New Concern
Once a week, Fluttershy and Rarity got together for a full spa day. After a couple hours in complete relaxation, both mares left the Ponyville Day Spa with a renewed spirit, with their coats and manes shining as if they had been reborn.
"If only the other girls could appreciate how comforting a steam bath is and exfoliating your hooves…" Rarity said smiling with great satisfaction at feeling fresh and beautiful.
"Indeed, it would be fun if we all went together." Fluttershy replied also smiling. "But I doubt Applejack and the others will agree to go, unless it's for a special occasion."
"Wait... that's it!" Rarity said startled with a big smile. "The Grand Galloping Gala is only a few days away! Before the big night, I'll pay for a full beauty treatment for the five of us! If it's to impress Dusk, I'm sure none of them will reject it."
"Hmm... yeah, that a good idea." Fluttershy said thoughtfully, picturing her friends at the spa. "I can already imagine Rainbow Dash's face of horror when we tell her we're going for a beauty treatment, hehe." Fluttershy laughed, imagining her friend's face.
"And surely Lotus and Aloe will spend hours working on Applejack's tough hooves." Rarity laughed also imagining that scene. "And Pinkie Pie... well, you never know what she'll be able to do."
Both friends continued to laugh while gossiping about their other friends. That was also part of their spa routine, laughing a bit about their other friends, though of course, never in a cruel way, just laughing a little at the eccentricities that each of the mares possessed.
"Yeah, it's like that time Pinkie Pie showed up just because we repeated her name so many times." Fluttershy laughed. "It seems like she always shows up when someone talk about her."
"Was someone calling me?" Pinkie Pie said suddenly, jumping up in front of Fluttershy and Rarity.
"Pinkie! Why do you always have to appear so suddenly!?" Rarity said surprised and a bit annoyed by her friend's abrupt appearance. “You’ll give me a heart attack one of these days, darling.”
"Because it’s funny to see your reaction!" Pinkie Pie replied with a big smile, then looking curiously both ways. "By the way, haven't you seen Dusk Shine around here? He wasn't in the library when I went to see him, and Spike doesn't know where he is either."
"No, we haven't seen him all day." Rarity answered thoughtfully. "Maybe he's with Applejack or Rainbow Dash."
"He's not with me." Rainbow Dash said suddenly from above, landing next to her friends after seeing that they were there. "I was just at Sweet Apple Acres; Applejack wasn't there, and Big Mac didn't know where she was either. Maybe... they’re together."
After Rainbow Dash's words, the four mares gave worried looks while thinking that it was strange that Applejack and Dusk Shine were alone together, and they hadn't warned anyone. But the four of them quickly came out of their thoughts when they saw a strange hooded pony exit the flower shop nearby. However, the hooded pony seemed to notice something important and took off her hood, showing that it was Zecora, the zebra that lived in the Everfree Forest.
Initially, the four mares recognized Zecora, but the realized something rather strange. Despite that they were aware of the zebra’s identity, they had a rather blurry recollection of how they actually knew this. Then the four mares looked around and saw that no one else in the town seemed to pay attention to that zebra, in fact, some fillies greeted her with big smiles instead of running away because of the fear that her presence instilled.
"That zebra... looks familiar..." Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy thought at the same time, as the name 'Zecora' appeared as a distant memory in their minds.
Feeling observed, Zecora saw the four mares staring at her. She greeted them with a smile and walked over to where they were. Meanwhile, when the four mares saw the zebra approaching, they felt a strange sensation, a confidence towards her that couldn't be explained, since it was the first time they had seen her. But the closer the zebra got, the more the mares questioned that last statement, because it was as if they remembered her face from some hazy dream.
"I'm glad to greet you four again, and this time to be able to see all you as you are..." Zecora said smiling at them, then she laughed a little when she saw how confused they were. Then Zecora started to continue on her way, but she just remembered something important and turned to Fluttershy. "Kind Fluttershy… I remember seeing a chicken coop near your house the last time I went there. I was wondering, do you have a rooster among your chickens?"
"Uh... y-yes... that's right." Fluttershy answered confusingly. The timid mare still couldn’t place, but she felt a sense of familiarity and comfort with the zebra, despite never even meeting her. When did the zebra ever visit her house?
At Fluttershy's response, Zecora lowered her gaze thoughtfully. Something had been bothering her recently, as an Everfree Forest beast seemed to have gotten very close to the edge of the forest, right near where Fluttershy lived. But if the yellow pegasus had a rooster nearby, there was no reason to worry, and it would be best not to scare the shy pegasus unnecessarily, since Dusk Shine had told her that this particular friend of his was very fearful of everything.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Zecora said smiling again. "Have a good day, everypony." the zebra added, finally saying goodbye to the Bearers of Harmony.
As they watched the zebra walk away, the four mares remained static with looks of utter confusion.
"Well... That was the weirdest thing that’s happened today." Rainbow Dash said scratching her head, not understanding anything of what had happened or what she had felt.
"The second weirdest thing... This is the weirdest thing of this day!" Pinkie Pie said suddenly, remembering that she wanted to show her friends something. So she raised her hoof to show them a magazine that she had brought with her. "Here’s the latest issue of the 'Forbidden Love' comic series!"
Seeing the magazine that Pinkie Pie showed them, the other three mares immediately understood that it was the most recent comic Lyra had drawn, secretly, or perhaps too openly, telling a love story inspired by Dusk Shine and the five mares. They had all read the comic series before but hadn't yet read the latest issue. Upon seeing the cover, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were shocked to see that in this latest comic, a mare very similar to Dusk Shine appeared, surrounded by five colts that curiously were also very similar to themselves.
"What is that!?" Rarity asked stunned, taking the comic and starting to read it.
"It seems that in this issue of the comic, the Dusk of the comic traveled to another dimension where everything is the same, only that everypony’s gender swapped." Pinkie Pie said with a shrug. "Though it looks like this chapter isn’t canon. Typical fanservice."
"That is…disturbingly interesting." Fluttershy said uncertainly as she read the comic with Rarity.
"Yeah! Look at that mare that looks like Dusk! That makes no sense! Can you imagine how weird it would be if Dusk was a mare?" Rainbow Dash said feigning a chill.
As the four mares read Lyra's latest masterpiece and blushed at the new and suggestive images drawn in the comic, someone else came out of the flower shop. Looking up, the four mares saw that the ponies coming out of the flower shop were Applejack and Dusk Shine, the first with a melancholic look, and the second giving her a hug to support her...
After returning from his trip to Appleloosa, Dusk Shine had realized that he had finally been able to solve a mystery that had kept him intrigued for weeks, which was to discover why Applejack was afraid of the part of the forest where Zecora lived and why her male version had acted so fearful seeing her. With the events that happened in Applejack's dream, Dusk had discovered Applejack's past and had obtained the answer he needed. Finally knowing the truth, and with Applejack free of her trauma, Dusk thought it would be a good idea to reunite her friend with his zebra teacher, so that Applejack could finally put the past behind her.
The meeting had turned out better than expected. Although Applejack didn't remember what she had done the day she changed gender and met Zecora, she was able to recognize her quickly and they were able to talk calmly about what had happened that day years ago when they had first met.
"Thank you for having us meet, sugarcube... I think I needed it to bring closure to this." Applejack said, separating from Dusk's hug and smiling affectionately at him.
"I'll always be there for you." Dusk said returning the smile, happy to have helped his friend.
"Yeah... I know." Applejack whispered, blushing slightly and looking away.
As the pair had their private chat, the other four mares widened their eyes when they noticed that something strange was happening. Words couldn't describe it, it was more like a sensation, but the four of them felt there was something different about Applejack.
"They... They're looking at each other differently than they did before." Fluttershy said worriedly.
"What did they do on that trip they had together?" Pinkie Pie said, also worried.
"This is your fault! You didn't tell us about that trip and now we don't know what those two did together!" Rarity said looking annoyed at Rainbow Dash.
"D-Don't worry, I-I'm sure nothing happened on that trip..." Rainbow Dash said with a nervous smile, trying to look firm, but having the same doubts as her friends inside her.
Then Rainbow Dash came flying slowly towards where Applejack and Dusk were, followed of course by her three friends. When they got to where Dusk was, the colt started to greet them, but right from inside the flower shop Daisy came out, one of the three ponies that owns the flower shop, and handed an old book to Dusk.
"Oh! Zecora forgot this book. I think I'll try to catch up her. I'll see you later." Dusk said quickly, taking the book and running in the direction of where the zebra had gone.
As Dusk left, the accusing stares of the mares immediately turned to Applejack, who was only surprised by the intense stares of her friends.
"What happened between the two of you on your trip to Appleloosa?" Rainbow Dash asked, staring at Applejack.
Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash for a few seconds and then sighed, lowering her gaze and closing her eyes.
"We didn’t kiss, if that's what you’re curious about." Applejack answered, making her way through her friends to return home. At her honest friend's response, the four mares sighed in relief. "But… we connected in a way that goes far beyond a simple kiss." Applejack added with a small smile, remembering how Dusk had entered her dream and helped her overcome her trauma.
Looking back, Applejack saw that all four of her friends were looking at her blushed and with open mouths, as if all four of them were speechless at what she had just said. Applejack immediately understood that her friends had most likely misinterpreted what she had just said, but instead of correcting them, Applejack decided to indulge herself in revenge for the time Rainbow Dash underestimated her. Then Applejack gave her friends a big smile and wink and continued on her way home.
"This time, I'll take the advantage and keep silence, because I finally understand… This race can't last forever." Applejack thought as she remembered the promise she had made to herself about declaring her love to Dusk.
"C-Connected beyond a simple kiss…? What does that mean!?" Rarity asked scared, looking at her friends, thinking of all the lustful and carnal acts that could go beyond a kiss.
"It can't be… I shouldn't have let those two go on a trip alone!" Rainbow Dash screamed in her mind, as she imagined Dusk and Applejack lying together on a bed caressing each other. "No! There’s no way something like that could happen... Right?" Rainbow Dash thought trying to convince herself that her crazy imagination was playing against her.
"I'll be right back." Rainbow Dash said quickly, putting on a serious look and flying at full speed after Applejack, determined to get the truth about what had happened to her and Dusk on that trip to Appleloosa.
While Fluttershy was still dazed and blushing from imagining what might have happened between Applejack and Dusk, Rarity took Pinkie Pie by the shoulders and shook her while demanding an explanation. It was then that Dusk finally returned. However, the lavender colt didn't return alone to where his friends were. Three well-known fillies that had thrown themselves on his back and had made the unicorn walk slower from the extra weight.
"I didn't manage to return the book to Zecora ... I came across certain fillies that made it impossible for me to continue running." Dusk said labored while Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had fun being carried on Dusk's back.
"Sweetie Belle, get off Dusk!" Rarity said scared to see her little sister teasing her beloved.
"Don't worry, it's no problem." Dusk replied with a nervous smile, wanting to sound friendly, although the truth was that the three fillies were heavier than he had imagined.
"Yeah, Dusk is playing with us." Sweetie Belle added with a big smile, hugging Dusk's neck.
"He even promised to accompany us to our slumber party!" Scootaloo said also smiling, resting her head on that of her unicorn friend.
"Slumber party?" Fluttershy asked.
"The first slumber party of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!!" The three fillies shouted at the same time, full of emotion, making Dusk and mares remain deaf by the screech of the fillies.
"Please don't do that again..." Dusk said shaking his head because the fillies had shouted that ultrasonic scream next to his ear.
"Dusk said he was going to our slumber party!" Apple Bloom said excitedly, jumping with her two friends from the colt’s back to the ground.
"Yeah, well, you didn't give me many options..." Dusk muttered, remembering how the three fillies had jumped on him when he was running, and repeated 'Please, please!' until Dusk agreed to go to their slumber party.
"And the best part is that Dusk will be sleeping with me!" Sweetie Belle said suddenly, hugging Dusk's leg and giving her older sister a mocking look.
"Y-You can't sleep together!" Rarity said annoyed, noticing immediately that her little sister wanted to make her jealous with Dusk.
"I have to agree... It wouldn't look good for a stallion to sleep with three fillies." Dusk said sadly, thinking that Rarity was referring to him with that last comment. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if any of you can help me take care of the girls at their slumber party. It would probably be better if there was also an adult mare. Also… I don't think it's a good idea to let the girls have a slumber party in the library." Dusk added with a shudder, thinking about how the three fillies could destroy all the books in the library while making a fire in the room.
"Oh! I could help you. We could have the slumber party at Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie Pie immediately said excitedly. "We could bake cakes together and eat all the candies we want!" Pinkie Pie added, imagining what could happen at the slumber party, although more than imagining herself playing with the three fillies, she imagined being alone with Dusk, cooking together and eating a cake while they snuggled into bed. Which made Pinkie Pie blush for a second and put on a goofy smile at her fantasy.
Seeing Pinkie Pie blush, Rarity immediately imagined what her friend must be thinking, and put on a nervous look, knowing how dangerous it could be for Dusk to spend a night alone with Pinkie Pie. Then Rarity blushed too and quickly shook her head.
"Oh wait! Now I remember, I can't make parties at Sugarcube Corner for a while because there's a baby on the way." Pinkie Pie said with a thoughtful look.
At Pinkie Pie's comment, everyone present froze, with shocked looks upon hearing that Pinkie Pie was expecting a baby. Seeing the shocked faces of her friends, Pinkie Pie realized what they were thinking and began to laugh.
"I'm not pregnant, silly ponies. Mrs. Cake is the one who has a special bun in the oven!" Pinkie Pie said laughing, which made everyone breathe in relief again. Then Pinkie gave Dusk a flirtatious look. "Although... I wouldn't mind trying to have one if the right colt came along. I’d love to spend all night cuddling with him while coming up with baby names."
Seeing Pinkie Pie's flirtatious gaze, Dusk completely blushed and looked away.
"D-Don't joke about that." Dusk said nervously.
Seeing Dusk blush so hard, the three fillies laughed when they saw his face, completely different faces from the three adult mares.
"It wasn't a joke..." Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity thought at the same time, the latter two narrowing their eyes and putting serious looks on guessing that their pink friend wasn't kidding.
"Since it took so long for Mrs. Cake to get pregnant, I don't want to scare her or make her tense, so I won't be able to have parties at the bakery for a while." Pinkie Pie added with a shrug.
Seeing that Pinkie couldn't help Dusk with the slumber party, Rarity breathed a sigh of relief and immediately spoke up.
"Well, since you can't have the slumber party either at the library or at Sugarcube Corner, how about doing it at my Boutique?" Rarity said with a kind smile towards the fillies and then looking at Dusk. "I could help you take care of them."
"Well then, it’s decided!" Apple Bloom said excitedly looking at her two friends. Then the three fillies inhaled loudly and screamed in unison.
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders are having their slumber party at Rarity's house!!" The three fillies shouted sharply, again causing Dusk and the mares to be momentarily deaf by that ultrasonic scream.
"It seems that everyone is in favor." Dusk said smiling and thanking Rarity for her help.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy just lowered her head and scratched the ground with her hoof, feeling frustrated with herself. For she too had raised her hoof to offer her home for the slumber party, but as was customary, her soft voice had not been heard.
It was already sunset, and while Fluttershy was at her house in the clearings of the forest, she couldn't get out of her head the idea that Rarity would be at a slumber party alone with Dusk Shine. The funny thing was that it wasn't the first time that had happened, since Applejack and Rarity had already had a slumber party with Dusk in the library, but that had been without the others knowing. This time was different now, Fluttershy knew it would happen, and her jealousy didn't let her think about anything but her two unicorn friends hugging each other warmly on a bed.
"M-Maybe I should go to the Boutique… to see if Rarity needs any help before the slumber party starts." Fluttershy said talking to herself, making up an excuse to go see if Dusk had already arrived at her friend's house.
Fluttershy hurried out of her house and quickly headed towards the Carousel Boutique. Once there, the timid mare saw that the door was ajar and slowly walked into her friend's house. There, she watched as Rarity ran back and forth through the main hall, as if desperately searching for something.
"Hmm, Rarity… are you busy?" Fluttershy asked sheepishly, noting that her friend seemed so distracted that she hadn't even noticed her presence.
"Who? Oh! It's you, darling. Sorry if I didn't hear you come in." Rarity said stopping her search and giving her a nervous smile. "Tell me, what brings you here?"
"Uh? Hmm... I... I came because I thought you might need help! Hehe… That's right! I thought I could take Opal with me tonight, since she gets really upset when Sweetie Belle and her friends play near her, hehe…" Fluttershy said nervously, quickly making up an excuse to not admit that she had come there just out of jealousy. However, his perfect excuse seemed unnecessary, as Rarity had once again looked away while trying to search for something with her eyes. "Rarity, did you lose something?" Fluttershy asked, noticing how distracted her friend was.
"Yes, there is a gold silk that I have been looking for and can't find anywhere." Rarity replied with a nervous sigh and holding her face with her hoof. "An hour ago, an important customer came who urgently needs some dresses for tomorrow. I'll have to work all night, and worst of all, I can't find the silk I need!" Rarity added scared.
"So… how can you take care of the fillies tonight? Has Dusk already arrived?" Fluttershy asked concerned, looking for Dusk and the fillies.
"Dusk hasn't arrived yet, and the fillies-" Rarity stopped talking when she heard something breaking on the second floor. "Sweetie Belle and her friends are in my room..." Rarity added making a very nervous face.
Seeing her friend so nervous, Fluttershy put on a thoughtful look and then widened her eyes to discover the great opportunity that was presented to her.
"I could take the fillies and have the slumber party at my house. So that you could work quietly tonight." Fluttershy said with a kind smile, thinking that she could help her friend, and at the same time… This could be her chance to be alone with Dusk!
At Fluttershy's proposal, Rarity put a hoof in her mouth and put on a very thoughtful look.
"Hmm... yes... It's not as risky as leaving Dusk alone with Pinkie Pie..." Rarity muttered while thinking aloud. Something that Fluttershy overheard and left her confused.
Realizing that she had thought aloud, Rarity put on a nervous smile and walked over to Fluttershy.
"Yes! That would be a great idea! It would help me a lot to be able to finish the order that was entrusted to me." Rarity said smiling kindly. Then she turned and screamed toward the staircase. "Girls, come here! We’re move the slumber party to Fluttershy's house!"
After Rarity shout, a silence fell on the second floor, then several murmurs were heard, and finally a new ultrasonic scream.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders slumber party at Fluttershy's cottage!!" The three fillies yelled excitedly, running down to where Rarity and Fluttershy were.
As the fillies reunited with Rarity, she immediately noticed that all three fillies were now wearing badly sewn red capes.
"And where did those layers come from?" Rarity asked curious when she saw that red cloth.
"I did them! They’re really pretty, don't you think?" Sweetie Belle replied, proudly waving her cape.
As Sweetie Belle flapped her new cape, Rarity noticed immediately that the reverse of the capes had a particular golden color, and then her face turned blue with terror. Then she quickly took the cape and knew that there was her lost silk.
"No, no, no no..." Rarity said dropping her head to the floor as her ears turned red as she held back her anger, knowing that her little sister had ruined her gold silk and now you would have to work twice as hard to finish your order on time. "Take them out of here!" Rarity screamed, barely controlling her frustration, not knowing if she would cry or scream in fury at what had just happened.
Realizing her friend was about to explode, Fluttershy pushed the three fillies out of there quickly.
After leaving the Carousel Boutique, Fluttershy led the three fillies to her home, who followed her obediently as they carried a huge box on Scootaloo's scooter cart. As they walked, the three fillies kept whispering to each other, chatting about the many things they could do at their slumber party now that they were at Fluttershy's house. And seeing them chatting quietly, Fluttershy sighed in relief, thinking that maybe the fillies would stay this quiet all night long, which of course was a far cry from what the little fillies really wanted to do.
When they reached the meadow where Fluttershy's house was, the three fillies ran happily in the direction of the house. But Fluttershy immediately became alert when she saw that they continued on and headed towards the grove that led towards the Everfree Forest. Noticing that, Fluttershy ran at full speed and got in their way.
"You can't go there! That's the way to the Everfree Forest!" Fluttershy said scared as she stretched her front hooves to prevent the fillies from continuing into the dark woods.
"We know, that's why we want to go there!" Apple Bloom said smiling.
"Yeah! Maybe we could get our 'Monster Hunters' cutie marks!" Scootaloo added with a defiant smile, imagining herself fighting a huge beast.
"No, no, no, no..." Fluttershy said quickly shaking her head, then looking at the three fillies and noticing that none seemed to understand how dangerous that forest was. "Listen to me, promise me you won't go to the forest." Fluttershy said trying to put on a serious look, a look that wasn't very convincing since she was used to having a tender and kind look.
The three fillies looked at each other, all thinking the same thing, and then they smiled at Fluttershy.
"We promise." The three fillies said with big fake smiles as they crossed their hind hooves as a sign of their false promise.
"Well... now, I suppose you can play inside the house for a bit..." Fluttershy said thoughtfully but stopped talking when she saw that the three fillies had already ran inside the house before she barely spoke.
Fluttershy approached her house, and when she looked out the door she was concerned to see how the three fillies ran from one place to another, opening cabinets, throwing things, and causing great disorder from their great childhood curiosity.
"Sweet Celestia... maybe I bit off more than I can chew..." Fluttershy thought worried about the great mess that the fillies had caused in just seconds. "I should try to make them be more careful when playing... I don't want Dusk to come and think that I'm not capable of taking care of some fillies or keep my own house in order."
"Hi Fluttershy." Dusk Shine suddenly said behind Fluttershy, making the yellow pegasus jump in surprise.
"D-Dusk! What are you doing here!?" Fluttershy asked nervous, glancing sideways inside her house and seeing all the disorder that was there.
"Rarity told me that you had moved the slumber party to your place." Dusk answered with a friendly smile.
"Y-Yes! Here are the little ones. They're just… they're just playing for a bit, hehe." Fluttershy replied with a nervous smile, thinking that even if the fillies caused a mess, she still could spend some personal time alone with Dusk Shine.
"Hello-Hello!" Pinkie Pie said suddenly with a big smile, peeking out from behind Dusk, since it seemed that Fluttershy hadn't seen her yet.
"P-Pinkie Pie!?" Fluttershy said very surprised. "I-I thought you couldn't go to the slumber party."
"No, I said we couldn't have the slumber party at Sugarcube Corner. So, if the slumber party doesn't go to me, I'll go to the slumber party!" Pinkie Pie answered smiling and putting her sleeping cap on her head.
"Oh! Look at that, your chicken coop has a broken gate." Dusk said suddenly, who had been looking around and noticed that the chicken coop that was next to Flutterhsy's house was almost broken on one side. "I'll go fix it, I don't want a chicken to escape at night and ruin the slumber party."
Then Dusk went to the chicken coop and with his magic tied the wire again so that it would stay in place. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were left alone, which gave them the opportunity to speak privately.
"Sorry to be a last-minute guest. The truth is that I wanted to come to the slumber party so that Dusk wouldn't spend a night alone with Rarity…" Pinkie Pie muttered with an embarrassed smile. "But now that she's not here, I'll be able to take the opportunity to have some time alone with him instead of her." Pinkie Pie added smiling.
At Pinkie Pie's comment, Fluttershy put on an annoyed look and stared at her.
"Oops, yeah… you can also take advantage to be with Dusk, of course! We both can." Pinkie Pie quickly added, noting that she had inadvertently belittled Fluttershy with her comment.
Thinking that the misunderstanding was fixed, Pinkie Pie smiled normally and headed towards the house. For her part, Fluttershy just stood still, not sure if she was feeling more sad or upset.
"Rarity’s afraid of leaving Pinkie Pie alone with Dusk, and Pinkie Pie’s afraid of leaving Rarity alone with him. But … Doesn't it bother anyone if I'm alone with Dusk!?" Fluttershy frustratingly thought, narrowing her eyes.
After fixing the chicken coop, Dusk approached Fluttershy and they both started to enter the house.
"By the way, I brought this with me." Dusk said to Fluttershy, levitating a book next to him. "It's the book that Zecora left behind. I'll be away for a while to go deliver it and then I'll come back for the slumber party."
"Will you go now?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, I want to go before dark, but first I would like- What happened here!?" Dusk said surprised and scared when he entered Fluttershy's house and saw that everything was very messy, as if a hurricane had passed through inside.
"I-I think the girls were very excited to start playing..." Fluttershy said shyly, regretting that Dusk thought she couldn't control the fillies. "Girls...!" Fluttershy called for the fillies to stop making a mess, but none of them seemed to want to pay attention to her.
"I'll take care... Girls, come here!" Pinkie Pie said, who was already in the middle of the room. Then the three fillies saw the pink pony, and it seemed that they were going to ignore her too, but then they noticed that Pinkie Pie was showing them something on her hoof and the three fillies obediently ran towards her.
Neither Dusk nor Flutterhsy got a good look at what Pinkie Pie and the fillies were doing, as Pinkie Pie was giving them back, but both were amazed by how she had managed to calm the fillies.
"Wow... You seem to know how to handle fillies." Dusk said smiling and approaching Pinkie Pie.
"Yeah, you just have to understand what they want." Pinkie Pie replied with a smile, slightly blushing at Dusk's compliment. Meanwhile, Fluttershy just lowered her head sadly, thinking that unlike Pinkie Pie, she was a failure to get the fillies to listen to her.
Upon reaching the center of the room, Dusk looked around him and smiled when he saw Fluttershy's couch.
"That couch brings back memories… This is where I spent my first night in Ponyville." Dusk said smiling at that memory.
"Uh!? Did you sleep with Fluttershy too!?" Pinkie Pie said very surprised, then putting on a thoughtful look. "I mean, I already knew that Rarity and Applejack slept with you at the slumber party. I also knew that you slept with Rainbow Dash once when she was staying at your house. I even slept with you once, but I never expected Fluttershy to too..."
Hearing Pinkie Pie speak, Dusk turned redder than he had ever been and covered his face with his hoof.
"Sweet Celestia… When Pinkie says it, it sounds terrible, and yet… it's all true!" Dusk thought extremely ashamed, remembering that regardless of the circumstances, the truth was that Dusk had shared a bed with four of his friends. Although nothing lewd had happened, but still, it was enough to embarrass Dusk Shine.
"I-I didn't sleep with Fluttershy that time..." Dusk replied still blushing. "She slept in her bed, and Spike and I slept on the couch."
“Oh… hahaha! I see. I thought that sounded too weird to be true, haha." Pinkie Pie said smiling, laughing when she saw Dusk's red face, so she took out a fan from somewhere and began to fan Dusk's face so that it would return to normal.
For her part, after hearing that, Fluttershy just lowered her head and gave a thoughtful and confused look.
"Am I the only one who hasn’t slept in the same bed as Dusk...? Is that so weird?" Fluttershy thought confused, feeling more and more belittled in the race for the love of Dusk that she and her friends had.
As the three adult ponies chatted, and each one was lost in thought, none of them realized that their conversation had also been overheard by someone else: Sweetie Belle. Who upon hearing that they were talking about who had slept with Dusk, had put aside the games with her friends and had begun to pay attention. After having listened to all that conversation, Sweetie Belle pressed her lips tightly and gave a look of disgust when she felt that her beloved Dusk was being stolen from her. Then jealousy took hold of her and she jumped hard on Dusk to hug him, causing the colt to fall to the floor with the filly on him.
"So Dusk, it’s alright if you sleep with me tonight, right?" Sweetie Belle said with a big smile as she hugged the lavender colt under her.
Seeing the little unicorn being so cheeky, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie blushed and looked at her annoyed, both thinking that the little filly was trying to monopolize Dusk for herself.
"I... I'm sorry, but that wouldn't be suitable." Dusk said slowly, thinking that Sweetie Belle was just being childish, not for a second did it occur to him that the unicorn filly had jumped on him out of jealousy. "You are like a little sister to me, but it would still be frowned upon."
"Why would it be frowned upon?" Sweetie Belle asked innocently.
"W-Well… because… because we're not actually family or anything like that. Only blood siblings or couples can sleep together… Normally." Dusk answered nervously, adding at the end the “normally " part when remembering that he had just slept with four mares that were neither his partner nor his family, which made him blush again.
At Dusk's response, Sweetie Belle pursed her lip in disappointment and then put on a thoughtful look.
"So… you want to be my coltfriend then?" Sweetie Belle asked with a huge smile.
"WHAT!?" Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom screamed in shock at the same time. The other two fillies had stopped playing and paid attention to what the others were talking about when they saw that their friend had jumped on Dusk.
"Pfft! Hahaha! That’s awful sweet of you, but I think I’m much too old for you." Dusk replied smiling, softening a bit at the thought that Sweetie Belle was an innocent little filly who still didn't even know about love.
Seeing that Dusk laughed at her proposal, Sweetie Belle again made a pouty face, since it bothered her that they didn't think of her as an adult. So, she decided to show Dusk that she was no longer a young filly and gave a flirtatious look.
"I... could please all your desires..." Sweetie Belle said flirtatiously, remembering a phrase she had read in one of her sister's books, although she didn't really understand what it meant, but she did understand that it was a romantic phrase for some reason. "Besides... in ten more years, we'll both be adults and the age difference will not be noticeable..."
Seeing the little filly flirting with Dusk, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie froze, as if for a second their brains had been disconnected from what they were seeing. Meanwhile, Dusk far from blushing, only put a nostalgic look.
"This may be what they call first love... Like what happened to me with Cadance..." Dusk thought as he looked at the tender unicorn filly. "I... I wouldn't want to destroy that fantasy of first love... But I can't give her any false promises either..."
"Hmm… how about this. If neither you nor I find true love in ten years, then in a few more years I'll be your coltfriend." Dusk said with a smile, thinking that this would give Sweetie Belle time to discover what love truly was, something that would obviously happen before ten years, and thus he could maintain an illusion without breaking her heart.
At Dusk's response, Sweetie Belle put on a big smile and gave him a big hug. Satisfied that he had intelligently evaded that problem, Dusk stood up and looked at her friends, who only seemed to be coming out of their daze.
"Fluttershy, do you have any blankets so we can use them on the beds?" Dusk asked looking at her friend.
"Uh? Oh! Yes, come with me." Fluttershy said shaking her head and glancing at Sweetie Belle, feeling a mixture of jealousy and envy at the thought that even a filly had more guts than she to approach Dusk directly.
Then Fluttershy led Dusk towards the stairs, and as they walked toward it, Fluttershy saw Pinkie Pie also stared at Sweetie Belle, in the same way she looked at Rarity or Applejack or Rainbow Dash when one of them monopolized Dusk Shine for a long time.
"It can't be… Now Pinkie Pie even considers Sweetie Belle more dangerous than me!?" Fluttershy thought scared and annoyed.
"I'm going to my room with Dusk! And… and we'll both be alone in my room!" Fluttershy yelled glancing back as she was slowly going upstairs.
"Okay... you're going to get some blankets, I already heard you." Pinkie Pie said without paying attention to Fluttershy, just keeping her questioning gaze fixed on Sweetie Belle, who just kept smiling triumphantly at what she had accomplished.
After checking that Pinkie Pie didn't even consider her a danger in her love competition for Dusk, Fluttershy sighed dejectedly and continued up the stairs very depressed, all while Dusk looked at her confused, not understanding what was going through her friend's head.
Once in Fluttershy's room, the pegasus pointed out to Dusk the closet that was next to her bed, then Dusk came over and began to take out some blankets from there. As Dusk turned his back to her, Fluttershy remained depressed, her lip curled up thinking that it was true that she wasn't as direct or brave as her other friends to take the initiative to approach and do something with Dusk, but she never thought that her friends won't even think of her as a rival to fear in love.
"It's not true… I gave Dusk a kiss!" Fluttershy thought with a confident look, but immediately her depressed look returned. "But since that time… what progress have I made with Dusk…? Even that time, I kissed Dusk in the heat of the moment. I... I don't know if I would have the courage to do it again..."
Then Fluttershy looked at Dusk, who was still with his back to her, arranging the blankets right next to her bed. And in that instant a POOF! sounded next to Fluttershy's right ear, and in her imagination a little Fluttershy appeared flying next to her, only this Fluttershy had bat ears and bat wings, her mane and tail were messier, and on her face there was an evil smile. Then Fluttershy looked to her left side, waiting for an angel shaped Fluttershy to appear.
"Um, isn’t there usually supposed to be another one?" Fluttershy asked to the little vampire Fluttershy, after noticing that the angel Fluttershy didn't appear.
"There is no other one. YOU are the other one." The little vampire Fluttershy answered, looking at her with an annoyed glare. "Always so kind, so correct... And you always put me aside... Your darkest and dirtiest desires."
"M-My desires?" Fluttershy asked sheepishly.
"That's right, you always hold back and don't say or show what you really want." The little vampire Fluttershy said, looking annoyed at Fluttershy and then looking lustfully at Dusk. "Why don't you admit that you want to make Dusk yours here and now? You want to touch him, kiss him, let his strong hooves caress your whole body… Just imagine it." The little vampire Fluttershy added as the original Fluttershy blushed at what was going on in her imagination...
Fluttershy walked seductively over to where Dusk was, then she turned him sharply and threw him on his back on her bed. Then, to the surprise of the colt, Fluttershy slowly climbed into bed, above his body, and before even he said a word, she kissed him passionately, with a kiss so hard it took their breath away. Then she would stick her body closer and closer to Dusk's, while he gently caressed her body, she slowly began to wobble her whole body, and her hips slowly lowered to seek...
FIRE!! A dozen little Fluttershy screamed in the yellow pegasus's brain at the lustful fantasy they had created, a fantasy that made Fluttershy turn completely red and puff smoke out of her ears.
"Fluttershy? What's wrong?" Dusk asked concerned as he turned around and saw that Fluttershy seemed to be muttering to herself, as well as having her face so red that she seemed about to explode.
"NOTHING! NOTHING’S WRONG! I’M NOT A LEWD PONY!" Fluttershy screamed completely embarrassed, not daring to look Dusk in the face. As blushed as she was amazed to discover that lustful side inside herself that she never thought she had.
While that was happening on the second floor of the house, another argument had taken place on the first floor. As soon as Dusk and Fluttershy went upstairs, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom started scolding Sweetie Belle for what she had done.
"You can't just ask Dusk to be your coltfriend!" Apple Bloom said looking annoyed at her unicorn friend.
"Yeah! That’s like…all kinds of wrong!" Scootaloo added just as annoyed.
"Why do you two care about who dates Dusk?" Sweetie Belle asked with a shrug.
At Sweetie Belle's question, both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo opened their mouths to answer, then they both glanced at each other, closed their mouths, and looked away.
They both had their reasons for preventing Sweetie Belle from wanting to be Dusk's marefriend, but neither could say it out loud. For Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash had told her that she and Dusk were dating, but Scootaloo couldn't tell her friends as she had sworn to keep it a secret. Beside, she enjoyed the idea of the pair as a couple since it provided her something that she was desperately missing in her life. For her part, Apple Bloom was in a similar situation where she thought that Dusk was her sister's coltfriend. After all, they were even about to get married back before the Summer Sun Celebration! The only thing stopping the filly from telling her friends was Big Mac, who unlike her, seemed not to be very supportive of Applejack's courtship with Dusk. So, Apple Bloom preferred not to talk about it with anyone so that Big Mac wouldn't find out that she did support her sister's courtship.
Seeing that Scootaloo and Apple Bloom held their secrets and didn't give Sweetie Belle a real reason to not ask Dusk Shine to be her coltfriend, Pinkie Pie took the opportunity to get closer to the little unicorn.
"Listen Sweetie Belle, Dusk may seem like a good match, but... he might not be the one for...somepony as beautiful and elegant as you." Pinkie Pie said with a big smile, thinking that if the little unicorn was like her older sister, the best thing to convince her to change her mind would be to flatter her. Which seemed to work, as Sweetie Belle started to smile vainly. "Maybe you could be the marefriend of someone much more special... like Spike."
"Spike?" Sweetie Belle said with a displeased look.
"Sure! After all, he is a dragon… A dragon of royalty! He'll grow into a strong and great dragon that would shower you in jewels every day." Pinkie Pie said putting into action her plan to dissuade Sweetie Belle from showing interest in Dusk. "Besides, I've seen how Spike looks at you every time. It's definitely the look of a dragon in love."
"Is Spike in love with me...?" Sweetie Belle said with a thoughtful look, and then smirking as her ego skyrocketed. "Well yeah, now that you mention it, I have noticed Spike looking at me weird a few times… Maybe I'll give poor Spike a chance." Sweetie Belle added, imagining Spike following her like a slave with the eyes of a fool in love.
Seeing that her plan seemed to work, Pinkie Pie wiped her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, if I don't become Dusk's girlfriend, I guess I'll leave him to Rarity. They do make a nice couple. Plus, I’d get a big brother to boot!" Sweetie Belle added thoughtfully. A comment that made Pinkie Pie more worried than she was before, thinking that perhaps instead of remedying the problem, she had only complicated it.
Just at that moment, Dusk and Fluttershy were coming down the stairs, with Dusk Shine carrying several blankets with his magic, and Fluttershy with her head bowed as a symbol of defeat. Despite having Dusk to herself in her room, she had not dared to do anything her crazy lustful side suggested to her.
"What were they talking about?" Dusk asked when he arrived with the others, noticing that they seemed to have been talking about something important.
"I was telling the others that now you can be a couple with-" Sweetie Belle said quietly until Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie put their hooves in her mouth to stop her talking.
"W-We weren't talking about anything important." Pinkie Pie said quickly.
"Yeah, j-just slumber party stuff." Scootaloo added that, like the others, she didn't want Sweetie Belle's extreme sincerity now to make her ask Dusk to be her sister’s coltfriend.
"By the way! What are all those blankets for?" Apple Bloom asked, wanting to quickly change the subject to protect her future brother-in-law from more declarations of love.
"This is a surprise." Dusk said smiling and levitating the blankets higher. "Now that you're going to bed, I thought-"
"No! We're not going to bed yet!" The three fillies said at the same time, interrupting Dusk. "Now, our Special Slumber party begins!"
"Special slumber party?" Dusk repeated confused.
"Yeah! Look!" Apple Bloom said, hopping on top of the big mystery box that she and her friends had brought in Scootaloo's cart there.
So, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo did the same as their friend, the three of them stuck their heads into the box, as if they were looking for something inside that mysterious box. Finally, the three fillies took their heads out of the box and looked at Dusk and the others.
"We'll have a costume slumber party!" The three fillies said in unison with huge smiles. Showing that Apple Bloom was now wearing a firefighter hat, Sweetie Belle a sailor hat, and Scootaloo a pair of wide glasses and a tie.
While the three fillies posed, Dusk craned his neck to see better inside the box, and so he could see that indeed the fillies had brought several accessories and clothes of different types. Most likely they came from Rarity's boutique, although it seemed they had all contributed to filling the box and having the most options for their costumes.
"Oh! That sounds really fun." Fluttershy said, smiling tenderly.
"Yeah! What’cha gonna do with your costumes?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly, ready to join the game.
"Do something?" Apple Bloom said confused, then looking at her fireman hat and putting on a thoughtful look. "W-Well... I'm a firefighter and I'll put out a fire." Apple Bloom added holding an imaginary hose.
"And I'm a sailor who... sails?" Sweetie Belle said also confused, since she had only grabbed the first hat she had seen.
"And I'm a... office worker..." Scootaloo said depressed, realizing that this wasn't really funny at all.
Then the three fillies looked at each other in confusion and lowered their heads in disappointment. All of them had been very excited to think of wearing costumes to the slumber party, but now that they were wearing them, they realized that they hadn't planned anything else, and a costume without purpose was quite boring.
"Perhaps you could dress up as something more fun?" Fluttershy said smiling kindly, noting the disappointment on the fillies' faces.
"Hmm… Oh! I know!" Apple Bloom said coming up with a great idea. So, she took off her firefighter hat and searched for something in the costume box until she found what she was looking for: a tiara.
Apple Bloom put the toy tiara on her head, put on a scornful look, and wrinkled her nose as if she was smelling something distasteful.
"This is my costume party! So I order everyone to pay attention to me, because I'm sooooo important." Apple Bloom said arrogantly, pretending to be Diamond Tiara, which made Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo burst out laughing. "I'm the richest pony in Ponyville, so everyone must adore me."
"Oh! Of course they do, Tiara!" Suddenly Sweetie Belle said, who had taken some glasses and a necklace out of the box; perfectly imitating the tone of voice of Diamond Tiara's friend, Silver Spoon. Then Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle approached, knowing they were both thinking the same. "Dumb, dumb, sugarlump, rump." The two fillies said imitating the greeting of their two archenemies, although changing a word to mock them.
The three fillies began to laugh out loud, and Dusk and his two friends also smiled when they saw the little fillies so amused.
"It's my turn." Scootaloo said, searching the bottom of the costume box until she finally found what she was looking for: The Rainbow Dash fan club hat she had made herself, which mimicked the colors of her idol's mane. "Make way because here comes the coolest pony in all of Equestria!" Scootaloo said with her Rainbow Dash hat, stretching out a hoof while pretending to fly.
"Haha, yeah, that's a perfect imitation of Rainbow Dash." Pinkie Pie said amused, thinking that she had heard Rainbow Dash say that phrase many times.
Hearing the compliment on her impersonation, Scootaloo remembered all her days watching her idol and decided to do the best Rainbow Dash impersonation there could be. Then Scootaloo wagged her tail and mane in the same way that Rainbow Dash did, and put the same fierce look that Rainbow Dash used when she wanted to compete against someone.
"What's up Pinkie, are you bored? Let's play some pranks on Spike for fun!" Scootaloo said near Pinkie Pie, imitating Rainbow Dash perfectly, causing Pinkie Pie to start laughing as well. Then Scootaloo walked over to Fluttershy and glared at her. "And you gotta stretch those wings and get off the ground! Gosh, Fluttershy! We're both pegasi, we have to take flights through the clouds more often." Scootaloo added, causing Fluttershy blushed and laughed, because it really was like watching a younger version of Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo finally approached Dusk, but for some reason she started acting differently. All the bravado that was characteristic of Rainbow Dash disappeared, and Scootaloo approached shyly.
"I-I landed here not because I wanted to be near you, I just landed here because I was tired." Scootaloo said pretending to be nervous around Dusk. "Don't look at me like that, or... or do you want me to hit you..." Scootaloo said, looking away and blushing a little.
"Wait, what? You were doing great, but Rainbow Dash doesn't act like that." Apple Bloom said, disappointed by the failure of her friend's performance.
"Of course she does, she always acts like that when she's around Dusk. I’ve seen it myself." Scootaloo replied, looking annoyed at her friend for doubting her imitation.
At Scootaloo's comment, Dusk blushed, thinking that what Scootaloo said must be wrong. Or maybe… Was something happening but he had never noticed?
"I'm the coolest mare in town, but... when I get close to Dusk... for some reason... I get shy and nervous..." Scootaloo said continuing with her performance, approaching Dusk shyly, who for some reason took a step back before the vivid image of Rainbow Dash before him, telling him those things. "If you're with me... We could be the best couple in the world... We would have great adventures every day... just you and me."
Dusk Shine knew that it was Scootaloo who was telling him all that, but her entire performance as Rainbow Dash had been perfect, and those words, with that tone of voice... he could imagine the blue pegasus saying the same thing to him, word for word. All that made Dusk look away, trying to stop thinking about false love proposals. However, what Dusk didn't expect is that when he looked away, he now saw another of his friends reflected.
On his left side, just where Dusk had looked away, Sweetie Belle had approached, who had taken advantage of Scootaloo's performance to comb her mane and tail in the same way as Rarity styled it.
"Dusk, darling, don't pay attention to Rainbow Dash. Let your eyes only fixate on me." Sweetie Belle said with a flirtatious look, imitating her older sister's way of speaking perfectly. "I have always liked to look good and presentable. But it’s different with you… Every time I know that I'll meet with you, I spend hours in front of the mirror, all to make sure I look pretty for you." Sweetie Belle said remembering how Rarity acted every time she went to meet Dusk.
"R-Really?" Dusk asked blushed and nervous, thinking if it would be true that Rarity did that only with him.
"Of course I do, darling." Sweetie Belle said imitating her sister's movements, and flirtatiously touching Dusk with her hoof. "Just think about it, we would be the perfect couple. I could give you a life of romance..."
Suddenly Sweetie Belle stopped talking when a lasso fell on her, tightened and pulled her away from Dusk. Then Dusk saw that the one who had done it was Apple Bloom, who now also wore a hat very similar to that of her older sister.
"There're things more important than romance, and Dusk knows it, right?" Apple Bloom said looking seriously at Dusk, perfectly imitating Applejack's accent and tone of voice. "Rainbow Dash can offer you adventure, Rarity romance, but if you want a quiet life, I… I could offer you what is dearest to me. A family." Apple Bloom said slowly, who knew her sister so well that Dusk was very surprised to notice each gesture and movement identical to that of her friend Applejack.
At that moment Apple Bloom opened her mouth to continue her performance, but as she imitated her sister, something inside her told her that perhaps there were things that were better for her sister to say in person instead of her imitating her. So Apple Bloom took off her hat and stared at Dusk.
"Something changed when my sister came back from Appleloosa." Apple Bloom said putting aside her imitation but steeping herself with her sister's honest soul. "When she got back, she gave me a big hug. A warm and sincere hug that I’ve never felt before. Whenever she hugged me before, I felt that my sister hid a great pain inside her. But not anymore... For that reason, I wanted to thank you, because I know it was thanks to you... And for that I know that you two are made for each other. And I’m excited that hopefully, you’ll be my big brother one day."
At Apple Bloom's sincere words, Dusk was very surprised and felt a comforting feeling when he saw that the help he had given his dear friend hadn't only helped her, but also her family. And when Apple Bloom mentioned that they could be 'the perfect couple' and he could be her big brother, a part of Dusk's mind couldn't help but imagine him having a family with Applejack, which made him blush even more.
Suddenly two small shots were heard, and a lot of streamer and confetti flew over everyone's heads, causing everyone to be surprised and forget what was happening.
"It's time for the piñata!" Pinkie Pie said with an exaggerated smile jumping in front of the fillies and pointing them back from where they were, where she had quickly installed a small piñata that she had brought for the slumber party.
"Piñata!" The three fillies shouted excitedly, taking off their costumes and completely forgetting what they had been doing, beginning to jump excitedly under the piñata to wait for the candies that would fall.
Seeing that her distraction plan had worked, Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief as she was very concerned about the effects that the fillies’ declarations could have on Dusk Shine. Both she and Fluttershy had been nervously watching the imitations of the fillies, seeing how they were leveling up the closer they got to Dusk. It was then that both realized that these imitations could be a danger for Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, since the fillies were telling secrets that perhaps Dusk shouldn't know yet, unless they themselves were the ones who decided to tell him. In addition, Pinkie also realized that the three fillies could influence Dusk much more in favor of their older sisters than she had anticipated... If she wasn't careful, the three fillies could score too many points in favor of their sisters in the race for Dusk's love, and that was something Pinkie didn't want to happen, after all she had gone to that slumber party so that she would be the one to get closer to Dusk.
"They're very good at imitating their sisters... Right?" Pinkie Pie asked, glancing at Dusk to see his reaction.
"Y-Yes, they are... Although they said things that I don't know are true..." Dusk replied, blushing slightly.
"Who knows." Pinkie Pie replied with a shrug, thinking that she had done the right thing, and that even if she was in a competition with her friends for Dusk's heart, it was best to keep her friends' secrets until they were ready themselves. Then Pinkie remembered the conversations and put on a mischievous look. "Adventures, romance and family... It’s great if a mare can give you that, but everypony knows that the best that a mare can give you in life is laughter, right?" Pinkie added getting very close to Dusk and giving him a flirtatious smile.
"I-I guess that's very important too..." Dusk said blushing even more and looking away, thinking that Pinkie Pie was making fun of him by flirting with him just like the fillies had done when imitating their sisters.
Then Pinkie Pie also blushed and smiled with joy, thinking that she adored that innocence in her beloved Dusk Shine. Meanwhile, Fluttershy just stood where she was, with a sad look as she watched Dusk blush at having Pinkie Pie so close.
"Rainbow Dash could give him adventures, Rarity romance, Applejack a big family, Pinkie Pie smiles and happiness, and I… What could I give Dusk?" Fluttershy thought sadly, as her self-esteem prevented her from thinking of a good answer, which depressed her even more.
For his part, Dusk was also lost in his thoughts, analyzing everything that had happened a moment ago.
"The fillies were just pretending but… if one day I had more than one mare declaring their love to me… what would I do? Would I be able to choose?" Dusk thought, blushing at that crazy idea. "What am I thinking!? As if something like this could happen!" Dusk thought, immediately discarding that thought, because although he had discovered that he was in love with his five friends, he also knew that his friends only saw him as a friend. However, with each moment that he shared with his friends, that last thought that had remained firm in his mind, became increasingly weak.
End of chapter 49