//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Backed Up Feelings // by Star Reacher //------------------------------// Life at the castle settled into a pattern over the following week. Fluttershy received her treatments twice a day at sunup and sundown, and Twilight spent the rest of the day researching in the library, looking for any scrap of information that would make the treatments more efficient or lessen the burden on Fluttershy. Starlight and Spike helped out however they could, but Twilight’s behavior began to worry the both of them. She was skipping meals, and couldn’t have been getting more than a couple of hours of sleep at a time. Starlight had long since worked out that Twilight had a crush on Fluttershy, but if she kept working herself to death she wouldn’t be any help in treating Fluttershy’s condition. As she paced in the entry hall trying to figure out the best way to get Twilight to take a break, she was interrupted by a thunderous pounding on the front door. Opening the door, she found herself face to face with an incredibly irate Discord, clearly trying to hold himself back “Discord! What’s wrong?” “Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, save the fact that my best friend is sick, and no one considered it worthwhile to tell me!” He punctuated the sentence by snorting out a cloud of bats that quickly dissipated. She blinked in surprise. “What? But we sent you a letter as soon as we got her settled here.” “Well, I didn’t get it. Maybe it got lost in the mail, maybe a Quartzwyrm ate the message, I neither know nor care. What I care about is the fact that it took Sunbutt personally telling me while I was in Canterlot for me to find out. Now, I would very much like to see Fluttershy, so if you’d please?” Sensing that the sooner the Draconequus could see that Fluttershy was alright the better, Starlight hastily stepped back from the door. “Left staircase. She’s on the third floor in the southwest corner guest room.” Discord immediately vanished with a flash, forcing Starlight to cover her eyes. Right, teleportation. Somehow she’d forgotten he could do that. She trotted over to the stairs and shouted up, “I’ll let Twilight know you’re here!” Not at all sure if he’d heard, or having heard cared, Starlight made her way through the castle to the library. “Twilight! Discord’s here. He wanted to check up on Fluttershy.” She announced, pushing open the library doors. Not hearing a reply, she scanned the room for her mentor. Finally spotting Twilight at one of the far tables, her back turned, Starlight made her way across the cavernous room. As she drew near, she noticed the rhythmic rise and fall of Twilight’s shoulders, and concluded that she must have worked herself through the night, eventually falling asleep at her work. Sighing at Twilight’s workaholism, her curiosity drove her to look over whatever had so arrested the Alicorn’s attention. Singling out a voluminous stack of papers as the likely culprit, she quietly levitated over the top page of the stack. Observations of treatment concerning Acute Magical Buildup as caused by underlying Magical Retention Disorder in the Pegasus Fluttershy. Day 1… Had Twilight seriously kept herself awake all night writing patient observations? Oh Twilight… Starlight thought to herself ruefully. Returning the page, she began to examine the last day’s entries. The first half of the page was normal, but roughly halfway down it quickly began to devolve into decidedly informal content, quickly eliciting a blush in Starlight. Eventually finding herself unable to continue reading, she shook Twilight while calling her name. “Hmm? Starlight? Whatzamatter?” Twilight yawned out groggily. “Well, Twilight, you might want to read over your notes for yesterday.” Confusion and tiredness blended on her face, Twilight complied. As her eyes reached the halfway point, Starlight saw them shoot open wide in panic. The color slowly drained from her face as she continued. Wryly, Starlight noted that her current coloration was more along the lines of mauve than her usual lavender. Finishing, Twilight studiously avoided her gaze. “H-How much did you read?” “The patient is utterly adorable. Physician would like nothing more than to slowly nibble her way up from the patient’s primaries until buried in the her soft, pink hair…” “Ah! Quit it!” She cried out desperately. Glancing up fearfully, she entreated Starlight, “Starlight, it’s not what you think it is! I was just, uh, tired! Yeah! I was tired, and my mind went somewhere crazy, and I just kept writing…” “Twilight! Stop it. I know all about it. I’ve known for a long time.” Anticipating the oncoming barrage of ‘what?’s and ‘how?’s, Starlight continued, “You talk in your sleep. A lot. And rather loudly, if I’m being honest.” Mortification writ large on her face, Twilight levitated the nearest book and proceeded to hide under it.  Suddenly, the book was tossed aside and Starlight found Twilight’s face entirely too close to her own. “Starlight! Whatever you do, you can’t tell Fluttershy! Please! Promise me!” “But Twilight, this is tearing you apart! Look at yourself!” “No, no, no. No! I’m her doctor, and her friend! There’s no way she feels the same way right now, and springing this on her while she’s incapacitated isn’t just dangerous, it’s wrong! Promise me you won’t say anything!” “OK! Ok. I won’t tell her anything Twilight.” She turned and left the library, adding before she shut the door, “but you should.” Not waiting for a reply, she began to make her way to Fluttershy’s room. Horsefeathers! Why is that mare so stubborn?! She’s killing herself over nothing! I’m sure Fluttershy would be fine with it if she’d just ask! These and kindred thoughts played through her mind as she travelled the castle’s halls. Truth be told, Twilight’s timidity had been a constant source of frustration for months now. The two of them were perfect for each other! All Twilight had to do was work up the courage to get the ball rolling. Letting out one more sigh as she reached her destination, she stopped short upon hearing voices. Not wanting to interrupt, she decided to wait for a lull in the conversation. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she inched forward until she could make out what they were saying. “And you’re absolutely sure that you have everything you need here?” “Oh yes, I’m quite comfortable, Discord. Everyone’s been just lovely.” “Well, if you should think of anything please don’t hesitate to let me know.” “I will. Oh, wait…” “Hmm? What is it? Did you think of something?” “Oh, no. It’s nothing important. I was just thinking that having some of the books from my cottage here would be nice. Twilight’s library is amazing, but it’s missing some of the less, um, academic titles.” “Say no more!” The telltale sound of his teleportation rang out, followed moments later by another signaling his return. “Madame’s literature, as requested.” “Oh, thank you so much!” “Not at all. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s something I need to do before I leave.” Starlight quickly backed away from the door to make way for the Draconequus. “Ah, Starlight, there you are.” Before she could respond he continued. “Be quiet and listen. This isn’t easy for me. I was… wrong to treat you the way I did at the door. You did nothing to deserve it, and it was very rude of me. I just wanted to say I’m sor… I’m sorr… I apologize.” He finally succeeded in choking out. As he turned away, Starlight felt surprise mix with a certain warmth. Ever since the Changeling hive, Discord had been much more courteous towards her. She couldn’t really call it friendship, but it seemed she’d managed to earn his respect. Why, the only other pony she’d ever seen him apologize to was Fluttershy. Fluttershy… A sly grin grew on her face as she began to hatch a scheme. “Oh, Discord, before you go, could you show me where in the cottage Fluttershy keeps her books? I heard you bring her some, and I’d like to be able to restock them if she runs out.” n