//------------------------------// // Confession // Story: Blush // by ThePrancingMare //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle was in the process of levitating a particularly heavy tome off one of the shelves in the library, when she heard a soft tap on the front door. As she lowered the pink covered book onto one of the tables, she made her way over to the door which was so clearly the objective of somepony's hoof as the light tapping persisted. Opening the rounded, red piece of wood which sealed the entrance to the Golden Oaks Library, she beheld an extremely surprising sight. For on the other side of the door, stood a familiar yellow pegasus, quivering as her eyes glanced around somewhat nervously, her front right hoof raised to continue knocking. “ Oh, hi there Fluttershy. Is everything-” the purple unicorn started. “ No no no, everything isn't okay Twilight. Everything is bad, very, very bad,” Fluttershy said, speaking very quickly and agitatedly, although still in her usual soft tone. “ Okay, well, why don't you come in and tell-” Twilight started before being cut off again. “ Thank you Twilight,” Fluttershy stated, rushing into the library. “ So what is it that's-” Twilight started, before again being interrupted, causing her to narrow her eyes in annoyance. “ No, c-close the door first... please,” Fluttershy said, not dropping her politeness even in her distraught state. Twilight did as she was bid, sealing the portal once again. As she did, she saw a familiar red head move past the small window set in the door's center. At the same time she heard a small 'eep' come from behind her, and as she turned around, she saw that her usually mellow friend was now cowering under the table. “ Umm... Fluttershy? What's going on?” “ I-I'm sorry Twilight, for being s-so rude, it's just that, I came here to talk to you anyway, and then I saw... I-I suppose I should just st-start from the beginning.” “ That usually is a good place to start a story,” the book-wormish mare said in a kind voice, making what could easily have been a sarcastic remark if said by someone else. “ Well... It all-all began about three months ago, when we helped Applejack with the Fire Blight... and then... and then Big McIntosh... butterflies... nervous... hooves sweating... so perfect...” Fluttershy started explaining, faltering as her nerves got the better of her. “ So what you're saying is-” “ Twilight, would you please open a window, it's a little warm in here...” “ Sure,” Twilight said, walking over to one of the windows and opening it to its full extent. “ So what you're saying is that you get nervous when you're near Big McIntosh?” “ Yes... Well no... Well yes... Well, sort of,” Fluttershy said sputtering nervously as a light pink blush spread across her cheeks. “ So you mean that you're... In love, with Big McIntosh?” Twilight said, laughing hysterically in her head, not wanting to hurt her friend feelings, but the two of them together just seemed so unlikely. Not to mention she was imagining what a date between them would look like, maybe three words at most, and that was if one of them ever even got over their shyness to ask the other in the first place. “ Y... Y... Yes!” Fluttershy wailed, actually starting to sob and covering her eyes with her hooves. Twilight had no idea why Fluttershy was reacting so violently to the thought, and she assumed, Fluttershy didn't really didn't no either. Although after a length of time spent thinking, she realized it was probably just a lot of pent up emotions Fluttershy hadn't experienced before, and they were all being released at once in a torrent. “ Yes! I Love him! I love Big McIntosh!” Fluttershy cried out, almost hysterically, causing Twilight Sparkle to become increasingly concerned for the pegasus' mental stability at the moment. All of the yelling also attracted somepony else's attention, an extremely pink and excitable earth pony who happened to have been passing by the open window, and went completely unnoticed by the other two mares, even as their curly, magenta mane paused and rose with the rest of the inquisitive head. “ Fluttershy, it's okay, just come upstairs with me and I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate, and then we can...” Twilight suggested weakly. “ Th-Thank you Twilight. Th-That sounds lovely...” Fluttershy said snuffling, her wave of emotion passed, leaving her feeling worn and tired. With that, Twilight and Fluttershy trotted up the staircase and the pink head which had been listening, withdrew, shrinking down to its normal height off the ground. Oh my gosh this is so amazing! Fluttershy and Big Mac?! I need to get Fluttershy to tell him, so I can throw the biggest, bestest 'new-very-special-someponies' party ever! I should go to tell Rarity! But what if Fluttershy doesn't want other ponies to know? Oh well, I'll decide later, now I need to pick out a color for the icing!, Pinkie Pie thought, her mental processing going as fast as she normally spoke, as she trotted away merrily, indecisive between mint green or bubble gum pink on the icing. - - - A short time later, Fluttershy finished the last drops of her hot chocolate, savoring the rich taste of the brown liquid rolling over her tongue towards her throat. She relished in the sensation as the last bead of liquid wound its way over her final taste buds. “ So, can you talk without sobbing now?” Twilight asked, once again a would sarcastic remark carrying actual meaning. “ Yes, I can,” Fluttershy replied after she's ingested the last of her drink. After Fluttershy didn't respond for a moment, Twilight, with a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice, said, “ Well go on then.” “ O-Okay. It all started about three months ago, when we were helping Applejack look for Fire Blight, and Big Mac was there, and as he was walking along, I, oh this sounds shallow, I noticed that he was rather, handsome. Then, Apple Bloom saw that one twig which had been infected, and so that made me think of how nice and kind and sweet and- I'm babbling now aren't I? Anyway, I-I noticed how... perfect, he was, and since then, I just... I just haven't been able to forget about it. No matter who hard I try, no matter what I do, I can't go back to just being his friend, even though I want to... So I came here because, I though, with your magic, you could... make me go back to just liking him as a friend. Please Twilight?” Fluttershy pleaded, rather out of breath after her lengthy ramble. “ Oh no, no no no no no. I can't,” the purple unicorn replied. “But why? I'd do anything, anything! Just please make them go away!” Fluttershy started to wail again. “ No, no more tears,” Twilight said sternly, “ It's one of the rules of magic, you cannot interfere with love.” “ But-But it's okay, I-I wouldn't tell anyone, you'd be doing me a favor, really,” the pegasus insisted in earnest. “ I'm sorry Fluttershy, I'd love to help you, but rules are rules. Can you imagine what it would be like if unicorns could use magic without guidelines? So as much as I'd like to do that for you, I can't, and as such, I won't.” “ Oh, okay,” Fluttershy replied, looking as though she'd been sentenced to a horrible fate worse than death. Twilight took pity on her depressed looking friend, which caused her to say, “ Although that doesn't mean I can't help you with... whatever exactly this is...” “ Really? How?” Fluttershy inquired. “ Well, first of all,” Twilight started, looking down the stairs into the first floor, a glowing aura accumulated around her horn as she levitated the heavy tome she'd set on the table earlier, up to her, “ We should start with explaining exactly what love is.” The student of Princess Celestia flipped through the pages to chapter three of The Intricacies of the Love, by H.P. Lovecolt. “ You might want to sit down,” Twilight instructed,“ this may be a while.” - - - “ Really? You're certain she said that?” the white unicorn inquired. “ Yep, I heard it clear as day,” her pink friend replied. “ Well then we must set them up together somehow. Poor Fluttershy's too shy to do it herself, we shall have to help her,” Rarity stated. “ But we can't hurt her feelings either, in case she really doesn't love Big Mac,” Pinkie Pie replied. “ You're right, although I have very little doubt she's in love, you are right. We'll have to approach this gently. We just need to give her a slight nudge, not knock her out of the nest,” Rarity replied, emphasizing certain words so her sentence had the most affect. “ Yep!” Pinkie Pie replied, “ Now, what do you think, mint green or pink for the frosting?”