"I will try to be gentle." Fluttershy calmly said gently brushing the knots and tangles out of Twilight's mane. Whilst she did that Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran her a bath, Pinkie Pie baked some cookies and Rarity returned with her shampoo.
"Twilight.. you seem a bit down, is everything.. ok?" Fluttershy said, sounding concerned.
Everything wasn't ok. But if Twilight admitted that she liked Starlight, and not Flash, then who knows how her friends will react. Twilight just fake nodded and fake smiled and allowed Fluttershy to keep brushing her mane.
After Twilight's mane was all done, she went and had a bath. Her friends had lit 2 candles and placed it at the end of the tub and Rarity had left some rose petals to float around in the water and left her shampoo on the side.
"I'm so lucky to have such good friends." Twilight said to herself in the bathtub. She was dreading tonight, but her friends managed to make then 'getting ready' part actually ok.
Twilight had been in the bath for about 2 hours, as she had practically drifted off to sleep as it was so relaxing. While she was doing that Pinkie Pie decorated cookies by using icing to draw Twilight's face and Flash's face on each cookie. Her other friends were dusting and decorating Twilights castle for when Flash arrives to pick her up. The part that Twilight was dreading.
"Do you think she's looking forward to her date?" Applejack asked scrubbing the doors with a sponge.
"Of course darling, who wouldn't look forward to her 1 year anniversary date with one of Princess Celestia's royal guards!" Rarity beamed, eyes glowing at the thought of her and a member of the royal guards, watching the sunset together, and the same time as sorting out Twilight's curtains.
"I don't know girls. She seemed a bit overwhelmed when I was brushing her mane earlier." Fluttershy quietly said looking at the ground. "Do you think that.. she.. ISN'T looking forward to her date?"
Rarity shook her head in disagreement, but Pinkie Pie spoke before she could say anything, "Girl, check out these cookies! Hehe, they have Twily and Flash Sentry's faces on them." she chirped, then noticing everyone was giving her a glare for interrupting their conversation.
"Why is everyone looking at me funny?" Pinkie said suspiciously, but before anyone could answer, Starlight and Spike both entered the room which everypony was in.
"Wow guys, this place looks great! Twilight will be so happy when she is finished with her bath!" Spike said giving a thumbs up.
"Maybe.." Starlight said, remembering what Twilight had told her.
"Everything ok Starlight?" Rainbow said, hovering above the purple unicorn.
"I shouldn't be the one you ask that to." Starlight said frowning. She wanted to tell the other girls what Twilight had told her about no longer loving Flash, but she decided that Twilight has the rights to do that. Because Starlight was still waiting for an answer on who Twilight loved instead of Flash.
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When Twilight was finally done with her bath, she drained out the water, and got dried. She then went to blow dry her hair and went to see her friends.
As Twilight stepped out of the bathroom, she noticed the castle was shinier then normal, the curtains had no stains in them and you could see your reflection through the ground.
"I can't believe they did this for me!" she thought, "If I tell them that I don't love Flash, I'll be such a horrible friend!" Twilight started to feel tears in her eyes as she spoke, and they fell down and splashed on the shiny ground. She tried to hold back her emotions, and entered the room her friends were in. Only to find them all staring at her. Everypony apart from Starlight, that is.
"You ok?" Applejack gingerly asked.
Twilight nodded and try to force her lips to smile.
"Flash will be here soon. Shall we go pick out your dress now?" Rarity said, smiling at her friend.
Twilight looked away from Rarity. She didn't want to pick out a dress for her date. She didn't want to go on her date. Suddenly Starlight walked over to Twilight and put her arm around her.
"Will you all give us some privacy for a couple minutes?" Starlight politely asked, holding the door open so the others could walk through.
They all look puzzled, but they nodded and walked out.
Once Twilight noticed it was just her and Starlight in the room, she started to feel better. Until..
"Twi, you have to tell them how you feel! They're not gonna stop till you admit that you don't love Flash anymore!" Starlight firmly said, patting the miserable alicorn on the back.
Twilight liked it when Starlight patted her on the back. Alot. She didn't want to admit that. Suddenly Twilight started to get really emotional. She could no longer hold back her tears. And so out of nowhere, Twilight started sobbing intensely and collapsed onto the ground infront of Starlight. She cried at the thought of Flash Sentry. She cried at the thought of her friends. She especially cried at the thought of Starlight not accepting her love for her.
Starlight didn't like it when Twilight cries, though it rarely happens. Usually it's Twilight who has to comfort Starlight from her sobs. Today it was the other way round. Starlight sat beside Twilight's head and put her hoof on her friend.
"I just.. I don't know if I can. They've all been so polite and caring, to help me get ready for a date that I don't even want to attend. And I'm too scaredy cat to tell them. I'm such a failure." Twilight helplessly wailed.
"I really think you should calm down Twilight. Your friends will understand. They're your friends. They just want you to be happy. If they knew you weren't happy, they'd stop giving you unwanted help immediately." Starlight said, trying to calm down her friend.
Twilight started to calm down a little, but it wasn't because of what Starlight had just said to her. Its because she never realized how much Starlight cares for her. All she wants is to admit her crush on Starlight. But she has to get through the tough part first. Finally, Twilight got up, sniffled and wiped her tears away. Starlight got up to and put her hoof on her friends back and smiled.
"You ready to tell them? I know you can do it." Starlight said which really did help Twilight get over he fear.
"I think I am Starlight." Twilight said, smiling back at her friend. And then, they both walked out of the room and Twilight spoke up.
"Twilight has something to say to you girls." Starlight said, nodding at Twilight giving her some reassurance.
"Girls, I have been dreading to tell you this all day after all that you've done for me, but--" Twilight started, but suddenly and quite unexpectedly, Pinkie Pie interrupted.
"You are sad that it's your one year anniversary because you really don't want to date Flash anymore and you've been dreading to admit this all day because of the way we helped you get ready but then Starlight told you that you have to tell us or it won't get any better which cheered you up from your intense sobbing and so you finally decided to come to tell us the truth." Pinkie said in a speedy voice.
Twilight and Starlight's mouths flung open, and her friends all stared.
"H-how did you know that?" Twilight said, eyes widening.
"Giiirl, we were totally onto you the entirrrre time." Pinkie said raising her eyebrows.
The others all nodded and said "Mhmm"
"Oh, Twilight, you didn't have to be nervous to tell us that you were upset, we understand." Fluttershy said with a warm smile.
"Yeah, upsetting your friends is so not cool." Rainbow said putting her hoof around Twilight.
Rarity and Applejack agreed and so did Spike. Starlight winked at Twilight as a way of saying "Told ya!".
Then suddenly, Pinkie shouted, "GROUP HUG!" and it was a special group hug because Starlight was in on it. Feeling her light purple hoofs around Twilights back was a great feeling and it made everything better.
"We must cancel your date with Flash immediately!" Rarity exclaimed grabbing a phone.
(End of Chapter 2)