Observing A Date

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Contemplation
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Observation

Contemplation

“What am I going to do, Angel?” Fluttershy sighed. The streetlamps offered no comfort against the encroaching, oppressive night. Rather, those pinpricks of light leered at her through the dark, judging her for her transgressions. “I could barely speak with her, especially when she hugged me. And goodness knows Pinkie loves hugs.” The gentle breathing on her back provided little comfort against the visibility the light provided of her.

No lights were on in the houses, apartments, and shops that littered the landscape, but Fluttershy could swear someone was watching her. It was so obvious now, of course she had a crush on Pinkie, the only mare she could think about leading up to the proposal. And now that she knew, Pinkie was certainly going to find out. Yes, it was only a matter of time until Pinkie worked out her feelings. She would abhor the idea, of course. Sure, she wouldn’t say anything, Pinkie was entirely too considerate to reveal her disgust. But Fluttershy would know.

She would notice the twitch in Pinkie’s vast and engulfing azure eyes as she revealed her loathsome secret. Pinkie would recoil just before any physical contact, forcing herself through the worry that she was suggesting romantic feelings. Eventually, Pinkie would start to avoid her, just to prevent any more pain for either of them.

“No,” Fluttershy said aloud, “I can’t let her find out. I’d be inconveniencing her and hurting myself. There’s no way she likes me back. I’ll just have to keep it from her.”

As Fluttershy approached the bridge to her cottage, she noticed the snoozing forms of over a dozen creatures. Fluttershy idly thought about waking one up to talk to. But, like Angel, she let them be. They needed their rest and it wasn’t right to wake them up simply because she was upset.

Fluttershy sighed.

It wasn’t their fault; she was just being mopey. This wasn’t a big deal. She had ignored her feelings for Pinkie before and she could do it again.

But she really didn’t want to.

As she crossed the bridge, she looked up at her cottage. The dark abode loomed over her, it knew all her secrets and lorded them over her through the blank stare of its windows. The wind blew through the leaves. During the day, Fluttershy would find such a sound comforting. But tonight, the wind sounded hollow and deceitful.

Fluttershy opened the door, wiped off her hooves, and made her way to Angel’s bed. Gingerly, she removed the bunny from her back and placed him in his bed. As he curled in on himself, she gently placed the blanket over him.

“Goodnight dear,” she whispered.

Fluttershy stared out the nearby window. As she stared out at the encroaching darkness, illuminated by the faint glow near her face, she sighed. “It just isn’t worth it, Angel,” she whispered.

There was no response from the sleeping form behind her.

Fluttershy awoke to something tickling her face. She pushed it away and murmured “just a little bit longer.” She felt something hopping against her torso. Fluttershy sighed. Slowly, she sat up in bed. She noticed Angel, forepaws crossed and tapping his foot against her. She turned to look out the window. The sun was already well above the horizon.

Her eyes shot wide. “Oh! I’m late, aren’t I Angel. I’ll be downstairs when I’m done in the shower. Thanks for waking me.”

It had been nine days since the proposal, which was certainly the most important thing that happened that day. No, she certainly wasn’t ignoring anything.

Fluttershy continued ignoring nothing throughout her morning routine. She sped downstairs and grabbed her feed bag. She fed the mice, chicken, and songbirds as Angel hopped behind. Just as Fluttershy was feeding the squirrels their nuts, he managed to plant himself in front of her and gesticulate wildly.

“I’m sorry Angel, I’ll get you food in a moment. I’m afraid it might not be as… um… well-prepared as you like it this morning,” Fluttershy paused, then smiled sheepishly and said “but I can make you something nice when I get back. How does that sound?”

Angel shook his head. He got down on all four paws; smiled a wide, mock-genuine smile; and began hopping around.

Fluttershy blushed. She turned away and replied “Angel, I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, but whatever it is, it can wait until after I’ve returned. Now, come on, we just need to get the deer, Harry, and you fed.”

Angel kept quiet during the rest of breakfast, though Fluttershy thought he was avoiding her eyes. She, herself, had a quick breakfast of dandelions before scampering towards the spa, calling “Be good while I’m gone,” as she shut the door.

As she ran, she saw Pinkie talking with Carrot Top at the market. Pinkie waved to her and Fluttershy smiled wide as she ran past. Oh, there’s Pinkie. Hello there Pinkie! Sugarcube corner must need carrots for something, I wonder what? Her mane was especially poufy today. Gosh, I could run my—no, no I can’t think about that. I’m going to a spa day with Rarity and if she catches even a whiff that I’m hiding a crush she’ll extract it out of me. Just… don’t think about Pinkie while we’re there. That’s all I have to do.

She arrived at the spa, panting and out of breath. She poked her head inside and saw Rarity idly flipping through a magazine. As their eyes locked, Rarity held a knowing smile.

Oh dear, Fluttershy thought, she can’t possibly know already. I haven’t seen her since before I knew myself. And I haven’t told anyone except Angel, who certainly couldn’t have told her. Did… did Twilight figure it out that night? No, she never notices these things. Applejack and Rarity were dating for a month before she even suspected anything.

“Fluttershy, I was beginning to worry. Whatever happened this morning?”

Did… did she figure something out after Pinkie and I were spotted? No, we barely talked, how could she possibly know? And it’s not like anything I’d done before would’ve given her that idea. Well, Angel figured it out, I guess.

“Fluttershy, darling?”

No, she doesn’t know; she can’t know. And it’s not real anyway. It’s just a figment of Angel’s imagination. He’s just seeing things. So no matter what she says, she’s just seeing things.

“Fluttershy, you’ve frozen up, is something the matter?”

I’ve been thinking too long. “No, just a bit stressed.” Just, keep the conversation off Pinkie.

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re at a spa, isn’t it?”

“Are you ladies ready to enter?” Aloe asked as she poked her head into the lobby.

“Oh yes, dear,” Rarity replied, “do lead the way.”

The pair was led to the mud baths. As they neared the entrance, Fluttershy said, “Sorry I was a little late today, I slept in this morning.”

“Did the birds not wake you this morning?”

“Oh, they tried to, but I seem to have slept through it…”

“That’s quite alright, I’m just glad we’ll be able to have a spa day today. I know that you know I’ve been running myself a little ragged trying to finish those dresses for Applejack and I; not to mention the couple of last-minute clients I had commission a dress last week. Applejack and I consulted Pinkie about our wedding plans Thursday. It’s going to be a while, I’m sure, but it’s never too early to plan your own wedding.”

“You sure sound excited, Rarity,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

Rarity grabbed Fluttershy’s face and pulled it towards her. “I am,” she cooed, drawing out the sound. Rarity let go and threw her hooves towards the ceiling. “I cannot believe this day is here. I mean, I know I was preparing to propose to Applejack and I know she would never have said no.”

Fluttershy tried to cover her giggle with her hoof.

“Alright, fine I didn’t know,” Rarity said through a pout. “Honestly, I thought you said you weren’t going to come.”

“…I, um, I wasn’t.”

“Oh? Then what changed your mind?”

“Pinkie said she was going and that Applejack had a surprise for you that we were supposed to watch.” Fluttershy smiled. “She wouldn’t tell me what it was, but I decided to tell her you had a surprise too. I wouldn’t tell her what you were planning, though. I thought if she wanted to be coy, I would be too.”

“What an adorable choice, darling. I’m sure it really elevated the romance of the moment.” Rarity paused to sink her hoof into the mud. “Applejack told me Pinkie was going to take a photo. Did she end up getting one?”

“No, she said she was surprised enough by your proposal that she forgot to even pull out the camera. Applejack was planning on proposing later, so Pinkie wasn’t prepared.”

“Drat. I was really looking forward to a photo of that moment.”

Fluttershy focused on her hooves. “I… I could tell you about it from our perspective, and maybe you could draw that?”

As Fluttershy looked back at Rarity, she found her friend’s eyes sparkling. “Yes. Oh, yes, that would be lovely, darling. Oh, we’ll have to get started on it as soon as we can.”

“I’d be happy to help.”

The pair sat in silence for a moment. Eventually, Rarity furrowed her brows. Then, a smirk grew on her face.

“So… you weren’t going to come watch, but Pinkie convinced you to come? How did that go?”

“Oh, she just told me I would want to see a surprise and that we were going to spy on you.”

“That’s all dear?”

“Um… yeah?”

“No, I don’t know, convoluted schemes to keep yourselves hidden; reassurances that’d everyone would be fine with it; or pleading or anything?” Rarity asked with a single eyebrow raised and a smirk.

Oh no. She knows. No, she doesn’t. All I have to do is tell her what happened. “Um, well, she did inform me that, um, Applejack knew she was going to be spying on you. So, I knew we wouldn’t be doing it without her knowledge. Really, that was what I was most nervous about.”

“Hmm… indeed.” Rarity furrowed her brows and stared towards the wall.

After a few moments, Rarity turned back to Fluttershy with a smile. “In any case, do tell me about how the proposal was.”

“Oh, it was a bit disheartening at first. I was so excited to see you ask that when Applejack started laughing I couldn’t really handle it.” Fluttershy paused, “You were crying, and it was clear—at least at the time—you two weren’t really on the same page. A-and you hadn’t been for a while.”

“Oh dear, was it really that dreadful?”

“Well, I mean, you certainly seemed to think so,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“Yes, alright, I was being rather dramatic, wasn’t I,” Rarity replied through an eye-roll and a slight smile.

“Oh no, it was very reasonable.”

“Do continue dear.”

“Yes, well, it was too much for me, so I couldn’t watch. But,” Fluttershy took a deep breath, “Pinkie… I knew Pinkie knew what was going on and she told me to watch. And so I did.”

“Yes, and how on earth did she manage that?” Rarity stared disinterestedly at her hooves.

Keep it together, Fluttershy. “Well, I knew she had talked to Applejack about it, so she certainly knew something.”

“Hmm… I suppose so.” Rarity paused. “Well, I’m certainly glad you got to witness the proposal. I mean, really, a double proposal. A double proposal. Do you know anyone who was even involved in anything so romantic?”

“Not a double proposal. Pinkie didn’t think she’d seen one yet either.” Fluttershy’s brows furrowed. “How did you manage it anyway? I understand why you were planning on proposing, but what was Applejack planning on doing? How did she know about the date?”

“She didn’t, actually. She had made the decision about a month ago and bought the ring two weeks ago. Her plan was to propose at a sufficiently romantic moment and—when I proposed the spa day—she used the excuse of returning a bucket to her house to sneak the ring under her hat. As the sun was setting, she was apparently considering whether to propose then or when we returned to the Boutique.”

“Well, I suppose you made that decision easy for her.”

“Indeed.” Rarity blinked twice. Her eyes widened. “Oh my, where are my manners. You mentioned you were stressed. Whatever for? Has something happened?”

“Oh…” Fluttershy paused. “Nothing beyond the usual. I’ve been treating a mouse’s broken foreleg, Angel’s been a little difficult this last week, and I’ve been having trouble sleeping—which has only compounded things.”

“Angel, difficult?” Rarity said with a smirk.

“He isn’t always difficult; he’s very helpful sometimes.”

“Oh, is he now.” Rarity sank slightly into the mud. “I do think you let him take advantage of you sometimes.”

“He’s getting better.”

“Yes, and that’s why it’s been a difficult week,” Rarity said sarcastically. “Tell me, what is it this time? A carrot marginally undercooked? Too much attention to the mouse?”

“No, nothing like that…”

“Do tell, dear.”

“I’d rather not…”

“Well, if you’re sure. Although, talking about it could help.”

“I know…”

“Alright darling, I’ll drop it.”

The pair sat in silence for a few moments before deciding to move to the sauna.

“By the way, Twilight wanted me to thank you coming over to help calm her down the other day,” Rarity said “She wanted to tell you herself, but said something about dealing with a bunch of circles. Do you know what she as talking about?”

“Oh, yes, she was working on some spell construction or other. Honestly, I didn’t really understand what she was doing. She spilled some ink on some spell calculations and was worried about meeting a soft deadline Celestia had given her. Spike brought Pinkie over to cheer her up, but she wasn’t able to calm her down. He brought me over to… show her some kindness I suppose.”

“Oh, now aren’t you a gentle soul. Tell me, how did your particular brand of wisdom fare against Twilight’s anxiety attack?”

“Pretty well, actually. As soon as she realized Celestia wouldn’t be disappointed in her, she calmed down. Um… I think she was hungry and tired. Spike said she hadn’t eaten almost all day before the spill. We talked for a little while. Then, we went home. I walked Pinkie to Sugarcube Corner and…”

“And?”

“And… I went home. Not much else. Angel fell asleep on the way home.”

“Angel came with you, whatever for? Nothing to do with why he’s been difficult?”

“Oh no, nothing like that. To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know why he came along. Actually, it probably…” Fluttershy trailed off.

“Probably…?”

“It’s nothing.”

Rarity stared blanky at Fluttershy. Fluttershy hid behind her mane. Rarity cleared her throat. “Darling, it seems Angel’s behavior is something you’d like to talk about.”

“It’s nothing.”

Rarity placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s. “Dear, if you need to talk about something you should. If you don’t want to, I won’t press it, but you should.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “It’s… complicated.”

“Well, we have the time.”

“So, after your proposal, Pinkie walked me home. Angel spent a lot of energy trying to… um… well…”

Rarity was staring intently at Fluttershy.

“Well, he was trying to tell me something. And, I… um… I didn’t really listen to him.”

“Darling, that doesn’t sound like you at all. What on earth could Angel have said that you wouldn’t have listened to him about?” Rarity held back a chuckle. “He’s not unhappy about you spending too much time away from the cottage recently, is he?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Fluttershy averted her gaze.

“Well dear, spit it out. I’m afraid I can’t help much without knowing what it was.”

“He um… he…,” Fluttershy took a deep breath. She then quietly said “He thought I had feelings for Pinkie.”

Rarity blinked twice.

“He thought you had feelings for Pinkie.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s silly isn’t it,” Fluttershy said quickly. “Just because I couldn’t stop thinking about her doesn’t mean anything at all. Be-before,” Fluttershy chuckled hysterically, “before he said anything I wasn’t even thinking it, so how could he possibly be right. He’s just put this crazy idea into my head. It’s not like I’m spending copious time thinking about her or anything.” Fluttershy chuckled nervously again.

Rarity blinked twice.

“The rabbit figured it out.”

“Um… what?”

Rarity grabbed Fluttershy’s shoulders, her eyes bored deeply into Fluttershy’s. “You’re telling me the rabbit not only figured it out, not only convinced you he was right, but he did so before I did.”

“R-Rarity, what are you t-talking about.”

Rarity took a deep breath. “Sorry darling. I didn’t mean to lose my temper there. I just thought I had a sense for these things and it turns out a rabbit—a rabbit—has understood this side of you better than I did.”

“Wait… so…”

“I thought you had an interest in Pinkie. But I only figured it out two days ago when Applejack and I were talking about the proposal. Not only did Angel figure it out before me, but he figured it out without witnessing your actions relating to the proposal. He wasn’t there, was he?”

“Um… yeah…”

“Excellent,” Rarity said dryly. “Tell me, did he see you and Pinkie interact at all that day?”

“Um… I’m still a bit confused on the… um…”

“Your crush on Pinkie?”

“… yeah…”

“Do you still have doubts you have one?”

“Well…”

“Darling, you just admitted you’re spending more time than you should thinking about her. Not only that, but she convinced you—easily I might add—to do something you were utterly uncomfortable with just a day prior.”

“But-”

“And, she convinced you to watch what you thought would be Applejack and I break up.”

“Well, she knew more than me in that moment—”

“And were you thinking of that when you opened your eyes?”

Fluttershy looked at her hooves.

“My point exactly, darling.” After a moment of silence, Rarity said, “sorry darling, I didn’t mean to be short with you. Angel figuring it out has really frazzled me.” Rarity took a couple of deep breaths. “What do you think you’re going to do about it?”

“I don’t know… probably nothing…”

“Nothing?” Out of the corner of her eye, Fluttershy saw Rarity’s eyes widen and her mouth open. “You’re in love, Fluttershy! Why ever wouldn’t you do something about this?”

“Well… it probably won’t last…”

“That’s what dating is for Fluttershy, to see if it will.”

“But… she doesn’t like me back…”

“She… she doesn’t?”

Fluttershy finally turned back to Rarity. “Well, why would she?”

“…You should ask her out, dear.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she scooted away from Rarity in the sauna. “W-w-why would I d-do that?”

“You won’t know if Pinkie likes you until you ask.”

“But… but what if she starts avoiding me?

“Honestly darling, do you think she’d start avoiding you?”

Well, she could. Right? I mean, wouldn’t I if I thought I was hurting her? Fluttershy tried to imagine what she’d do. No, no I don’t think I would. And she’d probably try to cheer me up with a joke or a pun or something fun.

“Darling?”

“… no, she wouldn’t.”

“Exactly, what do you have to fear?”

“I… I… I don’t know…” Fluttershy’s eyes turned back to her hooves.

“The idea of the romance, nothing more.” Rarity put a hoof over Fluttershy’s. “I know it’s terrifying dear—”

“That’s not the half of it.”

“Yes, but it’s worth it to ask anyway. Trust me when I say a good partner is worth every anxiety-inducing second. Promise me you’ll at least consider talking to Pinkie about it.”

Fluttershy sighed. “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

“Good, and think about it quickly. You don’t want her getting away from you, do you?”

“… no…”

“And do something dramatic.”

“Rarity…”

“Oh, I’m only teasing.”

Rarity laughed and Fluttershy chuckled.

“Really though,” Fluttershy said through a laugh, “just because he’s a Rabbit doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand romance.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’ve seen more than a hundred romantic rabbit dates. Oh, I can see them now: two white puffballs sitting across from each other at a candlelit rock loudly munching on carrots; another pair tossing pill bugs down a stream-alley to some propped up sticks; and two more simply reading an oversized romance novel together by a stream.”

Fluttershy’s face lost its smile. “I suppose I see your point.”

“Sorry darling, I’ll try not to give Angel such a hard time.” Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “Although, I suppose I should maybe get him a nice meal. It’s not every day I can thank him for doing such an excellent job. Wordlessly, no less.”

“I’m sure Angel will graciously accept that.”

The pair sat in silence for a moment before the conversation turned towards Rarity’s recent business. However, Fluttershy did not stop thinking, her thoughts both conflicted and confused.

Fluttershy walked slowly back to her cottage. She stepped gingerly on the tough soil of the road.

What am I going to do? What if Pinkie doesn’t like me that way? It would hurt. A lot. And even if she did… do I even want that? Sure, I’ve got a teensy-weensy crush, but nothing serious. I mean, what Applejack and Rarity have is entirely different from what we have. And it always was and always will be.

But she’s adorable. That energetic bounce when she’s excited about something is so wonderfully expressive. To create such energy in her is absolute bliss.

And nothing could compare to the captivating gaze of those brilliant blue eyes. Just thinking about them, I can’t imagine looking anywhere else. Those eyes could swallow me whole and I simply wouldn’t mind. It’d be like swimming in the sky, but without the ground to fall to.

And her fluffy mane. I could run my hooves through those billowing locks each day anew, never tiring of the tingling sensation.

Although, I suppose she does keep quite a few gross things in there, Fluttershy thought as she began to frown. I think she pulled out Gummy once. I’m… not sure I want to run my hoof through her hair just to pull out an Alligator. Would… would she clean it for me? Would I even have the courage to ask her to?

Even if I asked her out, I don’t think I’d be able to tell her when something’s wrong. Sure, Pinkie wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but sometimes she just think things through. I guess she would fix whatever it was if I did talk to her about it. But would I even ask?

But she would do better. And she would make the effort. And—

Suddenly, a cart had blockaded Fluttershy’s path. She squeaked as the air was pushed from her lungs.

“Huh? Oh, Fluttershy, what are you doing here?”

She was in the middle of town now, in between about a dozen stalls packing up for the day. Applejack, apple cart in tow, was stopped waiting for another cart to cross the intersection ahead of her. “Applejack? Oh, I’m just walking home from my spa date with Rarity.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that was today. Say, did she mention anything about the photo of the proposal?”

“Um, yes, um… Pinkie meant to… but…” Fluttershy looked down at her hooves.

“Come around to the front of my cart so I don’t have to crane my neck like this.” Applejack interjected. After Fluttershy had fulfilled the request, Applejack continued, “Pinkie got caught up in the moment, didn’t she?”

“She brought the camera; I think it was because I was a bit… um… distraught and she decided to focus on me rather than the picture.”

“Eh, don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m sure we can do something similar. Rarity was probably much less happy about it than I am.”

“Not really, um, she’s going to draw it, I think.”

“Now that’s an idea,” Applejack replied. “Oh, where are my manners, was I in your way there? The cart’s not too wide, is it?”

“Oh, no, just a bit… distracted, I guess.”

The intersection emptied, and the pair started walking towards the outskirts of town.

“Do I need to talk to Rarity about something?”

“No, no, nothing like that.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No, I… I think I need some time to think is all.”

“Well, I can certainly give you that. Just know we’re all here to talk to you if you need it.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “I know Applejack, but thank you for the reminder.” She smiled slightly.

“Do you have anything you need in town yet, or are you on your way home?”

Fluttershy looked into the market. Most of the salesponies had already taken their leave for the day. However, Carrot Top was still parsing a few customers.

“I… I think I have some things I need to do yet.”

“Well, I best be gettin’ my cart back to the farm then. Rarity probably wants to discuss the drawing you mentioned before she gets started.”

“Don’t let me keep you then, have a nice evening.”

“You as well.”

Fluttershy watched as Applejack left her. Well, she thought, I didn’t promise him anything, but a carrot couldn’t hurt. I’ve been a little dismissive of his thoughts. I know he’s doing his best, I’m just not ready. I’m sure if I sit down and talk with him, he’ll understand that what I’m doing now is for the best.

Action

Fluttershy opened the door to her cottage. “Angel?” she asked to the vibrant abode. “Angel? I was hoping we could talk. I brought you some nice, fresh carrots. I was going to make you your favorite salad.”

Though a harmonious cacophony echoed throughout the room as birds, squirrels, and mice scampered around, Angel was absent. Fluttershy checked the kitchen and her bedroom, but still the rabbit eluded her. The fields outside were similarly scarce of Angel.

“Harry?” Fluttershy asked as she approached the lounging bear. He stirred and looked attentively at her. “Have you seen Angel around? I wanted to speak with him.”

Harry scratched his head. Wandering into the cottage, he glanced around. He lifted the couch and some pillows, but revealed only a small mouse hiding from his lumbering figure, who scampered away as the couch was elevated. Once again, Harry scratched his head, mumbling as he did so.

“Yes, I did check upstairs and the kitchen.”

Harry mumbled again.

“Yes, and under the bed.”

Harry scratched his chin and squinted his eyes. Then, he shrugged and hummed.

“I know, but I’m worried. It’s starting to get late and Ponyville is a big place. W-what if he gets hurt. I won’t know where to find him and—"

Fluttershy was interrupted by a knock at the door. She rushed over to it, and opened it quickly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have time right now. I’m missing Angel, my rabbit and—Pinkie? I, um, uh—” Fluttershy stuttered as her heart briefly stopped. “I didn’t know you were planning on coming over today.”

“I wasn’t, silly,” Pinkie said with a smile. “But,” Pinkie sang, drawing out the vowel, “I think I’ve got a solution to your problem.”

“You do?”

“Yep!” Pinkie pushed the missing rabbit forward into Fluttershy’s hooves.

Fluttershy grabbed him in a hug. “Oh, Angel, I was so worried. I couldn’t find you anywhere and I thought you might’ve gotten lost or—wait, where did you find him?” Fluttershy asked as she turned to Pinkie.

“Oh, he came to Sugarcube Corner, actually.”

“He did?” Fluttershy turned back to Angel. “How did you manage to get all the way over to Sugarcube Corner?”

Angel looked between the two mares. Then he shrugged.

“I asked him the same thing,” Pinkie said, “but he wouldn’t tell me either. I thought you’d be worried about him, and told him as much. I said he should probably hop back home, but he wouldn’t go. He kept gesturing at me. I took that as a request to carry him home,” Pinkie said through a smile.

“Well, thank you for bringing him here, Pinkie.”

“Oh, it wasn’t any trouble. So, can, um, can I come in?”

Fluttershy froze.

“We haven’t gotten to talk in the last few days,” Pinkie continued, “and I was hoping we could. I had this crazy experience with the Cake twins a couple days ago I was hoping to tell you about. It’s kind of a long story, so if you want to wait on that we can. Maybe I could just come in for tea, though."

“No,” Fluttershy replied, entirely too quickly. She saw Pinkie’s face fall slightly and her ears droop. “I mean, um, come right on in. Why don’t you sit down while I put a kettle on.”

As Fluttershy turned, she could have sworn Angel wore a smirk. But, when she glanced back, Angel seemed to be busy studying the floorboards.

Once the tea had been brewed, Fluttershy poured Pinkie and herself a cup each and brought the platter over to the coffee table. Pinkie was sitting already, glancing around nervously as Fluttershy approached. What’s on her mind today? Is something the matter? “So,” Fluttershy began, “the Cake twins.”

“Yes!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Well, Pumpkin and Pound were supposed to be in bed two days ago. Well, not all day, but when this story takes place they were. Anyway, I was downstairs running the till and Mr. and Mrs. Cake were in the back. I wanna say they were baking cupcakes, but I think they were also working on some kind of Tiramisu.”

Fluttershy sipped her tea. She started to settle on the couch to listen to Pinkie’s story, when she noticed Angel gesticulating between her and Pinkie. Fluttershy watched Angel for a second before turning back to Pinkie. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Angel grab his forehead and roll his eyes.

“As I’m selling Octavia an éclair, I noticed Pound coming down the stairs.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy interrupted, “who’s Octavia again?”

“Oh, the cellist that lives with Vinyl.”

“Oh, yes, her. Sorry, continue.”

“Don’t be sorry silly,” Pinkie said through a smile. “Now, it’s not unusual for Pound to come down the stairs, so I did what I always did. I said ‘sorry, be back soon’ to the customers for leaving them alone—they don’t like that, you know, I think it has something to do with disliking standing without sweets—told the Cakes I needed to put Pound back to sleep, picked up the little rascal and brought him upstairs.”

Angel was making some motion, but Fluttershy wasn’t paying attention. In fact, she made a show of curling further into the couch so that she was facing Pinkie directly and Angel was out of her field of view.

“So I’m putting him into their crib when I realized that Pumpkin wasn’t there. I mean, at first I thought he might be hiding under a blanket or something else in the crib, but no, he wasn’t in the crib. I looked all around the room: under the crib, by the changing table, behind the bookshelf. But I couldn’t find her anywhere. At this point, I’m starting to get a little panicky because I can’t find Pumpkin and something might’ve happened to her.”

Angel hopped on the armrest behind Pinkie and tapped his foot. Fluttershy made no attempt to reply. Instead, she focused on Pinkie’s story.

“I checked outside the window on the roof, just in case something strange happened. I thought I saw something above the dormer—dormer’s a funny word isn’t it. Dormer, dormer, dormer, dormer.”

Fluttershy chuckled softly. Angel hopped out of her field of view. Good, Fluttershy thought, he’ll be cross with me, but I need the space. I’m sure he’ll understand when I talk to him about it.

“Sorry, where was I? Right, so I got onto the roof to check above the dormer and as soon as I did, the window slammed shut. Suddenly, I’m stuck on the roof. But, I found Pumpkin and Pound! They were inside the window, looking at me with these mischievous eyes. It was at that moment I realized I’d been had. Had, Fluttershy! By foals! So now, I needed to get down from the roof, and I didn’t have a rope on me; but I did have my trusty trampoline. I pulled it out, and—as I’m about to drop it to the ground—I realized there was nowhere I could drop it without hurting somepony.”

Fluttershy noticed Harry lumbering towards the couch and Angel hopping behind him.

“Now I’m really panicking at this point. The foals are up to something and I can’t get down to tell the Cakes. And, there are ponies stranded downstairs without sweets! Without sweets, Fluttershy!” she said with a giggle. “But then—"

Harry squeezed into the space between the armrest and Pinkie, pushing her closer to Fluttershy. Uncomfortably close. Fluttershy was now inches from Pinkie’s face. She could feel the blood rush to her face. “Um,” she said, “hi…”

“Uh… ye-yeah. Hi.” Pinkie took a deep breath. “Sorry, this is a little close, why don’t I, um, yeah, I’ll sit on this chair. Give you some, uh, space.”

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy said as Pinkie vacated her space. “Yeah, go right ahead.” As Pinkie sat down on the chair across the table from Fluttershy, her ears drooped slightly, despite her desperation to keep them up and attentive.

“Thanks, um, what was I saying. Sorry,” Pinkie chuckled nervously, “I totally forgot what I was saying.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Fluttershy noticed Angel aggressively tugging on his ears before flopping to the ground. “I think,” she said, “you mentioned you were on the roof panicking. Oh, and that the ponies downstairs were stranded without sweets.”

“Yes, without sweets!”

“A true tragedy,” Fluttershy said through a giggle.

“Exactly! Anyway, I shouted down at the ponies below that I was coming down, but they wouldn’t budge. And now, I start to hear clanging coming from inside the house. So, I hope for the best, shout ‘INCOMING’ as loud as I can to the ponies below, and drop the trampoline. As soon as I’ve done so, I jump behind the trampoline. The last pony gets out of the way just in time, and I bounce to safety. I don’t have time to pack it up, so I leave the trampoline and rush inside Sugarcube Corner. And, Fluttershy, you won’t believe what the foals were doing.”

“…Had they gotten into the sweets?”

“No.” Pinkie looked at the table for a second. “Well, yes, actually,” she said before returning to Fluttershy’s gaze, “but it was worse than that.”

“Worse how?”

“They got into the baking ingredients Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide.

“Sugar and flower coated every surface of not just the pantry and the kitchen, but the storefront too. There was a massive puddle of milk spilling out of the kitchen and there were at least a couple dozen eggs on the walls. Somehow, they got into most of the fruit too. Some parts of the wall were coated in lime juice and others in lemon juice. I have no idea how any of that happened, none at all! Even after we got everything cleaned up the Cakes didn’t want to talk about it.”

Pinkie sighed and shifted so she was sitting upside down in the chair. “The Cakes assured me they aren’t mad at me or anything,” she said with a frown, “but I’m not sure I believe them.”

“Why would they be mad at you?”

“I was supposed to be responsible enough to take care of them, and I already feel like the Cakes are on the fence about me watching the twins.”

“Well, you’re usually able to keep them under control, aren’t you?”

Pinkie pouted. “I guess, but this time it ended in disaster.”

“Well, you and the Cakes thought they were sleeping, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” Pinkie said as she raised, or rather lowered, an eyebrow at Fluttershy.

“You can’t watch them all the time. This will happen again, and they’ll be fine.”

“But what about the Cakes? What if they start thinking I’m irresponsible and don’t let me see the twins again?” Pinkie started breathing quicker and quicker. “Or they kick me out of the house and fire—"

As Pinkie panicked, Fluttershy stood up, walked to Pinkie, and put her hoof to the mare’s mouth. “The Cakes think you’re responsible Pinkie. They’ve told me so themselves. And even if they didn’t, things would just go back to how things were before they let you babysit the twins. They wouldn’t kick you out or fire you because you weren’t good enough with their foals.”

Suddenly, Fluttershy realized she had put her hoof on Pinkie’s mouth and felt her face grow warm. She quickly pulled it away and stepped back to the couch. “Uh… sorry,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Th-that’s okay.” Pinkie replied.

The pair sat in silence, as Fluttershy’s mind raced.

Did she notice my blush? She would’ve said something right? If she did, she hasn’t said anything. Does that mean she’s thinking about what it means? Is she freaking out? Am I freaking out? I am freaking out. Okay, calm down Fluttershy. Rarity said it’d be good if Pinkie found out. But she can’t find out now! I’m not ready. It’s too early, I… I don’t even know what I’d say. Maybe tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow; I’ll be braver tomorrow. Okay, but what do I say now? I can’t just leave this silence.

“… If it makes you feel better, I also think you’re pretty responsible.”

Pinkie looked back “Really?”

“Well, yeah. Angel got back alright didn’t he?”

“Huh, I guess you’re right.” Pinkie smiled slightly, though her ears were drooped subtly.

The rabbit in question hopped onto the coffee table between Fluttershy and Pinkie. Facing Fluttershy, he moved his forepaws over each other. Then, he put his paws toward Fluttershy in supplication.

“Angel, not now. I promise we can talk about this later.”

The rabbit furrowed both his brows. He then turned around and jumped onto the arm of Pinkie’s chair. The pair stared at each other.

“What’s on your brain, carrot-bane?”

Angel pointed a forepaw at Fluttershy.

Oh no. Angel, not now. I’m not ready yet. I swear I will be. I will be, just, just tomorrow.

“I would think so, she is sitting right there.”

Angel started pulling fur from his head.

“Anyway,” Pinkie said, “I should probably get going, Rarity, uh, wanted to talk to me about something tonight, so I think I’ll be heading over there. Plus, it seems like Angel wants to talk to you or something.”

Angel’s eyes went wide. He looked around, glancing between Pinkie and Fluttershy.

“Oh, um, of course. Sorry again about that.”

“Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” Pinkie smiled, though her eyes were more muted than Fluttershy anticipated. “I’m sure it’s important.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Still…”

“Have a good night, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said. She moved towards Fluttershy, seemed to think better of it, and bounced limply out the front door.

“You too Pinkie,” Fluttershy said—too quietly for Pinkie to hear.

Fluttershy closed the door, sighed, and made her way back over to the chair. Angel’s arms were crossed and he glared at her.

“Please don’t do that again,” Fluttershy said. “I know I haven’t been listening to you about this, but I’m not ready to talk to her about it.”

Angel rolled his eyes.

“I know I need to.”

Angel raised one eyebrow.

“Rarity and I talked at the spa about it today. She made me realize that I was… trying to avoid it. I… wasn’t ready to think about it, I guess.” She scratched the back of her head. “I’m glad you kept trying to talk to me about it; I’m sorry I wasn’t listening. No, I’m sorry I ignored you. You were trying to help, and I wasn’t listening.”

Angel put a paw on Fluttershy’s hoof.

“I’m going to tell her. I am. I just… need time.”

Angel glared.

“I will.”

Angel rolled his eyes.

“But seriously, don’t bring her here without any warning. I think I had a teensy heart attack.”

Angel chuckled with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash flipped through the air making loops upon loops and dives after climbs. She knew this routine was going to be awesome. All she needed to do was successfully pull up before she hit the ground, barely grazing the audience. She could make it. Definitely.

She was closing in on the end of the routine now, the wind whipped through her tail as she dove towards Fluttershy. Once she could see Fluttershy’s eyes widen, she pulled up, just in time. As she flew past, the gust blew Fluttershy’s mane into Rainbow Dash’s face. The sudden obstruction forced her to close her eyes. Suddenly, Rainbow felt her body dig through dirt and slow to a skid. The world spun. Blue mixed with green mixed with brown mixed with yellow mixed with pink. She could feel the dirt coating her body. Then, a gentle pressure on her chest.

As the world returned to focus, Rainbow Dash found herself in a small rut, with Fluttershy standing over her. Her eyes were wide and darted around wildly. Rainbow raised a hoof between her and Fluttershy.

“I’m fine, totally fine. Just a minor crash.”

“Nothing hurts? Are you sure?”

Rainbow checked herself over. “No, nothing serious.” She stood up. “Alright, that routine has a pretty big flaw.”

“What happened? Did you not mean to get so close to the ground?”
“No, I did. The idea was to fly right over your head to get close to the audience. I thought it’d be pretty exciting. But the wind I generated from pulling up put your mane in my face.” Rainbow furrowed her brows and looked towards the ground. “Maybe I shouldn’t get so close. It was an awesome idea, but I don’t think it works.”

“Well… um… I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to think about it some more.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Oh, well, um… nothing—nothing too big. I just—um—I just wanted to ask your advice about something.”

“Which is…?”

“Uh…” Fluttershy swallowed. “I guess, I um…, I just wanted to ask how to ask somepony out.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “… Are you sure you don’t wanna ask Rarity about this?”

“Well, I have but, um, I don’t mean ‘what should I do,’ I mean ‘how do I do it.’”

Rainbow dash poured over the words in her head. She squinted at Fluttershy and smacked her lips. “Yeah… both of those phrases sound like Rarity would be better to ask.”

“Well, Rarity wants me to do something dramatic—and maybe she’s right—but I don’t mean ‘how do I plan something romantic,’ I, um…”

Rainbow’s eyes opened. “Oh, you’re asking for confidence?”

“Um, yeah,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“It’s simple. Just do it.”

“… I don’t think that’s helpful.”

“Listen Fluttershy,” Rainbow put a hoof around Fluttershy’s neck. “All you gotta do is not think about doing it, and just do it. The reason you’re scared about doing it is that you’ve gotten into your own head about the result, yeah?”

“… yeah?”

“So, just, you know, don’t.”

“Don’t what.”

“Don’t think about it. At all. Just walk up to them, and say ‘hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?’ or something.”

Fluttershy blushed. “I can’t say that!” she exclaimed.

“Sure you can. Say it now.”

“I-I don’t kn—”

“Say it. ‘Hey…’” Rainbow Dash motioned towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy sighed. “I don’t see how this is going to help.”

“Just trust me. ‘Hey…’”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Hey…”

“You’re cute.”

“… You’re cute.”

“Wanna go on a date?”

“…W-wanna go on a date?”

“Now all together.”

“Hey… y-you’re cute, wanna go on a date?”

“Again.”

“Hey… you’re cute, wanna go on a date?”

“Louder.”

“Hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?”

“Come on,” Rainbow said as she leapt from the ground. “I should be able to hear you from up here.”

Fluttershy loudly mumbled something. It wasn’t loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear, but she assumed Fluttershy had said the practiced phrase.

“Nicely done. Now, do you feel better?”

“A bit… The words don’t feel like they mean as much now is all.”

“Exactly!”

“… How is this helpful?”

“It means less, so you’ll be thinking less about what you’re saying when you say it, duh.”

“I… I guess that makes sense?”

“You bet it does!”

Rainbow Dash smiled, proud of herself. Fluttershy had a confused look on her face.

“Hey, how do you think I do all the dangerous things I do?”

“Do you… not think about it? At all?” Fluttershy asked with wide eyes and a hoof over her mouth.

“Yes.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Well, no. I figure out all the safety details first,” she said quickly. “Then, in preparation, I don’t think about it. Or, at least, I try not to. Sometimes I get in my own head, but usually I can keep my cool that way”

“I don’t see what that has to do with saying ‘Hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?’ over and over again.”

“Was it scary to say that?”

“Well, no…”

“Why not?”

“Because… I’m not thinking about Pinkie when I—” Fluttershy cut herself off and hid behind her mane.

“Pinkie? Really?”

“… Yes,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Huh.” Rainbow Dash stared at the ground. She then scratched her head. Turning to Fluttershy, she said “You and Pinkie?”

“I know…” Fluttershy mumbled. “She won’t like me back.”

“Not at all what I said or implied. Honestly, I think she might like you back.”

“You do?” Fluttershy said turning out of the way of her mane. “What makes you say that?”

“I dunno. It’s just a feeling I’ve got, I guess. I just… don’t get why you like her.”

“Well…” Fluttershy rubbed her foreleg. “She’s able to keep me stable when I freak out, which is nice. And she knows when to push and when not to push. And—”

“Stop. I got it. Mushy stuff.” Rainbow Dash sighed as Fluttershy chuckled. “Sorry that came out wrong. I meant that I’m glad you, uh, have so many reasons you like Pinkie.”

“It’s fine, I know you don’t like to talk about that kind of thing.”

Rainbow Dash exhaled. “Good.” Rainbow paused for a moment. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Anyway, when are you gonna ask her out?”

“Oh, I don’t know… I’ve been trying to muster up the courage for a week and a half or so.”

“Today it is, then.”

“What?” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I can’t just ask her now. I’m not ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“She’s going to—”

“Going to nothing. Nothing’s going to happen. All that’s going to happen is you’re going to go to Sugarcube Corner around 5-ish. Then, you’re going to walk up to Pinkie and say…” Rainbow Dash turned her hoof over towards Fluttershy.

She sighed. “Hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?”

“Bingo!”

“Okay, but what about after—”

“Nothing. You don’t think about the after. Heck,” Rainbow Dash threw her forehooves into the air. “There is no after. All there is, is now and the moment up to you saying…” Rainbow gestured to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy exhaled and glared at Rainbow. “Hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?”

“Great! Just, maybe don’t glare at Pinkie when you do it.”

“You and Angel are so frustrating sometimes.”

“Let me guess, he’s been trying to force you to do it the last week or so?”

“He brought Pinkie over to my house. He kept trying to get me to say something about it.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Did you leave him at Sugarcube Corner or something?”

Fluttershy wore a tired expression. “No, he hopped.”

Rainbow Dash started laughing. “All the way there? That bunny’s dedicated.”

“He even got Harry to push Pinkie up against me.”

Rainbow Dash began to guffaw. “Oh man, he got the bear in on it too?”

“Yeah, I think he’s calmed down, at least for now.”

Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh man, he’s playing matchmaker something fierce. Hey, how’s Rarity handling your crush?”

“Honestly, she hasn’t been bugging me that much about it since she found out what Angel’s been doing.” Fluttershy chuckled. “Although, she did seem to go into shock when she found out Angel figured it out before she did.”

“He what?” Rainbow exclaimed. Then, she howled with laughter. “Oh, man I wish I could’ve seen that. Me, bested by a rabbit?” Rainbow said in a poor excuse for a Canterlot accent.

“To be honest, you seem to know what happened already.”

“Oh, please, please tell me the next time you’re going to reveal something like that to Rarity. I wanna see so bad. Oh, and I bet Applejack would too.”

“I suppose I can do that.” Fluttershy frowned. “Oh goodness, I’m going to ask Pinkie out today. Why am I doing this?”

“Because you want to. And because you’re going to.”

Fluttershy sighed.

I’m not doing anything. I’m just walking to Sugarcube Corner.

It’s just a short walk. Nothing’s going to happen there.

Pinkie isn’t going to freak out when I tell her. She’s not going to hate me. She’s not going to—

No, don’t think about that. There is no after. Just like Rainbow said. It’s just the now, the before, and the event.

Oh god, what am I doing? Why am I doing this? Nothing good is going to come of it. Even if she does like me. I can barely work up the courage to ask her. What if something comes up? Can I even talk to her about it? No. I’ll just chicken out, like I always do. I can’t—I can’t—I can’t—

Fluttershy noticed she was hyperventilating and took a deep breath.

I can do this. I can ask Angel to do stop interfering with my life. And if I can ask that bunny to stop meddling, I can ask Pinkie to stop doing something minor. She’s much less… insistent than he is.

Okay, no more thoughts about the after. Just one hoof in front of the other. Oh, there’s Lyra and Bon-bon. I’ll just wave. Hello there! The pair waved back. Okay, keep walking. You know where you’re going. Where’s the clock? 5:02. That’s fine. It’s not a date or anything.

Oh no, what am I going to do on the date? I don’t even have anywhere planned. I—

Nope. Not thinking about it. It doesn’t exist. I’m just going to walk up and say ‘Hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?’ just like Rainbow said. Gosh, that does not sound like something I’d say at all. Maybe I should skip today and figure out what I want to say for tomorrow. I bet Rarity would—

No, I need to do this now. I’ve been saying tomorrow for a week and a half now. So, I’m going there now. Oh, there’s Big Mac cleaning up the stand. Hello Big Mac! Fluttershy waved again. Big Mac waved back. Okay, other things that are happening now. Oh, there’s some birdies in those trees. Looks like a pair of Equestrian sparrow. Strange, it’s a bit late in the year to see those. Oh, and there’s a red-breasted nuthatch. I hope you find the bugs you’re looking for! Oh, I do hope those bugs are good at hiding though. I’m sure they don’t want to be eaten. Good luck hiding, bugs!

Oh, dear, I’m here. Oh no, what—

Nope, I’m just opening the door. Just going to walk inside and find—

“Oh, hi Pinkie,” Fluttershy said as she ran right into her crush.

Inside the door, Pinkie stood,

“Oh, uh, hi Fluttershy. Um, Sugarcube Corner has closed. But—I can, um, I can get something for you if you need it.” Pinkie chuckled nervously.

“I—um—I’m not actually looking for anything in Sugarcube Corner, I—well—I was looking for you.”

“Oh no! Am I late for something? Was I supposed to be somewhere?” Pinkie’s eyes darted around nervously.

“No, nothing like that actually, um…” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Can—can we talk somewhere. Somewhere private, maybe?”

“Uh,” Pinkie said as her eyes darted around the room. “Sure, I mean, i-is my room okay?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy replied.

Don’t think about it; don’t think about it; don’t think about it.

The pair walked up the stairs. Pinkie hesitated before the door. She drew a deep breath, then entered the room with Fluttershy following close behind.

Don’t think about it; don’t think about it; don’t think about it.

As soon as she entered, Pinkie turned around and waited for Fluttershy to close the door. “Okay, I’m ready, Shy. What did you want to talk to me about?” Pinkie asked, rubbing her foreleg.

Don’t think about it; don’t thi—wait.

“Pinkie, why are you so nervous?”

“Be-because,” Pinkie stopped and sighed, “Because you’ve been avoiding me, and I know that I’ve done something wrong, and I don’t know what it is, and I should know what it is, but I don’t and—"

“Wait, slow down, Pinkie, why do you think I’ve been avoiding you?”

Pinkie started pacing between the door and her bed. “Well, after the proposal, like, three weeks ago, I’ve only seen you once. And you usually come in on Tuesdays for a carrot cupcake for Angel and a Lemon Square for yourself after you and Rarity finish at the spa.”

“I do?”

“Yes! Like eight out of every ten weeks! I go to Carrot Top’s stand every Tuesday to buy carrots for the carrot cake just in case.” Fluttershy noticed a few tears coming out of Pinkie’s eyes. “I didn’t think anything of you not showing up on the two Tuesdays after the proposal, but then the one time I did see you was like, a week and a half ago, and—” Pinkie was crying now, “and when that happened, you initially said I couldn’t come in, but then you said I could. And Angel clearly was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand it, and I didn’t want to ask because I didn’t want it to be true. Be-because I care about you and—and I can’t lose our friendship.” Pinkie paused, out of breath. “I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Pinkie, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then, you are avoiding me?”

Fluttershy took the hoof back. “I… I didn’t mean to, but I guess I have in hindsight. I-I’m nervous.”

“About what?” Pinkie had one eyebrow raised and tears were still coating the edges of her eyes.

This is it. Okay, nothing after this. It doesn’t exist. It’s just the now.

“Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Hey, you’re cute, wanna go on a date?”

There was a long silence in the air.

“Oh.” Pinkie giggled as tears spilled down her cheeks. “That explains a lot.”

“Yeah, I’ve been nervous all week.” Fluttershy scratched the back of her head. “I honestly didn’t realize I had come so often for sweets after the spa. And I only said you couldn’t come in initially because I was nervous about talking to you at the time.”

“Well, I really wasn’t expecting that.” Pinkie giggled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I really, really wasn’t expecting that! I knew I was going to have a doozy today, but I thought it was going to be the complete opposite!”

Fluttershy forced a chuckle. “Y-yeah, quite the doozy, I guess.”

“So, when were you thinking.” Pinkie sniffled and pulled out a calendar from her mane. “I think I’m free Friday evening. Saturday I’m a little busy though.”

“F-Friday?”

“Friday’s good?” Pinkie smiled.

Fluttershy paused. “Um, yeah, Friday’s great.” She smiled. “More than great, even… Really?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie smiled wide. “Where were you thinking about going?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know. I honestly didn’t think I’d get this far,” she said through a chuckle.

“Wait? Why not? I thought I was super obvious.”

“Um, obvious?”

“I’ve, uh, had a crush on you for like, two months.”

“…Do you think Angel noticed?”

“Why would Angel notice? He’s a bunny. Bunnies don’t know romance.”

Fluttershy thought carefully about how to phrase her next words.

Pinkie interrupted her thoughts. “He was trying to get me to talk to you about it the other day, wasn’t he.”

Fluttershy nodded.

Pinkie laughed. “That rabbit… Anyway, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Well… how about The Blue Loon?”

“It’s a date! I haven’t gotten a chance to eat, like, half their menu yet.” Pinkie scribbled something in her calendar and shoved it back in her mane. “May I walk you home this evening?” she asked in a mock-Canterlot accent as she held open the door to her room.

“S-sure,” Fluttershy replied as she blushed.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered, you know,” Pinkie said with a smirk.

“I already called you cute, you can’t steal my line.”

The pair laughed as they made their way out of Sugarcube Corner.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! If you have any criticism, feel free to share below.

Observation

As the sun drew low on the horizon, light shone through the leaves into the small clearing below. From the crown of a tree near the top of a hill in Sweet Apple Acres, the clearing glowed ethereally. In the month spent preparing for today, Rarity had obsessed to Fluttershy over every detail of the wonderful date she and Applejack were having.

Early this morning, Rarity had surprised Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres with a proposal of a spa day. Applebuck Season was just around the corner, and Rarity had decided to give some vague excuse about making sure her marefriend was feeling her best before the grueling labor began. The conspiracy included Granny Smith and Big Mac, who had promised to eagerly push Applejack out the door with Rarity. After that, Rarity had planned a romantic luncheon for the pair. She had booked reservations at The Blue Loon, a new restaurant Pinkie had recommended, and prepared a new dress for each of them.

Rarity’s dress had been a recycled idea of hers from a client who had backed out once they had seen the price tag. Rarity had been simply enamored with the design, however, and had tweaked it to highlight her eyes and mane. The tight, sparkling, silver dress held blue accents along the collar. The purple back helped to elongate her torso. And, of course, the hidden pocket just hidden on her barrel.

On the other hoof, Applejack’s dress was elegant, a loose-fitting thing. Rarity had been certain the green skirt would bring out her eyes and the denim in the bust complimented her hat. The idea had come partially at Fluttershy’s suggestion. Rarity had struggled for a week trying to find a way to fit Applejack’s hat into feminine formal attire, sure that Applejack had wanted to wear it unmolested. Fluttershy casually mentioned she thought denim might complement the rural charm of the hat. Rarity had insisted on taking Fluttershy to the spa for such a breathtaking idea, but Fluttershy simply had to refuse. It wasn’t like she had any real hand in this wonderful event. No, that was exclusively the pair themselves.

After lunch, Rarity was bringing Applejack on a romantic walk through Sweet Apple Acres. They were to end at the top of the Southern-most hill.

And then, at sunset, came the real surprise.

Fluttershy wasn’t going to spy on them. Really, she wasn’t. Rarity had suggested she watch, saying that she wanted to hear what it looked like from the outside. Fluttershy partially suspected she wanted some affirmation of the romance of the gesture, but didn’t feel comfortable invading on Applejack’s privacy.

At least, not alone.

Pinkie had come to Fluttershy late in the afternoon while she had been setting a mouse’s foreleg. She was delicately wrapping it in a sling when Pinkie entered, excitedly shouting that she absolutely had to follow her to Carousel Boutique. The excitement caused Fluttershy to jump. With the cloth still in her hoof, she yanked the sling, still attached to the mouse—about a foot into the air, which caused a quiet crack.

Fluttershy had earlier hoped she wouldn’t hear the deafening squeak of a mouse in pain twice that day.

Once the screaming had stopped, Pinkie apologized profusely to both Fluttershy and the mouse. The mouse was livid, but Fluttershy was much more responsive to Pinkie’s apologies. After re-setting the mouse’s foreleg and assuring Pinkie that the mouse would be fine and—no—she was not mad at Pinkie for inadvertently causing one of her patients pain, Pinkie explained that Applejack had a surprise for Rarity today when they got back to Carousel Boutique at the end of their date.

Despite Fluttershy’s prodding, Pinkie—naturally—didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Fluttershy wasn’t sure why, at that moment, she decided to be coy with Pinkie. Rarity hadn’t asked her to keep it a secret from anyone except Applejack and Pinkie was tighter-lipped than Fluttershy herself. She explained that Rarity was planning a surprise too and, since they were going to watch one surprise anyway, they might as well watch Rarity’s surprise at Sweet Apple Acres first. The beaming smile from Pinkie Pie made her knees wobble just a bit.

She didn’t know why her knees turned to jelly when Pinkie smiled. In fact, it occurred to Fluttershy that she didn’t know why Pinkie was able to so easily convince her to spy on their friends. She knew Rarity was fine with it, but she hadn’t learned Applejack was expecting observers until she and Pinkie had neared Rarity’s suggested vantage point. It was… disconcerting how easily Pinkie liberated her of worry.

It probably wasn’t anything worth worrying about.

Right?

At that moment, she heard a giggle from her left. Pinkie was desperately trying to stifle back laughter and, at Fluttershy’s confusion, pointed at a pair of mares with their tails intertwined approaching the clearing. Fluttershy could feel the languor emanating from their slow, casual gait and interlocking features. Though the pair’s distraction on each other persuaded Fluttershy she was unlikely to be spotted, she hastily adjusted the leaves of the apple tree to better obscure her from view.

Rarity sat by the tree at the top of the hill and patted the ground next to her. Applejack sat down, and gazed longingly at Rarity. They chatted for a while, though the wind obfuscated their words.

Fluttershy’s thoughts returned to Pinkie. There were numerous times Pinkie had pushed her ever so slightly to do something she wasn’t comfortable with. She felt… safe around her. It wasn’t that Pinkie wouldn’t ever push too hard, but she usually knew when to stop. Rainbow had told her about Pinkie’s reluctance to put her at the center of a prank. Maybe that was why Pinkie’s suggestion had been so convincing.

No, it was more than that. Maybe it was that Fluttershy was so frequently and thoroughly encouraged by Pinkie. It seemed that Pinkie was the mare most able to convince her to face her fears.

Yeah, that was probably it. And probably nothing more.

It was at this point that Fluttershy noticed the sun was nearly in position. Rarity had already gripped the box in her magic. Applejack was talking about something,

She stole a glance at Pinkie. Then, she looked at Pinkie again, brows furrowed slightly. Pinkie was staring intently at the pair, mouth was slightly agape, and eyebrows raised. Fluttershy supposed she must be surprised that the proposal was happening; Applejack and Rarity had only been dating for about a year and half. But there seemed to be something more on her face. It can wait until later, Fluttershy thought. Right now, I want to watch.

Rarity said something and Applejack smiled and raised an eyebrow at her. It was a quiet, soft smile. Rarity had a similar expression, but it was diluted slightly. Fluttershy noticed her rear hoof was shaking ever so perceptibly. If it wasn’t behind the tree, Applejack probably would’ve noticed it.

And as the light of the sun set, Rarity stood up, put one hind knee on the ground, and pulled the small box from behind her into her forehooves. She opened it. The sun glistened off the contents, and Applejack’s eyes widened. Fluttershy saw Rarity speaking those practiced words.

And then, Applejack began to laugh.

Fluttershy couldn’t believe it. Rarity had just proposed, and Applejack was rolling on the ground laughing.

“Fluttershy,” Pinkie whispered.

Rarity’s face fell. Then, her brows furrowed.

Applejack’s guffaw echoed into the trees. Fluttershy felt tears flow into her eyes.

“Fluttershy.”

Rarity shook her hoof and said something, Fluttershy couldn’t tell what.

Pinkie shook her slightly. “Fluttershy.” she whispered, louder this time.

“W-what is it Pinkie?”

“Do you know what this means?”

“That Applejack and Rarity understood their relationship differently? That it wasn’t as serious for Applejack as it was for Rarity?” Fluttershy averted her gaze. She couldn’t watch the fallout of this.

“No, look.”

“Why?”

“Just look.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath. I can trust Pinkie, she thought. Turning back to the mares in the clearing, Fluttershy noticed Rarity had turned away from the echoing laughter. There was a furious blush on her face and was clearly trying to hold back tears.

Applejack had finally stopped laughing. Wearing a slight smile, she picked her hat back off the ground. Then, she reached into it and removed a small box.

Fluttershy’s eyes flicked back over to Rarity. She had closed the box and put it on the ground next to her.

"No,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Yup.”

Applejack slowly approached Rarity from behind and grasped her shoulder. Rarity looked at her, then turned abruptly.

“No.”

“Yup!”

Applejack slowly walked in front of Rarity, kneeled down, and opened the box.

“Double proposal, Fluttershy.”

Rarity’s face lit up. She began to laugh. They hugged.

Fluttershy couldn’t hold it in anymore. She took a deep breath…

Every magically-talented unicorn in Equestria, Twilight herself included, knew that Starswirl’s canonical notation for spells was illegible. Sure, every spell had a uniquely identifiable spell circle and the runes included did imply connections between spells. In fact, many spell circles even helped instruct the reader on casting—if you knew how to read them. But runes that nominally pertained to cooling showed up in spells starting fires and producing sunlight. And of course, what mage could forget the so-called “orphan runes” which showed up willy-nilly in spell circles without any known magical properties.

It was infuriating for mages everywhere. If spell circles were just written properly, in a legible, standardized format, students could focus on learning the magic rather than the derelict and outdated markings of madponies.

It started merely as a hobby. She’d find a new spell, identify the component aspects of it, put the runes into a spell circle, and file it away. When she started, she thought she’d never look at the results in any meaningful capacity.

And then, she read Algebra Galop’s paper on Group Theory. The generalization of additive arithmetic to abstract sets with binary operations perfectly mimicked the way spells were often taught to fillies. If you want to cast a spell to summon a torch, you need to both make some kindling and light it on fire. Do them at the same time, and a torch appears in your grasp. Hypothetically, you could break down every spell to component parts. But, with how fluid and visceral spellcasting tended to be, reverse engineering a spell bordered on the impossible. Ponies rarely tried, let alone succeeded.

On a whim, Twilight tried adding and subtracting some of the spell circles she’d written. Of the results, a few were unrecognizable and incomprehensible. A few were simple spells that most students of magical studies could perform by the end of their fourth year of study. A few were more difficult, and the spell circle suggested a better pedagogy. These revelations might’ve been enough for a minor paper that would circulate the professors of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. But one spell circle was both unfamiliar and castable. She had discovered a brand new spell, something she shared with the Princess, along with the rest of her progress.

This was a grave mistake.

Celestia, ever encouraging, suggested Twilight take it upon herself to develop this system as far as she could. After all, Twilight had come up with the idea and already had a very firm grasp on spellcasting and the linkages between spells. And of course, Celestia had suggested, Twilight could present her preliminary findings at the Canterlot Magical Research Meeting.

Which was in a month.

Of course, adding and subtracting spells meant adding and subtracting runes on circles in various locations. And while some runes had obvious “negatives,” like heat and cold, others were less clear. What, pray tell, was the negative for the grasping rune necessary in telekinetic spells? Perhaps releasing? But there was no “release” rune. Not to mention the issue of orphan runes.

Next came the problem of organizing the circles. If a locomotion rune was included in the upper position of one spell circle and the lower position of another spell circle, how did they interact? Do you keep just one on the circle? If so, which one? If not, how do they change? Certainly positioning was important, there were spells with circles which differed only in the placement of runes.

However, as she worked on adding and subtracting spells and understanding their underlying properties, Twilight began to believe the spells she had idly decided to work with originally had been flukes. The best Twilight could maybe hope for as a preliminary result was a table of rune addition, something almost impossible to isolate. Sure, a handful of runes had “pure” spells, but adding such spells didn’t tell Twilight anything. Maybe the runes canceled out because they were negatives. Or maybe no one had discovered the spell yet. Who knows? Not Twilight, that was for sure.

For now, Twilight was adding and subtracting every spell she could find—ignoring any with orphan runes for the time being—and testing the results. This meant she alternated between writing, learning, and casting. Writing, learning, and casting. Starting at dawn and ending at dusk. This had been her routine for two weeks. So far, she’d determined negatives for five of the few hundred runes. Sure, a couple of new, highly specialized spells had wormed their way out of her computations, but nothing fundamentally groundbreaking. Maybe ten ponies in total would use one of these once in the next three decades. If she was lucky, one of them would use one twice.

Today, however, she was redoubling her efforts. She had skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner in favor of eating once right before bed. She didn’t have time for pesky trivialities like food. Spike had graciously agreed to run the few errands that needed doing today, though she definitely lied when she said she’d eat the food he’d made while he was out. He’d returned just a few hours prior with groceries in claw and deposited the fresh quills on her desk.

It wasn’t until he’d arrived that Twilight noticed the fatigue. The rote computation and repetitive motions tired her horn, not to mention casting the spell circles. She felt her magic nearing its limit as she worked. Calculating and casting had simply become tedious and wearisome. Beside her stood the stack of parchment of results from today’s efforts. It was nearly sunset and all she had to show for it were just over two dozen computations, only about half of which resulted in a comprehensible spell.

I am going to get something before bed. Maybe if I review my notes soon, I can find a new rune negative. Maybe I could get something to show Celestia.

Suddenly, a sound echoed through the library. It startled Twilight and she slipped from her chair.

When she returned, she could see the inkwell had tipped over.

And now ink was all over her notes.

She noticed Spike walk in from the kitchen in the corner of her eye. “What was that all about?”

Twilight paused. Her eye twitched. “Spike, is there any chance you copied any of these notes I was making.”

“Uh… no. Should I have?”

“No, just wondering.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Then, Twilight began to cry.

Three pairs of eyes were on her, staring intently. Probably because she’d just ruined the pair’s romantic moment with an ear-splitting shriek. Probably because they were expecting her to say something to return the moment. Probably because they knew she couldn’t do such a thing and were waiting to see how else she’d ruin the moment.

“Um, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so loud.”

Six eyes stared at her. Applejack and Rarity started laughing. She felt a hoof on her back. She turned to Pinkie and saw a small, soft smile creep across her face.

Applejack and Rarity, understandably, wanted some alone time at that point. And so it was that Pinkie and Fluttershy ambled to her cottage. Fluttershy’s head was hung low and her ears folded back into her head.

How could you ruin such a perfect moment? Fluttershy thought. It was going to be so wonderful, a moment between just them. And you ruined it. You broke that moment like you broke that mouse’s foreleg. It’s your fault.

“Can you believe it Fluttershy? A really actually real double proposal!”

“Yeah… it’s wonderful.”

“You’re not still down about ‘ruining’ the proposal are you?” Pinkie’s hooves hung in the air after her air quotes.

“… maybe.”

“Fluttershy,” the last syllable lingered on her tongue. “You know you didn’t ruin anything.”

“But–“

“Rarity even said she was glad we were watching. Nobody would’ve believed her if just she and Applejack had said they had double proposed. It was fantabulous that they got to have someone watch such a beautiful moment. Twilight always says beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And we beheld. So, without us, it would’ve been less beautiful than it was.”

“But–“

“And Applejack wanted me to be there so I could take a picture. And it’s not your fault I completely forgot to take a picture and absolutely let the moment get away from me. I didn’t even tell you I was supposed to take a picture, so how could it possibly be even anywhere close to your fault that I forgot to take the picture.”

“But…” Fluttershy hesitated, expecting Pinkie to cut her off once again. Instead, Pinkie looked at her with a slight frown. “… I… distracted them… when they were in a perfect moment. A moment they’ll never get to experience again.”

“So? Fluttershy, it was a double proposal. I don’t think anyone in Ponyville has even met anyone who had a double proposal. Even if you had made the moment any worse, it was still probably the best proposal anyone in Ponyville will know of.”

“But it could have been so much better.”

“Well, yeah, but everything can always be better. Every vanilla cake can be chocolate and every chocolate cake could be vanilla.” There was a soft smile on her face.

The silence hung in the air for a moment.

Softly, Fluttershy finally decided to speak. “… Thank you Pinkie.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for, silly!”

Steam rose up from her freshly baked batch of scones. Angel was taking a nap on the couch nearby, but his presence didn’t brighten the room. She still felt bad about interrupting Applejack and Rarity’s proposal, but it wasn’t as sharp a pain.

It was strange thinking about Pinkie now. There was something below the surface that Fluttershy simply couldn’t place.

At least Rarity and Applejack were doing well; the adoring looks they shared filled Fluttershy’s mind. The sight of each gorging her eyes upon the other brought a bubbling to her stomach. It boiled and roiled as she imagined the longing plastered across their faces.

But that wasn’t right. Applejack and Rarity were getting married. She should be happy for them, celebrating their success. Applejack had been described as “cold” by everypony she had dated for the past two years. Soon after the seventh failed relationship, Applejack confessed her fear of romantic attachment in the wake of her parents’ death. Rarity, on the other hand, was so busy waiting for a grand gesture of confessed love that she never attempted any mundane encounters. She hadn’t been on a second date in a year prior to Applejack asking her out. The troubles they encountered should remind her to rejoice in their accomplishment.

But she wasn’t. Maybe it was because she had a similar problem. It wasn’t that she was waiting for anything per se it was just… well… it wasn’t like she had anyone she even wanted to date.

Yeah, that was it.

Applejack less frequently overworked herself, taking breaks to spend time with Rarity and relying more on her family. Additionally, Applejack helped to reign in some of Rarity’s neuroses. More than once Applejack had been able to convince Rarity to sleep in a bed during a hectic week producing garments for a Canterlot client. They complemented each other well.

She and Pinkie were similar in that regard. While Pinkie was certainly able to embolden Fluttershy, Pinkie seemed to find Fluttershy an anchor.

What an odd parallel. Probably nothing to it.

Suddenly, Fluttershy felt a tap against her leg. Below her stood a bunny, arms crossed and glaring intensely at her.

“I’m sorry Angel, did I wake you?”

Angel shook his head.

“Well, you’ve already eaten today, so I’m not going to give you any more.”

Angel shook his head again.

“That’s not it? What’s going on then? Is somepony hurt?”

Angel wore a disappointed look.

Fluttershy blinked. “No, you wouldn’t be so calm in an emergency like that… sorry. Um… Oh! Did I leave the stove on after dinner or something?”

The bunny slapped his forehead, grumbled to himself, and hopped away.

“Angel?”

The bunny hopped up the stairs, turned to Fluttershy near the top, and waved his arm up the stairs before continuing. Fluttershy elected to follow him. If he wasn’t looking for food, Angel generally had something important to say—even if he usually said it with attitude.

Angel was waiting for her at the bedroom door. Once she ascended the stairs, he pushed the door ajar and hopped inside. Fluttershy opened the door, and saw Angel hanging off the nightstand.

Fluttershy rushed over to Angel. “Oh dear, don’t fall.” She lifted him onto the table. Once he got his bearing and dusted himself off, he then pointed to the framed picture of her and her friends they had taken in spring. In it, Applejack and Rarity had their forelegs draped over each other on the right. Pinkie had grabbed her and Twilight’s heads in a furious chokehold that Fluttershy could still feel on her neck. Rainbow Dash hovered above, obviously stifling a chuckle. Spike sat in front, oblivious to the commotion behind him.

Fluttershy sat in confused silence, to which Angel responded by pointing more furiously.

“Okay… it’s about my friends.”

Angel brought his paws together slowly.

“Some of my friends.”

Angel repeated the action.

“One of my friends.”

Angel started to nod, then stopped. He put his paw to his chin and cocked his head. Then, started to shake his head.

“…Two of my friends?”

Angel nodded slowly.

“Okay… which two?”

Angel pointed at Pinkie Pie’s visage in the portrait.

“So one of them is Pinkie Pie?”

Angel nodded.

“… And the other?”

Angel crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows with a smirk; Fluttershy stared blankly.

“Oh.” Fluttershy blushed. “Oh. Oh no Angel. I don’t know what made you think that.”

Angel rolled his eyes and glared at Fluttershy.

“Don’t look at me like that. I was not thinking about her when you interrupted me. I-I was thinking about Rarity and Applejack. Yeah, they’re getting married you know. They both proposed to each other at the same time. And I nearly ruined it. Pinkie got me to stop beating myself up about it. It’s like she knows exactly what to say to silence that abusive voice in my head. I—”

Fluttershy grew quiet. Angel wore a small smirk.

“Okay, so I was. That doesn’t mean I have feelings for her.”

Angel’s smirk grew wider.

“You implied that.”

There was a knock at the front door. Fluttershy turned towards the bedroom door; she turned back to Angel and said, “We’ll talk about this later.”

Fluttershy glided down the stairs and to the door. Opening it, she saw Spike, nervously wringing his hands in the stark light cast from her open door against the dark of the night.

“Spike? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, Twilight is having a bit of a breakdown. I already got Pinkie to come over and try and cheer her up, but she thought you might be more helpful right now.”

Fluttershy felt Angel hop on her back. “Is she alright? Has something happened?”

“I don’t know, I think so? I couldn’t get her to tell me anything specific, though.”

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy covered her mouth and turned to Angel. “I’m going out, make sure to get to bed soon okay?”

Angel shook his head and patted her back.

“Angel, you have to get to bed soon. I won’t be gone long.”

Angel shook his head again.

“Oh alright, you can come tonight. I don’t know why you want to come along though.”

Spike led the way back to the Golden Oaks Library. His soft jog had Fluttershy trotting along behind. “She was working on some spell research all day,” he said. “It was some series of complicated calculations that I couldn’t understand. From what she was talking about, I’m not even sure she fully understood what she was doing. Maybe I should’ve copied them down, but she had me go out for groceries before and I was already tired when I got back. And, of course, she didn’t eat enough today either. She told me she was going to, but I found her untouched plate of food. I knew that if she didn’t eat, something would happen and she’d get like this.” Spike raised his arms abruptly. “She knows that if she doesn’t eat she’s more prone to breakdowns like this.”

Spike sighed. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I got her some food, but it didn’t seem to help at all.”

“Um, Spike… What happened that caused her breakdown?”

“Oh, she spilt some ink on her calculations. I think she couldn’t remember how to get the calculations she needed to get to or something.”

“Oh my.”

“I’m worried is all. It’s been… a while since it’s been this bad.”

Spike opened the door to the library. Inside at one of the desks, Twilight was bawling over some blackened pages, and had black stains across her face and forelegs. Pinkie was sitting on a chair beside her, hugging her in a tight embrace. Pinkie’s ears perked up as the door creaked closed and looked up from Twilight; she waved to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy waved back and walked towards Twilight. About halfway to her, she felt the weight on her back alleviate. As she reached Twilight, she put a hoof on her friend’s back. “There, there, it’s alright. You can do this.”

"No, no I can’t Fluttershy.” Twilight said through sobs “I-I’ve got a month to finish something for this project and I can’t even f-find anything basic.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to, you’ve got a whole month.”

“I’ve been working on it for two weeks, Fluttershy. If I was going to find anything, I’d have found s-something by now.”

“Have you talked to Celestia about this?”

Twilight sniffled. “…no…”

“Why not? It sounds like you’re stressing about this quite a bit. Maybe she could help you through it.”

“B-because I want her to see that I can do this project! She’s trusting me with this, and how can I t-tell her I can’t do it?”

“You won’t be telling her you can’t do it. You’re telling her you need more time to work on it. That’s all.”

“B-but she’s suggested I can accomplish something this in time and I can’t,” Twilight cried.

“And that’s okay. Celestia didn’t know how difficult this project is going to be. I’m sure she just assumed this would be a lot easier and simpler than it is. If you talk to her about it, it will be fine.”

“I guess…” Twilight sniffled.

They sat in silence for a moment.

“…Thanks for coming tonight. Sorry I’ve been so distraught and despondent.”

“That’s alright Twilight,” Pinkie crowed. “We’ve got your back when you need us. Are you feeling better?” As she said this, Pinkie pulled Twilight into another tight hug.

“Much,” Twilight said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Fluttershy smiled softly. Then, she felt a gentle thud against her hindleg. Looking down, she saw Angel glaring at her. He pointed toward Twilight and Pinkie.

Fluttershy turned back to Twilight and Pinkie. “It’s no trouble at all. I’m sure you would be there for us if we needed you.”

“You know,” Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes, “if I had just gotten to work on it when I spilled the ink, I might’ve been able to salvage most of the calculations. Maybe I could get started on it now. If I did, I might be able to finish by morn—”

“Oh no you don’t.” At that moment, Spike entered the room with four bowls of flower stir fry over hay balanced on a large serving plate. “I don’t want to wake up to you having another break down because you spilt ink again.”

“Oh, all right Spike,” Twilight replied. “I’ll wait until tomorrow to start again.” Everyone laughed.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Twilight,” Spike said.

“Me too,” Twilight answered.

Fluttershy felt pressure on her hindleg again. She scooped angel up and onto her back.

Fluttershy, the girls, and Spike had spent some time just chatting before she and Pinkie decided it was time to go. Twilight—at Spike’s prodding—had decided it was time for bed herself and wished the girls a goodnight. Now, Fluttershy and Pinkie were walking towards Sugarcube Corner, and Angel was rapidly thumping on her back.

“Thanks for coming when Spike asked for you, Fluttershy. I didn’t think I was going to be able to soothe her myself.”

“Oh, I’m sure you would’ve been able to do it, Pinkie. You’re good at talking to people; much better than I am.”

“No I’m not!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I make ponies laugh, which is sometimes what people need. But you can convince people to be comfortable with themselves, to show themselves kindness,” Pinkie said with a smile. As Fluttershy noticed the door of Sugarcube Corner, she noticed Pinkie’s ears subtly droop. “I’m no good at that at all.”

“…Well… you’re able to do that for me…” The thumping continued.

“Really?” Pinkie asked as her eyes brightened, her ears raised, and the smile grew on her face.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy whispered, "you did earlier today on the way back from Sweet Apple Acres."

“Oh Fluttershy!” Pinkie gripped her neck with both forelegs. She felt a hop off her back. “You don’t even know how happy that makes me.”

Fluttershy felt herself blush. The thumping intensified. Oh dear.

“…I-I’m glad Pinkie…”

Pinkie let her go and let out a light chuckle. “Sorry,” she said, “got a little carried away there.”

“That’s okay… I don’t mind.”

“… You’d tell me if you did mind, right?”

“Yes, yes I would.”

“Good. Good.” Pinkie looked at the door. “Anyway, I should probably get to bed. Thanks for… for walking home with me,” Pinkie said quickly.

“Anytime.” Fluttershy smiled softly and waved. She felt harder thumping on her back.

“Goodnight.” Pinkie waved back.

“Goodnight.”

Pinkie entered Sugarcube Corner and closed the door. Fluttershy stared at the door for a few seconds, feeling the dull thud on her back increase in intensity. She willed the door to open once more. After staring for a few moments, she turned towards home.

As she did, she saw Angel staring at her from the ground. He had his forepaws crossed and glared at her. The thumping continued.

“You were right Angel,” Fluttershy whispered. “I do have a crush on Pinkie.”

Author's Note

Algebra Galop is a reference to Évariste Galois, who--while not actually the person who conceptualized groups--is one of the major founders of group theory and characterized many basic and important groups.

Groups are a math thing. No, I will not explain.