Eternal Bonds

Chapters

Chapter 1.
Chapter 2.
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Chapter 1.

Eternal Bonds.

By Slictz

It was a calm, yet cold day in Ponyville. The weather team had done a fine job with weather conditions lately. The week had been filled with the warm sun shining over the snow covered landscape; making it glitter in the sunlight. In the distance, Canterlot could be seen shimmering in the sunlight as if it was frozen in time and space. The sight was one to behold as the white marble walls of the royal castle appeared like a second sun on the horizon.

Ponyville was just a couple of days away from the traditional Winter Wrap Up. Everyone was busy preparing their homes and tools for the job. Applejack spent the last couple of days fixing the damages the plows had sustained during the last Winter Wrap Up, but was struggling to get it done. The equipment was much more totaled than originally thought. Rainbow Dash, on her vacation day, even joined in on Applejack’s endeavors by keeping the sky clear of clouds so that the work could be finished faster.

Both mares envisioned the coming event with uneasy minds. It had looked like it was going to be the best one so far had it not been for their friend’s, Twilight, sudden illness earlier that week. It had shaken them all since Twilight wasn’t the type of pony to get ill. Nevertheless, she had fallen to the disease that Nurse Redheart simply labeled Hornflu. It, apparently, removed any ability a unicorn had to perform magic, with the additional ordeals of a normal flu. Twilight was ordered to rest in bed for a little over a week. The task was only made easier due to her damaged left rear leg, caused by a mishap with the library’s stairs because of fatigue brought on by her illness. Thankfully, Fluttershy took command and cared for the fragile mare during such harsh times. Their other friends had offered to help Fluttershy, but she had just turned down their offers in her typical calm and caring manner. Rarity had offered to make something for Twilight as a gift, but Fluttershy would not allow it. Rarity had protested and complained, begged, even, but Fluttershy stood steadfast at her word. Fluttershy was persistent in her efforts to get Twilight better as quickly as possible, hopefully before Winter Wrap Up, but her friends constant interruptions didn’t make it easy for her. But, after a while, she allowed Pinkie Pie to at least bring some of her fantastic baked treats. Perhaps they may cheer Twilight up.

The vivacious pink mare made her usual rounds, with cupcakes, to Fluttershy’s cottage. When she arrived, Fluttershy would always take the basket of goods at her door, and then slowly closed it with nothing more than a quick “thank you.” When closed proper, and no signs of the lively mare present, she cantered into the kitchen to fetch a plate to put the cupcakes on. Her traditional steamy, hot tea only complimented the festive dish. Carrying a cupcake on a place with a cup of tea on a saucer, the pegasus pony slowly and carefully flew her way up the stairs towards her bedroom where Twilight was resting. After the short flight, she arrived at her bedroom door, flushing her ear against to listen for any signs of life on the other side. She initially heard silence, only to be interrupted by the sounds of slow breathing.

The drawn out reverberation of the creaking hinges make Fluttershy grit her teeth sharply as the door opened. The interior was dark and messy, though she managed to find a lantern and nosed at it to light it. The flame quickly illuminated the room in warm and cozy glow. In the new light source, Fluttershy found Twilight lying across her bed, snuggled warmly under the blankets as she slept. Fluttershy cleared her throat, trying to wake the serene mare. Twilight only turned over in bed and snuggled one of Fluttershy’s teddy bears closer between her front legs. Fluttershy could only smile at the adorable show Twilight unconsciously put on. She then spoke up, in her usual calm voice, to try and get Twilight’s attention.

“Um… Twilight,” She started slowly. There was no response. “How are you feeling?” Yet again, she was met with silence. Fluttershy placed the items on the nightstand beside the bed before continuing her efforts.

“Twilight, are you doing ok?” She began nudging the unicorn’s shoulder with a hoof. Her actions were met with Twilight shifting again in the bed, only to roll back over in slumber. Fluttershy decided on a more assertive method and shook Twilight lightly. When she didn’t budge, Fluttershy started getting worried and her mind began racing for ways to try and solve the situation. She was pulled from her thoughts when Twilight finally began stirring.

“Ugh… Where am I?” Twilight asked in a hazy drawl. Her tone was sore and deep, paining the pegasus pony to even hear it.

“You’re at my cottage. You fell ill earlier this week,” Fluttershy calmly replied.

“I can’t remember anything from the last time I woke up to today,” Twilight stated, her voice now becoming more pronounced as her mind began to piece the events together.

“Well, you apparently caught something called Hornflu during your visit to Canterlot during the week,” Fluttershy said before Twilight cut in.

“Hornflu?! No! No! No!” Twilight exclaimed, tossing her head and mane side to side. “This can’t be happening! I can’t get ill this close to Winter Wrap Up!”

“Calm down now. Nurse Redheart said that you needed rest. So, lay back down now,” Fluttershy firmly assured.

“But, what about Winter Wrap Up? What if-” Twilight pleaded, scared and stressed.

“Twilight, relax,” Fluttershy interjected before Twilight began another one of her rambles.

“But-”

“Twilight, trust me. Things will go fine, just wait and see,” Fluttershy smiled. “All your friends need you to get better. So, please, have some tea and maybe just a tiny bite of this cupcake?” Fluttershy looked over to the nightstand beside them.

“Oh… All right” Twilight admitted the defeat, and took the tea cup Fluttershy was holding and took a sip.

As always, the tea was just perfect. The scent was that of roses mixed with a hint of cinnamon, just as Twilight loved it. Fluttershy knew her better than she gave her credit for.

Sadly, she also felt a rather large hole in her chest, which felt like it grew the more time she spent with the mare in front of her. It had begun during the trip with her friends to get the dragon to take its nap somewhere else. It was the way Fluttershy stood up for her and their other friends that had sparked it.

She just felt so empty when she was near Fluttershy, so she had done her best to try and keep a comfortable distance, but it wasn’t easy. She constantly found herself drawn to the canary-yellow mare. But, a nagging thought running constant in her mind made her believe Fluttershy wouldn’t return her feelings, making matters that much worse. Curious about these feelings, towards a mare no less, she embarked on a journey to the capitol city of Canterlot requesting an audience with her life mentor, Princess Celestia. Of course, she may have been able to do without the princess’ advice, but she had always been there for her; for better and worse.

Sadly, Twilight wasn’t the most liked filly when she was at the school. The other fillies often made fun of her and called her names: “The Princess’ Puppet,” “Bookula,” “Bookworm,” and other hurtful names. This still affected her life even out of school. She found it hard making friends when she was older before coming to Ponyville. Her past events made it hard for her to trust anyone. But, she had felt so welcome and alive the night her and the fellow bearers of the Elements defeated Night Mare Moon. She remembered it as if it were yesterday. It was, more specifically, the moment when she heard her friends calling out to her, actually sounding concerned.

That moment made her feel happier than she had in years. At last, someone else than the princess and her parents that cared about her well-being, instead of just mocking her. Just thinking about it made her forget all the worries and questions she had. She gazed up at Fluttershy and thought about saying the magic sentence, but she just couldn’t work up the courage to say it. She just stared at Fluttershy as she admired the details of her mane. Her elegant, pink curly mane. Folding like a river down over Fluttershy’s face. Then you had the eyes, those cyan eyes with a genuine look of care over them. Just looking at them made Twilight calm down further. Until she remembered that she was still looking at Fluttershy and moved her eyes to the cupcake on the nightstand.

“Did Pinkie make this one for me?” She asked slowly

“Yes. She came by with it a couple of minutes ago, is there something wrong with it?” Fluttershy said, with a noticeable growing anxiety.

“No, No. It’s just so big… It’s as big as a cake.” Twilight replied gazing at the quite large cupcake with what appeared to be a type of purplish cake frosting on top, with a handmade image of Twilight on top. She knew there was no way she would be able to eat it all by herself.

“Would you like to share it?” She asked Fluttershy, which responded with a yelp. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” she quickly replied.

“It’s okay. I was just thinking about something else. Of course we can share it, just let me get another plate for myself.” Fluttershy replied, trying to hide what she had really been thinking about.
Fluttershy quickly left the room, heading downstairs towards the kitchen. As she walked, her mind began to wander.

I should stop thinking about her in that way. It’s not appropriate to do so when it comes to friends, she chastised firmly to herself in thought. But, on the other hoof, I know I have special feelings for her and only her, she pondered over the sentence. Right, special feelings for her, and only her…

I wonder if she feels the same way about me, her gait came to a sudden halt at the notion, feeling a sharp pull on her heart. No, she probably likes stallions like most of the other girls I know, her gaze fell to the floor, lowering her ears in distress. With a shaky breath, she gathered herself and continued onward. She arrived to the kitchen and opened the wood cabinet door, taking out a plate, closed the door, and returned up the stairs with a sense of self-doubt.

What if these thoughts damage her perception of me? Maybe she’ll feel insecure around me and avoid me for as long as she can, she continued with her thoughts. The conclusions pained her, but they were plausible according to her consciousness. Or, maybe she has the same feelings for me as well? No, if she has any feelings for me in that way, she paused, approaching the door, I’ll let her take the time she needs. She put a hoof to the door and slowly opened it and walked inside. Twilight had already gotten up and had stacked the pillows behind her back so that she could sit up straight. She looked up to Fluttershy and spoke.

“What took you so long?” the unicorn questioned.

“Oh, well, there were no clean plates left, so I had to wash one before I came up,” Fluttershy quickly replied, trying her best not to raise Twilight’s suspicion. “So, how are you feeling?” She quickly followed up to avoid any further questions.

“Much better now, all thanks to you,” Twilight returned with a warm smile.

“It was nothing, really. I just kept you warm and looked in on you while you slept. That was all.”

“You’re too kind. Though, I’ll have to repay you sometime,” Twilight answered, feeling grateful for what Fluttershy had done for her so far. Twilight immediately thought about taking her out to a fancy dinner, perhaps a date?

“Fluttershy, what about if I take you out to a nice dinner when all this is over? You and I, at a fancy restaurant?” Twilight offered, hoping for a positive reply. Fluttershy was stunned. Did Twilight just ask her out to dinner, at a fancy restaurant no less? She felt pressured to think of a reply, but she just stood there dumbfounded until Twilight spoke up again.

“Fluttershy, are you okay?”

“Oh, sorry my bad, it was just such a surprising proposition,” Fluttershy quickly answered, hiding the blush that had sprung on her face behind her mane. “Are you sure you have the money for it?” She asked, frightened that she might get her friend into trouble.

“It’s no problem at all. I have a stable income thanks to my job at the library, and the allowance I get from the princess every week, so don’t worry about it,” Twilight said calmly.

“Oh, okay then. I’m sorry if it was inappropriate to ask,” Fluttershy spoke, hoping she hadn’t embarrassed, or annoyed, Twilight.

“It’s not a problem. I’m glad you’re concerned about me though. So, does this mean you say yes or no?” Twilight asked, oblivious to the now blushing pegasus pony.

“Sorry, of course it’s a yes,” Fluttershy replied with a deep contact with the lavender mare’s flawless eyes. She just couldn’t help it. They were so perfect in all ways possible. Their form, color and size were just right, making it nearly impossible for Fluttershy to break her gaze.

“So, should we try to taste this cupcake Pinkie brought, then?” Twilight said, trying to break the now slightly awkward silence.

“Yes, let’s try that,” Fluttershy answered as she snapped back to reality. She placed her plate next to Twilight’s and cut a piece for the both of them. Twilight dove into her share in earnest.

“This is really good!” Twilight spoke between mouthfuls of the cupcake.

“Yes, it’s really good. We have to remember to thank Pinkie for this.” Fluttershy returned in agreement.

“In a couple of days; first, I need to get better,” Twilight said calmly. “Wait… Fluttershy, why can’t I feel my left rear leg?” Twilight asked, her placid tone now replaced with panic.

“Well, promise me you won’t freak out,” Fluttershy began, attempting to calm the now scared unicorn.

“I need to see it,” Twilight stated before ripping the bed sheets of her. She almost jumped in surprise when she saw her whole leg was covered in a cast from the bottom, all the way up to her cutie mark.

“How did this happen?!” Twilight exclaimed in urgency.

“Calm down, I’ll explain. Just, calm down,” Fluttershy asserted firmly. “It was yesterday morning-”

Author’s Notes:

That’s it for this time Folks. If you like it, then please for the love of god! Point out my typos and bad language! I need to improve! I’m also informing that this fan fic if I finish it will be quite long. (I’d say about the length of Two’s a company Three’s a crowd, about 20-30 chapter containing from 1000-2300 words) so keep on with me. And as an added little plot preview:
SPOILER
Just kidding ;) You’ll have to wait and see.
SPOILER
On top of that, I’d like to say that this story will with a 95% secure guarantee never turn sad. I really don’t like sad stories personally. So it will most probably not turn sad. That is all Folks!
Due thanks:
My proofreader for helping me improve it. (Cheers all around to you Kodiak)
You for reading it
And the fan-fic writers for giving me the push I needed to do this.

Chapter 2.

“From what I remember, you might have woken up around dawn,” Fluttershy’s tale began. “I was busy gathering fruit for the new baby hedgehogs that arrived this season. During my trip, I noticed the library’s lights on. Maybe you wanted to start your day with reading?” She offered in attempt to jog the unicorn’s memory. Twilight simply looked up in thought.

“Nah, I usually give a bit of time to myself before hitting the books in the morning. This doesn’t make any sense,” Twilight threw her gaze towards her bed sheets, kneading her wounded side tenderly.

“Well, I don’t really know what else you could have done that day. All I remember is finding you in the evening at the bottom of the stairs, badly bruised with a small puddle of blood around your rear,” the sickening drag of nausea pierced through Fluttershy as she recalled the moment. Twilight shifted with unease at the thought of subjecting Fluttershy to such a scene. “You probably fell down the stairs. . .” Twilight placed a hoof on her forehead in irritation at her own carelessness. She pushed those emotions to the back of her mind as she tried getting more information from the pegasus mare.

“I’m very fortunate that you came. However, from what you are telling me, you sound as if you were going to be busy the whole day. What made you stop by the library in the first place?” Twilight asked with a raised brow. The ears atop Fluttershy’s head shot up in attention as her heart began to pick up its pace.

“Oh. I was just going to check out some romance novels,” she casually replied. Her lips pursed with a light squeak as she quickly realized what she said, “Y-You know, to keep me entertained during the rest of the week and spring, and stuff.” Fluttershy’s tail became restless as she flicked it side to side beneath her. Twilight seemed a bit taken back, but still smiled nonetheless.

“Sure, I’ll take that. Anyway, what else happened?”

“Well, I didn’t know what to do at all when I saw you. I’m used to tend to the injuries of the woodland creatures not a-” she gulped, “-full-grown mare like yourself. All I managed to do was to get a pillow and blanket to keep you warm while I lay down next to you for company,” Fluttershy continued with a shivering voice. Twilight knew that this was hard for the canary mare, but she needed to know.

“I then cried out for help. Luck seemed to be on my side that day, seeing as Applejack walked by on her way to a customer and heard me.

“She came rushing in and froze still when she saw the scene in front of her,” Tears of horror began streaming down the pegasus pony’s cheeks as the visions of the night flooded her mind; her frame shook powerfully from the pressure. Twilight’s expression softened at the sight of her friend’s turmoil.

“Come here Fluttershy,” Twilight said opening her hoofs to welcome Fluttershy into her embrace. Fluttershy quickly accepted, leaning into Twilight and hugged her tightly. The contact sent a warm pulse through her veins; her tears didn’t feel as hot anymore.

“There there, it went great. Hey, I’m still here, aren’t I?” Twilight cooed while stroking Fluttershy’s back gently. Fluttershy giggled lightly through her tapered whimpering and rested her head under Twilight’s muzzle.

“Whenever you’re feeling up for it, please continue,” Twilight said while she lifted Fluttershy’s head up and dried the tears off with her left hoof.

“Sure,” Fluttershy replied with a strong smile beginning to brighten her face. The pegasus pony shifted over Twilight, accidentally hitting the unicorn’s wounded area with a bit of force. Twilight’s eyes shot open as she brought both hooves to her mouth to keep from screaming. Fluttershy gasped sharply and jumped off the bed, hovering over Twilight with the aid of her wings.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Twilight. Please don’t be mad at me, I didn’t mean to do it!” She frantically sputtered. Twilight let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and brought her hooves down. The unicorn blushed a bit at the situation.

“You’re fine Fluttershy. Accidents happen, right?” She nervously brought a hoof behind her neck and stroked it. Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground on all four hooves and decided to stand beside the bed.

“I suppose, but are you okay thought? I-I think you should rest, I’m sure I was boring you with the story anyway…”

“No no, I’m quite alright. Please, continue,” Twilight assured, doing her best to return to the subject.

“All right. I tried my best to explain the situation to Applejack, but she insisted that we’d get you medical attention,” Fluttershy continued while looking at Twilight to make sure her patient was really feeling better. “She quickly lifted you onto her back and ran out the door towards the town clinic. It was the fastest I’ve ever seen her run my entire life; she had a genuine look of concern on her face.

“We then came to the clinic after a short sprint and shot through the door. There, Nurse Redheart was sitting at her desk and sprung up the second we entered. She then directed us to a nearby bed and told Applejack to lay you on it carefully. As soon as you were on it, Redheart started looking you over. This took a while, so Applejack left to inform our friends on what had happened. They all took it badly and blamed themselves for not noticing the signs earlier or visiting you during the day. It struck Rarity the hardest; she said she missed the appointment you two arranged earlier that day. ” Fluttershy explained further.

“It took a while, but Redheart finally finished. She diagnosed you with a damaged leg, Hornflu and some minor loss of blood.” Fluttershy reluctantly told, biting her lip after she finished the last word.

“Was it really that bad?” Twilight cut in before Fluttershy could continue.

“’It could have been worse’ was all Nurse Redheart said to me. While Applejack fetched our friends, I just sat there by your bed; not sure what to do. I couldn’t think straight at all. All I could do was sit there and rub your back gently, hoping it would help,” Fluttershy replied looking at no place in particular, hoping what she had done didn’t offend Twilight.

“Then, after what must have been about a half hour, Applejack trotted back in and told me that the rest were waiting outside on me to call them in when it was time. I looked over to Nurse Redheart and she responded with a nod.

“I immediately walked out the door to welcome them in, but told Rarity to stay in the lobby. She wanted to see you, and protested dramatically against waiting, but when I told her of Hornflu’s contagiousness, she understood immediately,” Fluttershy’s eyes began to water as she empathized with the feeling of isolation, not being able to be near the one you care about the most.

“That must have been awful for her. I could only imagine the emotional toll that took on her.” Twilight responded, lowering her ears a bit. Fluttershy continued with her tale.

“After they had all visited you, Pinkie Pie invited them over to Sugarcube Corner for a little get together. They invited me as well, but I didn’t want to leave your side. I wanted you to have at least one friendly face to see if you woke up,” Fluttershy said, smiling warmly at Twilight.

“That’s really thoughtful of you. Now I feel even more obliged to repay you when I get better,” Twilight replied with a giggle, smiling back to the canary mare.

“There is no need to repay me Twilight. This is just what good friends do,” Fluttershy countered. Right. . .just friends. . .

“Still, I feel awful putting you through this. Was there anything else that happened?”

“Well, one last thing, but you really should get some rest. It’s getting late,” Fluttershy informed, looking the drowsy lavender mare over.

“I’m fine. I just really, need to know what happened after our friends left,” Twilight stammered as she shook her head in a feeble attempt to stay awake.

“If you insist,” Fluttershy shrugged, “You slept on through the night. When your condition seemed to improve, Nurse Redheart said that it was possible to move you somewhere else to rest and regain your strength.”

“That’s all well and good, but what-” Fluttershy rested the tip of her hoof on Twilight’s restless lips, locking her gaze with the unicorn’s amethyst eyes.

“Hush now, you’re in safe hooves. Please, just rest for me?” Fluttershy asked with an airy tone and endearing smile. Twilight flicked her tail beneath the sheets as she mirrored her caretaker’s smile. With a yawn and nod, she turned over on her undamaged side and drifted off. Fluttershy stayed with her until she heard the deep breaths of Twilight’s slumber.

“Good night, Twilight,” She savored the unicorn’s name; it flowed so naturally from her mouth. Fluttershy stretched out and made her way towards the door. However, her thoughts halted her in midstride. She looked behind her over to the resting mare, shaking her head rapidly.

No, no. Not while she’s asleep, she ordered herself. Her expression turned to that of unease as she turned her body to face the unicorn’s.

Well, maybe she won’t notice it. It’ll be a quick thing, she returned to Twilight’s bedside with sweating apprehension. She leaned over towards the mare’s muzzle, Come on, don’t be such a scaredy-pony. She hesitated, stopping mere centimeters from contact. Her eyes closed tightly as she quickly turned her original affection into a quick nuzzle along the mare’s neck. She took in the warm scent of Twilight’s mane, sending an electrifying shiver only accentualed by the sounds of Twilight’s steady breathing through her spine. With a heavy, and reluctant, sigh, she rose once again and continued her path out the door. She felt her eyes begin to moisten with tears threatening to fall as she looked back at Twilight once more, Maybe someday.

Outside the bedroom, she felt exhaustion cripple her limbs. Maybe getting a little rest herself wouldn’t be such a bad idea. She quickly flew down to the kitchen, clearing out any leftover dishes and gathered food for her animals. After giving Angel his usual bundle of carrots, which was only met with a pout displaying his distaste for Fluttershy’s tardiness, she trotted over to her couch and lay across it.

~*~*~*~*~

The forceful hand of sleep quickly took hold of Fluttershy’s psyche. Endless darkness was quickly replaced with her dreamscape building around her. She usually found herself surrounded by the many woodland creates she’s dedicated her life to, or fantasizing about being in a certain mare’s protective embrace during the last nights of Winter Wrap Up.

However, this one in particular was an anomaly; it missed something crucial, but she just could not put her hoof on it. She thought heavily on this as she found herself gliding through the skies of Ponyville, looking over the events of Winter Wrap Up taking place. She was scanning the area out of interest when her internal mystery was solved; Twilight was nowhere to be found!

Growing worried, she flew towards the town square where Twilight was usually delegating the different roles of the event. On arrival, she noticed the area barren of activity. A brilliant display of white struck her peripherals before turning towards its source. She spotted a unicorn with the aplomb of a princess and the attitude to match. Fluttershy’s heart jumped at the feel of seeing a familiar face.

“Um, Rarity? Have you see Twilight anywhere?” Fluttershy asked the regal mare as she landed beside her. Her question was only met with the cold response of silence; the mare seemed to ignore Fluttershy’s very existence.

“R-Rarity? Can you hear me?” Fluttershy called to her from behind, still yielding the same result. Taking a more assertive approach, Fluttershy flew in front of the unicorn’s path, waving her hooves wildly. The mare continued forward, marching straight through the frantic pegasus’ attempts at gaining attention, and even through Fluttershy herself. Fluttershy stood there, shell-shocked as she turned around to watch the unicorn continue her journey.

Maybe she’s at home, Fluttershy took flight and make her way toward Ponyville’s town library. She heaved a sigh as she arrived at Twilight’s home.With a shaky hoof, she tapped on the door lightly. A sickening creak pierced through the silence as the door gave way to Fluttershy’s force. She peeked inside, but the library was empty. Fluttershy quickly walked inside, shutting the door quietly behind her. With a small flex of her wings, she flew quietly over the first floor towards the stairs on the right side.

She began making her way up with uneasy steps. She then arrived at the bedroom door and put her ear to it, hearing the soft sounds of life behind it. The hinges creaked as she opened the door and peeked inside the room. It was empty and dark except for what appeared to be some strange forms that lay beneath the blankets on Twilight’s bed.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped forward towards the bed, noticing the tip of a purple horn poking just above the pillow. She took to the air once more and hovered behind the resting unicorn. Smiling warmly, she flew over to the opposite side to get a better look at the object of her affection. However, her findings were less than predicted. She saw a yellow mare resting so naturally between Twilight’s hooves. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the mare was, in fact, herself. Twilight occasional nuzzled the top of the mare’s head, as if in response to something she was dreaming about. Fluttershy playful pouted in envy at the attention being given to her doppelganger.

Feels good to be loved, doesn’t it? She then looked over at the two smaller forms sleeping just in front of her doppelganger’s form. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as her hooves flew up to her mouth.

F-Foals? But. . .how’s that possible? We’re both mares!

The endless darkness that started her dream began to make its way back as Fluttershy’s mind frantically skipped around conclusions. The shadows quickly devoured the scene in front of her as she slowly slipped back to unconsciousness.

Authors Notes:

As allways here's some notes:
Chapter 3 is on the way. More info in a blog post.
Some one actually contacted me about doing an Audiobook reading of the story yesterday. I'll post more info when the Person doing it feels like it's time.
And due thanks:

I just have one today, but it's a big one. And it goes out to my allways fantastic prereader, Kodiak. Cheers all around for you!

That is all. Future Updates will be posted in blog updates.

Chapter 3

Five days had passed since Twilight’s talk with Fluttershy, and Twilight was getting tired of sitting in bed. She turned from side to side trying to fall asleep, or find a comfortable spot at least, but her body had just grown tired of constantly lying in bed. Fluttershy, in the past, had tried her best to make it comfortable, but it had little effect now. Twilight had to get out of bed.

She moved herself slowly, but stopped when her rear leg started burning again. The sensation was severe and brutal at best, but she had to get out of bed. She ignored the pain and crept out of bed with the blankets tangled all around her and put her hooves down on the floor, but winced in pain as the damaged one came into contact with the wooden floor. She lifted it up slowly and limped on three hooves towards the door, but had some trouble adjusting to only using three hooves so she almost tumbled over.

She finally reached the door after some near falls, then put a hoof on the door handle and pulled it. The wooden door creaked, but opened without a struggle. Twilight then walked out onto the top part of the stairs and looked into the living room. It was empty. There were no signs of life at all; not even a fly could be seen. She started making her way down the stairs slowly by limping down each step, but had to take frequent brakes due to her instability.

After some tense minutes, she made it to the bottom and stepped out onto the living room floor. She took a sniff of the air around her and noticed the distinct smell of fresh cookies, but she could not remember anything about Pinkie Pie visiting. So she limped after the smell which led her into the kitchen, where on the bench by the open window a fresh batch of cookies sat cooling in the gentle breeze.

Twilight looked around the empty kitchen for any signs of the canary-yellow Pegasus, but none could be found. She took a plate from the counter, put two cookies on it, then fetched a glass of water and went to sit down at the old kitchen table. She winced in pain as she sat down. Twilight then lifted herself up and moved a little bit so that she would not be sitting on her thigh and leg.

She quickly finished the delicious cookies and went to wash up the plate. Once done, she closed the window slowly while looking for the primrose mare out behind the cottage. When she did not see her, Twilight closed the window completely and limped into the living room. There she took yet another good look for the different animals Fluttershy cared for, but none could be seen at all. She then started feeling slightly dizzy from standing and decided to go back to bed. Twilight walked to the staircase and thought about it for a while, and decided to try to walk up the stairs rather than limping up it.

She started making her way up the stairs with great progress, until her healthy rear leg slipped on a step, which made her loose balance and fall down two steps of the hard wooden staircase. She screamed out in pain as her damaged leg hit the wooden steps. She blacked out for a short while, but soon regained consciousness and lifted herself up into a sitting position.

She felt sore all over and heavy remorse for her bad decision.
Why did I think it would work? Fluttershy will be devastated if she sees me like this. What have I done? Twilight thought to herself in pity.

Fluttershy’s day had started quite easily. She had gotten up, fed her animals, and taken a shower to clear her head for the coming day. She then proceeded to go check on Twilight that was sound asleep in her bed. She thought about what she had done a couple of days ago, and pondered if the lavender mare even knew or felt it.

She quickly pushed the idea out of her head and checked Twilight’s temperature and took a good look at her horn. The Hornflu was mostly gone, but some signs were still there.

A couple of days and she’ll be good as new, Fluttershy calculated to herself. She then wrote down a note telling Twilight that she was at Sweet Apple Acres helping Applejack today and left it on the nightstand.
She made her way down the stairs and out the door, heading for the farm.

“Thank ye kindly for the help,” Applejack told Fluttershy as they finished the work for the day . It had already started getting darker.

“Oh no, it was nothing really,” Fluttershy replied shyly.

“Okay then, but I’ll still repay you for all the help around here though,” Applejack noted firmly, “I know, here, take this apple pie as a thank you gift for you and Twilight,” she added quickly, handing a rather large pie over to Fluttershy.

“Okay, but I should start heading home though. Twilight might wake up soon,” Fluttershy said, putting the pie in her saddlebag and getting ready to leave.

“Sure Hun. Tell her I said hi,” Applejack replied as Fluttershy started heading home.

“I will Applejack, bye!” Fluttershy called before taking flight, her cottage warmly in her mind.

The flight home was quite short, but Fluttershy enjoyed it knowing that Twilight was at her house waiting on her. The air seemed lighter today, her life felt more complete. Every little thing was suddenly cute, interesting and beautiful. It was the best feeling she’d felt so far in years.

Fluttershy’s thoughts were cut short by a loud scream shooting through the air around her. She quickly panicked as her wings clapped shut to her sides and quickly fell to the ground. Thankfully, she wasn’t flying high and there was a bush just under to cushion the impact.

She quickly got up and looked around to try and determine where the sound came from. She quickly saw that the only place it could have come from was her own cabin. This made her wings fold out again on the second as she flew the fastest she had ever flown towards the cabin.

No no no! Twilight, what have you done now? Fluttershy quickly asked herself. What if she’s badly hurt? Wide eyed at the thought, she dashed off faster than she’d ever have before.

She arrived in a haste and quickly broke her decent towards her front door. Once she landed, she swung it open and jumped at the scene in front of her. Twilight was sitting in the staircase looking terrible. Blood was flowing from her nose, her leg was bleeding, her body was bruised all over and her lip cracked. But the thing that really crushed Fluttershy the most was that Twilight was sitting there alone crying in pain. She quickly closed the door and stepped up to the staircase.

“Twilight, how did this happen?” She timidly asked the mare.

“I-… did something stupid…” Twilight replied between sobs.

“There there, don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine,” Fluttershy replied calmly while she sat down next to Twilight and started rubbing her back gently with a hoof. Twilight replied with hugging Fluttershy tightly while she cried on her shoulder. “Now, why don’t we get you back into bed?” Fluttershy added, looking at Twilight.

“Okay, let’s go,” Twilight said with remorse for putting Fluttershy through yet another traumatic scene.
Twilight started getting back up, but quickly halted when her leg buckled under the pressure. Thankfully, Fluttershy was hovering just behind her and caught her before she fell down the stairs again.

“Is it that bad, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, clearly worried about what damages Twilight could have sustained during her tumble.

“I’m not sure. I do know that I can’t walk on my hind legs all that well…” Twilight noted, saddened by the thought that she might have prolonged her healing process.

“There there, I’m sure it’ll be all fine soon.” Fluttershy said while helping Twilight stay upright by holding her hooves on Twilight’s flanks. The motion made Fluttershy blush wildly, and Twilight fared no better. There was a moment of awkward silence as both mares were standing there blushing wildly and unsure of what to say.

“Maybe we should head back up now?” Twilight spoke up, breaking the moment.

“Oh, of course Twilight,” Fluttershy replied with shifting her hooves forward so she could lift Twilight up and fly her into bed.

“Okay, ready to go?” Fluttershy asked after she had positioned her hooves just behind Twilight’s front ones.

“Yes. Let’s head back up again,” Twilight replied after a quick glance at herself to make sure she really was ready.

Fluttershy carefully lifted Twilight and herself up from the staircase and began the flight up the stairs to her bedroom. She had some problems at first adjusting to the extra weight, but the flight was a short one, so she managed to get them both to the top without any mishaps.

“Twilight, could you get the door for me please?” Fluttershy asked as they reached the top of the stairs hovering just an inch above the floor.

“Of course Fluttershy,” Twilight replied and used her weakened magic to push the door open. The old wooden door creaked under the new motion, but opened steadily and came to a halt when it touched a dresser put up by the door.

“There we go,” Twilight replied in a proud manner, seeing as this was her first time using magic since she fell ill; the feeling she felt was one of pure joy! She was actually helping instead of being a burden for Fluttershy.
Fluttershy then flew into the room stopping just above the bed and placed Twilight as carefully as she could down on it. She then proceeded to wrap Twilight up snuggly into the blankets and fluff her pillow, like a mother to a foal.

“There, all settled. Now, is there anything else I can help you with Twilight?” Fluttershy asked when she finished the work.

“Could you just, stay here for a while? I don’t feel like being alone right now,” Twilight spoke while looking with hopeful eyes at the canary-yellow mare.

“Of course I’ll stay,” Fluttershy spoke up before she gently sat down on the bed and stroked Twilight’s mane in a calm soothing manner. “Now, why don’t you try to get some sleep?” Fluttershy asked after a while when she felt Twilight calming down again.

“Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea… Okay, I’ll try to get some sleep,” Twilight replied while she shifted slightly in bed and placed her head on the pillow facing Fluttershy.

“Goodnight Fluttershy,” Twilight sighed calmly.

“Goodnight Twilight,” Fluttershy replied gazing at the lavender unicorn. She thought about just going all in and pour her heart out in confession to the unicorn. Maybe she feels the same? What if she’s having the same problems as I am? The quarrel with her mind went on for a short while until she made a decision. I just can’t do it! The thought was painful, but true.

Fluttershy turned around, walked slowly through the door, and shut it behind her as she left.
Once outside, she began thinking again, One day. One day we’ll be together. Or so I hope. She started walking downstairs again to finish her chores for the evening. She came to the bottom of the stairs and looked around the living room, but she couldn’t see any of her animal friends anywhere. They must have gone outside for the day when I left for Sweet Apple Acers.

Fluttershy walked into the kitchen where to her surprise Angel was sitting glaring at the mare as she entered. “Oh, there you are Angel,” Fluttershy replied walking towards the bunny to pick him up, but she was met with the end of a carrot being thrown at her.

“I’m guessing that means you’re hungry?” Fluttershy replied to the assault while she walked over to a cabinet, opening it and taking some carrots.

“Now, go back to your house and I’ll give you the food there,” Fluttershy continued, pointing a hoof towards the kitchen door. Angel just glared at her again before he jumped down from the table and hopped out of the kitchen.

Fluttershy finished the rest of her chores slower than usual due to Twilight, rather, her thoughts about Twilight. They were the same as before, but they kept reappearing. Especially how she chickened out trying to tell Twilight again as she had so many times before.

Finally done with her work, she went to wash up and brush her teeth. Once done, she blew out all the lights in the cabin, walked over to her couch, and laid down on it. Sleep quickly took its hold of her and she dreamt the same dream that she had been dreaming since Twilight’s accident. The last scene replayed itself over and over, nagging her in her sleep: Her and Twilight with foals, how could it be?

Chapter 4

By Slictz.

The sun shone through the curtains of Fluttershy’s cottage, illuminating the serene interior with an equally tranquil glow. Fluttershy lay sound asleep on the couch while a certain lavender mare slept peacefully upstairs in the bedroom. The sun rose just high enough to cast its glimmering rays over the canary mare’s face, waking her from the night’s slumber. Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly, only to quickly hide them under a hoof due to the light.

Ugh, how long have I been sleeping? Fluttershy asked herself in a daze. She lifted herself from the couch slowly, shook herself off as her mane fell into place, and walked uneasy over to the bathroom. Where she cleaned herself up and went to the kitchen.

Maybe I should make Twilight some breakfast to cheer her up, Fluttershy thought to herself, quickly agreeing and walking to fetch the needed supplies for a good breakfast. She gathered all the ingredients she needed and cooked a nourishing serving of oatmeal served with a clear glass of water and arranged it on a tray. She took the tray in her mouth as she made her way out of the kitchen and towards the staircase. Once there, she glanced up the wood staircase and a sudden fear washed over her. She felt her emotional struggle ascend to new heights as her mind traveled back to the mare of her desires.

Oh, why is this so hard? I have to tell her somehow, or I’m sure I’ll go crazy, she gnashed her grip on the tray for fear of tossing it against the wall in frustration. It’s Twilight, she’s just a pony, not some big scary dragon. Maybe I just have to be bolder in my approach, her steps faltered slightly as she made her way up the stairway of fate. Her eyes widened as inspiration struck, stopping her dead in her tracks. Wait, a dinner! Friends eat together, don’t they? It’ll be nice and quiet in a place she’d just love, perfect, she allowed herself a small smirk and a prideful pose. Not so weak and helpless now, huh? Fluttershy felt herself about to leap up of joy when the sound of glass clattering made her remember the food on the tray. She calmed down with a light blush and continued her ascent up the stairs.

When she finally came to the top, she put the tray down on a small table and opened the door slowly. It creaked as usual, but opened without any problems. She poked her head inside and saw the rising and falling of Twilight’s breathing as the mare lay sleeping. She walked back out again, picked up the tray and walked into the bedroom. Once inside, she crept up to the bed and placed the tray on the nightstand, but her thoughts halted when she saw the sight of Twilight lying in bed like a small filly with her hooves over the covers and a big smile on her face. She had to wake Twilight up though; there was too much work to be done before her planned evening. She finally spoke up.

“Twilight, it’s time to wake up now,” she said while nudging Twilight’s shoulder with a hoof. The action resulted in Twilight mumbling something Fluttershy could not quite catch before opening her eyes slowly to look at the motherly mare that had woke her up. She gave a groggy yawn with the best stretch she could manage in her condition.

“Fluttershy, how long have I been sleeping?” Twilight asked with a drowsy note.

“Not for too long, a few hours maybe. Now come on, it’s time to get up and start the day,” Fluttershy quickly remarked, venturing to get Twilight awake and eating.

“Okay okay, I’m up. But. . .” Twilight replied, tilting her head at her rear legs.

“Oh, of course I’ll help you,” Fluttershy spoke while pulling the covers off Twilight and slid a hoof under Twilight’s side to help her get up.

“Ready?” Fluttershy asked, making sure Twilight would not topple over when she sat her up in the bed.

“Yes, I’m ready,” Twilight replied, taking a secret pleasure in Fluttershy’s touch. Fluttershy started lifting Twilight carefully, but had to stop twice when Twilight squeaked in discomfort. Finally, Twilight was sitting in an upright position and Fluttershy could give her the oatmeal, which she dug into with delight.

“Um, Twilight? There’s something I need to tell you about today,” Fluttershy began with as stern voice as she could muster.

“Sure, what is it?” Twilight replied unceremoniously between mouthfuls. Apparently, her recovery process widened her appetite and threw all manners out the proverbial window.

“Well, I have a few errands to run, so you’ll have to stay in bed until I come back,” Fluttershy concluded, determined to get started on the preparations as quickly as possible. Twilight finally caught up to herself and pulled the bowl away from her mouth, lowering her eyes and ears slightly.

“Sure, no problem. . .” Twilight’s tone held a somber note to it, “I’ll just, read some of the books Pinkie brought over from the library and relax today,” Twilight replied, setting the bowl down and leaning her head back against the wall as the disturbance of loneliness began to sink in.

“Now relax. I won’t be too far away from the cabin, so I’ll come by and check up on you from time to time,” Fluttershy appended in a dismissive manner over Twilight’s apparent change in mood. Hopefully, at least.

“Oh, I guess that’s all right,” Twilight accepted as her expression began to lighten, comforted by Fluttershy’s promise.

“Now I have to go, so just stay in bed and relax,” Fluttershy spoke while she turned around and headed for the door.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon then!” Twilight called as Fluttershy walked out the door and shut it behind her. Moments after the door’s closing, Twilight let out a mournful sigh and resumed her breakfast.

Once the door was closed, Fluttershy flew downstairs, picked up her saddlebags and quickly trotted out the front door. First thing’s first I suppose, she thought to herself as she took flight to her first stop: Sweet Apple Acres.

The flight there was short and, to Fluttershy’s delight, she spotted Applejack outside the barn checking supplies. She flew just past Applejack, scanning the area to see if anyone else was around. When she was sure they were alone, she glided down behind Applejack.

“Applejack, do you have time to talk?” Fluttershy asked with a low, but stern, intonation. Applejack’s ears stood up at the voice.

“Huh? Oh Fluttershy, it’s you. Yeah, I got a few for ya,” Applejack replied as she turned around, slightly surprised at the mare’s assertion. Fluttershy strode up to Applejack, meeting the cowpony’s gaze.

“I need some items for a nice quiet dinner tonight,” Fluttershy replied looking at Applejack with pleading eyes. “Also, there’s… a few things I wanted your advice on.”

“Well, let’s get th’ questions out th’ way before we talk food. Sounds like ya got somethin’ sittin’ pretty heavy on yall’s mind,” Applejack replied as she led Fluttershy over to a shaded area behind the barn. She sat and rested against the property’s wooden fence as Fluttershy sat adjacent and facing her. “Alright, what’s troublin’ ya?”

Remember, we’re not weak and helpless anymore. We can do this, Fluttershy pepped herself up before relaxing with a sigh.

“Applejack, how do you tell someone you, love them?” Fluttershy managed to ask, though her final words were a bit less than audible. Applejack seemed to understand and flicked her hat up with the tip of her hoof.

“Well, I can’t ya tell exactly, but ma’ best guess would be to tell ‘em it when the time comes right; just be honest and sound. Always works for me,” Applejack advised, hoping the answer had some impact on the struggling Pegasus before her.

“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy threw her gaze to the floor, “There’s something else, but is really important that you keep it a secret,” Fluttershy added, returning to Applejack with begging eyes.

“Of course I’ll keep it a secret. You know me, I’m the most dependable of ponies,” Applejack replied with surety, but with a passive tone of curiosity as to what secret Fluttershy was holding. This had to be something serious the pegasus pony was going through. Fluttershy had only shared a secret once many months ago, with the beautiful mare who was now recovering in her bed.

Okay, here it goes, Fluttershy bit her lip and hid behind her flowing mane, firmly reciting her mantra: Remember, we’re not weak and helpless anymore. We can do this! Confidence brimming, resolve defined, Fluttershy shook her mane back and stood proudly as if she was on the cliff of the highest mountaintop in all of Equestria. As she imagined the stalwart winds of power blowing her protective mane back, revealing her true face to all that dared to view, she valiantly lifted her muzzle high and proclaimed with all her might:

“I love Twilight Sparkle!”

It felt as if the very ground she stood on shook at her words. It was the greatest, most liberating experience she could have ever imagined! Finally, the months of repressed emotions, doubts, and fears suddenly disintegrated and security rose from its ashes. She was the queen of the world, and nothing dared to stand in her way.

Her eyes snapped back open as the powerful echo of her declaration bounced back and forced her back to reality. She looked down, noticing herself standing tall on her hind legs and Applejack staring back at her, mouth agape. Fluttershy quickly placed both her front hooves over her mouth and sunk back against the dirt of the ground; she hid behind her mane, shutting her eyes tight with embarrassment and a newfound feeling of frustration.

“There, I said it! Are you happy now?” She asked more to herself than anyone in particular as tears began to darken her goldenrod cheeks. She directed her voice back to Applejack, “But I don’t know what to do! Every time I want to tell her, my heart feels like it’s about to give out. I just want to be close to her, to have her in my life, but my mind just won’t let it happen!” Fluttershy’s voice grew louder and angrier at each breath. She began to choke up with tears as she angrily, yet so softly, batted at the ground.

“That’s quite the secret you had there, Sugarcube. As I said, ain’t a soul in Equestria’s gonna hear about it from me,” Applejack finally replied, taken slightly aback by Fluttershy’s bipolar confession. Her heart reached out for the sobbing mare before her; Fluttershy would never hurt the smallest of creatures, and to see her in this much pain almost brought the earth pony to tears herself. Applejack moved closer to Fluttershy and laid inboard to her on the ground, resting her head atop Fluttershy’s own. Fluttershy gasped a bit in surprise as she opened her eyes and looked upwards.

“Now, Fluttershy,” Applejack began, pensive in tone, “I’m mighty glad that you’ve found someone you love and all, but I also need to tell you that you need to break it to her easily. I don’t know if Twilight feels the same about you. But if she don’t, I’ll be here to help you if anything happens. That’s just the honest truth,” Applejack assured, nuzzling against the Pegasus’ silky mane in attempt to calm her. Fluttershy shuddered as the last of her tears left her body. She then returned a friendly nuzzle to the cowpony and pulled her head back, still lying on her hooves with a new look of intent. Applejack, confident in Fluttershy’s new determination, could not help but smirk at the Pegasus. Fluttershy might fear many things, but with the support of caring friends, she could accomplish anything.

“Applejack, you’re fine with this? You don’t think it’s. . .weird?” Fluttershy questioned hopefully.

“Now Sugarcube, I am open and happy for any form of love between ponies. I see no difference between the love two mares share, two colts, or a colt and a mare for that matter,” Applejack replied with affirmation. Fluttershy giggled lightly at the knowledge of Applejack’s reinforcement. Hearing her sounds of delight, Applejack started to lighten up and laugh herself.

“Actually, if ya don’t mind ma’ askin’, what’s it about that mare that gets ya goin’? She’s a cute pony and all, but I’m more of a stallion girl m’self.” Fluttershy’s tail and wings straightened at the bluntness of Applejack’s question. Strangely, she didn’t feel herself shying away; quite the opposite.

“Just, everything, Applejack. Her glassy eyes, her excitement to see me, the cute smile she gets whenever she learns something new. She talks with confidence and excitement; she understands my shyness. She makes me feel wanted, Applejack, like I’m neede-” Fluttershy was preemptively cut short with Applejack’s hoof on her lips.

“Thank ya Sugarcube, but ah don’t want ya’ll goin’ off scream names to th’ heavens like ya did last time. Big Mac might hear ya n’ get on ma’ case for not finishin’ up ma’ work,” Applejack explained with a light snicker. Fluttershy smiled with a light blush and a nod as she rose to her hooves.

“That was really helpful, Applejack. Thanks for the talk, but I just hope everything goes well tonight,” Fluttershy replied, unsure about the coming evening, but confident in what she had to do.

“Ah, right; what was this talk about wantin’ somethin’ for a dinner?”

“I was thinking about some good fritters and some apple pie for the dinner. Then, a few treats from Sugarcube Corner for dessert,” Fluttershy replied, trying to figure out exactly what to get.

“Sounds mighty fine there; just wait here while I go fetch a lil’ somethin’ for ya.” She trotted over to the farmhouse while Fluttershy sat behind on the ground. With the cowpony gone, a warm giggle accompanied Fluttershy’s growing smile as she fantasized about her magical evening with Twilight. Her thoughts were soon dashed by the sounds of thudding hoofsteps companied a creaking wagon in tow.

“There ya are hun. Now run along and get the dessert,” Applejack announced as she proudly brought a wooden wagon full of all sorts of apple-related cuisine over to the astounded Pegasus.

“My, thank you, but this is much more than we need. I’m not sure if I can pay for all this,” Fluttershy hesitantly replied.

“Now now, consider this a gift. If ya love Twi’ that much, all I’d like is for you two to get together. So, I ain’t acceptin’ any payin’ for this. Now run along; I’m sure you got some things to attend to, don’t ya?” Applejack firmly spoke as more of a statement.

“But, but-” Fluttershy squeaked out before Applejack started pushing her towards the road leading to the town.

“No buts. You get along now and don’t come back here with any money to pay me, ya hear!” Applejack reaffirmed as she brought back the wagon and placed it beside Fluttershy. With a sigh, Fluttershy conceded.

“You’re right, I should go. Thank you for the food, Applejack.” With little more than a kick, Fluttershy flipped the harness of the wagon over her back and effortlessly walked back to town. Applejack sat stunned in awe at the amazing display of strength Fluttershy seemed to have kept hidden.

“My my, that lil’ lady’s somethin’ else. . .”

**********
With a jaunty swagger in her gait, Fluttershy arrived at Sugarcube Corner. She brought her wagon to the side of the building and bucked the saddle off, now making her way to the confectionery shop’s door. As her hoof landed on the first step, she paused and glanced back to the town’s entrance that led in the direction of her cottage.

Oh, I hope Twilight’s doing fine, she shook her head in attempt to clear it. How much trouble could a bed-ridden unicorn get into? She turned back towards the building and pushed past the door. I’ll make it up to you tonight Twilight, I promise.

The shop was booming with customers today. There was quite the line leading over to what looked like a promotional kiosk. Fluttershy’s gaze followed the line up to the front and noticed a sign that advertised a colorful new sweet, complete with slogan, affectionately named: “Skittles; Taste the Rainbow.”

The thought was interesting, but she remembered all too well how Pinkie reacted to the raw rainbow of Cloudsdale’s Weather Factory and decided against trying it out. However, getting past the line was a trick of itself. She was nearing the point of quitting when she heard the bubbly sounds of excitement over the rest of the noise. She looked closer at the front of the line and found Pinkie Pie, dressed in a blue suit with a colorful wig, handing out free samples to the ponies that came up. She trotted past the crowd, getting looks of confusion and anger, and went over to the vivacious mare.

“Pinkie, do you have a minute?” Fluttershy asked, attempting to speak over the impatient ponies. Pinkie’s ears perked at the sound of her name, stopping in the middle of serving the ponies and turned to Fluttershy.

“Yeah! Well, actually, I have a lot of minutes, but not too many hours,” Pinkie began as she, literally, jumped out her costume. “Almost out of those. Come on over to the back, ” she continued and bounced away with Fluttershy following suit. The angered yelling of the crowd soon stopped them both in their tracks.

“Oh, right. . .Um, one second Fluttershy,” Pinkie quickly galloped over to the store’s front display counter and pulled its door open with her mouth, grabbing a small alligator, covered in lavender icing, by its scruff. “Lunch time’s over Gummy!” Pinkie exclaimed as she plopped the messy reptile on the kiosk’s counter. The room fell quickly in a silenced confusion with only the alligator’s audible blinks sounding off. Pinkie casually trotted to the store’s kitchen with a giggling Fluttershy trailing behind.

Once they arrived, Pinkie ducked under a table in the back and placed a colander over her head, shifting her eyes in both directions before calling Fluttershy over with a hoof. Feeding into Pinkie’s nonsense, Fluttershy adopted a false sense of fear and looked both ways before diving under the table with Pinkie.

“Okay,” Pinkie starting in a long, drawn out whisper, “What can Auntie Pinkie help you with today?” A deadpan expression quickly flourished upon Fluttershy’s face.

“Pinkie, we’ve been over this; I’m a year older than you,” Fluttershy replied, looking at Pinkie with stern eyes.

“I know that silly, but it’s so much fun to call myself ‘Auntie’!” Pinkie blurted seconds after Fluttershy finished speaking. She quickly lowered her head and dropped her voice back down to a whisper, “Anyway, what the big secret about Rarity?” Fluttershy gasped in horror and brought both hooves up to her mouth.

“R-Rarity? What’s wrong with her? I just wanted to ask you if I could buy any sweets or baked goods from you.”
“Oh, why didn’t ya say so?” Pinkie quickly jumped from under the table and shook the cooking utensil off her head, walking over to the pantry. “What would you like?” Fluttershy slowly stood, confused by her question going unanswered, and followed.

“I was thinking some cupcakes and maybe a small bag of some sort of sweets.”

“Sure! How ‘bout some delicious apple and blueberry cupcakes and some toffee?” Pinkie asked, exclaimed, rather, but darted off to fetch the treats before Fluttershy could respond. She quickly came back with the treats in a saddle-basket and threw it on Fluttershy’s back, eliciting a squeak of surprise from the Pegasus.
“I also added two samples of our new sweet in there. And don’t worry about the bits; you’re part of my 'Best Friend Going on a Date With Twilight’ special discount, so this one’s on the house.”

“Really? Oh, thank you Pink-” Fluttershy froze mid-sentence and widened her eyes with a heavy blush at Pinkie’s declaration, “W-Wait, how did-”

“Hurry along now. I’m pretty sure it’s a bad idea to keep a marefriend waiting,” Pinkie casually enforced, hurrying the frozen mare towards the building’s back exit. “And tell Twilight I said ‘Get better Ms. Sicky McSickerson’!’” At the sound of the metal door slamming shut, Fluttershy snapped back to reality. She let out a huge sigh, having forgot to breathe for the last few seconds.

She circled around the building to her wagon and laid her new basket in it. Kicking the heavy harness back over her back, she made her way towards the town’s exit. Looking at the shrinking gates she left behind, a warm burst of giddiness ran over her as she starting laughing and giggling uncontrollably. Her and Twilight, alone; just the two of them for a night out. The very thought of it all was pure paradise for Fluttershy.

A ‘marefriend’ . . . You’re right Pinkie, it is a bad idea to keep one waiting.

Authors notes.

I really have only only one thig to say here,
and that's the normal big thanks to my Prereader Kodiak. Cheers all around!

That is all.

Chapter 5

A building layered with overgrowth quickly came to sight as Fluttershy neared her dwelling. She walked along its side and parked her wagon there before making her way to the front door. Silently, yet casually, she nosed the door open and trotted on in. Humming a light tune, she cantered on towards the staircase, hoping to see Twilight in a better condition than she left her. As she made her way, her stride and thoughts were suddenly broken by the gentle sound of a page turning. Hooves frozen in place, she quickly turned her head around and saw her patient. . .reading on the couch? She shook herself off and cleared her eyes, taking in the sight once more.

“Twilight? How did y-” she stammered. With a calm sigh, now carrying a more annoyed tone to her voice, she continued, “What are you doing down here?” Twilight ears shot up as she gasped in surprise, tearing her attention from the book to her caretaker.

“O-Oh, hello Fluttershy. Didn’t notice you there,” she replied. An uneasy smile darkened her visage as she saw the Pegasus mare walking closer to her. “I came down here about an hour after you left. I just couldn’t stay in bed,” she continued rambling, “It was a pain getting down those stairs though; felt like it took me all day.” Twilight quickly fell back to her haunches and grabbed her open book as Fluttershy stood before her. She held the novel up, almost as a shield, and she ducked behind it in reflex, “Did I do something wrong?” The sounds of an airy giggle snapped her eyes back open as Twilight felt the book begin to lower. What used to be a broad text explaining how star clusters came to be was now replaced by the loving eyes of a golden mare.

“No no, I was just concerned that you might have hurt yourself again,” Fluttershy replied in a much calmer manner. Twilight blushed more out of embarrassment, if anything, but soon relaxed and leaned against the couch’s back. Fluttershy hopped on across from her, mirroring the unicorn’s position.

“You know, the whole point of recovery is to get better, not worse,” Fluttershy spoke in a “matter-of-factly” manner. Her tease was met with a playful hoof to the shoulder.

“I know I know, but it’s just so boring lying in bed all day without anything to do. It’s kind of funny,” Twilight began, “There was a time where I would have welcomed the solitude. Ever since I got to know you guys, things feel. . .empty without another pony around, you know?” Fluttershy felt her smile grow a bit warmer as she moved her gaze towards the floor.

“I could imagine. But, I have good news,” Twilight eyes instantly lit at Fluttershy’s statement.

“Oh, what is it? Is it a surprise? A gift? Is it something fun?” Twilight spoke as rapidly as her mind was racing.

“Seeing your progress the last few days, I thought I’d get you out the house for a bit tonight to cheer you up,” Fluttershy placed her hooves on the vivacious unicorn’s shoulders in attempt to calm her, “But I see that it’s worked a bit too well.” Twilight folded her ears back and tried to laugh off her childish behavior.

“Y-Yeah, I guess. So, where are we going?”

“I’ll leave that a secret,” Fluttershy replied calmly, closing her eyes and tilting her head with a smile. “You’ll find out later on.”

“Oh. Well, can I at least get a hint?” Twilight giggled. Fluttershy rolled herself off the couch and stood next to the unicorn.

“Oh no, that would be cheating Twilight,” she playfully countered. She moved closer and rested her head under the unicorn’s snout, “I only came back to check up on you; there’s still a few things I have to take care of.” Twilight felt herself involuntarily gasp as her heart seemed to fail her for a moment.

“You’re. . .leaving me again?” Twilight tried her best to keep the undertone of fear and sorrow from seeping into her words, but to no avail.

“Just for a little bit longer. Please don’t be upset; I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Fluttershy vowed as she nuzzled the mare’s neck, “Just stay here and rest for me. I want tonight to be magical.”

Magical, Twilight simply rested her head atop Fluttershy’s silky mane and spoke barely above a whisper, “No problem, Fluttershy. I trust you.”

Fluttershy broke the embrace and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a basket and filling it with the needed supplies for the evening. She packed some plates, cups, and a blanket to lay on as well as some other small items. Once done, she picked it up and trotted out the front door, trying her best not to make eye contact with the crestfallen unicorn. She left the door behind her sounding off with less than a click, but to Twilight, it echoed back the loneliness and silence of the room. With a sigh, she returned to her book.
“Yeah, I trust you.”

Fluttershy turned towards the sky for an impromptu weather analysis. It seemed to be clear; no signs of impending storms.

Looking great, she cantered over to the stream just outside of her cottage. I should probably hurry; Twilight seemed really upset back there. . . She instantly took flight at the thought and hurried down the water’s trail.

Her short trek ended when she reached a lush, serene riverbank. She landed atop a gentle hillside, rewarded with a beautiful view of the entirety of Ponyville. Things hadn’t changed a bit since her last visit. She looked over the town with all its inhabitants going on with their daily lives. She gazed over to her left and smiled at the vast orchards of Sweet Apple Acres and its apples shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. Exhausted, the mare fell to her back and stretched her wings out wide, taking in the crisp view of the sky.

I hope she likes this place, she looked over to her left, taking in the warm colors of the daffodils and sunflowers that lit the area in a brilliant golden hue against the lowering afternoon sun.

“No, she’ll love it,” she spoke out loud to herself as she rose back to her hooves. She reared up and grabbed the basket off the wagon in her teeth, taking the light cloth and laying it out just before the down slope of the hill.

“She’s not like Rainbow; she’ll appreciate this. . .” Fluttershy gritted her teeth and turned her head downward, pushing aside her memories. I have work to do. Let’s not go there.

She finished unpacking the rest of the supplies and placed them on the blanket meticulously so that she and Twilight would face each other with Ponyville lit in the background. She envisioned the perfect moment.

Now, all we need is a little something to eat. With a giddy laugh, she flew back to the cabin to prepare the food for the evening.

She landed at her cottage rather quickly, grabbing the food supplies from her wagon and bring them back in the house piece by piece. Once finished, she shut the door behind her and flinched at the low sound of snoring. Only imagining who could have made it set her smile a bit wider as she peered around the corner and found Twilight still laying on the couch, asleep with her book under her head. Glad that she had at least followed her orders, Fluttershy walked over to the kitchen table and started arranging the items. She set the treats from Applejack to warm in her oven as she shifted through her desserts. She raised a brow when she found the “Skittles” treat Pinkie stowed away. Fluttershy opened it slightly but decided against it.

Maybe later sometime, but not today, She thought to herself as she put them away.

She continued the preparations through what felt like the rest of the evening. As she place last of their meal on a small trolley, she looked up at the sky and gasped at the moon beginning to rise. She quickly grabbed the cart and dashed over to the venue for their dinner. Once there, she took her time in carefully laying out their meals. As she continued, she stopped shortly and took in the calm scene of Ponyville at night. The small lights of the city still held their brilliance as the moonlight threw shadows across the streets.

“Magical.”

Twilight slowly fluttered her eyes open at the sound of Fluttershy’s return. She turned her head up over the couch and smiled back at the beaming canary mare.

“Welcome back Fluttershy,” Twilight yawned, stretching herself out as she looked out the opposite window, “Wow, it must be close to midnight by now. How long have I been asleep?”

“Oh, not too long,” Fluttershy jested. She trotted over to Twilight and helped her to her hooves. “It’s “later on” now, you ready for your surprise?” Twilight giggled as she shook herself off.

“Definitely. But, would you mind if I bathed first? I feel like a mule right now,” Twilight asked. Her question was met with a heavy blush from the Pegasus.

“Y-Yeah, I don’t mind,” Fluttershy replied, slightly hesitant to continue, “You need any help?” Twilight’s blush equally matched the Pegasus’. She smiled and turned towards the hallway, making her way to the washroom.

“That’d be nice. . .”

***********

“Ready?” Fluttershy asked with cheerful hope, nudging the giggling unicorn beside her. Twilight couldn’t help but gaze over Fluttershy’s amazing form; her crisp pink apron on accentuated the color of her ponytailed mane.

“Of course,” Twilight began. “You know, you look very gorgeous in that. You might give Rarity a run for her bits.” Fluttershy gasped at the unicorn’s playful wink.

“T-Thank you. . .” Fluttershy replied as she led the way out the house. The mares continued their path towards their reservations. It wasn’t until they reached the base of the hill when Fluttershy spoke up.

“Twilight, could you close your eyes, please? I want this to be a surprise,” Fluttershy pleaded with adoring eyes. Twilight felt her heart threatening to leap from her chest. She nodded and lowered her eyelids.

“Okay, but how can I walk straight with my eyes closed?” Twilight questioned as she fought to maintain her balance. She stilled herself as she felt the protective wing of a Pegasus cover her back; sudden warmth soon graced her side.

“Trust me; that’s how.”

Fluttershy led Twilight onwards up the hill. She led Twilight over to her arranged spot and quickly dashed to the other side.

“You can open your eyes now, Twilight,” Twilight took to Fluttershy’s command quickly and opened her eyes to what felt like paradise. The unicorn gazed at the clear night sky. Not a cloud to be seen with only the moonlight shimmering across the ground. The light set Twilight’s purple mane aglow, making it shine and sparkle like the stars themselves.

“This is… amazing! It’s just too much. Fluttershy, I don’t know what to say,” Twilight stammered. Fluttershy simply smiled and pawed at the ground with a hoof.

“Oh, it’s ok. It wasn’t too much work. This dinner just meant a lot to me; I wanted you to be as comfortable as possible,” Fluttershy replied with a blushing pride. She secretly enjoyed the unicorn gushing over her planning. Both mares simply gazed into the other’s eyes, losing themselves in their thoughts. Fluttershy stepped closer to Twilight as the unicorn did the same. They met each other over the basket centerpiece Fluttershy had laid down. Barely inches from each other’s nose, Fluttershy lowered her forehead with Twilight following suit.

“Should we start the dinner then?” Fluttershy asked in the smoothest of tones. Twilight seemed to have snapped from her trance at the question.

“Y-Yeah, sure.” Twilight reluctantly broke the contact and lowered herself to her haunches. Fluttershy sat across from her as she arranged their meals onto the plates.

Both mares sat eating their food with Ponyville in the distance. All sorts of light lighted up the town and faint sounds of laughter could be heard. The most prominent appeared to be music coming from Sugarcube corner, most probably caused by one of Pinkie Pie’s parties.

However, neither mare paid any mind to their town. Twilight sat there in silent bliss of different scents and scenes around her as she chewed her food. Fluttershy faired the same; the food Applejack had given her was fantastic. They sat in a haze of different flavors and scents for what felt like hours, until they finished their meal. Twilight let out a short yawn and rolled over to her side, facing Fluttershy’s silhouette in the moonlight.

“That was an amazing dinner Fluttershy; even better than anything in Canterlot,” Twilight practically sighed the compliment in a euphoric manner. Fluttershy smiled and held her wings up in appreciation. Twilight expression widened as the Pegasus’ outline formed akin to the Princess of the Night’s own.

“Twilight, can we talk?” She asked barely above a whisper while looking at Twilight.

“Anything Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, returning her gaze to the canary mare’s glistening eyes.

“There’s…something I’ve been dealing with for the last few months,” she began, “It’s been a bit of a hassle at first, but lately it’s just been getting stronger. Before I say anything, will you…promise you won’t be mad?” Flutter pleaded with begging eyes, nearing the verge of tears.

“I promise I won’t be upset Fluttershy. I’m your friend,” Fluttershy cringed at the word, “You can confide in me,” Twilight replied with heavy tone of concern. She then moved over to Fluttershy for a better chance at hearing. Fluttershy felt her anxiety rise to new heights.

Come on now, just spit it out. You didn’t have this problem with Applejack, she lowered herself a bit closer to Twilight.

Yeah, but she wasn’t the most beautiful unicorn in all of Equestria. . .she replied mentally.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight prodded. Fluttershy returned her attention to the visibly confused unicorn before her. Twilight reached out and rested a hoof on Fluttershy’s neck in attempt at comfort. Fluttershy felt something snap inside her and she quickly grabbed on to Twlight’s foreleg, resting the side of her head against it.

“Twilight Sparkle, I… I love you.”

The unicorn was struck silent. Her mind began racing a mile a minute. Fluttershy’s eyes incessantly scanned the mare’s visage for signs of rejection, disgust, even. Clouds of tears began to blur her vision as her declaration was met with continuous silence. A gentle hoof to the side of her face shattered her thoughts as her vision instantly cleared. She felt herself being sharply pulled towards the ground, shutting her eyes instantly. She opened them slowly as a warm field of purple and pink replaced her surroundings.

“Then, I guess we’ll just have to deal with this together, huh?”

Fluttershy drew her breath quickly at the response. Her eyes froze wide open as tears relentlessly poured down her golden cheeks. Her voice began to crack and quiver with intense apprehension.

“W-What are you saying Twilight?”

A smirk blazoned the purple mare’s face as she stole a kiss on Fluttershy’s darkened cheek.

“I love you too.”

Fluttershy lay stunned by Twilight’s statement. The most intelligent and beautiful mare she had ever seen, had just returned her feelings. Fluttershy’s mind echoed the phrase for what felt like an eternity.

“You, do?” Fluttershy ventured. She held even tighter to the unicorn’s hoof as if it would slip away if she said the wrong thing. Twilight inched a bit closer and lowered her tone to Fluttershy’s level.

“I do, completely and honestly. I never really thought about it too much until you took me in for recovery. I always thought it was just me being overly grateful for your kindness. Then, I started feeling…empty, whenever you left,” Twilight felt her own eyes beginning to betray her as her tears began to build. She continued, “Like something inside me was torn through and left nothing but loneness,” her voice began to rise in pitch as water began to flow from her tightly squeezed eyes. She pulled Fluttershy into a constricting embrace and buried her face in the Pegasus’ mane.

“Please, don’t leave me alone again; I don’t think I can handle being separated from you like that. Please. . .please,” Twilight begged and cried to the mare. Her pleas were halted as Fluttershy quickly pulled the unicorn’s head up and pressed her lips firmly against Twilight’s. She rolled the lavender mare on her back and continued her contact. What felt like ages later to Twilight, Fluttershy broke the connection.

“I promise, that will be the last time you ever ask that of me.” Twilight sat in a shocked comfort as she locked her eyes with the confident Pegasus above her. Twilight’s smile remained small, but the expression of her eyes was all Fluttershy needed. Twilight immediately grabbed hold of her Pegasus and resumed their previous encounter. Their lips met with a strong chill running down their spines, soon releasing warmth neither of them had ever felt before. They were frozen in an eternal bond of love and time. Fluttershy let out a passionate sigh, sliding her tongue naturally past Twilight’s mouth. Twilight took this almost as a challenge and wrested back for playful dominance.

Both mares laid for what seemed to be an eternity, until Fluttershy broke the kiss and locked eyes with her mare, “I love you, Twilight Sparkle. I-” Was the only thing Fluttershy managed to say before Twilight stole another kiss on her lips.

“I love you too, my adorable Pegasus,” Twilight teased as she nudged her hoof along Fluttershy’s cheek. The goldenrod mare burst out in a fit of high giggles before settling down on Twilight’s chest, resting her head just about the unicorn’s beating heart. They sat there for the better half of the night. Twilight’s drowsy yawn tore them both from their unspoken connection.

“Fluttershy, what’s say we head back to the cottage; it’s getting a bit late,” Twilight mentioned as she prodded Fluttershy’s flicking ears.

“Of course we can,” Fluttershy began, walking back over to their checkered blanket and bundling their meal supplies within it. “But first, I have to show you something.” Twilight rose to her own hooves and shook herself off, wincing as the pain in her hind legs reminded her of her condition.

“Okay,” Twilight replied in struggle. Fluttershy quickly trotted over to the unicorn, blanket nicely tied around her neck. She lowered herself and stretched her wings out wide, turning her head back to Twilight with pleading eyes.

“Hop on,” she commanded. Twilight’s face lit bright red at Fluttershy’s forwardness.

“Hop – oh…” Twilight shook her head in embarrassment as she caught the actual meaning of it. She painfully reared up and placed her front hooves on Fluttershy’s back, “Isn’t this a bit dangerous though?”

“Trust me,” Fluttershy repeated. Twilight almost spoke against it, but simply smiled and slid herself over Fluttershy’s back. They both simultaneously let out a pleasured sigh at the warm contact. They both noticed the other and giggled at the coincidence.

“Okay, now sit still and don’t be afraid,” Fluttershy replied calmly while she took off and hovered just above the ground. Twilight let out a quick shriek as she gripped Fluttershy harder. She fluttered her eyes back open and looked over to the concerned Pegasus, feeling all her fears and concerns melt away.

“I trust you. Let’s go.”

Fluttershy took off in full flight towards Ponyville. The mares soon found themselves soaring over the town’s desolate streets. Twilight was once again at a loss of words. She had never rode on the back of a Pegasus, let alone any other pony, before. The rush of flying up so high above the ground almost overwhelmed her, but feeling Fluttershy’s heart beating calmly and the scent of the mare’s now flowing mane calmed her down considerably. She truly enjoyed the feeling of flying high above Ponyville. The sights, the smells, the air through her coat and mane were a truly spectacular feeling. Fluttershy then set out for a cloud she had spotted. She dragged Twilight through it slowly, sending the unicorn in a fit of laugher at the tingling sensation of the cloud combing through her body. A mare and her lover, taking on the skies together. What more could a pony ask for?

Fluttershy soon began to feel tired and exhausted after her intense day of planning and organizing. She redirected her flight path towards the cabin. They reached the front door of with ease and Twilight opened it quickly with her magic.

Fluttershy flew inside and motioned for Twilight to close the door again. Twilight did as she was told and gently shut the door with a drawn-out squeak. She untied the blanket around Fluttershy’s neck, letting their dishes and leftovers crash to the floor inharmoniously. Fluttershy simply ignored it; she had a unicorn to put to bed. She flew them both up the staircase towards her bedroom and sat Twilight down carefully in front of the bedroom door. She landed and opened the door carefully, waking through it and motioning for Twilight to follow. Almost immediately at the sound of the door’s click, Twilight ignored the searing pain in her hind legs and pounced on Fluttershy, pinning her to the bed. The giggling mare blushed heavily, but quickly replied with a quick kiss on Twilight’s nose. Twilight countered with another to her lips, locking them both in the embrace. They kissed with the same vigor and passion as their dinner, breaking only to regain their air. They soon broke apart and laid their heads on the pillows, gazing at each other for the last time today. Fluttershy inched closer and snuggled up to Twilight for warmth. Twilight responded all too eagerly with putting her hooves around Fluttershy’s waist and hugging her tightly.

“Goodnight Fluttershy, I love you,” Twilight spoke calmly, running a hoof down the length of Fluttershy’s back. The Pegasus extended a wing over Twilight, wrapping her in a warm, feathery blanket.

“I love you too, my unicorn,” Fluttershy spoke as shivers rolled down her. They both soon slept more peacefully than either of them had since this whole accident occurred. No more sleeping on couches, no more lonely nights in a bed upstairs. Both mares finally felt better than ever; together for eternity.

High above Fluttershy’s cabin on a cloud, a dark and mysterious mare sat dark as the night sky with hair glistering like the starts themselves.

“Goodnight, my little lovebirds. Sweet dreams,” The mysterious mare added before flexing her wings and taking flight towards Canterlot, leaving nothing but a dancing set of black feathers in her wake.

Authors notes:

First of all: This isn't the end of this fic!
I have alot more stuff planned and I'm writing it as ou read this ;)
So remeber; The fic will go on after this.

Thanks where due:
My pre reader Kodiak.
And you my readers for actually reading and liking my fic. my desire to write on this fic gets bigger by each person that reads/ tracks this story.

That is all.

Chapter 6

Fluttershy abruptly woke at the nudge of a small creature against her underside. She looked around the dimly lit bedroom, but all she could gather was Twilight and a resting foal lying opposite to her. Fluttershy’s mind froze; all of this felt vaguely familiar. She remembered seeing two foals in her last encounter. Where was the other one? Fluttershy quickly snapped her head in all direction in a fearful search for the second filly. Her thoughts and head stopped dead in their tracks when she felt a slight pinch along her underbelly. Fluttershy let out a gasp of shock as she froze in position. Looking down, she found the second foal hungrily nursing itself.

The foal rolled off and let out a loud yawn, which woke Twilight from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes instantly narrowed as she protectively scanned the room for danger. Her nerves calmed and visage lightened when she locked eyes with Fluttershy. Both mares laid there in silence. Twilight ran a hoof over the short mane of the foal huddled against her.

“Aren’t they adorable Fluttershy,” Twilight stated rather than asked with a warm motherly tone that graced her voice.

“Y-Yes that they are.” Fluttershy skeptically replied. She had no idea who these foals were, or if any of them belonged to her. But, seeing how Twilight reacted to being around them, she deduced that she had some apparent connection with them. Her thoughts left her with two conclusions: either both foals were Twilight’s, or one of them...belonged to her. The chilling thought echoed in her head,

“My own foal…”

****
The sun pierced through the thin curtains surrounding the window into Fluttershy’s bedroom, illuminating the interior with a warm cozy glow. The room was silent and calm. The only sound that rose against the silence was that of two mares lying in bed and breathing slowly in unison, completing each other to the fullest. The newfound light in the room bounced off a nearby picture frame and landed on the face of the sleeping mares, stirring them awake from their slumber. As the Pegasus opened her soft cyan eyes to the world, she flinched at the light shining upon them. Her eyes soon adjusted and she relaxed in the ambience of the room. A soft breathing broke her trance. She quickly turned to her side and smiled brightly at the sight of her sleeping mare, Twilight. The Pegasus giggled softly at the varying directions of hair that made up the unicorn’s unruly mane.

Fluttershy wished she could stay there in bed, staying with Twilight all day. Alas, things had to be done today. She motioned as gently as possible not to wake Twilight from her slumber, taking the bed sheets off her and setting a hoof down on the cold floor. As she made contact, a sudden pain gripped her heart. She turned back to the sleeping unicorn before her at a loss for words. She leaned closer and gently nuzzled Twilight’s neck and mane. Fluttershy sighed with warmth at the faint scent of apples from their night before. A meep escaped her mouth as Twilight quickly drew Fluttershy’s head into her chest.

“Oh Smarty Pants…at least you understand me,” the unicorn grogged with a bubbly giggle. Fluttershy rolled her eyes with a smile and drew back for a second attempt at leaving. As her hooves made it to the floor, she looked down towards her chest; she felt no pain this time. With a smile warmer than the sun in the room, she set out for the door.

She opened the old wooden door slowly and snuck through it like a cat at dawn. She flexed her tender wings out wide as an eagle and took off down the staircase towards the living room. Landing at the base of the staircase with a low thump, she proceeded to look around the living room, and it was empty. Not even her pet rabbit, Angel, was anywhere to be seen. However, she did notice a large pile of used plates and baskets towards the door.

Oh. . .right, that. Fluttershy sighed.

The silence of the room was immense, not even the pips and squeaks of mice could be heard. Worried for their well-being, Fluttershy quickly searched around the room and found most of them to be asleep. With a relieving exhale, she decided to get on with breakfast preparations and trotted through the kitchen’s archway.

Preparations went by in a flash. Fluttershy kept herself busy as a bee preparing the food for her and Twilight. “Twilight,” the name rolled so smoothly off her tongue. It felt amazing being able to talk about her in that manner, like her mare friend. It felt strange, but so natural.

The smell of roses and daffodils quickly brought Fluttershy’s mind into the real world. The porridge she was making neared completion, and required a light seasoning for the perfect taste. Fluttershy scanned the shelf above the cast iron stove and her eyes fell upon a small glass bottle of lily extract. The scent was divine and Fluttershy could not resist adding it to the porridge.

Once their lovely meal was complete, the canary mare grasped the pot by the handle between her teeth and poured the porridge into two bowls on the kitchen table. Decorating the steaming meal with cinnamon for flavor and appearance, topping it with a small parsley leaf, and continuing the decorations across the tray and drinks with the food. Satisfied with her work of perfection, Fluttershy picked the tray up and trotted cheerily out the kitchen. She once again found herself in the small, but comfortable living room and just as before, none of her animal friends could be seen anywhere. Smiling at the thought of their “alone time,” Fluttershy set her gaze at the staircase. She slowly walked towards it and soon found herself before it. Deciding against taking flight, she opted for walking up the staircase instead. Fluttershy gently put her right front hoof on the first step and applied pressure gently. The staircase reprimanded the notion by creaking slowly as the mare began the journey up.

She arrived at their bedroom door, turning to the side and bumping her flank against it to open it. Twilight was still lying in bed sleeping, breathing in a slow rhythm and oblivious to the world around her. Fluttershy walked inside the bedroom and repeated the motion to close the door again. Fluttershy crept towards Twilight sleeping in bed and placed the tray on the nightstand to the left of the bed. She covered the resting mare with her gaze. With a sly smile, Fluttershy slid under the cotton covers once more and snuggled up to her mare.

“Twiiiilight, it’s time to get up now,” Fluttershy cooed into Twilight ear ever so gently. She was met with silence; Twilight didn’t budge from her position one bit.

“Twilight, wakey wakey,” Fluttershy cooed once more into her lover’s ear. Once again, she was met with silence.

Twilight, you sleepyhead, Fluttershy thought to herself bluntly with a deadpan visage.

Fluttershy lifted her head and moved it over to Twilight’s purple mane, nuzzling her neck with a quiet hum. She felt the unicorn shiver lightly, but didn’t wake from her slumber. Taking drastic measures, Fluttershy continued her nuzzling, upwards towards Twilight’s ear and gently started nibbling on the tip of it. Twilight responded by flicking her ear to try to escape Fluttershy’s nibbling. However, Fluttershy had her mind set: Twilight was to wake up and eat her breakfast, no matter what. Fluttershy moved again and started nuzzling Twilights mane again, going from the shoulder up to the ears each go. Then Fluttershy heard it, a faint giggle coming from Twilight. She had her now.

Fluttershy continued the nuzzling to no avail; her mare just would not wake up. Fluttershy decided to try another approach. She lifted her head just above Twilight’s and gently licked the tip of the unicorn’s ear. Twilight jolted awake, shifting her hooves as she tried getting her bearings straight. Her eyes soon lowered slightly as the electrifying feel of Fluttershy’s tongue made her let out a staggered sigh of content. Fluttershy giggled lightly.

“Morning sleepyhead,” Fluttershy whispered into Twilight’s ear. Twilight smirked and quickly turned over on the bed, pecking Fluttershy on the lips.

“Good morning, you sneaky Pegasus,” Twilight replied in playful annoyance. She rested her head back against the pillow and looked towards her left, “What’s that smell? It’s lovely!”

“It’s our breakfast,” Fluttershy rolled off Twilight and sat upright against the bedpost. “Move over here and I’ll give it to you.” Twilight quickly snuggled up in between Fluttershy’s hooves, laying her head on Fluttershy’s chest. Fluttershy then wrapped her wings around her mare to keep her warm while they savored the moment. She reached over towards the tray, but drew back as the tray levitated with a purple aura.

“Allow me,” Twilight winked as she brought their bowls over, horn aglow with the same aura. Fluttershy beamed at the gesture.

She’s finally has her control back. . .Fluttershy thought as she lowered her head to the bowl before her.

No words were spoken during their second meal together, but there felt to be a secret conversation between their bodies. Fluttershy held Twilight tighter and Twilight responded with a deeper snuggle in their embrace. As they finished, Twilight placed their dishes back on the tray as Fluttershy rolled them both on their side.

“Twilight, I was thinking, maybe we could do something today… A walk, maybe?” Fluttershy spoke up while she gently stroked Twilight’s mane with the tip of her hoof, soothing the lavender mare.

“Sure. I have to open the library back up anyway, so it’d be a nice way to take my mind of everything and relax with you,” the unicorn responded. Fluttershy kissed the top on her head.

“That’s wonderful. But, we still need to clean up the stuff from yesterday. We kinda left a mess last night,” Fluttershy spoke while she unwrapped Twilight from her wings and started off the bed. Twilight drew her hooves close at the sudden chill and turned over to Fluttershy. “Are you coming? I could use some help.” Fluttershy shook her wings and quickly preened them. Twilight moved herself out of bed and put her hooves down on the floor, but something was different. Her damaged leg didn’t hurt any longer; the pain was gone altogether. Twilight gave a quick buck at the air, nothing. The feeling was odd, but she didn’t care; she was with the mare of her dreams and everything was perfect. Nothing in the world could change that.

Twilight trotted past Fluttershy and began her decent down the creaky staircase. Both mares soon found themselves at the bottom looking at the cloth containing all their utensils from the night before. Twilight bounded the items up in the blanket using her magic and levitated it in front of her as she walked towards the kitchen to begin washing it all up. Fluttershy followed in close pursuit.

Both mares soon came to the arch into the kitchen and walked inside, appointing different roles to each other to make the work go faster. Twilight was to empty the cloth and levitate the dirty dishes over to Fluttershy, where Fluttershy would wash them and put them on the rack to dry off. Confident in their plan, they both got to their stations and started working.

After some playful competition, the dishes were clean. Content with their hard labor, Twilight and Fluttershy opted to leave the kitchen and prepare for their walk later that day. Things needed done before it could start; Twilight wanted to shower, and Fluttershy had her normal routine with feeding the animals. Even though they were still resting, Fluttershy was determined to feed them all before they started their walk.

Twilight went into the bathroom, closed the door slowly and slipped into the warm embrace of the shower. The warmth calmed her down further as she cleaned herself up. Fluttershy started her work in the kitchen, sorting out the different food for all her forest critters and animals. Each animal required a special blend of seeds, fruit and other small plants. She finished mixing the blends in and walked out of the kitchen to start putting the by the homes of her friends. Each animal had its own little den or house, so the work was finished quickly, leaving Fluttershy some time to freshen herself up for their walk.

Twilight finished her shower, walked out and dried her wet coat and mane with a towel. Once dry, she made her way over to the bathroom mirror to brush her mane into shape; it was a fuzzy mess of violet purple and pink that made Twilight giggle merely at the sight. Once her mane was fixed, making sure it was perfect for Fluttershy, Twilight opened the bathroom door and went into the living room.

There, Fluttershy was sitting on the couch humming a lullaby while she waited for Twilight. As Twilight came in to her view, Fluttershy stood up from the couch and walked over to the unicorn, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. Twilight blushed at the affection. It was still a bit unusual for her to be kissed so freely, but she was enjoying every moment of it.

“Shall we?” Twilight asked when her blush faded, tilting her head towards the door.

“Oh, of course Twilight,” Fluttershy answered as she trotted over to the door and held it open for Twilight. Twilight obliged and stepped outside where she waited for Fluttershy to close and lock the door before they left. Looking at each other with a quick smile and nuzzle, the pair journeyed down the winding path to Ponyville.

*****

The weather this morning was perfect; no clouds to be seen for miles and a clear blue sky graced the couple’s eyes. Every worry and pain seemed to melt away.

Twilight and Fluttershy continued their walk down the trail. Fluttershy’s left wing draped over Twilight back, bringing them closer as they walked tightly together. Twilight retaliated by rested her head on Fluttershy’s with a giddy smile.

“Twilight why don’t rest for a bit over there?” Fluttershy spoke while pointing towards a bench perked on the riverbank. The spot was perfect; the water flowed like a liquid mirror, perfectly reflecting the skies making the world seem endless. They walked over to the bench and sat down, Fluttershy first and Twilight second. Twilight leaned on Fluttershy and put her head on the canary mare’s shoulder, Fluttershy responded with draping her wings around herself and her Twilight.

They just sat there, listening to each other’s heartbeats, their slow breathing, all the while enjoying the sunshine and time spent together. Twilight lifted her head off Fluttershy’s shoulder and locked eyes with the mare. They both looked into each other’s eyes, loosing themselves in the moment before Twilight locked lips with Fluttershy in a passionate kiss. It sent shivers down Fluttershy’s spine, clouding her mind in bliss of hormones.

Twilight broke the tender kiss and locked eyes with her lover. Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush hotly at the sudden intimacy. Her body tingled all over; the feeling was indescribable. All she knew was that she wanted more. Fluttershy leaned over to Twilight and kissed her again, this time she brushed her tongue past the unsuspecting lavender mare’s lips.

Twilight soon found their tongues in an intricate dance for domination that continued until they ran short for breath. Both mares found themselves panting; they were warm, fuzzy and blushing heavily. Twilight just hugged Fluttershy tightly, not wanting to let the moment slip. She nuzzled Fluttershy’s pink mane.

“Fluttershy, I think it’s about time to head on” Twilight spoke in a very calm domineer.

“Oh, right. . .I had completely forgotten. Of course, Twilight,” Fluttershy answered shyly, slightly embarrassed for letting herself get sidetracked like that.

Fluttershy released her grip around the unicorn and allowed her to stand first. Fluttershy quickly followed suit and resumed their earlier embrace before their break. They slowly continued onwards towards the town.

*****

They found themselves at the edge of Ponyville, walking towards the town square with their tails intertwined. The walk over to the town square was short, but the whole way over, Twilight and Fluttershy felt like someone, hiding in the shadows, was silently judging them. Both of them did a short scan of their surroundings as they walked. Most of the ponies in town seemed to be ignoring them, going about with their normal day to day routines.

Feeling a bit safer, and slightly playful under their lack of supervision, Fluttershy tickled Twilight gently with the feathers on her wing with an innocent smile. Twilight tried to contain her laughter as she responded with tickling the feathers on Fluttershy’s other wing with her magic. Fluttershy was soon pushed into the same situation as her victim. They kept up the teasing and playing their whole walk through town, ending it when they arrived at the library’s front door.

The old library hadn’t changed a bit since Twilight left it all those weeks ago. Twilight nudged the door open and stepped inside, followed by Fluttershy. The first floor was covered in a thin, yet noticeable, blanket of dust. It would take some cleaning to get it back into order.

Looks like Spike’s been enjoying his little vacation in Canterlot. . .Twilight thought flatly in annoyance.

As she continued on the dust-covered floor, Twilight’s eyes locked on to something that made her freeze in place: the dried bloodstain from her tumble down the stairs. Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Fluttershy quickly stepped in and rested the top of her head against Twilight’s side, pushing her into the kitchen before flying back out to clean it.

Fluttershy soon came back and held Twilight close, “It’s ok, it’s gone now. It’s safe to enter the room,” Fluttershy cooed as she hugged Twilight closely. Twilight nodded with an uneasy smile as Fluttershy lead them back to the lobby. Fluttershy released her hold and hovered in the air.

“Now, how about you start cleaning the library while I go and get us some food for tonight,” Fluttershy stated rather than asked. As she departed, Twilight’s eyes flew open as she snapped back to reality. She quickly galloped over to Fluttershy and pounced her out the air.

“No! Please don’t go; you can’t go!” Twilight begged. “You…promised me.” Fluttershy rolled over on her back to face the unicorn above her. She felt a tear streaming down her cheek at the memory of their previous night.

“I know Twilight, I know. But I’ll only be gone for a short while; don’t you worry about me now,” Fluttershy assured as she ran a hoof along Twilight back. Twilight shut her watery eyes as she turned her head to the side.

“Twilight, what about I go buy some food and cook us a nice dinner for tonight while you clean the library?” Fluttershy asked in slightly different wording. Twilight flicked her tail and stomped a hoof against the floor.

“It’s just, I’ve never had somepony to love before. You’re the only one I’ve felt this way towards,” she leaned down and hugged Fluttershy tightly as she buried her face in the Pegasus’ mane. “I… I just don’t like the idea of being alone, especially now that I have you.” Fluttershy felt her heart begin to ache from her lover’s pain. She licked a tear from Twilight’s cheek and the unicorn’s eyes instantly lit back up.

“Twilight… I won’t be gone for that long. You trust me, don’t you?” Fluttershy forced a smile despite her watery eyes. Twilight’s head rose as she returned the expression and smiled warmly.

“Of course I do,” Twilight’s voice cracked as she gave Fluttershy a quick peck on the forehead before freeing her. “I always will.”

Fluttershy slowly rose to her hooves and shook the dust from her golden coat. She leaned over and rubbed her head against the now spirited unicorn’s neck.

“I’ll be right back,” Fluttershy whispered as she trotted out the door. Twilight winced as the door closed behind the Pegasus.

“Yeah, see you in a bit,” Twilight spoke aloud, almost to convince herself she was still talking to her. She turned around, looking at the long rows of books that once were all she wanted in life. She walked along the rows, idly looking over the various titles. Her hoofsteps echoed through the empty building. Their thudding sounds quickly halted as Twilight came to a stop.

What’s this? She levitated a thick, aged tome from the lower sections of the bookshelf. She held it in place before her.

Equestrian Breeding Vol. VI: Magically Induced Pregnancies, she mentally read. She rolled her eyes and prepared to return the book to its place. However, something in her mind stopped her; it warned her against it. She pulled the book back and glanced once again over its cover.

Well, I’ve never read it before. I’ll just give it a quick glance when I’m finished here. She placed the tome on the table centered in the room as she looked around.

Silence. Being alone in the library was something she had grown accustomed to since her arrival to the town. Now, it just reminded her of the past she left behind; the old ways that were now replaced by the happiness of having someone to love. Sadness started to sneak its way into her mind, but she pushed it aside.

“Let’s not go there; I have work to do.”

Chapter 7

Fluttershy made her way down the gravel path leading to the town’s commerce plaza. She lifted her head high as the rays of the afternoon sun ran through her coat, lighting it ablaze in a golden hue. Her steps had a whimsical bounce to them as she hummed a small song in her heart.

She arrived at the market place soon after she left. Having the perfect dinner in mind, she quickly made her way towards the town’s produce merchants.

“Fluttershy!” She jumped at the sound of her name. Turning around, she tilted her head at the orange pony waving at her from a distance. Fluttershy looked at the sign above the pony, and gasped in realization as she made out the “Sweet Apple Acres” insignia. Her face lit brighter as she waved back at the pony before taking flight over to the station.

“Howdy ther’,” the pony’s rustic accent spoke. Fluttershy instantly brought the mare into a tight hug over the counter.

“Hey Applejack, I should have known you’d be out here too.” Fluttershy reared back and stood on all four of her hooves. Applejack let out a short chuckle as she shook herself off.

“Heh, yeah. Today’s great for us farmers in town; summer’s comin’ in mighty nice, and all our crops just came back from harvest.” Applejack brought back a heavy bushel of apples and planted it on the counter to prove her point with a confident smirk. “What you doin’ out here anyway? Ain’t you got Twi’ waiting on ya?” the farmer mare teased. Fluttershy laughed uneasily, with an even more bothered smile at the memory of Twilight’s “episode” earlier.

“You have no idea…” Fluttershy began, “I’m just here to pick up a few things for dinner tonight. We’re staying at her place for the night this time.” Applejack nodded with a sly wink.

“Speakin’ of supper, ya’ll enjoy that last little batch I whipped up for ya?” Fluttershy blushed, and sighed dreamily.

“It was perfect! I can’t thank you enough for that. The whole night was just…magical!” Fluttershy was soon snapped out of her rapturous trance at the sound of Applejack’s hooves knocking on the counter.

“No problem Fluttershy, but ya’ll better get along now before the sun beats you home.” Fluttershy followed Applejack’s pointed hoof at the sky, noticing Celestia’s gift slowly descending.

“Y-Yeah, you’re right.” With a flap of her wings, Fluttershy jumped up, and made her way into the plaza, waving the orange pony behind her goodbye.

She continued her intended path towards the vegetable section of the plaza. Her smile grew a bit wider as she marveled at the gleaming orange carrots hanging from the sign of one of the many shops. She zeroed in on the shop, and halted before its counter. The welcoming smile of the pony behind it greeted the Pegasus, as her orange mane blended perfectly with the setting sun.

“Fluttershy! My favorite customer,” the shopkeeper welcomed, raising a hoof to show off her products. “What can I do ya for?”

"Hey Carrot,” Fluttershy returned with a giggle. “I’m looking for your freshest batch of carrots for a nice soup tonight."

"I’ve got just the thing you’re lookin’ for," the mare spoke, while searching through her stock under the counter. She continued their conversation, “Soup eh? Got a hungry stallion waitin’ at home for ya?” Fluttershy’s face lit with a heavy blush, as she turned her head to the side.

“Heh, well…” she stammered. “kinda. She’s…more of a mare than a stallion, but yes." Fluttershy flinched back as the storekeeper’s head banged against the underside of the counter. She rose up with the carrots and a slightly dazed expression.

“My, a mare you say?” She shook her head to clear it, as she laid the produce on the counter. “Can’t say I’ve heard that one often. But,” she rested her head in her hoof, as she looked back at Fluttershy with a somewhat downcast expression, “love’s blind like that I guess. She must be a good one for you makin’ supper for her like that. Heh, maybe it’ll stumble across me someday, huh?” She raised her head, and brushed off her slight worry with a smile. Fluttershy dropped the usual payment on the counter, and took the carrots in her saddlebag. She looked back at the clerk, and placed a hoof on hers as Fluttershy gave the mare an assuring nod before leaving.

Fluttershy turned around, and made her way towards the plaza’s flower stand. A light tap on her shoulder made her jump, as she quickly snapped her head behind her. She was greeted with a rather large brown Earth stallion smiling at her happily.

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear you earlier. You have a mare waiting for you at home?” he asked with the warmest of tones. Fluttershy felt her heart begin to calm, as the sense of danger fled from her.

“Oh…that. Yes, I do,” Fluttershy began, returning the stallion’s smile. “She such an amazing pony. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He simply nodded in return.

“That’s great... that’s nice.” Fluttershy began feeling a bit more open, and continued her dreamy descriptions.

“Yeah, and later on tonight, I’m making her-” Her eyes shot open as she was knocked a few feet back, the air quickly leaving her chest. She slid to a stop as the audible gasp of the bystander ponies rang in unison through the plaza. Fluttershy’s eyes began to shake with fear, as she shakily stood on her hooves.

“W-What was t-that for? Did I..do something w-wrong?” she stammered. "The stark stallion glared back at her with fire in his eyes. His head lowered as he closed the distance between them.

“Wrong? You want to talk about wrong!?” he lashed out, voice dripping in spite. “You like a mare, and you want to ask what you did ‘wrong?’” Fluttershy flinched back, and hid her face behind her flowing mane.

Suddenly, her stride was broken by a large brown stallion blocking her path. Fluttershy folded her ears back, as she took a step back.

"Um... Excuse me, may I pass please?" Fluttershy spoke behind her lush pink mane, her voice dripping apprehension.

"Pass? What makes you think I’ll move for a fillyfooler like you?" the stark stallion replied in a stern, spiteful tone. While he spoke, more ponies from the market gathered around Fluttershy in a circle. Fluttershy peeked out from her mane, and witnessed the ponies that had gathered around her. Every single one had a look of disapproval, like they hated something about her.

"What do you mean by my kind?" Fluttershy spoke shyly to the stallion, wondering why they were all looking at her in that way, judging her silently from the side.

"Your kind... mare lovers...” the stallion spoke up, spitting at the ground as he uttered the last word. He looked at Fluttershy with a look of pure anger.

"What's wrong with that? What have I done?" Fluttershy asked, looking straight at the stallion, feeling a bit stronger defending herself.

"You love a mare, that's what you've done!" He thrashed at Fluttershy. “It’s not natural" he exclaimed, looking around the crowd that had gathered. The crowd cheered his speech, and inched closer towards the scared canary yellow Pegasus.

Fluttershy turned towards the crowd and spoke. "What's wrong with our love? Why can't I be with the pony I love?” Fluttershy spoke loudly towards the angry crowd of ponies, who seemed to ignore her completely. That was all Fluttershy managed to say, before she was kicked to the ground. She landed with a loud thump, her face stung as her nose hit the ground.

Fluttershy quickly lifted her head up, and looked around for any means to escape the crowd, but there was none in sight. She noticed the now blood stained dirt under her face, so she brought a hoof up to her nose. It stung sharply as she touched it. It felt broken. The ponies around her closed in on the now bleeding mare.

“We don't want your kind in this town" the group recited while stepping closer and closer to Fluttershy. Fluttershy panicked as her mind went blank. She was trapped, and she didn't know what the ponies would do to her.

She curled up into a tight ball, trying to shield her ears from the insults the group threw at her, but to no avail. The insults stung, and hit her most sensitive spots. She found herself crying while the group continued their verbal assault.

All she could do was to try and ignore the insults, but the group was getting closer and closer. The hope to be left alone was quickly shrinking away.

Then, out of nowhere, the stallion who started it all was suddenly launched head-first into Junebug’s stand, smashing it to bits.

The group around her yelped in surprise. Suddenly, the stallion found himself pinned under a set of orange hooves that belonged to a furious mare, with a look that could kill on her face.

"What do you think yer doing!?!" the orange mare screamed into his face, her anger clearly showing. The group moved in to help the stallion, but they were blocked by a just as furious cyan Pegasus.

The group started backing away as the cyan Pegasus moved closer and closer to them, glaring at the group. The orange mare kept screaming at the stallion under her hooves, forcing his reasons for harassing Fluttershy out of his shocked form.

Once she finished her interrogation of him, the orange mare turned around and walked up besides Fluttershy. Looking at the crowd, she spoke up. "I've never been so disappointed in mah whole life! Ponies harassing other ponies over whom they love?" she yelled at the crowd. She wasn't angry... she was furious! "Explain your actions! What gives you the right to harass Fluttershy like this? Hm!?"

Fluttershy looked up at the mention of her name, and her heart fluttered by the sheer joy she felt. There in front of her, AJ and Rainbow Dash stood, defending her choice to all those other ponies.

"I'd recommend that y’all leave this instant, before me and Rainbow here do something we'll regret later." AJ stared at the crowd, but they didn't budge from their places, so she tried again. "Ok, I'll count to three and if ye'r not gone by then, Rainbow here will see to you one at a time" she yelled at the crowd. Surely enough, they began to spread, mumbling further insults as they went.

Applejack then focused her attention on Fluttershy, who was still lying on the ground. She bent down to her. "Are you ok, sugarcube?" she asked, while lifting Fluttershy slowly to her hooves again.

"I... I don't know." Fluttershy replied between sobs. She was not feeling alright at all. All she wanted was to be with Twilight right now; she needed the comforting touch of her mare friend.

"Applejack, could you walk me to the Library? I don't feel safe walking alone right now" Fluttershy pleaded to the orange mare.

"Sure I will, hun. Rainbow, would you mind helping me out here?

"Sure thing, Applejack” Rainbow Dash replied, before she walked up beside Fluttershy and Applejack.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy walked together towards the library. Applejack and Rainbow kept an eye out for anypony from the group wanting to try again, but the walk went without any problems; the group left them alone.

They soon arrived at the library. Applejack asked RD to stay outside and keep an eye out for trouble. Rainbow Dash agreed reluctantly, and stepped out on the path, looking for any signs of the group. Applejack and Fluttershy opened the door and stepped inside. They looked around the room, and found Twilight sorting books by the back wall. Applejack coughed slightly to alert Twilight of their arrival.

Twilight turned around, and was struck at the sight. There Applejack stood, with concern in her eyes, looking at Twilight while hinting towards Fluttershy. Twilight shifted her gaze from Applejack over to Fluttershy. The scene before her made her whole world fall apart.

"Fluttershy... are you okay?" Twilight asked, as she dashed across the library floor, bringing Fluttershy tightly into her embrace. Fluttershy broke down on the spot. Her feelings were shattered, and any confidence was gone. She'd been defeated by the crowd; they had won, and any happy thoughts were washed away... only sadness remained.

“Fluttershy, what happened to you?” Twilight asked, while hugging the canary Pegasus tightly, comforting Fluttershy to the best of her abilities.

“I… I” was all Fluttershy managed to speak. Her mind was a mess; she couldn’t think straight.

“Twilight, come with me, and I’ll tell you” Applejack spoke, as she hinted towards the kitchen. Twilight obliged, and followed in close pursuit. Once inside the rustic kitchen, Applejack began to speak again.

“Okay hun, now don’t ya freak out now. Fluttershy was attacked while shopping for carrots just now. The attack started with a brown stallion that blocked her path as she tried to walk.” Applejack said with a stern, but concerned voice.

“What!? Why would anyone do this to her? What did she do wrong?” Twilight blurted out, her mind racing for any explanation for why somepony would do this. However, the thoughts only came to dead-ends.

“It gets worse hun... now bear with me here. After the stallion blocked her path, more pony folk gathered around her, insulting her personal choices, judging her for her relationship with you. She tried her best to stay strong. She talked to them, defended her choice. She fought for yer love, but this did not sit right with the group or the stallion, so he kicked her to the ground, insulting her further.” Applejack continued her retelling to Twilight. Every single word hit Twilight harshly. She was now at the brink of crying. Her mind was split. One part was overjoyed by what Fluttershy had done, but the other focused on the damages done by the stallion and the crowd.

“I was at the market today, selling my apples as usual, and Rainbow Dash was there to help me. She owes me a small sum of cash after she pulled a Buccaneer Blaze over mah orchard last week. Anyway, we were just about to start packing up the stand for the day when we saw Fluttershy talking to the brown stallion. She seemed intimidated by him, so we kept an eye out, waiting to see what he might do. We then turned around for a short while to stack some barrels up on mah cart, and when we turned back around, Fluttershy was gone. All we could see was a large group centered on something in the middle of the marketplace.” Applejack continued, but soon noticed that Twilight had started crying. She moved Twilight over to one of the kitchen chairs, and sat her down on it. She hugged Twilight, trying her best to comfort her.

“Now if ya want me to stop, I’ll stop” Applejack said, as she gently stroked Twilight’s back and mane.

“No, I need to know the rest... please continue.” Twilight answered, as she wiped her nose with a hoof, trying her best to stop crying.

“Okay then. So, we saw the group, and wondered where Fluttershy was, but our thoughts were cut short by Fluttershy speaking up to the group. We couldn’t hear exactly what she said, but we managed to hear her say love and wrong. We then heard a loud thump, as if something just hit the ground. Our first thought was Fluttershy, so we dashed over to the group. When I saw Fluttershy bleeding on the ground like that, I lost it. My feelings took over, and I bucked the stallion as hard as I could, straight into Junebug’s flower stand. I then jumped him, and forced an answer out of his shocked body while Rainbow Dash took care of the group that had gathered.” Applejack’s description of the events went on, while making sure Twilight was all right.

“We got the crowd to leave, and then we got Fluttershy on her hooves again. Looking her over, I quickly noticed her broken nose. We asked her if she was all right, but all she managed to say was that she was unsure. She then asked us if we could take her here. We obliged, and the rest you know.”Twilight just sat there dumbfounded, her mind going a mile a minute, but it came to the same conclusion as before. Why would anyone do this to her? Was it wrong of her to love Twilight?

She’d have to think about the answers later. Right now, Fluttershy needed her. Fluttershy depended on her. Twilight got up from her chair, and stepped out of the kitchen into the library. There on the couch, by the far wall, Fluttershy lay clearly shaken up, crying. Twilight winced at the sight. She hated seeing Fluttershy cry, and each sob was like a knife in her heart. Twilight knew she had to do something, so she trotted over to the couch and lied down besides Fluttershy. She started gently nuzzling her pink mane and neck, trying to get Fluttershy to look up from her hooves.

The affectionate nuzzling seemed to help, as Fluttershy slowly stopped sobbing and finally looked up from her hooves. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her mane was a mess, but the worst thing was the broken nose. Fluttershy still bled from the wound, and as such her hooves and large portions of her face was blood red. Twilight ignored this, and levitating some tissues over to her, slowly began cleaning her up. Twilight worked as gently as she could, trying her best to avoid the nose as it was quite sensitive.

“There we are. Does that feel better?” Twilight caringly spoke to Fluttershy, after she finished cleaning her up.

“Y… Yes, it feels a little bit better.” Fluttershy replied, before she hugged Twilight tight and started crying again.

“There, there Fluttershy... don’t worry. I’m here to help you. It’ll all be all right, I promise.” Twilight cooed to the canary mare, while she ran a hoof down Fluttershy’s back, stroking her fur and mane gently.

“Now then, Fluttershy, how about we go make us some dinner?” Twilight asked, as she moved her head backwards to look Fluttershy’s face over. The sight was painful to see. Fluttershy’s eyes were red from crying. Her fur was damp, and her nose still bled slowly, but she looked better than when she first entered the library.

They sat there, looking at each other for a while, until Fluttershy surprised Twilight by bending forward and kissing Twilight on the lips. Twilight didn’t know how to respond. Her body went limp once Fluttershy’s lips touched her. As before, Twilight’s mind was a haze of hormones and emotions. The feeling was unlike anything she’d felt before.

The kiss could have lasted forever, but it was cut short by Rainbow Dash walking through the front door of the Library. Rainbow Dash froze up when she saw Twilight and Fluttershy kissing. She could not believe the sight before her; Fluttershy was in love with Twilight? How could it be?

Whatever the reason, Rainbow knew she couldn’t be there anymore. She still felt pain every time she thought about the relationship she had with Fluttershy, and the breakup at the end. In a flash, she dashed out the door and made her way towards home, tears streaming down her face as she flew.

‘Why Am I crying? I thought I’d gotten over it! Why does it still hurt!?’ Rainbow Dash thought while she flew home, tears rolling down her cyan cheeks, ruffling her fur as she flew faster and faster towards the cloud house that she called home.

“AJ, what was that about?” Twilight asked after Rainbows sudden departure.

“Ah honestly don’t know, but it must’a been something special for her to take off like that.” Applejack replied bluntly. She was just as stunned as Twilight.

“I just hope she’s okay. I hope I didn’t do something wrong though.” Twilight skeptically replied, wondering if she’d done something to make Rainbow Dash leave like she did.

“Fluttershy, do you know anything about this?” Twilight asked curiously, as she turned around and looked at the now shivering canary mare on the couch.

The canary mare shivered slightly. She’d hoped this discussion wouldn’t come up this early. The memories were still with her, and she just didn’t like the thought of talking about it. After the break-up, her and RD had chosen to keep it silent and just stay good friends. They saw no need for the others to know of their relationship.

“Okay, Twilight, I’ll tell you why she left like that... but you have to sit tight and listen to the whole story and not cut in on me while I speak. This is a delicate matter for both me and Rainbow.” Fluttershy said, nudging for Twilight to sit down beside her on the couch.

Editor's notes:

Allright then, this is a chapter that sure took quite some time to finish. This is mostly due to School on my end and the bit about me changing pre-readers. I now have 3 pre-readers on my team so future updates should come at a quicker pace.

That is all for now folks! Await my blog posts and future chapters for more stuff to read.

~Slictz/Johan and the rest of the crew behind Eternal Bonds.~

Chapter 8

“I promise, Fluttershy. You know I would do anything you asked.” Twilight said, slightly excited to be let in on a secret this big, yet still worried about how much the matter meant to her beautiful marefriend. Twilight sat down on the couch, waiting for Fluttershy to start her explanation.

Applejack, who was just as curious, took a seat besides the purple unicorn, trying her best to hide the anticipation that was about to burst from her face. “Ah’m here for you as well sugarcube. We might not be marefriends an’ all, but you’re still mah best friend, and ya must never forget that!” Applejack spoke softly. “Ah’ll do anything I can to help you get better, no matter what!” The orange earth pony was doing her best to try and calm the still shivering Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was happy that she had such good friends to talk to, so she did her best to muster all her courage into this conversation. Starting off with a low mumble, she slowly began to form what she wanted to say in her head. After a while of worried pondering, and curious looks from the two other ponies, she decided to take the most assertive cut through this matter and trick herself into actually saying it before she cowered down again.

She cleared her throat once and hastily blurted out the words: “RAINBOW-AND-I-DATED-ONCE,” followed by a loud squeak and a lot of blushing. She tried to hide herself behind her long, pink mane.

However, she said this so fast that neither Twilight nor Applejack actually managed to catch what she tried to say. Twilight was very embarrassed when she was about to ask Fluttershy to repeat herself. She had seen how hard it was for the canary mare to just gather her courage for a few words on the topic, and didn’t want to put her through that stress once again.

Much to Twilight’s delight, the mare beside her spoke up just before she opened her mouth.

“Urhm... Sugarcube? Ah’m really sorry that I have to tell ya this, but Ah don’t think any of us heard what ya just said. If it’s not to much of a bother, would ya mind saying that again, a little slower this time?” Applejack really didn’t like having to say this. She too had seen how much it had taken for Fluttershy to open up.

The nervous mare, still hiding behind her pink mane, was about to break. She had just used up all her courage for that one outburst, and none of them had actually heard it. She once again tried to find the strength to tell them, but to no success. She broke. She held her hooves up to her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Fluttershy, please... I’m here for you.” Twilight nuzzled the sobbing mare’s neck, and looked into her tired bloodshot eyes. “I’m here, my love.” The unicorn couldn’t help but blush as she said this. Running a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane, Twilight sat down, trying to comfort her.

At the word “love”, Fluttershy knew that she had to tell Twilight about this matter, for the sake of their future relationship. Through all this sadness, the shy mare found that tiny speck of willpower to calm her racing heart and contracting lungs. Taking a deep breath, she put down her hooves, and looked up at the mare of her dreams.

With a newly found level of tranquility, Fluttershy shifted her gaze to her closest friend, Applejack. A little confused as to who she was actually supposed to focus her attention on, she once again set her eyes upon the purple unicorn, who was still waiting on the couch. She let out a deep sigh, before continuing in the most serene tone she could manage.

“Rainbow Dash and I... we once... dated.”

“Wait, so you two were a couple?” Twilight asked, still shocked by what Fluttershy just told her.

“Y...Yes, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about it without Rainbow Dash here. It just feels wrong.” Fluttershy spoke with a concerned look on her face.

“Ah have to agree, we really should try to find RD.” Applejack spoke up while gazing at the open door out to Ponyville.

“How are we going to find her? She could be anywhere by now!” Twilight spoke out, worried about Rainbow Dash. They had to find her and talk this out, but how?

“We’re gonna need help finding her. We should ask Pinkie for help. Nopony’s better than her at finding her friends.” Applejack replied as she walked up besides Twilight.

“Okay, Applejack, you go ask Pinkie, while I stay here and help Fluttershy.” Twilight quickly spoke before she sat down next to Fluttershy again.

Applejack just nodded and dashed out the front door of the library. They had to find Rainbow Dash and talk this out with her. Applejack galloped through town, looking out for Pinkie, and any signs of Rainbow Dash, but she saw neither. The best place to look for Pinkie would be Sugarcube Corner, so she set her sights on the building.

Seconds later, she burst through the front door, and looked about the building for any signs of the pink mare. Thankfully she was there, standing behind the counter, sorting some cupcakes into a bright red box.

Pinkie looked up when she noticed that Applejack had entered the store.
“Hi Applejack! What brings you around here?” She giddily spoke up as she ran up besides Applejack.

“Pinkie, I need your help finding Rainbow Dash. She ran out on Fluttershy, Twilight, and I earlier today, and now we’re worried about what she might do.” Applejack quickly spoke up, cutting Pinkie off from rambling along further.

“What happened? Was it something one of you said?” Pinkie spoke up, her voice filled with concern.

“She found out an intimate secret about Fluttershy and Twilight, which made her dash off without saying anything.” Applejack spoke, trying to avoid telling Pinkie that Fluttershy and Twilight were a couple.

“Aw, it must have been something really, really sad to make her take off like that. We have to find her right away!” Pinkie spoke with a stern but worried voice. She hated the idea of Rainbow Dash being sad.

“Come on Applejack, let’s go!” Pinkie shouted as she left Sugarcube corner in a pink haze. Applejack complied and ran after her out the front door.

******

Rainbow saw the silhouette of her cloud home approaching fast. All she had to do was pass through the cloud in front of her and then she’d be home, away from Twilight and Fluttershy. She needed time to think, and she needed to be alone.

Crunch. The sound ripped through the air around her, and she suddenly felt a sharp sting in her right wing. Rainbow quickly turned her head over and yelped when she saw the state of her wing. The frail form had been broken right across the middle, blood was starting to drip out of the open wound. It looked really bad.

Rainbow quickly turned around, and noticed the tree-branch she must have hit flying through the thick cloud. Then the notion struck her... she was going down and fast. There was no way she’d make it to her house now. All she could do was to try and aim for a soft spot to crash on. She looked around on the ground and settled for a grassy hill she saw way down below her.

Rainbow quickly used her left wing in a futile attempt to slow her decent, but the ground loomed closer and closer. “Think Rainbow, what did they tell you about this at flight school!” Rainbow Dash focused on what she remembered from flight school. Most of the memories were hazy at best, but she could remember one: “If you’re about to crash land, brake your decent with your wings down to the last minute. Just before you hit the ground, clamp your wings shut to your sides and roll up tightly.”

“All right Rainbow, brake and roll, brake and roll!” Rainbow thought as the ground loomed. Then, only a few feet above the ground, she set the lesson in motion. Her body shook gently as she extended her left wing, and used it to slow her decent. Just before she hit the ground, Rainbow clamped her wings up to her sides and prepared for the impact.

*****

“Raaaainbow Daaash!” Pinkie shouted upwards towards the towering white house in the sky. The shouts were met with silence. “Rainbow! Are you up there? Please, we just want to talk!” The vivacious pink mare shouted once more upwards, but her cries were met with silence again.

The mare’s thoughts were interrupted by a rumbling sound coming from the west. She turned her head and saw the approaching storm clouds. They were dark and gloomy, indicating that turbulent times were ahead.

“Pinkie! Come over here lickety split! I found her, and she needs help!” AJ shouted with a disturbed voice towards Pinkie.

Pinkie took the notion and galloped as fast as her hooves would carry her. Her goal was the last spot she’d seen Applejack, and sure enough, she found Dash on the other side. The sight before her was not one she’d expected. There, Rainbow Dash lay on her left side, wings tucked in tight. Applejack’s shaken form could be seen next to the pegasus.

“Pinkie, quick, get over here! Help me get her up on my back! She needs to get to a hospital fast.” Applejack shouted sharply.

Pinkie did as requested, and soon enough Rainbow lay on Applejack’s back. Applejack and Pinkie looked at each other with worried eyes. Pinkie nodded and Applejack took off towards the Hospital.

“I have to tell Twilight and Fluttershy, but how will they take it?” Pinkie asked out loud. She came out blank. It might go well, or it could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Pinkie Pie just stood there. She was wondering what to do while she watched Applejack run off into the distance, Rainbow dash placed firmly on her back. Applejack’s form became smaller and smaller until Pinkie couldn’t see her in the distance anymore. The vivacious pink mare’s mood declined further until her mane deflated.

“I have to tell them. They have the right to know, but Applejack made it sound like something happened between Rainbow and the others earlier.” With this, Pinkie set off galloping towards the library to deliver the saddening news to Twilight and Fluttershy.

The storm in the distance grew larger and larger. Mere seconds before she arrived at the door, the skies opened up, drenching the land in heavy rainfall.
“Okay, here goes.” Pinkie told herself as she raised her hoof to knock on the massive oak door.

Not even a minute went by before Twilight opened the door slowly to see who knocked. When she spotted Pinkie standing there, mane flat and wet, she quickly opened the door up and told her to come inside to warm up.

“Pinkie, what’s wrong? Your mane is flat.” Twilight quickly asked as she led Pinkie over to the couch and sat her down on it gently.

“Where’s Fluttershy?” was all Pinkie muttered before going quiet once more.

“Fluttershy? She’s upstairs resting in my bed. She collapsed from exhaustion a short while after Applejack went to fetch you to help her look for Rainbow Dash.

“Okay then. I’m here because of Rainbow Dash... she had a small accident while flying home across town after she left the library earlier today.” Pinkie spoke with a saddened voice. The words she was about to mutter were not words of joy as she’d prefer, they were words of sorrow.

“What happened to h-” Was all Twilight managed to say before Pinkie put her hoof over Twilight’s mouth so that she could finish speaking.

“We don’t know exactly what happened. All I know is that Applejack found her lying behind a grassy hill mere feet from her home. Her right wing was badly injured, and there was a lot of blood around. We tried to wake her, but she didn’t respond at all.” Pinkie spoke with a soft, concerned voice.

“That’s horrible, I... is she okay?” Twilight cut in quickly.

“We therefore decided that Applejack, being the fastest runner, should be the one to carry Rainbow Dash to the hospital. My task was to inform you of what had happened to Rainbow Dash” Pinkie finished speaking with a sigh.

“I... I don’t know what to say. How are we going to tell Fluttershy? Fluttershy was devastated when Rainbow flew out on her like that!” Twilight spoke quickly, while pacing back and forth across the library floor. They had to tell Fluttershy, but how might they do it?

Twilight’s chain of thought was interrupted by a certain canary mare slowly descending down the staircase.

“Fluttershy, what are you doing out of bed so soon?” Twilight spoke in a whim as she made her way over to Fluttershy.

“I woke up from the sounds of the storm outside. I didn’t see you anywhere, so I decided to come down here to look for you.” Fluttershy spoke with a soft, dozy voice. She then noticed Pinkie sitting silently on the couch.

“Pinkie, what are you doing here? I thought you and Applejack went out searching for Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy spoke gently, as she moved over and sat down beside Pinkie on the couch.

“Fluttershy, I have something that I need to tell you about Rainbow..:” Pinkie began carefully, not wanting to burst the bubble too soon.

Pinkie looked at Fluttershy before she continued. The canary mare’s eyes were half-closed, her mane fuzzy, and voice dozy. She had all the characteristics of a pony that had just woken up. Pinkie’s looking was cut short when Twilight slowly walked over and sat down besides Fluttershy on the couch, stroking the canary mare’s back gently.

The gears inside Fluttershy’s head slowly began to turn when she noticed what they were doing. She slowly opened her mouth and spoke:
“What’s happened to Rainbow Dash... and why are you both so quiet and modest all of a sudden?”

“Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash had a small accident on her way home earlier.” Pinkie spoke up softly.

“What kind of accident?” Fluttershy asked with a concerned voice.

“We don’t know exactly. We found her lying behind a grassy hill a few feet away from her house. We quickly walked over to her, and tried our best to wake her up, but she just wouldn’t wake up.” Pinkie continued talking, constantly making sure that Fluttershy wasn’t about to break down again.

“We agreed that she had to be taken to the hospital, so Applejack lifted Rainbow onto her back and ran for the hospital while I came her to tell you-” was all Pinkie managed to speak before Fluttershy broke down crying again.

Twilight quickly hugged Fluttershy tightly, and spoke gentle and cooing words into her ear. Pinkie wanted to help, but any words she tried to mutter came out as mere whispers. She had no idea how to cheer Fluttershy up.

“When you feel up to it, come by Sugarcube Corner and I’ll take you to the hospital.” Pinkie spoke gently as she got off the couch and silently walked out the door.

Twilight just sat there, holding Fluttershy in her hooves, stroking her mane and body gently until Fluttershy fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

“Fluttershy, this day’s been all too filled with sadness for you. Sleep now, and tomorrow we might go visit Rainbow in the hospital.” Twilight whispered into Fluttershy’s ear, before she got off the couch and levitated Fluttershy up the stairs and into bed.

With Fluttershy asleep under the covers, Twilight walked through the library, blowing out all the candles as she went. She joined Fluttershy in bed, putting her hooves around the canary mare to calm her down and hopefully keep her still during the night.

“Goodnight Fluttershy, sweet dreams.” Twilight whispered into Fluttershy’s ear before kissing her on the cheek, producing a faint blush on the face of the canary mare. She then put her head on the pillow, allowing the realm of sleep to embrace her.