//------------------------------//
// A Gathering Place 
// Story: Twilight and Blue Sword 
// by Rakoon1 
//------------------------------//

Twilight had just left the throne room after telling her friends she didn’t want their interference for her love problem, Cadance, Rarity and Pinkie began to speak with each other about Twilight and Blue.

"Well, this could have gone better" Pinkie Pie said.

"Tell me about it, Pinkie" Rarity said. "It's a shame she doesn’t want our help with the issue called Blue."

"Don’t worry about it" Cadance said. "I've known Twilight since she was a filly and I know that sooner or later she will get the courage to declare what she feels to Blue. One of our problems now is Blue Sword."

"Blue Sword?" Pinkie Pie repeated.

"I get it" Rarity said. "We don’t know if he feels the same. And if he doesn’t feel it, Twilight can get hurt with this."

"Yes, and then there's Shining" Cadance said. "He is very overprotected toward his sister. I bet he would not handle well any stallion who approached Twilight. And if Blue becomes that stallion in question, then things will turn sour more than expected. The friendship between the two could end, a friendship that has lasted over twenty years."

"I see this problem has more dead ends than a maze" Rarity commented. 

"We need to focus on a problem at a time" Cadance replied. "We have to set a plan. I think it’s best to start with Twilight and Blue Sword. We have to see if their relationship is possible."

"There should be a fantastic and unreal place that made the ponies that are inside of it have a fantastic desire to express their greatest feelings" Pinkie Pie said. "So Twilight could confess her love for the Blue Sword and maybe then we could make him fall in love with her." 

"Pinkie, darling, you know that we love your ideas" Rarity said. "Really, we loved them. But you have to learn to separate fantasy from reality."

Upon hearing Pinkie Pie’s idea, Cadance had an idea that could result. 

"Maybe Pinkie is not so far from the truth" she said. 

"Really?" the two mares asked at the same time.

Cadance nodded and said:

"I think I know a place that matches that description. I don’t know if it exists, but it has been glimpsed by ponies who passed by here in Northern Equestria. It's a magical place that they say it boost the emotions of those who come within its borders."

"Oh, it looks like a great place!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, taking a big leap.

"But how can we know more about that place?" Rarity asked. "If it's so mysterious as you're describing it, then it must be mentioned elsewhere."

"Well, I just know what I read it in a book in the Crystal Empire library" Cadance said. "Let's just say I had a tremendous luck in finding it. The sightings about this place started before King Sombra take the Crystal Empire and he tried to hide the books that he considered to be inappropriate. But now that the Empire returned to its former splendor, the confiscated books returned to the library shelves. Fortunately, I have the book in question. Come, I'll show it to you."

They came out of the throne room and headed for the study room of the castle. There, Cadance used her magic to make a book get out of the shelf where it was and stop in front of her. It was a thick cover book lined with shiny velvet.

"Oh my Celestia!" Rarity exclaimed, with her wide and shining eyes. "Look at this liner! It is the most beautiful velvet I ever saw!"

She passed her hoof above the liner and said, in a dreamy tone: 

"And it's so soft! Perhaps even softer than the softest of all silk."

"Uh, uh, uh! Let me try it! Let me try! "Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping with a great enthusiasm. 

Cadance then approached the book and Pinkie rubbed her face in the liner and then she just fell on the floor, with a dazzled air and giving a long sigh. 

"And moreover it can put Pinkie completely speechless" Rarity said. "Cadance, you have to tell me where this fabric came from. It is absolutely fantastic. I can think of lots of things I can do with it."

"It's a special velvet that the Crystal Ponies used to make from a special silk that came from the crystal butterflies cocoons" Cadance replied. "Unfortunately, after Sombra have risen to power, all the crystal butterflies fled. So far, they have not yet returned, so we might not make more of this velvet."

"Oh, that Sombra..." Rarity said, in a tone of contempt. "Depriving ponies from the contact with this marvel is a complete crime. We should look for the crystal butterflies and convince them to return. I think Fluttershy could give a great help..."

"Rarity, we are here for Twilight, remember?" Cadance asked. "Not for the velvet." 

"Yes, of course..." Rarity exclaimed, while Pinkie Pie stood up. 

"We need to find information about that fantastic place that will make our friend the happiest pony of all Equestria... no, of the entire world!" Pinkie exclaimed. 

"Yeah, right… you are right" Rarity replied, a little embarrassed.

"Well, let's start" Cadance said, looking at the book's title. "The Most Mysterious Places... Let's see." 

She leafed through it and then found what she was looking for. 

"Here it is!" She said. "It's called the Oasis of the Heart. They say that it was formed after the fall of a shooting star. It’s like a desert oasis, but here in the arctic. It is a place full of warmth, trees and beauty. They say it contains a spell that prevents the cold and the snow of the arctic to enter and that it can reach the hearts of ponies who enter in its borders, causing them to express their strongest feelings and emotions."

"So we have to make Twilight and Blue go there" Rarity said. "But how will we do that? I mean, we can do something about Twilight. I bet she'd love to explore this place. But what about Blue?"

"Well, we could..." Pinkie began. 

"No, Pinkie, we will not kidnap Blue" Rarity said, knowing what she would say. 

"Oh, killjoy!" Pinkie said. "I wanted to use my mustache..." 

"I think there will be no problem with the Blue" Cadance said. "Recently there have been sightings of changelings here. Shining tightened the security and the guards are now patrolling the arctic."

"Yes, but will it work?" Rarity asked. 

"I think so" Cadance replied. "One thing I have not mentioned about the Oasis of the Heart is that it can attract anypony that it deems worthy to enter in it." 

"Worthy?" Pinkie and Rarity asked at the same time. 

"I also don’t understand what this means, but I think we should take a risk and assume that it will attract Twilight and Blue."

Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other and nodded, accepting the plan. 

"Well, you two will deal with Twilight" Cadance said. "I will take care of Blue." 

Twilight, after leaving her things in her room, went to stroll around the castle, always watching carefully to see if Blue wasn’t around. She didn’t want to feel like she was fainting. 

So she ended up reaching the castle gardens, where Shining was there to inspect some guards. After the inspection, the guards made him a salute and then moved away. Once they departed, Twilight went to his brother. 

"Shining!" she called. 

Shining turned and smiled, seeing his little sister.

"Twily!" 

The two siblings embraced themselves and then Shining took off his helmet, saying: 

"It's so good to see you, sis." 

"It’s also good to see you, big bro" she said. 

"I’m glad you accepted Cadance’s invitation to pass a few days with us" said Shining. "Despite I don’t know the reason for it." 

Twilight said nothing about the real reason why Cadance did it, opting to say:

"Well, it just happened right" Twilight said. "I had a lot of work." 

"It's you and me. Hey, you know who's here?"

"Yes, I know. I found Blue when I arrived to the castle."

"Yes, he came to visit me and Cadance and he volunteered to help me" Shining said. "But what a great friend." 

"Yes..." Twilight said nervously. "He's a great friend."

"Sorry, Twilight, but I have to go" Shining said. "I have many things to deal with. But don’t worry; we’ll see each other at the dinner."

He put the helmet again and said, moving away: 

"Bye, Twily." 

"Bye" she said, seeing his brother to move away. 

Twilight then proceeded to stroll around the Empire. Shining was really happy to have Blue again at his side. She didn’t want her crush on Blue to ruin the friendship between him and her brother. It was for that reason and a few others, she had to save to herself what she felt for him. Even if Blue liked her and asked her to a date, she wouldn’t accept it, not because she didn’t love him, but to keep the friendship of two friends that have lasted long before she herself was even born.