//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: An Expression Of Love 
// by Fluttershy20 
//------------------------------//

Before the sun was all the way over the horizon, Twilight and Fluttershy were awake and getting themselves ready for what would be their furthest journey they have ever undertaken from their homes. Twilight was practically bouncing in excitement around the hotel room as she packed provisions, while Fluttershy sat on her haunches, her saddlebags in front of her, packing slowly.

“Right, that book is staying here. I don’t want something like that on my journey,” Twilight said to herself, with the ‘Meaning of Love’ grasped in her magic. She glanced around for anypony that might watch her, and then hid it at the back of the room’s bookcase.

“Twilight! Are you sure you can do that?” Fluttershy asked, shocked her friend would do that.

“I’m sure nopony would notice it, Fluttershy,” Twilight defended herself. “After all, it’s not like fillies or colts are going to use this room.” 

Fluttershy considered what her friend just said. “Oh, I-I guess you’re right,” she admitted eventually, then started packing her pack lunch once more. As she packed, her mind went back to the gut feeling she felt yesterday when dealing with Seahoof. She didn’t trust him. She couldn’t explain why but there was something about him she didn’t like. She felt like she was going crazy. Then she remembered she had a good friend by her side to help her, so she decided to ask her about it. “Twilight,” she called, turning her head around to face her friend. 

Twilight had her head stuffed in her saddlebags, with her rump high in the air and her tail swishing about as she looked for something. The sight forced a giggle out of the surprisingly easily amused pegasus. She got up, walked up to her friend and tapped her on the shoulder. “Twilight? Can I talk to you about something?”

Twilight shot her head out of the saddlebag, her mouth full of quills. Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “Um, what’s with all those quills?” 

Twilight stared at Fluttershy for a moment, then slowly looked down at the rather excessive amount of quills in her mouth. She quickly spat them back in the bag. “I was seeing if I had a considerable amount of quills incase I see something I’d like to draw, or jot down some notes.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You draw?”

Twilight nodded. “I love to draw. I would show you some of them now, but if I did we’ll be here for hours and miss our ship.”

Fluttershy quickly remembered why she brought Twilight’s head out of the bag. “Oh, yeah, about that. I wanted to talk to you about Seahoof.”

Twilight quickly shut the pouch of her saddlebag up with her magic, while looking at Fluttershy oddly. “What about him?” 

Fluttershy’s ears flattened, and she made a quick glance around the room incase anypony was listening. Twilight could only roll her eyes. “I might sound rude, I don’t mean to, but, I have to speak my mind. Do you trust Seahoof?”

Twilight’s eyes widened a little. “I don’t see him as somepony you can’t trust,” she replied, shaking her head. “Why? Don’t you?”

Fluttershy nodded curtly. “I’m sorry, but I have this feeling in my guts about him every time I think of him. I don’t know why, but I just don’t like him for some reason.”

Now Twilight was concerned, as was evident by the smile on her face fading. If Fluttershy, one of the friendliest and most open ponies she knew, didn’t trust somepony, then she knew she had to be cautious. She walked up to Fluttershy and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. However, if it will make you feel safer, we will stay together on the ship at all times, never once losing eye contact with each other, until we can be sure we can trust him. Okay?”

Fluttershy gave Twilight a small smile and nod in response. “I’m okay with that.” She let out a small sigh, and then gestured with her head at the saddlebags. “Well then, I suppose we better get going if we don’t want to miss our ship… unless you’re not ready, of course, then I can wait.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at Fluttershy’s meek politeness. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’m ready as well.” With that, she levitated her saddlebags onto her back, and then levitated Fluttershy’s onto its owner’s back, much to Fluttershy’s surprise.

“Thanks, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, smiling as best she could at her, even though she was worried.

Twilight smiled in kind. “No worries. Come on, then, let’s go.” She trotted past the pegasus, who was fiddling with the straps keeping her bag closed to see if they were done up tight. Once she saw that they were, she spun around, and followed Twilight out of the door, down the stairs and into the main reception.

The mare behind the desk looked at them slyly for a moment. “Nice evening, ladies?” she queried as they trotted up to her.

“Oh, yes, it was lovely. Best night’s sleep in ages,” Fluttershy remarked. “Thank you for letting us stay.”

The sly look on the mare vanished instantly. “Oh, you’re quite welcome… I’m glad you enjoyed your stay.”

Twilight smiled at her, then levitated the key out of her bag, and gave it to the mare. “Thanks again, and have a good rest of the day, Miss,” Twilight said as she turned to the door.

Fluttershy saw her looking about to leave, said a quick, “Thank you,” once more, then left the hotel with the unicorn.

“I thought those two were together,” the mare muttered to herself. She swiftly went back to her magazine. “Never make assumptions, or you will look and feel stupid.”





The walk back to the harbour seemed to take shorter than it did the previous evening, Fluttershy and Twilight reckoned, mostly because they could make it out in the distance. Around them, Vanhoover was quiet, save for a few shoppers, business ponies going to work, or ponies having a casual get-together at one of the cafes or restaurants. 

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy began. “I just thought of something.”

Twilight looked at her with a small, mischievous smirk. “I hope it didn’t hurt.”

Fluttershy snorted in an attempt to hide her giggle. “I deserve that one,” she said, looking at Twilight amiably. “But no, it didn’t, thank you for your concern.” Her teasing smile gave way to a more serious look. “Anyway, do you think we’ll find the ship easy, since Seahoof never told us where it would be?”

Twilight’s eyes widened as it dawned on her. “Oh yeah. He never did say, annoyingly.” Her eyes wandered across the city as she thought of a plan. “I know!” she exclaimed eventually. “We’ll head back to the pier we were on yesterday, and if he isn’t there, then we’ll begin searching the whole harbour.”

Fluttershy gulped. “T-the whole h-h-harbour?” she stammered.

Twilight nodded. “Why not? Between us we could cover a lot of ground.” Twilight grinned at herself, then looked up at the sun, to see that, to her alarm, it was just coming over the buildings. “Come on! Let’s pick up the pace or we’ll miss it!” Without a further word she galloped forward to the harbour.

Fluttershy watched her go in shock, then quickly recovered and galloped after her. Thanks to her longer legs, she caught up with Twilight quickly, and was soon galloping level with her as they raced down the hill towards the harbour.

A few minutes later, they were in the harbour itself, and they were blown away by just how big it was. Bigger than it looked yesterday. Dotted between the hundreds of huts, warehouses and other buildings, cranes taller than most towers and powered by magic lifted heavy loads from one crane to another, until the cargo was on one of the seemingly thousands of ships that packed the harbour. Steamships, cargo ships, even old warships called this place home, and helped keep it alive with bells tolling, sails blowing and the occasional steam whistle going off every now and then.

“Do you remember where we were yesterday, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked as her head zoomed about as she looked around the harbour, her eyes wide with fascination.

“Um… I think we were over there,” Twilight answered, pointing to the pier directly in front of them. Twilight proceeded to trot towards the long, stone pier, with Fluttershy quickly in tow.

It was about halfway across that they suddenly ran into Seahoof, who was leaning against a wooden shack blowing bubbles. “Good morning, lassies,” he greeted them when they came into view.

Fluttershy screamed in fright, and jumped and cowered behind Twilight, who was frozen in place by Seahoof’s sudden appearance. The unicorn quickly regained her composure, and turned to face the stallion. “Good morning, Seahoof,” she greeted him in return, trying to hide her annoyance of him at startling her friend and love. 

“Aye indeed, it is a fine good morning for a day of sea faring,” he said, gesturing with a hoof out to the sea, which was as calm as the sky above it; smooth, but with a few rough patches here and there. “I trust you two are ready for the three day voyage that awaits us?”

“I think we are,” Twilight said. Fluttershy craned her head up from hiding behind Twilight to give him a nod of acknowledgement.

Seahoof blew a few more bubbles from his pipe. “Then follow me,” he said. With that, he got up and began walking off the pier to the ship. The two mares looked at each other for a moment, Fluttershy looking more wary than Twilight.

“Just remember to stick together, and everything will be fine,” Twilight assured her, bringing her head close so her cheek was touching Fluttershy’s.

The pegasus’s cheeks went pink at the touch. “I know, and I hope you are right and we can trust him.”

Twilight began to walk. “So do I.” With that, the two broke into a trot and caught up with Seahoof, who led them off the pier, down the harbour passed a few warehouses and shacks, to the furthest one at the eastern side of the harbour.

When they finally arrived, Seahoof chewed on his pipe, and stared the ship in front of them proudly. “So what do you think of the Wave Breaker, lassies?” he asked, turning his head to look at them.

Twilight and Fluttershy were left mostly speechless, for they didn’t know if they should say the ship was a pile of junk, or a rare beauty on the sea. It was a steamship, yet definitely one of the oldest ships that still sailed the ocean. Its hull, once a gleaming metal grey, was now becoming a dark rusty brown. Its bridge stood at its centre, with a single chimney belching thick white smoke protruding from the top. Its bow was mostly featureless, save for a railing that ran along the tip of the bow, and a door leading down into the lower decks. The same went for its slightly raised stern. Below the main deck, two rows of windows ran along the side of the ship, each once a bright bronze, but now rusting and nearly broken, much like the rest of the Wave Breaker.

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged nervous glances; glances, that didn’t go unnoticed by Seahoof. “I know she may look old, but she’s the gentlest and fastest ship in these waters.”

“Oh, and I’m sure she is,” Twilight said, grinning widely. Fluttershy followed suite, although it looked more false than Twilight’s. “And it looks…” She bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of a word.

“Something?” Fluttershy suggested into her ear.

“Yes! Something,” Twilight said. “A good something. And I love how… sleek it looks. Very sleek, isn’t it, Fluttershy?” She looked to her pegasus friend for help.

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Oh, yes, very sleek. It’s… nice,” she said, trying to avoid Seahoof’s looks.

Seahoof blew a few more bubbles from his pipe, and then burst out laughing. “Oh, dear lassies, there’s no need to be so modest to dear old me. I know she’s a pile of junk, but the fact is, she’s my pile of junk.” He lifted a hoof up, and pointed to the wooden plank that ran from the pier to the ship. “Now, if you two are going to stop dawdling, I suggest we better get on board and get away. It’s a three day trip to the Iron Pony Islands, and the sooner we’re away, the better.” With that, he began trotting over to his ship and shouting out orders for the crew to get ready for cast-off.

“Are you certain you want to do this, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, her eyes going over the ship, while a bead of sweat trickled down her brow at the thought of so much water. “I’m not going to be mad if you don’t want to, but it will be hard to change our minds once we’re away.”

Fluttershy looked at Twilight with a sweet smile. “I know you won’t be mad, Twilight. And I know it will be hard to turn back once we’re away, but I won’t change my mind.” The two began walking towards the ship. “And besides, if I do feel like turning around and running back home, I know I have a good friend with me to turn me the right way round.”

Twilight chuckled. “Yeah, although I might join you in turning around. I just hope this ship is stable enough against so much… water,” she said nervously, gulping when she looked between the gangplank and the ship, at the deep, blue water that lay below it. ‘That flower had to be over the sea, didn’t it? Blooming typical,’ Twilight moaned in thought. ‘Still, it would all be worth it if I come back with Fluttershy as a marefriend.’

Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion; she had never seen Twilight act like this before. She gave Twilight a little tap on the shoulder. “Twilight? Are you okay?”

Twilight looked up, and smiled assuredly at her. “I’m fine, thanks. Just fine.” As soon as she finished speaking, her horn lit up, and she disappeared in a flash of magenta, only to re-appear on the main deck of the ship, breathing a deep sigh of relief. 

‘Oh, dear,’ Fluttershy thought. ‘I hope she’s not getting homesick.’ She knew the feeling of homesickness, and didn’t want Twilight to go through what she did; crying throughout the night in her new home because she was missing her old home too much. ‘It won’t come to that. Twilight will have me to comfort her if it does.’

“Excuse me, miss?” one of the ponies on the ship called to her. Fluttershy’s eyes shot left to face him. “We’re just about to cast off. Would you like to come aboard now?”

Fluttershy blushed a light pink when she realised she was holding everypony up. “Oh, yes. Sorry,” she called as she broke into a trot over the gangplank and onto the Wave Breaker itself. As soon as she was out of its way and next to Twilight, two ponies pulled that gangplank in, while another unfastened the ropes holding it to the pier.

“We’re good to go, captain!” a pegasus mare called from the bridge.

“Then set her moving, first mare!” Seahoof called up, lifting a hoof in acknowledgement. At once, the deck shook a little as the engines began to turn at full power, and the ship began to surge slowly forward. 

Fluttershy looked over to Twilight to see her hooves were planted onto the deck as though they had been stuck there by glue, and her eyes were shut as she tried to ignore the rocking of the ship. She inched herself closer so their sides were touching, and gave Twilight a brief nuzzle in comfort. “It’s okay,” she said sweetly. “Once we get going I’m sure it’ll be smoother.”

Twilight’s eyes opened immediately upon feeling Fluttershy’s nuzzle to the side of her face, and lightly blushed. ‘Oh, go away blush. You’re not wanted here.’ But it was something she felt she needed right now, the comfort and closeness of a true, true friend. ‘Hmm, that sounds like a good title for a song,’ she mused at the thought. “You’re right, Fluttershy,” she said, feeling better already. She was about to say more, when Seahoof came down from the bridge and headed towards them.

“Now, before I give you lassies a tour of the ship, is there any question first?” he asked.

Twilight lifted her hoof up in an instant. “I have one.” Seahoof nodded at her to continue. “Is there a toilet on this ship? I really, really need to go now,” she said, jogging on the spot.

Seahoof nodded, with a small chuckle escaping from his lips. “Sure. There’s one on the stern of the ship,” he answered, pointing to the back on the ship, then quietly adding, “on the poop deck.”

Twilight nodded in thanks, while Fluttershy covered her mouth to silence the giggle she wanted to release. Twilight spun around and trotted off to the back of the ship, while Seahoof and Fluttershy waited to see how long it would take Twilight to get it. The unicorn was about to round the corner when she suddenly stopped, with her head raising to its full height as she realised it. “Oh… ew,” she whispered, before trotting on out of sight.

Seahoof laughed aloud, while Fluttershy giggled quietly with a hoof over her mouth. “Gets them every time,” he muttered. 

He looked at Fluttershy, who quickly realised with a fading smile she was left alone with somepony she didn’t fully trust yet. “Um… I-I should be with Twilight,” she excused herself from him. She took a single step forward, before Seahoof spoke again.

“Ah, I think she’ll be fine for a moment, young lass,” he assured her, smiling amiably. He stepped back from her, and then sat down on his haunches. “Take a fine look behind us, Fluttershy,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the harbour of Vanhoover, which was, even now, beginning to grow smaller as they moved into the massive bay. “That’s the last time you will see Equestria for a long time.”

Fluttershy took her eyes off Seahoof to gaze at the disappearing city of Vanhoover, and the disappearing sight of her home country. She thought she would be crying at this point, to be seeing everything she loved left behind her as she moved away from it all, but she didn’t see the point. Like Twilight said, they will return, whether triumphant in their discovery, or not. “Is it sad for you to leave this all behind every time you set out?” she asked, turning her head to look at him.

Seahoof nodded blankly. “Oh, aye. I love my country, lass. It pains me most of the time to see it behind me, but what else can I do?” he asked with a shrug. “But anyway, let’s not talk about Equestria for a while, let’s talk about you and Miss Sparkle.”

Fluttershy felt most uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Oh, okay, um… what do you want to know about us?” she asked, shifting herself about while trying to look away from him.

“Well, everything that isn’t too uncomfortable, really,” Seahoof answered. “You seem like such a close couple, after all, and it would be nice to get to know you two better – after all, we’re going to be together for a while.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks went bright pink once more. “Oh no, we’re just friends,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head sternly. Yet, as she said it, a part of her wished that wasn’t true. ‘Why would I think that?’ she thought. 

“Really?” Seahoof looked surprised. “Forgive me for thinking so, but from the way you and her were together, you seemed really close.”

“We’re close friends, sir,” Fluttershy explained. “But we are not that close.”

‘Yeah, but you wish you were,’ her mind said to her.

‘Oh, please be quiet, brain, you’re not helping here,’ Fluttershy said. However, now that she was thinking about it, the thought wouldn’t go away. Was her mind right? Would she like to be closer to Twilight than she was now?

‘No!’ she screamed in thought. “Excuse me, sir, but I think I need to go after Twilight.” She didn’t wait for Seahoof to reply, for she got up, whisked past him and headed towards the stern of the ship. 

Once she got out of sight of Seahoof, she stopped and leaned her head against the wall, and tapped her head lightly against it, as though she was trying to rid herself of the thought. ‘I can’t,’ she told her mind. ‘I could never love Twilight like that. She’s my friend, and it would be better for both of us that it stays that way.’

‘Really?’ her mind retorted. ‘To be honest, Fluttershy, I think you are lying to yourself here. You are in love with Twilight, and you have been for a long, long time.’

Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open in shock. ‘How could you, uh, I mean, I think that? You remember the promise I made to myself.’

‘Yes, we both remember it clear as day. Yet it is a foolish and ridiculous promise that we made. Moreover, for how I can say that you love Twilight Sparkle? Well, I have one example of many. Remember when Trixie first came into town?’

‘Yes, of course I remember that.’

‘Yeah, well, when she started humiliating all your friends, did you step up and tell her to stop? No. Instead, you ran off with Pinkie to organise a surprise party for her to maybe get her out of that arrogant streak.’

Fluttershy let out a sad sigh as she remembered she did run off with Pinkie at that moment, unable to watch the humiliation of her friends any longer, and too scared to do anything to stop her. ‘Yes, I remember, so what’s your point?’

‘Yes, so when Trixie comes back to humiliate Twilight, what did you do? You stood up to Trixie and helped Twilight return to Ponyville! The point is, you have had more affection towards Twilight than anypony else, and you would always defend her over everypony else should she be hurt, or comfort her when she was upset.’

Fluttershy started shaking her head in disbelief, even though she saw her mind was making complete sense. ‘No, no, no, no, NO! I don’t… I don’t…’

‘Face it, Fluttershy, you have loved her for a long time, and have been denying it to yourself for so long. You want her in your embrace, you want her breath against you, you want her lips–’

“SHUT UP!” Fluttershy screamed aloud, her hooves on her head and her eyes closed. She opened them up to look around in horror as she realised she had said that aloud. She put her hooves against her mouth, hid her face behind her mane, and started to tear up. “I don’t love her, I don’t love her, I don’t love her,” she repeated to herself, rocking back and forth.

At that moment, Twilight galloped around the corner, wanting to get to her friend as quick as she could. She stopped and gasped in horror when she saw Fluttershy sitting by the wall, with half her face covered by her mane, and looking like she was going to cry. Twilight hastily galloped towards her, and embraced her crush in a comforting hug. “Fluttershy, I heard you scream out, what’s wrong?” she asked gently, rubbing her back in gentle and delicate circles. “Shh, it’s okay, Fluttershy. It’s all okay.”

Fluttershy sniffed and wiped her eyes, and looked at Twilight with a small smile, even though she was shaking with fright. “I know, and everything’s fine now, Twilight,” she lied. It hurt her a lot to lie to one of her closest friends, but she felt it had to be done. “I was just thinking about something, and I might have thought it aloud. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

Twilight patted her on the back, and then pulled out the hug. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. So long as you’re fine, then I’m fine.” She set herself back on all fours. “Right, I suppose we better get on with this tour Seahoof wanted to give us.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, then followed Twilight back to the front of the ship, where Seahoof was waiting for them. “Are you all right, lass?” he asked Fluttershy concernedly. “I heard you scream out for some reason. Was one of my crew giving ya a hard time?”

“Oh, no, it’s okay, sir. Nopony was giving me a hard time. I just thought about something from long ago, and I couldn’t stop myself from shouting it out. Sorry if I worried any of you.”

Seahoof chuckled, while a few bubbles escaped from his pipe. “It’s all right, lass. And please, call me Seahoof, and not sir; it makes me sound old.” He gently brushed past the two ponies, and stopped just outside the iron door that was just below the bridge, and led down into the ship itself. “Right, if you would follow me, the tour will begin. You have the ship, first mare!” With that, he opened the door, and stepped inside the ship.

The two mares walked slowly after. “Ooo, I hope they have a library on this ship,” Twilight whispered hopefully.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight with a wry grin. “If they do, I’ll see you when we get to the Iron Pony Islands in three days time,” she said jokingly.

“Heh, you would come down and see me, though, won’t you?” she asked, giving Fluttershy puppy dog eyes and a pleading grin. 

Fluttershy couldn’t help but think how cute she looked at that moment. ‘Stop thinking her as cute!’ she raged in thought. “Of course I will,” she said, ignoring her mind’s other thought. “I doubt there’ll be anything here for me to be excited about.” 

“Oh, I’m sure there will be something you could enjoy here,” Twilight assured her. “If not inside, then I’m certain something out here would suffice, like trying to spot for whales, or even dolphins.”

Fluttershy’s ears pricked up at their highest at the mention of whales, and a large grin spread across her face at the mention of dolphins. “Oh, that would be so magical!” she squealed, nearly dancing across the deck. “I have always wanted to see humpback whales the most, and see one breeching the water and then going back under again. Oh, that would be so awesome!”

Fluttershy’s excitement was very contagious, for Twilight was beginning to feel a grin spread across her face as she watched Fluttershy dance gracefully at the thought of seeing whales and maybe other sea creatures on their travels. She briefly imagined the two of them sitting at the side of the ship, close together with a mug of hot chocolate or other drink in hoof, as they watched the whales breech the water, and then disappear. ‘That would be so romantic,’ Twilight thought cheerily.

“Uh, lassies? You there?” Seahoof called from behind the door.

Twilight and Fluttershy were quickly shaken out of their thoughts at the sound of Seahoof’s voice. “Coming!” Twilight called as she opened the door wider with her magic. “After you, Fluttershy,” she said, gesturing with her hoof for the pegasus to walk through.

“Thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, bowing her head, before walking through the door. Once she was through, Twilight entered next, and closed the door behind her.

“Now,” Seahoof began the tour, “I’m gonna have to keep this short and sweet, lassies, for I need to get back to controlling my ship.” He led the two ponies to the end of the corridor, where to their right were some stairs leading down to the lower decks, while in front of them was a single closed door. 

“Through there,” he pointed, “is the main mess room. If you want to get a small drink, or a light snack if you’re feeling peckish, then that’s the place to go. In addition, lassies, if you want to play pool, then we have a table in there for you to play on. We have other games in there, but I am sure you could find them easily enough. With me so far?” The two ponies nodded, both thinking eagerly about playing against the other at some point. “All right, then. If you would follow me then we head down to the next deck.”

“But, what about the stairs going up?” Twilight asked, pointing to them.

Seahoof looked at the stairs, then back to them. “Ah, that’s just the bridge up there, lassies. Nothing of any interest or importance to you,” he said, grinning unconvincingly – at least, that’s what it seemed to Fluttershy. 

Twilight didn’t seem to notice. “Fair enough then. Lead on, captain,” Twilight goaded him on. Seahoof nodded, then turned around and trotted down the stairs, with Twilight and Fluttershy close behind.

“All right,” Seahoof said as they arrived. He waited for the two to stand alongside each other, looking at him like puppies awaiting a treat for good behaviour, then pointed right. “Down there and through that door is the main engine room, which is out of bounds to anypony except the crew who works it. Next to it, through that door there, is the small library; we thought it might be best for ponies who like a bit of reading while at sea.”

Fluttershy groaned inwardly. ‘It was lovely travelling with you, Twilight,’ she thought. ‘I’ll see you on the other side of the world.’

The mare in question squealed in joy, and raced away from the two of them down the corridor to the door, pushing it aside and disappearing inside to have a look. “Um, lass?” Seahoof called. “Could that at least wait until we have finished the tour?”

A minute later, Twilight poked her head out the door, blushing pink in embarrassment, which made Fluttershy cover her face with her mane so she could giggle politely. Twilight trotted out of the small library with her head down, and grinning sheepishly. “Sorry about that, Seahoof. I just got a bit excited when you mentioned a library. I can get pretty distracted like that.”

“She can,” Fluttershy said. “When we were in the Crystal Empire, she ran off ahead of us after our friend mentioned a library.” Twilight’s blush grew larger, and turned pinker at the mention of that moment.

Seahoof merely chuckled. “Sounds like you’ll be just fine on this voyage, miss Sparkle. Now please, let me show the last part of the tour: your quarters.” He turned around, and trotted down the corridor, with Twilight behind him, followed by Fluttershy.

Eventually, after a few twists and turns, the three stopped outside a door that was at the front of the ship. Above them, they could hear the sound of hooves hitting the ground as the crew above went about their work. “Don’t worry about that ruckus up there, lassies,” Seahoof assured them. “Inside your little cabin, the only sounds you will hear will be your breathing, and the sound of the waves outside.” He pushed the door open, and stepped aside, allowing Fluttershy and Twilight to see where they were staying for the duration of the voyage.

It was a cosy, and quaint little cabin. Two large beds sat opposite each other against the walls. A large circular window faced the door, and showed a spectacular view of the bay as they began to leave Equestria. And a small wardrobe rested in the far left corner, big enough for the ponies to leave their saddlebags in. 

“Is it to your liking?” Seahoof asked, looking at Fluttershy, then Twilight.

“It’s perfect, Seahoof. Thank you,” Twilight said first, glad she hid her disappointment that there was two beds and not the one; she had gotten used to sharing a bed with Fluttershy.

“It looks lovely, captain,” Fluttershy remarked, looking at Seahoof but not directly in the eye. “Thank you.”

Seahoof chuckled. “It’s isn’t a problem, lassies. ’Tis not like I would leave you out to sleep on the deck?” He laughed boomingly. “If ya need anything, just let old Seahoof know, and I will see to it personally. Now, I must get back to my crew; they are useless without me.” He smiled at them amiably. “Enjoy your stay, lassies,” he said, and then trotted back towards the stairs, leaving the two mares alone.

“That was the shortest tour I have ever been on,” Twilight muttered. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Right then, I suppose we have to decide on the most important part without spilling each other’s blood: who wants what bed?”

Fluttershy’s eyes flicked from the bed on the left, to the one on the right. “How about we try them both out and see which one is more comfortable for us?” Fluttershy suggested. “My back starts to ache if I lie on a hard mattress.”

Twilight smiled. “As always, Fluttershy, you know how to do this without arguing.” Fluttershy blushed at the praise. “I wish the others were more like you sometimes. The last time I had a sleepover with all of them except you, they argued over what bed to have. They were shouting and everything! Over beds! If I hadn’t intervened, they would have started hoof wrestling each other for one!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in horror. “Even Rarity?”

“Especially Rarity,” Twilight answered grimly.

Fluttershy clamped a hoof over her mouth. “Goodness! Luckily I wasn’t there then. I probably would have left.” 

“And I would have joined you,” Twilight said. She walked into the cabin, with Fluttershy closing the door gently behind her. “Why didn’t you come again? I can’t quite remember.” 

“Oh, because I had a really sick patient I had to keep a close eye on,” Fluttershy answered, her head down and her ears flat. “The poor little thing. I was really scared that she wouldn’t make it at one point, but the next morning she stabilised, and a week later she went back home with the rest of her wolf pack.” She smiled blissfully as she remembered the pack running back into the forest.

“Wow,” Twilight gasped. “You never said how you were able to save a wolf from death?”

“Oh it wasn’t a wolf – a proper wolf, I mean – it was a dire wolf. So cute and so fluffy she was, and a true lady as well,” Fluttershy said proudly. “She comes and stops by to see me sometimes, and even brings her little cubs along. I imagine they’ve grown up by now.”

She looked back at Twilight, who had gone pale at the thought there were fully-grown dire wolves in the Everfree forest. “Remind me to never walk into the Everfree forest again without you,” she advised her. She picked up her saddlebags with her magic, and then stacked them into the cupboard.

“Oh don’t worry,” Fluttershy assured her, “They won’t attack any ponies; I made sure of that, after they threatened me if I couldn’t help her.”

Twilight’s face went dark at the thought of Fluttershy being threatened by large, terrifying dire wolves. “Why didn’t you tell me this? I would have been by your side instantly.”

“I was able to take care of myself, Twilight; a quick use of the stare brought them all into submission, and I chastised them for their rude behaviour. I told them, ‘All you had to do was let me have a look at her, and I would help.’ They all backed down after that, and I took the dire wolf inside to get a proper look at. The rest you know.”

Twilight looked at Fluttershy with a new sense of admiration. “If I may ask, how dangerous can what you do be sometimes? You’ve never really talked much about what you do.”

“Oh, it’s quite dangerous, if I’m honest. The animals from the Everfree forest are the rudest, and the most violent sometimes, but they don’t harm me; I make sure they don’t harm me, and if they try, I either talk them down, or get them on their bellies and pin them down with enough force so not to hurt them.” Upon seeing the perplexed look on Twilight’s face, she quietly added, “My uncle’s a Jujitsu trainer in his spare time. He thought it might be best for me to learn some moves.”

Twilight, with her mouth agape, slowly shook her head in disbelief. “Fluttershy. You fascinate me. Do you know that?” she said when she was able to speak again.

Fluttershy, blushing pink once more, shook her head. “I don’t see it as a fascinating job, to be honest. It’s not like what you do, Twilight. Being a student to the Princess and all. That must be amazing.”

“Oh, it’s amazing, but not that amazing,” Twilight replied, waving it away. 

Fluttershy looked confused. “Although Celestia is a good teacher,” Twilight continued, “and I love studying and learning new things, I admit that sometimes I get really tired and cranky from doing so much studying for her, and I do get tired of it all sometimes. I mean, you all have jobs, get paid, and have lives. I’m still a student, with a low pay and half of my life still stuck indoors surrounded by books.”

Fluttershy tilted her head even further, still confused by Twilight’s complaints. “But, I thought you loved all that?”

“Oh, I do, I love it a lot. I don’t know where I would be without my books,” Twilight said. “But sometimes I think if I did this or that, then what would my life have been like. Would it have been for the better, or the worse?”

“Well, I would say it would have changed for the worse,” Fluttershy answered instantly, much to Twilight’s shock. Before Twilight could ask why, Fluttershy grabbed her in a hug. “Because we wouldn’t have met you otherwise, nor would we have all come together like the close group of friends we are today. So don’t think about stuff like that, or it might start hurting.” She pulled away from her, and smirked playfully at her. “I can see the smoke rising from your ears even now.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “There’s smoke coming out of my ears?” she cried, her eyes wandering frantically to the corners looking for smoke.

Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “There’s no smoke coming out of your ears, Twilight. It’s just a little joke my mum said to me once when I told her I was thinking hard once.”

Twilight instantly calmed down, and began to laugh. “Oh, I should’ve known your mother would have been the one to come up with that,” she said at last. She smiled affectionally at her, making Fluttershy’s heart soar with happiness, much to the pegasus’s confusion. “Thank you for putting some sense into me, Fluttershy. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Fluttershy smiled, and dipped her head. “It’s the least I can do.” She clapped her hooves together, and then looked at each of the beds. “Now, which one do you want to look at first?”

Twilight let out a low hum as she pondered, her eyes flicking from one bed to the other. “I’ll try out this one first,” she said, pointing to the bed left of the door. She jumped up on it and set herself down onto her side, shifting about to make herself comfortable. The bed mattress was hard, and strong – perfect for Twilight. She normally didn’t mind if the bed was soft or hard, but if it helped to get through this without argument, then she would do anything.

“I don’t think you want to try out this bed, Fluttershy,” Twilight reckoned. “It’s a bit hard.”

“Is it? Oh well, then I’ll take this one then. I hope it’s okay.” Fluttershy jumped up onto the other bed, and laid out flat on her side facing Twilight. Unlike Twilight’s bed, the mattress was as soft as a cloud, and Fluttershy could feel her body sink into it. “Perfect,” she purred, sighing beatifically.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the two of them wouldn’t have to go to Seahoof to get another room because the beds were too hard. “I’m glad we came to a agreeable conclusion,” Twilight said, sitting upright again. “Now what do we do?”

Fluttershy set herself upright as well, smiling at Twilight. “Well, if you want, you could go to the library now… if you want to, of course.” 

Twilight’s smile faded a little. “But what about you? Will you be all right without me for the moment?” She was reluctant to leave the pegasus alone for a while, even if they were on the same ship. ‘And,’ Twilight reminded herself, ‘I promised her I would not leave her alone until she felt safe.’ 

Fluttershy, to her surprise, nodded. “I think I’ll be all right, Twilight. It’s okay. I know we agreed to not leave each other’s eyesight, but when I was alone with Seahoof he didn’t do anything to me, so I should be okay.” She gestured her head for Twilight to go. “I won’t leave this room. I promise you that. Now get to the first love of your life.”

Although Twilight giggled at Fluttershy’s joke, she wished she knew the truth of that. “All right,” Twilight agreed reluctantly, getting off the bed. “I won’t be too long; I’ll just have a quick browse and come back with what I fancy. See you in a bit.” ‘My love.’ With that, she trotted out of the door and down the corridor, her face an expression of nervous excitement.

Fluttershy watched her leave with a little wave and a small smile; glad she was off to do her own thing for a while. ‘It won’t be good for the both of us if we’re always together,’ she believed. And, on the plus side, it gave her some time to think. Celestia knew she needed it.

With a heavy sigh, she flopped back onto the bed, and rolled onto her back. ‘Okay, brain, sorry for shouting at yo– I mean, me, earlier,’ she said to her mind. ‘Why do you think that I love Twilight?’

‘Oh, back to this now, are we?’ her mind teased. ‘Oh, I’m going to enjoy this. Firstly, I don’t think you’re in love with Twilight. I’m certain. Your heart flutters every time you make her smile, and the butterflies in your stomach go wild when she hugs you, or stays close to you. And finally, you always snatch at the chance to be with her, just to be in her company, like this trip you and her are taking.’

Fluttershy groaned loudly, rubbing her head with her hooves as she tried to understand what her mind was telling her. She knew she couldn’t argue with it, for it was her mind, and she knew it was a part of her, so it knew what she thought and loved. However, that didn’t mean her mind could not be confused. ‘Maybe you are right, but then again you might be wrong,’ Fluttershy countered. ‘Twilight has always been a good friend. Without her I wouldn’t be the pony I am today, nor have such good friends by my side.’

‘Exactly,’ her mind whispered. ‘All the more reason as to why you love her.’

Fluttershy could feel herself getting increasingly stressed. ‘I do not  love her, brain. I will never love her more than a friend. So leave me alone!’

‘Fair enough, but if you keep denying yourself this, then you will never find true happiness.’ With that, her mind went empty with such thoughts.

“As if I need true love to be happy,” Fluttershy muttered to herself, rising from her position to look out the window. “I’ve got everything I have ever desired: my own home, loving and understanding friends, my animal friends, a good life now; a great life. I don’t feel the need to see it completed by love, so why should I?” She nodded to herself, proud to come to a conclusion. “I will keep the promise I made to myself, and nopony will ever get hurt.”

She went over to the wardrobe, opened it, then got out her Daring Do book she was reading, jumped back on the bed and opened it up to the page she remembered she had left off. As she flicked down the words, her mind began to think again. Was she truly happy without a special somepony to call her own? Was she just content to live alone for all her life, without somepony to wake up alongside, and embrace in the cold winter?

She did not know, and that realisation terrified her. Sure, there might be somepony that might come along one day that she would adore and want to be with for the rest of her life, but that hasn’t happened yet. ‘Unless I make it happen,’ she realised.

She suddenly thought how silly she sounded. Her? Going out and meeting new ponies and trying to go on a date? She would laugh out loud if she could. ‘Who would want to be with me, anyway? I’m the shy pegasus mare who frolics with animals more than being with other ponies. Nopony would want to be my special somepony.’ 

Blanking out her thoughts, she went back to her book, and soon became lost in the pages, a content smile on her face.





Meanwhile, Twilight trotted down the corridor with a cheery tune humming from her mouth. She turned left down one corridor, and then went right as she tried to remember where the library was. She stopped and smiled when she saw the stairway leading up to the main deck, and the library at the far end of the corridor.

She looked back once more incase Fluttershy was trotting after her, not wanting to be alone for so long. She sighed sadly that she didn’t see or hear her.  ‘She’ll be fine, Twilight,’ she assured herself. ‘She’s a grown mare that is two years older than you, and she could look after herself. You’ve seen that yourself.’

‘Yes, I have,’ Twilight admitted, ‘But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need a pony to look after her from time to time.’ She blacked out those thoughts, and began trotting down the corridor towards the library, intent on forgetting about Fluttershy for a moment and just get on to the books.

Yet, no matter how hard she tried to take her out for a moment, Fluttershy was always on her mind. Every day, living or sleeping, Fluttershy always appeared, whether it was looking back at old times, or looking into the future, with her as an old unicorn who can barely get off a chair and walk. All that time, Fluttershy was there, looking as young and as beautiful as she was the day she had met her.

She giggled to herself as she thought about the day she and Fluttershy met: the awkward introduction, the moment she was sent flying by the pegasus when she saw Spike, and the walk to the library with Spike talking about his whole life so far. ‘Strange,’ she mused as she wondered about her meeting. She talked minimally to Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Yet when she met Fluttershy, the sheer beauty of the birds singing took her aback, and wanted to get to know the pegasus who made such a beautiful sound.  ‘Was it the birds, though, or the pegasus teaching them to sing?’ she wondered. The thought struck her like an anvil falling on her head. What if she had felt something for Fluttershy then, but didn’t know it?

‘Possible, I suppose,’ she thought. ‘It’s not unheard of for somepony to fall in love with another on sight, but it sounds incredibly cheesy.’ Even if she did, it didn’t matter now. What did matter was that Fluttershy and her were on this trip together, and nopony, not even Princess Celestia sending her a message saying the apocalypse was nigh, would stop her from admitting her feelings. ‘Fluttershy will know how I feel about her by the end of this,’ she promised herself.

She suddenly realised she had been standing in front of the library door for a few minutes, and blushed sheepishly. Quickly looking around incase somepony found her lollygagging, she opened the door up, and slipped inside.

Although she had a look inside before, she didn’t get a proper good look as she had hoped. Now there was nothing barring her back. The room wasn’t as big as she’d hoped, but the dozen shelves that made up the room was crammed with books of different types and genres: adventure, romance, comedy, historical, science, everything a pony would want to read was here.

Twilight could feel her eyes widen in delight as she took it all in. “Wow,” she whispered, looking about as she pondered on where to begin. Eventually, she decided on going to the back, then heading forward. She knew what she was looking for; a romance book that didn’t contain any of what she had briefly read in, ‘The Meaning of Love’. Something that didn’t lead to what she had saw on those pages, something that could help her confess her feelings because, although the flower was the expression of the love she had for Fluttershy, she knew she had to say something that would confirm Fluttershy’s suspicions when the time came.

‘Would just ‘I love you’ suffice?’ she wondered. ‘Or would she want more than that, maybe an explanation as to why.’ With that thought in mind, she began rummaging through the different books, mostly looking for the ones with a romance theme in mind, yet keeping her mind open to others that had moments of love in them. She pulled one out, flicked through it to see if it was readable, then either put it on the small table in the corner, or if she didn’t like it, put it back.

Ten minutes later, she had about fifteen different books to take back to their quarters, each on a different subject, yet each had a scene where love was confessed between two characters, and each was different. “I’ll have a look at all of these, then pick out which one would work for me,” she declared to herself, giggling in thought. Once she had her confession sorted, it would be up to Fluttershy.

And, if she was honest, which she was, the thought terrified her. Although Fluttershy had opened up to her in the past few days, had laughed with her into the night, awoke to find one of them hugging the other, and talked and been closer than ever before, there was still no signal for Twilight to see how she would react to such news. 

A thousand paranoiac thoughts swept through her mind, some where Fluttershy had raged at her and told her to leave and never speak to her again, and others where Fluttershy said she wasn’t interested, yet wanted to stay as friends. Twilight didn’t want any of those to happen. However, if Twilight was going to be rejected, she would take the latter than the former any day. ‘Besides, Fluttershy wouldn’t yell at me for loving her, would she?’ Although she knew her friend was a kind, sweet and friendly mare, when it came to love, she could be a completely different pony. ‘I doubt that, though,’ Twilight thought.

At that moment, she realised she had been away from Fluttershy for longer than she had said. She grabbed all the books off the table with her magic, and trotted out of the door and towards their quarters.

When she arrived back, she found Fluttershy sitting on her rump, with her back pressed to the wall, reading her Daring Do book intensely. “Hey, Fluttershy,” Twilight greeted her softly so not to startle her.

Fluttershy’s head jumped up, and let out an, “Ah!” in fright. “Oh, Twilight, it’s just you,” she said once she had relaxed. She smiled at the unicorn, making Twilight’s heart turn to jelly at the sweetness of her smile. “Did you find anything to your liking?”

“Oh yes,” Twilight replied, smirking. She watched Fluttershy’s eyes widen in surprise as she revealed her spoils from her library raid. “These should keep me occupied while we’re on board.”

“Goodness!” Fluttershy cried, her eyes going up and down from the books. “Do you think you can read all of those in a few days?”

“Depends on how long we’re on this ship for,” Twilight answered as she jumped up on her bed. She began spinning in a circle like a dog would do before settling down, then settled onto her stomach, and picked up the first book on top of the tower. “From the sounds of things, we’ll be heading to the Iron Pony Islands first, then head beyond when we are fully supplied for the journey ahead.” She looked at the book for a second, and then looked up at Fluttershy’s. “How’s that book coming along? You look like you’ve read quite a bit.”

Fluttershy put her book down for a moment, and grinned excitedly at Twilight. “It is amazing now! You know I said it wasn’t as good as the last one?” Twilight nodded. “Well I don’t think I have ever been so wrong in my life! This book is now my favourite in the series so far! It has so many characters that I adore, and Daring herself is now on top form once she got out of that university and into the desert. Oh, it is such a shame that she’s a fictional character! I would love to meet her!”

Twilight smiled. “Well, you may not be able to meet Daring, but you could meet the author. She was an explorer herself. In fact, a lot of  Daring’s adventures are based on her own exploits, minus all the danger Daring goes through.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in interest. “Really? I never knew that.”

“Well it should be on the page about the author,” Twilight said, pointing to the book.

“Oh, then I’ll wait until the end. I’m worried I might read the ending unintentionally if I do that. I’ve done that before, and swore to myself never to do it again.”

“Fair point.” Twilight opened up the book in front of her, and began to read the first chapter. Fluttershy watched her for a moment, and then went back to her own book, her stare hardening as she read the book intensely.

Twilight looked up to see Fluttershy’s stare, and felt a chill crawl through her just by looking into her eyes. Those eyes, belonging to a mare as friendly as grass, bore an unhidden strength in them that, Twilight believed, was unmatched in Equestria. Those eyes had sent a cockatrice running, and brought a dragon to tears, after all. ‘Such strength, such courage,’ she thought. ‘If only Fluttershy could see herself as the brave mare she truly is.’

She looked back at her book, and became lost in the words as the world the book was based in took over her mind and let her imagination run riot. 





A few hours later, when the sun was starting to descend, Fluttershy put down her book and let out a small, sad sigh. She had finished at a moment in the book where a character that Daring loved was injured, and it looked certain the stallion wouldn’t make it, much to Daring’s horror and sorrow. ‘Love just seems to hurt,’ Fluttershy thought. 

She looked up to Twilight, who was still immersed into her book, and seemed to be already about half way through it. “Wow, Twilight. You’re such a fast reader,” Fluttershy remarked.

Twilight brought her eyes off the book, and looked up at Fluttershy. “Yeah, I am a bit. You find you get faster the more you read. Though I should have read it a bit slower, my eyes are starting to kill me.” She sat upright and rubbed her strained eyes. 

“Well how about we get some air?” Fluttershy suggested, gesturing with her head to the door. “As comfy it is here, I wouldn’t mind some air… If that’s all right with you, you can stay here, if you want.”

Twilight giggled. “Sure, I would love some air.” She jumped off the bed, her tail swishing from side to side. “And while we’re at it, go and get some food. I’m starving.” 

At the mention of food, Fluttershy’s belly growled with approval, making Fluttershy blush fiercely and Twilight laugh. “Um, excuse me?”

Twilight laughed once more. “It’s okay. Come on, let’s get out here and see what’s happening up top.”

“Not much by the looks of things,” Fluttershy said, pointing to the window. “Look.”

Twilight looked at the window, and gaped. They could only see a few feet of calm water, but then it quickly disappeared in a cloud of thick, white fog. “I’ve never seen fog move in this quickly before.”

“Or appear so suddenly,” Fluttershy agreed, her smile withering. She started to shake her head. “I don’t like it, Twilight. Could we just stay here where it’s safe?”

Twilight looked at her worriedly. “I don’t like it either, but it is just fog. It can’t harm us.” Twilight turned around, and gave Fluttershy a brief nuzzle of comfort. “I will be by your side at all times. I will not leave you, Fluttershy. Ever. Don’t forget that.”

Although Fluttershy felt afraid at the thought of the creepy fog, she knew that Twilight would never leave her side. She nodded firmly at her. “I know you won’t,” she said. With that, she jumped off her bed, and followed Twilight out of the cabin, down the corridor and up the stairs to the main deck.

When they arrived on the top deck, they could feel the tension hanging from the crew like a dangling piece of spider’s web. They all looked jumpy, and were glancing this way and that for signs of something that wasn’t there. 

Twilight glanced at Fluttershy to see her legs were shaking in fear, and her teeth were rattling as she looked ready to bolt back inside. Twilight was now scared too, and inched herself closer to Fluttershy for comfort. Fluttershy quickly followed suite, and stopped until both ponies were practically hugging.

“Twilight! Fluttershy!” Seahoof called as he left the bridge and onto the main deck. “What are you two doing here?”

“Me and Fluttershy wanted some air, so we came up here to get some,” Twilight explained. She pointed at the crew. “What’s got everypony this tense?”

“This fog, lass,” Seahoof said nervously, glancing about. “’Tis not a natural fog, this. It has elements of magic in it. I can feel it in my bones.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes as she tried to feel the magic in her bones. “I don’t feel anything,” she declared a moment later.

“I don’t feel anything either,” Fluttershy concurred, shaking her head behind her mane.

“That’s because you haven’t been out here before, lassies. The magic of the sea works far differently to the magic you will find on land and air.” His head suddenly stopped as he made out a large group of rocks on the surface of the water. Twilight and Fluttershy saw it also, and their eyes widened in horror at the thought of being stranded out here.

“Oh no,” Seahoof whispered, his eyes wide in horror, though not out of fear of stranding, but of something else. He lifted his head to the air and shouted, “Get your ear defenders now, lads and lassies!” At once, the ponies on the deck began to gallop in every direction, finding small holes placed below deck and fishing out large earmuffs or any other type of ear defender they could find. Twilight and Fluttershy glanced at each other, confused about what they were all doing.

“Keep her on a straight path or we’ll be smashed by the rocks!” Seahoof ordered. The first mare nodded, and turned the helm left a bit so they would avoid rocks. “And have her slow down!”

“Um, captain?” Fluttershy asked, poking him on the shoulder. The captain shot his head around to face her. “Sorry if I am disturbing you, but, me and my friend want to know about all these ear defenders. Surely they’re not as important as trying to navigate the ship through this fog.”

“If only that would be true, lass, but like I said before: this is no ordinary fog. Right now we’re being corralled into these rocks like how dolphins corral fish into narrow waters, and the only way we can get out of this alive is by putting on the ear defenders.” He nodded to a pony who brought him a pair, and placed them on his ears. 

“But I don’t understand,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Being corralled by what?”

Seahoof didn’t answer. Instead, he gave them both their own set of ear defenders – a dark green one for Fluttershy, and a light yellow one for Twilight – and trotted back up the bridge to control the ship, leaving the two of them alone to fend for themselves.

Fluttershy looked at her large ear defenders for a second, before placing them over her ears, too scared to ignore Seahoof’s warning to them. Once she put them on, she was confused. She could hear everything just fine, as if they were not there at all. ‘If they don’t work, then why is everypony so worked up to have them on?’ she wondered.

“Sir, I can’t find any ear defenders!” she heard a pony shout to another.

“Then get some from the emergency stash below the bridge!” the other called back. “Unless you want the sirens to get ya.”

Fluttershy felt her heart stop beating, and her eyes widened in terror. “Sirens!” she squeaked, the name of the creatures sending waves of fear to crawl over her like spiders in the night. She looked over to Twilight, who still hadn’t put her ear defenders on yet. “Twilight, put those on n–!” She was cut off when the ship scraped against a small rock, and sent her, Twilight and several others to the ground, with Twilight losing hold of her ear defenders.

“Somepony, check below for damage!” she heard Seahoof yell as he steered the ship away from another rock. Fluttershy scrambled to her hooves, scared out of her life and wanting her friend to hug and protect her. She quickly checked that her ear defenders were firmly secure around her ears, and then began looking around for Twilight. “Twilight, where ar–!” She cut herself off when she found herself face to face with the unicorn, and her eyes widened in horror. “Oh no.”

The unicorn wore the most blissful smile she had ever seen in the mare, yet her eyes were plain white, devoid of the intelligence she had seen in them. “So… beautiful,” Twilight slurred, taking a step forward. She began walking slowly, as though she was sleepwalking, towards the edge of the ship. 

“No!” Fluttershy screamed in denial. Without hesitation, she galloped behind Twilight, wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck, and pulled back with all the strength she had, gritting her teeth as she fought against whatever was pulling the unicorn away. ‘I have to win,’ Fluttershy thought. She suddenly felt herself being pulled along as Twilight relentlessly continued walking, her smile growing wider as she neared the edge.

“Twilight!” Fluttershy screamed into her ears, trying desperately to get some sense into her. Getting no response, she looked up and got herself ready to pull away to try another trick. She froze in horror when she saw them.

There were three of them, all sitting on a large rock, and staring at the ship’s crew, and her and Twilight, with lust and hunger in their white, soulless eyes. The front half of the sirens was the form of a pony, a mare, while the other was the back half of a fish. Each was a different shade of green, and all of them had long black manes that ran down their back and over their chests. And they were beautiful. Beautiful beyond words. 

Fluttershy could see their mouths were moving, yet couldn’t hear their singing, to which she was thankful. She knew sirens sang hypnotic songs to lure ponies to the edge of a ship, where they would take them under the water, and then devour them whole.

She wasn’t going to allow Twilight to become a siren’s lunch. She released her grip from Twilight, then ran around to face her, and began pushing her back. She smiled a little, for she could feel herself moving forward, so she planted her hind hooves onto the deck, and pushed with all the strength she could muster to hold her back. The ship was going slowly, but it was still moving, so all she had to do was to hold back Twilight for a little longer until they were clear of the rocks, and into the open sea. ‘I will not lose,’ Fluttershy thought determinedly.

Although she was strong, she could feel herself weakening fast. Twilight began inching her way forward again, much to Fluttershy’s horror. “Twilight!” she cried, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please, listen to me! Break out of it! I know you can do it! Please!”

“It’s so beautiful,” Twilight replied absently, rearing up as she tried to escape Fluttershy’s grip. “They are just so beautiful. Just like the mare I love.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened in shock, and her jaw dropped. ‘Twilight loves somepony?’ She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. If she was honest with herself, and she knew she wasn’t the only one to think so, she thought Twilight was completely oblivious when it came to matters about love. But now she had been proven wrong, and she felt terrible for it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts of guilt when she felt Twilight begin to push forward again, while she was loosing her grip. ‘Come on, Fluttershy, we have a friend to save!’ her mind yelled. With a burst of newfound strength she pushed Twilight right back to the centre of the deck, saving her for the moment. 

With Twilight safe temporarily, she looked around for the ear defenders Twilight had held before she dropped them. She worked herself up into a panic when she couldn’t find them anywhere. She then looked around; hoping somepony would help her, but quickly saw this was her own battle to fight. Around her, everypony prostrated themselves to the ground, their hooves covering their ears as they prayed silently that they would be spared. Even on the bridge, Seahoof and his first officer were holding each other in an embrace, praying the sirens would leave them alone. 

While around the ship, dozens more sirens began to land onto the rocks, adding their voices in a sweet, alluring melody that only Twilight could hear.

Fluttershy spun around slowly, looking at each of the sirens with sad eyes. She knew she could not send them back into the deep, but she knew Twilight could; she had heard the unicorn had levitated an ursa minor back to its mother once. She turned back to face Twilight, who was now spinning in a circle, confused as to which voice she should follow, and sighed. She prayed Twilight would know what to do, otherwise she would find herself in the belly of a siren. Besides, she didn’t want to separate Twilight from whoever she loved. “Forgive me, Twilight,” she whispered.

In one fluid motion, she took off her ear defenders, and placed them over Twilight’s ears. As soon as she clamped the ear defenders on Twilight’s ears tight, everything went white. 





At first, all Twilight could see was white, but quickly her vision fully returned, even though it was a bit blurred. She shook her head and open and closed her eyes quickly a few times, feeling as if she had been in a heavy daze. “Wha… what just happened?” she asked the blurred pony in front of her. She shook her head quickly again, and gasped in horror when she recognised the pony in front of her. “Fluttershy?”

Yet there was something really wrong with the pegasus. At once, her pupils disappeared, leaving behind dull, white orbs, and her lips formed into a blissful smile as the sirens’ songs swept into her ears. “Fluttershy!” Twilight cried in horror. She glanced upwards, and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the sirens. She, too had read about them, and knew the monsters that they were reputed to be. She wasn’t going to allow Fluttershy to become a meal for them.

One siren, sitting on a rock on the starboard side, seemed to be singing the loudest, because Fluttershy began walking towards it. Instantly Twilight lit up her horn, surrounding Fluttershy with a magenta glow, and began to use her magic to pull her back. The siren saw this, sneered, and began to sing louder and more endearing, making Fluttershy crawl forward as she tried to escape Twilight’s magic.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight shouted, her voice straining as her willpower was being drained from her inch by inch. “Snap out of it! Please!”

“It’s so… nice,” Fluttershy remarked dreamingly, taking another step forward as Twilight’s magic began to fail. “It makes me feel so happy. I thought I never needed to love a pony to be happy, but it seems I was so wrong.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she looked at Fluttershy with confusion and sadness. ‘What did she mean by that? She couldn’t mean that she doesn’t ever want to love somepony, does it?’

‘That’s not important now, Twilight!’ her mind snapped her out of it. ‘Your friend is in danger!’ 

Twilight quickly shook her head, and using what little power she had left in her, forced it into her telekinetic spell she was using to hold Fluttershy back. Fluttershy was soon floating mid air, her legs walking slowly as if nothing was wrong, but she was still trying.

Even with the extra power she was using, Twilight could see it wasn’t enough. Fluttershy was still pressing forward, and several of the sirens were beginning to lick their lips in anticipation of the meal Fluttershy was going to give them. She needed to drive them away – permanently. But how?

She darted her head around, looking around frantically for something she could use that would scare the sirens away, while she hastily searched into every corner of her mind to find a weakness she knew about the creatures. ‘Come on, come on, think, think, think!’ Twilight thought. ‘Sirens are creatures that use low, quiet tones of music to lure their victims close enough for them to devour, so that could mean their ears are sensitive to hig…’ She looked up to see the thing that could send them away. She grinned hopefully to herself, and prayed this would work; she didn’t want to dwell on what would happen if it did not work, nor could she think about how to tell her friends of Fluttershy’s whereabouts.

She released her magic grip on Fluttershy, ran up to her, and hugged her tight. While the pegasus squirmed in her hold, she looked towards the whistle, closed her eyes, concentrated hard, and a beam of magenta light shot out from her horn and hit the whistle, setting it off.

The whistle released a gush of white steam, and the sound echoed across the ocean with a high-pitched squeak like a screaming mouse. Fluttershy broke out of her daze instantly, and covered her ears with her hooves and shut her eyes as she tried to endure the noise. 

The sirens, however, could not endure it. They began shrieking in agony as the noise became too much for their ears. Twilight grinned as she saw the sirens begin to dive back into the water, yet some still stayed put. ‘Time to make things a little louder.’

She gritted her teeth, and increased the power in her horn, feeling the magic she had leave her and head into the whistle. The squealing sound of the whistle increased, to the point it seemed like the whistle would break apart under its own sound. Thankfully, to Twilight’s relief, it didn’t need to. She watched with a smile of satisfaction and relief as the sirens retreated into the water, until there wasn’t a single siren left on the rocks.

At once, the fog disappeared, the sun began to shine over the Wave Breaker once again, and the rocks sunk into the water, leaving the ocean calm and featureless as it should be.

As soon as the last of the sirens’ magic was gone, Twilight released her hold on the whistle, and collapsed onto her stomach in exhaustion, breathing heavily. She looked up to see Fluttershy releasing her hold on her ears, and began looking around perplexedly. “Wha… what just happened?” she asked aloud.

“I… just happened,” Twilight panted, looking at her with tired eyes. 

Fluttershy spun around to face her, and her eyes widened in shock at seeing Twilight on the ground. “Oh my goodness! Are you all right?” Fluttershy cried, rushing over to her side. She bent to her knees and used her muzzle to try to nudge Twilight up.

“I’m fine, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied tiredly. “I just need a minute to rest.” She took another deep breath. “That was more exhausting than I thought it would be.”

Fluttershy relaxed a bit, then suddenly gripped her in a bone crushing hug, making Twilight’s eyes widen in shock. “Thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “I knew you could do it.”

At that moment, Seahoof came from the bridge with a few other ponies, looking at Twilight and Fluttershy with awe and admiration. “How did you do that?” Seahoof asked. “How did you get the sirens to retreat?”

“I remembered that sirens have really sensitive hearing, especially to high pitched sounds like your whistle,” Twilight explained. “That’s why they sing in such low tones, because if they sang any higher, they would be hurting their own ears.”

Seahoof stared at Twilight for a moment, and then began to laugh. “My goodness, Twilight Sparkle, I am so glad to have met you. I’ll be sure to send that message back to others who use these waters.” He looked about to the rest of the crew. “Let’s hear it for Twilight Sparkle, the saviour of the Wave Breaker! Hip hip!”

“Hooray!” the crew cheered, making Twilight blush pink in embarrassment. She glanced to her right to see Fluttershy smiling broadly at her, and suddenly remembered that she had ear defenders on her before she lost conscious to the sirens’ spell. The same ones she had on her ears right now. ‘She must have given me hers,’ she realised.

“Thank you, everypony,” she said. “But I couldn’t have done it without Fluttershy here.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, making Twilight grin wryly. “Bu-but what did I do?” she asked.

Twilight put her hooves on Fluttershy’s cheeks, and gently turned her friend’s head so she and her faced each other. “You risked your life to save mine,” Twilight explained. “You gave me these ear defenders, knowing that I would be the one who would send them back into the water. You had so much confidence in me, when I had barely any for myself.” She suddenly brought the pegasus into a hug. “So thank you, Fluttershy, for having such faith in me.”

Fluttershy looked at the rest of the crew, which a few of were muttering, “Aww.” She smiled, and patted the unicorn gently on the back. “You’re my best friend, Twilight,” she said. “What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t have faith in you?”

Seahoof tilted his head, smiling sweetly at the exchange. “Let’s hear it for Fluttershy and Twilight! The heroes of the Wave Breaker!” he roared, his voice carrying across the ocean.

Fluttershy gripped onto Twilight harder as the crew let out a loud and appraising cheer. ‘I could get used to this,’ Twilight thought as the cheers died down. 

Just as silence returned, Fluttershy and Twilight’s bellies growling for food quickly broke it. The two mares grinned sheepishly at each other. “Well, uh, I guess that now we have had our fair share of fresh air for the day, I think food is up next,” Twilight said. Fluttershy nodded in agreement beside her.

Seahoof nodded as well, grinning eagerly. “I agree, that is why I think that in celebration of what you have done for us, how about we have a feast of honour for them, as well as an excuse to get stuffed?” The crew shouted their approval, and began running around getting ready for such a feast.

“Yay,” Fluttershy cheered, making Twilight giggle. 

‘Rainbow Dash is right. She is the best cheerer ever, and certainly the cutest,’ Twilight thought. With Fluttershy beside her, they began mingling with the crew as the feast officially began.





A few hours later, once the sun had gone down and the stars took over the sky, Twilight was resting on her stomach, with her head on her hooves and deep in thought, while Fluttershy was lying on her back and patting her belly as she could not believe how full she felt.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had so much hay fries in my life,” Fluttershy said, glancing over to Twilight.

“Uh huh,” Twilight replied absently.

Fluttershy frowned, not expecting Twilight to say such an answer. “You know I said I didn’t trust Seahoof earlier today?” Twilight just nodded. “Well I think I was wrong about that. He seems like such a nice pony, although that first mare of his kept giving me and you some strange looks during the meal. I tried to talk to her, but she kept it short, then moved on to talk to somepony else.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said, much to Fluttershy’s confusion.

Fluttershy rolled onto her side to face Twilight. “Do you think the sirens will come back?” she asked fearfully.

Twilight shook her head. “Seahoof told me that we had drifted off course from the main shipping lanes, and went right into siren hunting grounds. We should be fine now that we’re back on the main shipping lanes. He said they tend to avoid it unless they’re in huge numbers, but I highly doubt they will this time.” Twilight suddenly rolled onto her back, sighing heavily.

Now Fluttershy could see that something was bothering Twilight, and it hurt her to know she wasn’t talking about it. “Twilight? What’s wrong? Please tell me what’s wrong?” she asked, moving to sit upright.

After a moment, Twilight sat upright as well, facing her with a serious expression. “Fluttershy, please don’t ever risk your life like that for me again,” she said.

Fluttershy tilted her head, confused and slightly angry at what Twilight just asked her to do. “Well what would you want me to do? Just stand there and do nothing while you jump over the side and get devoured by a hungry siren? No,” she said sternly, shaking her head, “I would gladly do that again if it meant saving my friend.” Her expression, as did her tone, softened. “Besides, I knew you would have been able to drive them away.”

“But what if I couldn’t? Huh?” Twilight demanded, her eyes beginning to water. “What if I didn’t think about the whistle in time? What if I…” She was cut off by a hoof pressed firmly against her mouth, with a teary eyed Fluttershy at the far end.

“Don’t ever think like that, Twilight,” Fluttershy said angrily. “I knew you could do it. Before I took my ear defenders off, I thought to myself that only you could have saved us.” She pulled her hoof away from Twilight’s mouth, and then tilted her head a bit more. “Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Don’t you have any faith in yourself, Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s not that,” she said, waving a hoof dismissively. “I do have some faith in myself. But just now, I realised how close I was…” She broke off as she began to tear up. “… How close I was… to losing you.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. She looked down at her friend’s hooves to see something she rarely saw in the brave mare. “You’re trembling,” Fluttershy stated. Twilight looked down at her hooves and saw she was shaking with fear. Fluttershy lifted her forelegs up, and gestured with her hooves for Twilight to come forward. “Oh, come here.”

Twilight jumped off her bed, and wrapped her forelegs around the pegasus, trying to sniff back her tears while burying her head in Fluttershy’s chest. “You mean everything to me, Fluttershy. You, the rest of the girls and Spike,” Twilight sobbed. “I don’t know if I could ever go back home, knowing that I failed to save you if I didn’t.”

Fluttershy gently stroked Twilight’s back. “Well you did save me, and the rest of the ship as well, Twilight,” she said softly. “So please stop thinking about what might have happened? Please?” 

Twilight looked up at Fluttershy, and smiled thinly. “I’ll try to,” she replied. She lowered her gaze again and sat in silence, content with listening to Fluttershy’s rapid but comforting heartbeat. As they sat huddled together, Twilight remembered something she had read about sirens whilst studying sea creatures, and their affects on their prey and such.

“Fluttershy?” she said, pulling away from her embrace.

“Yes, Twilight?” 

“When I read about sirens, there was a small note saying that their victims, in their final moments, would spill secrets or other things that seemed related to the sirens’ songs from their mind. I was wondering: did I say anything when I was under the sirens’ trance?” She secretly hoped that Fluttershy didn’t know she had a crush on her yet. It was too early for her to know.

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, felt conflicted. ‘Yes, you did say something. You said you were in love with a mare. So who is she then, and why didn’t you tell me earlier?’ she wanted to say, yet couldn’t make the words slip off her tongue. She knew – or hoped – that Twilight knew she could trust her with everything, yet if she was uncomfortable with talking about this crush, she didn’t want to force Twilight out of it just yet. ‘It would be rude if I did,’ Fluttershy thought. ‘She’ll tell me about it when she’s more comfortable with being around me.’

“No,” Fluttershy replied eventually, shaking her head. “You didn’t say anything at all.” The lie that slipped off her tongue felt like a spicy chilli in her mouth. It hurt so much to say it, but she felt it was the right thing to do.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Thank goodness,’ she thought. ‘Try explaining my feelings to Fluttershy.’ 

“Um, Twilight? Did I say anything while I was under the sirens’ spell?” Fluttershy asked nervously. There were a few things she didn’t want be known about her just yet, and prayed they were kept that way.

Twilight’s small smile faded away. ‘Should I ask her what she meant?’ she wondered. A part of her told her to ask what she had meant by thinking she didn’t need love to be happy, but the majority of her mind told her to keep it silent. ‘She would probably never want to be seen again if she knew that came out,’ she thought.

“No, you said nothing as well. What they said about ponies saying secrets close to them must have been wrong,” Twilight said finally, much to Fluttershy’s visible relief. She suddenly let out a yawn, which she stifled with a hoof. “It’s getting late, and we’ve got two days to go till we get to Iron Pony Islands.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. She pulled her bed covers, and then buried herself under them, looking as snug as a bunny in hibernation. “I hope you sleep well, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, purring as she shifted about til she was comfortable.

Twilight brought her bed cover over her, and smiled at Fluttershy. “I hope you sleep well, too, Fluttershy. Goodnight.” She rolled over and closed her eyes, barely able to hear Fluttershy whisper, “Goodnight.” 

As her mind shut down for the night, she wondered if Fluttershy really meant to live her life alone. ‘If she does, then I will find a way to change her mind. If there is anypony that deserves to be truly happy, it’s her.’ With that thought sticking in her head, she drifted off to sweet and thankfully pleasant dreams.