Twilight Sparkle didn’t like Fluttershy.
At least, that was the impression that Fluttershy got as she sat down with Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie to enjoy a picnic that Pinkie had prepared.
Fluttershy was still reeling somewhat from the fact that Pinkie had actually returned at all, let alone that she had packed so much food for the three of them to enjoy; Fluttershy wasn’t sure when the last time she saw so much food even was, and her stomach sounded like a roaring bear as she tried to figure out what to dig into first.
Granted, it was also hard to decide on anything when she kept being distracted by Twilight Sparkle.
Fluttershy saw it in Twilight’s eyes; the same flame that burned in Fluttershy’s, the same ethereal light that shimmered in her eyes, was also in Twilight’s. They were one in the same, and though Fluttershy was no stranger to seeing their kin— they often did wander into her forest— Twilight must not have realized what Fluttershy was until it was too late to turn back.
“Try this one, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said, her wide eyes glowing like an innocent little puppy dog as she offered Fluttershy a delicious-looking cucumber sandwich.
“Oh, thank you, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile and took the sandwich, feeling very rude for constantly getting distracted by Twilight when Pinkie had travelled all this way just to see her, and now Fluttershy was ignoring her.
But Twilight just kept staring. She tried not to let Fluttershy see, but Fluttershy saw everything inside the forest, and Twilight couldn’t hide her curiosity—or her fear—from her.
“So, Pinkie Pie, you brought a new friend this time,” Fluttershy said, smiling first at Twilight and then at Pinkie Pie. She felt rather proud of herself for coming up with a way to satisfy her curiosity regarding Twilight Sparkle and keep Pinkie Pie involved in the conversation. “She seems a mite shy-“ Fluttershy giggled “-not that I’m one to throw stones, of course.”
“Sorry about that,” Twilight said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck and looking at anything but Fluttershy. “I guess I’m just a little… intimidated. I’ve never met a Spirit before, after all.”
“It’s okay, you guys!” Pinkie chimed in. “You’re both super sweet and cool and nice, and I’m sure you’re gonna get along great!”
“I’m sure we will too, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy laughed softly, and stared down Twilight. “After all, I bet we have a lot in common.”
Twilight Sparkle grimaced, and Fluttershy’s eyes darted quickly over to Pinkie Pie to catch her reaction; she seemed confused. So Pinkie Pie was in the dark regarding Twilight Sparkle’s and Fluttershy’s commonality then.
“Well, I understand being nervous,” Fluttershy said, trying to sound sincere but she always felt like she just came off as patronizing instead, “but know that as long as you are within my forest—and you don’t bring it harm—I will not see any harm done to you. So make yourself comfortable, okay?”
“Yeah,” Twilight said, burying her face in a hayburger, “sure.”
And with that, Fluttershy elected to turn her full attention to Pinkie Pie and her aromatic picnic. Pinkie did seem rather excited to be back in the Everfree Forest for some reason, and Fluttershy didn’t want her to leave feeling disappointed, or that Fluttershy had snubbed her and her kind offering.
Twilight Sparkle didn’t talk much during the rest of the picnic, but Fluttershy didn’t mind; Twilight Sparkle would either come around in her own time, or perhaps she wouldn’t, and Fluttershy wasn’t interested in forcing the matter either way.
Fluttershy didn’t talk much either, and while that was primarily because she didn’t like trying to take control of a conversation, it was also because not a second went by where the chilly winter air wasn’t filled to bursting with Pinkie Pie’s chatter.
Pinkie Pie talked a lot; she regaled Fluttershy about her friend the blacksmith, told her how Rarity was doing back in Canterlot—apparently she’d taken a shine to the ‘cute librarian’, who Pinkie Pie insisted was definitely not Twilight Sparkle, though the blush on the lavender one’s cheeks told a different story—and she told Fluttershy the story of the party in the library.
“I wish you had been there,” Pinkie said somberly, but as soon as she said it, her hands clamped over her lips, as if she had accidentally revealed some horrible secret.
“It sounds lovely,” Fluttershy smiled.
Truthfully, a party with so many people—and to Fluttershy, six was indeed ‘so many’—sounded exhausting more than anything. But she couldn’t help feeling a little bit intrigued; Pinkie Pie had a way of spreading her enthusiasm when she talked about something she was passionate about, and Fluttershy was starting to wonder if Pinkie Pie was just passionate about everything.
When Pinkie Pie had last made Fluttershy’s acquaintance, Fluttershy had assumed that Pinkie Pie only saw her as a novelty; a mysterious person to be ‘friends’ with so she could tell cool stories to her real friends. She assumed Pinkie Pie’s talk of returning to visit Fluttershy again had been just that: talk.
Now she wasn’t sure what to think. She was certain that Pinkie Pie loved the sound of her own voice, practically more than any pony Fluttershy had met before, but she did have a lovely voice. And her passion and enthusiasm, for Fluttershy and her other matters, seemed genuine enough.
Perhaps Fluttershy had misjudged Pinkie Pie, and perhaps the little pink pony who couldn’t stop giggling, whose tail wagged and eyes shimmered like an overexcited puppy, who couldn’t help but gush about all the things she found beautiful about Fluttershy’s forest… perhaps her feelings for Fluttershy were genuine.
At the very least, Fluttershy decided that while Pinkie Pie was here in the forest, she would enjoy her company.