Gray skies greeted Rarity as she closed up her boutique for lunch. The weather teams had been hard at work last night, clearing off the sudden storm and breaking apart the clouds into a gentle silver layer. Now the ground beneath her hooves was tender, though by no means muddy.
She paused to wipe off the sudden bead of sweet that trailed down her face. It had been a productive morning—six whole dresses finished for Hoity Toity, and Fleur Dis Lee had agreed to model them in the spring! It was a dream come true for Rarity, especially on the heels of her recent matchmaking project.
Which reminds me… Rarity readjusted her saddlebags. They were stuffed with notes and letter templates she wanted to give to Twilight. Just a little something to help her and Fluttershy along with their relationship.
She prayed their evening in the library had been a pleasant one. In fact, it was much like what she’d read in so many romance novels, where the lovely heroine would find shelter from the rain in the home and in the hooves of a dashing stallion, and as he wrapped her in a towel, their eyes would meet and their lips would part—
But I’m getting ahead of myself! Rarity thought with a slight blush. I must invite Twilight for lunch first.
Setting off at a gentle trot, she noticed that there were less pegasi in the air than usual. No doubt they were taking the day off from all that terrible work. She could hardly imagine somepony like Rainbow Dash taking time off. But then, she’d never expected that same pegasus to turn out to be a book lover, so she was probably curled up with another Daring Do novel. Rarity hoped she’d gotten as far as Book Twelve, Daring Do and the Sorcerer of Saddle Arabia. That one was her favorite.
The further she got into town, the more Rarity noticed how diligently everypony was working. She saw Lyra and Bon Bon leading a team of their friends as they swept out loose rainwater onto the flowers and grass. Unicorns of every size and color were separating the water from the soil, which their earth pony partners were repacking. The whole town had been washed clean and everything was being set back into place.
Rarity wasn’t one for getting her hooves too dirty, but even as tired as she was from her morning work, she had an itch to join them in putting things in order. She felt no qualms about doing so when it was time to assemble the bird’s nests for Winter Wrap-Up.
She supposed that this was how Applejack felt all the time, being such a hardworking farm pony.
“Rarity, hey!” Spike suddenly appeared from inside the nearby Quills and Sofa shop. A large brown sack was thrown over his shoulder as he raced toward her.
As always, Rarity had to fight the urge to grab the dragon by his cheeks and comment on his sweet face. She knew now that he wasn’t the same little dragon who’d come to Ponyville with wide-eyed idealism. He was maturing every week, even if he wasn’t growing up like a less civilized dragon would. Still, it warmed her heart to see him try so hard around her. There wasn’t an act so small that he wouldn’t turn it into an act of pure devotion.
Someday, she thought, I’ll reward you for it. I promise…
“Ah, Spikey-wikey, how are you?” Rarity favored him with a quiet smile. “And how did it go with you-know-who last night?”
Spike laughed as he set down his bag full of quills. “It went great. In fact, Fluttershy’s still there.”
Rarity blinked. “Really? Then…” A sudden vivid thought crossed her mind—that passionate scene she’d recalled from a romance novel—and she swept her hoof to her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh, my. You don’t mean they… you mean they actually had…?”
“What? No, nothing like that!” Spike’s face tightened like he’d just tasted something bitter. “Twilight told me all about it at breakfast. They read some more of that dopey poetry and then they shared a bed. That’s all.”
“I see.” Rarity was actually relieved. While she was pleased that they were getting on so well, she would have been concerned if they had jumped too quickly to getting intimate. She’d known from long experience how much Fluttershy hated being touched too forcefully. An unexpected hug from the wrong pony could send her running for the hills.
When she saw Spike looking up at her curiously, she waved her hoof dismissively. “Well, I’m glad I ran into you, dear. I was hoping to invite Twilight to lunch, but I’d be delighted to talk to them both.”
“Yeah, that won’t be a problem.” Spike turned toward the library and waved for her to follow. “It’ll be nice to have somepony around who wasn’t giggling like a filly all morning.”
Twilight stared down at the sheet of paper on her desk, telekinetically scratching out what she’d just written with her quill. She groaned and tossed the paper into the waste bin. One short burst of magic summoned a fresh sheet to her desk for another attempt.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” she told herself. “It’s just a letter. You can do this…”
With a determined smile, Twilight scribbled onto the paper:
Dear Mom and Dad,
How are you? I hope you’re doing well and I’m really looking forward to seeing you at Hearth’s Warming Eve soon. Like last year, I’ll be bringing all my friends from Ponyville, but it’s going to be a little different from last time.
You see, I finally started dating. I’m marefriends with—
“Grr, no!” Twilight slammed her forehead into the desk. She didn’t bother looking up as the paper was telekinetically tossed into the trash with all the other failed drafts. “That’s way too obvious! You need to be subtle. Hint at it…”
Up until this moment, it had been a pleasant morning. She had woken up with Fluttershy sleeping happily in her hooves, without a care in the world. They’d smiled sleepily at each other and shared a quick kiss before getting up. Walking hoof-in-hoof downstairs, where Angel and Spike had put aside their differences long enough to prepare a light breakfast. Fluttershy had briefly mentioned something about wanting to visit the animals at her cottage, but Twilight had reassured her that they knew to find shelter and were probably fine.
Somewhere in the library, Fluttershy was reading a book while Twilight worked on a letter to her parents. She’d been meaning to write to them for a while, but she’d kept putting it off while she drew up her plans to win Fluttershy’s heart during the last month. And now that she’d gotten what she wanted, Twilight had no idea what to actually tell her parents.
It wasn’t that they wouldn’t accept Twilight as a fillyfooler. The ponies of Canterlot, despite their general air of superiority, were far more enlightened than their ancestors about those kinds of relationships. But Twilight couldn’t imagine how they’d feel about Fluttershy. Sure, they’d like her, but would they love her? Could they really love her the way Twilight loved her? Was it simply too much to ask?
Sighing, Twilight stared at the empty paper on her desk and picked up her quill. If she could just get past the block on her thoughts and say what she felt—
“Twilight?”
The magical pressure she’d been exerting was too much for the quill and it snapped in half. Twilight felt her left eye twitching, which was a bad sign. She held a hoof to her eye as she turned around to face Fluttershy.
“I-I’m sorry to disturb you,” said her marefriend, now clutching a novel to her chest. “I wanted to ask if I could borrow this book and finish reading it at home.” Her face broke into a timid smile. “It’s just as good as you said!”
Twilight’s heart softened. “You don’t even have to ask.” As she trotted forward, she lifted her hoof from her eye and brushed at Fluttershy’s mane. “You can borrow any book from here as long as you like.”
Fluttershy closed her eyes with a happy sigh. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.” Twilight was glad her recommendation had worked out. She’d been a little worried that The Count of Palomino was too dark and violent for Fluttershy’s tastes, especially with Emerald Dante’s obsession with revenge. But she supposed that there were enough lighthearted moments in the book to make it worthwhile.
Or maybe Fluttershy really did enjoy those kinds of stories. Twilight was looking forward to finding out more about her tastes. In the back of her mind, she was already setting up a shelf in the library devoted solely to every kind of book that her new love would enjoy the most.
Lost in her thoughts, she almost failed to spot Fluttershy sneaking a peek at the incomplete letters scattered around her desk. “Is everything all right?”
“It’s fine!” Twilight looked down at the broken pieces of the quill and quickly kicked them into the trash bin as well. “I was just writing a letter. Back home.” Her ears flopped as she added, in a small and broken voice, “To my parents…”
“That sounds wonderful. Can I help?”
Twilight stared. She pressed her hoof against her cheek when she felt her eye start to twitch again. “A-are you sure you want to?”
“Of course I do!” Fluttershy was beaming as she slipped past Twilight and sat down at the desk. With a new quill delicately balanced on her hoof, she tapped it against a clean sheet of paper. “Just tell me what you want to say and I’ll write it down.”
“Okay…” Twilight rubbed her hoof on the back of her head, trying to organize her thoughts—and that was hard when her feelings kept getting in the way. She had no problem dictating a letter to Spike, but he was out shopping for the library.
Still, there was something about the enthusiastic smile Fluttershy was giving her that made it hard to say no…
“Okay,” Twilight said again and trotted over to Fluttershy’s side. With a smile, she extended her wing out and brushed it along her marefriend’s flank. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!” The quill tapped eagerly against the paper.
“Are you positive you’re ready?”
Fluttershy just smiled, which only made Twilight feel worse.
I’m overthinking it as usual. Let’s see if we can fix that…
On impulse, Twilight leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Fluttershy’s jaw. The pegasus sighed and her wings fluttered just a bit.
Sighing happily, Twilight pulled back and grinned. “I really needed that! Okay, then. Dear Mom and Dad…”
She closed her eyes, listening to Fluttershy write it down, picturing her delicate handwriting on the page. It was easier this way, easier to say what she really felt.
“I can’t believe that Hearth’s Warming Eve is just a little over a month away,” she continued. “I’m looking forward to seeing you both, though I wish Shining Armor and Cadance could be there to join us. Anyway, I know I told you in my last letter that I’ll be bringing along my friends from Ponyville, but I’ll also be bringing a special somepony with me this year…”
Fluttershy stopped writing just long enough to giggle. Twilight felt her marefriend’s wings flitter quickly and then she continued to write.
“Believe me,” Twilight continued, “nopony could be more surprised—or pleased—than me! But I love this mare more than anypony else in the wide world of Equestria. And I think you will, too. In fact, you’ve already met her a few times.”
She opened her eyes and grinned. “Her name is Fluttershy.”
Again, Fluttershy giggled and scribbled it down.
“In case you’re wondering, all our friends approve of the match—in fact, it was Rarity who suggested it!” As she spoke, she could see Rarity in her mind’s eye, smiling and trying not to cry. Deep down, she was quite a softhearted pony underneath that glamorous coat and mane. “They’re also looking forward to seeing you when we get to Canterlot. In the meantime, I hope you’re having fun setting up for the celebrations. I’ll be counting the days until then!”
Lifting a hoof to her chest, Twilight grinned and added, “Love, Twily.”
As soon as the quill stopped, Fluttershy spun around and threw her hooves around Twilight. “You did it! I’m so proud!”
Twilight squeezed her back. “We did it. I could get used to writing letters with you.” She leaned in for a quick kiss. “My pen pal Shy…”
“Ahem.”
Both ponies froze, their lips only an inch apart from each other. When they looked over to the den, Rarity and Spike were staring back. Spike had his fist up to his mouth, in which he was coughing pointedly. Rarity, meanwhile, was smiling behind her hoof, though she seemed very determined to look away from the intimate moment she’d intruded on.
“Sorry to interrupt,” said Spike, hefting his canvas bag, “but I brought more quills. And Rarity.”
Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Um… great! Thank you very much, Spike!” Reluctantly, she let go of Fluttershy and readjusted her stance. Her dignity, meanwhile, was falling and scattering as fast as the autumn leaves outside. “Rarity, how are you? It’s been so long… hasn’t it?”
Pausing for a quick giggle, Rarity quickly recomposed herself into a more courteous smile. “Oh, hardly, darling.” When she turned and winked at Fluttershy, she added, “I trust your evening was pleasant?”
“Yes!” Fluttershy replied quickly, sidling up against Twilight without the least bit of embarrassment. Twilight’s ears perked when she felt Fluttershy’s tail swish against her own. “We had a very good time—in spite of the rain, I mean.”
During this chat, Spike had gone over to refill one of the desk drawers with a fresh supply of writing quills. Twilight decided that he deserved a little break soon; he’d done so much for her in the last few days. Not to mention how he’d kept her grounded during that month of planning for Nightmare Night. Maybe he could join her on the next trip to the Crystal Empire—one where he didn’t have to be her official assistant.
“Well, I couldn’t be happier for the two of you,” Rarity replied. When she trotted over toward Fluttershy, she stretched out her hoof and gave her friend a quick side-hug. “In fact, I think being in a relationship has done wonders for your mane! Perhaps I should get a love interest for myself!”
Twilight giggled when she heard the clatter of quills behind her, followed by Spike’s muffled curse. She held her smile behind her hoof when she glanced back at Spike, now doing a poor job of pretending to not be eavesdropping.
As she stepped back toward Twilight, Fluttershy brushed away her mane from the side of her face. “So what brings you here, Rarity?”
“Well, I was just in the neighborhood when I ran into Spike. I was going to simply invite Twilight to lunch, but…” A joyous grin emerged on her face. “But since you’re here, too, I guess I’ll just have invite you as well!”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to impose…”
“Perish the thought!” Rarity patted Fluttershy’s head as if she were her big sister. “It’s my treat! My business is doing oh so well right now. What better way to spend my earnings than on my dearest friends?”
From outside the window, there was a sudden but familiar gasp. Twilight didn’t know why, but she found herself in a crouch, as though expecting an attack—
Instead, she was greeted with a wave of bubblegum-bright pink as Pinkie Pie darted into the library through the open window, tumbling with all the grace of a Wonderbolt. She landed on all fours, planting herself right between a very alarmed Rarity and Fluttershy.
“You guys!” she cried out eagerly, bouncing up and down in place. “Why do lunch when we can throw a party?”
“Darling!” Rarity’s elegant features twisted into an unladylike scowl. “It’s not nice to eavesdrop.”
“But I was in the neighborhood, too! Honest!” Pinkie Pie spun around, staring Fluttershy right in the eye. The pegasus wilted under the glare of her brilliant smile. “I just know that you’ll feel way better about being Twilight’s special somepony when you have some of the dating cake I baked for you!”
“Y-you baked a cake?” Fluttershy asked, shaking all the way down to her hooves.
The pink pony pranced around her in a delirious grin. “Well, yeah! How else was I gonna celebrate your and Twilight’s first date?”
“Pinkie…” Twilight wanted to talk her down. She had several perfectly good arguments lined up in her head, ranging from You didn’t have to go to all that trouble to We’d rather be left alone so we can get back to poetry and cuddling. But she couldn’t seem to focus long enough to bring her arguments to the fore.
Instead, her eyes drifted over to Fluttershy. Despite the fearful shiver she was experiencing, Twilight thought she detected something in the way her marefriend was looking at the floor.
It almost seemed like she was smiling.
I guess that’s where I step in, thought Twilight. Just one little push over the edge….
She reached her hoof out and rested it on Fluttershy’s back. “What do you think, Shy?”
At once, her marefriend’s ears perked up. Fluttershy looked Twilight in the eye and smiled, with just a hair more confidence than before. “I think maybe we should have a party.”
“You won’t get scared?”
“No, I promise.” She leaned into Twilight, still smiling confidently. “It’ll be nice to see all our friends again. Like this, I mean.”
“Yeah.” Twilight slid her foreleg around her shoulders and gave Fluttershy a squeeze. “I know just what you mean.”
“Woo-hoo!” Pinkie Pie executed a backflip toward the window, somehow managing to hold onto the sill with just one hoof. “This is gonna be awesome! I’ll go get my cake and tell everypony the good news! See you in an hour!”
“Just tell Rainbow Dash and Applejack!” Twilight called out, but it was too late. The mad pink pony had slipped back out the window.
She stamped her hooves against the floor. “Pony feathers. Now she’s gonna invite half the town here. Again.”
Coming up from behind, Spike sighed and patted her on the flank. “Then I guess I’ll start tidying the place up. Again.”