolish enough to approach her.

As the shades advanced and forced Brilliant Knight into combat, Hopeful Heart was separated from him. Thankfully, she had long since taken measures to make herself less vulnerable in a fight. Since the undead made up most of Mara’s minions, she had practiced a spell to make herself invisible to them. Casting it now, she disappeared from their perception and weaved through their ranks, supporting her friends where possible.

Guillaume had ascended well above the battle. Glancing behind him, he saw there were three shadows following him. He quickly pulled into a dive and put some distance between them. Rolling onto his back, he switched to a free fall with his weapon drawn.

He smiled as the first shadow approached, swinging his sword and catching it in the wing. While it had been able to grow them, it seemed it couldn’t regenerate them as easily and fell, leaving Guillaume with two pursuers.

Rolling back around, he turned at a right angle and moved along with the ground. A flame caught his eye and he saw a flash of yellow and pink, giving him a burst of inspiration.

Sky Shimmer was becoming overrun, slowly losing ground to the never-ending waves of shadows. They largely ignored Amitola, which meant she couldn’t distract them like she had with the ghouls, but she could still serve as Sky Shimmer’s eye in the sky. The hawk swooped down and cawed a message, leaving Sky Shimmer smiling.

She raised a hoof and felt Guillaume’s tallon wrap around it, lifting her into the air. Finally able to see the amount of shadows surrounding them left her gasping, but she shook her head. She couldn’t worry about that now; she had to do her part to help her friends.

“Ready?” Guillaume asked.

“Yes.”

The griffon threw the earth pony into the heart of the masses, where she changed shape into a phoenix, scorching the shadows as she flew through them. She saw Brilliant Knight going blow for blow with two shadows at once and made for him. She crashed into them and turned toward the rest of the horde, flapping her wings and sending a wave a fire in front of her.

Guillaume flew directly through the flames holding a talon over his face. He looked back to see he had lost or killed both his pursuers in the process, but while his attention was behind him, he crashed into a pillar, which came tumbling to the ground next to him. Against any other enemies, he may have taken some out, but the incorporeal shadows simply moved through the rubble undeterred. Guillaume began swinging wildly, bringing the huge blade from shoulder to shoulder in a blind attempt to hit something.

As one leaped to land on his back, a protective shield formed around him. The bubble of light kept the creatures at bay while easing the pain of his wounds. A pink pegasus landed in front of him, completely ignored by the shadows all around them.

“Have you seen the others?” Hopeful Heart asked.

“Sky Shimmer will be fine as long as her magic holds,” Guillaume said. “She’s taken the form of a phoenix. I don’t know where Brilliant Knight is.”

Hopeful Heart launched herself into the air and scanned the battlefield. Sky Shimmer’s phoenix form was a beacon, so she made her way towards the druid in hopes that Brilliant Knight would be nearby.

As she flew to her comrade, a flaming shadow burst into the air. It flew off towards a different direction, but not before catching her wing afire. She was able to put out the flames before hitting the ground, but the wing was rendered useless.

She fell into three shadows, which instantly became aware of her presence. She swung her maul, which hit one shadow's head with enough force to remove it. She momentarily celebrated her decision to replace her old mace with a bigger weapon, but was cut short when the other two shadows approached.

Guillaume had flown after the cleric, and was driving his sword into the flaming shadow’s heart as she went down. He landed and began clearing a path to her. The shadows could not stand before him, but the ones behind him jumped onto his back, burning him with their infernal touch. As they climbed on him, Brilliant Knight galloped up and cut them off.

“You damn foal, you can’t fight straight through them!” Brilliant Knight shouted as they fought back to back.

“Hopeful Heart went down!” Guillaume shouted back.

“Go! I’ll cover you!” Brilliant Knight ran backwards fending them off as best he could, trusting Guillaume to get the ones in front.

They forced their way through the endless shades in time to see Hopeful Heart fell one with her maul. Although two more approached her, fire rained down upon them as Sky Shimmer dive-bombed the shadows.

The four stood in a circle while Sky Shimmer returned to pony form. Already panting she yelled, “Hold tight!” and slammed her staff into the ground. A circle of spikes rose around them before igniting, taking out swaths of the dark beings.

“There’s just too many!” Guillaume yelled as Sky Shimmer fell to her knees.

“I don’t think I can shield us all!” Hopeful Heart shouted.

“Get close to me!” Sky Shimmer shouted. As she was surrounded by her friends she did her best to calm her mind and call upon whatever magic she had left within her. She reached out for something, anything that might save them.

At first there was nothing. But as the shadows drew closer and they looked to be done for, the wind began. It threatened to throw them into the shadows, but they held fast to each other. A deafening caw filled the air as a giant eagle swooped down, the gusts from its wings knocking shadows back as it grabbed the adventurers and returned into the air.

“Ah?” Fluttershy was suddenly aware that she was being placed onto Twilight’s bed. “Twily?”

Twilight smiled. “You and Spike fell asleep on each other. I had to carry you all the way here.” She climbed into bed next to Fluttershy and kissed her. “It was pretty adorable, though. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Fluttershy smiled before shivering. “It’s so cold.”

Twilight laughed. “I think I can take care of that.” She snuggled into bed and pulled the covers over them, tucking them in with her magic. She curled around Fluttershy.

“Good night, Shy,” Twilight said, kissing her on the forehead, but Fluttershy was already asleep.

Author's Note

This chapter wasn't even supposed to happen. I planned out the rest of this story and what happens in every chapter, then added this one last minute when I got the idea to have them all play Oubliettes and Ogres. Special thanks to my editor ArchAngelsWings for being such a nerd and helping me with her D&D knowledge :raritywink:

And for the record, this story predates Dungeons and Discord considerably. The name 'Oubliettes and Ogres' was in the comics ages ago, and I am not swapping the name to 'Ogres and Oubliettes' :trixieshiftleft:

20 - Night and Day

Chapter Twenty
Night and Day

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As usual, Twilight was early. She would have been anyway, simply by virtue of being who she was, but she had extra reasons to show up early for this particular appointment. One was that Celestia had asked for her specifically, and it would not do to keep the princess waiting.

Raven, Celestia’s assistant, had offered to shuffle appointments to accommodate her, but Twilight wouldn’t allow it. It was certainly not the agricultural committee’s fault that she had decided to show up hours ahead of schedule, and there was no reason they should be made to wait because of it.

Besides, the other reason she had chosen to leave so early because it would give her time to think. So, she found herself wandering the royal gardens. The castle always put her in a logical mindset, which was just what she needed. Her parents’ house was one of the most welcoming places to her, especially with how readily everypony had accepted Fluttershy. But she couldn’t think like a princess around them – least of all Fluttershy.

When she left, her marefriend had been bundled up in their bed, writing to Sunset Shimmer about their adventures in Oubliettes and Ogres. Twilight had long since given up on the game, but she loved seeing Fluttershy so interested in it. The normally shy pony was surprisingly apt at getting into her character’s role.

Twilight shook her head. She was supposed to be thinking about her plans for the future, not Fluttershy’s roleplaying. She decided the palace gardens just reminded her too much of Fluttershy, and she would be better off with a change in scenery. She walked aimlessly in the general direction of the library, which did little to keep her mind from wandering back to her marefriend.

There was a lot more going on with her dad than Fluttershy would say. That much was obvious; Fluttershy wasn’t even trying to deny something bad had happened between them. What she couldn’t figure out was what could have possibly happened that Fluttershy, of all ponies, would hold against him years later. In the three and a half years that she’d known Fluttershy, she never so much as mentioned that he was still alive. What prompted the sudden change? Was it something to do with Twilight’s family?

It just didn’t make any sense. She always thought Fluttershy was an orphan, and whenever she did talk about her parents, it was always with love and respect.

‘For her mom,’ Twilight realized. Fluttershy talked so rarely about her life in Cloudsdale that Twilight had never even noticed that she only ever talked about her mom. Had she ever actually said her dad died, or had Twilight assumed that? She honestly couldn’t remember.

“Twilight Sparkle,” a voice cut through her thoughts.

“Huh?” Twilight looked around and saw she had wandered into the astronomy wing on her way to the library, and that Luna was right next to her. “Oh, Princess Luna, hi! Is everything okay? It’s the middle of the day.”

The Princess of the Night smiled the practiced smile of a mare who was tired of constantly answering the same question, but knew she’d be answering it for years to come. “You are aware there are more hours in the day than the night, I am sure? I do not need to sleep for all of them.”

“Oh, right, sorry. That was a dumb question.”

“ ‘Tis no matter. You are here to see Tia, correct?”

“Yes, but she’s in a meeting, so I was just killing some time”

“Perfect! Come, I am on my way to the kitchens for cake. Join me.”

Twilight’s stomach grumbled and she grinned sheepishly. “That sounds great, I’m starving.”

Luna nodded and led the way. “So how are things with Fluttershy?”

Twilight stopped in her tracks and gaped at the older princess. There was simply no way she could know anything about that. She knew none of her friends would spread the word about her and Fluttershy until they were ready to come out about it themselves, but even if that weren’t the case, the only ones with any reason to talk to Luna were her dad, Cadance, and maybe Shining Armor. Two of them had only found out a few days ago, and if Cadance could resist telling her husband, she certainly didn’t tell anypony else.

“But… I don’t understand. How did you know we’re…” Twilight trailed off as she looked around frantically, although the hallway was empty except for them.

Luna arched an eyebrow. “You are still friends, are you not? I was merely making conversation. I fear I don’t know your other friends very well, but Fluttershy was most helpful in… modernizing my mannerisms.” Luna smiled wickedly. “Although if there is something more than friendship, then by all means do tell.”

Twilight facehoofed. She couldn’t believe she had assumed that. Luna had simply asked a question, and Twilight’s outbreak had given her away.

“Oh, and your dreams were quite… informative.”

Twilight gave up all pretense of dignified behavior and dropped to the ground with her wings over her face. This wasn’t happening. Luna hadn’t seen… that.

“Really now, it’s perfectly natural. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I must say though, your subconscious mind certainly has quite the imagination. Unless, of course, all that was based on your real bedroom experiences.”

A purple streak flew from where a moment ago had been a ball of fur and feathers. Twilight was determined to fly all the way to her parents’ house, write to Celestia explaining that she was sorry but would be unable to make their meeting, and then never sleep again.

She didn’t get very far, however, as a blue aura encased her tail, preventing her from leaving. Luna clutched her sides in laughter, while Twilight gave up her escape and instead glared at her with as much malice as she could manage.

“Relax, I am only teasing you,” Luna said once she recomposed herself. “I value the privacy of dreams, and never enter one unless it is to fend off a nightmare. I have seen nothing of your dreams with Fluttershy.” Twilight sighed with relief but resumed blushing when Luna added, “Although, judging from your reaction, it would seem I missed quite the show.”

“I really think we should stop talking about this now!” Twilight looked around frantically, half checking to make sure the hallway was still empty, half looking for an excuse to change the subject.

“On second thought, perhaps it would be best if we could speak privately,” Luna suggested. “I’ll send for food and we can talk in my solar.” Twilight nodded. While she was wary of more teasing, she knew it would be better to stay out of the crowded cafeteria, and talking with Luna would have certain advantages.

Luna’s quarters weren’t far, being part of the astronomy wing. She stopped outside the doors to ask an attendant to bring them cake and, at Twilight’s insistence, some sort of ‘real’ food.

While they waited, Twilight took in her surroundings. Luna’s tower was closed off when Twilight was Celestia’s student, and she hadn’t ever had a reason to enter since Luna’s return, so this was her first time in the Princess of the Night’s private meeting hall. While there was ample light to see with, it mostly came from a fireplace and several large torches, which resulted in highly contrasting areas of light and dark throughout the room. There were windows, but the curtains were all drawn. The decor was practically medieval, with tapestries and decorative weapons hanging on the walls. Twilight wondered if the room had been unchanged since Luna’s banishment, or if she had chosen to decorate her quarters with what would be familiar to her.

Once Luna’s cake and Twilight’s salad had been brought up and the door closed, Twilight finally asked the question on her mind. “So how did you know about me and Fluttershy?” She wouldn’t accept that Luna really had been asking after Fluttershy coincidentally.

“Fluttershy told me, of course,” Luna said casually, in between bites of cake.

Twilight felt a range of emotions, none of which were pleasant. She was shocked that the shy pegasus had told anypony, let alone one of the royal sisters, surprised that Fluttershy and Luna were even in communication with each other at all, upset that her marefriend hadn’t told her about it sooner, and hurt that she had been outed by the one pony who most understood what that would feel like.

Luna smiled slightly. “Let me explain. It actually was in a dream, truthfully. I generally don’t like to reveal what a pony dreams about, even to her lover, but to put it simply she had a nightmare you would leave her. No, don’t look so worried. I do not believe this was a recurring dream, nor a deep fear of hers. ‘Tis nothing but a common nightmare amongst new lovers, and it was purely by chance I happened upon it. But you can imagine my curiosity when I did. The two of us talked for some time and much was learned.”

“I see.” Twilight considered what she felt while eating her salad. She supposed it was reasonable, and she was glad Luna had stopped Fluttershy’s nightmare. Still, she did wish Fluttershy had told her afterwards.

As her initial confusion faded away, it dawned on her that Luna knew. The first pony to find out from somepony other than Twilight herself, and it was Princess Luna. Potentially cataclysmic in and of itself, but what was even worse was that if Luna knew, then Celestia…

Luna cocked her head to the side. “Are you concerned I don’t approve?” she asked.

“No, it’s just…” Twilight sighed. “Yes, I am.”

Luna chuckled. “Twilight Sparkle, I have nothing but respect for you. Both of you, truly. I am happy you two have found each other. And you know, you’re not the first princess with an interest in mares.”

“What?” Twilight’s mouth fell open. This was huge news; possibly the answer to so many of her problems! “But I’ve read about every princess Equestria ever had! None of them were gay.”

“And if I were to read about your life, what would I learn about your sexual orientation?” Luna asked. She had a point, but that didn’t shed any light on whom she was talking about. “There have been many princesses over the years. Statistically speaking, it would be near impossible to expect all of them had only eyes for stallions. Many had secret lovers their whole lives, which I can say with certainty, as I’ve met several.

“But I was not referring to any of them. Rather, I meant that you aren’t the only one of the current four.”

Twilight’s mind quickly went through the possibilities and rejected all of them. She knew the princesses. Surely she’d know if any of them were lesbians. “But that can’t be right. I mean… who?” She knew she shouldn’t ask, that it was rude and none of her business, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed to know.

Luna simply smiled. “I should think it easy enough, by process of elimination if by nothing else. Celestia is eternally straight and narrow in more ways than one, and for being the Princess of Love, Cadance is shockingly vanilla.” She inclined her head, inviting Twilight to finish the thought.

“You?” Twilight asked.

Luna smiled and helped herself to another bite of cake. “Me.”

“You’re gay?” Twilight asked, her mind trying to catch up with the idea. She wasn’t even sure why it was so shocking to her.

“Not exactly. I’ve been alive a long time, Twilight Sparkle. I honestly don’t know how Celestia does it. Not only has she only had six lovers, but they were all stallions. I don’t just mean male, but also always ponies too.” Luna shook her head at the idea, while Twilight felt oddly uncomfortable at the topic of Celestia’s sexuality. “Personally, I prefer variety. Mares, stallions, griffons, zebras, a dragon once, but that was a terrible idea. They live so long it seemed perfect, but while he was exceptionally nice, he was also very… large. Oh, come now, don’t look so squeamish. You are so like Tia.”

“Oh, it’s not that.” Twilight said as she did her best to fix her expression, even though it was very much ‘that’. “I’m just surprised is all. It seems like somepony would have said something and word would have gotten around.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “Twilight Sparkle, I don’t believe I like what you’re implying. I’ve had many lovers, yes, but I trusted them all completely.”

“No, wait, I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry, I just meant…” Twilight trailed off when she noticed Luna’s grin.

“Has anypony ever told you you’re far too easily flustered?”

Twilight looked at the ground. ‘Don’t blush,’ Twilight told herself, then did anyway.

“Honestly though, you are correct. While I may have trusted them all at the time, they were certainly not all trustworthy. Some told, others were simply bad at hiding it. At times, I was simply bad at hiding it. There were always rumors prior to Nightmare Moon, which I had to dispel. Then my absence made ponies forget.” Luna’s lighthearted expression faded to a frown as she looked off to the side. “I’m sure Celestia played her part in covering it up as well.”

Luna’s tone took Twilight by surprise. “She doesn’t approve?” Luna didn’t answer immediately and Twilight felt her chest tighten. She had been debating telling Celestia, but if she wouldn’t even accept her own sister…

When Luna did speak her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “Would you think less of me if I told you I don’t remember them all?”

Taken off guard by the sudden subject change, Twilight took a moment to answer. “Of course not. I can’t even imagine what that must be like, I don’t think anypony can expect you to remember everypony in thousands of years.”

“One pony could. And whatever she may think, I truly did love them all.” Luna’s voice was so quiet that Twilight wasn’t sure if she had been meant to hear it at all.

Luna quietly stared into the fire. “Princess Luna?” Twilight prompted after a few minutes passed in silence.

Luna smiled again and turned to address Twilight. “In any event, Twilight Sparkle, you have nothing to worry about. Tia will be happy to hear of you and Fluttershy, I assure you. She has nothing against ponies finding love with somepony of the same gender.”

Twilight smiled at the assurance. “You know, you can just call me Twilight.”

Luna laughed. “And I do believe I’ve asked you to just call me Luna.”

“Point taken,” Twilight said, rubbing her neck. “So, Luna, is there anypony you’re interested in now?”

“No. Since my return I have been too preoccupied to look for love.”

“Really?” Twilight asked doubtfully. Unlike her sister, Luna was easy enough to read. While she said no her eyes had darted away and her smile seemed inauthentic. Twilight knew she should leave it alone, that if Luna had wanted to talk about it, she would have said so. But Twilight was also not about to let the chance for her revenge go after Luna had so thoroughly embarrassed her earlier. “Three and a half years and you’ve never had so much as a crush on anypony?”

Luna didn’t seem bothered that Twilight had pressed for more. In fact, Twilight almost wondered if she’d been intentionally baited into doing so. “Well, if you really want to know, I shall tell you a story. I believe you are familiar with one version of its beginning.” Luna closed her eyes and smiled serenely.

“Once upon a time, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. But as time went on, the younger sister became lonely. The ponies relished and adored her elder sister, but shunned and laughed at her. Over time, the bitterness in the young one’s heart transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the Elements of Harmony and banished her to the moon, where she waited one thousand years, until she returned to spread darkness over the land.

“However, when hope seemed lost, a young unicorn took it upon herself to rise up against the darkness. Together with her friends, she faced down every challenge Nightmare Moon put in front of her. Although few still believed in the legends, she succeeded in finding the fabled Elements of Harmony. Along with her friends, she valiantly fought her way to Nightmare Moon and defeated her once more. But while she was certain her fate was to return to exile, they did not banish her. Instead, they used their newfound power to rid the darkness, and free the young princess from her long imprisonment.”

Luna opened her eyes to look at Twilight. “And as is often the case with fairy tales, the princess fell for her hero.”

“I, uh, but, well…” Twilight struggled to get her words to work. “You mean… me?”

Luna chuckled. “Yes. For a time, anyway,” she said, then her smile faltered a bit. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but –”

“Don’t be, I’m not. I’m flattered. But, well, why didn’t you ever say anything?” While Twilight had never had feelings for Luna, she couldn’t say what might have happened. Of course, she was happy with how things turned out, Fluttershy truly was the mare of her dreams, but Twilight had hardly known Fluttershy at the time.

“Partly because I did not yet know you. I was unsure of how you might react, or if you even were interested in mares at all. I was in no shape to deal with rejection and more rumors. But mostly, it was for Tia. She would not have liked it, her sister and her student. I’m sure you know, after all, that she considers you to be like a daughter of sorts.

Twilight blushed. It was true that Celestia had always been a maternal figure to her, and she suspected that feeling went both ways. But to hear it spoken so plainly was more than a little embarrassing, even after the numerous embarrassing things that had come up during the conversation.

Luna continued on unfazed. “There were a lot of conflicting emotions between us at the time, and I did not wish to add to the strain. No matter how many ponies I’ve loved, Tia will always be my one constant companion. And in any case, the feelings eventually subsided. You are very much like Tia, after all. I think we are too different to have ever worked out, so believe me when I say there was no ill will when Fluttershy told me you were taken.”

Twilight smiled as a thought occurred to her. “Could you imagine it, though? Two princesses, everypony would go crazy over that one.”

“I can. Exceptionally well, actually.”

“Really?” Twilight grinned. “Who was she?”

“Princess Scarlet, one of my longest relationships.”

“Princess Scarlet? But she had a husband!” Twilight said incredulously.

Luna simply smiled. “Don’t give me that look. Yes, she had a political marriage to a stallion. But really the prince had his own secret, namely a coltfriend. Who, as far as anypony else knew, was really my coltfriend. Despite some rumors, we four were actually quite popular, always double dating, switching off partners when nopony was looking. A few close calls, but it was great fun at times.”

Twilight shook her head. “Wow. Makes you wonder how much the history books got wrong.” She knew that there was plenty of important stuff that got left out of the history books, but to imagine that some of what was recorded was wrong didn’t really sit well with her.

“They record the official story, but the official story is seldom the true one. Has Tia never told you any real history stories? They certainly are more entertaining.”

“No, she’s always encouraged me to read about it.”

“I should have known. Well, I could tell you some things, if you’d like.”

Twilight was very tempted to agree, but she knew she was running out of time before her meeting with Celestia, and there was something she wanted to get Luna’s opinion on. “I’d love to, but actually I was wondering if you could give me some advice on something.”

“Anything at all, Twilight.”

“Well, what do you think would happen if Fluttershy and I came out? Publicly, I mean.”

Luna nodded. “I have wondered myself many times. You’re afraid of what other ponies will think. Believe me when I say nopony understands better than I do. The idea of being so much in the public eye is daunting, and yes, ponies can be cruel. If you do decide to come out, there will be many who don’t like it.

“And yet, nopony knows what hiding it away can mean more than I do. You may not become a monster as I did, but you will feel the same emotions I have. The fear, the regret. I would not wish it on anypony, least of all you. I do not know how many lovers I’ve lost because I wanted to stay secret, and even when they stayed, things never seemed to work out for the best. Whatever may come, I believe your best course of action is to come out.”

Twilight thought about Luna’s words. Could she really expect to be happy living her whole life with Fluttershy as a secret? Luna’s advice made sense, but it left her wondering. “But then, why haven’t you?”

Luna sighed. “Because I too was afraid. Times were different, opinions harsher. Ponies now are more accepting than they’ve ever been. Who knows, if I were to find a mare, I feel it may well be time. Past time, really.” Luna shook her head. “My apologies. I did invite you here so I might help you with your dilemma, and yet we spent most of our time talking about me. And now it seems our time is at its end.” Before Twilight could ask what she meant, there was a knock on the door. “Enter.”

“Pardon the intrusion, Princesses.” One of Celestia’s royal guards bowed deeply. “Princess Celestia is ready to meet with you now, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight nodded and stood up. Luna walked her to the door. “Think on my words, Twilight,” Luna said. “And know that if you ever need to speak to me, about this or anything else, I am always available.”

“Thank you, Luna.” Twilight gave her a quick hug. “And you know, the same goes for me, if you ever want to talk about anything.”

“I shall remember it. Give my best to your family, and fare thee well.”

Twilight followed the guard out of the room, and the two of them continued in silence. The Celestial Guard were not known for their conversational skills, and Twilight was feeling particularly contemplative. Still, she was glad for his presence, or else she might find herself wandering the castle aimlessly some more.

The guard led her not to the audience chamber, but instead to Celestia’s private reception. He knocked on the door and Celestia called out, “Please, come in.”

As the guard pushed open the door and Twilight walked in, she was reminded of the differences between the sisters, not the least of which was that Celestia’s solar was actually lit properly. In the center was a table with a fine tea set on it, and cushions placed around it. The decorations were sparse, but elegant, drawing attention to her signature stained glass windows, easily the most colorful thing in the room.

“Twilight, it’s so nice to see you.” Celestia bent down to hug her former student. She nodded to the guard as he saluted and made his exit, leaving the two alone. Returning to her cushion Celestia gestured to the table. “Tea?”

“Of course,” Twilight said, her mind wandering back to all the times over the years the two of them had talked over tea in this room. As usual, Celestia put more than a healthy serving of sugar in Twilight’s cup. If there was one thing Twilight would always count on to be consistent, it was Celestia.

“I trust you had a nice Hearth’s Warming?” Celestia asked, sipping her tea.

“Yes. Actually though, there was something… unexpected this year.” With Luna’s assurance that Celestia would accept them, Twilight was prepared to tell her about Fluttershy. She wanted Celestia’s advice on whether they should come out. Cadance had told her that the public reaction wouldn’t be too bad, and Luna had told her even if it was, she would still be better off not living in secret. She trusted both princesses, but there was no pony she trusted to guide her more than Celestia.

“Yes, that is why I asked you here today.” Celestia frowned, and her voice was full of concern. Twilight’s heart sank and she felt like she was going to have a panic attack. Somehow, Celestia already knew and she was disappointed. Twilight might have run away if she could move at all.

“There have been many trials against Equestria in recent times. While I know that we shall endure as always, I fear for the public well-being. Panic is a dangerous thing, and I feel it’s inevitable should word get out.”

Even through her own panic, some part of her mind argued that sounded a little far. Sure, some ponies wouldn’t approve, maybe she’d lose some of her authorial presence, but she hardly thought her relationship was reason enough to cause panic.

“Which is why until we have confirmation that the changelings are mobilizing, it’s important that all the princesses are on the same page. That there is no threat to Equestria, and these are all isolated instances.”

Oh, right, changelings. Twilight couldn’t believe she had forgotten about Shining Armor’s news. She had to stop herself from sighing in relief as her muscles unwound. This was still an official meeting. “Isolated instances? How many have there been?”

“Officially three: in the Crystal Empire, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia. Two more have been found, in Canterlot and Las Pegasus, but there is no public knowledge of them. We are also trailing several suspicious ponies in Cloudsdale and Appleloosa.”

Twilight thought about the list of cities. “They all only have one changeling?”

“Very astute, Twilight. Yes, there has been a single changeling found in half of Equestria’s major cities, all within a matter of months. It’s not unheard of for stray changelings to turn up, but usually they do so years apart. I do not truly believe these events are unrelated, considering that there is definitely a bizarre pattern at work here.”

“So shouldn’t we put out an alert? The more ponies that are aware of them the harder it’ll be for the changelings to hide.”

“Against any other foe, I would agree. Changelings, however, are an exception. If we ask every citizen to keep watch on their neighbors we will breed distrust and panic. While we may indeed catch any changelings still in hiding the cost could be too high.

“For example, imagine if a mare were to suspect a stallion was a changeling. She could voice her concerns to the appropriate channels, and we would investigate the situation. But even if it was decided the stallion was not a changeling, the mare may not be satisfied. She could spread rumors, and eventually, if enough ponies came to believe this innocent stallion was a changeling, they might decide to take matters in their own hooves. Once a mob is formed it is difficult to reason with, and they might not even stop at just the one stallion. Even if we were to stop the mob before things became violent, there would be those who said the government was already infiltrated. Once the seeds of doubt are sown, they are nearly impossible to eradicate. I suspect this is exactly what the hive wants.”

Of course Twilight could see the importance of keeping this secret, but she didn’t like hiding the truth. ‘The official story is seldom the true one,’ she reflected. “So what should we do?”

“I have vigils set up in every city, great and small. While the general population shall remain unaware, we will not blindly allow this to happen. For Ponyville, I trust the task to you. It is your discretion who should be made aware, although of course I think the bearers of the Elements of Harmony are a given.”

Twilight nodded. Between all her friends, they had connections throughout all of Ponyville. “We’ll take care of it, Princess.”

“I’m sure you will. Still, be careful. The changelings have been a constant threat for thousands of years, always slipping through the cracks and avoiding capture. I know them, I know their tactics. This is something I’ve never seen them do. I can only speculate what brought this change, but I fear it can’t be good.”

They sipped their tea quietly for a few minutes. In light of the changelings, Twilight felt her news was less important.

Eventually, Celestia smiled. “Now then, enough of that. It is always too long between our visits. Tell me, what’s new in your life?”

“Well…” Twilight took a deep breath to brace herself. “I started dating somepony.”

As always Celestia’s change in expression was subtle. Most ponies would read it as polite interest. But Twilight knew her better than most ponies, so she noticed how the curve of her smile was slightly different than when she asked after nobility at formal get-togethers. It was the smile Twilight would see as a filly whenever she would make some breakthrough in her studies, or as a young mare, when she’d tell her mentor about her latest lessons in friendship. “I see. And have I met this pony?”

Twilight couldn’t tell if Celestia had intentionally left the gender out of her question, but she appreciated it nonetheless. “Yes, actually. It’s, well, Fluttershy.”

Twilight didn’t even have time to look nervous before Celestia’s smile broadened. “That’s wonderful. I trust you two are happy together?”

“Yes. I’ve never been happier, and everypony’s accepted us so far. We’ve told our friends and my family. I even just talked to Luna about it.” As Twilight mentioned Luna she thought she saw Celestia’s smile twitch ever so slightly, but she wasn’t positive.

“I’m glad to hear it. It is always important to have the support of those we love,” Celestia said.

“There is something I wanted your advice on. I think Fluttershy wants to come out publicly. She hasn’t said it outright, but she has been hinting at it. I know some ponies won’t approve, and I’m worried they might even lose respect. Not so much about me personally, but as a princess. How can I be a leader when the ponies I’m leading don’t respect me?”

Celestia solemnly inclined her head. “That is a big decision, and of course I will support you in whatever you decide. I am glad to hear you’re thinking it through. I suspect Luna may have already told you, but you’re not the first princess to have a marefriend.”

Twilight nodded. “I was surprised, but glad. It’s nice to know that there were others before me.”

“You would, however, be the first to be open about it. I would imagine the reactions would be mixed, and yes, some ponies may lose faith in your role as princess. But while I’d hate to see you cast as anything other than the amazing mare I know that you are, I would also hate to see you hide away a part of yourself. In the end, this is a decision only you and Fluttershy can make.”

Twilight couldn’t help but be disappointed. She had expected Celestia to have all the answers. “What would you do if you were me?”

“I’m sorry to say, but I don’t know,” Celestia said. “It’s difficult for me to place myself in your position because I have the luxury of time. If I were to have a mare as a lover, I could come out and know that no matter what ponies thought of my love life, their children would grow up with that always being a part of their knowledge of me. Within a hundred years, nopony would care because that would be the only me they ever knew. I’m afraid I’ve lost the ability to think in the perspective of a normal pony’s lifespan, if I ever had it to begin with.”

In many ways, Twilight was glad becoming an alicorn hadn’t made her immortal. She couldn’t imagine living her life without her friends or family. But she also couldn’t help but envy Celestia and Luna at times. She was still back where she started, with no idea what to do.

“I have faith in you to make the right decision, whatever that may be,” Celestia said. She stood up and a sly smile crept on her face as an idea occurred to her. “Fluttershy is at your parents’ house now?”

“Yes,” Twilight answered, standing up herself. She was pretty sure she knew where this was going already.

“Do you think anypony would mind if I accompanied you back unannounced? I have fulfilled all my obligations for the day and would like to give my seasons greetings to your family, after all.”

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Twilight said. As Celestia led them to the royal chariot, Twilight tried not to worry so much. She would try to focus on life’s small pleasures, like getting a picture of the expression on her dad’s face when he saw the that Sun Princess had dropped in unannounced. They were still on vacation, after all, and they could worry about everything else once they were back in Ponyville. She would hold a meeting to discuss the changelings and talk to Fluttershy about what they would do next.

As the chariot lifted into the air, Twilight could feel her troubles slipping away behind them.

21 - Of Mountains and Molehills

Chapter Twenty-One
Of Mountains and Molehills

⠀

⠀
“Last train to Coltsville!”

“Our train should be here any minute now,” Twilight said, staring at the train schedule.

Fluttershy frowned. She did miss her friends, and was worried sick about the animals, but she didn’t want to leave yet. She was just getting used to feeling like part of a family again.

Twilight Velvet put a hoof on her shoulder. “Now I expect to hear from you, dear. I want a letter every week.”

“Darling, you know Fluttershy’s gonna have her hooves full once they get back. Maybe once a month?” Night Light suggested. Shining Armor and Cadance had left the day before, so it was just Twilight’s parents seeing them off.

“Fine. Every other week, and that’s my final offer.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I think I can handle that.”

Spike came running up to the ponies with a basket of cinnamon buns. “Heese aw gweat!” he said through a mouthful.

“Spike, chew your food,” Twilight Velvet chided.

He swallowed before continuing. “Anypony want some?”

The four ponies all gathered around to let the fresh pastries warm them on the cold morning. By the time the basket was empty, and everypony was a little more full, they heard the whistle of a train coming in. “We should move down to the platform, that’s our train,” Twilight said, squinting at its approach.

As they began to walk towards the train, Fluttershy instinctively moved closer to Twilight. With a sideways glance, her marefriend stepped away a bit. Fluttershy frowned, but kept the distance Twilight left between them. ‘It’s not because she’s ashamed, it’s just because…’ As the days went on, Fluttershy was beginning to have a hard time remembering why they had to keep it secret. ‘We’ll talk about it in Ponyville.’

As they were walking through the crowd they were interrupted by a flash going off nearby. “Princess Twilight, a moment of your time, please!” a stallion with a camera asked. He had a grey coat and a magnifying glass cutie mark.

Fluttershy had to admit, Twilight had gotten much better at pretending to be happy to see reporters. She turned to face him with a genuine smile, and stepped to the side so that her family would be left out of any other photos.

“Good morning, Your Highness. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for Ponies Magazine?”

The train to Ponyville pulled up, its doors opening to let out its current passengers before it could take any more, leaving them with no excuse to get away. “Maybe just one or two, but my train’s here, so they’ll have to be quick ones.”

“Of course,” the photographer said, snapping another picture. “Let’s start with the question on everypony’s mind: Does Princess Twilight have a coltfriend?”

Twilight chuckled, which even Fluttershy almost believed was real. She had gotten better at that, too. “Sorry to disappoint you, but no.”

“Would that have anything to do with the rumors that you’ve been spending a lot of your time with the same mare? We also have it from a reliable source that you invited a mare over for the holidays. One can’t help but wonder if it’s the same pony; perhaps the better question is does Princess Twilight have a marefriend?” He glanced at Fluttershy.

The camera snapped a picture of Twilight’s reaction, which was definitely not faked. Her mouth fell open for a moment before she shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. “That’s absolutely ridiculous! I spend time with all my friends, and I hardly think having a guest over is that big of a deal.”

“All aboard for Ponyville!”

While everypony was distracted by the train’s arrival, he took a picture of Fluttershy. Having her picture taken wasn’t exactly new to her. She had occasionally been in pictures with Twilight and all their other friends, as well as once before with Twilight when the rumors first started. But aside from her brief modeling career, nopony ever had any reason to want a picture of just her.

“Uhh, maybe we should get on the train now?” Spike said, but Fluttershy was already boarding.

“Ticket, miss?” a friendly mare asked. “Let’s see here. Oh, your private room is the first door on the left there. Would you like any help with your bags?”

“No, thank you,” Fluttershy said, already on her way to the room. She opened the door and dropped her saddlebag on a seat, then sat down next to it, putting her bag on one side of her and the wall on the other.

She immediately regretted running off. She hadn’t even said a proper goodbye to Twilight Velvet or Night Light after all their hospitality. She sighed and sunk into her seat. She had been so upset that she hadn’t stopped to think about what she was doing.

“Boy, it’s a good thing you got out of there when you did,” Spike said. She was puzzled for a second that she hadn’t heard the door open, but then realized she hadn’t closed it. “After you left, Mom dragged Twilight off to the side. She looked furious!”

“Was the reporter still there?”

“Yeah, he took a ton of pictures. I bet tomorrow’s headline will be all about the Royal Lecture.” Spike chuckled as he sat in the window seat. Fluttershy doubted that would be tomorrow's headline. She knew she should have stayed outside, that Twilight would have gotten rid of the reporter and wouldn’t have gotten in trouble with her mom, and then the three of them could have said goodbye together.

“I can’t believe her!” Twilight said, entering the room and shutting the door behind her. “She treated me like a filly, right in front of everypony!”

Twilight levitated Fluttershy’s saddlebag to a different chair and sat next to her. Fluttershy was still angry but decided to let it go. There was no point in making things worse.

Twilight sighed and leaned against Fluttershy, who didn’t react at all. “I love you, Shy, but we’ve got to be more careful. He probably wouldn’t even have noticed you if we weren’t walking so close together.”

“I can’t walk next to you now?” Fluttershy asked. She tried to keep her tone level, but judging by how Twilight sat up to look at her, she must have failed.

“Come on, Shy, you know I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… ponies are noticing us.” Twilight didn’t quite meet Fluttershy’s gaze.

Fluttershy stood up and walked to the other side of the room, sitting across from Twilight and Spike. Twilight gave her a look that was both confused and hurt. “We wouldn’t want anypony to get the wrong idea,” Fluttershy said, her tone cold and detached from the situation.

“What? Fluttershy there’s nopony here,” Twilight said. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Calm down, you guys,” Spike urged. “There’s no need to fight about anything.”

“Ridiculous…” Fluttershy repeated. She stood up and walked to the door.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know. I just… need to stretch my legs.”

“We just got here! At least wait for the train to start moving.”

Fluttershy ignored Twilight and opened the door. As she tried to walk through it, however, the train started with a jerk, knocking her off her hooves. She glanced back at Twilight, whose expression read ‘I told you so’. Fluttershy turned away to ignore her.

“Are you okay, miss?” the ticket taker from earlier asked. As the mare helped her up, Fluttershy took a better look at her. She was a dark brown pegasus with tan spots and bright golden eyes. Her light brown mane was cropped short, with her bangs pinned to the side to keep them out of her face.

“Thank you so much,” Fluttershy said, smiling at the other mare’s kindness. “Uhm, could you point me to the bathroom?”

“Of course. It’s right at the end of the hall there,” she said, pointing it out. “Watch your step, now.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, shutting the door to their room behind her. She made her way to the bathroom, closed the door, and just sat against it.

‘What’s wrong with me?’ she wondered. She shouldn’t have a problem with their relationship being secret. It was already something that they’d agreed on, after all. This wasn’t the first time something like this had come up. Why was she still reacting this way?

‘It wasn’t just what she said, it was how she said it.’ She didn’t just deny their relationship, she said the idea was ridiculous. That having Fluttershy over for the holidays didn’t mean anything. And her reaction was different. Normally she was polite but detached with reporters, like she was talking about a different Twilight Sparkle. But this time it seemed like she was acting authentically. She was shocked anypony would even ask if she had a marefriend, and she had called it ridiculous. ‘Why would Princess Twilight Sparkle have a marefriend? Don’t be ridiculous, she’s only a friend, no big deal.’

It wasn’t really like that. Twilight was just caught off guard and responded to the unexpected question the only way she could think to. Fluttershy knew that. But it didn’t matter, because it felt like Twilight was choosing her reputation over her marefriend, again.

Fluttershy stood up and looked in the mirror. She stared at her reflection like she was waiting for something big to happen, something to show her the answers. Instead, she just watched herself as tears started forming. Eventually she found herself crying face down in the sink.

‘I’m being silly,’ Fluttershy decided. ‘Besides, somepony might need to use the bathroom.’ She got back up and washed her face. Only when she was done did she look back in the mirror. Her mane was a bit of mess, but otherwise she looked okay. Thankfully, her eyes weren’t red, so she shouldn’t have to answer any questions.

Walking down the hall, she was about to return to her room when the ticket taker approached her. “Is there anything else I can do for you, miss?”

“No, thank you,” Fluttershy said.

“You know, your tickets include a free cup of coffee. Or tea, if you’d prefer.”

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “It does? Twilight didn’t say anything about that…”

“Well… alright, you got me.” The mare smiled sheepishly. “It doesn’t, but if you want I’ll still get you one.”

Fluttershy smiled as she realized what was going on. “Thank you, but Twilight really doesn’t like ponies doing her favors just because she’s a princess.”

“Oh, no that’s not it, it’s just, you see…” the mare rubbed at her neck. “I guess I might as well come clean. You’re Fluttershy, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. She tried to think if she had met this mare before, but she couldn’t remember anything.

“Well, the thing is… you’re kind of my hero.” She blushed slightly as she looked off to the side.

“I… what?” Fluttershy blinked in surprise a few times. She had never been called anypony’s hero before. “But why?”

The mare wasn’t able to meet Fluttershy’s eyes as she spoke, but the smile never left her face. “I was in Ponyville during the Summer Sun Celebration. I was still kinda young at the time, and I got separated from my family when Nightmare Moon showed up. I was so scared; it was my first time being away from home, and I’ve always been terrified of traveling. I know, odd job, right? But I saw you and your friends go into the woods. I didn’t know what was going on, but I wanted to run after you. I could tell you guys were doing something reckless, and I’m not sure if I wanted to stop you or help you do it. But… I didn’t do anything.”

Her smile faltered, but only for a moment, and came back twice as strong, and she finally looked directly at Fluttershy. “Then you guys stopped Nightmare Moon and saved Princess Luna! I couldn’t believe it. You all became so popular at my high school, everypony wanted to be one of you.” She giggled. “Even the colts.”

Fluttershy was still confused. Sure, lots of ponies appreciated them all, but it was really Twilight who led the charge. “But why me? Everypony else was more brave than I was. I probably wouldn’t even have gone if Rainbow Dash hadn’t been there.”

“Actually, that’s kind of why. When I saw you, I could tell you were terrified. I knew that you felt just like me, but you went anyway. All I did was hide in a bush and cry. I started tracking all your adventures, always looking for parts about you. I wanted to go on my own adventures, but I’d have panic attacks if I had to go to the other side of town.

“Fast forward a few years, and Tirek came and stole everypony’s magic. I thought we were done for, but then I saw you again. You had this crazy rainbow thing going on, and you flew over us, then everything was okay. I realized how close I came to never fulfilling my dream to see the world, and I applied for this job.”

“Even though you were afraid of travelling?”

The mare nodded. “It wasn’t easy. I love meeting other ponies from all over Equestria, and seeing all these different places, but I was so freaked out at first. I can’t believe they didn’t fire me on my first day when they found me curled up in a ball in the broom closet. But I stuck with it, because you showed me what can happen when we fight through our fears.”

Fluttershy couldn’t believe it. She had always done what she could to help because she had to for Equestria, and she had her friends to support her. She couldn’t imagine anypony had even noticed her among everypony else, let alone that she could inspire somepony to face her fears all by herself.

“I’m sorry. I’m being like, super weird,” the mare said, and her smile faded. Fluttershy realized for the first time that the mare had been smiling since she first entered the train.

“No, you’re not weird at all,” Fluttershy said. “I’ve just never had anypony tell me anything like that before.” The mare’s smile returned, which spread to Fluttershy. “So, uhm, is that tea still an option?”

“Of course!” She led them to the next car, which was a dining room. “My name’s Amber Glow, by the way.”

“Oh sorry, I should have asked,” Fluttershy said as she sat down near the bar. She mentally kicked herself for being so rude.

“No, it’s fine. I was kinda rambling.” Amber Glow ducked behind the counter and pulling out a kettle. Once she made two cups she went around to the other side to sit next to Fluttershy.

“I hope I’m not getting you in trouble by sitting here with you,” Fluttershy said.

Amber waved a hoof dismissively. “Nah, I just have to go around with the concessions cart in a half hour, I’m free until then. Normally I’d be in the break room, but… ah, never mind.”

Fluttershy smiled. “But you were hanging around my room.”

“Well… yeah. I swear I’m not some kinda crazy stalker or anything, but I just really wanted to find some way to talk to you.”

“Hmm.” Fluttershy sipped contently on her tea. “I’m glad you did. I think I really needed a friendly face right now.”

“But aren’t you with the princess?” Amber Glow asked, confused.

“Yeah but we, well, we had a fight.” Fluttershy rested her chin on her hoof. “It was probably my fault.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Amber said, resting a hoof on Fluttershy’s. “You two will work it out. Do you want to talk about it?”

‘Yes,’ Fluttershy thought. “No, thank you though. You’re right, it’ll work out eventually.”

“Alright,” Amber said, taking a sip of her tea before getting an excited grin. “Hey, is it true that you befriended Discord?”

“Oh, yes. He’s really very sweet once you get to know him. We have tea every week.”

“No way! Those must be some crazy tea parties.”

The two talked until Amber had to get back to work. Little by little, Fluttershy forgot about her fight with Twilight. Neither of them even noticed when they ran out of tea.

“Hey, thanks for talking to me,” Amber said. “It was really cool.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure,” Fluttershy said.

“So, uhm…” Amber Glow fixed her mane before replacing her hat. “I was wondering if, uhm… uh, you know what, never mind.”

She had done that several times while they were talking, usually when she wanted to ask something about Fluttershy but was worried she’d look weird. “Amber, really, you can just say whatever’s on your mind.”

“Oh, uhm, well you probably won’t want to but… I’m gonna be in Ponyville for a few days, and I was wondering if you maybe like, wanted to go out for dinner sometime.”

Fluttershy blinked like a few times. “Do you mean… like a date?”

“You know what? Forget that. There’s no way somepony like you would want to do that.” Amber began to walk away.

Fluttershy hopped off her stool. “Amber, wait!” The brown pegasus turned towards her, her eyes wide. “I’d love to meet up with you again, but just as friends. If that’s okay with you?”

“Oh. Of course!” Amber’s smile again proved infectious, as Fluttershy caught it too. “That’s totally cool. And I should have known somepony like you wouldn’t be, you know.”

Fluttershy’s smile faded. ‘There’s no way somepony like her could be like me.’ How many times had she felt like that? She knew Twilight wouldn’t like it, but she couldn’t let Amber feel alone. “That’s not it. Actually, I am a… Well, I already have a marefriend.”

Amber’s eyes went wide and she broke into a huge grin. “Woah, really? That’s so cool! I never knew that.”

“Well, we’re actually kind of secretly dating,” Fluttershy said.

Even though the car was empty, Amber dropped her voice. “Sweet Celestia, is it Princess Twilight?”

Fluttershy gave the tiniest of nods. “But please please please don’t tell anypony!”

“I won’t say a word. Trust me, I know what it’s like to not want everypony to know about you.” Amber looked sad for a moment before glancing at the clock. “Holy smokes, I’m gonna be late! Uhm, would it be cool if I went to see you tomorrow, maybe around lunch?”

“Of course. I live in a cottage on the outskirts of town. I’m sure pretty much anypony in town could give you directions.”

“Got it! I’ll be there, and thank you again.” She rushed out with her cart. Fluttershy smiled to herself as she walked back to the room, feeling like she finally understood how Rainbow felt around Scootaloo.

Fluttershy pushed open the door and sat next to Twilight.

“Hey, Shy. I was about to go looking for you. You were gone so long, you had me worried. Is everything okay?” Twilight kept her tone light, no doubt not wanting to further upset Fluttershy.

Fluttershy found she was still angry, much more than she had realized before entering. “I’m fine,” she said in a tone that said she wasn’t.

“Oh, okay,” Twilight said. She tapped her hooves together for a moment. “Listen, Shy, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to make you upset. But I can’t avoid whatever it was I did in the future if you don’t talk to me about it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Fluttershy said.

“Okay,” Twilight said. She was quiet for a moment. “So, what’d you do while you were out?”

Fluttershy would have been content to wait in silence, but she could appreciate Twilight trying to start a friendly conversation. “Well, I talked to Amber Glow, the mare who took our tickets when we came in.”

“That’s nice. So, did you make a new friend?”

“Yeah, she was really nice.” Fluttershy giggled. “Actually, she asked me out on a date.”

“What?” Twilight said, a little too loudly. Even Spike jumped before staring resolutely out the window. “Well, what did you say?”

Fluttershy shook her head in disbelief. Didn’t Twilight trust her? “I said no, of course. What did you think I’d say?”

Twilight smiled a little and looked off to the side. “Yeah, I guess that was a dumb question.”

“We’re meeting for lunch tomorrow if you want to meet her.”

“You’re what!?” Twilight bolted upright and turned back to face Fluttershy. “Why are you meeting her for lunch? You said you told her no!”

“I said no to the date, not to being her friend,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t see what the problem is.”

“You’re meeting a pony who asked you out for lunch. How is that not a date?”

“Because it’s not a date? I meet friends for lunch all the time. If it was a date, why would I invite you? Do you really think I even want to date somepony else?”

Neither of them even noticed Spike slip out the door.

“I don’t know.” Twilight turned away from Fluttershy. “This isn’t exactly convincing me otherwise.”

“Excuse me?” Fluttershy recoiled at the comment. “How could you even say that? I love you, I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

Twilight turned to her with a scowl. “Are you sure about that? Because sometimes I wonder if you wouldn’t rather be dating Rarity.”

“What?” Fluttershy stood up. “I do not love Rarity. I would not rather be with Rarity. You’re being unreasonable.”

“I’m being unreasonable? I’m not the one with a date tomorrow! I’m not the one who ran off in front of the press in the first place, and who might have blown our cover!”

“It’s not a date! Although if it was, it’d be nice to have somepony who isn’t afraid to be seen in public with me. I’m sick of being your dirty little secret!”

“You think I’m happy like this? That I want to stay hidden from everypony? No! I want to be able to tell everypony just as much as you do, but we just can’t right now.”

“When can we? What, if we get married? After that? Am I going to be your secret bride?”

“Of course not! I just need some time to figure everything out!”

“You’ll always need time! I’m tired of hiding it. I’m done. You do what you want, but I don’t care who knows about me anymore. From now on, I’m not hiding that I like mares.”

“No way. You can’t just spring that on me!”

“What, I can’t even tell ponies about myself now? I’m sorry if you have a problem with it, but I’m tired of being ashamed of that part of me.”

“Fluttershy, you can’t even say you’re a lesbian. I’m not the one with a problem!”

“It doesn’t matter what you call yourself if you never tell anypony.”

“If ponies know about you, they’ll wonder every time we’re together; it’s too suspicious.”

“I’m sorry Twilight, but not every decision I make will revolve around you. This is about me and what I need to do for my life!”

“Well, I’m sorry for thinking I was a part of that!”

“You are! You’re the most important part of it, but you’re still just one part. I need to do this, Twilight. Why can’t you support me?”

“I do support you!”

“Yelling at me isn’t supporting me!”

Twilight inhaled to yell again, then caught herself. “I do support you,” she said much calmer. “I understand why you want to come out, but please, give me some time. I don’t mean forever, just a few days to think about things. And then we’ll talk about this again, calmly.”

Fluttershy kind of wished they were still yelling. She knew she’d never be able to out reason Twilight in a calm discussion. She sighed. “Think about what you need to. But one way or another, I’m tired of pretending there’s something wrong with me.” She walked towards the door.

“Fluttershy, wait. You don’t have to go. Stay here with me. I promise I won’t try to argue anymore. And if you really want to be alone, I’ll leave.”

Fluttershy turned around and glared at Twilight. “Why? Are you afraid I’m going to leave with somepony else?”

“That’s not –” Twilight shook her head as she realized her tone was getting defensive. She softened it before continuing. “That’s not what I said. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to go.”

“Sorry, but I have to find Amber and tell her my jealous lover said I’m not allowed to be her friend.” She flung open the door and didn’t listen to Twilight’s reply.

She walked aimlessly through the train cars, scarcely even noticing where she was going. She moved from car to car, not bothering to stop to talk with anyone. All the while, thoughts of Twilight and of the argument ran through her mind.

It wasn’t like she didn’t see what Twilight was saying, but she didn’t understand how Twilight couldn’t see her point. She wasn’t even talking about coming out about having a marefriend, only that she liked mares. And how often did a question like that even come up?

Eventually she found herself in a transport car that only had a few crates in it. She laid down next to one and fumed quietly. Who was Twilight to tell her what to do with her life?

“Fluttershy?” She turned to look behind her and saw Spike standing next to her nervously twiddling his claws.

“Oh, hi, Spike. Sorry for, uhm… everything back there.”

“It’s okay.” Spike sat down next to her. “I just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

“Aww, that’s very sweet of you.” Fluttershy nuzzled the little dragon. “I’ll be fine, but could you check on Twilight for me?”

“Alright, but, uhm…” Spike played with his claws some more. “I know Twilight’s stubborn, and she gets too worried about stuff, and she’s being kinda selfish right now, but I know she’ll come around. She really loves you, you know. Well, we both do.” He threw his arms around her. Taken by surprise it took her a second to return the hug.

“I love you too, Spike. Don’t worry, everything will be fine between me and Twilight.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said, letting go of her and kicking at the floor. “I’ll, uh, go find Twilight then.”

As he ran off, Fluttershy thought about how accepting Twilight’s family was of her, and how great Twilight herself usually was. She thought of all the times she woke up next to Twilight. Without ever realizing it, morning had become her favorite part of the day, because she got to wake up next to the most wonderful mare she could imagine.

‘But I don’t really love her, I love the comfort.’

‘I love having somepony to hold me and stop the nightmares.’

‘I do love her, she’s so special to me.’

‘I don’t love her, I love being part of her family.’

‘I love her and her family.’

‘I’ve never loved somepony this much.’

‘I’ll never be able to love her like she loves me.’

‘She can’t really love me.’

‘Nopony could really love me.’

‘She’d be better off without me.’

‘I’d be better off with Rarity…’

Fluttershy cried in the storage room until she felt the train jerk to a stop. ‘How long was I in here for?’ she wondered. Taking a deep breath, she got up and wiped her eyes. Part of her wanted to just fly away so she wouldn’t have to see anypony on the way out.

Unfortunately, she still needed to get her saddlebags. So she dodged around the ponies still collecting their luggage, and made her way back to the room she’d avoided most of the trip. ‘Twilight doesn’t even like traveling in private rooms. She just wants to keep me hidden away.’

Opening the door, she found Twilight sulking in her seat while Spike gathered their belongings. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to grab her bags and leave and ignore Twilight completely, or if she wanted to grab her in the tightest hug she could and apologize.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. Her tone was cold and she didn’t look at Fluttershy.

“Me too,” Fluttershy said as she strapped on her bags. She walked over to Spike, who was looking in between the two ponies in apprehension. “I’m going back to my house tonight Spike. I’m sure I’ll see you sometime soon.”

“Okay, just… remember what I said.”

Fluttershy nodded then left the room without saying goodbye to Twilight.

As she walked out a friendly voice called, “Hey, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy looked up to see Amber Glow standing by the exit with a broom and dustpan. “Hi, Amber,” she said, approaching the bubbly mare.

“So I just met, like, the coolest guy. He used to be a performer in Manehattan, and while we were talking he just starts singing this dramatic opera! I’m just like ‘woah!’ ‘cause we’re talking a stallion as old as my grandpa, but believe me, he’s still got it. Everypony gave him a standing ovation, it was the best.”

Fluttershy giggled in spite of herself. There was something about Amber’s smile that pushed away Fluttershy’s problems. “That sounds wonderful.”

“This job is so cool. Every day there’s a new story to hear, you never know who you’ll run into.” She looked away, but the smile never left her face. “I mean, I never thought I’d actually get to meet you.” It was adorable how the outgoing mare still was kind of shy about meeting her.

‘Where did that come from?’ Fluttershy looked away as she caught what she was thinking. ‘I’m not supposed to think about anypony other than Twilight like that…’

“Oh, Princess Twilight!” Amber called out. Fluttershy turned in time to see Twilight walking out the door. Spike said something to her as she left but Fluttershy couldn’t make it out. He shrugged at them and ran after her.

“Uhm, she must not have heard me,” Amber said doubtfully.

Fluttershy sighed. “I’m sorry, she’s not usually like that.”

“Hey, it’s cool. We all have those days, right?” Amber shrugged it off, but her smile wasn’t as bright.

“Yeah.” Fluttershy nodded. “I’m sorry, but I really do need to check on the animals.”

“Oh, of course. See you tomorrow, then?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yup, I’m looking forward to it already.”

Amber reached out a foreleg to hug her, hesitated, then offered a hoof bump instead. Fluttershy laughed and hugged her anyway. They said goodbye, and Fluttershy walked off the train.

The walk back home seemed exceptionally lonely. She kept thinking about Twilight not wanting her to see Amber Glow. Part of her felt upset at Twilight for blowing the whole thing out of proportion, but part of her wondered if Twilight had a point. She might as well not deny it to herself, she was attracted to Amber, at least a little bit.

‘It’s not like I love her or anything. I don’t even have a crush on her! What’s wrong with thinking another mare is cute?’ one half of her rationalized.

‘Twilight’s right, I shouldn’t feel this way. I should only have eyes for one pony. Why do I want to get to know Amber so much if I’m faithful to Twilight?’ the other half of her felt.

Her thoughts conflicted all the way home.

When she arrived, she was surprised to find her light on and her door unlocked. She pushed it open and went inside. “Hello? Is anypony here?”

Applejack’s head popped out from around the kitchen doorframe. “Hey there, sugarcube, welcome back. I hope ya don’t mind me using your kitchen to sit a spell. Those animals got me beat.”

Fluttershy set her bag near the door and walked into the kitchen. “Of course not. Thank you so much for helping me out.” She sat down at the kitchen table, making sure to leave an empty seat between her and Applejack. “I hope they all behaved themselves while I was gone.”

“Not a problem from any of them, except that rabbit,” Applejack said, leaning back in the chair. “Couldn’t hardly get him to sit down to eat a darn thing. I don’t know where he got to now, but he was around here a moment ago.”

Fluttershy sighed. “Sorry, he can be difficult. He’s probably hiding because he’s mad at me for leaving.” While she would have loved to see Angel after being gone all week, she wasn’t in the mood to track him down.

“Heh, I’m just glad it was him and not the bear. So, uh, how’d everything go with Twilight’s folks?”

Fluttershy smiled. She knew Applejack still felt uncomfortable about her and Twilight, but appreciated her acknowledging how important the trip had been for them. “Oh, they were great! Twilight Velvet made me this sweater, and Night Light taught me all kinds of new recipes. Shining Armor and Cadance were there too, and we all played this game called Oubliettes and Ogres. They even got us a full set of everything we need to play here, too.”

“Sounds like y’all had a good time. Gotta say though, I figured you’d be back at Twilight's castle. But I guess I can’t say I blame ya for wantin’ to check on the house first. I know I would.”

“Oh, uhm, I was just gonna stay here tonight, actually,” Fluttershy said, looking off to the side.

“Uh oh, what happened?”

“Oh, nothing, I was just a little homesick is all.” Fluttershy tried to show a casual smile, but Applejack gave her a look that made it clear she wasn’t fooling anypony. “We had a fight.”

“I’m all ears, sugarcube. Tell me all about it.”

As much as Fluttershy appreciated Applejack’s offer to talk, she wasn’t sure how sympathetic her friend would be to her problems. It didn’t escape her attention that Applejack always kept some distance between them ever since Twilight and Fluttershy had come out to her. “It’s nothing serious, we’ve just been spending a lot of time together lately. I think spending the night apart will be good for us.”

Applejack looked unsure. “Well, if you say so, but I –”

She was cut off by a knock at the door. Happy for something else to focus on, Fluttershy quickly answered it, and Rainbow Dash walked in as soon as it was open. “So what happened?”

Fluttershy gave her best I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about smile and said, “What do you mean?”

“Twilight just walked into the castle, looked at everypony, then just locked herself in her bedroom. Spike said I should just come talk to you about it.”

“Everypony?” Fluttershy asked.

“We, ah, kinda had a surprise welcome home party waiting for you at the castle,” Applejack said. “I was planning on taking y’all over there if ya showed up here first.”

Even though she was still upset, Fluttershy felt bad for Twilight. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel if all her friends had come here to see them, and she had shown up by herself.

“Well… alright, I’ll tell you… We got into a fight on the train.” Fluttershy told them about the reporter and the fight about coming out, then she hesitantly told them about Amber Glow and the fight about her. She left out how she felt about Amber.

“So she asked you out, what’s the big deal?” Rainbow said. “It’s not like she knew you had a marefriend."

“She didn’t keep flirting with you after you told her ‘no’, did she?” Applejack asked.

“No, I don’t think she’d do something like that,” Fluttershy said.

“Then I don’t really see the problem either. I mean, maybe ya coulda been a bit more careful with tellin’ Twilight about that part, but she should know you wouldn’t do anythin’ behind her back like that.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow said. “And totally uncool of her to tell you who you can be friends with. Not to mention if you want to come out, that’s your own business.”

“Well, I dunno about that part. Sure, she shouldn’t of yelled at ya, and you do have the right to tell who you want ‘bout that stuff, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable for her to want a few days to think it over first.” Applejack shrugged.

“Of course it is! She just wants to wait until you lose the fire to do it! She knows that in a few days she’ll be able to think of all this stuff to psych you out and not go through with it.”

“I hear what you’re sayin’, but ya gotta remember this decision affects both of them.”

“Uhm…”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’d say that,” Rainbow said accusingly, folding her forelegs.

“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked defensively.

“Girls.”

“You probably don’t even want them to come out anyway.”

“You think I want my friends to keep lying ‘bout something? Me, of all ponies?” Applejack glared at Rainbow. “And don’t you dare accuse me of not sticking by my friends. I just think they should think about this all the way through.”

“Stop.”

“Admit it, you just don’t want to be the friend of the gay ponies!” Rainbow pushed a hoof into Applejack’s chest.

Applejack smacked it away and adjusted her hat. “I’ve heard you say a lot of stupid things over the years, but that takes the cake. I don’t care one way or the other about none of that!”

“Please…”

“None of what, AJ? If you’re so accepting then why won’t you even say it? They’re gay. You have gay friends. But I guess saying nothing is better than what you called them when you first found out.”

“I didn’t know it was a bad word! Nopony ever told me that, I didn’t mean nothing by it!”

“Please stop fighting!” Fluttershy had heard enough yelling for the day. She turned around and flew up the stairs, throwing herself into her bed and burying her face in a pillow. She screamed, then began sobbing.

She didn’t even hear the hoofsteps as two ponies stopped in the doorway, unsure of what to say. While they thought about it, a little white bunny hopped between their legs and onto the bed, nuzzling his way into her mane. As she stroked Angel, Fluttershy slowly calmed down.

“Hey, uh… I’m sorry, Shy. That was way uncool,” Rainbow said. “You too, AJ. I’m sorry I said all that stuff.”

“Aw, ‘s okay. I’m sorry to both of you, too. I can’t believe I lost my temper like that.” Applejack bowed her head, hiding her face behind her hat.

“It’s okay, girls. I think I’d just like to be alone for now though.”

“Alright, well… if you need me just let me know,” Rainbow said.

“Everything will work out, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “And you, ya little furball, you’ve been a real pain in the rear all week, so ya better take good care of Fluttershy. I reckon you owe it to both of us now.” Angel stuck out his tongue at the orange pony before returning to hugging Fluttershy.

“Thank you, both of you,” Fluttershy said. “I’ll see you girls later.”

Gingerly the two left the house, while Fluttershy kept petting Angel. She didn’t feel angry, or sad, or upset, or anything really. She just felt drained and stared at the ceiling for longer than she could say.

“I don’t like her hanging out with that rainbow pony. She’s gonna turn her into a faggot.”

“Come on, honey, she’s eight years old. They don’t even like colts yet, let alone fillies.”

“Look, it’s not even just the rainbow thing. I did always wondered about Blaze, but at least he acts like a stallion. But his daughter’s been fighting with colts, and actually winning. Just listen to her talk, for crying out loud. She might not be old enough yet, but mark my words, the girl’s gonna ruin our daughter.”

“Fluttershy’s friend is fighting? Oh dear…”

“She’s uncontrollable. Blaze would be better off keeping that girl hidden away. I don’t want to see her around the house anymore.”

Fluttershy got out of bed. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were completely bloodshot, her mane was a crazy mess, and her fur was matted down from crying all day. She went to the bathroom to wash her face. As she toweled off and checked her reflection, she frowned. Still a mess, but she wasn’t planning on seeing anypony else that night. She walked down to the kitchen.

Sometimes she thought it was funny. Everypony always thought Rainbow Dash was the questionable one, but nopony really suspected Fluttershy. It didn’t seem funny right now. ‘…better off keeping that girl hidden away.’

Fluttershy pulled out a tea bag and then put it back. She really didn’t want to go back to her bedroom. Instead, she pulled out Rainbow’s coffee and turned on the stove.

‘She’s gonna turn her into a faggot.’ Fluttershy didn’t usually think about things like what made a pony like mares or stallions. But she knew having a friend who liked mares couldn’t change her sexuality. If there was one thing that caused Fluttershy to not be attracted to stallions, it wasn’t Rainbow. Sometimes she found that funny, too.

Once she was done making the coffee she turned off the stove and poured a mug, adding milk and sugar. She didn’t bother emptying the pot, leaving the remaining coffee to sit. She sat down and took a sip, scrunching up her face at the taste of it. She really hated coffee. Still, she kept drinking, even when the occasional tear fell in.

22 - Picking Up Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Two
Picking Up Pieces

⠀

⠀
The castle felt bigger and darker than usual. Fluttershy tried to rationalize it, tried to convince herself that she was just nervous, but it was hard to break through the anxiety. She kept on her path though, making her way steadily to Twilight’s room. They had to talk.

Hoofsteps echoed through the otherwise silent castle. Even considering that it was night time, it still felt too dark. The hallways were usually lit well enough for Fluttershy to make her way through them easily, but not tonight. Several times she thought she saw things move in the shadows, but whenever she turned to look, there was nothing there.

As terrified as she was of talking to Twilight, she was still relieved once she reached the door to her room. She took a moment to steel her nerves before opening it, but as she reached a hoof to open it, she heard the first sound from something other than herself since she entered the castle: voices.

“Well, I definitely see why Fluttershy likes you so much.”

Fluttershy stopped, her hoof held in the air poised to open the door. She recognized that voice. Although she had only heard it for the first time the day before, she was positive it was Amber Glow.

“Let’s not worry about her right now,” Twilight said. “I’m still not done with you yet.” She heard Amber laugh, which ended in a moan.

Fluttershy thought she might faint. Her chest tightened as her breathing became rapid and shallow. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t what it sounded like. Twilight would never…

She pushed open the door to see a mess of lavender and brown fur entangled on Twilight’s bed, locked in a passionate kiss.

“T-Twily?” Fluttershy squeaked. The two ponies pulled apart and looked at her.

“Oh, hey Fluttershy,” Amber said with a smile. “You should totally join us.” Although her smile was the same one that had consistently spread to Fluttershy the day before, she found it much less appealing now.

Twilight just laughed. “Oh, she’d never do that. I can’t even get her to sleep with me.” She shook her head and addressed Fluttershy directly. “You know this is really all your fault. What did you expect? If you’re not going to even try to satisfy me, then I’ve got to find somepony who will.” She pressed her lips to Amber’s again, then Amber’s kisses worked their way lower and lower.

Fluttershy wanted to turn away, but she stood transfixed. She couldn’t bring herself to stop staring at her marefriend’s face as her eyes rolled back. “It’s better this way, really,” she murmured. She held Amber’s head in place and let out a moan, then turned to address Fluttershy directly. “After all, why would anypony actually want to sleep with somepony like you?”

Fluttershy backed up without turning away. She tried to, she wanted to look at anything else. But no matter how much she willed herself to, she couldn’t stop staring at the sight before her.

She bumped into something soft, and turned to see a dark blue alicorn. “Luna!” Fluttershy threw her forelegs around the princess and buried her face into her chest.

“Hush now, my friend,” Luna said. “There is no need for tears. Open your eyes.” Although she was afraid of what she’d see, Fluttershy trusted the princess and did as she said.

They weren’t in the castle anymore. They were under a tree in a field of flowers, the same place Luna always took her from her nightmares.

“It all felt so real…” Fluttershy said.

Luna wrapped a wing around her. “It always does.”

While awake, Fluttershy would be uneasy with the display of affection from anypony other than Twilight, but in dreaming she found comfort in it. Because of the alicorn’s size, her wing surrounded Fluttershy, and as the yellow pegasus leaned against her friend, she felt safe from everything.

“Why would I dream about something like that?” Fluttershy asked. “I know Twilight would never do that.”

“Our dreams are not always easily understood. Even I sometimes have trouble understanding their significance. This time, however, the answer is clear once you look at it from the correct angle. Forget the action that you saw. Think instead on Twilight’s words.”

As much as Fluttershy didn’t want to think about it, she knew she couldn’t forget them. “It’s because Twilight’s tired of waiting for me to be ready.”

Luna shook her head. “There are some who believe that our dreams tell us about the world, or the future. They are wrong. Our dreams do not tell us about anypony but ourselves. This is why they are so important. Your dreams will never tell you what is in Twilight’s heart, only your own. So then, what did this dream tell you about what is in your heart?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “It’s not because Twilight’s upset with me, but because I think she is?”

Luna smiled and nodded, but kept her eyes on Fluttershy, waiting for more.

“I’m afraid of losing her because I’m not ready, but I’m also afraid of… intimacy.” Fluttershy lay down with her head on her hooves. Luna folded her wing back and sat next to her.

“Have you talked about this with Twilight?” Luna asked.

“Uhm… it’s come up. She said she’s okay with waiting until I’m ready, but I think she’s getting frustrated.”

“Yes, I would be surprised if it hadn’t. But I meant have you told her you’re afraid of sexual intimacy?”

“No, I… I couldn’t.”

“Because she’ll want to know why?” Luna asked. Fluttershy nodded. “You will have to cross that bridge eventually. I believe talking about it with her would help you tremendously, and I can assure you that you have no cause for concern about her reaction.”

Fluttershy knew she was right, but it didn’t soothe her fears. “Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if we would both be happier if she did, uhm… sleep with somepony else. That way we wouldn’t have to worry about this anymore.”

“Well, there are ponies who do that, and many of them have completely healthy and loving relationships. But I do not think an open relationship is the best course of action for either of you.”

“Why not?”

“Even with your blessing, I can not imagine Twilight would forgive herself, if she even agreed to it in the first place. And remember what the other mare said when you first entered the room. Everything in dreams comes from your mind and reflects your thoughts, although not always in ways that are readily apparent. She invited you to join. As an aspect of your subconscious mind, what do you think she represents?”

Fluttershy had been too preoccupied with Twilight to think much about Amber’s role in her dream. “Uhm… well, Amber is really brave. She’s always going to new places and meeting new ponies. Is she the part of me that wants to try new things?”

Luna smiled. “Yes, very good. I was unaware that you knew her personally, but with that in mind the message seems even more clear. I think that there is a part of you that is ready to experiment with your sexuality.”

Fluttershy felt much more comfortable talking about personal things in her dreams, and had been seeing a lot of Luna in the past few months. They had even written the occasional letter back and forth. But while she knew that Luna was right, talking openly about her desires was not something Fluttershy was ready to do.

Instead, she turned the conversation elsewhere. “I met Amber Glow on the train yesterday. She was really nice and we talked for a while, but then she asked me out on a date. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but Twilight was so jealous and we even got into a fight about it.”

“Really? Well, I hope you didn’t throw away a friendship because Twilight is being hypocritical.”

“No, we’re meeting for lunch later today. What do you mean by hypocritical?”

“Well, let me put it like this,” Luna said with a grin. “Next time she says something about your friendship with Amber Glow, tell her you don’t have a problem with her friendship with me.”

Fluttershy blinked at the princess a few times, trying to wrap her head around what she just said. “You mean you have a crush on Twilight?”

“What can I say? You are a very lucky mare.” Fluttershy would expect most ponies to be embarrassed about admitting something like that, but Luna’s confident grin never faltered. “Does that bother you?”

“No. I love Twilight. She’s patient, kind, understanding, beautiful, she can do so many things, but she never feels like she’s better than other ponies. She’s wonderful, and I’m sure lots of other ponies can see that, too.” Fluttershy looked up at Luna. “If anything, I feel sorry for you. I know how hard it can be to have feelings for somepony when they don’t feel the same way back.”

Luna chuckled. “Do not worry, Fluttershy. I am well practiced in dealing with these emotions. I told Twilight that the feelings that I had for her ended some time ago because I didn’t want her to feel sorry for me. But if she is being stubborn about your friend, then by all means tell her I informed you that this is not actually the case. Twilight Sparkle led you all to saving me. She will not be easy to get over.”

Unsure of what to say Fluttershy just wrapped a foreleg around the princess, which caused her to laugh more. “It is not often I enter another pony's dream and find them comforting me. I do not think it has ever been because I had feelings for their marefriend. Truly, you need not worry about me, my friend. Our time here is limited, as the sun will rise shortly. Tell me, is there anything else you would like to talk about before I must go?”

“Well…” Fluttershy was scared to tell Luna about her feelings for Amber. What if Luna told her she was a bad pony after all? What if she told Twilight? Luna nodded in encouragement and Fluttershy decided that if she never told anypony, she would never be at peace with it. “I think Twilight might be right. I think I shouldn’t see Amber anymore.”

“And why is that?”

“Well, I… I think I’m attracted to her,” Fluttershy mumbled, and wouldn’t meet Luna’s eyes.

“She was very pretty.” Luna’s tone was casual, holding no sign of judgement. She stated it as a simple fact, as if she was just describing the weather.

“But I shouldn’t think about other ponies like that. If I really loved Twilight, I wouldn’t.”

“Tell me, Fluttershy, where are we?” Luna said, gesturing around them.

Fluttershy was confused, but she knew Luna must be going somewhere with the change in topic, so she went along with it. “This is a field by my house. When it’s not a dream, I mean.”

“Yes, but what is its significance to you?”

Fluttershy didn’t need to take in her surroundings to know exactly where they were. She’d never forget this place as long as she lived. “This is where Twilight first told me that she had feelings for me.”

Luna nodded. “I see. I thought it might be something like that.”

“You mean you didn’t know?” Fluttershy asked. She thought Luna knew everything that happened in a dream.

Luna shook her head. “You thought I brought you here? I did not. I am but a visitor in your mind. At times I can guide you, though. I asked your subconscious to bring us to the place you’d be the most comfortable. I was surprised the first time you brought us here. Most of the time I end up in the dreamer’s house. But you see, Twilight is your comfort.”

Rather than feel better, the thought made Fluttershy feel worse. She bowed her head. “Sometimes I worry that’s all she is. That I don’t love her, I just love the peace she brings me.” She spoke almost more to herself than to Luna.

“And why should that be any different? You love her because she brings you comfort, and she is your comfort because you love her. You told me earlier the things you love about her, and while they are fine things, those are not why you love her. Love, real love, is harder to place. You do not love somepony because of what they are, you love them because of how they make you feel. You love her because she fills you with peace and happiness as no one else can.

“And that is why you need not worry about your friendship with Amber Glow. She is a beautiful mare, and one only needs eyes to be attracted to her. This does not affect the true love you share with Twilight, and it does not mean you’ll falter in keeping true to her. It does not mean anything, really.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you, Luna.” She knew that more ponies looked up to Princess Celestia, but she couldn't help but feel like Luna was really the wisest pony she’d ever met.

“You are quite welcome. But I’m afraid it is time for me to leave; the night ends and I must lower the moon. But remember, if you have need of me again, you need only reach out for me.”

Fluttershy nodded and waved as the dream came to an end.

Fluttershy woke up at the kitchen table. Her head was killing her and she had spilled the last of her third cup of coffee. She desperately wanted a glass of water to wash the horrible taste out of her mouth, but first she walked outside to watch the moon disappear over the horizon.

Smiling to herself, she thought of all the great friends she had made over the past couple years. She went back inside and finally got a glass of water, which didn’t really help.

Fifteen minutes later, after cleaning the kitchen and brushing her teeth thoroughly, she was back outside. She felt horrible for not checking on the animals at all the night before. She knew Applejack was dependable, but she couldn’t help but worry.

As she trudged through the snow she hummed merrily and was soon surrounded by all sorts of animals. “Good morning! I missed you all so much!”

Everywhere she went, Fluttershy had an entourage that followed her. It only grew as she walked along the outskirts of Everfree, checking on nests, dens, and burrows as she went. She always enjoyed her job, but the day didn’t feel like work at all. Her heart felt so light that she flew with the birds, ran with the bunnies, and played on the ice with the otters.

“Okay, that’s seriously the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Fluttershy bolted into a sitting position as two of the fox kits she had been rolling around with ran behind her, with the bravest one standing in front. Amber Glow stood nearby with an apologetic expression. “Uhm… how long have you been there?”

“A few minutes. I didn’t mean to startle you or your pets, so I was just gonna wait until you were done, but it kinda seemed like I’d be waiting a while.” Amber smiled sheepishly. “I can come back later if you want. I’m probably a little early, anyway. I don’t know when you normally do lunch, but it’s like noon now.”

“Already? I guess I lost track of time. But you don’t need to leave, I already finished all my chores.” She got up to walked over to her friend while the brave fox jumped onto her back. “And they aren’t really my pets, I just help take care of them.”

“That’s so cool. When nopony answered the door I saw all these animals in the distance, so I got curious. I didn’t think I’d find you out here.” Amber carefully reached a hoof out to pet the little fox, who used it as a bridge to get onto Amber’s back. She broke out into a grin. “He’s just the most precious thing! I want, like, ten of them.”

Fluttershy giggled and lifted the fox off Amber. “Alright, run along now. I’ll play with you again tomorrow.” She set the fox down and he ran off to the others. Smiling at Amber, she led the way back to her cottage.

Outside the door she noticed a bag filled with what looked like a stack of paper. “What’s that?” she asked.

“Oh, uhm… well, I guess you’ll see it sometime.” Amber pulled out an issue of Pony Magazine. The headline read ‘Royal Scandal: Princess Twilight’s Secret Lover.’ It had the picture of Twilight’s shocked reaction to the reporter’s question next to one of her and Fluttershy walking side by side.

Whatever reaction Amber had expected, it probably wasn’t Fluttershy laughing. “You’re taking it well.”

“Well, they’re not wrong,” Fluttershy said. “Is that entire bag full of these?”

“Yeah. On the way over I walked past the newsstand and figured you’d be upset, so I bought them all. I don’t know how many were already sold, though. And I know I shouldn’t have, and that it’ll just make their sales go up, but I panicked. I know you don’t want ponies to know about you two.”

Fluttershy smiled. “It’s okay. Thank you for doing that, I’ll give you back whatever you paid.”

Amber shook her head. “No way, I’m not taking your bits. I was the idiot who didn’t realize they were half sold out already.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have some bits Twilight gave me to keep hidden away in case of an emergency.” She opened the door and gestured for Amber to come inside. “She’s the one who actually wants to cover it up anyway.”

“Oh, uhm. I know it’s not really any of my business, but is that what you two were fighting about yesterday?” Amber asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“That’s part of it,” Fluttershy said. She decided it would be best not to mention the other part.

“That’s always tough. Back when I was living in Fillydelphia, my ex-marefriend and I fought about that a lot.”

“Is that why you two broke up?”

“Nah, we had a lot of problems. In the end, we were pretty much fallen apart when she decided she even wasn’t even into mares. Said it was just a phase she went through.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll find somepony else.”

Amber shrugged. “I’m not really stressing it right now. I’m more interested in traveling then dating.”

Fluttershy wondered how true that was considering Amber had just asked her out the day before, but decided it would be awkward to try and press the issue. Instead she went into the kitchen and checked the cupboard, which was mostly empty. She never did get around to shopping after they got back. “On second thought, let’s go out for lunch.”

“Sounds good to me, lead the way,” Amber said.

There were any number of great restaurants in town they could go to, but Fluttershy was a little wary of being seen by Twilight if she happened to be in town. The last thing she wanted was to give Twilight more reason to think it was a date by picking a fancy restaurant.

So instead, Fluttershy chose a small diner. It was certainly a nice place to eat, but a far cry from anything that could be misconstrued as romantic. They both got hay burgers and a basket of fries to share.

“How long are you in Ponyville for?” Fluttershy asked as they sat down with their food.

“I’m on the first train out Monday morning, heading for Vanhoover.”

“Is there anywhere you haven’t been?”

“The Crystal Empire. That train doesn’t make too many trips, so it’s always operated by the same crew. Aside from that, I’ve been everywhere the rail connects to. I’ve never been anywhere it doesn’t, though. I’m still working on that part of my adventure.”

“I’m sure you’ll get there. I can’t believe you faced your fears all by yourself. I don’t think I could have done that.”

Amber smiled, but a voice coming from behind Fluttershy cut off whatever she was going to say. “Hey, that’s Fluttershy. Did you read the news?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know. If she’s dating Twilight, then why’s she out with another mare?”

“Maybe they broke up already. You know how those celebrity relationships go.”

Fluttershy ducked into her mane. She nibbled on fries as she pretended to be unaware of the whispers that were spreading around them. She looked at her half-eaten burger and found she wasn’t hungry anymore. Going into town had been a mistake.

Amber’s eyes narrowed as she frowned, but she just took a deep breath before smiling and turning to the two ponies who had started the conversation. “Hi there. My name’s Amber Glow. I’m guessing you already know my friend here. We were wondering if you wanted to come sit with us?” She sounded as friendly as always.

The two ponies looked at each other for a moment before one of them asked, “Why’s that?”

“Well, it’s always more fun to talk to somepony instead of about them.”

Both the other ponies looked embarrassed. “Uhm, actually we were just leaving. Come on, Bon Bon.” Even though she had only addressed the two that had started everything, the entire room found themselves silently contemplating their menus.

Amber turned back to Fluttershy and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” Fluttershy said meekly. “Uhm, would you mind if we just go now?”

“Of course not,” Amber said, shoving the last bite of her burger in her mouth. On the way out she apologized again. “I never really think things through. What if they decided to take me up on my offer to talk with us? That would of been so awkward.”

“Don’t worry about it. Everything worked out okay.” Fluttershy looked around them, noticing some ponies seemed to be stealing glances and gesturing towards them.

Amber’s ears swivelled in the direction of the somepony who was muttering something, but she kept her eyes and her smile directed at Fluttershy. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Fluttershy said. She did want to see if Twilight was okay, but she didn’t know what would happen if she showed up at the castle. Above all else, she wanted to avoid another incident like they’d had on the train. “I guess I’d like to visit my friend Rarity. She was with Twilight last night, so maybe she can tell me if she’s still mad.”

“Yeah, probably best to get that whole thing sorted out,” Amber said.

“Would you like to come? You can make another friend in Ponyville and see a bit more of the town.”

“Yeah, that sounds great!”

The two ponies walked the short way to the Carousel Boutique, talking casually about Ponyville as they went. It was nice to have company, especially since Fluttershy was all too aware that ponies were talking about her as they walked by.

At least she had Amber with her. The outgoing mare was always able to find something to talk about to keep Fluttershy distracted. Whenever Fluttershy started to feel down by the whispers, Amber would point to a shop or landmark and ask about it. It didn’t make her forget about the gossipers completely, but it helped quite a lot.

Of course, it still came as a huge relief when they reached the Carousel Boutique. Fluttershy was eager to put the shop’s walls between herself and all the rumors floating around town.

“This is it,” Fluttershy announced as they approached the shop.

“Cool. I’ve never actually been to a dress shop before.”

Fluttershy opened the door. As the bell jingled to signify somepony had come in, a voice called out the familiar greeting – albeit a surprisingly squeaky voice. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and, uhm, magnific!”

“Magnifique,” Fluttershy corrected. “Hello, Sweetie. Is Rarity around?”

“Hi, Fluttershy! Yeah, she’s asleep. I’ll go get her for you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’d hate to disturb her…” While Rarity had never been a morning pony, it was already afternoon, leaving Fluttershy to wonder why she would be asleep.

“She won’t mind. She said not to bother her unless it was for a customer, Twilight, or Fluttershy.” Before Fluttershy could protest any more, the little unicorn had already run off.

If anything though, that did make her more curious what news Rarity might have. Apparently she had been expected, and not just her, there had been a chance Twilight might show up as well. What could have happened at the castle after the train ride?

“Swanky place,” Amber said, looking around. “She really makes all these herself?”

“Yes. While she has asked for assistance a few times, she normally does everything from designing to making all the clothes by herself.”

“That’s pretty cool. I’ve tried my hoof at art before, but I don’t really have the patience for it.”

“Fluttershy, darling, I’m so glad you stopped by!” They turned to see Rarity enter the room, Sweetie Belle following behind. “I do hope you’ll forgive my appearance. I was up all night planning something that I think you’re just going to love!”

Despite the lack of sleep, Fluttershy couldn’t notice a hair out of place. The fashionable pony was as radiant as always. “Oh, I hope we’re not bothering you. This is my friend, Amber Glow. Amber, this is Rarity.”

Rarity smiled broadly. “Why hello, darling. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Hi! These outfits are amazing!”

Rarity laughed and waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh these? They’re just showpieces, really. A true work of beauty will only ever look just right on the pony it was created for.”

“Did you design the dresses from Fluttershy’s modeling days?” Amber asked.

“Well, I did design some,” Rarity said, “but only one was ever used. I must say, I’m surprised Fluttershy told you about that. She’s normally very shy about that whole experience.”

“Uhm… I didn’t,” Fluttershy said, staring at the ground. She’d rather forget that whole fiasco, and always felt especially bad about it whenever it came up around Rarity.

“Hey, speaking of subject changes, that’s from Hinny of the Hills. You didn’t design that did you?”

“A fan of musical theatre, I take it? Yes, that’s from Hinny of the Hills, and I did have the pleasure of assisting with some of the designs, although merely as a collaborator. Generally I design ensembles for formal events, but it was great fun to work on performance costumes for a change.”

“That’s cool. I bet ponies come lining up for a chance to have you design for them.”

“Oh, I do alright for myself. I was lucky enough to get a few high profile clients early on, but certainly the biggest boost has been being the number one designer for Twilight.” She looked towards Fluttershy for a moment before addressing Amber again. “And on that note, I do beg your pardon, but I really must discuss something with Fluttershy privately. I hope you won’t mind.”

“Of course not, don’t worry about me.”

Fluttershy and Rarity stepped into the workroom, where they could talk without worrying about being overheard. Fluttershy didn’t waste a moment. “So, uhm, how did things go with Twilight last night?”

“Well, it took ages, but eventually Spike got her out of that room so Pinkie and I could speak with her. She told us you two had a bit of a disagreement.”

Fluttershy sighed. “More than a bit.”

“Well then, what provoked this whole incident? Twilight told us she thought you were okay with your relationship not being public knowledge.”

Fluttershy sighed, well aware of how her case would sound when spoken out loud. “I was at first. When we first started dating, I didn’t want other ponies to know either. But then as time went by, well… I guess I just always thought it was temporary, that we’d tell everypony eventually.” Fluttershy twirled her mane around in her hoof. “I guess I started to feel like Twilight was ashamed of me.”

“Oh, darling, that’s simply not true! Twilight adores you,” Rarity said. “Tell me, have you talked to her about this?”

“Yes. Or, well, I tried to… I’ve tried to tell her I want to stop hiding it a few times, but I just…”

Rarity gave her a knowing smile. “Had problems speaking your mind?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I know I should have told her, but whenever it came up, she would always talk about it like it was something distant that we didn’t need to worry about right now, and I’d lose my nerve. This wouldn’t have happened if I was more confident.”

“You know darling, you can always ask for assistance. I’d be happy to help, of course. I could be a mediator to make sure both sides have the chance to say exactly what’s on their minds.”

Even though Fluttershy wasn’t sure Rarity would be the best pony to ask for help with something like that, she smiled anyway. “You know, Rainbow said pretty much the same thing before we left for Canterlot.”

Rarity chuckled. “Well, I certainly would like to believe I’d be less biased than Rainbow in helping both of you, but yes, you could ask her, or any of our other friends for help. We’re all here for you, darling.”

“Thank you. I just wish this whole thing could be over with. I wanted to talk to her today, but I don’t want to fight anymore. I know she’ll be mad at me…”

“Fluttershy, she’s not angry with you. I know she overreacted, but really, you simply took her by surprise. We both know how poorly Twilight handles the unexpected.”

“She didn’t tell you about the other half of the argument, did she?” Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she felt. Part of her was amused Twilight had left that part out, while part of her was upset.

“Was there more, aside from your disagreement on whether or not to remain secretive?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy glanced at the other room. All of a sudden, she wasn’t sure talking about it was a good idea. She didn’t want to cause any unnecessary drama for Amber. “After the first fight I left the room, and somepony actually asked me out. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but Twilight, uhm…”

“Might be upset if she found out you were still spending the day with the charming mare?” Rarity finished, causing Fluttershy to blush and stutter incoherently. “Don’t worry darling, I suspect Twilight didn’t tell us that part because even she knows she was being foalish. There’s certainly no reason to feel guilty about your new friend. Besides, I know of another friendship that had a similar circumstance, and I’d say that turned out well in the end.” Rarity placed a foreleg around Fluttershy’s shoulder.

Fluttershy might have felt better if Twilight hadn’t thrown that in her face too. “So you think I should go talk to her?”

“When you’re ready, darling. In the meantime, I believe we left your friend at the mercy of my sister for long enough.”

As they approached the other room, voices became increasingly apparent. “Are they… singing?” Fluttershy asked. They opened the door and stared at the sight in front of them.

“And I’m a dancing pony!” Amber and Sweetie Belle sang, finishing the big finale of Hinny of the Hills. Sweetie Belle was wearing the outfit Amber had noticed earlier, although it fit poorly, while Amber was wearing an old fashioned tuxedo jacket, complete with a bow tie, bowler hat, and even a fake moustache.

“Sweetie Belle! What have I told you about playing with my outfits?” Rarity glared at her sister, who fidgeted nervously.

“Sorry, it was my idea,” Amber said. “I tried on the hat, then wanted to try on the rest of the outfit.”

Sweetie began to protest. “But that’s not –”

Amber shushed her, then leaned in and did her best gentlecolt impression, which all things considered, was pretty good. “Trust me here, kiddo, I got these ladies wrapped around my hoof.”

Fluttershy laughed. Even Rarity couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I suppose I can let it slide this time. But really now, you know better.”

Sweetie Belle grinned and tried to run up to her sister, but tripped on the overly large dress. Rarity sighed. “Now please take that off before you tear it. You’re free to go play with your friends now; I think I can manage the shop for the rest of the day.”

Sweetie Belle took off the dress and tried to levitate it onto the ponyquin, although she couldn’t manage to get it on neatly. She gave up and turned to Amber instead. “Thanks for singing with me, and for, uhm…” She glanced back at the dress.

Amber pulled off her hat and bowed. “Anytime, my dear. Now, if you’ll excuse me I do believe I have another call on my time.” Sweetie Belle ran off and Amber walked over to Rarity and Fluttershy. “So what do you think?” she asked with a wide grin.

“You look…” Fluttershy searched for something nice to say then shook her head. “Ridiculous.”

Amber laughed. “Hey, what? I thought you were supposed to be the Element of Kindness! I think I’m quite the dashing gent, if I do say so myself.”

“Wherever did you find that thing?” Rarity asked. “I made it for a bad taste party ages ago; I could have sworn I’d gotten rid of it.” Rarity looked at the old fashioned jacket as if it might infect her.

“It was in a dusty box over there. Sorry I put it on without asking, but it didn’t really seem like something you cared about.”

“It’s quite alright, dear. I could never sell anything that out of style, anyway.” Rarity waved a hoof dismissively.

“Well, I’ll buy it. How much is it?” Amber seemed immune to Rarity’s horrified expression, smiling as she brushed more dust off the jacket.

“Darling, please, I could make you something much more fitting that that old thing!”

“But it fits fine.” Amber shrugged.

Rarity’s eye twitched. “No, I meant that… never mind. If you really want it, you can have it. The only thing I ask in return is that you don’t tell anypony who made it.”

“Score!” Amber threw her hooves up. Her happy expression stayed in place as her new hat floated off her head surrounded by a light blue aura.

“We are at least fixing the trim from that garish shade of green. Black is traditional, but I think red would look nicer with your coat. And that bow tie is absolutely not to be worn with that jacket. Come here, I have a better one.” Amber shrugged and followed Rarity. Fluttershy smiled and fell in step behind them.

By the time Rarity was done making minor adjustments, Amber did look halfway decent in the outfit. Except for one detail.

“The moustache is a bit much,” Fluttershy said.

“Nah, it’s suave.”

“I’m going to have to agree with Fluttershy on this one,” Rarity said.

“My dear lady, while I hold your keen sense of fashion in the highest regard, I’m afraid I simply cannot part with the mustache.” Amber tugged on it, but it remained on her face. “I used the wrong glue.”

Rarity chuckled. “A hot bath tonight ought to loosen it up, but do be delicate unless you want to pull your fur out with it. Although if you do end up with a bald patch come see me, I’m sure I can fill it in for you.”

Amber tipped her hat. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Now, while it was a pleasure to meet you, I do have so much to do.”

“What are you planning?” Fluttershy asked. “It must be important if you were up all night.”

“I’m not telling!” Rarity said in a sing-song voice. “It is very important though. Amber Glow, I do hope you’ll be in Ponyville a week from Thursday?”

“I can try to be. I work on the train, so there’s no telling when I’ll be where, but maybe I could talk scheduling into working around it.”

“Well, if it is at all possible, I certainly do think it’ll be an event worth attending.”

“I’m sure I can call in some favors to make that happen.”

“I do hope so. Now I really must get to work, although my door is always open if you need me, Fluttershy darling.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you. I think I’ll be okay now.” She hugged her friend, and the pegasi made their exit.

Amber glanced at the sun. “I daresay I’ve kept you long enough, my lady. I believe there is another with whom you should be with.” Dropping the gentlecolt voice, she added, “I mean, if you’re ready to talk to her.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll walk you to your hotel along the way.”

“Egads, what would the fellows say if they knew I let a dame walk me to my room?” Fluttershy raised her eyebrow and tried not to smile. “Bah, stuff and nonsense. Of course I would be delighted to walk with such a lovely lady.”

Amber took the lead as they set off. Ponies everywhere stopped to look at them, but most of the attention was drawn to the mustachioed mare. Every time somepony would point or mutter something about them, Amber would politely tip her hat and greet them in character. Some awkwardly looked away, but most smiled and waved back.

“Today was fun, maybe sometime before I leave we can do it again,” Amber said once they reached the hotel.

“That’d be nice,” Fluttershy said. “Hopefully Twilight will want to join us next time.”

“Yeah, that’d be cool. I’d love to meet her. And don’t worry about anything, it’ll all work out.”

“I’ll try not to,” Fluttershy said. “I’ll let you know how everything goes.”

They hugged and waved goodbye, then Fluttershy made for Twilight’s castle alone. She managed to keep her spirits up, however. She was not oblivious to the stares, although they bothered her less than they had earlier in the day.

‘I think it’s better that nopony wants to talk to me about it,’ Fluttershy decided. While there was undeniably something grating about the fact that everypony who did seem to be talking about her was only doing it behind her back, she wouldn’t have the slightest idea of what to say if somepony did ask her about the article.

Perhaps that was why the talk didn’t bother her so much anymore, but whatever the reason, it was only once she stood at the castle door that she felt daunted. She stared at it, thinking about her dream. Of course, she knew nothing like that would ever happen in real life, but standing in front of the castle still brought the same sense of dread. She meekly pushed open the door and entered.

The entry hall was empty. “Hello?” she called quietly, to no answer. Not surprising. The castle was large, and Twilight would probably be in either her room or the library, both of which were upstairs. As she ascended the stairs, she wondered if she imagined the unnatural stillness in the air.

She knocked on Twilight’s door but got no answer. “Twilight?” she called, pushing it open. The room was empty. She walked in and checked Twilight’s study, which was also empty. She walked out to check the library, but stopped when Spike popped up from his room around the corner.

“Hey, Fluttershy, what’s up?”

Fluttershy smiled, relieved at the normalcy the dragon’s appearance brought with him. “Hi, Spike. Is Twilight around?”

Spike gave her a confused look. “Isn’t she with you? She said she was gonna meet you for lunch hours ago.”

“She actually went? Oh no, I wasn’t home. She hasn’t come back since then?”

Spike shook his head. “Maybe she went to Sugarcube Corner or the Carousel Boutique. She was up working on something with Rarity and Pinkie Pie last night.”

“Thanks, Spike. I’ll go find her.” Fluttershy ran down the stairs and out the door before taking to the air. She didn’t normally like to fly, but she was in a hurry. ‘Please still be there.’

It was obvious that Twilight wasn’t at the Carousel Boutique, since Fluttershy had already been there. Sugarcube Corner was a possibility, but that wasn’t where Fluttershy decided to go first. Maybe it was less likely, but her hopes that Twilight was still at her cottage outweighed the logic that she wouldn’t have wanted to stay there alone.

She landed in front of her house and opened the door. She started to run up to her bedroom to look for Twilight, but doubled back as she realized she was asleep on the couch. She had one of Fluttershy’s books in her hooves, and a Pony Magazine lay open on the floor. ‘Oh well, she was bound to find out eventually.’

Fluttershy approached her marefriend, whose ear twitched in her sleep. She smiled and realized she wasn’t upset anymore. She leaned down and kissed Twilight on the cheek.

“Morning, beautiful,” Twilight said as she wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy in an awkward hug.

Fluttershy smiled and climbed onto the couch, which really was too small for even one pony to fully stretch out, leaving Fluttershy lying more on Twilight than the couch. “Why are you asleep on the couch?”

“Didn’t sleep last night,” Twilight said, rubbing her eyes. She tapped the cover of the book she was still holding. “Was trying to stay up until you got home, but I fell asleep during the prologue.”

“I meant why weren’t you in the bed.” Fluttershy nudged her.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d want me in your room. But I’d be happy sleeping on your couch. I just… don’t want to go home alone.”

Fluttershy nuzzled against Twilight’s chest. “You’re being silly. Of course you can sleep in our bed.”

Twilight stroked her mane quietly for a while. Fluttershy wondered why she had ever been so upset. The whole thing seemed silly now that they were together again. Ridiculous, even. “You know, you should just move in with me,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy giggled. “And you said I’m the one who would raise suspicions.” As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She had meant it as a joke, but as Twilight’s hoof stopped on her shoulder, she knew it was a mistake.

“I’m sorry I said that. I’m sorry for a lot of what I said yesterday. I was out of line.” Twilight pulled her closer. “Especially about your friend. I don’t know what I was thinking. Why should I be upset that somepony else sees how amazing you are? And despite how I acted yesterday, I want you to know that I do trust you completely. I hope you didn’t cancel your plans because of me.”

“No, we still had lunch. I didn’t think you’d come and I didn’t have much food here, so we went out.”

“That’s nice. I’m glad I didn’t ruin your day.” Twilight went back to stroking her mane.

“Uhm… she’s in Ponyville until Monday. If, uhm, you wanted to meet her.” Fluttershy was glad she had her head on Twilight’s chest so she didn’t have to make eye contact.

“Yeah, I think that sounds good,” Twilight said. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Fluttershy listened to Twilight’s heartbeat. She was tempted to let it lull her to sleep, but she wasn’t really tired and she knew napping with two ponies on this couch was a mistake. Her eyes wandered the room and she noticed the bag of magazines, which reminded her there was something else they needed to talk about.

“I’m sorry too,” Fluttershy said. “I should have talked to you about wanting to come out. It wasn’t fair to drop it on you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Interesting article today, though. Did you read it?”

“I only saw the headline, I didn’t read the whole thing.”

“Remember how that reporter mentioned a ‘reliable source’ told them that you spent the holiday with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, the article talks about her too. It doesn’t give a name but it says ‘a lifelong neighbor’. That can only be Ivy Jewel, nosey witch.”

“Why would she do that, though?”

“Who knows. Maybe just because she’s a busybody, but I think it’s ‘cause I keep not showing up to her dinner invitations.” Twilight gestured towards the bag with her head. “Why do you have so many of them anyway?”

“Oh, Amber bought them. She didn’t want anypony spreading rumors about us.”

“That was nice of her, but it didn’t work. I was asked about it half a dozen times just on the way here.”

“Really? Nopony’s asked me, thankfully. I don’t know what I’d say if they did. I’m so bad at stuff like that.”

Twilight attempted to shrug which didn’t really work with her marefriend on top of her. “Just tell them what I did. We’re going to address the claim at an official event a week from Thursday, and until then, you’d rather not have to explain the whole thing to every single pony in Ponyville.”

Fluttershy lifted her head to look at Twilight. “Rarity said she was planning something for that day.”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah, she, Pinkie, and I are, actually. You too, if you want to help. We decided to host a press release garden party to break the news.”

Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “The news?”

Twilight nodded. “About us. That we’re officially the first same-sex royal couple.”

Fluttershy tried to say something to thank her, but no words felt big enough. Eventually she pulled Twilight into a kiss instead.

She wrapped one hoof around Twilight’s back and the other around her head, and after a moment, opened her mouth for Twilight’s tongue. Twilight’s hoof moved down her body, moving slowly over her flank to her thigh. Fluttershy inhaled sharply as it moved further.

Twilight pulled away. “I’m sorry! I’m not trying to, I mean, I know you’re not…” She tapped her hooves together nervously. “I’d never try to push you into anything.”

Fluttershy hadn’t been thinking. Now that she was, she found herself terrified of how things could have gone. “It’s okay,” she said. Even though they were still side by side, the distance between them felt vast. “Do you… ever get sick of waiting for me?”

Twilight took Fluttershy’s hooves in her own. “I love you, Shy, with all my heart. And I’ll wait as long as you need me to. And if you’re never ready then I’ll still love you; that doesn’t even have to be part of our relationship.”

Fluttershy blushed. “I… I want it to be, though. I just…”

Twilight smiled and kissed her cheek. “You know, I did end up skipping lunch. What do you say we get an early dinner?”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Okay. And thank you, Twily. For everything.”

They left the house to go into town. As they set out, Fluttershy was careful to keep distance between them, but Twilight soon closed it, and they walked into Ponyville side by side.

~ End Act III ~

Author's Note

Another act done! And of course, that means more end of act music!

23 - Front Page News

Act IV

Strength

⠀

Chapter Twenty-Three
Front Page News

⠀

⠀
Rarity had, of course, offered to make entirely new outfits for them both, but Twilight knew she already had her hooves full. She was one of the four primary collaborators on the event, after all. Her hard work showed as everything looked perfect, although the high-class unicorn probably wouldn’t agree; Pinkie Pie had ensured that the garden party had enough party in it to keep it enjoyable for everypony. This was Ponyville, after all, not Canterlot.

For her part, Twilight organized the event – making schedules, supervising plans, and meeting with ponies to make sure everything went smoothly. Fluttershy, for the most part, just told other ponies that she liked their ideas, but occasionally she came up with solutions too simple for anypony else to see. It had been her idea to wear the dresses Rarity had made them for their first date, since they were already designed to accentuate each other, and both events were important firsts for them.

“Pinkie, really, I hardly think that type of game is appropriate for an event like this,” Rarity said, looking disappointingly at the pink mare. She had been talking to Amber Glow about the finer points of the song Octavia Melody was playing when Pinkie called everypony over to play pin the tail on the pony.

“Aw, lighten, up Rarity,” Amber said. “It’s a party!”

“Besides, everypony likes pin the tail on the pony!” Pinkie said. “Here, you can have the purple tail.”

“Fine, but only until all the guests arrive,” Rarity said, accepting the tail as Pinkie blindfolded her and Amber cheered her on.

Twilight chuckled as she watched the scene unfold. After all their help, she was glad to see her friends enjoying themselves. Not to mention keeping Amber preoccupied and away from Fluttershy.

“Where do ya want the cider, Twi?” Applejack asked. The Apples kept a supply of cider through the winter for special occasions, and Applejack had offered to bring some.

“Oh, just set it over there.”

Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow hauled in several casks of cider. Fluttershy had told Twilight that Rainbow and Applejack had gotten into an argument, and now they seemed intent on making it up to one another. Either that, or Rainbow was just excited about having some of the out of season cider.

Twilight did her third walk around to make sure everything was going well, then marked off the ‘triple check everything’ box on her checklist. She glanced over the crowd and couldn’t help but notice one pony in particular stand out from all the others. “Luna? What are you doing here?”

“Greetings, Twilight. Is it not obvious? I am enjoying the festivities.” Luna smiled wryly. “Although for the most part, I have been watching you stare daggers at the mare with your friends.”

“I was not!”

“Twilight, in the past half hour you have hardly let her leave your sight,” Luna said matter-of-factly. “And as you do not share my gift for sneaking around, it is only a matter of time until she realizes, assuming she has not already.”

Twilight shook her head. “You were watching me? Luna, this is why some ponies don’t trust you. You’re creepy.” She turned away, irritated. “Besides, you’re imagining things. I don’t have a problem with Amber Glow.”

Luna smiled and waved at somepony behind Twilight. “Truly? Well, that is good to hear, as she is approaching.”

Twilight glared at Luna, silently accusing her of drawing in the pegasus. Luna’s mischievous smile confirmed it. Wheeling around, Twilight smiled to greet Amber. “Hello, Amber. I hope you’re enjoying yourself?”

“Hi, Twilight. Yeah, I’m having a great time. You did a really good job on everything here.” Amber seemed a little nervous, but it was hard to tell if that was because she’d noticed Twilight watching her, or because the Lunar Princess was towering over them. Amber turned to her and bowed awkwardly.

“Please, rise. I am attending this event merely as Twilight and Fluttershy’s friend. Until the night arrives, I am not a princess, so you need not address me as such.” She gestured towards her crownless head.

“You know, taking off your crown doesn’t mean you’re not a princess,” Twilight said as Amber stood up.

“Of course not, that would be preposterous. I also had to request time off. You had best appreciate me, Twilight; I am using my vacation time to be here.”

Amber looked between Twilight and Luna. “You have to request time off? From who?”

“No,” Twilight said.

“Yes,” Luna countered. “From upper management, of course. And you would not believe the horrendous accrual rate this job has. Twilight simply has not been a princess long enough to earn any paid time off. Cadance has a few days, I believe, but she’s been saving them for your wedding.” She appeared to consider something. “Twilight, do you think we should form a union?”

Amber looked to Twilight for help. “Is she serious?”

Twilight smiled. “It’s always safest to assume ‘no’ but pretend ‘yes’.”

“Rude,” Luna said, casting a sharp glare at Twilight. “I can assure you, I am completely serious. If I were a princess, I should think I would have a royal escort. All proper princesses do.” She gave a sideways glance to Twilight, who had steadfastly refused any sort of royal guards.

“But wait, isn’t that dangerous though? What if you were attacked?” Amber asked.

Luna chuckled. “I assure you I can take care of myself. Would you like to know a secret?” She leaned in close to Amber. “All of Tia’s and my personal guards are really veteran members of the Celestial and Lunar Guards proper that are unable to adapt to civilian life. We tell them that it is a very prestigious promotion and let them think they have a very important job, but in reality, if ever we were attacked, I would likely be the one saving them.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense,” Amber said. “What about Twilight and Princess Cadance?”

“I don’t need guards. I don’t rule over anything.” Twilight was slightly annoyed at Luna for diminishing the role of one of the most important jobs in Equestria. “And I happen to know that Cadance’s guards are some of the best soldiers in all of Equestria.”

“You mean Flash Sentry is,” Luna said, smiling slyly. That earned a glare from Twilight, who preferred not to talk about him. “But you are right, Cadance’s guards are an exception. They need to be dangerous, though. I think Fluttershy could probably beat Cadance in a fight.”

“That’s not fair. Cadance helped stop the changeling invasion,” Twilight pointed out.

“So did Fluttershy,” Luna said. “I don’t mean to say Cadance is not resourceful, but I doubt she did much actual fighting that day.”

“At least she didn’t sleep through it.”

“I had a very busy night and wanted to be well rested for the wedding,” Luna said testily. Twilight knew that she was still sensitive about her role during the invasion, or rather, the lack thereof. “I have since made adjustments to the soundproofing of my room. Had anypony thought to wake me, that whole situation would have been brought to hoof much faster.”

“I don’t know what you would have done,” Twilight said. “Even Princess Celestia couldn’t stop Chrysalis.”

Luna shrugged. “I could take Tia.”

“Really?” Twilight asked with a sly smile.

Luna frowned. “Elements of Harmony notwithstanding, of course.”

“So, uh, what about you Twilight?” Amber asked, possibly mistaking their banter as actual tension and changing the subject amiably. “Are you some kind of badass warrior princess, too?”

“I don’t know about that.” Twilight rubbed her neck. “Most of the time I just solve my problems with my mind, and even when I do have to fight, it’s always with my friends to support me.”

“She is being far too modest. Twilight is unquestioningly the third most powerful pony in Equestria, even discounting the Elements and their bearers.” Luna tapped on her chin thoughtfully. “Or perhaps you are the second. Have you considered a friendly battle with Tia? It would be a glorious sight, to say the least.”

“I’m not fighting Princess Celestia,” Twilight deadpanned.

“Yeah, you probably don’t want to mess with somepony who can raise the sun,” Amber said.

“That has nothing to do with it!” Twilight said. “Although I’d say that answers the question. She can move the sun. End discussion.”

“Pfft! Nonsense, it moves on its own,” Luna said. Amber went wide-eyed and looked at Twilight as if she was wondering if everything she’s ever known was a lie.

“It does not!” Twilight said. “I should know, I had to move it once.”

“There we go, the playing field is level. I shall inform Tia and make arrangements for this dispute to be settled once and for all.”

Twilight facehoofed. Amber stared at her in disbelief. “Holy crap, did you really?”

“Yes,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Although I was operating on borrowed magic from all three other princesses at the time, so I’d hardly say it levels the playing field.”

Luna smiled and turned to Amber. “You know, there is a wonderful side effect of saying every ridiculous thing that comes to mind; I can tell the truth about anything I want, and ponies will still not know if I am joking. For example” – she moved closer to Amber, and stared into her eyes – “if I were to tell you that I have been blessed with a vision of your beauty in a dream, I would get to watch your reaction before deciding whether or not to ask if you would like to continue our evening together after we left here.”

Amber glanced to Twilight who just shrugged. Looking back at Luna’s clearly exaggerated lovestruck expression she grinned. “Well, I am a sucker for dumb pick-up lines, so I guess if you did ask something like that, I’d have to say ‘yes’.”

“Glorious!” Luna said, wrapping a foreleg around Amber’s shoulder. “It shall be a night to remember, I assure you.”

“Trust me, I don’t think I’ll be forgetting this any time soon,” Amber said.

Twilight wasn’t sure what was going on anymore, but they both seemed fine with whatever it was, so she excused herself. “I’m going to go find Fluttershy. It’s almost time for us to make our announcement.”

“She was in the kitchen last I saw her,” Amber said.

“Thanks, I’ll go see if she’s still there. And good luck on… whatever you two end up doing.” Twilight smiled contently as she made her way to the kitchen.

Amber had been with Fluttershy without Twilight, off in some deserted corner of the kitchen. So what? That was fine. Of course it was fine. Why wouldn’t it be? She was completely okay with it. Fluttershy would never do anything behind her back, so she didn’t have to worry about her being alone with her friend.

It didn’t matter that her friend wanted to be more than friends, or that she might be a changeling in disguise, or even that Fluttershy never seemed to stop smiling around whenever the two of them were together. That was all fine.

“Twily, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Twilight said. She blinked and looked around, realizing that she was already in the kitchen. She took some comfort in how busy it was, so there wasn’t much of a chance that Amber and Fluttershy had actually been alone together.

Fluttershy smiled. “That’s not your ‘I’m fine’ face.”

“You’re right.” Twilight sighed. “I’m just… really nervous.”

“Yeah, me too,” Fluttershy said, her smile faltering for a moment before returning as she nudged her marefriend. “But everything will be alright. We’ll support each other.”

Looking into Fluttershy’s eyes made Twilight feel incredibly foalish. “Yeah, you’re right.” Twilight nudged her back.

“So, how is everything out there?” Fluttershy asked. They had been together at the start of the party, but reporters wouldn’t stop asking questions, despite Twilight’s reminder that there would be a Q&A after the announcement.

“Well, Luna and Amber might be flirting. I think they have a date later, or something.”

“Really? That’s great!”

“Well, I’m not actually sure. I don’t think either of them really knows if the other one is serious.”

“I hope they are,” Fluttershy said. “I think they’d be happy together.”

“It would be nice,” Twilight said. She told herself she wanted them to hit it off because Luna deserved to be happy with somepony after all she’d been through, but it certainly didn’t escape her attention that it would conveniently resolve her concerns about Amber’s feelings towards Fluttershy. “If they do wind up together, hopefully they’ll learn from us and not try hiding it. Speaking of which, it’s time. Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy said, but she had a distant look in her eyes.

“Relax, it’ll be okay.” Instinctively she started glancing around before she realized it didn’t matter if anypony saw them together anymore. Aware that there were other ponies around, and positive at least some of them were listening in, she kissed Fluttershy anyway. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Fluttershy blushed, but smiled contently.

If any of the kitchen staff noticed, they professionally ignored it. “I’ll handle the talking,” Twilight said as they walked out of the kitchen. “Unless somepony has a question for you specifically, you won’t have to worry about any of that.” Fluttershy simply nodded.

As soon as they were out the door, lights started flashing as newsponies snapped pictures. Fluttershy stared at the ground as they walked towards the podium.

Scanning the crowd, Twilight noticed two ponies frantically waving for their attention. Perplexed, she tapped on Fluttershy’s shoulder and pointed at Pinkie and Amber, both of whom had identical mustaches. While Twilight didn’t get what that was all about, it seemed to cheer up Fluttershy.

Twilight cleared her throat and all talk died down, leaving only the continuous click of camera shutters. “Hello, everypony, and thank you for coming out here today. We invited you out here as representatives of Equestria’s most esteemed news sources. As I’m sure you are all aware, there have been some rumors concerning me and Fluttershy, which have been circling in various tabloids. I’ve actually been collecting some of the more interesting ones. But it’s time to set the record straight. Contrary to popular belief, we did not secretly elope. Fluttershy is not my wife.” She grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof in hers. “But she is my marefriend.”

The flashes and clicks doubled, and ponies again began talking, but this time every comment was a question directed at the two. Twilight had to knock on the podium with her hoof until they quieted down. “Please, we are happy to answer your questions, but one at a time. To get a few out of the way early: We’ve been dating for the past seven months, do not currently have any wedding plans, all of the other princesses know and approve, and, despite what one magazine claimed, I have not discovered a way for two mares to conceive a child through magic.” That had been one of Twilight’s favorites. “Now then, let’s start with you,” she said, choosing a pony at random.

“Why are you just now coming out about this?”

“This was a decision we did not make lightly. We’re both well aware that it’s unprecedented for a royal couple to be gay, so we wanted to be sure of what we were doing before breaking the news. It always seemed that the time wasn’t right, but lately I’ve come to realize that it’s been past time for a while.”

“Does this mean there will be more support for LGBT causes?”

“If you mean the Equestrian government as a whole, we have always tried to support all citizens, and do support several LGBT causes directly. Princess Celestia would be better suited to answer what plans there are for the future, and I’m sure she’ll be asked within the next few days. If you’re asking about Fluttershy and myself personally, we would certainly be happy to help in any way we can.”

“Fluttershy, does this mean you’ll take a more active role in leading Equestria?”

“Oh, uhm…” Fluttershy stared at the cameras as they clicked nonstop, before hiding away in her mane. Twilight wrapped a wing around her.

“Fluttershy and the other bearers of The Elements of Harmony are my partners in spreading friendship across Equestria, as well as my most trusted advisors in political matters. Her role will remain the same.”

The questions continued in the same vane for the rest of the Q&A, with everypony finding new ways to ask how this would change Equestria, and Twilight’s continuous answer being that it wouldn’t. It came as a huge relief when Rarity stepped in to inform them that the time Twilight had allotted for questions was up, and the remainder of the event would be a celebration. Twilight made it clear that they would not be answering any more questions for the rest of the day.

“Hey, Shy, how you feeling?” Rainbow asked, wasting no time in flying over to them.

“I’m okay,” Fluttershy said. “I’m just glad that part’s over with.” She looked like she might faint, so Twilight and Rainbow supported her as they walked to the table their friends were at.

Before anypony could say a word to them, a reporter was already at hoof. “Princess Luna, a moment of your time?”

Luna, who Twilight noticed had seated herself next to Amber, smiled politely. “As Princess Twilight has already informed you, both my sister and I were already aware of this, and could not be happier for both of them. The same can be said for everypony at this table. I believe I also speak for everypony here when I say we will be joining them in not answering further questions.” Murmurs of agreement were heard all around.

“Yeah, so go on now. Git,” Applejack said.

“Applejack, let’s not be rude,” Twilight said. “While we aren’t answering any more questions, you are of course free to stay and cover the remainder of the event, if you really think Equestria needs pictures of us eating. I’m starving.”

Twilight had learned how to deal with the press. They wanted a story, and whether it was good or bad didn’t matter, so long as it was interesting. All she had to do was not give them one. Remain polite and detached, and they’d leave. Demand to be left alone, and suddenly tomorrow's headline was ‘Princess Twilight Restricts Freedom of the Press’.

Within a few minutes he left, as she had predicted. “Why don’t we ditch this place?” Rainbow asked. “We can have a real party at the castle.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I knew this would be part of being with Twilight. Let’s just make the most of the day.”

“Well then I think it’s time to turn this party up a notch,” Pinkie said. “Hey, Octavia! You ready to liven things up?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” the cellist replied. “Hit it, Vinyl!”

The DJ nodded and dropped a record onto her turntable, which Pinkie must have helped smuggle in because it hadn’t been part of the plan. Whatever complaint Rarity had been about to make was cut off in the classical-dubstep hybrid that began playing.

“I never did understand this modern music,” Luna said, speaking up over the sound.

“Yeah, I prefer cabaret,” Amber said.

“I don’t know, I kind of like it,” Twilight said, extending a hoof to Fluttershy. “Dance with me?”

“Er, darling, are you sure that’s wise?” Rarity asked.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“It’s just that, well, there are a lot of ponies here, and you of course know that this event will make the headlines, and…” she looked around for somepony to help her politely phrase her thoughts.

“You dance like you have four left hooves, Twi,” Spike said. Rainbow choked on her cider.

“I do not!”

“Twilight, having witnessed your dancing, I will have to agree with Spike,” Luna said. “However, I fully support you in all things, including your decision to make a foal of yourself.”

“Fluttershy, you don’t think I’m a bad dancer, do you?”

“Oh, uhm, I love dancing with you,” Fluttershy said, grinning extra wide.

“Aww, don’t listen to them,” Pinkie said, pulling the alicorn to her hooves. “Just get out there and shake it!” She pulled Twilight and Fluttershy part way onto the floor, before dancing into the crowd.

“I, uhm, really would like to dance,” Fluttershy said. Twilight shot a victorious grin at Spike, who was too busy eating to care.

As the couple walked onto the dance floor, Twilight saw Pinkie talking to Vinyl Scratch, who nodded and turned some dials on her turntable. The hectic music slowed, with most of the electric elements fading to support the orchestral ones. The mood of the music was decidedly more romantic than the previous high energy song, which suited Twilight perfectly.

Before long all the reporters and other ponies faded away, leaving nothing but Twilight, Fluttershy, and the music guiding them along.

Twilight didn’t even bother opening the newspaper. She didn’t have to. She just picked it up and set it on the counter.

The salespony frowned. “You know, there’s much more liberal papers, Princess. You could at least see what both sides are saying.”

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy always gets the other side. But I want to be well informed on what everypony’s saying, not just the ones who approve.”

“Hmph. If you say so. Just try not to take that mess there too close to heart.” He took her bit then smiled. “Hey, have you seen the new Bulletin yet?”

Looking at the cover of the Semifortnightly Equestrian Bulletin, she couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s great. I’ll take this one too.” The cover read ‘Royal Grudge Match: Celestia and Twilight to Settle Long Held Dispute’. It featured a picture of the two of them fighting, created with image editing that was halfway decent, assuming you were in poor lighting with the eyesight of a bat.

Twilight set another bit on the counter, which the salespony shook his head at. “It’s on the house. Hardly anypony but you still reads that thing anyway.”

“Thank you, but keep the bit. You can use it for the next pony if you want.”

“Will do, Princess,” he said, waving her off.

Twilight began walking home, her spirits lifted by the Bulletin. She was becoming increasingly sure that it was the highest quality paper in Equestria.

She smiled and waved at a colt as she walked past. He waved back, until his mother noticed whom he was waving to and pulled him close to her before briskly walking off. Sighing, Twilight walked the rest of the way with a cloud over her head.

For a week, she had been walking to the newsstand every morning to see what new headlines there were about her and Fluttershy. The first couple of days, she had flipped through them to see if they were still talking about it, but she’d stopped doing that. They were always talking about her, even if it wasn’t on the front page.

One of the more extremist papers was even convinced she had forced Fluttershy into the relationship, citing the shy pony’s reluctance to answer questions. The day that they finally ran out of new ways to imply she was ruining Equestria would be so welcome that she planned to frame the paper.

Like the salespony had said, ponies were divided in their opinions, but Twilight didn’t need two papers to tell her that. All she needed to do was look around her. For every happy face there was a scowl, or a pony avoiding her eyes, or the occasional outright jeer. She didn’t need the paper to tell her how ponies felt, she just hoped it could tell her why.

But the answers were always the same. They talked about her relationship as being immoral as if it was just some universal truth that didn’t need any sort of justification. Sometimes there were vague allusions to ‘our children’ and the impact seeing such a high-profile same-sex relationship might have on them, but they never seemed to clarify what the impact they were afraid of was. It was just another universal truth.

As soon as Twilight reached the castle she went straight for the kitchen. Spike had fallen in sync with her new routine, and was already up and about. “Morning, Twilight. Just finished making tea.” He poured them each a cup, then turned down the stove to keep what was left in the kettle warm before sitting down at the kitchen table.

“Thanks, Spike, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Twilight said, taking a cautious sip of her tea, then setting it aside to cool. If Spike could even feel the heat, it clearly didn’t bother him, as he drank his as if it was room temperature. “Take a look at this.” She smiled as she slid the Bulletin across the table.

Spike broke into a grin as soon as he read the headline. “Where do they come up with this stuff?” he asked, eagerly flipping through to the story.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “If the Bulletin hadn’t been around when I was a filly, I’d swear Luna’s secretly the editor in chief.” She pulled out her own paper. Scanning the front page showed there was no sign of her today. But flipping through it, she was quickly able to find a picture of her new least favorite pony.

A week after the announcement and ponies are still abuzz about Princess Twilight Sparkle’s shocking revelation. Many ponies have concerns about this turn of events, but felt there was nothing they could do. One brave pony stepped forth to give a rallying point for everypony who still respects the wholesome values this land was founded on. We were able to sit down with Ivy Jewel, founder of The Virtuous Equestrian Society.

Thank you for joining us today, Ivy Jewel. I’d like to start by congratulating you on accomplishing so much so fast.

Oh, the pleasure's all mine. And more so than a personal achievement, I think it speaks volumes for this great land of ours that so many ponies were quick to stand up for what we know in our hearts to be the right thing.

You were neighbors with Princess Twilight. What was she like as a filly? Did you ever suspect anything like this?

Twilight was a normal foal. She used to play with Silver Spark, my son. But as she grew she became more distant. I tried to keep myself in her life. Her family never has been the best role models for traditional values, after all. But she prefered to isolate herself, and that was when I started to worry about her. I’m deeply saddened by the path she’s taken.

What was it like for your son to hear about his foalhood friend?

He always remembered her fondly. While it came as a shock to him, he’s thankfully a grown stallion now, fully capable of realizing what she’s doing is wrong. I worrymost for all the little colts and fillies who look up to her because she’s a princess.

On a less personal level, what do you think this will mean for Equestria?

I’m concerned, of course, but I’d like to believe what we’re doing can make a difference. We already have two thousand members all across Equestria, just within a week. Ponies are rejecting this.

What does The Virtuous Equestrian Society plan to do moving forward?

Currently, we are spreading information and rallying members. We’ll be hosting our first charity event in Canterlot this weekend, where we’ll be raising money for traditional value causes.

“You know, that stuff will rot your brain,” Spike said, looking up from an article about Chrysalis and Tirek being spotted playing mini golf together. Twilight pushed the paper aside.

“It’s about Ivy,” she said.

“Don’t worry about her, Twi. She’s the same as always.”

“It’s not her that bothers me, it’s that so many ponies follow her.” She scanned the rest of the article. More vague comments about ‘traditional values’ and ‘moral decline’. Nothing substantial, no real arguments. She folded up the paper and levitated it onto a pile of others.

“Everypony will get over it soon, you’ll see. Before you know it, everything will be back to normal.” Spike shrugged. “And anypony who still has a problem with it the next time you save the world will forget all about it.”

“I hope you’re right, Spike.” Twilight sipped her tea while Spike continued reading.

It wasn’t that she regretted coming out. She had hated hiding things, and really, she knew it was past time. The only reason she held out as long as she did was fear, but now her worst fears had come true. There had even been a petition to remove her title. And while these were all things she’d have to inevitably face, she couldn’t help but wonder if there might have been a better way.

“Good morning,” Fluttershy said, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of tea before sitting down. “You keep waking up so early, and you were up late again last night. You need more sleep Twi. You should take a nap.”

Twilight smiled. “No way, we still have to check on the animals. Maybe after that.”

“You know I could do it myself, you really don’t have to worry about it,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s fine, Shy, I want to. Who knows, maybe the babies were born.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think Flower has a few more days, at least.”

“Baby skunks or not, I’m more than happy to help.” Twilight finished her tea and levitated the cup into the sink. Spike passed her the Bulletin and she read the front page story as Fluttershy drank her tea. Apparently, she and Celestia had an escalating conflict ever since Twilight had beat her in chess one time. As if Twilight would ever beat Celestia in chess.

Once she finished her tea, Fluttershy stood up. “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Bye, Spike,” Fluttershy said.

“See you later.” He waved as the mares left.

As the couple made their way through Ponyville, Twilight couldn’t help but tense up. She could feel everypony’s eyes on them. She kept close to Fluttershy, relying on the other mare’s support. Somehow, Fluttershy was able to weather whatever anypony else had to say. Twilight always tried her best to be the pillar for Fluttershy to lean on, but more often than not, Fluttershy was the one comforting her these days.

Still, she had to keep up appearances in town. She had already lost respect from a lot of ponies, so she had to at least appear strong for those who still stood by her. So she smiled and waved at anypony polite enough to do the same to her. Whenever possible, she greeted ponies by name, trying to remind everypony she was still one of them.

They couldn’t reach Fluttershy’s cottage soon enough. Twilight found herself second-guessing her decision to come along, but she knew that if she hadn’t, she’d be leaving Fluttershy to make the trip alone, and she couldn’t do that. She’d already put her through too much by trying to hide her away. It was more important than ever to show her marefriend she’d stand by her.

“Do you want to take a break before we get started?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight chuckled. “I know I spend most of my time in the library, but I think I’m in good enough shape that a walk through town isn’t going to wear me down. I’m fine, let’s get to work.”

Twilight began to walk away until she found herself weighed down by a pegasus wrapping her forelegs around her neck. “I love you, Twily,” Fluttershy said, her mouth up against Twilight’s ear. “Things will get better.”

Twilight turned to face her as she let go. She was going to smile, remind Fluttershy that she was fine, and tell her not to worry. Instead, she nuzzled against Fluttershy’s neck, hiding her face in her mane.

“It’s so hard,” she said.

“I know,” Fluttershy held her close. Neither of them said anything. Twilight closed her eyes and let the feeling of the pony she loved remind her why it was all worthwhile.

Eventually the sound of a pegasus landing in the snow caused them to pull apart. “Hi, Fluttershy, Twilight,” Derpy greeted them.

“Hello, Derpy,” Fluttershy said. “Would you like a drink to warm you up? It’s an awfully cold day to fly around.”

“No thanks. I’m already kinda behind.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a letter for Fluttershy. “Do you want yours now too, Twilight? Or should I bring it to the castle?”

“I’ll take it now if it’ll save you a stop,” Twilight said. “The sooner you can get out of the snow, the better.”

“Alright, let’s see here.” Derpy went rummaging through her bag, pulling out and handing Twilight letters periodically. By the time she was satisfied she’d found every letter, her bag was noticeably lighter, and Twilight was left with quite a sizable stack of letters and a few packages.

They had come pouring in since the announcement. Twilight was ashamed to admit she hadn’t actually read any of them. She was having a difficult enough time coping with what everypony said about her, she wasn’t ready to see it directed to her as well.

“You’re sure you don’t want to stay?” Twilight asked. “We’ll make cocoa.”

Derpy was obviously tempted, but shifted the still mostly full bag on her back. “Maybe next time. I’ll see you later!” She waved as she flew off.

Twilight flipped through the letters, scanning for names she’d recognized. She scoffed at one sent by Silver Spark. ‘Yeah right, no way I’m opening that one.’ Finding no other letters of immediate interest, she turned towards Fluttershy. “Well, nothing really pressing here. You ready to – what’s wrong, Shy?”

Fluttershy was staring at her sole letter. Her eyes were narrowed and she was frowning. She didn’t seem to hear Twilight’s question. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to look up. “Sorry, what was that?” she asked.

“What’s wrong?”

Fluttershy looked back to the letter. “Let’s go inside. I… I’ll tell you about it once we’re out of the snow.”

Without waiting for an answer, Fluttershy led the way. Twilight was perplexed, but followed along without any further questions. They walked inside and sat on the couch, then Fluttershy resumed staring at the still unopened envelope.

Twilight sat down, pressing herself up to her distraught marefriend. She waited for Fluttershy to say something, but she just stared silently. “So… who’s it from?”

Instead of answering, Fluttershy just set it down next to Twilight. “Could you read it to me? I can’t…”

Confused, Twilight levitated the envelope, noticing the sender as she opened it was Stormy Skies. The letter itself was short with shaky writing which was a little hard to read in places. She read aloud.

“Dear Fluttershy, I know it’s been too long since we last spoke, and that’s my fault. I’m sorry for everything that happened. Losing your mother was hard on both of us.” Twilight stopped for a moment as it dawned on her who Stormy Skies was. Fluttershy didn’t say anything. “You probably haven’t forgiven me, but I’d like to start again if you’ll give me the chance. I’m sure you already know, but her birthday’s coming up. Maybe you could come over for dinner and we can decide what to do from there. With love, Dad.”

At first, Fluttershy didn’t react. But just when Twilight was about to say something, Fluttershy muttered to herself, “Why would I want him back in my life?” She grabbed the letter and glanced over it before tearing it in half. “Why can’t he just leave me alone!?”

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked as the pegasus threw herself into Twilight’s chest and began crying. Twilight held her, just letting her cry. Eventually, when the sobs started to subside, she asked, “What happened between you two?”

Fluttershy breathed deeply for a while before answering. “He said it was my fault Mama was sick, that it was because I was born.”

“That’s horrible! Please tell me you don’t believe that.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not anymore, but I used to. Other ponies told me she had always been sick, even before I was born, but I still felt like it was my fault. And then when she was gone, well, he always drank a lot, but without her around he never stopped drinking.”

Twilight hugged her. “Did he… hurt you?” Fluttershy nodded. Glancing at the bits of paper that had been a letter a few minutes before, Twilight asked, “Has he ever tried to write to you before?”

“No. I haven’t seen him since the day I got my cutie mark. That was when I ran away from home.”

“You ran away from home? You never told me that!”

Twilight regretted her outburst as Fluttershy flinched. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I don’t like to talk about it.”

“Don’t be sorry, I didn’t mean to sound upset. I’m just… surprised.” She nuzzled Fluttershy’s head. “Do you want to talk about it now?”

Fluttershy took a few deep breaths and shifted in place so she was laying on her side, facing away from Twilight. She spoke slowly, and Twilight got the impression she probably hadn’t told this story to too many other ponies.

“After I fell out of flight school and discovered my talent with animals, I never went back to Cloudsdale. That day I just felt so happy and free. It wasn’t until night came that I started wondering if it was a bad idea. I slept outside for a few days before I found this cottage. It was run down at the time, but nopony was living here. Eventually some stallions came to tear it down, and they found me. I thought they were going to make me go back, but once the mayor found out, he had them fix it up instead, and even offered me a job watching over the animals. I was finally happy, but I kept thinking that Stormy Skies would come find me and take me back with him. He never did, though.”

“Are you still afraid of him?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy gave the tiniest of nods. She was afraid to suggest what was on her mind, but she needed to say it. “Uhm, I think maybe we should go.”

“Right, sorry, I got caught up in all that. The poor animals are waiting.” Fluttershy wiped her eyes and smiled. Twilight found it unsettling how natural her smile was, and wondered how many times these thoughts had been hiding behind that smile without anypony even knowing.

“The animals are fine, Shy. I meant maybe we should see him.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy stopped smiling. “No.”

“It’s your decision, Shy. But you’ve been letting him loom over you for all these years. No matter how horrible he was, he can’t hurt you anymore.” Twilight brushed Fluttershy’s mane out of her face. “If you don’t want to forgive him, then you don’t have to. But I think if we went, you’d see he’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I… I don’t know, Twily. I don’t think I can face him again.”

“You won’t be alone this time. I’ll go with you.” Twilight smiled. “We’re kind of a package deal these days.”

Fluttershy smiled a little. “Thanks, Twily. I’ll think about it. But right now, I’d really just like to check on the animals together.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course.” She held open the door and the two mares walked into the snow.
⠀

⠀
Fluttershy couldn’t sleep. Normally, being next to Twilight put her mind at ease, but for once, she found it wasn’t enough. She’d been lying awake for hours, watching the alicorn roll around restlessly. She clearly wasn’t sleeping well herself, but at least she was asleep.

Most nights when she had problems sleeping, she would lie awake with her insecurities running through her mind, or she’d have nightmares that prevented her from sleeping for long. But while she had plenty of her own problems weighing her down as well, it was actually someone else’s that were keeping her awake for a change.

There was something she had to do. Something that had been on her mind for weeks, ever since she first started writing to Sunset Shimmer. She knew she should have said something already, but she had let her fears get the best of her.

But in a way, that made her as bad as him, so she slowly got out of bed. It was one thing to let her worries keep her from doing things she knew would help herself, but she couldn’t keep letting someone else suffer just because she was too afraid to say something.

She grabbed the journal and carried it into the study, careful as she went to not wake Twilight. Flipping it open to the first blank page, she ignored her racing heart to write ‘Sunset, it’s Fluttershy. I know it’s really late and you have work tomorrow, but if you can, please write me back. It’s important.’

She set down the quill and waited. If Sunset didn’t write back what would she do? Should she say what was on her mind anyway? She didn’t have to worry long however, as Sunset wrote back within a few minutes.

‘What’s up?’

Fluttershy felt a pang of guilt. A message that short meant Sunset was asleep and had been woken up by the book’s vibrations. ‘Sorry to wake you, but does the Fluttershy in your world live with somepony named Stormy Skies?’

‘No, she lives with her dad. Or is that his name?’

Fluttershy felt her knees go weak at the thought of somepony living with him. She knew the other Fluttershy wouldn’t want her to tell Sunset about this, but she also knew she needed help. ‘Please, do whatever you can to get her away from him. Maybe she could move in with Rainbow or something, anything, just not him.’

‘Okay, I’m officially awake now. I’ll do what I can, but what’s going on? What’s so bad about him?’

Fluttershy glanced towards the other room where Twilight was sleeping. She needed Sunset to understand why this was so important. She was terrified of Twilight seeing this, but she needed to write it anyway. If she didn’t, if she just let somepony live with somepony like him… ‘I’ll explain everything. But is there some way to make sure Twilight doesn’t see? I know I need to tell her too, and I will, but I don’t want her to find out like this.’

‘I don’t think Twilight would read it if you just asked her not to, but if you really want to be sure you can tear out the page. And I promise I won’t say anything to her about it.’

Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly for a moment. With a deep breath, she opened them and began writing. ‘Well, when I was a teenager, my mom died…’

24 - Storm Front

Chapter Twenty-Four
Storm Front

⠀

⠀
The trip to Cloudsdale was never going to be a pleasant one. Twilight had known that from the beginning, of course. Still, she had hoped it could have been at least a little more amiable.

Maybe it was just the constant onlookers that seemed to follow them everywhere they went, but every attempt at starting a conversation went nowhere. If anything, Fluttershy seemed to be even more quiet than usual.

And sure, that was understandable, but it underlined how much of an uphill battle Twilight had ahead of her. It would be hard enough using one dinner to start healing all the damage Fluttershy had with her father. Doing it with her not talking was going to be downright impossible.

Maybe things would change when they reached his house, although Twilight had some doubts. It was clear Fluttershy hated her father, or Stormy Skies, as she insisted he should be called. She had spent years letting everyone think he was dead, and now that Twilight knew better, Fluttershy would only speak of him with a malice she had never used on anyone else.

But at least there were some signs that this might just have a chance of working. Fluttershy had agreed, after all. She had been reluctant, sure, but Twilight hadn’t pushed her into it. All it had taken was a few days to think of it and Twilight’s gentle reassurance that she would be there beside her marefriend and that everything would work out.

And that wasn’t all – Fluttershy had specifically decided to dress for the occasion, and even asked Twilight to do the same. Nothing elaborate – they both wore simple and modest dresses – but for Fluttershy, that was a sign that she considered this meeting important. Why else would she want to get dressed up if not to make a good impression?

At least the crowd of onlookers faded away as they went further into the suburbs. The houses around them were all well kept, even if they did look almost identical. Twilight could see why Fluttershy had been intimidated by the size of her parents’ house. Even with the impressive architecture common of Cloudsdale homes, nothing around them was nearly as grand, with very few houses reaching two stories.

While most of the houses faded into one another, they eventually came to one that stood out, albeit not in a good way. It had cracked pillars, and a layer of grunge that Twilight simply wouldn’t have thought possible in a city where everything was built on top of a layer of cloud. Fluttershy stopped and stared from the street.

“Is this it?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy nodded. She wanted to compliment Fluttershy on her childhood home, but when she looked for something nice to say about the greying building, she instead found clouds cluttering the yard and some mold that didn’t look entirely healthy.

Rather than focus on that, she walked up to Fluttershy and pressed up against her, noticing how much she was shaking. “You know, it’s not too late. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do have to,” Fluttershy said. “You’re right. I’ll never stop being afraid if I don’t face him.”

That didn’t sound so much like Fluttershy was trying to wipe the slate clean, but it was far too late for Twilight to worry about that now. She’d just have to take what she could get, and hope that resolutions happened anyway. She kissed Fluttershy’s cheek, causing a trace of a smile to flash across her lips. “Just remember, I’m right beside you. And all you have to do is say the word and we’re out of there.”

Taking one last deep breath, Fluttershy walked up to the door. She hesitated for a moment as she took one more look at the state of the house, but knocked all the same.

“Just a moment,” a gruff voice called. Twilight saw Fluttershy go rigid at the sound and stood close to her in case she felt faint and needed support. Fluttershy just stared at the door resolutely.

The door opened to a grinning light blue pegasus with a grey mane. “Fluttershy! Dear Celestia, you’ve grown.” He held out a foreleg which Fluttershy ignored.

“Twilight, this is Stormy Skies. Stormy Skies, my marefriend Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy said. Twilight had to stop her jaw from dropping, not just at Fluttershy’s words but her tone. She had expected Fluttershy to revert to her usual timid self, possibly even that she’d hide behind Twilight and let her handle her own introduction. Instead, she addressed the stallion as if she dared him to say anything against her.

Stormy Skies pulled back his hoof and used it to awkwardly scratch at his neck. Once he remembered himself, he bowed to Twilight. “Princess Twilight, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Please, that’s not necessary,” Twilight said. “And you can just call me Twilight.”

He stood up and held the door open. “Please, come in. I, uh, hope you’ll excuse the mess. I was going to clean but I ended up getting called into work.”

Stepping inside made it clear he didn’t usually clean much, if at all. While the few possessions were more or less organized, there was a layer of dust on everything that suggested it was because he never used any of them. “I’ll go get dinner ready. Please, make yourselves at home.”

Twilight took a look around the room. Amongst the dusty possessions was a table that stood out for being clean, which Fluttershy seemed to be drawn to. There were a few things on it. A necklace, a detailed embroidery of two birds, a crocheted cloud candy figure, and in the center, a picture.

At first glance, Twilight thought it was Fluttershy, until she remembered that Fluttershy had left home as a teenager. Upon closer inspection, the mare in the picture was a lighter shade of yellow and had a blue pincushion cutie mark.

“Is that your mom?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy nodded as tears began welling up in her eyes. Twilight moved closer and leaned her head against Fluttershy’s. “She’s really pretty.”

“Her name was Breezy Day,” Fluttershy said. “I always thought she was the prettiest mare in the world.” Unlike with Stormy Skies, there was nothing but love and admiration in the way Fluttershy looked at her mom.

“You know, you look a lot like her, Shy,” Twilight said. Fluttershy pulled away and turned to Twilight, her eyes widened but distant, darting around without really seeing anything. “Fluttershy?” Twilight reached a hoof out which Fluttershy flinched away from. She took one last look at her mom and walked away, leaving Twilight perplexed.

Following her around a corner, Twilight found herself in the dining room. “Fluttershy, what’s going on? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Fluttershy said. She sounded uncomfortable, like she didn’t want to be in that house, but otherwise she did seem okay. Twilight had decided before they left that she wouldn’t press Fluttershy to talk about anything until they were back in Ponyville, so she let it go.

She moved to stand next to her again, and found her examining the dust covering a cabinet filled with nice dinnerware. “It’s not like he didn’t know we were coming for weeks now.”

“True, but It wouldn’t hurt to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Twilight said. Fluttershy eyed her skeptically. “I’m definitely not justifying what he did in the past, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t making a real attempt now.”

Fluttershy looked doubtful. “I’m not surprised you think so. He’s a good liar.”

As much as Twilight wanted things to go smoothly, she was also hesitant to actually stand up for Stormy Skies, so she instead put a foreleg around Fluttershy in a half hug. “It’ll be okay, Shy. It’s just one dinner.”

Fluttershy leaned into Twilight’s hug. “You’re right. Thanks for coming with me, Twily.”

“You don’t have to thank me, we’re a team.” Fluttershy just nodded. “So, do you want to take a look around? It’s been a long time since you’ve been here.”

“Oh, uhm, not really,” Fluttershy said, looking off to the side. “I don’t really have many good memories of this place.”

“Okay.” Twilight pulled out a chair for her. “Let’s just wait here, then.”

They sat at the dining room table, Fluttershy continuing to look distant. As Twilight considered what she could say to cheer her up, Stormy Skies came in. “Dinner’s ready. I’m, uh, not really the best cook, so I hope spaghetti’s okay.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Twilight said as she stood up. They followed him into the kitchen and Twilight served herself and Fluttershy. It was a simple meal, pasta and pre-made sauce, but Twilight was glad he had chosen to go simple. Being a poor cook herself, she knew all too well what dinner would have been like if he had decided to try and impress them with a home-cooked meal.

“What can I get you to drink? I have wine, beer, and…” he paused, sniffing a carton of milk before putting it back in the fridge. “Water.”

Twilight was going to ask for wine, but Fluttershy was quick to answer for both of them. “We’ll have water.”

“Probably for the best, this stuff’s pretty cheap,” he said, eyeing the wine dubiously before pouring himself a glass. “I’m sure that the two of you are used to fancier things than I can offer.”

Not sure of how to believably convince him she wasn’t picky without also accepting his wine, and not wanting to overrule Fluttershy’s decision, Twilight just smiled politely as they made their way back to the table. She thought of explaining that it was just because Fluttershy didn’t drink alcohol, but then she might make him feel bad about choosing wine for himself. Besides, Fluttershy never had a problem when Twilight or any of their friends drank, and she certainly didn’t want to make it seem like Fluttershy pushed her own decisions on others.

Once everypony had their food and was seated back in the dining room, they began looking around, waiting for somepony to say something. Fluttershy avoided looking at Stormy Skies, who smiled nervously, looking between her and Twilight. Twilight wasn’t sure if she should start talking or eating. The awkward mood persisted until everypony eventually turned their attention to their food.

After an uncomfortable few minutes, it was Stormy Skies who broke the silence. “You know, I just can’t get over how big you’ve grown. You’re almost as big as me now!”

“That happens after ten years,” Fluttershy said without looking away from her plate. Her voice sounded detached.

Stormy Skies’ smile faded. “Look, Fluttershy, I know I wasn’t the best dad in the world.” He took a sip of his wine. “I was actually pretty bad at it. But I’m glad we have this chance to wipe the slate clean.”

Fluttershy didn’t acknowledge what he said at first. Eventually she said, “I just… had to see this place one more time.”

“Well you know, it doesn’t have to be just one more time. You’re always welcome back here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Fluttershy said, although her tone said otherwise. Even after what Fluttershy had told her, Twilight couldn’t believe how cold she was being. She’d never known Fluttershy to be resentful.

Stormy Skies idly twirled his pasta as silence hung over them. Eventually, Twilight decided to attempt to smooth over the animosity. “So, where do you work?” she asked, hoping that she could get both ponies in a neutral conversation and then build from there.

“Down at the weather factory,” he said, smile returning. “Nothing as glamorous as helping rule Equestria, but I do alright.”

“Well, I don’t really do much ruling,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I’m more like an ambassador, spreading friendship when I can.”

“That’s not the way the news has it. There’s a lot of talk about how you’re helping lead Equestria into something better.”

Twilight didn’t quite remember those news stories. Everypony still seemed determined to blame them for all of Equestria’s problems, many of which didn’t actually exist. Recently the idea that it was actually Fluttershy who had corrupted Twilight was taking hold, thanks to The Virtuous Equestrian Society. “Well, there’s certainly been a lot of talk in the news these days, that’s for sure.”

“Ponies just love to gossip, nothing to worry about there.” Stormy Skies shrugged, taking a sip of his wine. “I for one am just glad to see Fluttershy found somepony to make her happy.”

Fluttershy actually smiled at that. Twilight grinned, happy to see her returning to the warm pony she loved so much, until she spoke. “So I guess your daughter turned out to be a faggot after all.”

“Fluttershy!” Twilight was shocked. Fluttershy just stared dispassionately across the table, waiting for a response.

“I, uh, I guess I might have said some things, huh?” He looked down as he spoke. “Things you weren’t really supposed to hear. Although I suppose I wouldn’t really be surprised if you told me I’d said some of it to you after I’d been drinking. And I’m sorry for that.”

“Hmph.” Fluttershy resumed eating her pasta. Twilight looked down at her own plate, unsure of what to do. She knew one dinner wasn’t going to make amends for years of abuse, but she was beginning to think nothing short of professional counseling could dent Fluttershy’s animosity towards Stormy Skies, who seemed to be legitimately trying to make amends.

After several minutes of awkward dining in which nopony seemed to eat very much, Stormy Skies stood up. “I have a gift for you. It’s nothing really big, but I thought you should have it.” He walked out of the dining room and down the hall.

“So, uh, how you doing, Shy?” Twilight asked once he was out of earshot. She was being very careful with her words. If she made it sound like she was accusing Fluttershy of not trying hard enough, she knew she would mess everything up.

“He’s so unbelievable,” Fluttershy said angrily.

“Maybe he really just wants to start over,” Twilight said. She knew she was treading a thin line, but it didn’t seem like she crossed it yet.

“You just don’t know him like I do. He’s good at putting on a mask to make himself look good.” Fluttershy began devouring her food, either out of anger or because she wanted an excuse to be done with this dinner.

It was only a minute or so before Stormy Skies returned. He brought a picture in a frame, which he set down in front of Fluttershy. Twilight had never seen Fluttershy as a filly, but there was no mistaking it.

She was on a bed with her mother, and they were each holding up embroideries like the one on the table in the living room. Fluttershy’s was a heart, simple but perfect; it was very impressive for a filly as young as she looked in the picture. Breezy Day’s was a trio of sunflowers.

“I… I remember this,” Fluttershy said. “Mama was just teaching me how to sew. She was sure I’d get my cutie mark as a seamstress, just like her. Then we showed you what we made and you left without saying anything. I thought you hated it, but then you came back with a camera you’d borrowed and said ‘a family should have a photo album, and this looks like the perfect time to start one.’ ” She kept her voice steady, but tears were rolling down her cheek.

“Yeah, well…” Stormy Skies sat back down and moved his food around, but something told Twilight they were done eating. “That picture reminds me I didn’t always screw everything up, even if I never did start that photo album. I don’t have many pictures of her, but I know you don’t have any, so I think she’d want you to have it.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said. She was smiling and this time Twilight was sure it was genuine.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it,” Stormy Skies said. He clearly wasn’t comfortable with emotional displays, but Twilight was pretty sure she’d seen him blink back a tear himself. He took another sip of his wine.

Fluttershy frowned at the mostly empty wine glass. “Why do you drink so much?”

He glanced at his glass. “I wouldn’t say one glass of wine is too much.”

“And you didn’t have anything to drink before we got here?” Fluttershy asked doubtfully.

Stormy Skies looked off to the side. “Well, maybe just a bit. I was actually pretty nervous, believe it or not.”

“You always drank too much,” Fluttershy said. She looked at the picture and the excited filly in it. She held up the little embroidery like it was a trophy – smiling not for the camera, Twilight was sure, but the stallion holding it. “I used to love you, you know. Before Mama died, on nights when you weren’t drunk. When you’d sing, or talk to us without yelling, or even just read your paper while I colored. You weren’t the best dad, but sometimes you were good enough.”

Stormy Skies pushed his remaining wine to the side. “You’re right. I had a problem for a long time, and I know what it put you and your mom through. I know I can’t change any of that. But I’m doing better and I’m tired of screwing up everything I touch. I know it’s probably too late for me to ever be your dad again, but you’ll never stop being my daughter, and I just want you back in my life.”

Fluttershy shook her head. Her tears were all dried up now and nothing but the cold anger from before remained on her face. “After all these years I still almost believed you. But you’re not doing any better. You don’t have anything but alcohol in your fridge, and I bet there’s more under the counter.” Stormy Skies frowned but didn’t deny it. “You couldn’t even be bothered to clean this place up.”

“Well, I meant to, but I –”

“But you were working?” Fluttershy cut him off. “That was another lie. Rainbow told me you got fired. She still has friends in the weather factory, and some of them even covered for you when you were too drunk to show up.”

Stormy Skies hung his head and didn’t say anything.

Eventually Fluttershy continued her accusations. “Years passed, and you never even looked for me.”

“Well, when you left I did try to find you. I looked all over Cloudsdale for you. After that I didn’t know where to look, and I just hoped you were alright, and that you didn’t want to be found.” Apparently forgetting his decision to not drink anymore, he finished his wine. “And I think it’s safe to say I was right. Then I started seeing you in the news and I realized I missed out on watching you grow up. I finally knew where to find you, so I reached out to you.”

Twilight had planned to let them air out their problems, hoping if they stopped bottling things up they’d both see it was time to move on, but as he sat fidgeting in his chair she could see more and more that Fluttershy was right about him. “After we defeated Nightmare Moon, any paper could have pointed you to Ponyville. Why didn’t you write to her then?”

He looked between them, unable to answer. Twilight saw his eyes dart back to his empty wine glass before returning to Fluttershy. She was going to suggest they leave but Fluttershy wasn’t finished yet.

Fluttershy continued to stare at him resolutely, apparently unwilling to yield until he answered. “Why now?”

“Well, of course I was proud of you after Nightmare Moon, and everything else, but I was worried I’d just buck up your life more. Then I saw you’d finally found a, uhm, companion and I –”

“Marefriend,” Fluttershy said. “I’m gay and I have a marefriend. It’s really not that hard.”

Stormy Skies stared silently for a moment, jaw clenched. Fluttershy held her ground and glared back. “Right, sorry, marefriend,” he said eventually, trying to smile and not pulling it off as well as he had earlier. “I guess I just got tired of reading about your life instead of getting to be part of it.”

Fluttershy slammed her hoof on the table and Stormy Skies jumped to his feet. “Stop lying! Don’t you dare…” Her voice caught in her throat.

Stormy Skies looked like he might charge them. Twilight stood as well, but Fluttershy remained seated, not moving an inch and holding his glare. Eventually he broke eye contact. “I need your help… The bank is threatening to repossess the house, and my unemployment check can’t cover what I owe.”

“But it’s still enough for your alcohol,” Fluttershy spat. “After everything that happened, everything you said, what you did, what you put me through. Those nights after Mama died. After all of that, you think I’ll help you? What, you think because Twilight’s a princess that gives you access to some kind of royal treasury? If I was with a different mare, you’d never invite me here.”

When he didn’t answer, Fluttershy stood up as well. She reached into her coin purse and pulled out five bits, which she tossed on the table, letting them roll away. Two fell on the floor, clinking loudly in the otherwise silent room. “That should more than cover what you paid for dinner. Let’s go, Twilight.”

Fluttershy grabbed the picture and tucked it under her wing. They walked past him and he didn’t say anything or move to stop them. It was only when Fluttershy pulled open the front door that he called after them. “You hate me. Fine, I’m a bastard and I’d hate me too. But this was your home too, your mother’s home. Please, don’t let them take it away.”

Fluttershy turned to face him. “This was the house I spent the worst years of my life in. This was where I was beaten, where I was treated worse than dirt, where I cried myself to sleep and spent every night hoping I’d die instead of spending another day with you. This house can burn down for all I care.” She turned back around and walked out the door, leaving him alone.

Twilight followed after her, jogging to keep up. “Fluttershy, where are you going? We can just fly home.” Fluttershy wheeled around and looked so furious Twilight thought she was going to start yelling at her, but after a moment her face fell and she let herself deflate into Twilight.

“I just… hate him so much.”

Twilight hugged her tightly. “I know, but it’s over now. You never have to see him again. Do you want to do anything else while we’re in Cloudsdale?” Twilight smiled as she pulled out her secret weapon. “Maybe go out for ice cream or something?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Please, let’s just go home,” she said, clearly fighting back tears.

“Alright.” Twilight nodded. She had been sure ice cream would work, it always cheered Fluttershy up. They took to the air, Twilight carrying the picture with her magic.

They flew in silence until they landed in Ponyville. “So, your place or mine?” Twilight asked.

“Mine. I just… I don’t want to walk through town,” Fluttershy said. She began walking with her head hung down. “Telling everypony was a mistake.”

“Don’t say that.”

“If we never came out we wouldn’t have ponies harassing us and he never would have written to me.”

“I’m sorry, it was my idea to go. I knew you didn’t want to, I should have just left it alone.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, you were right. He was just a pony after all.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Twilight considered trying to start a conversation a few times, but she never could settle on what to say. Instead, she just let her brain work out things she might say once they were safely behind Fluttershy’s door.

Not that she came up with a lot once they reached the house. “Want to read together?” she tried as they walked through the door. “Or we could play with some of the animals around here.”

Fluttershy looked at her for a moment, then she just shook her head. She made her way upstairs to the bedroom, not even bothering to look at any of the animals.

She collapsed on the bed and Twilight curled around her. “Everything is okay now, Shy,” she reminded her. It didn’t seem to help, as Fluttershy didn’t so much as move to acknowledge she heard.

Deciding that Fluttershy needed some quiet time, Twilight just shifted a bit to cuddle up with her better. They had been together for long enough that Twilight knew sometimes this was all she needed. A few minutes of nothing but peace and quiet with her marefriend, then she’d be ready to do something again.

The silence went on for a lot longer than a few minutes. They lay still for so long that Twilight thought she might have fallen asleep, and was debating trying to nap herself so they could stay together.

But before she could manage to drift off, Fluttershy sat up suddenly and turned to face her. “I’m sorry, I… I’m not good enough for you.”

Taken off guard by the sudden outburst, Twilight sat up and tilted her head to the side. “Are you worried about what the news said? Come on, Shy, you know better than to take them seriously.” Twilight tried to kiss her, but she moved away.

“No. I mean, yes, that bothered me too, but I was talking about Stormy Skies.”

Twilight took Fluttershy’s trembling hooves into hers. “Why would I hold him against you?”

Fluttershy turned to her with tears in her eyes. “Please, Twily, I need to tell you something. Something important. But it’s really really hard to talk about, so please… just let me talk.”

Twilight couldn’t imagine anything that would be worth getting so worked up about. She nodded. “Okay.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath which didn’t help her shaking. “After my mom died and he started drinking more, things got… really bad.” As Fluttershy paused Twilight had to fight back the urge to tell her that everything was okay now.

“One night when I was asleep, h-he came into my room. He woke me up when he… when he threw the door open.” She paused to take a few deep breaths, which led to more sobbing before she could continue. “He reeked of alcohol… I’d n-never seen him so… so drunk before. He… he told me it wasn’t fair that she… that she died. She died and left him with me.”

She trailed off again and began crying. Twilight held her, stroking her mane. Her heart started racing, but she didn’t know why. She wouldn’t let herself imagine why.

After a few minutes passed and Fluttershy didn’t say anything Twilight pulled her closer. “It’s okay, Shy. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“I do.” Fluttershy choked out through her sobs. “I… I…H-he…”

“Shh…” Twilight kissed her head. “Just take a minute to calm down, then tell me.” Twilight was finding it harder and harder to resist the thought. He didn’t. He wouldn’t.

After a few more minutes of crying and deep breathing, Fluttershy continued, holding on tightly to Twilight. “He told me that I looked just like her.” Twilight’s heart lurched, remembering the way Fluttershy had looked at her when she made the same offhoof comment. She’d been afraid. “He told me since it was my fault, that I owed him. He… he held me against the bed and… and he raped me.”

“He what!?” Twilight forgot her promise to just let Fluttershy talk. She jumped to her hooves, forgetting they were on the bed. She forgot everything as the room around her faded out, and the only thing she was aware of was that she was going to kill him. She was going to fly straight back to Cloudsdale and drag him out of his house, and she’d make him answer for what he did. He’d be lucky if she let him die quickly.

Slowly she became aware of a sound, which she realized was Fluttershy crying. As the room around her faded back into her perception, she saw her marefriend, the most important pony in the world to her, had curled into a ball at her hooves. She was covering her face with her wing, hiding herself away as she cried.

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m so so sorry, just please don’t leave me, please. I’m sorry, I love you, I’ll do anything you want, just please stay with me.”

Twilight couldn’t believe herself. Supporting Fluttershy was the most important thing she could do, and instead she’d terrified her. “Why are you sorry?” She laid back down and reached a hoof out to Fluttershy, who flinched, causing her to quickly pull it back.

“You… you deserve better. You deserve s-somepony who isn’t… used.” Fluttershy managed to say through her sobs. “But I’m… I’m so selfish… I just can’t let you go.”

“Fluttershy, please, don’t say things like that. You should never be sorry for what happened to you. It wasn’t your fault, and it doesn’t change who you are. Or how much I love you, nothing could ever change that.” Fluttershy lowered her wing to look at Twilight. “I can’t believe I convinced you to go back there. I’m so sorry, I never would have suggested that if I had known.”

“It’s… it’s okay. You didn’t know. I never told you. I… I wanted you to keep loving me.” She moved a little closer to Twilight.

“I’ll always love you, no matter what.” Twilight was going to try to hold her again when something horrible occurred to her. “Oh. Oh no. All those times when I wanted to… do stuff. And you… I’m so, so sorry, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “You always stopped it.”

“I never should have started anything to begin with. I only stopped after I already knew it was upsetting you.” Twilight couldn’t believe what she must have put Fluttershy through. She had always tried to be patient, and never said anything hurtful, but she knew there had been at least a few times that her mounting frustration must have been pretty obvious.

Fluttershy rested her hoof on Twilight’s foreleg. “I was just happy you stopped it before… before I ever let you do… that kind of stuff with me. You’re so perfect, and I’m… ruined.”

Twilight reached out a hoof and when Fluttershy didn’t pull away she pulled them closer to one another. “Fluttershy, listen to me. This doesn’t change anything between us. Anything. You’re not used, or ruined, or anything else, okay?”

Fluttershy snuggled in closer. “Why are you so perfect?”

Twilight held her tight. “I don’t know about perfect. But I’ll always try to be the best I can be for you, because that’s what you deserve.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I… I don’t deserve you. I’m just… I’m…”

Twilight cut her off with a kiss. “Fluttershy, you are the most wonderful pony I’ve ever met. I know you would never hold anything like this against anypony else. If I told you something like that happened to me, you wouldn’t think any less of me. Why do you think less of yourself?”

“You… you won’t leave me, will you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Of course not. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Fluttershy cried as Twilight held her. Twilight whispered that everything would be okay, that she loved her, that she was beautiful, anything Twilight could think of to remind her that nothing had changed.

Eventually Fluttershy fell asleep, but Twilight stayed awake holding her. She continued to whisper into the sleeping mare’s ear every positive thing she could think of, hoping to guide her to happier dreams. Eventually Twilight fell asleep with her head resting against Fluttershy’s.

25 – To Know and to Believe

Chapter Twenty-Five
To Know and To Believe

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Being cuddled by Twilight was one thing Fluttershy simply couldn’t get enough of. There was something magical about feeling Twilight curled around her, holding her tightly. Twilight always did like to latch onto her while they slept. It made Fluttershy feel safe, like nothing in the world could hurt her as long as Twilight was there holding her.

It did make it a little hard to turn to face her, but that only made Fluttershy smile more. All her squirming must have woken Twilight, though, because she found herself looking into her marefriends eyes.

“Fluttershy? Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around Twilight so they were holding each other. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“It’s okay.”

Snuggling against the larger mare gave Fluttershy easy access to Twilight’s neck, so she planted a kiss there. “I love you, Twily.”

“Love you too, Shy.”

Fluttershy smiled and kept kissing. She moved from her neck down to her shoulder, then to her chest. Meanwhile, she moved her hoof down from Twilight’s back to her thigh.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing?”

Fluttershy blushed, but she didn’t stop. She kissed Twilight’s stomach, then gave the only answer she could think of. “I… I love you, Twilight.”

She continued moving lower with her kisses, but was forced to stop when Twilight pushed her away. She looked up at Twilight, hurt that she would do something like that, only to find Twilight staring at her angrily.

“Fluttershy, what are you thinking!?”

“I… I…”

Twilight backed farther away from her. “Why would you think I would want to do anything like that with you?”

Fluttershy squeezed shut her eyes tightly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think –”

“You know, maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Twilight said harshly.

When Fluttershy opened her eyes again, she saw that Twilight was already out of bed. Fluttershy tried to go after her, only to find she was caught in the blankets.

“Things are better this way. Nothing could have ever happened between us. Not now that I know you’re, you know.”

The harder Fluttershy struggled to get to Twilight, the stronger the hold the blankets had on her. Eventually, she felt herself being pulled away from the pony she loved.

“You understand, right, Fluttershy?”

The bed fell out from beneath Fluttershy, and she was falling. The blankets still had hold of her, preventing her from flying. She could see Twilight looking down on her as she fell. She closed her eyes and screamed.

Then the falling stopped. Something had a hold of her, something far more solid than the blankets. At first, that scared her too, but then she heard a soothing voice. “You’re alright now. I have you.”

Fluttershy knew that voice. She opened her eyes to see a friendly face full of concern. “Luna? What are you doing here? Am… am I dreaming?”

“You are indeed, my friend.”

Luna was already holding her, having caught her as she fell. So Fluttershy followed suit, throwing her forelegs around Luna and burying her face into her friend’s shoulder.

“There there, everything is okay now.” Luna nuzzled against her, and Fluttershy felt the blanket slide off. Luna gently flew them up through the hole where the bed had been, only it was no longer Twilight’s bedroom. In its place, they found themselves under a tree in a field of flowers – the same place Twilight had first confessed her feelings to Fluttershy.

Luna set her down gently, and Fluttershy sat beside her. Luna kept a wing around her, which was large enough to completely cover the much smaller pony. “You’ve had a lot of nightmares lately.”

Fluttershy looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry. I know you must be tired of having to help me…”

“There is no need to apologize. Even if it were not my duty to help ponies sleep peacefully, you are a friend. I would never hesitate to help you, no matter how many nightmares you may have.”

Fluttershy smiled a little, although it was weak. “Thank you, Luna.”

“You are most welcome. But I have noticed that your nightmares have changed in the past weeks. Do you think it could be related to your Cloudsdale visit?”

“I… I don’t know…”

Luna nodded slowly. “It was your first time seeing Stormy Skies in ten years. I imagine it must have been hard for you.”

“It… it was.” Fluttershy shook her head. “But… it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I remembered him as a monster, but Twilight was right. He was only a pony all along. I know that now, and I’m not afraid of him anymore.”

“That is good to hear. But if not him, what might be troubling you enough that you continue to have these nightmares?”

Fluttershy turned away again, unsure if she should say. She didn’t want to cause any problems for anypony.

“I only wish to help you, Fluttershy.” Luna gently lifted Fluttershy’s head with her hoof, so that she could see Luna was bending down so her face was just over Fluttershy’s. “Most of your nightmares lately have been about Twilight.”

And there was the problem with saying anything. The last thing she needed was for Luna to blame Twilight. “I don’t… That can’t be it though. Twilight has been wonderful. She’s nothing but supportive of me, even after she found out about Stormy Skies and… and that I’m…”

Luna bowed her head slightly. “You still blame yourself, even now.”

Fluttershy couldn’t keep looking into Luna’s blue eyes when she sounded so sad, so she leaned her head against the alicorn instead. “I… I know it wasn’t my fault…”

“That is good. And of course, it wasn’t, but sometimes there is a difference between knowing something and believing it.”

Fluttershy nodded. She wanted to believe that it was just a horrible thing that happened to her, that it was something she could move on from. But she couldn’t even think of the word without feeling dirty…

“Do you think Twilight thinks any less of you now that she knows?”

Fluttershy shook her head and looked back up at Luna. “She doesn’t. I know that.”

“And do you believe it?”

Fluttershy hesitated. She wanted to say yes, that she believed without a doubt that Twilight had told the truth on the night when she said that it didn’t change anything between them. She wanted to, but she couldn’t find the words. “I… I don’t know.”

“Then perhaps that is what you’re truly afraid of now?”

“I… Twilight’s barely left my side since she found out. And she hasn’t acted differently or anything, it’s just…”

“It is easy to be afraid when someone is so important to us,” Luna said gently. “For what it is worth, I truly do believe Twilight speaks the truth, although I know hearing me say it is not enough to make you believe it.”

Fluttershy winced. She knew what Luna meant, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty. She did believe Twilight. Of course she did. But… but Luna was right, she was also afraid.

But not of losing her, exactly. “I… I do believe Twilight will stay with me,” Fluttershy said slowly. “I’m afraid that… that even if she does stay with me, that she’s still upset with me.”

‘Upset’ wasn’t quite the correct word, but it seemed that Luna understood well enough. “I see. Although I do not believe for a moment that she feels anything negative towards you, it is a normal fear to have.”

“What should I do?” Fluttershy asked hopefully. She knew Luna couldn’t change how she felt, but Luna was the wisest pony she knew. If anyone could help, it was her. “I want to believe that Twilight isn’t upset, that she really doesn’t view me as… as used or… or anything else… But I don’t know how.”

“I fear my reassurances are meaningless to you right now,” Luna said. Fluttershy bowed her head, so Luna leaned in closer to speak softly into her ear. “You need Twilight’s.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you talked to her about these feelings?”

Fluttershy winced at the memory, even if Twilight had been nothing but perfect in it. “I did. On the night when I told her I was… told her about what happened.”

“And not since then?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “We haven’t really talked about that day at all.”

“It is good that Twilight reassured you, but hearing it once may not be enough. If you need to be reassured again, and it does very much seem that you do, you need only ask her.”

“But… I already know what she’ll say,” Fluttershy pointed out.

Luna nodded. “But hearing the words again will still do you good. And again after that, and again. Even if you know the answer already, you should still ask for her reassurance as many times as it takes until you finally start to believe it.”

The idea of bringing that back up with Twilight was scary. Even just bringing it up once had been difficult enough, almost as hard as it had been to confront Stormy Skies.

But the idea of living with the feeling that Twilight might be disgusted by her was even worse.

“I… I will.”

“Good. And if discussing it proves too much of a challenge, remember that I am always happy to assist. I understand this is a private matter, but I’m quite skilled at handling delicate situations like this.”

Fluttershy smiled. There was no doubt that if she went to anypony for help with this, it would be Luna. “Thank you. I’ll try talking to her today first, though.”

“Of course.” Luna looked out towards something that Fluttershy couldn’t see. “Our time together draws short. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

Fluttershy frowned, not exactly ready to face the day ahead of her. But she knew Luna had other important things to do, and that she had already spent enough time on Fluttershy’s problems.

She also knew there was something else, but she didn’t know how to bring that up. “No. Thank you so much for everything.”

“You are most welcome. I will ever be at your service if I’m needed again, although a good talk with Twilight today may be all that’s needed to keep us from meeting under these same circumstances tonight.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “It… it would be nice to meet while I’m awake some time.”

“I wholeheartedly agree. But for now, it is time for you to wake and meet with somepony closer to you.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy took a deep breath and tried to summon all the courage she could. “I’m ready.”

The world around them started glowing, everything fading into white. She watched for a moment, then turned to say goodbye to Luna, only to find she was already gone. Only a moment later, Fluttershy was as well.

In the dream, Fluttershy had been able to see around Twilight’s bedroom perfectly. Now that she was awake, everything was dark. It was one of the ways she could tell that she was awake this time.

Another was that her foreleg had fallen asleep because a certain alicorn was lying on it. It was impossible to make out anything but Twilight’s silhouette in the fading moonlight, but she was still clinging to Fluttershy just as she had been in the dream.

Remembering how things had ended in the dream exhausted all of Fluttershy’s interest in staying in bed. Even cuddling with Twilight didn’t seem as appealing when her thoughts couldn’t stay focused on the waking world.

She got out of bed as gently as she could, smiling a little at Twilight mumbling something incoherent when she left. She stretched her stiff foreleg, then walked over to a window to watch as the moon lowered. She was a little disappointed that she couldn’t see it, although that meant that it would be dawn soon, which was also good.

But in the meantime, Fluttershy would be the only one in the castle awake. Neither Twilight nor Spike was liable to wake up before dawn. Fluttershy wouldn’t mind sleeping in a bit more herself, but her nightmares still seldom afforded her the chance.

Walking as softly as she could, Fluttershy left the bedroom. The darkness forced her to move by her memory of Twilight’s bedroom as much as by sight, but she didn’t have any problems. At least the hallway was lit and she wouldn’t have to be quite so quiet, but she still tried to keep the sound of her hoofsteps down while she descended the stairs; she did have to pass Spike’s room, after all.

That lasted only until she reached the bottom of the stairs, then she was able to walk at her usual volume. Which, for Fluttershy, wasn’t much of a difference.

Although she didn’t have anything in particular planned, it was easy enough to find things to do. While Spike was surprisingly apt at keeping the castle clean, he was also only eleven. And Twilight? Twilight was hopeless.

Which meant there were plenty of little things Fluttershy could preoccupy herself with. She chose to do some dusting, since that was something that always needed doing in the large castle.

It worked well to get her mind off things. Fluttershy liked falling into simple tasks that needed to be done, and it was nice to feel useful – Spike couldn’t fly, so he had difficulty getting to the higher shelves.

Twilight was sure to tell her not to worry about cleaning. Even after seven months together, Twilight insisted on treating her like a guest. It was thoughtful of her, but a bit silly. Fluttershy spent half her time at the castle, and the other half with Twilight at the cottage. Although they hadn’t officially agreed to anything, they were more or less living together. And if Fluttershy was sort of living at the castle, then shouldn’t she help out with the chores?

The feeling snuck up on her. She had never meant to feel like she lived in the castle, yet here she was, dusting and thinking of it as her second home. At least, it was starting to feel like home, and that feeling was growing by the day.

Her good mood came to a pause when she approached a window in the entry hall. She stopped in her tracks and struggled to take a few deep breaths in spite of the lump in her throat.

‘Be brave,’ she told herself. ‘Be like Luna.’ Luna would never be too scared to look out of a window.

After another steadying breath, Fluttershy ever so slightly pushed the curtain aside. She peeked out just enough to confirm that Ponyville was definitely still outside the castle. Summoning all her strength, Fluttershy pulled the curtain back just a little more. Now she could even see ponies!

All of whom seemed to be going about their business, completely indifferent to the castle and its inhabitants.

That was enough of a relief for Fluttershy to risk moving the curtain a little more, so that she could actually get a good look at the world outside the castle. Everything seemed to be as it should – no ponies gathered with protest signs, no reporters waiting for the royal couple to make an appearance. Just Ponyville being Ponyville.

Fluttershy let the curtain fall back into place and sighed. It was meant to be a sigh of relief, but she didn’t actually feel very relieved.

She was going to have to go out there. She needed to take care of her animal friends. That was too important to miss, no matter how she felt. Days when they stayed at the cottage were easier. Sure, she was still afraid of going into town, but she wasn’t afraid of going out her front door there.

But at least she didn’t have to do it alone. Twilight would be by her side, and that would make things easier. She felt stronger with Twilight. She felt like she could face the day ahead of her.

She glanced at the stairs. Twilight would likely be asleep for some time to come. With a sigh, she returned to dusting.

It was so quiet. Of course, that was to be expected since Fluttershy was the only one awake. But it was different. The quiet of Twilight’s castle made Fluttershy realize that the quiet of her cottage wasn’t actually quiet at all. There were mice and squirrels running around and chittering in their secret rodent languages. There were hens outside that would be awake by now and clucking softly. There were birds both in and out of the house, and the air would be filled with their songs, inviting Fluttershy to sing along with them.

The quiet wasn’t quiet at Fluttershy’s cottage, but here in this castle that was far too big for two ponies and a small dragon, it was all she could hear.

Maybe Twilight would let her bring a few small animals into the castle. She did always like watching them when they stayed at the cottage, after all.

“Who?”

Fluttershy grinned at the unexpected question. “Just who I wanted to see.”

“Who?”

Fluttershy turned to Owlowiscious, who was perched on a ledge high above her. “You, silly. Do you think this place might be a little less lonely if we brought a few of my little friends here?”

Owlowiscious cocked his head to the side. “Who?”

“Oh, I don’t know exactly. But maybe a few chipmunks or rabbits. Or a raccoon or two, or…”

“Who?”

Fluttershy frowned. “Too much?”

Owlowiscious blinked in response, then flew down to land on a table next to Fluttershy. She smiled and gently patted his head, happy to have some company.

“So, do you know any songs, Owlowiscious?”

Owlowiscious stuck one wing out, posing as if he were a minstrel. “Who who who who!”

Each ‘who’ was identical and carried nothing resembling a melody. Fluttershy smiled all the same. “Very pretty!”

“Is everything okay down here?” Twilight mumbled from behind them.

Fluttershy frowned as she turned around in time to see Twilight walk down the last few stairs. “I’m sorry, did we wake you?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Well, someone did.”

“Who?” Owlowiscious asked with his most innocent expression.

Twilight poked the fluff on his belly. “Who indeed.”

“I’m sorry, Twily.” Fluttershy blushed. She didn’t want to admit that she had felt lonely when Twilight was right upstairs. “I just… couldn’t resist talking to Owlowiscious a little bit.”

Twilight smiled. “It’s okay. Besides, we should probably get going to check on those animals.”

“Who?”

“Fluttershy and me,” Twilight answered. “You need to stay here and get some sleep.”

Owlowiscious ruffled his feathers at Twilight then flew off. Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “Was it something I said?”

Fluttershy giggled. “I think somebirdy is just cranky because it’s bedtime.” She stepped closer to Twilight to give her a good-morning kiss.

She stopped short, however. Memories of the dream came back before she could offer a kiss, and instead, she opted for a hug. Twilight didn’t seem to notice, hugging her back and kissing her on the cheek.

“Cranky birds aside, what do you say, Shy? Ready to go take care of the animals?”

Fluttershy put the thoughts of the dream aside and turned towards the door. That gave her enough to feel anxious about without having to also worry whether or not she should have kissed Twilight properly. Ponyville was on the other side, and more to the point, other ponies were.

The negative thoughts were given pause when Twilight draped a wing across her shoulders. They didn’t go away, but that one small act was enough to break the cluster of negativity into more manageable pieces while giving her something positive to focus on instead. They could walk all the way through Ponyville like this, and that was a light in the darkness.

“Alright,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s get going.”

It had been an easy day. They made it through Ponyville without incident, and had fun taking care of the animals together. Afterwards, Fluttershy had made them a nice lunch, then they found themselves lounging in the living room, sitting on the couch together.

Despite all the anxiety of the morning, the afternoon had turned out quite nice. It was the kind of day where hardest part was trying to decide what to do next.

“Want to read together?” Twilight suggested.

Fluttershy was a little tired of reading. Neither of them wanted to go into Ponyville, especially in the middle of the day, but that limited their options. Reading was something both of them loved, but it did get a little tiring without some variety. This part of the day was easier at the castle – they had Spike for company, and would often play games with him. Fluttershy had a few games that two ponies could play, but she was a little tired of those as well.

This was a usual dilemma for them, but Fluttershy didn’t usually mind it too much. They always settled on something to do, and once they got going with it, they did have fun together.

“Or we could play cards,” Twilight suggested, making Fluttershy realize she hadn’t answered about reading.

She didn’t want to play cards. She didn’t want to read. She didn’t want to do anything that they usually did, and there was a very good reason for that. But bringing that up out loud was harder than it had been when she practiced it in her head…

“Is… everything okay, Shy?”

“Oh, sorry…” Fluttershy shook her head. “I was just… thinking.”

Twilight smiled. “About what?”

Fluttershy winced. There wouldn’t be a better chance to talk about what was on her mind, but it was still so hard to get the words out. “Well… I saw Luna last night.”

“Luna?” Twilight’s smile fell to a frown. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Fluttershy nodded. “And… she said I should talk to you about it.”

“Alright. So what was it about?”

Fluttershy turned away, unable to look at Twilight in light of how dumb her fears were. “Well… it was about you. Uhm, about you not wanting to be with me.”

She felt a hoof wrap around her own. “Shy, I love you. Of course I still want to be with you.”

Fluttershy smiled a little and nodded. “I know. It was a silly dream.”

“You know, you don’t have to wait to talk to me if you have a dream like that. You can always wake me up.”

“Oh… I wouldn’t want to do that…”

“I don’t mind,” Twilight said brightly. She scooted closer to Fluttershy. “Besides, then I get to fall asleep cuddling you again.”

Fluttershy’s smile grew and she rested her head against Twilight. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Hey now, none of that.” Twilight nuzzled against Fluttershy. “You deserve to be happy. And if I’m what makes you happy, then, well… I guess you deserve me.”

Fluttershy was being silly. Twilight was always so good to her; what did she think would go wrong? Besides, Luna had wanted Fluttershy to talk about this, and she had never been wrong before. “Uhm, there’s something else.”

“You know you can tell me anything.”

Fluttershy rubbed against Twilight and took a deep breath, finding comfort in her scent. “Well… it’s something that’s been on my mind since Cloudsdale…”

Twilight’s wing moved to cover Fluttershy, protecting her from everything else. She just hoped it would stay there.

“And… and Luna said I should talk to you about that, too.”

“Luna did?” Twilight tried to hide it, but Fluttershy could feel how she tensed up. “I didn’t know Luna knew about, er, Cloudsdale.”

Even though she herself had just done the same thing, Fluttershy kind of wished Twilight hadn’t danced around the subject. She wanted it to be something they could talk about, just a horrible thing that had happened to her. Instead, it was something dirty, something they couldn’t even say the name of.

“Luna’s known about… about Stormy Skies for a long time.” Fluttershy winced as Twilight’s hoof tightened around hers. “I’m sorry, please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad,” Twilight said quickly, although her tone said otherwise. “Just… surprised.”

Fluttershy looked down at their hooves. Twilight was still gripping hers tightly. Not tight enough to hurt, but too much for it to be intended as a comforting gesture.

Twilight realized after a moment and loosened her grip. “Sorry…” She took a deep breath. “I guess I am a little upset, but not at you. It’s just thinking about him…”

Even as she spoke, Twilight was beginning to sound upset again. It wasn’t like Fluttershy couldn’t understand why, not after she herself had only ever said his name with malice if she had to say it at all. But it was another reminder that this wasn’t just something that had happened. It was something that was still happening, so many years later. Something that wouldn’t let go of her.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, although she wasn’t sure what part of it she was apologizing for. All of it, she figured.

“Please don’t be.” Twilight leaned her head on Fluttershy’s. “I’m sorry, you don’t need me getting upset on top of how you must already be feeling. What was it Luna said you should talk to me about? Did you have nightmares about him too?”

“I… I used to. That’s how she found out about him.”

“Used to?” Twilight smiled. “So the nightmares stopped? That’s great, Shy!”

Fluttershy bowed her head, but she smiled a little too. “Yes. You were right, after seeing him again, I’m not afraid of him anymore. I haven’t had any nightmares about him since we got back from Cloudsdale.”

It was kind of funny, in a way. The nightmares had first started when she left Cloudsdale as a teenager, and now they finally stopped after a visit there as an adult.

“It must have been really hard on you.” Twilight said. “All those years before Luna was around to help…”

Fluttershy winced. She wasn’t sure how to tell Twilight that the nightmares had stopped before, and more to the point, that they’d only come back after she started dating Twilight. After she realized what dating somepony might lead to, and how that stirred up old memories and wounds that had never healed…

But she couldn’t tell Twilight that. Maybe she should, but she wanted to talk about their future, not her past. For now, she would just go along with the idea that she’d always had the nightmares to keep the conversation going. “I’m just glad she was able to come to my rescue eventually.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. I’m glad she was able to help you when you couldn’t come to me.”

Fluttershy wasn’t sure if Twilight was referring to the fact that Fluttershy hadn’t told her about Stormy Skies back then, or if she just meant that only Luna could enter a nightmare. Either way, she felt guilty; she wanted to come to Twilight for anything, but some things were just easier to talk to Luna about.

But Luna was right, this was something that she needed to talk to Twilight about, no matter how hard it was. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to jump into the topic like she really wanted to, so she kept it on Stormy Skies himself since that seemed a little easier. “Uhm, Luna told me she took care of him, at least. So we don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“Stormy Skies? What did she do to take care of him?”

Fluttershy frowned. “I actually don’t know. I… don’t really want to. I trust Luna, and if she says not to worry about him, that’s good enough for me.”

“I see.” Twilight didn’t sound so easily convinced, but Fluttershy didn’t expect her to be. “So is that what Luna wanted you to tell me?”

“No, but I thought you should know that too.”

Twilight nodded. “I’m glad you told me. It’s good to know that Luna’s done something, although I wish I knew what.”

“Maybe you could write to her. I’d rather not think about it, though…”

“Of course.” Twilight nuzzled against Fluttershy’s cheek, which got her to finally look up into Twilight’s face. “So what else is on your mind?”

“I…” There was no more stalling. Fluttershy had to tell Twilight, no matter what. Even if it was hard, she had to say it. “I keep thinking that… that you’re disgusted with me…”

“Fluttershy, no…” Twilight let go of Fluttershy’s hoof to instead wrap both of her forelegs around her marefriend. “I love you. I love you so much, and I could never be disgusted with you.”

“I… I know. I just…” Fluttershy felt tears welling up and tried to hold them back. “It’s hard to remind myself of that…”

“Have I done anything wrong?” Twilight asked. “I didn’t mean to, but if anything I’m doing is making you feel –”

“No,” Fluttershy said. “You didn’t do anything at all. It’s just… I… I don’t know.” She shook her head and sniffed as a tear escaped. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t think something like that.”

“Shh.” Twilight wiped the tear away and spoke softly. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I understand. And I’ll remind you as much as you need me to.”

Fluttershy smiled and felt a little of her worries slip away. She wasn’t convinced, not fully, but that would probably take time. For now, she was happy with the reminder. “Thank you, Twily. I love you.”

“I love you too, Shy.”

Emboldened by the reassurance, Fluttershy did what she neglected to do earlier: She looked into the face of the mare she loved, smiled, then kissed her. Twilight kissed Fluttershy back without hesitation, which also helped reassure her that Twilight was telling the truth.

“Thank you, Twily,” Fluttershy said. “You always make me feel so much better.”

“I’m glad. You’ve done so much to help me when I feel anxious, you deserve the same in turn.”

Fluttershy still wasn’t sure she did all that much for Twilight, but she felt too happy to argue the point. Little by little, the weight she had been carrying was replaced with her love for Twilight.

A kiss wasn’t enough for how happy Twilight made her. She wrapped her forelegs around Twilight and lay back, bringing her marefriend with her. Twilight laughed and cuddled up to Fluttershy. As was always the case, cuddling on the small couch was more than a little awkward, but as long as it meant she got to be close to Twilight, Fluttershy didn’t mind.

Twilight smiled as she brushed a strand of Fluttershy’s mane out of her face. “You’re so beautiful.”

Fluttershy giggled and blushed. “No…”

“Oh yes.” Twilight kissed Fluttershy’s forehead. “You are –” she kissed her cheek “– absolutely –” she kissed her nose “– gorgeous.”

Twilight kissed Fluttershy’s lips, and Fluttershy closed her eyes and let herself get lost in Twilight. She opened her mouth for Twilight’s tongue and used a hoof to draw circles on her back.

Twilight moved one of her hooves along Fluttershy’s side as they kissed, slowly making her way towards Fluttershy’s stomach. The longer they kissed, the more impassioned Twilight seemed to become.

Twilight broke apart from Fluttershy, but only so she could move down and kiss her neck. Fluttershy moaned softly, and Twilight’s hoof seemed to be moving lower. She wondered if Twilight realized how close it was…

Fluttershy moved her leg, letting Twilight explore lower. She held tight to her marefriend and smiled. ‘Please… Just a little lower…’

Twilight hesitated just as she was almost there. Fluttershy placed her mouth by Twilight’s ear and breathed her name, just above a whisper. “Twily, please…”

Everything stopped. Twilight’s hoof remained where it was, and she stopped kissing Fluttershy’s neck. After a moment, she brought her hoof back up, using it to hold Fluttershy by the waist instead.

Fluttershy wanted to ask why Twilight stopped. She wanted to say she didn’t have to, that they could do more in their relationship, that she wanted to do more in their relationship. But all she could think about was that she might get an answer she was afraid of.

So she said nothing. She just held Twilight, wishing it was as comforting as it had been earlier.

“I love you, Shy,” Twilight said after a while. There was a note of something in her voice, but Fluttershy couldn’t figure out what it was.

“I love you too.”

Fluttershy tried to think of reasons why things might have stopped that weren’t because Twilight didn’t want to do things like that with someone like her. Maybe it was just too awkward to try to do things on the couch? “Do you… maybe want to, uhm… We could go to the bedroom. To… to lie there instead.”

Twilight didn’t respond right away. When she did, it wasn’t with a direct answer. She pulled herself back up so she could kiss Fluttershy’s cheek, a far cry from the intimate kissing they had done just moments before. “What do you say we go for a walk? It’s supposed to be the warmest day this week, seems like a shame to spend it inside.”

Fluttershy didn’t want to go for a walk. But she knew this wasn’t really about what they did, it was about what they weren’t going to be doing. Why had she even thought that Twilight might want to do those kinds of things with her?

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, trying her best to keep the disappointment from her voice. “That sounds nice.”

“Shy, what are you doing?”

Fluttershy paused, her hoof on Twilight’s stomach and lips against her neck. She said the only thing she could think of. “I love you, Twily.”

She tried to move her hoof lower, but Twilight swatted it away. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

Fluttershy recoiled back, casting Twilight a pleading look. “Twilight, I…”

Twilight was rising from the bed. “Why would you even think I’d want to do something like that with you?”

“I… I’m sorry, I…”

“I think this is enough for tonight,” a voice spoke from behind her.

Fluttershy gasped and turned around to see Luna standing in her bedroom. When she turned back to Twilight, she was gone. “I’m… I’m dreaming again.”

“You are. It seems I found you quickly this time, at least.”

Fluttershy bowed her head. “I’m so sorry… I don’t know why this keeps happening.”

It couldn’t have been comfortable due to her large size, but Luna sat on Fluttershy’s bed with her. “There is no need to apologize, my friend. I only wish you did not need my assistance for your own sake.”

Fluttershy leaned on her friend and sighed. “I tried talking to Twilight like you said I should, and that helped. Until… until it didn’t…”

Luna wrapped a wing around her. “What do you mean?”

“Twilight told me she isn’t disgusted with me or anything like that, and I believed her. Or at least, I started to. But then…”

Luna looked at the space where Twilight had been before. “Fluttershy, I do hope you know I am more than the Princess of the Night. I am your friend, and I care for you. You can speak to me about anything at all.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I… I don’t think Twilight wants to, uhm…” Fluttershy blushed, but forced herself to say it. “To have sex with me.”

Although Fluttershy felt like she might die from embarrassment, Luna hardly seemed to mind the topic. “I see. I take it this dream was at least in part based on reality?”

“She didn’t do anything like that,” Fluttershy said, wanting to make sure Luna didn’t get the wrong idea. “But… we were, uhm… being intimate, and I suggested we go to the bedroom, and then she stopped.”

“And because we’re talking about Twilight, she didn’t say why, I’m certain.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I keep thinking that she doesn’t want to because… because he…”

Luna stroked Fluttershy’s mane. “I think it more likely that she is simply worried that your past trauma might make sex hard for you. Do you think you were clear in your desires? Poor Twilight is rather oblivious.”

It was comforting, in a way, to hear Luna talk so frankly. “I think it was pretty clear. And… and I think she did understand. She just… didn’t want to.”

“This was not an isolated incident, I take it? I feel this may be a contributing factor to your nightmares. How long has it been going on for?”

“Uhm, well today was the most obvious, I think.” Fluttershy thought back. Even if they had never come as close as they had earlier, it was far from the first time. “It started a while ago. I… I don’t remember when. But back then, Twilight would always be the one to start things, then she’d stop. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to, and I always thought Twilight was stopping for my sake.”

“It sounds likely. It was good of her to wait until you were sure.”

Fluttershy nodded. “But now even when I start things…”

Luna waited long enough to make sure Fluttershy wasn’t going to finish her thought. “I believe Twilight still feels that she is protecting you. This is new for her as well, and she has never coped well when she is beyond her depth. This isn’t exactly the type of thing she can learn how to approach with a book.”

Fluttershy smiled a little. Knowing Twilight, she had probably looked for answers in a book. “You’re right. But I don’t know what to do…”

“I imagine Twilight feels the same. It sounds as if she has some conflicted thoughts of her own on the matter. If she was starting things before, I think it is clear she wants to progress things between you two as well, and I don’t believe learning about Stormy Skies has changed that.”

“So what do I do?”

Luna smiled. “It is quite simple. You let me handle it.”

Fluttershy blinked. “You?”

“Will you trust me to take care of it?”

Fluttershy wanted to be the one to fix things in her own relationship, but she knew she couldn’t. Twilight wasn’t the only pony who was out of her depth. “I do.”

“Then it is as good as done. I promise you that I will not fail.”

Fluttershy didn’t just know that was true, she believed it. Luna truly was an amazing pony, and if she said things would be taken care of, then they would be. “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.” Luna looked around the room. “But for now, I think it would do you some good to sleep. Take comfort in the knowledge that I will not permit another nightmare to trouble you on this night.”

Fluttershy smiled. Even though she knew she was already asleep and this was a dream, she still lay down and closed her eyes. “I’m so happy I have a friend like you.”

“And I you. Now rest well, I shall not leave you until I am certain that you are sleeping soundly.”

Just as she knew she was cuddled up with Twilight outside of the dream, Fluttershy snuggled closer to Luna. With a smile on her face, she finally found herself in a dreamless slumber.

26 - Only As Blind As We Want to Be

Chapter Twenty-Six
Only As Blind As We Want to Be

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⠀
The sky glowed orange, despite no trace of the sun being visible. The flowers along the river grew taller than any pony, with light shining through their translucent petals, creating patches of green and yellow in the water.

Usually, no matter how bizarre it may be, a dream will still feel real to the dreamer. Twilight knew she was dreaming, but unless somepony had drugged her, she wasn’t sure where the dream was coming from.

She was riding along the river in a simple wooden boat, being pulled by the current towards a hill. Among the immense flowers, it was the only thing that actually stood out. She hoped from a higher vantage point that she’d be able to figure out where to go. ‘Although, if this is just a dream,I suppose it doesn’t matter,’ she rationalized. Still, she was curious to see more, dream or not.

As she drew closer to it, the stems of the flowers became thicker and darker, while the petals became smaller and lost their prismatic nature, becoming consistently green. Eventually they started bearing fruit, and Twilight realized they had changed seamlessly into trees, which continued to grow up the hill.

As she reached the shore and made her way up the hill, the trees grew sparser until there was only one left at the top. Underneath it lay a pony.

“Tangerine?” Luna offered casually, as if their meeting here wasn’t strange in the slightest.

“Luna? What’s going on?” Twilight asked.

“I have been waiting for you. You could have just flown, you know.” Luna picked a tangerine and levitated it to Twilight. She didn’t see the point in eating in a dream, but accepted it nonetheless.

“But why are you here? I’m happy to see you, but this isn’t really a nightmare, even if it is a little weird.” Twilight peeled the fruit and took a bite. “Sweet Celestia that’s good!”

“Naturally. I made it.” Twilight looked at her, about to ask what she meant, then took another bite of the tangerine instead. Luna’s explanation could wait, considering the fruit would be gone when she woke up.

Luna chuckled. “You are not dreaming, Twilight. I am. I brought you from a dreamless slumber into my dream.”

“You can do that?” Twilight asked, juice leaking out of her mouth.

“I can, but usually do not. Until recently, my dreams were unsafe for other ponies. Now that the Tantabus has been taken care of, it may occasionally be a convenient means of communication. Although it is not without downsides. For example, despite it being night at current, I am asleep.”

“But don’t you have important things to do at night?” Twilight asked.

“Many, every night,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Which is why we shall not mention this particular meeting with Tia.” She gave Twilight a sideways glance and the younger alicorn nodded. “Good. And whether Tia would agree or not, I do consider this meeting important. I understand you met Stormy Skies a few weeks ago?”

“Yes,” Twilight said. She set aside the tangerine, having lost all taste for the fruit. “Why didn’t you tell me about him?” Fluttershy had told her that Luna had known about what happened, having seen it in a dream. Along with Rainbow Dash – whom Fluttershy had made promise to not tell anypony – that made her one of the only ponies to know about it.

“As I said before, I do not disclose the contents of what one dreams about, even to their lover. I did encourage Fluttershy to tell you herself, however. Now that she has, what do you intend to do?”

Twilight had been asking herself the same question. “I don’t know. I know taking care of Fluttershy has to come first, but every time I think about him I just…”

Luna put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “You are correct. Your focus should be on Fluttershy. Part of why I summoned you here was to make sure you don’t do anything drastic, although I believe if you were going to do something foalish, it would have been done by now.”

“Fluttershy said you took care of it.” Twilight shook her head. “How exactly is it taken care of? He’s still out there!”

“I did what I could. Despite never being convicted, his crime is on record, and I have him under constant surveillance. In the time since I’ve known about this, he has done nothing without my knowledge. Strictly speaking, neither of these things were actually within my authority as dictated by Equestrian law. And for whatever small comfort it may be, he no longer sleeps peacefully. It is not the punishment that he deserves, but it is what I can offer.”

Twilight knew that was the best she could hope for. There was no evidence to back Fluttershy’s claim, even if she did have several excellent character witnesses. Factoring the time since the assault, it was guaranteed to return no verdict. In the end, a trial would accomplish nothing, and place unnecessary hardship on Fluttershy. “I just… I want to do more.”

Luna stared at the field of impossible flowers. “I know. It is always hard to be powerless, especially when you do in fact have the power to do something, but not the ability to use it.”

Twilight stared at the horizon, wondering how many times Luna had felt the same way in her thousands of years.

“There was another reason I wanted to speak with you,” Luna said. “This one is about something you can do.”

“What is it?” Twilight answered quickly, eager to do something, anything, to feel less useless.

“Fluttershy is concerned. She believes you are disgusted with her.”

“That’s not true!” Twilight said, rising at the accusation.

Luna held a hoof up. “I did not say it was. But she believes it is.”

Twilight sat back down and sighed. “I know. I keep telling her I’m not, but she doesn’t believe me. I don’t know what to do.”

“It is often said that actions speak louder than words,” Luna said.

“But she says I haven’t done anything to make her feel like that! I don’t understand.”

Luna shook her head. “Sometimes inaction is its own form of action. It is precisely something you haven’t done that is the problem.”

Twilight had an idea of what she meant. “Are you talking about…” She blushed as she trailed off.

“Sex,” Luna said simply, as if it were the most innocuous topic in the world. “Twilight, please, we’re both adults.”

“Yes, well, some of us haven’t spent thousands of years getting comfortable with talking about that!” Twilight said. She expected a tongue in cheek retort, but the Lunar Princess barely reacted, leaving Twilight feeling a little guilty for her tone. She really was a different pony in dreams.

“Use whichever words you like, but the point still stands. While I can guess by your reaction that you are inexperienced with these things, I trust you do realize that Fluttershy has been making attempts to progress your relationship?”

“I know.” Twilight cast her eyes down. “And I really don’t think any less of her. I’m just scared.”

“Of what? I hardly think you can fear rejection at this point; I believe her intent has been made rather obvious.”

“What if she’s just doing this because she feels guilty? Or because she thinks I’ll leave if she doesn’t?”

“I think she is more in control of her impulses than you give her credit for. It was fine and admirable the first few nights, when her emotions were getting the better of her, but it’s been weeks now.” Luna looked at her with a gaze that pierced through Twilight. “Or is there something else?”

Twilight breathed deeply. Even though she hated to discuss something so personal with anypony, Luna was probably the best pony to talk to about this. “When we were in Cloudsdale, I told her she looked like her mom. I didn’t know about what happened, and it turned out that was something he said to her.” Twilight winced as she spoke.

She shook her head to try and wipe thoughts of Stormy Skies out of her mind. “When Fluttershy looked at me, she was afraid. I know she wasn’t actually afraid of me, but that’s what it felt like. It… really hurt, seeing her look at me like that. What if we start… doing things, and I trigger something?”

“Yes, that is a possibility,” Luna said. Twilight looked at the ground, feeling her fears were justified. “I will not give you comforting lies, your concern is a valid one. But never making the attempt is not the solution. Rather than worry about a possibility beyond your control, think instead about what you can actually do to lower the risk, and what can be done if there is a problem.”

When Luna didn’t continue Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Is, uh, this a test? Because I’ve been wracking my brain over this for days, and I could really just use some answers.”

Luna smiled. “Forgive me. I am too used to guiding ponies through dreams. The most important thing you can do is make sure she realizes that even if something is started, she can stop it at any time. One thing that might help is if she takes the lead, although I can not say I see her being a very dominant lover.”

‘If only,’ Twilight mused. She would love for Fluttershy to take the lead, if only so she wouldn’t have to worry about what she was supposed to do. “But what if something does go wrong? And worse, what if she doesn’t say she wants to stop?”

“Ultimately that is her decision, and all you can do is make sure to remind her that you don’t have a problem with stopping early. But she trusts you, and I believe she will trust you enough to voice her concerns, should she have any. Of course, the two of you should still discuss how you feel afterwards, just to make sure no problem ever goes ignored. And in the event you do trigger something, remember that it is not you she’s afraid of, and with your support and understanding she will be alright. If nothing else, simply making the attempt will show her that you still find her desirable.”

“I guess that could work,” Twilight said, although she couldn’t help but be terrified with how badly things could go.

“Twilight, I have had many lovers. Many stood the test of time, many did not. Among my successful relationships, the only truly consistent thing was that all ponies were willing to communicate their concerns so that an agreement could be reached.” Luna smirked. “Although this may require using our adult words.”

“You’re right,” Twilight said.

“Of course I am. I’m me.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, thinking of how much Luna reminded her of another friend in another world. But it was nice to see some of the playful Luna show through the serene dream walker Luna.

As they stared into the flowers together, something occurred to Twilight. “Okay, I know it’s a dream and it doesn’t have to make sense, but the sun’s been rising a really long time now.”

“It’s setting, actually.”

“How can you even tell?”

“We always know what is happening in our dreams; we just don’t always listen to ourselves,” Luna said.

Twilight often wondered if Luna tried to sound mysterious on purpose or if being vague just came naturally to her. “Anyway, it just seems like it should have set by now.”

“I doubt it ever will, and more to the point, I know it never should,” Luna said.

Twilight decided she had to be doing it on purpose. “You know exactly what it means, but you aren’t going to say.” Luna remained silent. Twilight threw her hooves into the air in frustration. “Well, why not? Why say anything at all if you aren’t going to tell me?”

Luna just smiled at Twilight’s overreaction. “Several reasons.”

“Fine.” Twilight levitated another tangerine off the tree and decided to change the subject. “So, whatever happened between you and Amber?”

Luna closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she smiled contently. “She is here with me now.”

Twilight took a moment to properly swallow her food. “Okay, that’s a little weird to think about.”

Luna smirked. “And you and Fluttershy are not in the same bed?”

“You know, that actually just made the whole thing weirder,” Twilight said. She knew it was silly, but she suddenly felt exposed, as if Luna was in Fluttershy’s bedroom watching them sleep. “So you two are actually dating then?”

“Not exactly, and certainly not in the way you mean. She is a charming mare, but we are not seeking a committed relationship with each other. We are merely friends, even if that friendship comes with certain benefits.”

Twilight shrugged. “As long as you’re both happy, I guess.”

“We are,” Luna said. “I think it would be best for me to rise. The night is young enough I may fulfil some of my royal duties, at least.”

“Wait!” Twilight levitated another tangerine and dug in. Her impulse told her to eat as much as possible, even though she knew it was pointless, that the only reason to keep eating was to savor the taste.

Luna laughed. “While I am happy to cast aside work to help you with your love life, even I find it negligent to ignore my responsibilities so you may eat.”

“Can’t you just leave me here?”

“This is a dream, Twilight. It will go away when I wake.”

“Oh yeah. Well, can you make me dream about them?”

“Good night, Twilight.”

“Luna!”

Twilight woke up hungry. She hadn’t dreamt any more about food, and she knew no waking food would be the same. Still, she descended the stairs to the kitchen and found Fluttershy already up.

“Morning, Twily.”

“Morning, Shy.” Twilight kissed her. “Hey, do we have any tangerines?”

“No, but we do have apples,” Fluttershy said.

“We always have apples.” It was one of the perks of being friends with Applejack. Some days it didn’t feel like a perk.

“Well, we can pick some up at the market later, if you like.” Fluttershy poured her a cup of tea.

“Sounds good,” Twilight said, sipping on her tea. They had stayed at Fluttershy’s house this time. Twilight wondered how long they were going to keep doing this. It had been over a month since they had last stayed in separate houses. She was happy wherever they were, but ‘not living together’ was becoming more and more a formality.

“Well, ready to get to work?” Twilight asked once she finished her tea. Taking care of the animals together had become part of their morning routine.

“Oh, I already took care of it,” Fluttershy said.

“Really? What time is it?”

“Eleven.”

Twilight sighed. She could never seem to sync up with Fluttershy’s sleeping habits. She always either barely slept due to excitement or anxiety, or she slept too much. “I’m sorry, Shy. I can’t believe I slept in so late.” Even though she hated waking up so early, Twilight was disappointed. She had grown to love seeing the animals every day, not to mention watching Fluttershy light up as she was around them.

“Twily, it’s fine. I did it for years by myself you know.” Fluttershy rested her head against Twilight’s shoulders. “Besides, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Bad dreams?” Twilight asked. She wondered if it had anything to do with what she and Luna had talked about.

“No. Somepony kept stealing the blanket.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Maybe we should stay at the castle tonight. It’s always warmer there.”

“Yeah. You know, I think we should have somepony look at the insulation here. Although it’s not that old, so it should be fine. Maybe they cheaped out on it.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Twilight Sparkle wants to let somepony else take care of something? Oh, what’s this world coming to?”

“Hey, I’m not touching that stuff. Do you have any idea how itchy it is? It’s impossible to get out of your fur.”

“Hmm, are you sure it’s not just because there are some things you should leave to professionals?”

“No, I’m serious. That stuff’s almost as bad as mom’s sweaters.”

Fluttershy laughed and playfully pushed Twilight. “Twily, you’re horrible, I can’t believe you.”

Twilight grinned. “Hey, maybe I should do it myself! I have enough of those sweaters by now, and I’m sure they work just as well.”

Fluttershy tried to do her best angry glare, but caved in and hugged her instead. “You’re so mean. Why do I love somepony so mean?”

“Must be one of my other amazing qualities. I happen to be one of the only ponies who can routinely burn toast, even while using a toaster!” Twilight said proudly.

A rap on the door cut off Fluttershy’s reply. Twilight got up to answer it. Ever since returning from Cloudsdale, the couple had become increasingly reclusive. Twilight had even given up her habit of reading the news every day. So long as the outside world could be ignored, they fwere usually happy, which was why Twilight felt some reluctance to answer the door at all.

Thankfully when she did it was only Applejack. “Mornin’, Twi. Mind if I come in for a sec?”

“Of course not.” Twilight held the door open. Applejack shook off as much of the snow as she could and stepped inside.

“Oh, hello, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, walking out from the kitchen.

“Mornin’, Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “I came by to give y’all a heads up. There’s a couple of ponies waiting around in front of the castle.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy looked down. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. She normally refrained from displaying any affection towards her marefriend around Applejack, but she also wasn’t going to let Fluttershy be sad without at least doing something.

“Do you know if they’re part of Ivy’s group?” Twilight asked.

“They said they ain’t, but who knows? At least they ain’t holdin’ protest signs this time. There’s only two of ‘em and they said they need to talk to one of you.”

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks. “Either of us?” Twilight asked. “That’s a bad sign.”

“That’s what they said.”

If they just wanted to talk to Twilight, it could have been business. But the only ponies who came by the castle looking for Fluttershy were ponies neither of them wanted to talk to in the first place.

“Thank you, Applejack, I’ll talk to them,” Twilight said.

“I’ll come with you,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight shook her head. “We know they’re just going to be protestors. There’s no need for us both to go, I’ll take care of it.”

“And there’s no need for you to go alone,” Fluttershy said. “Remember, we’re a team now.”

Fluttershy hugged her, and to Twilight’s amazement, she found an extra hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Applejack standing beside her smiling.

“How about we all go,” she said.

“Thanks, Applejack, but you don’t need to,” Twilight said.

“I know I don’t, but I want to,” Applejack said, bowing her head. “I know I haven’t been the most supportive friend through all this.”

“Applejack, it’s fine,” Fluttershy said. “We know you’re doing your best.”

“I know, and that’s why I feel so dumb. All this time, y’all been telling me it’s okay, but I’m not the one with ponies harassing me for no good reason.” Applejack shook her head. “I can’t believe I had to see y’all hurtin’ so much to finally get it through my thick skull. And I see all those ponies and hear what they’re sayin’ and I just… well, a year ago that could have been me. So I guess what I’m saying is, I’m sorry I’ve been so stubborn, and I want to be a real friend again.”

Applejack held out a foreleg as an invitation for a hug, which Fluttershy accepted immediately. Twilight smiled and watched until she was pulled in as well. “You too Twi, I reckon I was even worse back when you first told me.”

“Don’t mention it, Applejack. I’m just glad to have you back now,” Twilight said.

“Now then, let’s go clear some pests,” Applejack said, leading the way to the castle.

It was the easiest trip through Ponyville that they had made in the month since coming out, even though they knew they were on their way to meet with protestors. Maybe ponies still gave them harsh looks or had negative comments for them, but if they did, neither of them noticed. Having Applejack back on their side gave them strength to make it through anything.

As they approached the castle, however, Twilight stopped in her tracks. There were two stallions waiting by the entrance. One of them she didn’t recognize, a blue earth pony with a brown mane. The other, a tan unicorn with a silver mane, she had been avoiding for years. “What is he doing here?” she muttered to herself.

“You know them, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“The unicorn. His name’s Silver Spark.” Twilight hadn’t liked him when they were foals, and she certainly didn’t now that he was with the Virtuous Equestrian Society.

“Isn’t that Ivy Jewel’s son?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded.

“Ya want me to tell them to get lost?” Applejack asked.

“Uhm, girls? I think they noticed us,” Fluttershy said as the two stallions approached them. Reflecting on it, Twilight realized standing in the middle of the road was probably not the best idea.

“Twilight! Wow, it’s been ages!” Silver Spark said. Twilight’s ear twitched in annoyance at his tone of familiarity.

“Not long enough. What do you want?” Twilight knew it would be best to remain courteous. Whether she liked it or not, the VES had the ear of a lot of ponies, and they were sure to spin a story if she wasn’t on her best behavior. But she was tired of playing nice, and she was not dealing with it anymore.

The two ponies stopped in place and stared at her like she’d struck them. “We just want to talk with you.”

“You and everypony else,” Twilight said curtly. “I’m sorry, I’m just not in the mood to hear about how my personal life is ruining Equestria.”

“And you said I was the rude one,” Applejack said.

“I really think you should listen to what we have to say,” Silver Spark said. The other stallion recovered from his shock and almost seemed to find Twilight’s outburst amusing.

“What is it this time? Am I corrupting the minds of the youth? Using my influence to turn ponies gay? Whatever it is, I can guarantee you that I’ve heard it all before!”

Silver Spark held up a hoof to pacify her, which only irritated her further. “I understand you’re upset, trust me. But if you’d just let me explain –”

“You don’t understand! All I see everywhere I go is how everypony has something to say about my relationship with Fluttershy. Well it’s none of your business! I’ve spent years being terrified about coming out for this exact reason, and now that I found somepony I love enough to make it worthwhile, everypony just wants to tear us apart! How would you feel if every time you went out in public somepony was there to tell you that you can’t be with the mare you love because of something that shouldn’t even matter to them? Or that you’re contributing to the downfall of society, because you have the audacity to be with the pony you love!? But none of you ever think about that, so how could you know how I feel!?”

The two stallions waited patiently for her to finish before Silver Spark smiled. “Oh, I think I might have some idea what that’s like. Twilight, this is my coltfriend, Sea Star.”

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other in disbelief. “I… but… you’re both…”

Silver Spark smiled nervously while Sea Star and Applejack began snickering, before outright laughing. “Your faces! Y’all should see the looks on your faces!”

Twilight shook her head. “But… I thought you were with The Virtuous Equestrian Society? Your mom said…”

“My mom has a way with words,” Silver Spark said. “Not a good way, I’m afraid. Of all ponies, you should know by now that she isn’t the best source of information. Didn’t you get my letters?”

“Oh. Uhm, well, I did,” Twilight said, idly kicking at the ground while she talked. “But I might not have actually read any of them…”

“I can’t say I blame you,” Silver said. “But what about the letters other ponies have been sending?”

“Well… no.” Twilight said. “I feel horrible, but I just thought they’d all be hate mail.”

“Hold on, how’d y’all even know ponies were sending her letters?” Applejack asked.

“Well, I wrote one too,” Sea Star said. “And so did just about every other gay pony in Equestria. You two are kind of a big deal you know.”

Twilight didn’t know what to say. She thought of the mountain of unopened mail she’d been thinking of burning. “You know, I think I’d really like to see some of those letters now.”

Fluttershy nudged her. “Twi, we have guests. Let’s go inside and warm up. We can make some tea. Or coffee or cocoa if you prefer.”

“Tea with a princess. Wait until I tell my mom about this one!” Sea Star said as they walked into the castle.

“Spike? We’re home,” Twilight called

Spike popped out from upstairs. “Hiya, Twi, Fluttershy,” he said as he descended the stairs. “Hey, Applejack. Wait a minute… what’s he doing here?” Spike glared at Silver Spark.

“You know I said the same thing,” Twilight said.

“Hi, Spike,” Silver Spark said. “I’m surprised you recognize me, you were pretty young last time I saw you.”

Spike kept his arms folded. “Yeah yeah, I’ve gotten big. Why are you here?”

Sea Star chuckled. “They really don’t like you.”

“I… might have been a bit of a brat when I was a colt,” Silver said.

“You’re still a bit of a brat.” Sea rolled his eyes.

“Shush. Spike this is Sea Star, my coltfriend.”

Spike cocked his head to the side. “Really?”

“Yes?” Silver frowned. “I promise I’m not pretending to be gay to earn your trust or something.”

Spike shrugged. “Okay then.” He turned to Twilight. “Should I make lunch?”

“That would be great, thank you, Spike,” Twilight said.

“Oh, uhm, only if you don’t mind though,” Fluttershy added.

“No problem,” Spike said, scurrying into the kitchen.

“Well that was easy,” Sea Star said. “I thought he was gonna yell at us too.”

Twilight smiled. “Spike’s pretty accepting. I was worried when I first came out to him that he wouldn’t understand, but he’s been completely fine with everything.”

“Yeah, Apple Bloom was the same way,” Applejack said. “Heh, to tell the truth, she actually ended up helpin’ me to understand it.”

“The innocence of youth is truly a marvel,” Silver said.

“Hey, Spike? Do we have any tangerines?” Twilight called.

“Nope, but we have apples,” Spike said.

“We always have apples,” Twilight grumbled.

“And what’s wrong with apples?” Applejack asked.

“So, why is your mom after us anyway?” Twilight asked. Applejack huffed in annoyance.

“That’d actually be our fault,” Silver said. “We’d been dating for a few months but I hadn’t come out to my mom. I thought it was the perfect time when you came out, since she’s always going on about how great you are.”

“Yeah, I think I fell off her list of upstanding ponies when she figured out I wasn’t going to date her son,” Twilight said.

“She was after you with that too?” Silver said, grinning.

“Every time I visited my parents. ‘Oh, Twilight, Silver was just asking about you the other day.’ ”

“ ‘Did you know Twilight’s in Canterlot, dear? It would be a perfect time to catch up.’ I guess we kind of foiled her plans there.” Silver grinned. “But then that same day she formed the VES. She thinks if she can bring you down she’ll, I don’t know, scare the gay out of me or something.”

“Well, it must have resonated with some ponies,” Twilight said. “Two thousand in one week. I can’t believe they grew so fast.”

“Twilight, do you know what my mom’s best at?”

Twilight thought for a moment, but everything that came to mind might offend her son, even if they weren’t exactly happy with one another. “No, what?”

“Networking. While my dad works my mom socializes, which is a big deal in Canterlot. The VES isn’t the first hate group, and membership isn’t exclusive. All she had to do is talk to a few ponies that run their own anti-homosexuality groups and she got members overnight.”

“That’s still an awful lot of ponies,” Fluttershy said.

“Not really, it just sounds impressive,” Silver said. “Do you know what the population of Canterlot is?”

“Seventy-eight thousand, as of the last census,” Twilight answered automatically. Silver and Sea gave her surprised looks.

“Uhm, yes, actually,” Silver said. “And while most of their members are in Canterlot, not all of them are. That’s two thousand spread out all over Equestria.”

“The VES and the whole anti-gay movement are nothing but a very vocal minority,” Sea said.

Twilight looked to Fluttershy who was smiling broadly. “I guess I never thought about it in perspective like that. Everypony doesn’t hate us.”

“I think you should get some of those letters,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight went up to her office where she kept her unopened mail. She looked through them for a moment, trying to decide which ones to bring before taking all of them. There were hundreds, but she levitated the whole pile down to the living room. By the time she returned Spike had come back with nachos.

“Shoot, Twi, I knew you’d been getting a lot of mail, but I didn’t think it was this much,” Applejack said as she scooted out of the way of the pile of letters Twilight had dropped on the open spot on the couch next to her.

“Yeah, I’m a bit behind,” Twilight said as she grabbed a letter at random. Looking at the envelope she recognized the seal of Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. She read it out loud. “Dear Princess Twilight, everypony at CSGU looks up to you, not only as a princess, but as one of our most gifted alumni. We can not express how much it means to us that you’ve come out publicly. We all know how hard it can be for us to be open with other ponies, and can only imagine how much harder it must be knowing all of Equestria is watching you. Your bravery inspires us all, and has done a lot to improve the attitude of some of the less open-minded students. We hope for the best for you and Fluttershy, but know whatever comes you’ll always have our support. Sincerely, the Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns Gay-Straight Alliance.”

Twilight couldn’t believe it. By the time she finished reading, she had tears in her eyes. She turned to Fluttershy who kissed her forehead.

“I think there might be too many for you to read on your own,” Fluttershy said, picking up a letter herself. “Dear Princess Twilight, yesterday after your announcement my daughter told me she’s a lesbian, but had been too afraid to tell me. Today I’m meeting her marefriend for the first time. Thank you so much for inspiring her to stop hiding this part of who she is.”

“This one’s addressed to both of you,” Spike said. “Dear Twilight and Fluttershy, my husband and I rarely keep up with the news these days, so we almost missed the big announcement. We’ve been together sixty-seven years, but he’s telling me it’s been sixty-eight and he’s probably right. Anyway, we just wanted to say how great it is that you’ve given the young ponies something to look up to. I wonder how much trouble we could have saved ourselves if there had been somepony like you when we were younger. We’re both wishing you the best of luck.”

“Oh, this one’s not so good,” Sea said, reading over a letter.

“What’s it say?” Twilight asked anyway.

“Today my six-year-old asked me why he saw a picture of Princess Twilight kissing another mare. What you do is your own business, and I’m happy for you and your partner, but you should really keep other ponies in mind before you go parading around your private life.” He set the letter down. “Can’t win ‘em all, Princess.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight said. “If we can help so many ponies, I don’t think the occasional misguided letter is so bad.”

“Mind if I read one?” Applejack asked.

“Of course not,” Twilight said.

“Dear Princess Twilight, I met you briefly when you first moved to Ponyville, but you probably wouldn’t remember me. Anyway, I wanted your advice with something. For years I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that I like mares, but I come from a big family and not all of them are supportive of that. Family is everything to us, and I’m afraid of telling anypony. But every year gets harder and harder, everypony wants to know why I’m the only mare my age to never bring home a coltfriend. I don’t know what to do, and it feels like there’s nopony I can talk to about this, please help me. Sincerely, one confused Apple.”

Applejack looked up wide-eyed. “I can’t believe it. I never even knew. I feel terrible, one of the Apples feels like she can’t even talk to her own family. And even worse ‘cause I know she has every reason to think that!”

“Well, there’s somepony in the Apple family she can talk to, right?” Twilight rested a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “I’ll write her back and tell her she should talk to you. More than anything, I think that’s what she needs.”

Applejack smiled. “Thank you, Twi. And I think at the next reunion I’ll be talking to a few other Apples as well. It’s past time the whole Apple family realizes there’s nothing wrong with who another pony decides to love.”

They spent the next few hours going through more letters. Before long, Twilight found herself too overwhelmed to read anymore so she curled up with Fluttershy and let the others read them out loud. Although there were a few negative letters here and there, they were few and far between. She was worried her guests would be bored reading her mail, but they seemed to enjoy all the positive stories as well. And while both couples were new to being openly gay, between the six of them they were able to come up with advice for a lot more than Twilight could have by herself.

“I feel kind of guilty,” Twilight said. “A lot of these ponies want my advice, and I’ve ignored them for over a month.”

“Well, it’s never too late to start,” Spike said.

“Yeah, ya can’t change the past, but ya can make a difference to a lot of ponies now,” Applejack said.

“Besides, I’m sure if you explain they’ll understand,” Silver Spark said.

“But now all these ponies look up to me,” Twilight said. “If I tell them how scared I’ve been, I might ruin whatever good I could do.”

“I think they’ll be happy to know that they’re not alone,” Sea said. “That even a princess can be afraid.”

“Sometimes we need to see that even when we’re afraid, we can face our fears,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight nodded. Everypony was right, but she wanted to do more. “I’m going to answer every letter. But it just doesn’t feel like enough. I want to actually meet these ponies, and any other pony that needs help.”

“You could do a tour of Equestria,” Silver said. “Stop in every major city.”

“Every city, big and small,” Fluttershy said. “Nopony should have to feel alone.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “We’d be gone a long time.”

“Don’t y’all worry about a thing. I reckon we can take care of things round here,” Applejack said. “Between me, Spike, and the girls, there’s nothin’ we can’t handle.”

Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “Do you really think this is a good idea? We’ll have to meet a lot of ponies.”

“Twi, it’s a great idea,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine as long as you’re there with me.”

“Alright then, it’s settled,” Twilight said. “But I still wish we could do more. We won’t be able to stay long in any city, and we’ll meet so many ponies that we won’t be able to spend any one on one time with anypony.”

“There’s always letters,” Sea said.

“They take too long to get a reply,” Twilight said. “And it’s impossible to get the whole picture from just one letter.”

“That’s actually something we’ve been thinking about a lot,” Sea said.

“It was my mom that inspired us, actually. If she can start her own group, why can’t we?” Silver Spark said. “There are several organizations dedicated to creating events, and getting ponies in touch with support, but I want to organize something so that ponies can reach out to somepony who understands them any time.”

“The journal,” Fluttershy said.

“The journal? Wait, do you mean Sunset’s journal?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. Sunset was the first pony you told, right?”

“Yeah, she came out to me first, and I just kinda wrote it without overthinking anything,” Twilight said. She was starting to see what Fluttershy was getting at.

“And I could talk to her even though I’m shy because of the journal. It’s a lot easier to talk to somepony when you’re not face to face.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Silver Spark said.

“It’s a long story,” Twilight said. “ Basically I have a magic journal that sends whatever’s written in it to an identical journal, which is owned by our friend Sunset Shimmer, who can write back and it’ll appear in ours. It’s basically like writing letters, but everything’s instant.”

“If we could make more, than we could talk to anypony,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight could definitely see the merit in something like that, and she loved how excited Fluttershy was at her idea, but there were a few big problems. “I don’t know, Shy. That’s a lot of ponies. We couldn’t possibly keep up with them all, not to mention remember exactly what was going on in everypony’s lives.”

“You don’t have to,” Spike said.

“Well you can’t expect them to remind us who they are every time, that would be rude and nopony would feel close to us.”

Applejack chuckled. “I think what Spike means is that nopony but you expects you to do everything yourself.”

“My mom isn’t the only pony with connections,” Silver Spark said. “If you get these journals working, I can get them into the hooves of ponies who will put them to great use.”

Twilight mentally calculated the logistics of the plans, roughly estimating the cost of making all the journals and what type of magic must be involved in the enchantment. “It won’t be easy, but I think I can do it. I’ll get to researching it as soon as I reply to these letters.”

“Which, knowing Twilight, will probably be tonight,” Spike said.

“Speaking of tonight, we’d better figure out where we’re staying,” Sea Star said.

Twilight popped her head up, reminding herself that she didn’t need to figure out the journals immediately. She smiled. “You know, if you don’t have a place to stay, you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

“Oh, I’d hate to put you out,” Silver said.

Twilight grinned. “You know castles are typically designed for more than two ponies and a dragon, right? We’ve got more rooms here than we know what to do with.”

Silver Spark turned to Sea Star, and it was clear that both of them liked the idea. “If you’re sure it’s alright.”

“Positive.”

“Well, I think I ought to get going,” Applejack said. She tipped her hat to Silver and Sea. “Pleasure meeting y’all. And I’m glad you two are feeling better.” She hugged Twilight and Fluttershy one more time. “And ya better be sure to let me know if there’s anythin’ at all I can do to help.”

Twilight grinned. “Well, you could bring us some tangerines.”

“You got it, sugarcube,” Applejack said, smiling brightly. “I’ll bring y’all a nice big sack of apples, first thing in the morning.”

“Applejack, as much as I love Sweet Apple Acres apples, if you bring us anymore I’ll be able to start my own apple stand.”

“Then you’ll need lots of apples! I’ll have Big Mac come ‘round with the cart tomorrow. Maybe we can work out a weekly delivery schedule.”

“If you come back with more apples, I’m not letting you in,” Twilight said, glaring.

“Aw shucks, Twi.” Applejack opened the door and adjusted her hat before leaving. “Ya couldn’t keep me out if ya wanted to.”

As Applejack walked into the snow Twilight called after her, “No more apples! I’m serious!” She turned back to see everypony snickering. She rubbed her neck sheepishly. “So how long are you planning on staying in Ponyville?”

“We don’t really have concrete plans,” Sea said. “We’ve been travelling around Equestria. Silver’s never been out of Canterlot before.”

“It’s certainly been quite the adventure, but it’s coming to an end now. Next stop, Canterlot. We’ve been thinking about crashing one of my mother’s parties.”

Twilight chuckled. “While I would love to see that, if we’re going to be partners on this, we’ll all have to be on our best behavior. Remember, we’ll be the face of an entire group of ponies.”

“You’re right, of course,” Silver said. “And while it’d be fun, I doubt it would actually do much good, anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess I can’t keep getting us kicked out of all these formal events, no matter how boring they are,” Sea said.

“Do I want to know what you mean?” Twilight asked.

“He’s referring to the night we met,” Silver said.

“I’d like to hear what happened. Uhm, if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy leaned forward in her seat.

“It was at the last gala,” Silver said. “My mom was trying to set me up with some mare, so I made an excuse to leave and went to hide in the back. That’s where I saw Sea being chased by the guard.”

“Oh my, what did you do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly supposed to be there in the first place,” Sea said. “I always wondered how the fancier side of Canterlot partied, so I snuck in.”

“That must have been disappointing,” Twilight said, remembering her first time at the gala, and the expectations she had for it.

“It was pretty dull, so I tried to liven things up a bit.”

“He got caught trying to spike the punch,” Silver said.

“There were kids at that gala!” Twilight said.

“It was not the punch,” Sea defended. “It was only Princess Celestia’s cup.”

Spike laughed, but Twilight wasn’t sure if that was any better. Getting the princess drunk in front of all the most influential ponies in Canterlot was hardly her idea of an amusing joke. She took comfort in knowing that it probably wouldn’t work.

“Anyway, they caught me as I slipped in the alcohol, which they thought was poison. They chased me down to imprison me, or whatever it is they do to would be assassins, which is when I ran into Silver.”

“By that point, they’d cornered him. I merely suggested they take a closer look at what he’d slipped into her glass. They still weren’t sure what it was so, he downed the glass himself, which convinced them it was just a prank. They still threw him out, of course, but they didn’t arrest him.”

“And to my surprise, Silver followed me,” Sea said. “I offered to take him to a real Canterlot party, so we hopped over to the seedier side of town, had too much to drink, and woke up together in a room neither of us recognized.”

“You know, we never did find out what happened that night.”

“It’s probably for the best, love.” Sea nuzzled against Silver, who wrapped a foreleg around him.

“So what about you two?” Silver asked.

“Well, it’s not quite so exciting,” Twilight said. “Mostly I just admired Fluttershy from afar because I was too afraid to tell her how I felt. When I finally did, I was still too afraid to actually ask her on a date, so she wound up asking me.”

“Oh, I never could have asked you out if you hadn’t of told me that first,” Fluttershy said. “In fact, I never even told other ponies that I’m gay for the longest time. Twilight only found out by accident.”

“Yeah, everypony should just talk about their feelings more,” Spike said dismissively. “You know, we have a lot more interesting stories than that. Like the time we stopped King Sombra from returning, or what about when that meteor was making magic all supercharged, and those cockatrices attacked Canterlot?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You mean all the times when you saved the day?”

“I remember that meteor,” Sea said. “Although I wasn’t anywhere near Canterlot. At the time I was living to the south of Appleloosa.”

“Well I was in Canterlot, and I’ve always wondered about that cockatrice attack,” Silver said. “So you were all there?”

“Nah, they were off doing something else,” Spike said, neglecting to mention that ‘something else’ was rescuing three fillies from Queen Chrysalis while stopping a second changeling invasion. “That time was just me and Celestia. Well, the guard was there too, of course, but we did most of the work.”

Twilight smirked. “Yeah, I’m sure the two of you were equally valuable to the fight.”

“Twilight, you know better,” Fluttershy chastised. “Spike is very brave and resourceful. I’m sure he was a huge help.”

“She even said so herself!” Spike said. “ ‘We owe this victory to young Spike.’ I got a medal and everything!”

As he launched into the story, Twilight suppressed a sigh. She never did get a straight answer from Celestia about what happened that day, but she suspected things didn’t happen quite the way Spike claimed they did. Fluttershy nudged her, bringing her out of her thoughts. She turned to Fluttershy who pointed at Spike and smiled.

Spike was excitedly recounting using a trident to keep the cockatrices off Celestia’s back while she broke through the ones in front with her magic. He was standing on his chair and swinging an imaginary trident, while he emphasized every detail of his story. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Whether it was exaggerated or not, her little brother had always been there for her, whether it was on some high stakes adventure, or just getting her to come out of her room and talk to her friends after a bad train ride from Canterlot. He deserved the spotlight once and a while.

Once Spike finished his story, which both stallions were highly impressed with, the conversation turned to what everypony wanted to do next. Spike suggested bowling.

“Why bowling?” Twilight asked.

Spike shrugged. “We’ve never been.”

“Bowling is fine by me,” Silver Spark said.

“What do you want to do, Shy?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, Uhm… We should probably get started answering some letters,” she said.

Twilight could see her point, especially considering how long some of the letters had been waiting for a reply. “Yeah, maybe we can all go out another time, but we should take care of these first.”

Once the boys left, Twilight brought the letters up to the office and they began answering them. Twilight insisted on replying to all of them, even the negative ones. She had never failed to answer a letter before, she wasn’t about to start now. They were at it all day, but neither of them minded. They answered most letters together, with both of them putting in their own reply.

Eventually Spike, Silver, and Sea came back with food for Twilight and Fluttershy from the place they had stopped to eat after their bowling game. They all talked about the game for a while, which Sea had won by a landslide.

Silver and Sea had been up early travelling to reach Ponyville by midday, so they decided to turn in for the night before too long. Spike showed them to one of the guest rooms, leaving the two mares alone, which suited Twilight’s plans for the night just fine.

“What do you say we take a break?” Twilight asked after waiting a while longer to make sure no one would be disturbing them again.

Fluttershy stretched. “I think that sounds like a good idea.” She nuzzled Twilight. “What do you want to do?”

Twilight realized her plan had one huge flaw. While she knew exactly what she wanted to do, she had no idea how to say it out loud. “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”

“I think I just want to relax for now,” Fluttershy said.

‘Yes, that’s perfect. If I can get her into bed, this should be much easier.’ “I could make us some tea, if you want,” Twilight said. ‘Why did I say that?’

“I think it’s a little late for tea, Twily. You shouldn’t drink so much caffeine you know.”

“You’re right,” Twilight said, happy for a second chance to get this right. “We could have cocoa.” ‘Damn it!’

“That sounds nice,” Fluttershy said. And so they made their way to the kitchen, with Twilight kicking herself the whole way.

‘How do ponies initiate this sort of thing?’ she wondered. Sea Star and Silver Spark got drunk their first time. Twilight could imagine that working out, except Fluttershy didn’t drink alcohol. Besides, Twilight wasn’t really interested in getting that drunk herself, and she wanted their first time to be special.

“I’ll get it,” Fluttershy said, shooing Twilight away from the stove.

“You don’t have to Shy, I think I can manage hot chocolate.”

“I never said you couldn’t,” Fluttershy said, “I just want to make it for you.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to work so hard. You already took care of all the animals by yourself,” Twilight said.

“Hush. Just sit down and let me do it.” Fluttershy hummed merrily as she gathered the ingredients.

“If you say so.” Twilight was honestly glad. She usually didn’t mess up cocoa, but this gave her a chance to plan. ‘What would Luna do?’

Judging by what Luna told her in Canterlot, she probably had more experience in seduction than any other pony alive. She would be effortlessly smooth, making subtle hints to read the other mare’s reaction before leaning in to whisper in her ear exactly what the night had in store for them.

Twilight’s ear twitched as Fluttershy set down a mug in front of her. “Careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks, Shy.” Twilight blew on the steaming beverage.

“So what were you thinking about?” Fluttershy asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”

Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. “Twily, I know you better than that. You were zoning out thinking about something.” She blew on her own cup. “It’s okay if it’s something you don’t want to talk about.”

“It’s, well, it’s not like that it’s just…” Twilight paused. ‘Forget seduction, we should just talk about it. Like Luna said, we need to communicate.’ “I was thinking about a dream I had.” ‘Or I could keep being a coward. That works too.’

“Oh? What was it about?”

“Tangerines,” Twilight said. It was the first thing that came to her mind.

Fluttershy smiled. “Hmm. We never did get any today.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight said. “I mean, they wouldn’t be as good anyway. In the dream they were the best thing I ever ate, but if we actually got any they’d just be tangerines.” She shrugged and burnt her mouth trying the cocoa.

“I said it was hot,” Fluttershy said as she blew on hers. Twilight went back to blowing on her drink and wondering why she didn’t just cool it down with magic.

“I actually had a dream last night too,” Fluttershy said. “Although it’s, uhm… a little weird.”

“What happened?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Of course I won’t.”

“I had a dream I was pregnant.” Fluttershy hid in her mane which didn’t entirely mask the blush. “I can’t even imagine who the father was, but in the dream it didn’t matter because there was no father. She was our baby, no matter what.”

“She? Did our little filly have a name?”

Fluttershy retreated further into her mane and squeaked something.

Twilight smiled and moved closer to her. “Fluttershy, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I don’t think your dream was weird. It’s sweet, and you’d be a great mom.”

“I… thanks, Twily. Uhm… her name was Sky Shimmer.”

Twilight managed not to laugh, but just barely. “Like your Oubliettes and Ogres character?”

“Yes. Well, the name’s older than that.” Fluttershy leaned against Twilight. “When I was little, I had an imaginary friend named Sky Shimmer. She was kind of like Rainbow, the type of pony I always wished I could be. I would pretend that she would protect me from Stormy Skies. I think, if I ever have a daughter, I would want her to be like that.”

Twilight hugged her. “I think it’s a great name.”

Fluttershy looked at her cocoa. “I… I think I’d, uhm, I’d like to have foals someday.”

“Oh, uhm. Really?” Twilight tried to keep the shock out of her voice. She knew she shouldn’t really be so surprised. And Fluttershy would be a fantastic mom, nopony could deny it. Still, it hadn’t really been something Twilight thought too much about.

Fluttershy nodded. “I… well, you’d be a great mom too, Twily.”

“I don’t know… I get so caught up in what I’m doing that I forget to take care of myself, let alone a foal. I’d always be worried sick, I’d probably freak out over every little thing. I’m sure I’d drive them crazy.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Twily, you just described your mom.”

“I, well… That’s not fair!” Twilight said. “I know I’m a lot like her, but I’m not her, Shy. I could never be as good of a mom as she is.”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything for a while. Eventually she just sat up and took a sip of her cocoa. “Well, I think we’d make a good team.”

Twilight levitated her cup to her and took a sip. It had cooled down too much, but she drank it anyway. “I just worry. That’s a whole life in my hooves, and even with you there to fix my mistakes, I’m afraid. But I know you’re right, we’d be okay.” They reached for each other’s hooves at the same time, causing them both to giggle. They sat together drinking in quiet until Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “We are talking hypothetically, right?”

“Oh, uhm, of course. I didn’t mean right away or anything. We have this tour to do, and all these books to make. Besides, we’re not even, uhm… married…” The last word came out as a squeak.

Twilight finished her no-longer-hot chocolate. “I’ve actually been thinking about that.” Fluttershy turned to her anxiously. “How about this: I’ve got to do a lot of research on how to make these books, not to mention planning the logistics of how to get them out to everypony and who will be on the receiving ends of the messages. Even with Silver Spark’s help, it’ll be a lot of work. Then we have the whole tour of Equestria, and it’ll be months before we’re back here. But once we return to Ponyville, we’ll sit down together and figure out what we want from the future. Sound reasonable?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I think it sounds perfect.”

Twilight kissed her on the cheek which got a small giggle out of the pegasus. “But you know, I don’t really think I could picture a future without you.”

“Me either. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Fluttershy snuggled against Twilight who wrapped her in both her forelegs and her wings. Fluttershy yawned.

“Sleepy?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Fluttershy said, still yawning. “Well, maybe a Little.”

“Let’s get into bed,” Twilight said. ‘Hey, that was easy. I wasn’t even trying that time.’

“But all the letters that still need answers…”

“Can wait until tomorrow. There’s no way we’re getting them all done tonight anyway. We’ll pick it back up once we’re well rested.”

Fluttershy looked like she might protest until she started rubbing her eyes. “Okay, that sounds like a plan.”

On the way up to the bedroom, Twilight pondered her next move. ‘I’ll just kiss her and see where it goes. That’s how things kept almost happening before. Oh, but Luna said to try and let her lead…’

Fluttershy climbed into bed and didn’t even bother with the blanket before closing her eyes. If Twilight was going to do anything, she had limited time to do it. ‘I suppose I could just wait until tomorrow night.’

She climbed in next to Fluttershy and pulled the blanket over both of them. She cuddled close to her marefriend, who turned around for a kiss. Twilight got her hopes up, only for Fluttershy to turn back around after a quick peck good night. ‘Yeah, I’ll just wait until tomorrow.’

“Good night, Twily.”

“Hey, uhm, Shy?” Twilight’s mouth seemed to move on its own, because she was pretty sure her brain had said ‘tomorrow’.

“Mhm?”

“If, uhm, you wanted… I mean, I was wondering…”

“Is everything okay?”

“Well, uhm… You know, I was thinking and okay never mind I can’t say this while you’re looking at me.”

“Say what?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothing. Good night, Shy.” Twilight turned around and hoped she’d have another chance to talk to Luna. She hated talking about things like that with anypony, but there was absolutely no way she was going to Cadance about anything like that, and she didn’t know who else to turn to.

Twilight felt a hoof slide around her chest as Fluttershy pressed against her. She kissed Twilight’s neck and Twilight turned around and found Fluttershy’s lips against hers. As they kissed, Fluttershy moved a hoof behind Twilight’s back, holding her close. As Fluttershy’s tongue slipped into her mouth, Twilight was tempted to stop thinking about what was happening and just get lost in the moment, but there was something she needed to make sure of first.

“I love you, Fluttershy,” she said as she pulled away. Even in the dark she could tell Fluttershy looked disappointed. “I love you so much, and I just have to make sure. This is definitely something you want, right?”

Fluttershy pulled her into another passionate kiss before answering. “Yes. Uhm, if you’re sure that you’re okay with me.”

Twilight grinned. “Fluttershy, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this. But you know, if you change your mind, we can stop.”

Fluttershy laughed. “Twilight, I’m fine. I love you, and I trust you.”

Twilight was going to say something else, but Fluttershy pushed her onto her back and kissed her neck. Her hoof traced its way down Twilight’s body, and she forgot all about whatever it was.

Author's Note

If nobody catches what the dreamscape is a reference to I'll be a sad author. Edit: To date, only two people have caught it (revealed via PM, so the answer isn't in the comments).

27 - Inner Strength

Chapter Twenty-Seven
Inner Strength

⠀

⠀
“Princess? We’re running late.”

“Just a minute, we’re almost ready,” Twilight answered through the door.

In actuality, they were sitting on the hotel bed while Fluttershy panicked at the thought of the crowd forming at the convention center. “It’ll be okay, Shy. Remember, they’re all there because they support us.”

“I know,” Fluttershy said. They were in Canterlot, which was expected to be the biggest stop of their tour. It was also the first real stop. They had made an appearance in Ponyville before leaving, but it had been much less formal, since they knew most of the ponies in town. It turned out that almost everyone back home did support them, but they had been so focused on the negative reactions that they never even noticed all the positive ones.

But Canterlot was different. It was home to the Virtuous Equestrian Society, which put both of them on edge. Even if they were only a vocal minority, they fully expected resistance on their way to the event.

Still, ponies were waiting for them. Ponies who were far too important to leave alone any longer. Fluttershy took a deep breath, mimicking Twilight’s breathing technique. She stood up and put on her most worry-free smile. “I’m fine. We should get going, we don’t want to be late.”

As soon as they left the room, they were flanked by guards. Twilight had complained about them, but apparently Princess Celestia had insisted. It was an official publicity tour by Equestrian royalty, after all, and even if Twilight could protect the two of them by herself, the guards did add an air of authority to their presence. So they let the guards escort them down to a chariot to ride through Canterlot, Twilight awkwardly adjusting her crown the whole way.

They stopped before they could reach their destination. “What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Some ponies are blocking the road,” a guard answered, confirming their fears. “We’ll take care of it.”

Even if Twilight wasn’t thrilled about having the guards around, Fluttershy was glad to have them. She had to wonder if Princess Celestia had realized this situation would pop up; this was exactly why they needed the guards, after all. Sure, Twilight could protect them from danger, but from average citizens? That was out of her league.

Still, it was a tense few minutes while they waited for the guard to return. Eventually Twilight grew restless. “It’s got to be the VES. Wait here, I’ll go check on things.”

“No, I’m going too,” Fluttershy said. She was nervous about facing them, but that was part of why she wanted to go. She had been terrified of Stormy Skies, but since she stood up to him, all of her nightmares had stopped. She wasn’t going to let her fears stop her, especially from standing beside Twilight.

When they stepped out, they saw hundreds of ponies blocking the way. The guards were trying to reason with them, but they weren’t moving. A few of the guards started making threats of imprisonment, but they did little good. Pretty soon things were going to get forceful unless somepony backed down.

Although a lot of the protesters were shouting angry slurs or carrying signs with hateful messages, Fluttershy didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. After what Silver Spark had told them about why the VES was formed, she wondered how many of them were just afraid of something they didn’t understand. She had faith that Twilight would be able to resolve things peacefully, but when she turned, she found the alicorn staring wide-eyed into the crowd, which easily outnumbered their escort twenty to one.

“It’s okay, Twi,” Fluttershy said.

“I know, it just looks like a lot. There are lots of ponies who accept us. Everypony in Ponyville was happy to see us in town again.” Twilight spoke more to herself than to Fluttershy. “There are seventy-eight thousand ponies in Canterlot; this is only a small fraction. It's not as bad as it looks. There are just a few hundred ponies here, and they're all here because they hate us.” She started backing up towards the carriage.

Fluttershy draped her wing over Twilight. “Twily, look at me. Just me, don’t pay attention to anypony else. Everything will be okay, I’m here with you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Twilight said. Even if it was an automatic response it made Fluttershy smile.

“They’re all angry, because they’re afraid. They let fear control them.” She shook her head. “It’s miserable feeling like that. But just because they’re afraid doesn’t mean we have to be. I’m not afraid, because you’re here with me. I love you, and we’ll get through this together. But all of these ponies here? They’ll just keep on being miserable. I’m not afraid of them, not anymore. In fact, I feel sorry for them.”

Twilight took a deep breath and gave a small nod. She was clearly still upset, but she smiled a little. “Thanks, Shy. You’re right.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we do have a schedule to keep.” Both mares turned to see Princess Celestia standing by their chariot.

Twilight smiled while Fluttershy began to bow, but was cut off by the princess placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Please, Fluttershy, there’s no need for that.” She pulled the pegasus into a hug before doing the same with Twilight. “I was going to say something sooner, but I couldn’t help overhearing what you said, Fluttershy, and I simply couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Oh, uhm, well, I’m sure that’s not, uhm…” Fluttershy blushed at the praise and hid in her mane.

“You are indeed wise beyond your years, Fluttershy,” Princess Celestia said. “Twilight is very fortunate to have you to take care of her.”

Twilight smiled and brushed away Fluttershy’s mane. “I certainly am.”

“Now then, there’s still the matter of what to do with these ponies,” Celestia said. “I think I’d better speak with them.”

As Princess Celestia walked towards the protesters many of them bowed and some tried to hide their posters in embarrassment. Very few remained resolute in front of the Solar Princess. “Hello, my little ponies,” she greeted them warmly. “You’re all with the Virtuous Equestrian Society, correct?”

A few murmurs of agreement was all the answer she got.

“While I acknowledge your right to protest, I’m afraid I must inform you it is illegal to do so in the street – or the convention center, which is privately owned. You may gather across the street on the sidewalk if you wish, provided you do so peacefully. Also, if she is in attendance, I’d appreciate if somepony could point me to Ivy Jewel.”

Nopony had to, however, as Ivy Jewel herself walked through the crowd. She greeted the princess as if they were old friends and she was not in direct violation of the law. “Princess Celestia, it’s been too long. How are you, dear?”

From behind Fluttershy and Twilight couldn’t see the princess’s face, but her tone remained pleasant. “I am well, Ivy. I trust you are as well?”

“Oh, I can’t complain. I’ve been doing alright for myself these past few months. It’s always so exciting knowing you’re making a difference. I am afraid we’ll have to disappoint you however, as we won’t be moving.” Even as she said it ponies behind her began shuffling out of the way.

“Ivy, be reasonable. What is it you hope to accomplish?” Celestia asked, sounding like a teacher chiding a student. “I believe your organization claims to be all about spreading information. Doesn’t this seem a little excessive?”

Ivy remained composed, either unaware that her followers were sneaking off one by one or ignoring them. “We will do what we have to in order to keep Equestria on the path to virtue.”

“And you believe barring Princess Twilight from meeting with other ponies is the way to do this?” Princess Celestia shook her head.

When she continued the warmth from her tone was gone, although she never elevated her voice. “There are several reasons this will not work. For one, you will not stop Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, or even one pony from entering this important event. Anypony who tries will be spending the night in a prison cell, and I will personally escort them if need be. Secondly, if you did somehow succeed in barring our way, I would simply relocate the event to the castle. Make no mistake, the guards will not allow you anywhere near the premises. Finally, while I don’t expect you to understand, there is nothing wrong with Princess Twilight’s relationship. The only thing that would make me fear for Equestria’s future is if you were to succeed tonight.”

By this point protestors and guests alike were frozen in place watching the scene unfold. Ivy gritted her teeth and didn’t reply.

Twilight walked up to her. “Hello, Ivy.”

“Twilight,” Ivy acknowledged curtly.

“I wanted to let you know I’ve actually taken your advice,” Twilight said. Ivy eyed her suspiciously. “A few months ago I finally found time to catch up with Silver Spark.”

Ivy’s jaw fell, but she quickly composed herself. “Did you now? Well, the princess has made it clear we can’t stay here, so I suppose we’ll be on our way.” Her supporters all turned to her with varying looks of confusion.

“Yes,” Twilight said. “You know, he’s speaking at the event tonight. You’re more than welcome to stay and hear what he has to say.”

The murmurs were quick to spread through the crowd of protesters.

“Why is Silver Spark here?”

“Isn’t he one of us?”

“She must be lying…”

“Ivy, what’s she talking about?”

Ivy Jewel lowered her voice. “Please stop, Twilight. Don’t do this to me.”

Anger flashed across Twilight’s face, but before she could say anything Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight sighed and stepped closer to Ivy. “Ivy, you have no idea what you put us through. But, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, all I want is for you to give your son and his coltfriend another chance. I think if you saw how happy they are together, you’d change your mind about all this.”

Ivy stepped back and narrowed her eyes. “I will give my son all the chances he needs, provided he fix his life choices. Goodbye, Twilight, Celestia.” She stormed off, leaving a bunch of confused followers in her wake.

With one last look at the two princesses, they all stepped aside, clearing the way for ponies to enter the convention center.

Twilight frowned at Ivy Jewel’s departure. Fluttershy nudged her. “It’s okay, Twi. Maybe she’ll come around, but in her own time.”

“Truth be told, she’s always caused more than her fair share of trouble,” Princess Celestia said.

“I really thought she might change her mind, for Silver’s sake,” Twilight said. “I mean, he’s her son. Doesn’t she care about how much she’s hurting him?”

“She is misguided and her actions are wrong, but her intent is always with him in mind,” Princess Celestia said. “She is afraid for his future, and fearful ponies are always the most dangerous.”

“But she doesn’t have anything to be afraid of!” Twilight said.

“Most of the things we fear are nothing to be afraid of,” Celestia said, smiling wryly. “I remember one time two mares had themselves convinced I would banish them if I found out they had tried to take care of my pet.” Twilight grimaced while Fluttershy hid in her mane. Princess Celestia chuckled. “Come, let’s go inside. There are many ponies waiting to meet you two, and I don’t think we’ll have to worry anymore about the VES tonight.”

As they walked in, ponies stamped their hooves and cheered. Fluttershy backed into Twilight, who waved sheepishly. She knew they were all there because they wanted to see her and Twilight, but even though she knew they weren’t judging them, it was still overwhelming to see just how many were there.

Luckily, even though the two marefriends were rooted in place, two ponies came up to them instead.

“Mom! Dad!” Twilight said. She hugged Night Light while Fluttershy hugged Twilight Velvet, then traded places.

“Twilight, Fluttershy,” Twilight Velvet greeted them. “It’s so nice to see you both. I hope you didn’t have any trouble from those nasty ponies outside.”

“A little,” Twilight said, “but Princess Celestia got them out of the way."

“I’m certain you could have handled it yourself,” Princess Celestia said. “I just sped things up a bit.”

“Let’s get out of everypony’s way here, then we can get caught up,” Night Light said as he led the way back to the table. “Silver Spark was just introducing us to Sea Star. He’s certainly grown up a lot since he lived next door to us.”

The layout was designed to encourage ponies to move around and socialize, with round tables arranged in a circle so every table had at least three others around it. Everypony sat on one level, with no high table for guests of honor.

When they reached the table Silver Spark and Sea Star turned to greet them, but stopped when they saw Princess Celestia. They both stood up to bow hastily. “That’s really not necessary,” Princess Celestia said, taking a seat. “This is your event after all, I’m only here as your guest.”

“It is an honor to have you here, Princess,” Silver said as everypony sat down.

“I’m happy to be here,” the princess said. “And I must say this is better than your typical Canterlot elitist party.”

“I’ve been to a few of those; couldn’t let this one be quite so dull,” Sea Star said.

Princess Celestia smiled as she recognized him. “You were kicked out of the gala last year. They said you tried to poison me.”

Sea Star nervously grinned. “Well, I, uh… It wasn’t actually poison, it was whiskey. I, uhm… meant it as a joke.” He averted his eyes.

“It was a mistake, Princess. I assure you nothing like that will ever happen again.” Silver grabbed Sea’s hoof.

Celestia chuckled. “You know, Luna tried the same thing once, only that time I had a meeting with representatives from Griffonstone. While she actually managed to get me to drink the alcohol, it fortunately didn’t do anything. I don’t get drunk easily.”

“Oh, is that an alicorn thing?” Sea asked.

“Partly. I’m also larger than the average pony.” Celestia chuckled. “In any event, no harm was done, and now you two are doing a world of good. I think we can put that incident behind us.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Silver said.

He still looked nervous, so Twilight decided to change the subject. “So how’s everything going with Unity?”

Unity was the non-profit organization they founded to provide the books to ponies in need, as well as to find ponies willing and able to be their supporters. While Twilight had helped secure funding and designed the books, it was Silver Spark who actually ran the company. Royalty in the private sector was a mess of red tape, and while Twilight could certainly sort through it, she and Fluttershy had decided that they trusted Silver to manage the company, and Twilight simply had too many other responsibilities.

“Smooth sailing so far,” Sea said.

“The real test will be down the road, once this tour is really underway,” Silver said. “I have a feeling we’ll see quite the influx of ponies requesting a book in every city you visit.”

“We’ve been writing to a delightful young mare,” Twilight Velvet said. There was a limit to one book per pony, at least until they saw how things went, but Twilight Velvet and Night Light had decided to take one book between the two of them, since they had always worked together to raise their own kids. “She actually reminds me a lot of you, Fluttershy.”

“Do you have a book, princess?” Night Light asked.

“Officially, no,” Princess Celestia said. “I don’t think ponies would feel comfortable telling me or Luna everything they might need help with, so we decided to use pen names. I’m Sunny Skies and she’s Moon Beam.”

“Hmm… Not sure if I trust Princess Luna to keep that secret,” Night Light said.

“I have reservations as well, to be honest,” Princess Celestia said.

Fluttershy frowned. She knew Luna could be eccentric and impulsive, yet there were still few ponies she respected as much as the Night Princess. “Uhm… I think Luna’s very good at keeping secrets…”

“Of course, you’re right, Fluttershy,” Princess Celestia said. “And speaking of secrets, she won’t tell me anything about her pen pal. Mine is a filly who’s more than a little headstrong, but very determined in her dream of becoming a captain in the guard.” Although she kept smiling, Fluttershy distinctly got the impression there was a little sadness hidden deep in her serene expression. “It reminds me a bit of when Sunset Shimmer was my apprentice.”

They talked for a while more about everypony’s pen pals. Twilight and Fluttershy actually didn’t have their own; they were waiting until after the tour. Silver Spark had decided to do the same thing, since he was busy with his new job, but Sea Star had one.

Before too long, however, they decided it was time to speak with some of the other guests. No matter how much they liked catching up with their Canterlot friends, they were there to meet with other ponies, after all.

As they greeted various ponies, Fluttershy noticed one young mare who was never too far away. She smiled and tapped Twilight on the shoulder. “I think somepony’s a little too shy to talk to you,” Fluttershy said, gesturing to the mare who kept glancing over to them while she talked to a few other ponies her age.

Twilight smiled and walked over to them. “Hello, everypony. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves?”

“Princess Twilight!” The mare said as everypony grinned excitedly. “Yes, we’ve been having a great time. It’s so exciting to be here! We’re the gay-straight alliance from Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. I’m the club president, Star Shine.”

Twilight and Fluttershy both lit up. “Oh, so you’re the one who wrote that letter!” Twilight said.

Star Shine blushed. “Oh, yeah, that was me. We were all so excited when you wrote back. Thank you so much, it meant a lot to all of us!”

Twilight shook her head. “Actually, I want to thank you. That was the first letter I read when Silver Spark convinced me that I didn’t need to be afraid of what everypony had to say. That letter means a lot to me.”

“Really?” Star Shine asked excitedly.

Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight. “She cried when she read it.”

“Fluttershy! Don’t tell them that!” Twilight said, blushing.

Fluttershy giggled. “We both cried a lot that day.”

The students looked like they might burst with excitement. “Don’t worry, princess, your secret’s safe with us,” Star Shine said.

“Uhm, would you mind if we took a picture with you two?” another student asked.

“Of course not,” Twilight said. Everypony gathered around Twilight and Fluttershy as one of the students used magic to operate the camera from a distance. “Would you mind sending us a picture once it’s developed? We’re starting our own photo album on this trip.”

“No problem!” Star Shine said.

“Thank you. Now, as much as I wish we could talk more we have –”

“Fluttershy, Twilight!”

Fluttershy turned in time to see a brown pegasus latch on to her. “Amber? What are you doing here?”

“She came as my date,” Luna said as she calmly followed behind. With Amber Glow running at her, she hadn’t even noticed Luna was there. Everypony from the school stared dumbfounded.

“Oh, are you two official now?” Fluttershy asked as she hugged Luna.

“We’ve gone on a few dates, but neither of us is trying to start a relationship at the moment,” Luna explained.

Amber shrugged. “Yeah, you know, I gotta keep my options open. I don’t know if I want to settle for just a princess. I think I could probably get somepony much cooler, like an actress or something.”

Fluttershy and a few of the students laughed, but most were still too awestruck. One of them worked through his nerves enough to ask, “Wait, Princess Luna, does that mean that you’re gay too?”

Luna smiled. “Not quite, I just don’t allow things like gender to affect whom I court. A thousand years ago, there were not many other ponies like me, but I believe ponies now call it pansexual.”

“Wow! I never heard about that!” one of the stallions said.

“Indeed. Princess Twilight and Fluttershy have inspired many to be more open with themselves and other ponies, myself included.” She smiled warmly at the couple before continuing. “Although not all the princesses are so full of themselves that they feel the need to hold a press conference about it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, or you just actually like when ponies spread rumors about you.”

Luna turned up her nose but Amber laughed. “Yeah, she totally said ‘Let’s just keep them guessing.’ She gets off on being mysterious.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “If you’re going to spoil the fun, then I shan’t include you as my co-conspirator any longer.”

Amber just chuckled. “Yeah, ‘cause you’ll find so many other ponies who will put up with your weirdness.”

“I could easily find another pony to take your place,” Luna said.

“Maybe, if you want to hang out with somepony who only cares about your crown,” Amber said. She had to stretch to reach but she kissed Luna’s cheek. “I, on the other hoof, actually like your weirdness.”

“Naturally,” Luna said. Somepony suggested another picture, so everypony gathered. At Luna’s insistence, everypony stuck their tongues out at the camera. Fluttershy was pretty sure she saw Amber turn at the last moment to lick Luna.

“Twilight, I brought you a gift,” Luna said, wiping her cheek. She levitated a crate over.

Fluttershy was confused, but Twilight seemed excited. “This isn’t… It couldn’t be.” She pulled off the lid to reveal it was full of tangerines. “It is!”

Luna chuckled. “Now before you get your hopes dashed without warning, yes it is quite impossible. Those are not the fruit we ate in the dreamscape, but rather the closest I could get. They are imported from Chineigh.”

“Really? You didn’t need to go through all that trouble,” Twilight said.

“She’s actually being modest,” Amber said. “She personally went to Chineigh to get them.”

Luna threw a hoof over Amber’s mouth and chuckled. “I had business there anyway. Political stuff.”

Twilight smiled and hugged Luna. “Thank you, Luna. That was very thoughtful.”

“You’re quite welcome, Twilight.” Luna surveyed the crowd. “Hmm, do you think that’s him over there?”

Amber hovered for a better view. “Yeah, I think it might be!” She landed and turned to Twilight and Fluttershy. “It was great running into you two, but we’re actually here to meet my pen pal.”

“I didn’t know you had a journal,” Fluttershy said.

“You bet I do! I was kind of nervous about the idea of being somepony’s support, but Luna talked me into it. This event is the perfect chance to meet up and hang out.”

“That’s great!” Twilight said. “Have fun, we’ll swing by and meet him after you have a chance to talk.”

“Sounds cool. Later!” Amber and Luna waved and disappeared into the crowd.

Twilight and Fluttershy said goodbye to the students and made their way back into the crowd, occasionally stopping to talk with anypony that wanted to speak with them. A few wanted advice or reassurance, but most just wanted to thank or congratulate them. Some ponies said they had originally come for advice, but all the other ponies present were so helpful that they didn’t feel like they needed it anymore. Eventually, Twilight said it was time to make her speech, so they made their way to a small stage.

As they stepped up to the podium, all talk died down and everypony turned to them. Fluttershy stepped closer to Twilight and looked out to the crowd. While there were a lot of ponies she didn’t know, it wasn’t hard to find the ones she did. Twilight’s parents waved proudly. Amber whispered something into a colt’s ear while she gestured to Luna, causing him to snicker. Celestia was surrounded by the students from her school and smiling warmly. Silver Spark and Sea Star were sitting at a crowded table, where they had likely been talking moments before, but now sat in attention of the two mares.

She looked next to her to see Twilight smiling encouragingly at her. True, everypony was watching them, but she was surrounded by friends.

Twilight tapped on the mic, and the sound echoed throughout the room. “Hello everypony, and thank you all for coming out here tonight. To tell you the truth, being in front of everypony here is a little overwhelming.

“I know a lot of you look up to us, but the truth is that until recently, I was terrified of leaving the house. A lot of you sent me letters after I came out and didn’t hear back from me for almost two months, because I was afraid to open them. That went on until Silver Spark and Sea Star came to Ponyville to tell me that it was okay, that I didn’t need to be afraid.” She paused as everypony applauded them.

“When I finally did read the letters, a lot of ponies said I was their hero, and I don’t think I did much to deserve that. I’m trying now, but I don’t think we need heroes to look up to so much as we need friends to support us.

“That’s what Unity is all about. I’m still new to this whole thing myself. A year ago I had never been in a relationship before, and not too long before that I hadn’t even told anypony that I’m gay. There’s a lot I’m still learning every day, and, really, I’m still scared myself.

“When I first saw the protesters outside earlier, I didn’t want to face them, but then Fluttershy told me something that gave me the strength. She told me that we’re the lucky ones, because we’re not letting hate and fear control us. Because instead of hating, we can love. And she’s right. There’s too much good in life. I know that for some of you, that’s probably hard to see right now. My biggest hope is that Unity can help everypony see what I did when I finally read all your letters: that you’re not alone.

“Tonight’s actually a pretty important night for me. Because it was a year ago today Fluttershy asked me out.” As everypony cheered again, Fluttershy blushed. She hadn’t expected Twilight to announce that. “I don’t think many ponies realize how much she does. Coming out was her idea; I was too afraid to. I’m more than a little embarrassed to admit that I didn’t exactly handle it well when she told me she wanted to. Everypony talks about how brave I was, but anything I’ve been able to accomplish has been because of her, and all of our other friends. Because nopony can handle everything all on their own. We need to help each other.”

She turned to face Fluttershy and held out her hoof, which she took and stepped forward. Twilight rested her forehead against Fluttershy’s. “Happy anniversary. I love you.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes. “I love you too. Happy anniversary.” She wasn’t sure what possessed her to do it. Maybe she wanted to embarrass Twilight for talking about her so much. Maybe she let herself forget about everypony watching for a moment. Maybe she just realized she loved this mare enough that nopony else mattered. Whatever the reason, Fluttershy leaned in and kissed Twilight, to the roar of approval of everypony watching.

They stepped down and moved through the crowd, everypony along the way offering their congratulations. They took a seat next to Twilight’s parents as Silver Spark and Sea Star walked up to the podium. Silver made his own speech, mostly about the journals and how to get one or how to volunteer to be a pen pal for a pony who needed help, but Fluttershy found it hard to focus. Her mind kept wandering back to the shock that she had kissed Twilight in front of her parents, Princess Celestia, and everypony else. It wasn’t even a long kiss, and if Twilight had been embarrassed she certainly didn’t seem like she still was.

Once the speech was over, Fluttershy applauded along with everypony else, although she had barely heard a word of it. “Uhm, I think I’d like to take a moment. Walk with me?”

“Of course,” Twilight said, leading the way down a hall.

Once there was nopony around, Fluttershy propped herself against a window sill. The sun was going down and the sky glowed orange.

“I can’t believe you actually kissed me in front of everypony,” Twilight said, grinning.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m not.” Twilight propped herself up next to Fluttershy and stared out the window. “So, after being stuck with me for a year, what do you say? Sick of me yet?”

Fluttershy leaned against her. “Never.”

“Good, because I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Twilight wrapped a foreleg around her. As they leaned on each other watching the sun set, Fluttershy knew she was right where she wanted to be.

Author's Note

Wow. I actually finished this :rainbowderp: Thank you to everyone who read this, whether you commented, favorited, rated, or just read silently I'm happy you stuck with me :scootangel:

Are you a huge nerd like me? If you're interested in learning about how this story came to be I explained it all over here. Not that I imagine many people are :twilightblush:

Do you like this story enough to want it on your bookshelf? Details on the print edition here!

I’ve got a Discord server, if anyone wants to come check that out (please note that it is a 16+ server, if you are not 16 years old or older please do not join!) :scootangel:

Anyway, here have some end credit music, but don't forget to hit the next chapter button to read the epilogue :twilightsmile:

Epilogue

⠀

⠀
Fluttershy sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. She still didn’t feel at home, even though she’d lived there for a month. She wondered if she’d ever get used to it.

Shivering in the cold, she stood up and moved around to try and generate a little bit of heat. Walking to a window, she stared outside to see a thick blanket of snow. She should be in bed. It was freezing, and sitting alone in the kitchen wasn’t doing her any favors.

At least the coffee was hot. She took another sip.

‘It was just a dream. I’m okay,’ she repeated to herself the same thing she’d been thinking all night. She glanced towards the bedroom. ‘I should tell her. But what if it wasn’t just a dream? What will she think of me?’

She shook her head and sat back down. She stared at the table and zoned out while listening to the tick-tock of the clock. ‘Only a dream. It was only a dream. Even if it has been six weeks since…’

She jerked her head up suddenly and shook it violently. She grabbed the mug and drank far too quickly, burning her mouth. Still, she drained the last of her cup, letting the heat distract her from her thoughts, setting the empty mug down roughly. It fell over and she dropped her head to the table.

“Why did I drink that so fast?” she grumbled. She stood up and brought the mug to the sink. Although the water came out cold, she washed the cup for the third time that night. After drying off, she went into the living room and sat on the couch. Shivering worse than before, she curled into a ball.

Despite the cold and the caffeine, she dozed off at some point, although she slept restlessly. Eventually, she woke up as she was shaken gently.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing out here? The sun’s not even up yet.”

Fluttershy got up and rubbed her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep.”

She found herself pulled into a hug. “Why didn’t you wake me up? Bad dreams again?”

Fluttershy nodded. ‘Not about what you think though…’

“Everything will be okay, Shy. I’ll never let him near you again. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

Fluttershy nodded. She had to tell her. “I… I’m…” She began crying uncontrollably.

“Shy, it’s okay. Look at me. Everything’s okay.”

Fluttershy looked into the other girl’s smiling face. “Sunset, I…” She wiped her eyes and smiled. “Thank you. I’ll be okay.”

Sunset looked at the clock. “Well, we’ve got about an hour before you have to get ready for school. You want to try to get back to sleep, or just stay up?”

“Oh, well, I had three cups of coffee so I don’t think I’ll get much sleep, actually,” Fluttershy said.

Sunset laughed and stood up. “Why’d you even take morning classes?” She disappeared into her bedroom for a minute before coming out with a blanket. Once they were both covered, she turned on the TV and hit play, letting whatever was already in the DVD player start playing again. By the time the first light began coming through the windows, Sunset had fallen back asleep leaning on Fluttershy’s shoulder, but she didn’t mind. She knew this was right where she wanted to be.

Author's Note

Who We Become is a story that takes place across two worlds. The human story and the pony story happen concurrently and affect each other, but they can also be read as standalone stories.

If this is the first Who We Become story you’re reading and you now want to go back and read the human side of things as well, Looking Glass is the earliest story in the series and what I’d recommend to anyone who wants to see the human side of things.

Playing House is the next main story in this series, taking place in the human world. Reading it isn’t necessary if you’re only interested in the pony story, but is the next recommended fic if you want the full story.

Finding Home is the direct sequel to Inner Strength, and is the next recommended fic if you only want the pony story. It does take place after Playing House and will spoil details of that story, so read that first if you care about the human side of things.