The Shortcut

It was a day later when the next visitor came. Twilight was sitting at her desk yet again, trying to apply the same system Rainbow had asked her about to various options unrelated to Fluttershy. This time, she wasn't able to deny that she was glad about the interruption.

Choosing not to teleport, she instead walked down stairs naturally, her mind still whirling with her many unsolved problems and ideas. Judging solely based on the sound of knocking, she could already tell which one of her friends was outside, provided that it wasn’t an outsider.

It wasn’t. “Hey, Rarity.” Twilight gave her a brief hug.

“And the most wonderful afternoon to you, dear.”

“You wanna come in?”

“Actually...” Rarity smiled. “If you haven't had dinner yet, I'd very much like to take you out. It'll be my treat.”

Twilight hesitated. A part of her had expected this: Rarity was going to apologize for her comment the other day, no matter the fact that Twilight had already assured here it wasn’t a big deal. The prospect of dinner wasn't an unwelcoming one, but she still wondered if it might be better to settle the issue at the spot.

Then again... there were also other reasons why Rarity might want to talk to her.

“Take me out - where?”

“It'll be a surprise. You will like it, I promise.”

“Well, alright then.” Stepping outside, Twilight gently pushed the library door shut and hang in the closed sign. If Rarity was going to take her to some place too fancy for her taste, at least she'd be able to point towards this occasion in case of similar situations in the future. The absence of clothing on Rarity's part, though, was enough to make her hopeful for the opposite.

“Too much adoration seems to be a real problem for the poor mare. Apparently, some of her students have made her... uncomfortable in various attempts to express their gratitude or sympathy. I'm sure you have heard what my dear sister and her friends tried to do the past Hearts and Hooves day..." She cleared her throat. “Well, but Berry Frost told me that this incident isn't even the most extreme thing that happened. Apparently, somepony - I couldn't get her name - refused to go home after school once, and insisted on coming with Cheerilee. Though, I can’t fully guarantee the legitimacy of this story.”

“Hm...” Twilight pensively chewed on the final leaf of her salad. Just like she had hoped, Rarity hadn't lead her to some overly sophisticated place, but instead a friendly and open looking restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and a permissive acoustic level. Adding to that the excellent quality of her food (and the fact that Rarity had chosen a table outside), and Twilight didn’t know if she had ever been at a nicer place to eat. She hadn't been to many places period, so this might not have been the most unlikely achievement, but it was a pleasant one nonetheless.

“I guess some kids have a closer relationship to their teacher than to their parents. Either because their parents are busy and spend less time with them, or just because they aren’t as nice as Cheerilee is. Or... maybe they’re just more severe.”

“I suppose so.” Rarity smiled, stacking both their plates together on her end of the table. “Well then. As you probably guessed, I didn't just take you out to pass on gossip. I thought quite a lot since you informed us about about the... event yesterday, and I must say that I feel downright ashamed of what I said to Fluttershy. Preventing you two from being happy together is the last thing I want, and I hope you accept this meal as my apology."

Twilight giggled. “I already accepted your apology yesterday, Rarity. But thank you for dinner. This place is great! When you said it'd be a surprise, I was afraid you'd take me someplace more... formal.”

“Well now, taking you somewhere I would like to go would hardly be a good way to apologize, now would it? Although...” Her smile gave way to a more serious expression, and Twilight could clearly feel the shift in atmosphere. “I didn't just bring you here to apologize. There is another thing I'd like to talk to you about, assuming I'm still holding enough of your good will for it to be appropriate.”

“If you want me to make a wish for you, just tell me. I want to do whatever causes the most good, no matter whom it's for.”

“Oh, far off, dear.” Rarity gave a slight chuckle. “If I wanted a favor from you, I think I'd know better by now than to try and make you extra favors before I ask. No, I simply mean to give you some advice, nothing more.”

“Oh.” It was the second time it happened in two days, and Twilight was just as surprised as last time. “Well - yeah, of course.”

“Say, Twilight... I don't pretend to know how Fluttershy will decide - but either way, I'm sure a mare as ordered as yourself has already considered other options - may I hear some?”

“Uhm...” Strangely enough, this question put Twilight more at the spot than everything Rainbow had asked her the day before. “Well... I was thinking a bit about how... well, about what kind of attributes cause somepony to feel affection towards somepony else, and I considered to... you know, maybe make myself change... a little bit? Only if it would be possible without changing anything important, of course.” She blushed. “And I have a bunch of ideas which aren't related to Fluttershy, too."

“I thought so.” Rarity leaned forward slightly, maybe not even noticing it herself. “Twilight, what would you say if I told you that being 'in love' and 'loving somepony' are two different things?”

“Uh...”

“What I mean to say is, if somepony had a crush on somepony else - or even a more permanent affection, such as in your case - then one might say that she is 'in love'. If she is too shy to tell her crush, or, worse yet, her feelings aren't mutual, then this state may last for however long it takes for something to happen. But if those two were to engage in a proper relationship, that would usually cause the initial admiration fade, to dissolve into habit. They would stop being 'in love', so to speak.” Rarity made a break, giving Twilight time to digest her words.

“Now, in order for their relationship to survive, something else has to take form - something far more precious than a simple crush, something which can only be achieved through mutual understanding and deepest sympathy on both sides. Something which, unlike falling in love, also necessitates conquering the everyday. This, and only this, can rightfully be called loving somepony.”

“So..." A knot was forming in her throat. "What you're saying is, even if I make the wish...”

"If successful, it may give you and Fluttershy an easier start. But remember: this would happen under the influence of a mind altering, external source. Even if the feeling itself is indistinguishable from natural affection, the knowledge of what has been done would still remain. Maybe it wouldn't bother her, but what if it does, what if she starts having doubts once the early stages of your relationship have passed? Is that really worth it, worth giving up other wishes for?”

Twilight stared down at the table, saying nothing. She didn't have an answer.

“I am not telling you this to discourage you, Twilight. In fact, I intend to do quite the opposite. See, save for the contact with us five, our dear Fluttershy is living a quite solitary life at the moment-"

“Only because other ponies aren't as kind to her as she would be to them," Twilight exclaimed unexpectedly. "If they were more considerate, she'd also be more social.”

“Well, yes.” Raising an eyebrow, Rarity gave her a curious look. “I didn’t to imply that she is to blame. What I am saying - and I know this for a fact - is that Fluttershy, as is, already likes and respects you, Twilight. And even if she may not return your feelings as of now, it may still be... enough for her. Unlike what most ponies believe, being 'in love' as I called it is not actually a necessity for true love to arise. It can make it easier, and it is certainly more romantic, but it is not required.” At this point, Rarity's voice was changing, becoming kinder, softer, but also more insistent. “Give it a chance, Twilight. One without your deus ex machina sphere. Try it the natural way, and if it doesn't work out, you can still consider spending a wish on it, one way or another.”

“So, basically...” Twilight's ears perked upright when she realized what Rarity was getting at, “... basically, you're saying I should just ask her out?”

“Precisely.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but closed it again without saying anything. A part of her wanted to tell Rarity about her conversation with Rainbow the other day, but another part thought that it would be unfair to do so without having the pegasus' permission in the matter.

“Alright. Thank you, Rarity.”