After hours of careful research keeps leading to dead-ends, Twilight finds she can't sleep. To try and clear her head, she decides to go for a midnight stroll. A chance encounter with a friend helps her realize the answer to her problem... and leads to something she never expected.

I'd like to give special thanks to my friends Graymane Shadow and clppy605 for their valuable feedback and editing.

The story takes place after The Hooffields and McColts.

Having solved a friendship problem themselves, Twilight and Fluttershy crash for the night at a local inn. There, Twilight confesses a problem she had been thinking about since they solved the conflict between the Hooffields and McColts. Namely how they could have solved the problem sooner. What happens afterwards is Fluttershy blurting out a secret she kept close to her heart since Twilight was made the Princess of Friendship.

Cover image made by balaraika

Twilight has long nursed a crush on her quiet yellow friend. When Fluttershy's magic builds to dangerous levels, Twilight steps forward to nurse her sick friend back to health, struggling to keep her complicated feelings under control.

Cover image used with permission from BloodNekoFox

Twilight loves Fluttershy. Fluttershy loves Twilight. But they don't know that about the other. Will they find the right moment to tell the other or will they ever be alone?

Thanks to Krickis for proofreading and editing of my awful grammar

Twilight Sparkle, even after discovering friendship and being elevated to The Princess of Friendship has still maintained her love and affinity toward books. At every opportunity she gets, when not interacting with friends or family, she has her muzzle in a book. It’s her comfort zone, she feels secure and happy.

But truly happy?

Fluttershy had friends before Twilight Sparkle came to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Festival. In spite of these friends, she’d rather have stayed in her cottage surrounded by a plethora of woodland creatures than actually interact with her fellow ponies, even her friends, sometimes. Now after several years of the group becoming closer, Fluttershy had come out of her shell, at least most of the way. But she could still be insecure and to herself quite easily.

But does she really want to maintain that shield of isolation?

Now something happens to open their hearts to the next stage of friendship. And discovering that a close friend may be the answer to making their lives complete. Filling a void that neither acknowledged that was there. And they’ll have to admit to feelings they never let themselves acknowledge.

If these feelings are admitted, then there is an issue to overcome:

How long had it been since Twilight last slept? How come her mind still plagued her with images of a kiss that should never have happened? Why was she always so alone?

Three weeks have passed since Twilight Sparkle was crowned a Princess of Equestria; but many things have not changed. For instance, one hour every day, all of the animals at Fluttershy's home take a nap, and she has tea.

One day, though, her routine is spontaneously interrupted by the least spontaneous mare she knows, eager to talk about anything, except what brought on her visit in the first place. Fluttershy is left to wonder: Just what is going on in Twilight's mind, and can she help her unravel it?

The unicorn and the pegasus Twilight and Fluttershy have a nice friendly sleepover at Twilight's library. As the event progresses, it escalates into something better than they could hope for.

Fluttershy wants to confess her love to Twilight, but she's afraid to. Rarity comes up with an idea for her and Twilight to have picnic together, so as to tell her in a romantic setting.

Twilight goes down with a sickness known as Hornflu a week before Winter Wrap Up, and is left in the care of Fluttershy. There, she is quarantined until the diesease dies off. However, both are harboring secret feelings towards the other that just refuse to be known. What will come of this and, worse, their unexpected fate?
Image is by KP-ShadowSquirrel from Da. Used with his permission.