//------------------------------// // One Little Experiment // Story: Potions Are Serious Business // by Rough_Draft //------------------------------// Part IV: One Little Experiment Night fell over the town. Doors were locked and lamps were lit. Ponies everywhere stayed close to one another for warmth and for company. It was the eve of Hearts and Hooves Day. One red-hooded pony trod the streets alone with a saddlebag… --- Twilight looked over the graphs and notes she’d written by candlelight. Here was a graph showing a correlation between romance and reproduction. There was a chart on different types of romantic love, from filly crushes to lifelong marriage. So many hours pouring over the elusive answers to love—and the real answer had been right under her muzzle. There was a knock at the door. Twilight went to answer it, but there was no one there. She almost closed the door when she noticed a package sitting on her porch. Taking the present inside, Twilight examined it on her desk. It was wrapped in white paper with a big red bow. She used her magic to quickly unwrap the gift. It was her library’s copy of The Illustrious Stallion Caller. And somepony had used a slip of paper as a bookmark. Although her tail was twitching anxiously, Twilight forced herself to open the book and read what was on the bookmark. On top were the words I love Twilight Sparkle, which had been crossed out. Below that read I love you, which had also been crossed out. Below that was the unfinished sentence My name is Fluttershy and I’m in love with… That had been crossed out multiple times. At the bottom of the paper were the words Attempts To Talk, followed by twenty-seven tally marks. Some of them looked fairly recent. Twilight sighed and put the bookmark on her desk. She made a mental note to return the book to Applejack soon; AJ still had a week before she had to return it to the library. From there, she headed upstairs to her bedroom. Spike was fast asleep in his bed, holding a locket in his claws. Curious, Twilight discreetly cast a levitation spell to pull the locket from his grip and open it. Inside was a tiny picture of Rarity and the words To the Noblest Dragon of All. With a smile, she put it back in Spike’s claws and let him be. There was something to that. Even as she got under the covers of her own bed, Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about Fluttershy. All those times they’d shared a laugh, or danced at one of Pinkie Pie’s parties, or gone on an adventure with the others. So many wonderful memories. Every time I see you, I want to hug you and make sure you’re all right, Twilight thought as sleep began to overtake her. I thought I was just being friendly all those times. I guess it was something else... She would know for sure tomorrow. She had one last experiment for her romance project. --- Fluttershy lay on the sofa with her hooves in the air and her mane pooling around her head. She was lost. It was like the first time she’d fallen from Cloudsdale. Weightless, plummeting, and all her friends fading away so fast… Angel Bunny was being kind today. He’d gotten her a bowl of fruit for lunch and a glass of juice. He was even tending to the other animals around the cottage, organizing their play dates and preparing their food. It was nice to see that he wasn’t always self-interested. Fluttershy felt some pride in watching him work, but she felt miserable that he had to do what was supposed to be her job. I’m so sorry, she thought for the sixty-third time that morning. I’m so, so sorry, Twilight… Maybe she could take a trip to Cloudsdale and stay with Rainbow Dash for a while. If enough time went by, maybe things would get better. Maybe they could just pretend that all this never happened. Fluttershy sighed. But even if that were true, she would still remember how she felt about the most wonderful unicorn in all of Equestria— The sudden knock at her door made her leap in fright. She didn’t want any visitors, especially on Hearts and Hooves Day. How could she face anypony after her humiliation? Angel, however, went hopping toward the front door. Fluttershy cringed as he opened it, but there was no one outside. Just a sunny morning and birds chirping. The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her brow. But her heart kept racing when she saw Angel running up to her with a scroll in his paw. Hesitantly, she took the scroll from him and read it. I am so sorry for everything I said last night, the message read. Let me make it up to you. I’ll be conducting an experiment in White Tail Woods at sunset. Bring the potion. Your friend, T.S. “Oh, my.” Fluttershy held the letter against her chest. For the first time that morning, she allowed herself a smile. Here was her chance to make things right. --- White Tail Woods was lovely this time of year. Tall brown trees with green and yellow leaves, forming a beautiful canopy over a single road. This was where everyone came to watch the Running of the Leaves, and on Hearts and Hooves Day, it was a popular spot for couples to have picnics and other special moments together. Fluttershy, though, wasn’t ready to be spotted by anypony who might be there. As a precaution, she wore her red cloak with the hood up. She recognized a few ponies like Lyra and Bon Bon, but nopony was paying attention to her. When she came to a small clearing in the woods, she discovered a small checkered blanket had been laid out with a picnic basket set on top of it. At first Fluttershy thought she’d stumbled onto some couple’s private spot, but then she noticed the slip of paper tied to the top of the basket. It was her bookmark. Something rustled in the bushes behind her. Fluttershy winced as she turned around. A pony in a green cloak came trotting up to her. Fluttershy blushed when the pony threw back her hood and smiled. “I’m glad you came,” said Twilight. Fluttershy slowly removed her hood and sat down on the blanket. “Um, it was no trouble.” They shared an awkward moment of silence. Then Fluttershy remembered why she was here and took out the small brown vial from her cloak. “Oh, I brought Zecora’s potion. Y-you said you wanted to… test it?” Twilight beamed. “I do.” She trotted past Fluttershy and sat down on the other side of the blanket. “I’ve had some time to think things over, and now that I know what you were trying to say, I wanted to give you a chance to try out the potion. But I’m still doing my love research, so I thought we might try the potion together. We’ll see how love and courage interact.” “Oh, okay.” Fluttershy hadn’t counted on that, but she wasn’t displeased. In fact, she felt a little better about the situation. “Here, I’ll take the first sip.” Twilight’s horn glowed as she summoned the vial to her lips. She smiled at Fluttershy and took a single sip. Then she passed it back to her friend. The pegasus raised the vial to her lips and drank what was left, giving herself no time to hesitate. It was a sweet brew and tasted a lot like cinnamon and honey. She smiled and felt warm inside. It was already working. Here she was, alone in the woods with Twilight, on Hearts and Hooves Day. “Twilight Sparkle,” said Fluttershy, “from the moment I met you, I’ve always liked you a lot. You taught me to believe in myself when not even Rainbow Dash or Rarity could. Will you be my special somepony?” Twilight giggled. “Only if you promise to be mine.” “I do!” They laughed and hugged each other tightly. Twilight nuzzled her and Fluttershy rested her head on her friend’s shoulder. This was the moment she’d been dreaming of for so long— “Hey, wait a minute.” Twilight pulled back and looked at the empty vial on the blanket. “I didn’t actually feel any magical reaction from this potion. Did you?” “Um, I thought I did. I mean, I confessed my feelings, didn’t I?” Twilight scrutinized the vial for a moment. Then she licked the inside with her tongue and squinted. “Just as I thought. Honey and cinnamon. It’s a placebo!” “A what?” “This isn’t really a courage potion. But if Zecora told you it was one, then you believed it was and so you felt braver after you drank it.” Twilight’s eyes were shining when she looked up at Fluttershy. “So you didn’t need the potion after all. You just needed to believe in yourself.” “I can’t believe it.” Fluttershy spread her wings and did a backflip in joy. “I really did it!” “Yes, you did!” Twilight bounced in the air alongside her. “And I’m glad to have you here. It means my research is finally done.” She took out a quill and a sheet of paper from the basket and started to write. Fluttershy hovered over her shoulder and read along. Love, Twilight wrote, is a magical field that can be measured, but never conclusively tested. Not even a potion can force its existence; it can only encourage the love that is already there. It is a subconscious force that can build up over time from passion to a committed relationship. And it brings two ponies together in a way that goes beyond the magic of friendship. Fluttershy landed beside her as Twilight folded up her research notes and put them away. Then she magically brought out a bottle and two glasses. “Now, according to Rarity, a glass of punch is traditional for today,” Twilight said while she poured their drinks. “I know I’ll need it to wash out the taste of all that honey and cinnamon.” Fluttershy giggled. She accepted the glass from Twilight, who lifted hers in a toast. “To love,” said Twilight. “To love,” Fluttershy replied. THE END