Night had fallen over the Everfree Forest, and as Twilight laid on her back and looked up at the sky, she remembered how much she enjoyed seeing the stars. They weren’t quite so visible in Canterlot, and even if they were, there was no way to stargaze from inside the library.
“It’s a lovely night out tonight,” Fluttershy’s voice caused Twilight to leap to attention, barely getting to her feet without toppling over, “isn’t it?”
“Um, yeah,” Twilight said, watching warily as the Spirit of the Everfree stepped closer to her. “What are you doing here? I thought you were talking to Pinkie Pie?”
Fluttershy giggled. “She fell asleep in the middle of her own sentence.”
“Ah,” Twilight snickered. That definitely sounded like Pinkie Pie. “I hope you’re prepared for a thousand apologies, because she’s definitely going to give you them once she wakes up.”
“Oh no,” Fluttershy said with a coy smile. “I’ll be sure to tell her there’s no reason to apologize.”
“It won’t matter,” Twilight shook her head, “not to Pinkie anyway, she’ll apologize no matter what you say.”
“I suppose I know how that goes,” Fluttershy muttered.
“So,” Twilight said, awkwardly swaying back and forth, “is there something I can do for you? Do you need me to take Pinkie back to Ponyville?”
Twilight suddenly realized that she and Pinkie hadn’t, in fact, made reservations or any sort of sleeping arrangements, and Twilight wondered if it had been Pinkie’s plan all along to sleep in the forest.
“Actually,” Fluttershy’s tone was timid, but the gaze she fixed on Twilight was anything but, “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Me something,” Twilight said, forcing a smile despite the cold sweat beading down her forehead. “Is that right?”
“It’s nothing that requires quite so much dread, Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy laughed, and Twilight gave a short, polite laugh as well. “I merely wanted to ask how long you’ve been hiding in Equestria?”
“Wh—I’m not hiding!” Twilight barked, taking a step toward Fluttershy, who Twilight noted did not even flinch.
“Is that right?” Fluttershy tilted her head. “Do you think you’re the first of our kind to stumble into my forest, Twilight Sparkle? I can see right through you, and I know that you’re hiding.”
“Well how can you judge me for hiding,” Twilight snapped, “when you’re hiding in this huge forest?”
“I never judged or criticized you, Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy shook her head, an unpleasant frown marring her face. “To be honest, I was only curious, because I could tell that you’re aren’t from around here.”
“How could you tell?” Twilight took a step back and felt her face burning up. “And, I’m— uh, sorry, for snapping at you. I guess I’m just a little on edge. I don’t want Pinkie or anyone else to find out. They wouldn’t— I’m not— ready for that, I guess.”
“My lips are sealed, Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and looked around, and Twilight looked around as well and neither saw nor felt anything out of the ordinary. “I had no plans to reveal you anyway. After all, you never know who could be listening.”
What is that supposed to mean?
“So tell me, Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy smiled warmly, “how long have you been in our fine little country of Equestria?”
“Almost a year,” Twilight said, “but I only just settled down about three months ago. What about you? Are you Equestrian-born?”
“No,” Fluttershy shook her head, “my origin is someplace far away, but that doesn’t really matter to me. The forest is my home.”
“Is that by choice?” Twilight asked, her tone coming out colder than perhaps it should have.
Fluttershy took a deep breath and sighed before answering. “Does anyone really choose their home? It is my choice to stay, if that’s what you mean. To be the ‘spirit of the Everfree’ instead of risking my safety by leaving the bounds of my Domain.”
“Is this enough for you?” Twilight asked. “To live here in the darkness of the forest for the rest of your days? All by yourself?”
“I understand why you hide in the city,” Fluttershy replied sharply, “but for me-” Fluttershy shook her head and grit her teeth “-for me, it’s a matter of safety. The forest is where I belong, it’s the only place where I belong. And that’s just how it is.”
“But are you happy?”
Fluttershy shrugged. “Are you?”
“I am,” Twilight replied without a moment’s hesitation, as her mind was filled with memories of Spike, and Rarity, and Rainbow Dash and the others. Thinking about her home and her family in the library, it brought a smile to her face. “You could come back with us, you know. There’s space in my library for one more.”
“I appreciate the offer, but no,” Fluttershy said firmly.
“It’s not right,” Twilight crossed her arms, “that you have to hide in this forest and can’t be who you really are.”
“And you’re not also hiding, Twilight Sparkle?” Fluttershy put a hand on her hip and cocked her head.
“Not from my friends—”
“What would your friends say if they knew the truth?” Fluttershy remarked coldly, and Twilight stood in silence, unable to answer. “You can’t hide forever, Twilight Sparkle. Eventually, the truth will find you; it always does to those who run from it.
“As for me, I can live my truth in the comfort of my forest, and I never have to worry about letting anyone down or anyone discovering what I really am. If loneliness is the price I must pay to live without fear, I do so gladly.”
“It isn’t right,” Twilight clenched her fists and grinded her teeth against each other.
“But it is what it is,” Fluttershy shrugged, “and there isn’t anything that can change that.”
“I’ll change it,” Twilight said fiercely, looking straight into Fluttershy’s eyes even as the spirit arched an unconvinced eyebrow. “I’ll find a way that we can live freely, a way that we can live in harmony with Equestria!”
“I hope you do,” Fluttershy turned and walked away, into the darkness of her forest. “But until then, you’re welcome to stay in my forest for as long as you need to.”