//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Mutually Assured Affection 
// Story: Love Is Immortal - A Twishy Story 
// by Bloonjitsu7 
//------------------------------//


Twilight


I wake up, ready to face the day. I had decided the previous night that I would spend today making sure that my dinner with Fluttershy this evening will go perfectly. Just thinking about the dinner makes me a bit nervous though, and I don't really know how to approach situations like this.

I've never been invited out to dinner by a friend before, and I still haven't told her about that strange feeling I've been getting around her. I guess the best I can do is hope that it comes up in conversation tonight. For now, I've got to start preparing.

First things first, I've got to eat the most important meal of the day. I make myself a big bowl of Horseshoe Crunch (now with 40% MORE crunch, whatever that means), and then down a glass of some fresh apple juice that I got a couple days ago from Applejack. After my meal, I head to the bathroom sink to wash my mane and begin thinking aloud.

"Hmmmmmm.... what should I do to impress Fluttershy? I really want to show her that I care." I scrub my face, getting some soap and water out of my eyes. I've never really cared about my appearance at all, but today I have this urge to look as presentable as possible. Not really sure why, it's not like Fluttershy would have much of a reason to care about how I look. Besides, no matter how much I try I'll never look as pretty as her.....

"Hey Twilight! Whatcha' thinking about?" My thoughts are abruptly interrupted by a little purple dragon who had just woken up and decided to intrude on me in the bathroom. "Wait, are you washing your mane? What's the occasion?" He snickers.

"Good morning, Spike. I just.... wanted to look good today is all." He looks at me, clearly unconvinced.

"Well..... I'm off to go see Rarity, since somepony ignored my request." My mind wanders back to when I shut the door on him yesterday. I felt a little guilty about that, but he WAS being absolutely insufferable so I still think it was justified. Just then, I remember something important.

"Hey Spike, could you possibly ask Rarity about that dress design she was working on while you're there? I'm going to be busy today and don't know if I'll have time to go myself." He stops to think for a second, and a mischievous grin appears on his face.

"Hmmmm, I dunno..... You were really rude to me yesterday, so you'd have to do something for me....." I release a sigh of defeat, and reluctantly forfeit what I know he wants.

".....I'll give you the gems I was saving for spells." This seems to appease him.

"Deal!" He dashes out of the bathroom before I can change my mind, clouds of dust trailing behind him from his speed.

"Don't forget to eat breakfast!" I hear the library door open, and then close a few moments later, followed by silence. I release another sigh. "Well.... at least I'll have the library to myself now." I return to brainstorming on what to do for tonight. 

What does Fluttershy like? I know she loves animals, but it's not like I can just sneak a badger into the restaurant. I mean, I probably can, but I have a feeling that it wouldn't go very well. I ponder for another few minutes, before reaching an epiphany.

Rainbow Dash! I should ask her what Fluttershy might like! She's known Fluttershy her whole life, if anypony would have an idea as to what she might appreciate, it'd be Rainbow. Actually come to think of it, she was going to give me some flying lessons today. I was so fixated on dinner with Fluttershy that I completely forgot about it! 

I check the clock, which reads 8:23 AM. She should be over here in a bit over half an hour, I just have to think of a way to naturally bring up Fluttershy in conversation. I carefully walk past the minefield of books still scattered across the floor, and head to my favorite thinking spot in the library.

I sit on my couch for a while, contemplating how to ask Rainbow for advice. I don't want it to sound weird, it would just be a simple question. Drawing a complete blank, I hear an eager knock at my door and I realize that I'm out of time. I'm just going to have to wing it. I walk over to the door to answer it, but once I get halfway there a blur of cyan followed by a rainbow streak crashes through my window and into one of the bookshelves, spraying more literature across the room.

"Oof.... sorry Twilight, but you were taking too long! You had me waiting at that door forever!" She gets up off the ground, looking at me with a bit scorn in her face.

"Rainbow, you waited like 15 seconds. I'd hardly call that forever." Rainbow quietly laughs in a mix of embarrassment and guilt but not wanting it to show, less she harm her ego.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways, are you ready for the flying lessons?!" She flies up into the air, her head almost bonking right into the ceiling. "Today I'm gonna show you how to successfully do a loop-de-loop and NOT pass out!" Her face is now shining with confidence, shedding away the guilt that it expressed only moments ago.

"That sounds great, Rainbow." I silently forgive her for her spectacular crash, and then follow her as she blasts outside through the window that she came from. Luckily the window was open so I didn't have any glass to clean up, unlike the last time she pulled this stunt.

After about an hour of training and failing to make it through a full loop without crashing, Rainbow says that it's time to take a break. I sit down next to her on a nearby bench and drink some water, trying my best to ignore the many bruises that I accumulated on my body. Rainbow hands me an ice pack, and then starts up some idle chatter while I recover from my minor injuries.

"So...... what have you been up to lately? Done any cool nerd things?" I give a lighthearted chuckle at that last comment before responding. 

"Not much, I've just been cleaning up the library. You've seen how much of a mess it is in there."

"Heh, what could you possibly have been doing to trash the place like that? It's so unlike you, Twi." She has this air of smugness about her as she says this.

"Hey! It's not like it was my fault that the forest decided to sabotage my bookshelves!"

"Oh sure, pin the blame on the forest. Real mature of you." I raise my hoof in preparation to give her a rebuttal, but stop myself as it dawns on me as to what she's doing.

"......You're teasing me, aren't you." It's actually kind of embarrassing that I just now realized this. 

"Pshhhhhhh, what?! No........" I laugh it off with her. Usually I'd be really upset about this sort of thing, but I've gotten used to it by now. Still giggling a bit, it hits me that this would be a good time to ask Rainbow about the thing I wanted to talk about.

"Oh actually Rainbow, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Ask away, your highness." She says those final words in a mock fancy accent while mimicking a regal bow, laughing to herself. I personally don't find it very amusing, but not wanting to escalate things I just ignore it and ask my question.

"So ummm... you know Fluttershy pretty well, right?" She straightens up and responds with some actual sincerity, for once.

"Yeah, I've known her pretty much my whole life. Why?" I suddenly discover that the ground is a very intriguing view.

"Well let's just say.... hypothetically.... you were to have dinner with Fluttershy at a restaurant.... as friends.... what do you think she would like?" I try my best to not make this sound awkward, but I clearly fail at that. I look over at Rainbow, and her face is plastered with pure shock. After she takes the handful of seconds she needs to register what I had said, her expression shifts to more of a knowing smirk.

"Ohhhhhh.... I get what you're saying....." I tilt my head, confused.

"Um, that I want to know how to make sure Fluttershy has a nice time?" She winks at me. Why did she wink at me?

"Riiiiiiiight, you want to give her a.... nice time and you need my advice." She raises her hooves to do air quotes as she says 'nice time', insinuating some ulterior definition that I'm apparently supposed to know about. "Don't worry Twilight, I understand what you're trying to tell me." She winks at me again.

"I'm starting to think that I don't understand what I'm trying to tell you..." Rainbow clearly notices the honesty in my voice, and changes her tone and expression completely. She's gone back to being bewildered by me, albeit not shocked into silence like last time.

"Wait, do you NOT realize what this is?"

"What what is? Do you mean my dinner with Fluttershy?"

"Uh, duh! What else would I be talking about?" Rainbow's flying in the air now, and she seems genuinely upset with me.

"I don't know! It sounded before like you thought there was something else going on!"

"Wow. Just.... wow. I had always pegged you as a dweeb, but I never thought you'd be this socially inept. Have you ever noticed all of the signs she's been sending you?!"

"What signs? Who's sending me signs?!" Rainbow facehoofs at this response. She mutters something under her breath about me being absolutely hopeless, but I can't quite make it out. She removes her hoof from her face, then lets out a deep sigh.

"So um... do you have any advice on how to act? In that hypothetical situation, I mean." She stops to think for a second.

"Well...... I know she'd like to hear that you enjoy her company, how much you like her, all that sort of stuff. She's pretty self-deprecating, as you might know, so she really does appreciate that positive affirmation." I was not expecting Rainbow Dash of all ponies to give such an insightful answer. 

"That's...... actually really helpful. Thanks, Rainbow."

"Anytime, Twilight. You know that you can always count on me!" She flaps into the air and flexes her front legs, showing off both her muscles and her ego.

"I know that I can't count on you to wait for longer than 15 seconds." I giggle to myself, and steal the confident look off of her face.

"Hey! It's not my fault you were so slow!" She descends back onto the bench, her ego slightly damaged. "I do need to know, are you sure that this dinner thing with Fluttershy is just a friendly hangout?" I guess she saw through my obvious hypothetical situation excuse, I bet she doesn't even know what those words mean.

"Of course it is, Rainbow. Fluttershy and I have been good friends for years now, what else could it possibly be other than a casual get-together?" She stifles a laugh.

"Uh huh. A casual get-together where you felt the need to get advice from one of the other pony's best friends on how to act around them. And you're certain that there's nothing else going on?" Rainbow actually had a point. Why was I seeking out advice about this?

"I...... actually don't know why I asked you, or why I'm so nervous about it. I've known Fluttershy for so long, so why is it only recently that I've started to feel weird around her? It's like I have these butterflies in my stomach, I just don't know how else to describe it....." As soon as I finish talking, Rainbow launches a barrage of laughter.

"Oh Celestia, I just can't hold it in anymore! This is too good!"  I look at her, dumbfounded. She cackles her rear off for another good minute or so, then clears her throat. "Listen. You'll figure it out eventually, and you'll be very happy when you do, trust me. For now, just focus on staying near Fluttershy so you can work out these feelings for yourself." 

She wipes her eyes, clearing them of the tears of laughter that still lingered there. Considering that this is Rainbow Dash that we're talking about, I'm not sure I can fully trust her opinion on this. But nevertheless, I thank her and tell her that I should probably stop the flying lessons early today, to which she agrees. 

Despite the talk with her being.... confusing.... I think it did help me calm my nerves just a little bit. My light bruises have also started to fade, so that's one other thing I no longer have to worry about. I'm more ready for tonight than I ever thought I would be.


Fluttershy


Why did I ask her out? Why did she yes?! Everything is going to fall apart and Twilight will hate me, I should never have said anything. Maybe I should just stay at home all day, and never leave my bed. It'll all blow over, and maybe if I'm lucky Twilight will just forget about it...... My thoughts get interrupted by an adorable little white bunny licking my face.

"Oh, thank you Angel. You're always there for me, aren't you?" I had woken up this morning in cold sweats from a bad dream and spent the last half an hour curled up on the bed, marinating in my own anxiety. I dreamt that everypony found out about my feelings for Twilight. 

All my friends abandoned me, and everypony in town mocked me. I had to leave my cottage and move far away, but no matter where I went there were eyes all over me and laughing all around me. I couldn't escape the torment, and the entire time all I could think of is that it was my fault for having feelings for Twilight.

I reluctantly get out of bed, still shivering from fear. My animal friends huddle around me out of concern, and my anxious rattling settles down a little bit. My mind is still racing with all of the worst possible outcomes of the day, but I do my best to push down those thoughts and ignore them.

I make my way down the stairs and do my usual morning routine. I feed all of the animals, feed myself, and feed my anxiety with the constant thought that I'm not good enough for Twilight and that I shouldn't be doing this. I hit myself in the head trying to rid myself of this melancholy chorus, but it just won't go away no matter what I attempt. I breathe out a deep sigh and accept that I might need to see somepony to help me with this. 

But who to go to? Rainbow's really supportive, but she's having flying lessons with Twilight today so she's definitely a no. I remember Twilight mentioning something about Applejack being busy preparing for some sort of storm, so she's also probably not available. That leaves Pinkie and..... Rarity. Of course! Rarity would be the perfect pony to talk to, she knows all about this relationship stuff. I perk myself up, say goodbye to the animals, and head out to Carousel Boutique.

It isn't quite as clear out today as it was yesterday, and there are a few clouds on the horizon. The air feels a bit more humid, not to the point of being uncomfortable but it's still noticeable. Despite this, the walk was still pleasant and gave me plenty of time to mull over my own thoughts. Before I know it, the boutique is within view and I speed up my pace to reach it as soon as possible. As soon as I arrive through the ornate doors, I'm greeted with an ecstatic smile from the fashionista herself.

"Why hello there, Fluttershy darling! I had just finished up a design right before you came in, your timing couldn't be any more perfect!" I try to say hello, but it turns into a mere squeak as Rarity rushes me over towards her design table and shows off the paper draft of a dress. I can tell from the sheer amount of eraser smudges on the sheet and paper balls in the wastebin that she's been working on this one for quite a while. "So, what do you think? Be honest, now." She looks at me expectantly.

"It's um...." I take a closer look. It's absolutely gorgeous, and lined with plenty of jewels. I can also see wings sticking out of the back of the blank pony sketch it's modeled on. "It's very pretty..... I take it this is intended for a pegasus....?"

"Thank you, dear. I know I can always trust you for a good second opinion." All I had said is that it was pretty... "And no, this is for Twilight. Poor girl doesn't have a dress for her new alicorn wings.... I just had to do something about it!" At the mention of Twilight, I instinctively blush and shrink a bit.

"Oh..... I...... I actually came here to..... to talk to you about her........" Rarity immediately forgets whatever she was thinking about and whips her face over to me in intrigue.

"Oh? Do tell." I try my best to remove my wings from my face as I respond.

"Well I....... kind of....... asked her........... ouduadiaoahiwfhkesngghghg..........." 

"What was that? You're going to have to speak up, darling." I pull up my head slightly, now only looking halfway between the ground and Rarity.

"I....... I invited Twilight............ Twilight dinner.........."

"Once more, if you would. Just a little bit louder this time." I take a deep breath.

"IaskedTwilightoutonadateandIhavenoideawhattodo!" I gasp for air, relieved to have gotten that out. Rarity also gasps, but out of excitement instead of a need for oxygen. Her face begins to light up like a hearth's warming tree, her smile widening into something spectacular.

"Well, you definitely came to the right pony! I know every little thing about romance, and I can make this date absolutely perfect!" I can already see on her face that she's calculating the best way to make my date with Twilight as 'juicy' as it can possibly be. 

"Um.... Rarity? I don't think Twilight even knows that it's-" She abruptly cuts me off, and I let out a little squeak.

"Now dear, don't you worry about a thing! I'll get this all sorted out for you! Oh this is going to be so much fun, I've waited so long for an opportunity like this!" I'm starting to regret my decision in telling Rarity, but there's no way to stop her now. "So, when did you say this date was?"

"It..... it's at dinner..... tonight. I...... invited her out. But as I tried to tell you, I don't think Twilight even realizes that it's a date......" She laughs at that last part out of amusement.

"All that means is that we'll have to make it even more romantic so that she'll realize how much she wants to be with you! It's simple, really." I give her a concerned look and partially hide behind my mane.

"But..... what if she doesn't want to be with me? She's a princess, and I'm just.... Fluttershy. Sigh......... there's no way I'm good enough for her...... she probably doesn't even like mares....." I slowly sink my head further into my mane as I speak, until it's almost completely obscured.

"Nonsense! I won't let you speak about yourself like that, darling. You are naturally gorgeous, your kindness knows no bounds, and Twilight couldn't ask for anypony better!" I slightly poke my face out from my mane, blushing and smiling. Rarity does always give good pep talks, at least when it comes to relationships. "Oh and this is just between you and me, but Twilight doesn't seem like the type to be into stallions....."

"You..... you really think so.....?" The hope on my face is fleeting, as it quickly drains away into sorrow. "But..... what if you're wrong? Twilight...... she'll hate me if I.... I..... tell her how I really feel. I..... really do value our friendship oh so much, and I don't want to ruin it for my own selfish reasons......"

"Fluttershy." Rarity's tone is much more serious now, while still holding the same compassion and care that it did before. "Love isn't selfish, in fact it's quite the opposite. It's a beautiful thing that a lot of us would do anything to experience, and your love for Twilight is no different. You want to care for her, be there for her. How is that anything but selfless?" I take a moment to consider what she said, battling her arguments against the ones ringing in my head.

"I........... you're right. And...... I know that Twilight wouldn't really hate me." I'm lying to both Rarity and myself. "She's too nice and perfect to end a friendship over something like that." No, she would. She'd see how much of a  mare-kissing monster I am and leave me forever. She might even banish me. Rarity eyes my face, trying to get a read on me. 

"I know that you're telling the truth here, but the expression you're wearing is telling me that you don't share this belief." My jaw drops in shock.

"H.... how did you....." Rarity chuckles.

"I've been around, dear. I can tell when somepony is lying to themselves. Listen to me, Fluttershy." She props up my muzzle with her hoof so that I'm looking at her directly. "You are great. Even if Twilight rejects you, it won't mean that you'll never find love. But if you never tell her, you'll just spend your whole life thinking about what could've been. Trust me on this, you'll feel so much better if you just bite the bullet." Tears are beginning to well up in my eyes, my bottled emotions rising to the surface.

"I...... I'm not strong enough...... I can't work up the courage......."

"That's why you're not going to be doing this alone, Fluttershy. I'm here to help you." Rarity's voice is a lot softer now, adapting to my current emotional state. "Telling her how you feel will be so much easier in a romantic setting hoofpicked by me, just let me handle that and then the rest will come naturally to you." I nod slowly and sincerely, removing her outstretched hoof from the underside of my muzzle.

"O-okay." Rarity beams at me, overjoyed to start planning the date.

"Now then, first we're going to have to pick a location. Hmmmmmmm...... I think you'd like that new place, Earl Graze I think it's called?"

"I've never heard of-"

"Don't worry, it'll be perfect for you. It fits your aesthetic just right, which will in turn boost the romance levels by a factor of around..... 3.2 times, I'd say." I stare at her in utter confusion, not understanding anything she's talking about. "Make sure you pick up Twilight at 7:00 sharp, with good pacing you'll get there and be able to eat during sunset, which will just be so romantic. It's an opportunity you simply can't pass up for anything."

"All right...... but what if I want to spend more time on the walk there? Oh, I just love going on nice, quiet strolls with Twilight." Rarity shakes her head in response, seeming almost upset by my romantic ineptitude.

"You'll have plenty of time to walk with her after dinner. It's much more romantic, and it would be the perfect opportunity for you to confess your feelings, since she'd be practically swooning for you after that dinner. Trust me Fluttershy, I know what I'm talking about here."

"Oh..... okay......" I sink my head to the floor as she continues.

"Now be sure to also pay for her food, but don't be too excited to do it either, just do it casually. Oh and also if you can offer her some of your food that would be delightful, she'd definitely love that. Also compliment her eyes, and look into her eyes longingly, with any luck she'll return the stare and-" Rarity's seemingly unstoppable train of thought gets interrupted by an overzealous pink pony falling from the ceiling and crashing into the ground.

"Ooooooooooooooh are we coming up with cool date ideas?! I can go next!" Pinkie Pie springs off of the ground with a massive grin on her face, while I'm doing the exact opposite of that. Rarity, after recovering from the shock of a sudden Pinkie invasion, attempts to converse with the pony of chaos.

"Um, Pinkie? Where did you come from?" Pinkie stops to think about this question, putting a hoof to her chin. She holds this position for a full minute of awkward silence, before suddenly going back to the enthusiastic demeanor she originally had.

"Well I think Fluttershy should bring lots and lots of balloons to the date to show her affection, but she shouldn't bring too many to the point where she flies away, she already has wings haha she doesn't need balloons for that the balloons are only for fun, but they have to be in purple and yellow to match the colors of the date so that way Twilight knows how much she cares, and then she'll be so intrigued that she reads up on balloons and then ignores Fluttershy the whole time and makes the date very awkward until-" 

Pinkie quickly gasps for air, then immediately continues.

"-Fluttershy asks about the book and it makes Twilight realize how much she wants to throw a book party and then we all go over to the library for the biggest book party in all of Equestria, and it goes down in history as the wildest party ever conceived based off of literature and Twilight receives a medal of honor in which she'll notice it's the perfect shape to unlock the hidden temple of Azz' Gwohl leading to a secret treasure telling her that her one true love is Fluttershy and then they get married and have 15 foals and-"

I snap.

"STOP!" My heart is pounding out of my chest, my entire body filling to the brim with anxiety. Pinkie freezes in place, not moving a single muscle. Her mouth is still half open from the next word she was going to say, and her eyes are unblinking. I start crying on the floor, and Pinkie bounces up out of her stasis, looking genuinely concerned at me.

"Now look at what you've done, Pinkie." Rarity is glaring daggers into the pink pony, and Pinkie's mane deflates.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, I just got a little bit excited......" I wipe the tears out of my eyes and look up at both of them.

"I just........ I don't want this dinner to be some huge romantic gesture. It would be nice for me to finally confess to Twilight, it really would, but I don't want to put her in a situation that makes her feel awkward. I'll try and see if she wants to be with me.... even though I doubt she will.... but I'm not going to revolve our entire night around it. It'll just be a nice dinner out with a friend, and whatever happens, happens." Rarity gives me an apologetic look, and Pinkie's mane starts to reinflate.

"I'm so sorry, dear. I was trying to get you to make this as romantic as possible, and I didn't even realize...." She trails off.

"Oh no, you were very helpful. Even if you got a bit obsessed there, without you I don't think I would even be going to this dinner in the first place. I would just be cowering in my cottage, waiting for this whole thing to blow over."

".....Thank you, Fluttershy. You really are kind beyond words. Twilight will be very lucky to have you, if she reciprocates your feelings." I blush, and give an appreciative nod.

"I still think that you should give her those purple and yellow balloons, but even without them I'm sure that you'll do just fine!" Pinkie is wearing her signature smile, one so contagious that I can't help but put on a very wide grin as well. "Welp! I have plenty of..... things I need to do. Ciao!" Pinkie drills into the ground, disappearing from sight and causing Rarity to gasp in horror at the gaping hole in her floor. Just then, the door to the boutique opens and a cute little dragon waddles in.

"Heyyyyyyy there, Rarity! It's your favorite dragon and..... what happened in here?!" Spike stares at the massive hole in the ground.

"Pinkie happened." Rarity has an edge of disgust in her tone, clearly enraged at the departed party planner.

"How did she....." Spike shakes his head. "....nevermind. What's more important is that I'm here to check on that design you made for Twilight. And also if we could... you know.... hang out......... that would be pretty cool as well." He does his best to do a cool 'leaning on the wall' pose, but falls over to his side due to a lack of wall. I rush over to him, helping him up while Rarity excuses herself to the bathroom, trying her best not to laugh.

"Are you okay, Spike?" Spike gets up, and dusts himself off.

"Of course I'm okay!" He looks a bit bruised, but doesn't want to show that in front of Rarity, not even realizing that she left the room. "Oh hey, Fluttershy. Didn't notice ya there."

"That's okay, most ponies don't."

"Wait, why are you here? Is Rarity also designing a dress for you?"

"Oh no, actually I came to her for..." I stop myself. "...advice." I probably shouldn't tell Spike exactly what I was here for, especially since he's not the best with secrets.

"Oh, cool. What kind of advice?" He looks at me expectantly.

"I uh.... really shouldn't say...."

"What was that? You're going to have to speak up."

"Oh, look at the time! I..... really should be going now." I briskly gallop out the door without even saying goodbye, leaving Spike confused. I feel a bit bad about doing that, but what was I supposed to say? I didn't want to lie to him. Anyways, I make my way back to the cottage to prepare for tonight. I take a nice hot shower, and then brush my mane. Twilight is still on my mind, but now I finally have enough courage to ask her that question I've been wanting to ask ever since I met her. I can do this.


~End Of Chapter 3~