“I’m sorry Fluttershy, I’m so sorry.”
No matter how many times Twilight said that she still felt no better. Perhaps it was because Fluttershy couldn’t hear her, or maybe because she feared her friend would hate her for what she had done.
Fluttershy wasn’t like Rarity, she didn’t want to be fancy and popular among the social elite, and she only wanted a quiet life with her animals. Her living space reflected that well.
Her bedroom was small, and the only decorations in the room were several portraits of animals along with a clock and a few other essentials. That hardly mattered to Twilight as she sat on a chair, listening to the sounds of Fluttershy’s gentle breathing.
Twilight had spent hours on end sitting there, fresh tears constantly streaming down her face. She hardly noticed when Fluttershy twitched or flinched, although she already knew the pegasus in front of her was being plagued by horrible nightmares, so making the connection was hardly necessary.
Her necklace, which she had taken to calling her guardian because its purpose was to protect her and her identity from those who could cause harm, whether directly or not, was sitting on Fluttershy’s nightstand. Twilight had taken it off as soon as she had arrived, as despite that it would make her mostly just like an ordinary pony, it felt much more natural to her from the moment she transferred the protective enchantments off of herself. It was almost as if she was missing a part of herself, a part that she had recently reunited with, and wasn’t comfortable without it.
Twilight heard somepony knocking on the door. She didn’t want to leave Fluttershy’s side, but it was the least she could do for her friend to take care of her duties. Feeding the animals was her least favorite time because she had to go downstairs and even outside to fill all the birdfeeders and provide food to the hundreds of animals Fluttershy kept alongside her. Fluttershy couldn’t see or hear her, so Twilight didn’t have to be there with her until she would wake, and that wouldn’t be for over a week. The only thing keeping her here was regret.
Twilight levitated her necklace around her neck, quickly loosing that part of herself yet again. Her natural ability to change her appearance was all there, but Twilight, like many of her powers, had yet to master it.
Not only could she not change her appearance without spells and enchantments, she also needed more time become resistant to the harmful effects of sunlight. She kept Fluttershy’s house as dark as possible, her magic making up for the curtains inability to block all sunlight. Some of the animals weren’t very happy with this arrangement, but it made Twilight, and possibly even Fluttershy, a little more comfortable.
Twilight opened the door to find Rarity standing outside waiting. Her mane was a bit messy and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a few days, although that didn’t come close to comparing to Twilights appearance.
Rarity got over shock at Twilights appearance quickly, and asked, “Darling, what happened to you? You look as if you’ve been crying for days.”
Twilight yawned, “Well, I’m just a bit tired right now. I’m fine, really.
“Well, you certainly don’t look that way, but I won’t bother you about it. Anyway, is Fluttershy home?” she asked, shifting herself a bit to get a better view of the inside of the house.
Wiping her face to remove some of her most recent tears, she replied, “Sorry, she’s upstairs sleeping. She... caught a bit of a cold.”
“Well, that’s a shame; I had hoped she would be available. I had to reschedule our spa appointment due to a massive order that just came in. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to go alone.”
Rarity was about to give her farewells, but Twilight spoke up quickly, “Is it ok if I come with you?”
Rarity flinched slightly at the sudden question, but caught herself before Twilight noticed. After eyeing the purple unicorn over for a moment, she answered, “Well, you certainly look like you need a spa trip, of course you can come.”
“Sorry, I’m just a bit worried about Fluttershy.” Twilight turned to leave but Rarity grabbed her
“Now darling, I don’t have to be an expert on social interaction to know that you’re lying, so now tell me, what is it?”
Twilight hesitated, before coming up with a different thing that concerned her just as much, “I… Rarity, I think I’m in love with her.”
Rarity knew Twilight was hiding something, but decided to let it go for now. Instead she decided to congratulate her, “Why, that’s wonderful. We all know she won’t find love herself. Oh I hope this works out between you two.”
“Yeah, me too.” Twilight replied, hanging her head in shame.
Rarity looked her in the eye as best she could, “What’s wrong dear?”
“Well, I may have… said a few things to her. She probably hates me right now.”
“Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed, gaining the full attention the mare in front of her, “You know as well as I do that Fluttershy is just shy of being incapable of hate. I’m sure that she’ll forgive you, if not immediately than very soon.”
Twilight looked up with a smile, but looked to the sky with worry, “I hope so Rarity, I hope so. Let me leave a note for Fluttershy, then I’ll be out.”
“Well, I must say I don’t get to see you very often these days, this is a bit exiting.” As Twilight turned to go back into the house, Rarity made another comment, “Oh and that necklace looks beautiful on you.”
Twilight smiled and nodded. She went upstairs for a moment. Even though she wasn’t going to really leave Fluttershy a note, she had to make it seem convincing. She didn’t want to hurt another one of her friends, so the less suspicious Rarity was the better. Instead she used this time to say goodbye to Fluttershy. Note or words it wouldn’t matter, she wouldn’t wake up for a while, a week at least. It just made Twilight feel better.
After holding a short one sided conversation she went back downstairs, and then left with Rarity. It would do well for her to get some relaxation
-----
“Thanks Rarity, that was amazing.” Twilight said to Rarity as they walked away from the spa. The spa trip was really helpful, and it gave Twilight some time to think. She thought about her feelings for Fluttershy, and whether it was out of guilt or natural attraction, Twilight could only conclude that she really was in love with Fluttershy.
She also thought about the things Rarity said to her earlier. She was right, Fluttershy would never hate Twilight for what she did. Sure she would likely be the object of her friend’s fears for a while, but it would be the least she could do to be there for Fluttershy when she woke, and help her adjust to the new changes in her life.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it, and of course you’re welcome to join us at any time,” Rarity paused for a moment, “Well, I have some work to do, and I wouldn’t want to keep you. I guess we’ll see each other next time then.”
She began to walk off towards her home, but Twilight stopped her, “Rarity, if it’s not too much trouble, could you make me another necklace. I really want to give one to Fluttershy.” She pleaded, giving a look that expressed desperation, using it to hide the true purpose of her request.
Rarity smiled, “I would love to. I’ll have it ready in about a week, but I really must be going now.” She gave Twilight a sweet smile that was returned in kind.
As they both went their separate ways, Twilight began to take in the beauty of Ponyville in the early afternoon. No matter how long she lived there, the small towns simple elegance eluded her. Now that she was free from the restrictions of her usual schedules, she had more time to walk slowly and admire the scenery. Seeing things like the weather team clearing some stray clouds from the Everfree or watching the Cutie Mark Crusaders attempt to get cutie marks in home repair, it warmed Twilights heart more than books and magic ever could. It made her feel complete, to know that everypony around her trusted her and knew her as the pony who would be there to save Equestria at any time she was required to.
The wind blew leaves around as she spent time watching the ordinary life of the ponies around her. Watching fillies and colts play with their friends, oblivious to the things Twilight had went through when she was half their age, of the way Twilight had never gotten a chance to do the same. It brought tears of joy to her eyes, knowing they would never have to suffer the same as her, that they would never have to fear that their friends would hate and fear them because of the monster that they were made out to be.
Everypony she saw was free of the hardships that were left to her. She knew being a vampire wasn’t easy, and it would be even harder to find trust and love from the ponies that knew her best, all because she was different. Perhaps she was a monster, destined to feed off the blood of the innocent around her. Maybe she would become what everypony thought she was, a hunter of the night, preying upon innocent ponies all around. As much as she wanted to simply make peace and live in harmony with the ponies of Equestria, or even just have some land set aside just for her and others like her, the idea was strangely appealing to her. Maybe she could fall back to that idea, with a bit of tweaking, if she couldn’t reach an agreement with Celestia.
But now was not the time, as she had reached Fluttershy’s house. She stepped into her friend’s humble abode, and ran upstairs as fast as possible. She was relieved to find Fluttershy just where she was earlier, the only changes being from some small twitches.
Fluttershy squeaked a bit, and Twilight walked over. She hugged Fluttershy but soon left her. She learned it wasn’t good for her to brood over her regrets. Instead she went downstairs, taking off her guardian in the process. She set it down on her friends table, and after looking at it for a bit, cast some protective spells around it, but before she lied down on Fluttershy’s couch, it dawned on her that somepony might come in without knocking. She took the necklace back on, and after a bit of thought, cast some spells to make sure only she could take it off. It was probably just a bit of paranoia, but Twilight just didn’t trust those animals.
Twilight lied down, and closed her eyes. It would probably be best if she tried to pass the time until Fluttershy awoke with a bit of sleep.