The Butterfly Dragon: Legendaryby GjallarFoxChaptersFor Your Eyes AloneNot AloneTeaThe Temple of Vîrtüe (Part 1)For Your Eyes AloneTwilight's mind spun faster than Rainbow's Cloud DJ move as she plopped down on her bed. Fluttershy had just become her Special Somepony, having beaten her nerves and admit her feelings by showing something to her for her eyes alone. Had she not made a Pinkie Promise to not tell anypony about the mask or its story, she would be spilling to the rest of her friends and Princess Celestia. She had a hard time resisting the urge to start writing a letter to the Princess. Four times in the course of an hour, Pinkie had emerged from physically impossible places, glaring at her as she tried to begin writing of the story to her mentor in a friendship report. On the fifth time of Pinkie appearing, sliding out of a drawer in her desk, Twilight gave up, locking all of her parchment, ink, and quills in a floor-safe beneath her bed to prevent Pinkie from somehow appearing a sixth time. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was bouncing off the walls in pure and unadulterated joy. None of her animal friends were in her cottage because of the noise she was making. Ecstatic squeals of excitement and girlish giggles of glee flowed forth from the isolated cottage like music. To those who knew Fluttershy, hearing her this happy was like hearing Octavia perform the most touching of Beethooven's symphonies. To her animal friends, including Angel, the sounds were simply unbearable noise. When Fluttershy had calmed down enough to sit in one spot for more than a minute at a time, she looked up at her mask, which she had hung back on the wall in its spot above the lavender plant. She whispered a soft prayer of thanks to her friend locked within it. Her wide smile never faltered, though her eyes let a few happy tears flow from her teal eyes. She wiped them away with a quick swipe of her hoof as she made her way to her kitchen. Once there, she set a pot of water to boil, reaching up and retrieving her box of various tea blends. She giggled again as she opened it and selected a blend that had been sealed in the top of the box between a false top and the actual top panel of the box. She closed the box again, placing it back in its usual spot on the top shelf of her highest cupboard. As the water boiled, Fluttershy sang an incoherent melody of bubbly laughter and squeals and contented sighs. She tried to suppress her near face-splitting smile, but failed miserably, making the smile widen in defiance. Never before had she been so happy. Even when she had met her animal friends the first time when she fell to the ground, she hadn't been this full of pure joy. Admitting her feelings to Twilight and thus beginning a more-than-best-friends relationship had now taken the cake. Nothing she knew could top this feeling. The harsh whistle of the teapot tugged her mind from its reverie, replacing fantastical flashbacks of that single moment to the physical world of reality. Her smile softened into a contented grin as she lowered the heat on her stove and poured some water into a waiting teacup. She set the carefully stashed packet of tea into the scalding water to steep, knowing full well that this cup of tea was meant for something she would tell no one about. One day, she might tell her Special Somepony about it, but that was a stretch. If that happens to her, then I'll tell her about it. Not before. She cooled the top of the tea with a quick blow of air which dissipated the steam like a firm buck to a cloud. But the steam returned but fractions of a second later, rising up like hooves into the air defying Death. She took a quick sip, the flavors of the ingredients of the blend spreading over her tongue like butter on toast or syrup on waffles. Ginger warmly bit at her taste buds. Lavender caressed them smoothly. Citrus zest tickled them, its tang sending tingles of electricity throughout her mouth. Other, less than tasty ingredients were kept at bay by those three main ingredients, but their desired effects were less than suppressed. She inhaled deeply, her lungs filling with air as though to inflate her enough for her to float off the ground without her wings. As she released her breath, a steady pink ember emanated from her mouth and maintained itself with her breath, sparkling dimly in the unlit room. She took another sip, considerably larger since the tea had cooled down significantly. Warmth filled her chest, spreading through her without restriction. She took a gulp of the tea, now unable to feel its scalding temperature as it slid down her throat, adding to the comfortable warmth she felt in her chest. She smiled again and drank the rest of the tea in one gulp, the searing hot water pushing the warmth to her hooves and the tips of her wings. Her mane glowed as though lit by the moon, a pale light seeming to seep into the air from it. Her fur and feathers took on a similar trait from the tea, glowing palely like her friend within the mask on the wall. She yawned, her burnt-out mind and the relaxing qualities of the tea mixing together to make that one act of fatigue. Her smile uncurled itself and walked off her face as she walked up the stairs of her tree cottage to her bedroom. She sighed placidly, moving forth to her bed. As she plopped down and curled up on it, her smile returned, laying down and curling up on her lips for a long rest through her dreams. She closed her eyes, preparing for the true purpose of the tea to kick in. She fell asleep on top of the covers, a happy smile on her face as the air around her rippled like water from the warmth she gave off and glowed with her pale luminance. Downstairs, on the wall lined with tea-herbs growing in pots, the mask lifted itself from the wall. Beneath it, the air gathered in an attempt to be solid. It gave off a moon-like radiance, glowing pale silver and white as the creature sealed within crept back out. The Butterfly Dragon that had enchanted the mask that was its home reformed in the still early nighttime air. It's strange smile was as large as Fluttershy's was just an hour earlier, before she had drunk the tea. It made its way up the stairs to the pegasus' room, creeping in as smoothly as a snake. It closed the partially open door behind it with a flick of its long serpentine tail. It stood above its pony friend for a moment, watching her from above like a seraph assigned to protect her. It bent down slowly, touching its snout to hers as gently as a mother would to kiss her sleeping child goodnight long after they had fallen asleep. The Butterfly Dragon laid down and curled itself around Fluttershy, one of its giant wings moving to cover her. It closed its eyes, and joined the pony in her dreams. Author's Note I kinda just went with what I felt for this one. The first two paragraphs were easy and everything from the tea onwards were really easy and fun to write. What's up, Flutters? What could you be hiding? <3 DarqFox Not AloneFluttershy awoke in the predawn hours where dawn's rosy fingers had not yet reached up over the horizon, but was just rising to do so. Her teal eyes opened lethargically, slowly breaking the images of her dreams and replacing them with reality. Her smile faltered as she realized it could all have been a dream. However, when she moved her hooves, she noticed that the mask was in them. She smiled, knowing that this was real. This had happened. She stood up, stretching and yawning as she did so. As she finally got to her hooves, she picked up the mask, carrying it carefully with her downstairs. She stepped into her kitchen, looking at the possibilities of breakfast. She saw enough ingredients for pancakes or waffles, and saw plenty of fresh fruit in a bowl, their vibrant colors advertising their spectacular flavors locked within. None of them appealed to her that morning, however, and she opted for something far out of the ordinary. Something she considered a tasty treat reserved for incredibly special occasions. She figured that yesterday counted, so she donned the mask. In a flash of light, Fluttershy took the shape of the Butterfly Dragon, her pale wings spread open majestically. She grinned a sly grin that most would think her incapable of, and with another flash of light, took the shape of the Butterfly. She took off, her pointed wings flitting up and down to achieve flight. She fluttered through her house for a minute to get adjusted to flying with them again before flying out of the house through an open window. As she flew, the grass below her bent towards her pale radiance, some patches starting to bud with rare flowers. Into the Everfree Forest she went, following no path. She flew through tangled branches and over clumps of thorny shrubs. The eyes that watched from the shadows stared in awe as the luminescent butterfly flitted vivaciously through the forest. As it got deeper, the shadows thickened until they were as viscous as tar. The shadows tried to bog her down, but her light kept them at bay. She came across a clearing, sprouts rising from the earth in random places, their silvery buds collecting the morning dew on tiny hair-like structures. As she approached them, her lucent glow bade the buds to open up and reveal the flowers beneath. Seven silver petals opened up, spreading out to greet Fluttershy as she landed upon it. Each petal shone with their own radiance, shining like polished chrome and glowing like the moon. In the center of the flower where the petals met, a pool of nectar resided beneath a wall of blue pollen-wearing stems. Fluttershy crept towards the nectar, tasting it from afar with her straw. The sweet flavor hit her tastebuds, her mind working to compare it to other known flavors. There was a slight similarity to honey, but the nectar was far sweeter. There was an incredibly subtle tang to it, not unlike a lime, but sweet at the same time. As her mind began comparing it to the sweetest of candies she had ever tried, her mind realized that it was sweeter than all of those things. Had she the lips to do so, she would have been smiling as wide as a foal in Sugar Cube Corner. As she drained the first flower, picking up a few grains of pollen, she flitted off to the next. As with the previous one, it opened as her glow began to hit it. She continued in this fashion, drinking the nectar of nine flowers before fluttering up above the forest canopy. With a flash of light in the light of dawn, she returned to her Dragon form, her large feathered wings flapping strongly against the air to keep her afloat. She smiled contentedly, changing direction towards the heart of the forest. Twilight awoke on her bed with a warm smile plastered upon her face, comparable to that of a young foal on Hearth's Warming Day. She reached her forehooves forward, her eyes still closed, half-expecting to feel a warm body next to her. As she opened her eyes, she saw an empty spot before her where her hooves contacted cool bedsheets. She groaned slightly, realizing that she had woken up just before dawn again from a particularly vivid dream. As she cast a spell to summon a quill, scroll, and bottle of ink, she was confused to find that there was none to summon. She searched high and low for her precious supplies so as to write down her dream and remember it before it went stale. After a moment of searching, she looked down at the one place she hadn't looked: her magic-proof floor-safe. She carefully twisted the dial counter-clockwise a few turns, clockwise a turn and a half, and counter-clockwise twelve ticks. She opened the safe, all of her parchment, quills, and bottles of ink staring smugly back at her. Oh yeah... Eheheh... Guess at least that part of the dream actually happened, she mentally scolded herself. Her smile returned, a slight blush staining her cheeks as thoughts of Fluttershy crept back into her head. She yawned tiredly, trotting down the stairs to the kitchen, from which the delicious scent of pancakes was wafting. As she entered the kitchen, the scent hit her nose, immediately enticing her mouth to begin watering. She paused for a moment, taking in the delicious scent. Her smile grew wider. "Oh. Hey Twilight. You're up early," Spike called in a half whisper from in front of the stove. The young drake stood upon a three-legged wooden stool, a spatula in hand. He flipped a pancake high into the air, watching it turn to the uncooked side as it fell back down. It landed softly on the iron griddle with a slight hiss as the hot metal seared the batter. He turned to look at her for a moment. "And in a good mood." "I could say the same about you," Twilight countered smugly. "And I am in a good mood" "Touché" the drake replied, flipping another pancake. "Have you had your morning coffee yet?" "No." "How are you in such a good mood then?" "Fluttershy." "What about her?" Twilight blushed heavily, the pink stain visible through her fur. She turned away, even though he wasn't looking, hoofing the ground bashfully. "She's my Special Somepony..." "I didn't quite catch that," he muttered, flipping two pancakes onto a plate. "I said she's my Special Somepony..." she tried again, less successfully. She tried to remain calm, but her nerves were beginning to get the better of her. "You really have to speak up, Twilight," Spike said, flipping two more pancakes onto the plate. He picked up a measuring cup of remaining batter, and poured it onto the griddle. The batter hissed as the hot metal seared it into a more solid state. "I said she's my Special Somepony!" she shouted, her voice resounding throughout the tree. A mouse that had been crawling on the bookshelves jumped in terror, falling from the nine-foot shelf to the ground. It scurried into a hole in the wall as fast as it could in its panic attack. Save for the slight hiss of the pancakes, all was dead silent in the aftermath of her explosion. Her blush returned more powerfully than the sun. There was a distinct patch of cherry-red on her cheeks. The air around her was visibly warmer than the rest of the atmosphere, warm updrafts bending the air around her. Spike stared at her incredulously, trying to take in what he just heard. Without turning away, he reached behind him and flipped the last two pancakes over to their uncooked sides. The defiant hiss broke the oppression of the silence for a moment. Twilight wished she could hide. His stare burned into her hide like drops of acid rain on marble. She thought of Fluttershy, and how she'd be completely hidden by her mane. Twilight could do no such thing. Instead, she backed up a few steps. "Well..." Spike began, breaking the silence once more. "I-I didn't know you liked her like that, but I guess congratulations are in order." "...um... Thanks? I guess?" she responded sheepishly. "To be entirely honest," Spike continued, turning back to the pancakes and flipping them once more, "I'm just glad you didn't go for Rarity." Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes. With everything now out in the open with Spike, she only had four more ponies to tell of her new relationship. Today promised to be busy for Twilight. Tell Spike about relationship with Fluttershy... Check. Author's Note This took me about 3 hours of totaled up writing (not counting the massive expanses of time I had to do other things with.) with some new music in the background. Honestly, my brain is still trying to figure out where in Tartarus this story is going. I gave myself a single beacon in the dark. Now I just have to light my way with torches. I'll be working on the next chapter for you guys. I'm sure you all want it to come soon. <3 DarqFox Special thanks to all 35 people out there that faved this in the first 24 hours of existence, making it my single most well-received story. I think this story might hit the featured box one day. If y'all want to see it in that featured box, help out! Refer friends to this story. Go to the story's table of contents page and copy the link in the address bar. Send them here plawks :3 I love all of you guys. TeaThe sun reached its zenith at exactly noon as it did virtually every day. Its bright light poured through the hole in the roof onto the silver flower statue in the temple. As the sunlight pounded away at the centerpiece of the flower statue, the flower began changing color. The petals soon took on a shade of chalky white, much like the color that Fluttershy was at the moment with the mask on. The centerpiece of the flower soon faded from silver to black, before revealing that it was an emerald the size of Celestia curled up in a ball. Fluttershy, who had been laying upon the flower statue for the past four hours, yawned and stood. Her claws scratched lightly against the emerald, doing no damage but making a sharp tapping sound. She smiled, feeling new energy flowing through her. ÀRT THÔÜ FĪNÀLLY RÈADY FÖR ÈXÅMÎNÆTIÖN? An audible voice rang out from everywhere at once. Fluttershy closed her eyes, a relaxed smile upon her lips. She opened her wings as wide as they could and lifted her chin towards the sky. The emerald beneath her filled with light, casting a green luminance upon her pale scales and feathers. THŸ FAÏTH SHÅLL BE TÈSTÈD TÔ ITS ÅBSÖLÜTE LÎMÎTÆTIÖN. With a flash of absolute blackness, Fluttershy disappeared. In Sugarcube Corner, four friends were pestering a fifth more than most would find tolerable. Rainbow Dash continually asked, "Why?" Applejack remained silent, still semi-awkward since the earlier verbally explosive exiting of the proverbial closet. Rarity persisted with, "How did it happen?" and Pinkie simply bounced from one solid surface to the next with no discernible pattern. As Rarity asked for the seventeenth time that morning, Twilight struggled to not explode a third time. "I'm Pinkie Sworn to secrecy," she growled, the unrelenting assault now fraying her nerves. "Can you at least tell us why Fluttershy?" Rainbow countered, continuing the assault. "All I'm allowed to say is we had tea," she sighed, about ready to lay down and take a nap. "Lavender tea?" Pinkie asked, holding still for just over a second before bouncing again and standing on the wall like normal ponies would the floor. Twilight stared at her askance, her eye twitching at Pinkie's constant defiance of physics. "OOOOOOHH! I knew it! She doesn't drink lavender tea unless—" She interrupted herself as she gasped intensely. "Oh my Celestia how did I not notice that?! It was sssooooooo obvious!" Pinkie went off on a tangent about Fluttershy's matching of teas to her thoughts and other such things. Within a minute the subject of her rant changed from tea to tea herbs she found tasty to general food items she found tasty to cupcakes. The four other ponies in the room that were within earshot of the constant stream of virtually useless babble stopped paying attention as soon as Pinkie had begun. Well, all except Twilight, who hadn't quite mastered tuning her out yet. As she stared at Pinkie, who was still standing on the wall, her left eye twitched repeatedly at the lack of physics applying to her friend. "Pinkie," she barked percussively. "Yeah?" the pink pony chirped brightly. "On the floor, please," she pleaded, as though for mercy. "Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie yipped cheerfully, walking the long way up the wall, across the ceiling, down the opposite wall and onto the floor. Twilight's eye held a twitch for ten seconds. "I wish I could stay longer, girls," Twilight began, shaking her head to unsuccessfully excuse the breach of physics, and addressing the group as a whole, "but I have to go find Fluttershy." Rainbow chuckled deviously as the unicorn turned to leave. Just as she was opening the door, she called out in good humor, "Good luck with your new marefriend." Just as the door shut behind her, Twilight blushed furiously. Fluttershy awoke in her bed, peacefully, as though she'd overslept until just past noon. Her eyes fluttered open, consciousness lethargically filling her. A small, warm smile clung to her face like the last stubborn leaf on a tree before winter. As she rose to stretch and get up, she noticed her mask in her hooves. She smiled, seeing a mark upon the forehead that wasn't there before: the very mark that was engraved in a plaque at the forsaken temple in the Everfree Forest. The seven-pointed star was carved precisely like neither master carver nor machine could replicate, the seven crescents that blossomed forth from between the points curling to their second tips counter-clockwise. To her, the star reminded her somewhat of Twilight, but not quite, as it had seven points instead of six. Good morning, Fluttershy, a deep male voice echoed within her mind. It seems we have passed. Fluttershy smiled, I bet my head is a little more spacious than that mask you gave me. A sort of warmth passed through her, silently confirming her assumption. As the initial warmth of the gesture passed, the voice began again, It only took a decade. Oh stop it, Lux, Fluttershy mentally pouted. We met on the last possible day to seal our bond. Well, the Tea won't have its usual effect, the voice acknowledged as Lux began, changing the subject entirely. I wonder what it'll do now that we're Sealed. I don't know, Fluttershy replied. Anyway, I'm headed to Twilight's to— To pretend to research the ingredients to the Tea in a façade so you can convince her to help you gather said ingredients, Lux finished. I know. I'm in your head now. We are one. Eventually, I'll get used to that. Fluttershy stood up, the early afternoon sun shining through her window. She smiled, taking the mask downstairs with her to place it back on the wall. As she hooked it back onto its rightful place on the wall, a chalky white smile formed on the mask, as the eyes had many years before. As soon as it had appeared and was seen by the pegasus, the smile faded away like chalk in the rain. She smiled with it, old memories resurfacing. Author's Note It seems to be time for me to thank a very heavy influencer. Laarsgaard. He håth givèn me the ideä to üse thêse åccènt màrkîngs. I tried to remain consistent with them, only putting certain ones on certain sounds, so if you see the pattern and see that I have strayed from it, please let me know. :3 Now go give Laarsgaard some love. Anywho, I have multiple issues going on so updates will be slow. I am writing at all possible opportunities, because honestly, I love this story more than you guys do. The Temple of Vîrtüe (Part 1)A rush of wind stirred up a dust cloud upon the stone floor. In the depths of the Everfree Forest, a Butterfly Dragon had landed in a temple long forgotten and forsaken. The cobblestone path on the ground led to a heavily rotted wooden door that was as thick as pony-Fluttershy and tall as seven Celestias standing upon each others' shoulders. Above the doors was a heavily rusted iron lantern, which stood out bright orange against the grays and greens. The right door was entangled in hoof-thick vines that locked it in a partially open position. The frame of the door and wall in which the door was set was made of cobblestones, the loose rocks bound by sap and vines. Moss and lichen grew upon the stones, making the gray rocks blend in with the forest significantly better. Tree roots thick as hooves weaved in and out of the ground like thread in fabric between stones and patches of moss. Fluttershy landed on the cobblestone walkway, her paws making no sound as she did so. She walked forwards, each pawstep gracefully deliberate as a dance move. She looked around the old place, seeing a few rusted lanterns mounted atop short stone pillars. A few still had candles in them, the once white wax now brown with dust and yellow with pollen dust. The air was still, almost frozen. Silence reigned oppressively from the temple, its vast empire extending far into the forest. One could hear the very plants themselves growing. She paused as she stepped upon something metallic. She looked down. Set in the stone walkway was a square plate of tarnished copper. Seven crescents radiated from the center, much like the petals of the flowers whose nectar she'd drunk, were etched into it. At the center where the crescents came together, was a seven pointed star, the points of which extended into the space between the crescents. She stared at it for a while, its shape almost familiar to her. Her lips curled up in a grin, remembering what the symbol was. After a few minutes of staring, she shrugged and continued on. She slid inside the once grand temple, her luminance the only source of light in the room, save for the few rays that slipped between the doors. She smiled, remembering the positions of everything in the room. She stood upon a rise in the floor, which was roughly four meters above the rest of the floor. Ten meters forward and five to the right was an island that also stood above the rest of the floor. Four massive pillars stood in the room, two at the corners of the rise she stood upon, and two on the rise opposite her, which led to a not-quite-tarnished copper door that was blocked by steel bars. In the pit below the three rises, dense blue fog had sunk in, making a lake in the room. Fluttershy shivered, remembering her first experience with said fog. A flash of light filled the room, Fluttershy now flitting across the sea of fog. She mentally smiled, turning abruptly towards the island, abandoning the straight-shot path to the door, fifty meters away. As she landed upon the platform, she reverted back to her Dragon form. She landed softly, her wings taking most of her weight. She stepped towards the center of the five-by-five meter pillar, where an untarnished silver object was inlaid in the stone. It looked much like a pyramid, save for the fact that the top of it was cut off, leaving it flat-topped. On the flat of the object was the same symbol she'd seen outside. She smiled, stepping heavily upon the object. It buckled beneath her weight, collapsing into a flat square. The bars blocking the door slid upward into the top of the doorframe. Their dull metal-on-stone ringing sound echoed through the room. Twelve meters to the left when facing the door, and thirty meters forward, a platform that had been sitting beneath the fog rose slowly. The fog that had once been on its surface rolled off like water, pouring back into the pool below as it stopped, level to the original three platforms. Fluttershy smiled, taking the shape of the Butterfly once more, hurriedly racing to the new platform. She did not take a direct path, though. Instead, she flew the twelve meters left before turning and fluttering quickly to the new platform. She landed briefly upon it, her legs barely staying on the surface for more than a second before she took off again, flying seven meters to the right and turning abruptly to the last platform. She landed upon it, shifting back to her Dragon form. With a swift pull, she opened the door, pushing it upwards into the doorframe to join the steel bars that had previously obstructed it. The door slowly descended after Fluttershy had moved through it, hitting the floor with a soft thump that resounded through the new room. A square ring of stone platforming ran along the walls, encompassing a large pool of water in the center of the room. In the center of the pool was an enlarged silver statue of the flower whose nectar she'd drunk earlier. In the center of the flower was a stone tablet that rose up about two meters and seemed to have some sort of scripture written into it. Fluttershy smiled, taking flight once more and getting closer to inspect it. Bríngèth hêre thÿ Faïth, ånd Vîrtüe shåll sæl thÿ Bònd. Bríngèth hêre thÿ Dòüt, ånd Sin shåll tær thêe àpàrt. She grinned, looking upwards towards the ceiling. A hole in the roof that had been there since the temple's construction allowed a few rays of sunshine in. But at the current time, they were slanted, and dove into the water. She sighed, sitting down upon the silver statue, waiting for the sun to move. Twilight grinned as she approached Sugarcube Corner. The small sweet-shop appeared entirely abandoned, but after being around long enough, she knew better. She walked towards the door, from which she could hear ponies hissing at each other to be quiet so as to not ruin the surprise. However, with the fact that everyone inside was being noisier than mockingbirds, she could hear them from blocks away. She opened the door, bracing her ears for the incoming assault. She paid no attention to the shouted "Congratulations," nor to the lack of unrecognized ponies. All she really cared about at that moment was the fact that her four friends had gone to the effort to congratulate her on something she had not even told them about. Under normal circumstances she would accuse them of spying on her, but ever since Pinkie had driven her to spontaneous combustion, she understood that Pinkie could usually sense this sort of random thing. "...and my eyes watered up! At first I thought somepony had tripped and fallen down a ravine, but then I realized that my eyes watered before my tail twitched!" Pinkie's voice soon pierced Twilight's mental barriers. She shook her head to clear it. "So who's the lucky stallion?" Rarity asked, her eyes fluttering 'dramatically'. "You simply must tell us!" Twilight deadpanned, staring almost harshly at Rarity's zeal. Rainbow soon descended from the air, her face moving mere inches from Twilight's. "Is it Big Mac?" "It ain't mah brother, Dash," Applejack cancelled. "He ain't been to town in weeks." The four ponies began bickering on whether or not she had gotten together with Big Macintosh. The argument rose in volume steadily, all while Twilight tried to get their attention. "Guys." They continued. Rather than deal with meeting failure a second time, she summoned the largest breath she could manage. "IT'S NOT A STALLION!" she hollered in a voice not unlike the Royal Canterlot voice of old. That caught everypony's attention instantaneously. For the second time that day, Twilight left impenetrable silence in the aftermath of her explosion. A cupcake that had already been precariously perched in close proximity to the edge of the counter had fallen, icing down. Pinkie, defying physics yet again, somehow moved fast enough to catch the cupcake in her mouth and devoured it. Everypony stared at her much like Spike had earlier that morning. "U-um... I didn't... um... know you... know you swung that way," Rainbow stuttered, her voice cracking multiple times as retribution for defying the reign of silence. "Eeyup," Applejack agreed awkwardly, mimicking her brother. "Allow me to correct my earlier statement, then," Rarity continued, showing no signs of awkwardness. "Who's the lucky mare?" By this time, Twilight's blush had returned with full vigor, staining her cheeks bright red. Everyone continued staring at her, eagerly awaiting the answer to the question. After twenty seconds of gathering her nerves, she squeaked, "...Fluttershy..." She smiled weakly, wishing she could hide behind said pony's mane. A single gasp escaped the four ponies before her. Rarity's eyes went wide as her hoof reached up to cover her mouth. Rainbow landed, her surprise forcing her to focus on processing the new information rather than flying. Applejack's mouth hung agape, her eyes wide as apples. The only one with a smile on her face at that moment was Pinkie, whose smile was large enough for all five ponies present. After ten seconds of digesting the news, Rainbow's cocky grin returned, as did Applejack's smug smirk, and Rarity's usual 'you-have-to-tell-me-the-whole-story-about-how-you-got-together' expression crept back upon her face. Pinkie, who was already smiling hard enough to cleave her face in two, smiled even wider than her face would physically allow. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the pony, but soon dismissed the breach of physics. Tell the rest of the girls about relationship with Fluttershy... Check. Speaking of which, where is said adorable pegasus? Author's Note And now I have a very clear path that I shall be following for this story. I know exactly what I'm going to have happen, but I'm not quite solid on WHEN everything will happen. There will be incoming adorableness and Fluttershy-epicness incoming in the next chapter, which is already in the works. With school in the mix, I hope to shove that out by next weekend. :3 <3 DarqFox Omai GamerLuna. Omai GabeN. Omai Ceiling Cat. Omai GabeN. Omai Luna. 50+ faves. I love all of you guys SSSSSOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! Sadly, I do not have enough pancreases (pancreaï?) nor spleens to give all of you. You guys are the best supporters I could ever ask for! Please accept one collective moustache for faving my story.
For Your Eyes AloneTwilight's mind spun faster than Rainbow's Cloud DJ move as she plopped down on her bed. Fluttershy had just become her Special Somepony, having beaten her nerves and admit her feelings by showing something to her for her eyes alone. Had she not made a Pinkie Promise to not tell anypony about the mask or its story, she would be spilling to the rest of her friends and Princess Celestia. She had a hard time resisting the urge to start writing a letter to the Princess. Four times in the course of an hour, Pinkie had emerged from physically impossible places, glaring at her as she tried to begin writing of the story to her mentor in a friendship report. On the fifth time of Pinkie appearing, sliding out of a drawer in her desk, Twilight gave up, locking all of her parchment, ink, and quills in a floor-safe beneath her bed to prevent Pinkie from somehow appearing a sixth time. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was bouncing off the walls in pure and unadulterated joy. None of her animal friends were in her cottage because of the noise she was making. Ecstatic squeals of excitement and girlish giggles of glee flowed forth from the isolated cottage like music. To those who knew Fluttershy, hearing her this happy was like hearing Octavia perform the most touching of Beethooven's symphonies. To her animal friends, including Angel, the sounds were simply unbearable noise. When Fluttershy had calmed down enough to sit in one spot for more than a minute at a time, she looked up at her mask, which she had hung back on the wall in its spot above the lavender plant. She whispered a soft prayer of thanks to her friend locked within it. Her wide smile never faltered, though her eyes let a few happy tears flow from her teal eyes. She wiped them away with a quick swipe of her hoof as she made her way to her kitchen. Once there, she set a pot of water to boil, reaching up and retrieving her box of various tea blends. She giggled again as she opened it and selected a blend that had been sealed in the top of the box between a false top and the actual top panel of the box. She closed the box again, placing it back in its usual spot on the top shelf of her highest cupboard. As the water boiled, Fluttershy sang an incoherent melody of bubbly laughter and squeals and contented sighs. She tried to suppress her near face-splitting smile, but failed miserably, making the smile widen in defiance. Never before had she been so happy. Even when she had met her animal friends the first time when she fell to the ground, she hadn't been this full of pure joy. Admitting her feelings to Twilight and thus beginning a more-than-best-friends relationship had now taken the cake. Nothing she knew could top this feeling. The harsh whistle of the teapot tugged her mind from its reverie, replacing fantastical flashbacks of that single moment to the physical world of reality. Her smile softened into a contented grin as she lowered the heat on her stove and poured some water into a waiting teacup. She set the carefully stashed packet of tea into the scalding water to steep, knowing full well that this cup of tea was meant for something she would tell no one about. One day, she might tell her Special Somepony about it, but that was a stretch. If that happens to her, then I'll tell her about it. Not before. She cooled the top of the tea with a quick blow of air which dissipated the steam like a firm buck to a cloud. But the steam returned but fractions of a second later, rising up like hooves into the air defying Death. She took a quick sip, the flavors of the ingredients of the blend spreading over her tongue like butter on toast or syrup on waffles. Ginger warmly bit at her taste buds. Lavender caressed them smoothly. Citrus zest tickled them, its tang sending tingles of electricity throughout her mouth. Other, less than tasty ingredients were kept at bay by those three main ingredients, but their desired effects were less than suppressed. She inhaled deeply, her lungs filling with air as though to inflate her enough for her to float off the ground without her wings. As she released her breath, a steady pink ember emanated from her mouth and maintained itself with her breath, sparkling dimly in the unlit room. She took another sip, considerably larger since the tea had cooled down significantly. Warmth filled her chest, spreading through her without restriction. She took a gulp of the tea, now unable to feel its scalding temperature as it slid down her throat, adding to the comfortable warmth she felt in her chest. She smiled again and drank the rest of the tea in one gulp, the searing hot water pushing the warmth to her hooves and the tips of her wings. Her mane glowed as though lit by the moon, a pale light seeming to seep into the air from it. Her fur and feathers took on a similar trait from the tea, glowing palely like her friend within the mask on the wall. She yawned, her burnt-out mind and the relaxing qualities of the tea mixing together to make that one act of fatigue. Her smile uncurled itself and walked off her face as she walked up the stairs of her tree cottage to her bedroom. She sighed placidly, moving forth to her bed. As she plopped down and curled up on it, her smile returned, laying down and curling up on her lips for a long rest through her dreams. She closed her eyes, preparing for the true purpose of the tea to kick in. She fell asleep on top of the covers, a happy smile on her face as the air around her rippled like water from the warmth she gave off and glowed with her pale luminance. Downstairs, on the wall lined with tea-herbs growing in pots, the mask lifted itself from the wall. Beneath it, the air gathered in an attempt to be solid. It gave off a moon-like radiance, glowing pale silver and white as the creature sealed within crept back out. The Butterfly Dragon that had enchanted the mask that was its home reformed in the still early nighttime air. It's strange smile was as large as Fluttershy's was just an hour earlier, before she had drunk the tea. It made its way up the stairs to the pegasus' room, creeping in as smoothly as a snake. It closed the partially open door behind it with a flick of its long serpentine tail. It stood above its pony friend for a moment, watching her from above like a seraph assigned to protect her. It bent down slowly, touching its snout to hers as gently as a mother would to kiss her sleeping child goodnight long after they had fallen asleep. The Butterfly Dragon laid down and curled itself around Fluttershy, one of its giant wings moving to cover her. It closed its eyes, and joined the pony in her dreams. Author's Note I kinda just went with what I felt for this one. The first two paragraphs were easy and everything from the tea onwards were really easy and fun to write. What's up, Flutters? What could you be hiding? <3 DarqFox
Not AloneFluttershy awoke in the predawn hours where dawn's rosy fingers had not yet reached up over the horizon, but was just rising to do so. Her teal eyes opened lethargically, slowly breaking the images of her dreams and replacing them with reality. Her smile faltered as she realized it could all have been a dream. However, when she moved her hooves, she noticed that the mask was in them. She smiled, knowing that this was real. This had happened. She stood up, stretching and yawning as she did so. As she finally got to her hooves, she picked up the mask, carrying it carefully with her downstairs. She stepped into her kitchen, looking at the possibilities of breakfast. She saw enough ingredients for pancakes or waffles, and saw plenty of fresh fruit in a bowl, their vibrant colors advertising their spectacular flavors locked within. None of them appealed to her that morning, however, and she opted for something far out of the ordinary. Something she considered a tasty treat reserved for incredibly special occasions. She figured that yesterday counted, so she donned the mask. In a flash of light, Fluttershy took the shape of the Butterfly Dragon, her pale wings spread open majestically. She grinned a sly grin that most would think her incapable of, and with another flash of light, took the shape of the Butterfly. She took off, her pointed wings flitting up and down to achieve flight. She fluttered through her house for a minute to get adjusted to flying with them again before flying out of the house through an open window. As she flew, the grass below her bent towards her pale radiance, some patches starting to bud with rare flowers. Into the Everfree Forest she went, following no path. She flew through tangled branches and over clumps of thorny shrubs. The eyes that watched from the shadows stared in awe as the luminescent butterfly flitted vivaciously through the forest. As it got deeper, the shadows thickened until they were as viscous as tar. The shadows tried to bog her down, but her light kept them at bay. She came across a clearing, sprouts rising from the earth in random places, their silvery buds collecting the morning dew on tiny hair-like structures. As she approached them, her lucent glow bade the buds to open up and reveal the flowers beneath. Seven silver petals opened up, spreading out to greet Fluttershy as she landed upon it. Each petal shone with their own radiance, shining like polished chrome and glowing like the moon. In the center of the flower where the petals met, a pool of nectar resided beneath a wall of blue pollen-wearing stems. Fluttershy crept towards the nectar, tasting it from afar with her straw. The sweet flavor hit her tastebuds, her mind working to compare it to other known flavors. There was a slight similarity to honey, but the nectar was far sweeter. There was an incredibly subtle tang to it, not unlike a lime, but sweet at the same time. As her mind began comparing it to the sweetest of candies she had ever tried, her mind realized that it was sweeter than all of those things. Had she the lips to do so, she would have been smiling as wide as a foal in Sugar Cube Corner. As she drained the first flower, picking up a few grains of pollen, she flitted off to the next. As with the previous one, it opened as her glow began to hit it. She continued in this fashion, drinking the nectar of nine flowers before fluttering up above the forest canopy. With a flash of light in the light of dawn, she returned to her Dragon form, her large feathered wings flapping strongly against the air to keep her afloat. She smiled contentedly, changing direction towards the heart of the forest. Twilight awoke on her bed with a warm smile plastered upon her face, comparable to that of a young foal on Hearth's Warming Day. She reached her forehooves forward, her eyes still closed, half-expecting to feel a warm body next to her. As she opened her eyes, she saw an empty spot before her where her hooves contacted cool bedsheets. She groaned slightly, realizing that she had woken up just before dawn again from a particularly vivid dream. As she cast a spell to summon a quill, scroll, and bottle of ink, she was confused to find that there was none to summon. She searched high and low for her precious supplies so as to write down her dream and remember it before it went stale. After a moment of searching, she looked down at the one place she hadn't looked: her magic-proof floor-safe. She carefully twisted the dial counter-clockwise a few turns, clockwise a turn and a half, and counter-clockwise twelve ticks. She opened the safe, all of her parchment, quills, and bottles of ink staring smugly back at her. Oh yeah... Eheheh... Guess at least that part of the dream actually happened, she mentally scolded herself. Her smile returned, a slight blush staining her cheeks as thoughts of Fluttershy crept back into her head. She yawned tiredly, trotting down the stairs to the kitchen, from which the delicious scent of pancakes was wafting. As she entered the kitchen, the scent hit her nose, immediately enticing her mouth to begin watering. She paused for a moment, taking in the delicious scent. Her smile grew wider. "Oh. Hey Twilight. You're up early," Spike called in a half whisper from in front of the stove. The young drake stood upon a three-legged wooden stool, a spatula in hand. He flipped a pancake high into the air, watching it turn to the uncooked side as it fell back down. It landed softly on the iron griddle with a slight hiss as the hot metal seared the batter. He turned to look at her for a moment. "And in a good mood." "I could say the same about you," Twilight countered smugly. "And I am in a good mood" "Touché" the drake replied, flipping another pancake. "Have you had your morning coffee yet?" "No." "How are you in such a good mood then?" "Fluttershy." "What about her?" Twilight blushed heavily, the pink stain visible through her fur. She turned away, even though he wasn't looking, hoofing the ground bashfully. "She's my Special Somepony..." "I didn't quite catch that," he muttered, flipping two pancakes onto a plate. "I said she's my Special Somepony..." she tried again, less successfully. She tried to remain calm, but her nerves were beginning to get the better of her. "You really have to speak up, Twilight," Spike said, flipping two more pancakes onto the plate. He picked up a measuring cup of remaining batter, and poured it onto the griddle. The batter hissed as the hot metal seared it into a more solid state. "I said she's my Special Somepony!" she shouted, her voice resounding throughout the tree. A mouse that had been crawling on the bookshelves jumped in terror, falling from the nine-foot shelf to the ground. It scurried into a hole in the wall as fast as it could in its panic attack. Save for the slight hiss of the pancakes, all was dead silent in the aftermath of her explosion. Her blush returned more powerfully than the sun. There was a distinct patch of cherry-red on her cheeks. The air around her was visibly warmer than the rest of the atmosphere, warm updrafts bending the air around her. Spike stared at her incredulously, trying to take in what he just heard. Without turning away, he reached behind him and flipped the last two pancakes over to their uncooked sides. The defiant hiss broke the oppression of the silence for a moment. Twilight wished she could hide. His stare burned into her hide like drops of acid rain on marble. She thought of Fluttershy, and how she'd be completely hidden by her mane. Twilight could do no such thing. Instead, she backed up a few steps. "Well..." Spike began, breaking the silence once more. "I-I didn't know you liked her like that, but I guess congratulations are in order." "...um... Thanks? I guess?" she responded sheepishly. "To be entirely honest," Spike continued, turning back to the pancakes and flipping them once more, "I'm just glad you didn't go for Rarity." Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes. With everything now out in the open with Spike, she only had four more ponies to tell of her new relationship. Today promised to be busy for Twilight. Tell Spike about relationship with Fluttershy... Check. Author's Note This took me about 3 hours of totaled up writing (not counting the massive expanses of time I had to do other things with.) with some new music in the background. Honestly, my brain is still trying to figure out where in Tartarus this story is going. I gave myself a single beacon in the dark. Now I just have to light my way with torches. I'll be working on the next chapter for you guys. I'm sure you all want it to come soon. <3 DarqFox Special thanks to all 35 people out there that faved this in the first 24 hours of existence, making it my single most well-received story. I think this story might hit the featured box one day. If y'all want to see it in that featured box, help out! Refer friends to this story. Go to the story's table of contents page and copy the link in the address bar. Send them here plawks :3 I love all of you guys.
TeaThe sun reached its zenith at exactly noon as it did virtually every day. Its bright light poured through the hole in the roof onto the silver flower statue in the temple. As the sunlight pounded away at the centerpiece of the flower statue, the flower began changing color. The petals soon took on a shade of chalky white, much like the color that Fluttershy was at the moment with the mask on. The centerpiece of the flower soon faded from silver to black, before revealing that it was an emerald the size of Celestia curled up in a ball. Fluttershy, who had been laying upon the flower statue for the past four hours, yawned and stood. Her claws scratched lightly against the emerald, doing no damage but making a sharp tapping sound. She smiled, feeling new energy flowing through her. ÀRT THÔÜ FĪNÀLLY RÈADY FÖR ÈXÅMÎNÆTIÖN? An audible voice rang out from everywhere at once. Fluttershy closed her eyes, a relaxed smile upon her lips. She opened her wings as wide as they could and lifted her chin towards the sky. The emerald beneath her filled with light, casting a green luminance upon her pale scales and feathers. THŸ FAÏTH SHÅLL BE TÈSTÈD TÔ ITS ÅBSÖLÜTE LÎMÎTÆTIÖN. With a flash of absolute blackness, Fluttershy disappeared. In Sugarcube Corner, four friends were pestering a fifth more than most would find tolerable. Rainbow Dash continually asked, "Why?" Applejack remained silent, still semi-awkward since the earlier verbally explosive exiting of the proverbial closet. Rarity persisted with, "How did it happen?" and Pinkie simply bounced from one solid surface to the next with no discernible pattern. As Rarity asked for the seventeenth time that morning, Twilight struggled to not explode a third time. "I'm Pinkie Sworn to secrecy," she growled, the unrelenting assault now fraying her nerves. "Can you at least tell us why Fluttershy?" Rainbow countered, continuing the assault. "All I'm allowed to say is we had tea," she sighed, about ready to lay down and take a nap. "Lavender tea?" Pinkie asked, holding still for just over a second before bouncing again and standing on the wall like normal ponies would the floor. Twilight stared at her askance, her eye twitching at Pinkie's constant defiance of physics. "OOOOOOHH! I knew it! She doesn't drink lavender tea unless—" She interrupted herself as she gasped intensely. "Oh my Celestia how did I not notice that?! It was sssooooooo obvious!" Pinkie went off on a tangent about Fluttershy's matching of teas to her thoughts and other such things. Within a minute the subject of her rant changed from tea to tea herbs she found tasty to general food items she found tasty to cupcakes. The four other ponies in the room that were within earshot of the constant stream of virtually useless babble stopped paying attention as soon as Pinkie had begun. Well, all except Twilight, who hadn't quite mastered tuning her out yet. As she stared at Pinkie, who was still standing on the wall, her left eye twitched repeatedly at the lack of physics applying to her friend. "Pinkie," she barked percussively. "Yeah?" the pink pony chirped brightly. "On the floor, please," she pleaded, as though for mercy. "Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie yipped cheerfully, walking the long way up the wall, across the ceiling, down the opposite wall and onto the floor. Twilight's eye held a twitch for ten seconds. "I wish I could stay longer, girls," Twilight began, shaking her head to unsuccessfully excuse the breach of physics, and addressing the group as a whole, "but I have to go find Fluttershy." Rainbow chuckled deviously as the unicorn turned to leave. Just as she was opening the door, she called out in good humor, "Good luck with your new marefriend." Just as the door shut behind her, Twilight blushed furiously. Fluttershy awoke in her bed, peacefully, as though she'd overslept until just past noon. Her eyes fluttered open, consciousness lethargically filling her. A small, warm smile clung to her face like the last stubborn leaf on a tree before winter. As she rose to stretch and get up, she noticed her mask in her hooves. She smiled, seeing a mark upon the forehead that wasn't there before: the very mark that was engraved in a plaque at the forsaken temple in the Everfree Forest. The seven-pointed star was carved precisely like neither master carver nor machine could replicate, the seven crescents that blossomed forth from between the points curling to their second tips counter-clockwise. To her, the star reminded her somewhat of Twilight, but not quite, as it had seven points instead of six. Good morning, Fluttershy, a deep male voice echoed within her mind. It seems we have passed. Fluttershy smiled, I bet my head is a little more spacious than that mask you gave me. A sort of warmth passed through her, silently confirming her assumption. As the initial warmth of the gesture passed, the voice began again, It only took a decade. Oh stop it, Lux, Fluttershy mentally pouted. We met on the last possible day to seal our bond. Well, the Tea won't have its usual effect, the voice acknowledged as Lux began, changing the subject entirely. I wonder what it'll do now that we're Sealed. I don't know, Fluttershy replied. Anyway, I'm headed to Twilight's to— To pretend to research the ingredients to the Tea in a façade so you can convince her to help you gather said ingredients, Lux finished. I know. I'm in your head now. We are one. Eventually, I'll get used to that. Fluttershy stood up, the early afternoon sun shining through her window. She smiled, taking the mask downstairs with her to place it back on the wall. As she hooked it back onto its rightful place on the wall, a chalky white smile formed on the mask, as the eyes had many years before. As soon as it had appeared and was seen by the pegasus, the smile faded away like chalk in the rain. She smiled with it, old memories resurfacing. Author's Note It seems to be time for me to thank a very heavy influencer. Laarsgaard. He håth givèn me the ideä to üse thêse åccènt màrkîngs. I tried to remain consistent with them, only putting certain ones on certain sounds, so if you see the pattern and see that I have strayed from it, please let me know. :3 Now go give Laarsgaard some love. Anywho, I have multiple issues going on so updates will be slow. I am writing at all possible opportunities, because honestly, I love this story more than you guys do.
The Temple of Vîrtüe (Part 1)A rush of wind stirred up a dust cloud upon the stone floor. In the depths of the Everfree Forest, a Butterfly Dragon had landed in a temple long forgotten and forsaken. The cobblestone path on the ground led to a heavily rotted wooden door that was as thick as pony-Fluttershy and tall as seven Celestias standing upon each others' shoulders. Above the doors was a heavily rusted iron lantern, which stood out bright orange against the grays and greens. The right door was entangled in hoof-thick vines that locked it in a partially open position. The frame of the door and wall in which the door was set was made of cobblestones, the loose rocks bound by sap and vines. Moss and lichen grew upon the stones, making the gray rocks blend in with the forest significantly better. Tree roots thick as hooves weaved in and out of the ground like thread in fabric between stones and patches of moss. Fluttershy landed on the cobblestone walkway, her paws making no sound as she did so. She walked forwards, each pawstep gracefully deliberate as a dance move. She looked around the old place, seeing a few rusted lanterns mounted atop short stone pillars. A few still had candles in them, the once white wax now brown with dust and yellow with pollen dust. The air was still, almost frozen. Silence reigned oppressively from the temple, its vast empire extending far into the forest. One could hear the very plants themselves growing. She paused as she stepped upon something metallic. She looked down. Set in the stone walkway was a square plate of tarnished copper. Seven crescents radiated from the center, much like the petals of the flowers whose nectar she'd drunk, were etched into it. At the center where the crescents came together, was a seven pointed star, the points of which extended into the space between the crescents. She stared at it for a while, its shape almost familiar to her. Her lips curled up in a grin, remembering what the symbol was. After a few minutes of staring, she shrugged and continued on. She slid inside the once grand temple, her luminance the only source of light in the room, save for the few rays that slipped between the doors. She smiled, remembering the positions of everything in the room. She stood upon a rise in the floor, which was roughly four meters above the rest of the floor. Ten meters forward and five to the right was an island that also stood above the rest of the floor. Four massive pillars stood in the room, two at the corners of the rise she stood upon, and two on the rise opposite her, which led to a not-quite-tarnished copper door that was blocked by steel bars. In the pit below the three rises, dense blue fog had sunk in, making a lake in the room. Fluttershy shivered, remembering her first experience with said fog. A flash of light filled the room, Fluttershy now flitting across the sea of fog. She mentally smiled, turning abruptly towards the island, abandoning the straight-shot path to the door, fifty meters away. As she landed upon the platform, she reverted back to her Dragon form. She landed softly, her wings taking most of her weight. She stepped towards the center of the five-by-five meter pillar, where an untarnished silver object was inlaid in the stone. It looked much like a pyramid, save for the fact that the top of it was cut off, leaving it flat-topped. On the flat of the object was the same symbol she'd seen outside. She smiled, stepping heavily upon the object. It buckled beneath her weight, collapsing into a flat square. The bars blocking the door slid upward into the top of the doorframe. Their dull metal-on-stone ringing sound echoed through the room. Twelve meters to the left when facing the door, and thirty meters forward, a platform that had been sitting beneath the fog rose slowly. The fog that had once been on its surface rolled off like water, pouring back into the pool below as it stopped, level to the original three platforms. Fluttershy smiled, taking the shape of the Butterfly once more, hurriedly racing to the new platform. She did not take a direct path, though. Instead, she flew the twelve meters left before turning and fluttering quickly to the new platform. She landed briefly upon it, her legs barely staying on the surface for more than a second before she took off again, flying seven meters to the right and turning abruptly to the last platform. She landed upon it, shifting back to her Dragon form. With a swift pull, she opened the door, pushing it upwards into the doorframe to join the steel bars that had previously obstructed it. The door slowly descended after Fluttershy had moved through it, hitting the floor with a soft thump that resounded through the new room. A square ring of stone platforming ran along the walls, encompassing a large pool of water in the center of the room. In the center of the pool was an enlarged silver statue of the flower whose nectar she'd drunk earlier. In the center of the flower was a stone tablet that rose up about two meters and seemed to have some sort of scripture written into it. Fluttershy smiled, taking flight once more and getting closer to inspect it. Bríngèth hêre thÿ Faïth, ånd Vîrtüe shåll sæl thÿ Bònd. Bríngèth hêre thÿ Dòüt, ånd Sin shåll tær thêe àpàrt. She grinned, looking upwards towards the ceiling. A hole in the roof that had been there since the temple's construction allowed a few rays of sunshine in. But at the current time, they were slanted, and dove into the water. She sighed, sitting down upon the silver statue, waiting for the sun to move. Twilight grinned as she approached Sugarcube Corner. The small sweet-shop appeared entirely abandoned, but after being around long enough, she knew better. She walked towards the door, from which she could hear ponies hissing at each other to be quiet so as to not ruin the surprise. However, with the fact that everyone inside was being noisier than mockingbirds, she could hear them from blocks away. She opened the door, bracing her ears for the incoming assault. She paid no attention to the shouted "Congratulations," nor to the lack of unrecognized ponies. All she really cared about at that moment was the fact that her four friends had gone to the effort to congratulate her on something she had not even told them about. Under normal circumstances she would accuse them of spying on her, but ever since Pinkie had driven her to spontaneous combustion, she understood that Pinkie could usually sense this sort of random thing. "...and my eyes watered up! At first I thought somepony had tripped and fallen down a ravine, but then I realized that my eyes watered before my tail twitched!" Pinkie's voice soon pierced Twilight's mental barriers. She shook her head to clear it. "So who's the lucky stallion?" Rarity asked, her eyes fluttering 'dramatically'. "You simply must tell us!" Twilight deadpanned, staring almost harshly at Rarity's zeal. Rainbow soon descended from the air, her face moving mere inches from Twilight's. "Is it Big Mac?" "It ain't mah brother, Dash," Applejack cancelled. "He ain't been to town in weeks." The four ponies began bickering on whether or not she had gotten together with Big Macintosh. The argument rose in volume steadily, all while Twilight tried to get their attention. "Guys." They continued. Rather than deal with meeting failure a second time, she summoned the largest breath she could manage. "IT'S NOT A STALLION!" she hollered in a voice not unlike the Royal Canterlot voice of old. That caught everypony's attention instantaneously. For the second time that day, Twilight left impenetrable silence in the aftermath of her explosion. A cupcake that had already been precariously perched in close proximity to the edge of the counter had fallen, icing down. Pinkie, defying physics yet again, somehow moved fast enough to catch the cupcake in her mouth and devoured it. Everypony stared at her much like Spike had earlier that morning. "U-um... I didn't... um... know you... know you swung that way," Rainbow stuttered, her voice cracking multiple times as retribution for defying the reign of silence. "Eeyup," Applejack agreed awkwardly, mimicking her brother. "Allow me to correct my earlier statement, then," Rarity continued, showing no signs of awkwardness. "Who's the lucky mare?" By this time, Twilight's blush had returned with full vigor, staining her cheeks bright red. Everyone continued staring at her, eagerly awaiting the answer to the question. After twenty seconds of gathering her nerves, she squeaked, "...Fluttershy..." She smiled weakly, wishing she could hide behind said pony's mane. A single gasp escaped the four ponies before her. Rarity's eyes went wide as her hoof reached up to cover her mouth. Rainbow landed, her surprise forcing her to focus on processing the new information rather than flying. Applejack's mouth hung agape, her eyes wide as apples. The only one with a smile on her face at that moment was Pinkie, whose smile was large enough for all five ponies present. After ten seconds of digesting the news, Rainbow's cocky grin returned, as did Applejack's smug smirk, and Rarity's usual 'you-have-to-tell-me-the-whole-story-about-how-you-got-together' expression crept back upon her face. Pinkie, who was already smiling hard enough to cleave her face in two, smiled even wider than her face would physically allow. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the pony, but soon dismissed the breach of physics. Tell the rest of the girls about relationship with Fluttershy... Check. Speaking of which, where is said adorable pegasus? Author's Note And now I have a very clear path that I shall be following for this story. I know exactly what I'm going to have happen, but I'm not quite solid on WHEN everything will happen. There will be incoming adorableness and Fluttershy-epicness incoming in the next chapter, which is already in the works. With school in the mix, I hope to shove that out by next weekend. :3 <3 DarqFox Omai GamerLuna. Omai GabeN. Omai Ceiling Cat. Omai GabeN. Omai Luna. 50+ faves. I love all of you guys SSSSSOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! Sadly, I do not have enough pancreases (pancreaï?) nor spleens to give all of you. You guys are the best supporters I could ever ask for! Please accept one collective moustache for faving my story.
