Fluttershy woke from a vivid and bizarre dream. Similar dreams had visited her for over a year, but this time it was somehow more real. The joy felt closer and more profound. It also terrified her. Maybe I should tell somepony else about this.
Just lying there in her bed, she felt deeply in love, the same sweet fluttery feeling she used to know at a younger age, when, from time to time, she dared to harbor a secret crush on some colt from school. Her crushes never lasted long. They always revealed some measure of meanness at some point and it would break the spell long before she ever found the courage to talk to them.
A frightful knocking came from the outside and Fluttershy dove under her sheets for safety. “Oh, my goodness, this is very early to have a visitor!” she said aloud. It terrified her when she talked to herself, because she imagined how embarrassing it would be if somepony caught her mid-monologue and laughed at her. She would die of humiliation . . . Actually, she would probably just cry a lot, but that would be horrible too. She poked her face out from under the covers, knowing it would be too rude not to answer the door.
The knocking caused Angel to sit bolt upright in the ornate little bed Fluttershy had placed next to her own. The bunny’s fluffy little face was livid with rage. He hopped up and stomped his way toward the door, murder seething in his jet-black eyes. Whoever is here to visit is in for more than they bargained for, Fluttershy thought in panic. “Oh, um, hold on, I’ll be there in a moment, sir or ma’am, whoever you are,” she called out as she nabbed Angel and tucked him back in his bed so snugly that he would not be escaping anytime soon. She gave him an affectionate little nuzzle, but the fact that she was imprisoning Angel did not seem lost on him.
She undressed hurriedly, throwing aside her pajamas and fluffy night cap to look more presentable for her guest. A dreadful guilt crept over her when she considered how she was making her visitor wait. For some reason she thought it might be Twilight at the door, but that was impossible. Twilight was up in the woods and Applejack was probably already there as well, crying in front of her. Fluttershy tried to banish the thought from her mind as she opened the door.
“Well, good mornin’ there, Fluttershy.” Applejack stood amid a wreath of morning sunlight. Her face was flushed—probably from running—and she looked as happy as Fluttershy had ever seen her.
“Oh, hello Applejack. Did something really good happen?”
“I got a whole bushel of news that’s better than good!” the farm pony declared. “Here, ya mind if I come in for a sec? It might take a bit of explainin’.” She trotted in and kicked the door shut behind her, without waiting for Fluttershy’s reply. Applejack flopped down on the sofa, but did not begin explaining her news. Instead she began helping herself to the contents of a snack bag on a coffee table.
“Mmm this is mighty good. What do ya call this stuff?” she asked between mouthfuls.
“Duck feed.” Fluttershy giggled.
Applejack’s eyes went wide and it looked, for a moment, as though she might spit the feed in every direction, but she, instead, swallowed the feed with an ill-concealed grimace.
Thinking it was mean of her to laugh at this mistake Fluttershy felt bad and wanted to say something nice to help Applejack feel better. “You can keep eating it if you want. It’s cheaper than pony food and I’ve got lots of it. It’s really no problem at all.” Even so, she could not help but giggle a bit more as she set about making coffee for herself.
A pushier pony might have prodded Applejack for her news, but Fluttershy would let her friend take her time if that was what she wanted. At length, Applejack cleared her throat, “Ah don’t know why I’m all tongue-tied all of a sudden. But, well, here goes . . . Ah made a rather amazin’ discovery yesterday . . . Ah was able ta break Twilight out of the statue. It turns out she was stuck inside by some sort of powerful magic.”
“Twilight is alive? Where is she? I would love to see her again,” Fluttershy found herself speaking excitedly, even though part of her could not believe what she had heard. Perhaps Applejack had gone completely insane. That was a scary thought. Normal Applejack was strong and gentle, but insane Applejack might be strong and dangerous. Fluttershy shuttered.
“Twi is right outside waiting ta see ya.”
Fluttershy found herself hurrying over to the door. “Oh, now I feel bad for not letting her in sooner.” She hesitated and turned to Applejack. “Why didn’t she come in with you?”
“Ah wouldn’t want ta bring Twilight inta your house with no warning. Ya might think she was a ghost and run off all scared. No offense, but ya know how ya can be sometimes.”
Fluttershy smiled. “That’s actually very thoughtful of you.”
Twilight pounced upon her as she opened the door, giving her a quick hug, really more of a hard squeeze than a hug. It knocked the breath out of her, but it seemed heartfelt all the same. Fluttershy found herself stammering as her mind took flight with a dozen thoughts at once. “B-but how did you come back? We all thought you were gone forever.”
“I wasn’t gone; I was trapped in the statue . . . It’s so good to see you again. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Oh, me as well. It's so wonderful to see you again.”
Twilight looked sheepish for a moment. “I hope you’re not offended that I didn’t come to visit you yesterday. It would have been easy since you live so close.”
“That’s fine, Twilight. I'm just very glad you're alive. I’m sure you just needed some time to rest after being trapped for so long,” she paused, wondering if there was anything nice she could do for Twilight. “Would you like some coffee?”
“No thank you, I’m already awake. AJ saw to that when she had us run to get here,” Twilight said, seating herself right up against Applejack on the sofa. It seemed a little odd; there was plenty of room for both of them, but there they were, bunched up against each other on one end of the sofa.
Fluttershy filled a paper cup with decaf and clasped it carefully as she settled into a rocking chair across the coffee table from her cuddling friends. Twilight rested her head upon Applejack’s chest like a puppy. Maybe she just wants to be especially close with her friends since she’s been gone for so long . . . but she was quick to let go when she hugged me. “So, um, what happened to you?” She found herself asking Twilight.
“I don’t know exactly. I was practicing my teleportation out in the woods. Spike was there. I had taken us both pretty far from Ponyville when I got exhausted and took a break to enjoy the sights of the forest. Then I felt a powerful and hostile magic going through me, trapping me in place. All of my senses were blacked out and all I could do was think.”
“Oh how awful!” Fluttershy said.
“AJ tells me nopony knows what happened to Spike. I hope he got away and wasn’t trapped like me.”
Fluttershy gulped and glanced about nervously. She was bad at concealing information and she knew it. Was it time to come clean?
“Is somethin’ the matter, Sugarcube?” she heard Applejack ask.
“Oh, uh, n-nothing really, I guess it’s just . . . strange to see you and Twilight again. I mean, I haven’t seen you in a while and I haven’t seen Twilight since—”
Applejack chuckled, gently pushing Twilight off of her chest and into a more upright position. “Yeah, Ah shoulda probably told ya about this other thing, since it’s kind of oddball and we ain’t bein’ too subtle about it, but Twilight and I have sort of—”
“Fallen in love,” Twilight finished her sentence in her cheerful, laughing voice. She planted a kiss on Applejack’s cheek and turned to smile at Fluttershy as if looking for approval.
Fluttershy swallowed wrong and choked on her decaf. So this is why Applejack has been so obsessive about Twilight. Grief was one thing, but Applejack had made her mourning for Twilight a daily part of her life. Had they been in love even before Twilight’s petrification? It was nice of them to be straightforward about their relationship now that Twilight was free. Maybe I can share my secret too.
She watched Applejack hesitate before risking another bite of duck feed. Applejack spoke with her mouth full. “We were wondering if ya’d like ta come with us on a trip ta reunite the rest of our friends. Twilight has a bit of catching up ta do and Ah think it would great if we all managed ta get together again.”
“Oh, I’d love to! Maybe we can meet up in Canterlot. You still haven’t seen Rarity’s new building. It’s amazing.” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. “Our friends might be surprised to see you two as a couple.”
“Does it seem weird?” Twilight asked.
“Well, um . . . yes,” Fluttershy admitted quietly. “What I mean to say is that I’m very happy for you, though I didn’t expect this.”
Twilight smiled. “I didn’t expect it either. I didn’t know it was AJ, but I could feel how much she cared about me when she came close to my statue and I knew I had to fight back against the enchantment. If not for AJ’s run to see me each morning, I think I would have given up and stayed trapped forever, with no way to even cry or have my own dreams.”
“You must have been very lonely when Applejack wasn’t there.”
“Yes, but I always knew she would come back,” Twilight said.
“And Ah always knew she’d be there waitin’ for me.”
Twilight leaned forward. “But what about you, Fluttershy? AJ tells me you’ve gotten even more shy. Are you lonely?”
“I’ve been lonelier since you and our friends left. I mean, I do like being alone, but sometimes it makes me feel lonely, so I treasure my visits with Rarity and Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. My dreams also make me feel less lonely. I’ve been having wonderful dreams,” she said, taking another sip of coffee.
Applejack’s eyes lit up at the mention of dreams. “Last night, Ah had the most craziest most beautifulest dream ya’ll can imagine. Ah just can’t do it no justice by tryin’ ta explain it. Ah guess seeing Twilight in the flesh has kinda gone ta my head.”
Twilight turned her attention to Fluttershy and spoke with unnecessary haste, “So how is Rarity these days? AJ tells me she’s doing well for herself. Does she miss Spike? I was beginning to wonder if she actually did like him.”
“Rarity is fine.” Fluttershy assured her with a nod. Should I say more? Why not? Twilight is back after all. Maybe Spike knows something that she needs to know. The words tumbled from her mouth. “And Spike is fine too.”
Applejack gaped. “How do ya know? Ah thought nopony had seen or heard anythin’ about Spike.”
“Nopony except me.” Fluttershy had not expected this of herself, but she relished her friends’ attention more than she would have thought. Most ponies found it easy to ignore what she had to say, even if it was important. Having both Twilight and Applejack hanging on her every word felt strangely exhilarating.
She began anew. “When Spike came to me for help, he told me about the enchantment. I went out looking for you, but I never told anypony that I already knew what had happened. Flying into the woods to find you was one of the most frightening things I ever did. I was afraid that whatever creature turned you to stone was still hiding there, but I had courage, because I thought I might be able to save you somehow . . . Even the combined powers of Celestia and Luna couldn’t save you though.
“Spike didn’t tell me why, but he wanted to hide and he made me swear never to tell anypony anything about him unless you came back to life.” Sharing her entrusted message brought great relief for Fluttershy. Withholding this information from her friends for so long had felt like a lot like lying.
“Was that all Spike told you? You have to tell me everything, Fluttershy.” Twilight was scary when she got serious like this. Maybe being petrified had made her as mean as Discord. To make matters worse, she might even have been as powerful as him too. She could fix big dams and harvest entire orchards of apples with her spells. I’d better not say anything to upset her.
Applejack leaned forward and spoke in an encouraging voice. “Aw, don’t cringe like that, Fluttershy. Twi just wants ta know what happened to Spike. Ah told her he might be dead, so it’s a bit of a surprise for us ta find out that you’ve been keeping this secret for years.”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to keep it a secret; I hope you understand. I think Celestia is the only other pony who knows about him.”
Twilight frowned. “How does the princess know?”
As Fluttershy took a sip of her coffee, she felt bad for making her friends wait the extra second to hear her response. “The last time I went to visit Spike and Rarity, he told me that the princess knew he was there. He’s living in the caves underneath Canterlot.”
Applejack looked at her quizzically. “Wait, so let me get this straightened out, Rarity knows about Spike too?”
“Oh no, she’s the last pony I would tell. I’m mean, she is my best friend, but she’s the last pony Spike would want me to tell. I hope you’re not still mad at Rarity. She only said those things because she wanted to help you, Applejack.”
Twilight gave Applejack a questioning glance. Applejack looked uneasy, but only hesitated momentarily before replying. “Ah know Ah wasn’t bein’ fair ta Rarity. Ya’ll told me Ah was bein’ crazy, not just her. She was just a lot more direct about it and Ah’ve been a mite stubborn ta hold that against her all this time. Ah guess Ah’m also a bit riled up about her packing up and headin’ ta Canterlot like she’s too good for Ponyville. She thinks she’s better than she really is, with her fancy dresses and that fancy coffee she’s got ya drinkin’.”
Twilight put a hoof over Applejack’s shoulder as if to calm her. “AJ, I know you haven’t told me exactly what happened between you and Rarity, but I think you can find it in your heart to forgive her.”
“Honestly, Rarity’s a great friend and is very generous ta boot. Ah should be kinder ta her, even if we’ve got our differences. Huh, Ah almost feel like Ah should apologize ta her.”
“You should apologize to her,” Fluttershy said. “Um, I guess you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but Rarity is always saying that you should.”
Applejack knitted her brow. “Oh, is that so? Well, ain’t that just like her . . .” She chewed her lower lip for a moment and softened her tone, “Heck, Ah’ll still apologize when we get ta Canterlot. Somepony’s gotta be the grownup.”
“You don’t mind if I feed some of my animal friends, do you?” Fluttershy asked, setting her unfinished coffee on the table.
Twilight smiled. “Not at all. We’ll even help you if you’d like.”
Fluttershy introduced them to all of her little friends, both new and old. So many new members had joined the household that she feared she might forget some of their names. Fortunately, she had gone to great lengths to memorize them all, along with their personalities and eating habits. She had made long lists to memorize, just like Twilight used to do. It must have been hard for her to be deprived of her checklists for so long.
“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “You looked sad there for a second.”
“Oh, um, it’s nothing really . . . I was just thinking of how hard it must have been for you.”
Twilight nodded solemnly. “It was very difficult . . . but don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve come back stronger and I’ll try my best to build a new life. Hopefully it will be a life all of my friends can still be a part of.” She put a reassuring hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulder. Her warmth was a welcome comfort. Very few ponies ever touched Fluttershy and she was glad to know Twilight would not avoid contact with her just because of her new relationship with Applejack.
“I think things will be better now that you’re back,” Fluttershy agreed. “I wonder what you’ll do for work though. There’s a new librarian. Have you met him yet?”
“Nah, she stayed the night at the farm,” Applejack answered for her.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but I’ve got to find out why Spike is hiding. Maybe he knows who petrified me.” Twilight’s voice darkened. “And whoever it was has something coming to them.”
In that moment, Fluttershy felt far less comfortable standing so close to Twilight.