I. The Art and Science of Timing
Underneath her hooves, the dewy grass felt pleasant and springy; it smelt wonderful, too, and Fluttershy couldn’t resist inhaling the deep, heady aroma of petrichor it gave off so soon after the last of the Spring rains. She set the picnic basket that she was carrying down and offered a smile to Twilight just as Angel Bunny made his presence known by hopping on top of the wicker crate. “Thanks for letting me bring him along,” Fluttershy said apologetically, hoping that he wouldn’t be too much of a nuisance now that he’d gotten his way. The rabbit poked at the lid of the basket. “He can be a little bit cantankerous when he’s left on his own at home for too long. Can’t you?” Fluttershy said this last part while widening her eyes in a mock-Stare at him.
Angel’s response was to gesture at himself with a look of wounded innocence. Giggling, Fluttershy gently stroked his ears with the tip of her wing.
“It’s not a problem,” Twilight said airily, but it would have been painfully obvious to even a casual onlooker that the words were entirely at odds with the rest of her somewhat stiff demeanour. Retrieving a checked blanket from her own saddle-bags, she set to work unfurling and settling it across the grass. She was irritated by the rabbit’s presence, and that irritation was making her tug and pull at the folds more firmly than was necessary. Twilight knew that she had to get a lid on her emotions lest it ruin the rest of the evening. “We get so little time to be together as it is, I’m prepared to suffer it.”
It was Angel’s turn to look annoyed and he shot a glance at Twilight.
Before the two could start fighting again, Fluttershy said quickly, “Yes, it’s a shame that our jobs don’t leave us much in the way of social lives.” Angel, apparently no longer interested in carrying on the feud, had leapt off the basket and was now exploring the little outcropping on which they’d found themselves. From here, Ponyville was just a distant twinkling speck of white and orange lights. “If you don’t mind my asking, though-” she opened the basket to have a look at the goodies inside “-why did you want us to come out here so late in the evening?”
With one corner of the blanket still in her telekinetic grasp, Twilight hesitated a moment before replying. “Um, indulge me, will you? I, uh, have a reason, but it won’t be obvious for a while yet.”
Celestia’s sun, Helios, was just beginning its slow descent to the crest of the horizon; soon, Selene, Luna’s moon, would be in the ascendancy. Already, a canopy of twinkling stars were visible to the naked eye on the inky, velvet-smooth backdrop of the sky. The fleeting embers of light given off by the sun were reflected in Fluttershy’s azure eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that as a complaint. I was just curious.”
“I know. Sorry if I sound snappy, I just want this to be perfect. What did we get?”
“Huh? Oh.” Fluttershy quickly scanned the contents of the basket once more. On top, covered by a piece of parchment paper to keep the bugs off, were some sweet treats courtesy of Sugarcube Corner’s finest. “Lemon cupcakes with lavender frosting.”
Twilight snorted in amusement. “Subtle, Pinkie Pie, real subtle.”
“Two bottles of Applejack’s latest foray into craft cider.” A slight smile crossed Fluttershy’s muzzle, and she ruefully said, “You know, I can’t help but think we’re being used as taste-testers.”
“I hope she didn’t use quite as much maple this time,” said Twilight, remembering the sickeningly cloying sweetness that no amount of brushing could remove from her mouth last time she’d tried one of Applejack’s little experiments. Branching out was all well and good, but there were some who believed that cider was cider and you shouldn’t tamper with a classic recipe.
“And finally … some kind of pie … in the shape of a turtle shell.”
Her work on the blanket finally concluded, Twilight turned to face Fluttershy and examined the pie that she was holding. “She, um, she obviously put a lot of work into this,” she said as charitably as she could. Immediately, Twilight felt guilty for judging it based solely on appearances alone. Rainbow Dash had been wanting to try something new, and had offered to make them the main course for their little getaway picnic. Pinkie Pie had already been engrossed in making their dessert, so they’d grudgingly acquiesced.
Angel sniffed curiously at the dish and pulled a face.
“Less of that, mister,” said Fluttershy in a scolding tone, though her own thoughts were of a similar nature. “Rainbow Dash worked hard on this.”
The rabbit shrugged and wandered off again; he wasn’t the focus of attention here, and while that was normally his cue to commit mayhem, there was precious little for him to actually do here. Plus, Fluttershy deserved a break every now and then.
Twilight sat down on the blanket, uttering a grateful sigh to finally be off her hooves after the long walk to get here; true, she could’ve just teleported them to the hillside, but that wouldn’t have been very romantic. She motioned for Fluttershy to join her and she did so. For a moment, they contented themselves with simply watching the sun tracing its lazy arc across the sky before a thirsty Twilight retrieved a bottle of cider and two glasses from the basket with her magic. Applejack had been toying with different combinations of spices, herbs and flavourings recently, and as she poured the golden-coloured liquid into the glasses, Twilight caught a distinctly anise-like whiff from it. She passed one of the glasses to Fluttershy who took it in her hoof. “To us,” said Twilight, clinking her glass against Fluttershy’s.
“To us.”
Taking a cautious sip of her drink, Fluttershy narrowed her eyes in distaste as the sharp seasoning hit her tongue. She wasn’t one for cider at the best of times, and whatever alchemy Applejack was now practising hadn’t done much to elevate her opinion of the beverage. The combination of sweetness with a bitter aftertaste might’ve appealed to somepony out there, but it wasn’t her. She noticed Twilight watching her curiously. For the sake of domestic harmony, Fluttershy swallowed both the liquid and her feelings about it. “It’s certainly, um, interesting, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s one word for it, I think,” Twilight replied, secretly enjoying the play of different expressions across Fluttershy’s face. She wasn’t a great talker, but if you knew how to read her body language, that spoke volumes in and of itself. She was very much like a book written in a foreign tongue: full of priceless information just waiting to be discovered if only you knew how to translate it. “Shall we try that pie of Rainbow Dash’s now?”
Fluttershy nodded and picked it up from where she’d set it down next to her. Thanks to the foil packaging, it hadn’t gone completely cold yet and a gentle wisp of steam rose from it. “I’m sure it tastes better than it looks.” Immediately, she mentally cursed herself for saying something so cruel out loud. Rainbow Dash had done her best, and she was appreciative of her efforts. Luckily, it was only Angel Bunny and Twilight who’d heard her. “I mean, um-”
“-I won’t tell her if you won’t.” Twilight hid her smile behind a hoof.
The shell of the pie had clearly been patterned after Tank’s own, though Rainbow Dash had mercifully stopped short of actually using food dye to turn it green. It was rather sweet, actually, that she’d gone to so much effort to make it look pleasing.
Surprisingly, the pie itself turned out to be really quite good indeed; their early tentative bites soon turned into more eager ones as they got through the soft, undercooked outer crust – their only complaint – and into the rich filling of mixed grains and vegetables in a creamy pepper sauce. By the time they’d finished the meal, they found themselves wanting more of it. “I’m impressed,” Twilight said, her eyes going wide as she patted her stomach. “Pinkie Pie might have some competition in the near-future if Rainbow Dash keeps this up.” Noticing a few stray drops of sauce at the corners of Fluttershy’s mouth, Twilight levitated a napkin in her direction.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Did you like it?”
“Mm-hm.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement as she cleaned up the mess. Her own stomach rumbling, she blushed and said, “I don’t think I could face dessert right now, though.”
“If the weather stays like this, they’ll keep for a while yet before the frosting turns hard,” said Twilight. It was cool, but not overwhelmingly cold, so the only real danger was if Angel decided to play the clown and snatch them. Up until now, the little rabbit had been disturbingly well-behaved, so she probably wouldn’t even begrudge him too much if he did make a grab for the cupcakes. Soon, though, Twilight’s thoughts about Angel and cakes were replaced by warmer, fuzzier ones as Fluttershy nuzzled up against her.
Fluttershy allowed her eyes to close, letting out a soft sigh of satisfaction as she did so, savouring the delightful warmth that radiated from Twilight’s body against her own. When she opened her eyes again, however, she discovered that Twilight’s own pretty mulberry eyes were looking away toward some distant point on the horizon. As if she was waiting for something. Puzzled, her wings flattened against the side of her body as her voice filled with concern and she asked, “Twilight, is something wrong? What’s out there?”
“Nothing!” said Twilight a little bit too quickly, her wings extending of their own accord. She hated lying, especially to Fluttershy, but it was necessary to stall her for just another few moments. She’d really been banking on the meal and drinks lasting a little bit longer than they had done. Her eyes flicked from Fluttershy’s own to the rapidly setting sun. The timing of this had to be perfect or it wouldn’t work. “I’m just … looking. I mean, the sky and the stars, they’re quite interesting.”
Sitting up, Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at Twilight in an inquisitive fashion. “Did I say or do something wrong?” She couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. The evening had been going so well. Angel had been on his best behaviour. The food had been good. Why was Twilight suddenly acting evasive like this?
“No, of course not.” Again, a glance in the direction of the horizon.
“Twilight,” Fluttershy said firmly, setting her jaw in a way she didn’t like doing, “can you please tell me what’s going on with you right now? We’ve had a great time up until now and I don’t understand what’s happened that’s making you act like this. If something’s wrong, if something’s on your mind, I’d like to know. I won’t be mad, I promise, but we’re not supposed to have any secrets from each other, are we?”
One. That pleading look of Fluttershy’s. It was so difficult to ignore or resist. Almost as if she were unconsciously using the Stare to get the answers she sought. “Can you bear with me for just another few moments, please? It’s really important. I know I’m being weird, but I promise you, there’s a good reason.”
“All right,” replied Fluttershy, hoping she didn’t sound as impatient as she felt. She trusted Twilight implicitly, but she did not enjoy the feeling of being messed around like this.
Two. Trying her best to split her attention between the setting sun and Fluttershy’s inquisitive glance, Twilight said, “We’ve been together for a while now and it’s been the happiest time of my life. Um, I never really expected to fall in love, let alone with one of my best friends.”
“Me, too,” said Fluttershy. Though the words sounded positive, a sinking sensation was taking hold of her heart. She wasn’t an expert in relationships by any means, but she’d heard speeches like this before and mentally braced herself for what was coming next.
Three. “I love you so much, Fluttershy. Probably more than I could ever say. It’s like … you filled in a piece of my soul I didn’t know I was missing.”
Despite her misgivings, Fluttershy blushed. Maybe this wasn’t going where she’d first thought? “I love you, too. So much.”
Four. “But it’s not enough.”
“Oh, I see.” Fluttershy’s ears fell flat against the side of her head. The reprieve had been all-too-brief.
Five. “So. That said-”
“-It’s okay, I think I know what you’re going to say next.” Tears streamed down Fluttershy’s muzzle and she prepared to gallop off.
Six. Using her magic, Twilight levitated a small box that had been hidden away in a secret pouch on her saddle-bags to her. “Fluttershy, I care about you more than I ever thought it would be possible to care about anypony and I want for us to be together forever.” The box dropped neatly into her outstretched hoof and she opened it just as the sun finally disappeared entirely; those last flickering and dying embers of orange light struck a multi-faceted, jade-coloured jewel set into a shining golden band and its glittering surface reflected the heavens themselves just as Fluttershy’s own eyes had done so spectacularly earlier in the evening. Falteringly, Twilight offered her the jewel. “I’m asking you to marry me, please, Fluttershy?”
In the past six moments, Fluttershy’s mind had bounced from one extreme to the other and it took her a goodly long while to catch up with what was happening in the now. Her eyes, already soaking wet with tears, found new reserves and flooded once more as she reached out to touch the band with its shimmering jewel. Surely this was nothing more than a beautiful illusion? This couldn’t be real, could it? She’d misheard Twilight’s words, right? Her hoof made contact with the shining metal and confirmed to her that this was, indeed, reality. “Yes,” Fluttershy said, a wave of euphoria and relief thrilling through her body. “Yes, I will marry you, Twilight.”
Pulling Fluttershy into a tight embrace, the realisation of what she’d put her through suddenly dawned on her, and Twilight said mournfully, “Oh, Fluttershy, I’m so sorry for how strange I’ve been acting tonight. Celestia knows, I can be weird at times, but this was probably more unusual than … er, usual.”
Pushing Twilight back slightly – partly due to the fact that her overeager hug was crushing her bones – Fluttershy asked, “What was this all about? I still feel like I’m missing something.”
Scratching the back of her head bashfully, Twilight’s muzzle flushed deeply as she explained, “Er, well, when the sun drops six degrees below the horizon, that’s when the period of day known as twilight properly begins.” It wasn’t, of course, strictly the case in a scientific sense, but it was close enough. Besides, it was the effects of the sun at that time which were more important. “Anyway, you get these amazing coloured striations which occur in the upper atmosphere when the dying light from Helios hits it-” she took Fluttershy’s bejeweled hoof in her own and held it skyward “-which reflects and amplifies the inner colours of the stone here.”
For a long moment, Fluttershy just looked back and forth at Twilight, the jewel, and the darkening sky, blinking slowly as it all unravelled in her mind. Suddenly, she started to laugh. “Only you would combine a marriage proposal with a science experiment. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
Still blushing slightly, Twilight said, “I know, but I wanted to get us off to a good start. I hope you’re not mad.”
“You did worry me for a bit, there,” said Fluttershy. “I thought you wanted to break up for a minute!”
“What?” Casting her mind back over the past couple of hours, Twilight saw how her distant behaviour could have been interpreted that way. Meekly, she said, “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Fluttershy kissed Twilight’s chilled cheek softly. “It’s crazy stuff like this that makes me love you so much.” Her eyes narrowed in mock-seriousness and she put a hoof on her still-thrumming chest. “Just don’t do it again, though. I don’t think my heart could stand it.”
They sat down on the blanket once more, content to simply wrap their wings around each other and enjoy the peace of the night. With the promise of a long future together, they didn’t even mind Angel Bunny sneaking into the basket and stealing their cupcakes.
