The road from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres wasn't long, nor was Twilight pressed for time, but she nonetheless had to force herself not to gallop forward as she made her way to Applejack's home. She had held back for so long, second-guessing herself and hesitating while the answer to all her questions stared her in the face.
She needed to talk to Applejack.
She needed to talk, and every moment spent walking to Sweet Apple Acres was a moment she didn't spend at Sweet Apple Acres. Her legs itched, but she maintained her steady pace. Composure, she thought. Keep your composure, even now.
Shaking her head, Twilight quickened her pace to a canter. No big deal. Just a little faster. Time was of the essence. No telling how long my courage will last.
Twilight never had to test the limits of her bravery. At her newly quickened pace, she saw the Apple Family home come into view in short order. As soon as she did so, she stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. This time, when she resumed her walk, she made sure to move no faster than a trot. Seriously. Composure, Twilight.
Once she reached the house, Twilight's ears perked up as she heard a loud thump from somewhere behind the building. At first, her heart jumped into her throat, but once she heard the sound once again, she let out a long sigh as she realized that it was the sound of hooves slamming against an apple tree. Shaking her head and smiling, she began to trot in the direction of the sound.
"Applejack," she called as she walked past the house and saw her friend picking up a basket full of apples. "Hello there."
"Oh." Applejack put the basket down and glanced away. "Howdy, Twilight."
Twilight continued her approach, but Applejack only stepped back in response. "Please, Applejack, don't do this," she whined. "We need to talk."
"I—" Applejack swallowed and waited a moment before continuing. "Okay. What about?"
Nostrils flaring, Twilight snorted. "You know exactly what we need to talk about. About us!" Twilight lowered her head and shifted her gaze to the ground. "I mean, what we could be."
Rainbow's words echoed in Applejack's mind. Go for it. We care about you.
Don't mess this up.
She grit her teeth against the implications of that sentence, against the fears she held inside, against the unfairness of it all. For many moments, she was silent, shaking her head and looking everywhere but at Twilight. Through it all, Twilight simply waited. She stood there, a small smile on her face, and waited for Applejack to finish.
At last, she looked back at Twilight and sighed. "I… Look, you're a wonderful pony, Twilight, and I…" She looked away and Twilight bowed her head. Seeing her friend's downcast eyes, she shook herself and carried on. "I really like you, Twilight, b—"
Any hope of finishing her sentence was cut off by Twilight lunging forward and gripping her in a tight hug. She could feel the softness of Twilight's coat, the warmth of her presence, the beating of her heart. It felt so… right.
A dumb smile remained plastered across Applejack's face when Twilight pulled away and said, "I really like you too, Applejack. I've never met another pony like you, and I know it's strange, and it feels kind of sudden, but I'm ready to take a leap of faith." She put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Are you?"
It took all of Applejack's willpower to keep the tears out of her eyes, and though she managed to nod slightly, she could not voice her answer. "You know about Fluttershy, right?" she finally asked.
Twilight lowered her head and sighed. "She told me," she replied. After a moment, she looked back up at Applejack, straightening her posture as she did so. "I care about her so much, Applejack, but… I…" She shook her head.
Applejack began to pull away, but just as Twilight pulled her hoof away, something went off in her mind. Her eyes glinted and she stepped toward Twilight, this time placing her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. Eyes never wavering from her best friend, she said, "Fluttershy's strong. She just might be the strongest pony I know. We can help her through it." Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. "Only if you're sure, though."
Twilight's efforts to keep from crying proved less successful than Applejack's. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled Applejack in for another hug and said, "I'm sure."
The clock in Fluttershy's cottage became surprisingly noisy after Applejack left. Fluttershy wasn't sure whether it was a problem in the clock itself or all in her head, but the sound grated on her nonetheless. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Shaking her head to try and dispel the noise, she walked away from the front door and said, "Where are you, Angel Bunny?"
She looked around, frowning as she heard no approaching pitter-patter of paws. Her frown died as she turned toward the kitchen. Angel stood in the doorway, only a few paces from her, and she hadn't heard him at all. The pair stared at each other for a long moment, Angle tilting his head while Fluttershy struggled to drive the irritating clock out of her mind.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
"Are… Are you hungry yet, Angel?" Fluttershy began to exhale as her voice overcame the dreaded ticking, but her breath caught as the sound returned just as her sentence ended. The breath became a sigh, and she shook her head.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
"I haven't even given Applejack time to think," Fluttershy said to no one in particular. Angel, having only heard the promise of food, scowled and began to tap his foot, grabbing his pocket watch and shoving it in Fluttershy's direction.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Fluttershy realized that she was pacing, and as soon as she stopped she could feel an itch building in her legs. She bit her lip and glanced at the front door. It wasn't far at all, and from there it would be a short journey to Ponyville.
It would be a short journey to Twilight's house.
Angel tugged at Fluttershy's wing, pulling her out of her musings. She turned her focus back to him, but it only took a moment for her thoughts to turn back to the Golden Oaks Library. Everything was out in the open now; all that was left was for events to sort themselves out. It would be best if they sorted out sooner than later.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The unstoppable passage of time did nothing to faze Angel, as he turned to nudging Fluttershy's foreleg with his tiny body. She could feel the bitter aggression in his prodding, but she smiled nonetheless.
"Okay, Angel. I'll feed you, but nothing too fancy." Seeing the inevitable frown spread across Angel's expression, she bowed her head and grinned. "I'll make it up to you with dinner. I promise."
Raising an eyebrow, he finally nodded, and the pair went into the kitchen to fix Angel's lunch.
Before long, Fluttershy was out of her cottage, and the trip to Twilight's house sped by in a breathless blur. In what seemed like a matter of seconds, she had reached the entrance to the library, and as she stood at the front door, Fluttershy hesitated. This was it: the moment of truth. No more waiting. No more uncertainty.
Her hoof trembled as she knocked on the door.
"Coming!" Fluttershy could hear Spike's footsteps as he rushed toward the door. With two heavy steps, he stood on the other side of the wooden portal and began to swing it open.
"Hey, Twilight. How was…" He trailed off as he realized that the pony in front of him was far too yellow to be Twilight—not to mention the fact that she was a pegasus. "Oh. Hi, Fluttershy. What are you doing here?"
"Um, I was going to see if Twilight was here, but I guess she's out." Fluttershy bowed her head and turned to leave. "Goodbye, Spike."
"Wait! It's okay, Fluttershy." Spike waved his hands to stop her departure, and she hesitated just long enough for him to say, "She went to see Rarity, so you might want to go check at her house."
Fluttershy perked her head up, but her voice remained subdued. "Oh, okay. Thank you, Spike."
A toothy grin found its home on Spike's face as he took a step forward. "You know, if you want me to take you there, I could totally do that. Just, uh, maybe put in a good word with Rarity for me?" He lifted his arms to flex them but stopped halfway through the process.
"That would be nice, Spike," Fluttershy replied, giggling as he backed away haltingly. "I need to talk to Twilight alone, so maybe you can talk to Rarity while I do that."
He took a step forward and nodded. "Really?" Eyes shimmering, he threw his arms around Fluttershy's forelegs. "Thanks, Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy tried to stifle another giggle, but the effort failed as she patted Spike's head. "You're welcome, Spike." Glancing in the direction of the Carousel Boutique, she sighed and said, "I guess we should get going, then."
Spike nodded. "Totally." Beaming, he shut the library door behind him and joined Fluttershy as she went off once again in search of Twilight.
If anything, Fluttershy only met with worse luck at the boutique. This time, she wasted no time knocking on the door. Every moment of anticipation quickened her heartbeat, and she could feel her stomach flipping over and over as she waited for some sort of answer.
For a moment, there was no answer. She waited another few moments, and an answer remained elusive. With a sigh, Fluttershy knocked again, but to no avail.
"I guess they're not here," Spike offered, shrugging.
"Yes, Spike," Fluttershy replied. "They probably left to talk somewhere else."
Seemingly from out of nowhere, Spike pulled a quill and parchment and held it up toward Fluttershy. "We could leave a note if you want."
Fluttershy's ears perked up. "Oh yes, please!" She leaned in toward Spike, and drew back to prepare for writing.
"Well?" he prompted after a moment of silence.
Fluttershy let out a high-pitched laugh and said, "Oh. Of course." Clearing her throat, she began to dictate her note:
"Dear Rarity: I came over earlier because Spike told me that Twilight had stopped by to see you. I'll talk to you later. Fluttershy."
"Flu…tter…shy." With a flourish of his pen, Spike grinned and gave Fluttershy the parchment. "Done!"
"Thank you so much, Spike." Fluttershy slipped the note under the door and sighed. "Sorry you didn't get to see Rarity."
Spike shrugged and threw his hands up. "It's all good. I still managed to get out of the library for a few minutes, so at least I got that." He turned to leave, waving as he walked. "Bye, Fluttershy. Good luck finding Twilight!"
"Oh, you're leaving?" Fluttershy asked, but it was too late. Spike continued to walk away, leaving Fluttershy with no other option but to return home. Hooves dragging against the ground, she slumped her shoulders and began the long, slow walk back to her cottage.
"Hey, Fluttershy!"
A polychromatic blur sped past Fluttershy's face, and she let out a startled scream as she jumped back into the door of the boutique. With another burst of speed, Rainbow Dash came to rest in front of her, landing softly on the ground despite the blazing speed she had shown just moments earlier.
"What are you doing at Rarity's place?" Rainbow asked, wrapping a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulders and leading her friend away from the boutique.
"I was looking for Twilight," she answered, averting her gaze, but Rainbow would have none of it.
"C'mon, Fluttershy. Why do you have to keep doing that?" She rolled her eyes and she grabbed Fluttershy's head and forced her friend to face her directly. "We aren't strangers or anything. Just look me in the eye."
Fluttershy brushed Rainbow's hooves away and nodded. "Okay," she replied, never taking her eyes off of Rainbow.
Rainbow grinned. "That's what I'm talking about!" They continued walking away, and Rainbow said, "Speaking of Twilight, I was just talking to Applejack about her."
"Oh really? What about?"
Rainbow lifted an eyebrow and smirked as she noticed that Fluttershy still didn't turn her gaze away. "Oh, you know." The smirk disappeared as it was now her turn to look at the ground. "She said she wouldn't avoid Twilight anymore. That's all."
Fluttershy took a moment to absorb the news. "Oh," she managed, sighing when no more words came into her mind. She shook her head.
"Um, do you want to talk about it?" Rainbow put her foreleg on Fluttershy's shoulders again, and Fluttershy leaned into her as they continued to walk.
"No," Fluttershy answered. After a brief pause, she added, "Actually, yes. I… It'll be Twilight's choice now, and I'll be happy either way. Everything will work out in the end, right?"
Rainbow saw the tears beginning to well up in Fluttershy's eyes and pulled her friend in for a tight hug. "Of course it will, Fluttershy." She squeezed Fluttershy once more before letting go. Jerking her head in the direction of the Everfree Forest, she said, "How about I take you home? You know, keep you company."
Wiping her eyes, Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "That sounds… lovely," she said, leaning into Rainbow's side as the two ponies began to make their way out of Ponyville. Eyes half-closed as she felt the warmth of Rainbow's coat against her, she whispered, "Thank you."
She half-expected Rainbow to snort and pull away, but instead she just smiled and nodded. "If there's ever anything I can do, Fluttershy—anything at all—just tell me. I'll always be there for you—always."
Fluttershy nodded and mumbled something appreciative to Rainbow, but the words were less important than the sound itself. It showed her recognition, her acknowledgement that Rainbow was there for her—would be there for her no matter what. She was Fluttershy's rock, her source of encouragement, like she had always been.
Like always.
Once Twilight suddenly left the Ponyville Spa, Rarity tried not to let her departure put a damper on her treatment. After all, she still had the mud mask to look forward to. And the body wrap. And the hooficure.
Sure, Twilight had been a bit rude, Rarity thought, but it's hardly my place to blame her. Love is love, and if one does not answer its call, one has no guarantee that it will still be there in the future.
Of course, just because Twilight hadn't ruined the spa trip didn't mean that Rarity wasn't in need of a pick-me-up. As she left feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, a sign on one of the nearby shops caught her eye. The Golden Candelabra. Rarity let the name roll through her mind relishing the wonderful concordance of syllables. It must be new; I don't believe I've seen this store before. And if she was going to go to one store, she might as well go to another. And another. And another.
So she went on, and by the time Rarity returned to her boutique, she was carrying bags from seven different stores located all across Ponyville. As she opened the door to her home and business, she looked at all the clothes and knickknacks she'd bought and giggled. Who says I can't splurge every so often?
Halfway through the doorway, something on the ground caught her eye, and she hurried past it so she could put her bags down. With her new purchases all left in a neat pile, she turned back to the entrance of the boutique and saw that somepony had left a note. Her horn glow as she picked the scrap of parchment up with her magic. Levitating the note as she went, she found her glasses on a nearby table and put them on.
"Dear Rarity: I came over earlier because Spike told me that Twilight had stopped by to see you. I'll talk to you later. Fluttershy." Rarity let the paper flutter down to the floor as her eyes widened. Fluttershy!
A pang of grief lanced through Rarity's heart as she grit her teeth and bowed her head. She doesn't even know! She'll be so devastated.
She cast a lingering glance back at all the scarves and hats and centerpieces she had just bought, but she shook her head. Those can wait, she thought. Fluttershy comes first.
Even decorum took a backseat to Rarity's friend, as she hardly paused to lock the door before galloping off toward Fluttershy's cottage.
Perhaps I may need to find some time to exercise. Rarity's rush to reach Fluttershy slowed down considerably before long. Her legs ached before she reached the edge of Ponyville, and by the time Fluttershy's cottage came into view, she couldn't even bring herself to trot. Walking's fine, she thought. Walking is dignified, after all.
Just as Rarity began to catch her breath, she grew close enough to the cottage to see in through the windows. Seeing Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sitting on the couch inside, she smiled. Oh, that's good. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are cuddling.
Rarity's hooves were suddenly rooted to the ground as she blinked rapidly. Rainbow Dash? Eyes darting about, Rarity dashed over to a nearby bush and hid behind it, keeping an eye on Fluttershy and Rainbow the whole way.
Her first impressions had not deceived her: Fluttershy and Rainbow were, indeed, sitting on Fluttershy's couch, with Fluttershy leaning into Rainbow's side as the latter draped her wing over the former. Both were beaming, and Rarity found their smiles contagious. After a moment, Fluttershy shifted a little bit, moving herself even closer to Rainbow's body, and the two ponies rested against each other as birds chirped and animals chattered all about.
I suppose I'm not needed here after all. Covering her mouth with her hooves, Rarity stifled a squeal and moved out from behind her hiding place. She let her gaze linger on the two ponies for a moment, but she knew she couldn't risk spoiling the moment. Doing her best to keep her hoofsteps silent, Rarity walked away from Fluttershy's cottage with a wide grin on her face and a wonderful new story on the tip of her tongue.
Twilight wanted the embrace to last forever, and it felt like something close, but at last she surrendered to reality and let Applejack go.
"I'm so happy I met you," she said, smacking her hoof against her face as soon as the words left her mouth. "I mean, I… Nevermind."
Applejack chuckled. "I'm glad I met you too, Twilight."
"So, what do we do now, Applejack?"
Applejack blinked a few times before chuckling and wrapping a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders. "What's the rush in doing that, sugarcube?"
"It's just, shouldn't we have some sort of idea of what comes next? Shouldn't we have a plan?"
Laughing again, Applejack turned Twilight toward the slowly setting sun and leaned into Twilight. "How's this? We'll spend the night here so we can get right to farming tomorrow morning."
"We'll need to stop by the library so I can let Spike know," Twilight said.
"Then we'll have dinner in town tonight," Applejack shot right back. She pulled away from Twilight to show her a broad grin. "My treat."
Twilight smiled back at her and nuzzled Applejack's neck. "That sounds wonderful."
As she started to walk down the road to Ponyville, Applejack nodded. "That's why I suggested it, sugarcube. And don't worry about the rest." She paused for a moment to grab Twilight's front hooves in her own. "We've got our whole lives to figure this out. Just don't fret about it and let what happens happen."
Tears threatened to return to Twilight's eyes, and she wiped them as she drew closer to Applejack. "I can do that," she said at last.
"And I can help you," Applejack replied, drawing closer to Twilight in turn.
Their muzzles mere inches away from each other, the two ponies, unlike so many times before, did not pull away. Instead, they both leaned forward, eyes closing as their muzzles grew closer… and closer… and closer…
Then they kissed.
And it was wonderful.