She had to ask Fluttershy out.

It was a simple enough plan, and the more thought she spent on it, the more she realized that Rarity had been right. Not because doing it the other way wouldn't work, but simply because of the many great things that her wish could accomplish, things that would go to waste if she spent it on something potentially unnecessary.

But how good stood her chances?

Her thoughts drifted back to their little get-together the other day. Fluttershy hadn't said much, and her only response to Twilight finally coming out of her shell had been 'I don't know what to say'. Which was understandable, but not much to go on. The only real thing Twilight had inferred was that she was into mares, which was hardly a surprise.

A smile stole its way onto her face, but it disappeared as soon as it was noticed, and instead she gave a sigh. She didn't have the courage to ask Fluttershy out, and this realization was as stupid as it was shameful, but it was true all the same. These things took time for her; a few days to get used to the idea would probably do the trick, not to mention that Fluttershy might yet come to visit her, just like Rainbow and Rarity had...

And, after all, why should it hurt to wait a few more days, when she had already 'waited' for over ten months?

The other thing which still stuck in her mind was the sphere. If she was going to go about the Fluttershy thing the old fashioned way, then it might be time to think about alternatives again, which would lead her right back to the planing stage. There was a piece of paper currently filed into a folder standing somewhere close to her, on which she had summarized all non-Fluttershy ideas into a short list of bullet points:

1 A pair of wings

2 Something to help her in learning magic

3 Something to help her for research projects

4 The gift of great empathy, aiding her fundamental desire to help as many ponies as possible

5 The ability to link two ponies' dreams together and consciously interfere

6 Greatly increased magical endurance

7 A spell to teleport over large distances

8 A spell to go 'inside' of a story

9 Knowledge

Twilight did not need to open the folder to recall this list, she had gone over it a dozen times in her mind already. Many of the points, particularly the last one, would require further talking to the sphere to clarify some outlying conditions, and there was no better time to do this than now, but somehow...

She wasn't in the mood for it. The initial excitement upon meeting an artificial intelligence had quickly degenerated to boredom, and the knowledge that it wasn't conscious always left her somewhat dissatisfied after speaking to it.

Finding other things to occupy herself with wasn't usually difficult, but she found herself in a strangely lethargic mood today, restless yet not willing to much beyond thinking about what she didn't want to do. What she really needed was a distraction, but somehow, she also didn't feel like going to see Pinkie or something, even though she knew that she wouldn't be in need of an excuse when choosing to do so.

And thus...

She probably should just do some reading...

A knock made her ears perk upwards. Was it... her? It wasn't a unicorn, yet it was still a gentle sound, too quiet for AJ, or Rainbow, or Pinkie Pie. Twilight could feel her mouth getting dry. She had wanted this visit, but what were the odds for it being right away? She...

... should go and greet her visitor. It would be uncomfortable to explain why she was taking so long when there was no real reason.

A gulp, and she rushed down the staircase, only to find herself halting in front of the entrance. If she asked now and Fluttershy said no... or what if Fluttershy had come to ask her for a wish on her own, and she was about to bring up this issue in the least appropriate situation possible?

With a beating heart, she lit her horn, pulling the door open...

“Hey there. I would like to rent ‘the magic in nature’ by Frostcrawl.” A young stallion stood in the entrance, about her age, with a light blue coat, matching wings, and a white mane. At the lack of an answer from Twilight, he smiled awkwardly. “I, uh...”

“Uhm... right. Yeah. Come in.” It wasn’t anypony she could recall having seen before, but it wasn’t unusual for new faces to visit the library. “I have that book, though I would recommend you ‘Nature’s Ways’ instead,” she said numbly. “It covers a wider area of subjects, but it’s easy to skip the topics that don’t interest you. It’s a much more precise and, uh... well-informed... book.” She shook her head.

“I’m... not sure. My mentor specifically mentioned ‘Magic in Nature,’ so...”

Twilight coughed. “I’m afraid many ponies working in education don’t have a very broad knowledge of different authors. Most of them tend to be too focused on their respective subject. I assume your mentor is not a unicorn?” The stallion nodded, and Twilight continued. “Frostcrawl was a biologist, not a magician. His research is solid, as far as I can tell, but I’m not sure he should have written this particular book, at least not on his own. Unless whatever you need it for is specifically linked to his research, I can almost guarantee you that ‘Nature’s Ways’ is the better alternative... though, if you want, you’re welcome to lend them both.”

“Yeah... that would be good.”

Twilight sighed internally, summoning both books from their collective shelf. “Here you go. Please return them within a month or ask for a renewal if necessary. Enjoy.”

After he was gone, Twilight called upon her magic, rubbing her brow... her eyes squeezed shut.

This was stupid. She was being stupid. Her life didn’t revolve around Fluttershy’s arrival, or the wish for that matter.

It was time to do something else, and not spend another thought on either Fluttershy or the sphere for the rest of the day.

A few hours into the afternoon marked one of the rare points in recent days wherein Twilight had indeed forgotten about the sphere entirely. Some spells were so tricky to get right that she chose to postpone them to whenever she had time to spare, such as today. The problem with this plan was always that, when she finally got back to them, there was still a fairly high chance of failure. A good third of the time, she would give up on it altogether, and today...

When the knock finally came, it took her several seconds to process it. With a frustrated sigh, she closed the book she’d been seeking out for help, only to open the door without giving herself the opportunity to needlessly worry about who might be there.

“Hello, Twilight,” Fluttershy greeted with a shy smile. Twilight bit her lip hard, a sudden rush of adrenaline surging through her body.

“H-hey.”

“I, uhm, I came to tell you that I’m okay with you wishing for... what Rainbow suggested.” Fluttershy’s voice was soft, but firm. “I... I can't make promises though. You can do the wish, and after that I'll feel how I feel. And, uhm, I would like you to ask me before you make your decision final... if that’s okay with you.”

“...” Twilight took a few moments to regain her voice. “Uh... thank you. I don't think I want to do it anymore, but... it means a lot to me that you say this.” Only later did she realize how strange it was that the entire conversation had taken place through the open door.

“Just do what you think is best. I trust you. And...” Fluttershy lowered her gaze, drawing small circles onto the floor. “I also wanted to say that I’m flattered that you really feel this way for me. I would never have expected it.”

“Right. You’re... uh, uhm, welcome.”

Fluttershy nodded, turning to leave.

“H-hey! Fluttershy, wait!”

“Yes?”

“I,m... I-I-I’m...” Twilight gulped. “I’m... ugh, I’m trying to... ask you out.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful.”

“... ... ... it would?”

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy blushed slightly. “I really want to give us a chance. I, uhm, I can’t make promises, like I said, but I’d like to try. I was hoping you would ask.” A pause. “Uh... where would you like us to go?”

“We don’t have to go ‘out’-out.” Twilight said hastily. “Neither of us probably cares about conventions. Just, uhm... I could come by your cottage... later today? If you don't have any plans for tonight.”

“Oh... no, none at all.”

“Right. Well, I could come at... say, seven? We can just have a quiet evening together... we really don’t need to go to a public place.”

“That would be lovely.” Twilight wasn’t sure, but she at least thought that Fluttershy sounded relieved.

“See you at seven, then. And... thank you. For giving me a chance.”

Despite being largely inept when it came to romance, a big part of Twilight was still convinced that she wasn’t behaving like a typical filly who was going through her first crush, even though that was exactly what she was. So far, she had at least been able to preserve her dignity, which, so she thought, really shouldn’t be a surprise, after all it wasn’t like she had never visited Fluttershy before – in fact, she could recall a very similar scenario from about a year ago, only this time there were no crusaders running around after a sleepover.

Fluttershy had wanted to know how and when Twilight had began to feel something for her, which turned out to be a surprisingly easy to talk about yet thrilling subject, leading into many shared laughs and giggles. After everything was told, the conversation transitioned naturally into one about their mutual loneliness and introversion during their childhoods, which, for Twilight, was not only alleviating to talk about, but also seemed to create a stronger bond between them.

Yes, overall, things were going well, at least as far as she could tell. Besides everything else, the fact that she didn’t have to hide her affections anymore was a huge relief, and while her consistent staring didn’t seem to be lost on Fluttershy, she also didn’t seem to be bothered by it, safe for an occasional blush.

At this point, it also couldn’t escape her that Twilight was anxious about something, even though she had at least been mindful enough to choose a seat into the right direction, making it so she wasn't forced to throw constant looks over her shoulder.

“I, uh...” Twilight bit her lip as Fluttershy finally asked about it. “I might have prepared a... surprise.” She beamed in barely suppressed excitement. “Something really special I wanted to show you. But it has to be at sunset.” Finally having come out, Twilight revealed the crystal she’d been hiding until now. “This is what I’ll need to... capture it.”

“A surprise?” Curiously, Fluttershy leaned forward, examining the article which now lay on the table between them. It’s appearance was rather inconspicuous, less than two inches in size and almost entirely transparent. “Do I... have to do anything when it happens?”

“No, nothing. Just watch.”

“Oh, good.” Fluttershy giggled, sending a pleasant chill down Twilight’s neck. “I can do that.”

“It shouldn’t be long... though I guess it’s silly to just wait for it. Uhm...” Twilight hesitated. “Have you... ever been in a relationship before?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Rainbow has asked me once, but Rarity was right... she’s not...” She paused, hiding the rest of the sentence behind another one of her blushes.

“Dash asked you out? But...” Frowning, Twilight tried to remember that part of their conversation two days ago. “Didn’t... didn’t she say she thought you weren’t into mares?”

“Oh, yes. Well, I wasn’t particularly good at... articulating myself back then. I don’t think I did a good job explaining my reasons when I let her down. Rainbow must have thought it was because of that, and I never said it wasn’t, so... it’s not her fault, really. But you know how she is... it must have made it easier for her.”

“Yeah.” Well, that explained her reaction the other day.

“I don’t think it was a big deal for her,” Fluttershy said, accurately pinning down what Twilight had been thinking. “She’s gotten so much stronger since she’s living in Ponyville.”

A pause.

“You haven’t either, have you?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Were you ever, uhm... interested in somepony?”

“Never,” Twilight said truthfully. “I don’t think it was ever likely to happen. I just didn’t go out enough.”

A musing silence followed, in which both of them stared down at the table, until the pegasus dropped the name Pinkie Pie. For a while, both of them dove into the subject, trading stories and interpretations, until at last, the sunset came.

“It’s starting,” Twilight interrupted herself, hastily picking up the crystal she had up until now forgotten about entirely. Fluttershy didn’t say a word while the sun sank lower, until it was hovering right above the western horizon, where it halted. With a racing heart, Twilight levitated the crystal in an angle so that it caught the final rays of sunlight. Squinting her eyes, she called upon her magic to create a single spark to float in front of it, a miniature bulb of light. For a few seconds, she wasn’t sure if it’d work, then something about the sunlight changed, barely visible to the naked eye, and the crystal began to radiate in a faint blue light.

A wave of relief washed over her. Biting her lip excitedly, she kept the crystal hovering for a few more seconds, its blue aura gradually increasing in intensity, until the sun concluded downfall, disappearing out of sight in a matter of moments. Pleased with the outcome, Twilight took a deep breath, her heartbeat slowly stabilizing.

“Good. That was longer than I hoped... can I clear the stuff from the table?”

“Oh, uhm, sure.”

In a purple glow, Twilight removed the can and plates, neatly putting them onto the ground. “Okay. And now...” She brought the crystal to a hover directly above the table. “... watch.”

She cast a final spell, knowing from Fluttershy’s gasp that it had worked.

From the tip of the crystal, a disc of light was projected onto the tabletop. The light was shifting in color continuously, so that no two points within the shape looked alike. On its circular outline, it gradually went through every last color of the spectrum, and on its inside...

... were more colors. Colors which did not exist in the everyday world.

There was one which was similar to red, sharing its intensity, but lacking the sensations of warmth and heat.

There was one most similar to purple, which immediately awoke in her the feeling of threat and danger, emotions much stronger than what staring at a color would usually be able to raise.

There was one entirely unlike any other color she knew, and if she had to pick one color it was least similar to it'd have to be blue, and yet this one was also cold as ice.

There was one almost exactly like black, only it wasn’t black, it wasn’t what one would see in the absence of light. It was simply a color that was... darker than black.

And then there was one in the center of the shape, surrounded by the other four; and this one was so very strange, so completely different, that it escaped any attempt to be put into words.

She threw a glance toward Fluttershy, who was staring at the sight in awe, her mouth agape, and Twilight could see her eyes fixated on its center. Twilight had tried to recall how it looked many times, tried to remember it from when she had seen it last, but without the slightest hint of success. It was by far the strangest thing she had ever seen, perhaps the only thing which she would never be capable to explain. It was simply different, different from anything and everything else in existence.

Her eyes drifted over to the red-like shape. Many times red was used, so she thought, this color could be used instead. They were so alike, except for the lone fact that it didn't feel warm. And the black one? How could it be that a color was darker than black? If the color was painted on a wall, would that wall appear darker when shining light on it? It seemed illogical, but if it wasn’t the case, then it had to be darker in the absence of light too, which was impossible. Maybe it could simply never exist in a form other than pure light.

And the center... Twilight’s eyes darted back to it, her body shivering. It was so different. It was just... so different.

She squeezed her eyes, but only for a moment, before focusing on the pattern of outer colors once more. They formed what could only be called an artistic design around the center point, one which, although symmetrical, was also keenly difficult to understand. Knowing that the light wouldn’t last for much longer, she nonetheless tried to do just that, to memorize it well enough for her to be able to make a sketch later.

“It’s fading,” Fluttershy murmured. She was right; the light was growing fainter, the hue around the crystal dwindling.

“Yeah.” Twilight abandoned the final seconds altogether, choosing instead to watch her friend and crush. Had she made a mistake? She had wanted to show Fluttershy what she had seen years ago, because it was special, and it was rather evident that Fluttershy wasn’t going to contradict her at that, but was it the right kind of special? The kind of special you should show somepony on your first date? She bit her lip, annoyed yet anxious about the thought. Hadn’t they both agreed that they weren’t going to stick to conventions? Well, technically, only Twilight had said that... but it didn’t matter. The only important thing was whether not Fluttershy had liked it, which was impossible to tell.

“What do you think?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking, as soon as the light had faded entirely.

Fluttershy stared at the spot where the inner color had disappeared for over ten seconds before she answered. “I... I don’t...”

Twilight could see her shivering. Without thinking, she cast a spell to make herself reappear beside the pegasus, cautiously offering an outstretched hoof. To her relief, Fluttershy didn’t back away, but instead leaned forward, allowing Twilight to comfort her.

“I’m glad I could see it,” she said before Twilight had the chance to apologize. “It was just... really scary.”

“Sorry for frightening you.” Twilight bit her lip. It had never been frightening for her, not really, but she now realized that it had been shortsighted not to expect such a reaction. In fact, had she not seen it first at a very young age, then she’d probably be frightened too. It was natural to be scared at the sight of something so out worldly – irrational, but natural, the same way it was natural to be scared of the darkness. “I should have warned you before. I'm... I'm sorry.”

Twilight could feel Fluttershy nodding against her skin, more than she could see it. Having her close like this was staggering, and she felt like she had to hold back to keep herself from doing anything else than holding her. It was almost a relief when Fluttershy drew back, and another relief when she smiled.

“Thank you for showing me. Scary or not, I’m... glad. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Twilight summoned her pillow from across the table, sitting down next to Fluttershy. “I’ve only seen it once myself.”

“What was the color in the middle?”

“Can you remember how it looked like?”

“I...” Fluttershy paused. “Actually, no. I can’t.”

Twilight nodded. “Neither can I. Celestia doesn’t want to tell me anything about it, but I think it’s because it’s so different from our normal world that we can’t associate it with anything and just forget it as soon as we take our eyes off it. Maybe if we looked at it for long enough, it’d be different.”

“I really liked where the green merged with the one at the top left.” That had been the red-like one. “It looked like... like nature.”

“I didn’t pay attention to that one.” Twilight sighed longingly. “I really wish I could see it all again.”

“And you can’t?”

“Well...” Twilight tapped her chin, thinking. “I guess I could? I wanted to save it for something special, and I did, but I probably could request it again if I wanted. Actually... do you think we should show the others?”

“Rarity will really want to see it. I think we should.”

“I guess so,” Twilight said in agreement. Then, playfully lowering her voice: “Do you want to see it again?”

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy brought a hoof to her muzzle, stifling a giggle. “Yes – please, Twilight. I would love to see it again. Do you think you could... show it to me?”

“Well, if you really want to, who am I to resist?” It were words spoken in jest, but also short-breathed, and to her they seemed all too true. “Though we can’t look at it too often,” she added in a more serious tone, and against what her desire seemed to dictate. “Otherwise it will stop being special.”

“Of course.” Fluttershy leaned forward, giving Twilight another hug. This one was brief, but no less pleasant. “I had a wonderful time today. We should do this more often.”

A wave of relief washed over Twilight – no doubt unnecessarily, as it had been clear already that things were going well, but her paranoid self had needed this final confirmation to be certain.

“Yes,” she said, smiling. “We should.”