A purple dragon darted in and out of the pristine library, bringing with him a few pillows and blankets. Twilight Sparkle, his mentor and friend, practically mother, even, had decided to do one of her late-night book organizations again. The alicorn cantered along the shelves of the castle's library while levitating one book after the other from various shelves.
She put science fiction in one pile, fantasy in another. There were also several other piles for other genres. The lavender alicorn kept levitating other books around her, contemplating whether or not she should organize the books, instead of by genre, in alphabetical order.
She grunted in exasperation, making Spike jump in surprise. Twilight had been really quiet today. She had been too busy daydreaming about something to talk. Maybe it was because the map hadn't called her in a month. Maybe it was because she didn't get to go to the Daring Do convention with Dash. Spike didn't know, but for now, her had to help Twilight organize her books.
One thing was for certain, though; Twilight had scheduled this night to keep her mind off of something. The little dragon wanted to know what it was. He walked up behind Twilight. "Uh, so, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing, Spike. Absolutely nothing," Twilight replied, almost as if she were hiding something.
"C'mon, Twilight. I know you're faking it. You gonna tell me or what?"
The princess sighed. "Alright, but only because you knew I was lying. I can't stop thinking about her."
Spike was confused. "Who is 'her'?"
"Fluttershy. For some reason, I think I might have a crush on her. I mean, I feel the signs. I get skittish around her, I don't like it when I have to leave her alone, and I have the nagging urge to buy her gifts. See what I mean?"
"Yeah, I get it. So you have a crush on your best friend. What's wrong with that?"
"My crush is a mare, Spike! Do you know how many ponies are against that?!"
"So some ponies will hate on you. That's your problem."
"Yes. I don't know what to do!"
"Why don't you go ask her out? There's no harm in that."
"But Spike, what if she says no simply because she's against it too? What if she says no because she secretly doesn't like me? It's all odds against me!"
Spike cocked a brow. "There is one thing to look forward to when you get there, even if it's only one exception."
"What is it?"
"If she says yes."
Twilight scratched her chin. "I never really thought of that. Well, I'll see you later."
With that, she spread her wings and zipped out of the castle without a thought, leaving Spike alone. As she trotted out the door, she kept thinking about what Fluttershy would think of her after she would ask her out. The moonlit sky beamed down onto her, leaving a shadow walking beside her.
Twilight kept wondering what she was going to say. She tried to stop and think about it, but try as she must, her hooves wouldn't stop. Her heart racing, she continued her uncontrollable journey to Fluttershy's cottage.
* * *
The butter yellow pegasus with a pink mane had just tucked her animals into their beds, ready to call it a surprisingly early night, despite the time. She walked toward the record machine that she had for them. Fluttershy picked up a disc and placed it onto it. The disc started to spin, and began to play. She sat in her green chair and closed her eyes, listening to the simple yet beautiful melodies.
Within seconds, Fluttershy was fast asleep.
* * *
Trees filled the area. They were crawling with woodland creatures, ones that Fluttershy could describe as "adorable". She trotted along the scenery, taking in everything as far as the eye could see. A squirrel sat in front of her, holding an acorn in its claws. She looked down at it with stars in her eyes. The little squirrel set the nut down in front of the pegasus. She felt a tad appreciative, but didn't accept the offer. She pushed the acorn back into the creature's tiny claws.
* * *
The lavender princess reached Fluttershy's cottage soon. She gazed at the door for quite a while. Sooner or later, she'd have to knock. As if some pony were using her as a puppet, her right forehoof reached out and knocked twice. Once her hoof had hit the ground once more, she couldn't help but be impatient. Usually, Fluttershy would stay up later.
She knocked again, and still no answer. The alicorn turned to leave, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a door creaking open behind her. "Twilight? What are you doing up this late?" Fluttershy asked, dumbfounded.
Twilight whipped around when the sound of simple harmonies caught her ear. Then, she knew exactly what she was going to say. She extended her forehoof again. "Fluttershy, may I have this dance?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Twilight wrapped her hoof gently around Fluttershy's neck. The pegasus blushed, trying to pull away, but her strength was no match for Twilight's hoof. Soon, she gave in and wrapped her hoof around Twilight's neck. They danced, spinning on their hind legs together as if controlled by puppeteers.
At one point, Twilight thrust her hooves upwards, causing Fluttershy to spin in the air without using her wings. Soon, the mares heard the music come to a halt. They both took a seat, closing their eyes for a brief moment while the princess used her magic to make chamomile tea in the kitchen.
They exchanged glance. "Twilight, why did you come to my house anyway? It's about midnight."
Twilight didn't know how to tell her the answer. "You see, I simply felt like making a late-night visit to my best friend. Sorry to bother you, Fluttershy. I really must be going."
The alicorn got up to leave, but Fluttershy stopped her. "I'm sure that it's more than that. Take a seat. What's on your mind? You can tell me anything."
The princess started to blush, then sweat. "I-I... I kinda sorta..."
Fluttershy cocked a brow and motioned for her to continue speaking. Twilight gave in after a few seconds. "I kinda sorta have a crush on you," she blurted out as quickly as possible, just to get it over with.
Fluttershy folded her ears back against her head. "R-really? I never really thought that of all ponies, some pony could have a crush on me. I'm flattered."
Twilight stopped covering her face with her wings and stared at her crush. "Are you serious? You're flattered?"
"Of course I am."
The mares smiled at each other. Twilight's eyes widened as she remembered what Spike had said. The thing he said that made her partly want to come here. Why don't you go ask her out? There's no harm in that.
"I have something that I've been wondering about."
"What's that?"
"Uh... Fluttershy, would you like to go out sometime?"
"Huh? You mean, on a date?"
"Yeah. A date."
"Of course. I would love to?"
"Alright, so when are you free?"
"I'm open all weekend, if you're okay with going tomorrow."
"Then it's a date. Meet me at the castle at six forty-five, alright?"
"Okay."
The mares hugged each other, then Twilight walked out the door with a "goodbye". At least she had something to look forward tomorrow.
