//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 (part 2) // Story: An Expression Of Love // by Fluttershy20 //------------------------------// About half an hour later – according to Twilight’s calculations from looking at the sun – the two ponies were out of Skyros and out in the open wilderness, following a narrow, iron-paved path into the open, hilly plains. The wind wasn’t too strong, yet was blowing in their faces, sweeping their manes across their eyes and narrowing their vision. Yet they continued, for they were not going to be deterred by a gust of wind from the expansive ocean. Despite the wind, they were left in awe of the island scenery around them. They were beautiful. Around the iron-paved path, dark green grass that shimmered in the sunlight covered the landscape, with small, bumpy hills dotted here and there; trees clustered together like penguins were spread about in small chunks, and large groups of small, large-leafed plants surrounded the hills, with their leaves shimmering a bright green from the previous rain. “Oh wow, Cyatheales!” Fluttershy exclaimed, fluttering over to the plants and examining them closely with a look of delight. “I have seen pictures of these, and had looked for them everywhere! But I had no luck until today!” Twilight took her eyes off the landscape, and walked over to join Fluttershy in studying the plants. “Wow,” she said. “They look lovely.” She brushed a hoof against it. “And feel it, too.” “I can’t believe I have finally seen one now, and I have you to thank for it, Twilight.” She gripped the unicorn in a quick hug. Twilight giggled. “There’s no need to thank me, Fluttershy. It was you who decided for us to come this far, so you should be thanking yourself.” “Well, I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I know that. Yet you were the one who came up with the idea to go and find this flower in the first place.” Fluttershy pulled away and stepped back. “So thank you, Twilight, for getting me out of the cottage. If I’m honest, I was getting bored to the point of death in there.” The two moved back onto the road and continued to trot down the path. As they walked, they both noticed that the iron path they were taking made the sound of their hooves hitting the ground echo across the land, making them sound heavier than usual. “Yeah, about that,” Twilight said as they passed a small hill filled with fern trees. “I was surprised just to see how empty your place was. I always thought you were busy throughout the year.” “Usually I am,” Fluttershy said, “but once in a full moon there’s a long lapse in how many animals need my attention. Most of them have their own things to do, like finding mates, or making their own homes elsewhere.” “That must be quite difficult for you,” Twilight said, “watching all your little animal friends move away like that.” “Not really,” Fluttershy corrected her, much to Twilight’s surprise. “I actually encourage them all to move away and do their own thing. There will come a time when I’m not there to help them, and they need to look after themselves. Oh, don’t look at me like that, Twilight, please? It’s the truth. Nothing more,” she said upon seeing Twilight’s face, which was one of sadness. After a moment, Twilight sighed. “You’re right. It is the truth.” She quickly changed the subject back before they both became a bit more morbid. “So, uh, your animal friends. Do most of them hibernate in the winter, or head south?” “Oh, yes, half go off to hibernate, while the rest head south. That’s when it gets really boring,” Fluttershy continued. “I’m lucky to know such good pony friends to go and see during that time, or else the three months wait till their return would have been agony.” “Well even without us, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been that bad,” Twilight said. “You have your parents to go to, after all. I bet they would have been happy to see you for the holidays.” Fluttershy grimaced at the mention of her parents, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight. Before she could question her about it, Fluttershy suddenly pointed to the left of them at something. “Oo, what’s that?” Fluttershy asked, hoping Twilight would accept the subject change. She didn’t feel ready to talk about her parents just yet. She knew there would come a point where she couldn’t keep it down, but that time wasn’t today. Twilight looked at where she was pointing, and gasped. “Ruins!” she exclaimed ecstatically. “I love ruins!” Without a second thought she galloped away from Fluttershy and towards the ruins. Fluttershy breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she watched Twilight go, glad she was distracted from going on about her parents, and why she was so hesitant to speak about them. ‘Twilight will remember, though,’ Fluttershy thought. ‘She has a great memory. She’ll pick up on it sooner or later. Then she’ll know me for the horrible pony I am.’ She shuddered at the thought of what Twilight might say to her when her past comes to the unicorn’s knowledge, with words of anger and contempt running through her mind in Twilight’s voice. ‘No!’ Fluttershy shook the thoughts away from her mind. ‘Twilight is an amazing, understanding pony. She would never hate me for what I have done.’ Yet, despite her encouraging thoughts, the doubt remained entrenched in her mind. “Fluttershy!” Fluttershy shot her head up upon hearing Twilight’s voice. She quickly realised she had been standing where she was for a few minutes now, and holding Twilight up. “Are you all right?” “Sorry, Twilight! I’m coming!” Fluttershy called in response. She quickly broke into a gallop to catch up to the unicorn, who had stopped at the top of a small mound of a hill, and looking at the ruins with wide, delighted eyes. “There are no words…” Twilight gasped, her irises wider than her eyes. The ruins were what appeared to be the remains of a great city. From the air the keep was shaped like a rectangle, and had the skeletal remains of large squared towers at either end of the building. Around the keep were leftovers of other buildings. Most where just piles of rubble, while others were mostly skeleton structures, with only the frames left to know there was a building ever there. Only one building was entirely intact, and that was a large, round tower about a mile or so in the distance, perched on a small hill, and overlooking the whole plain. Fluttershy was soon standing next to her, and sat on her haunches as she felt her breath get taken away from her by the beauty, and sadness, of this place. “What is this place?” she asked. “Castamare,” Twilight replied, her eyes running across the ruins. “The first capital of the Iron Pony Islands.” She jumped off the mound and began walking towards the ruins, with Fluttershy right beside her. “Was it destroyed in the war?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded sullenly. “It was the last place to fall to the Equestrian army during the Iron War, as it was called. It managed to hold off a huge army for most of the day, before it finally surrendered to the Equestrian forces. Yet, despite the iron ponies’ surrender, the city was destroyed ruthlessly, with only a few ponies left to rebuild it, which they never did.” She looked back to see Fluttershy was frozen in place, her eyes wide and tearful, and a hoof clamped over her mouth. “Why would they do such a horrible thing?” Fluttershy asked. “What did the iron ponies do to deserve such horror?” Twilight nodded agreeably. “It was horrible, I agree with you. However, to the Equestrian rulers, treason needed to be punished ruthlessly, less anypony else thought about rising up against them.” Twilight turned around to face Fluttershy, looking at her with understanding. “Were the rulers ever punished for this cruelty?” Fluttershy asked, a trace of anger in her voice and look. Twilight would be lying if she said Fluttershy’s anger did not frighten her, for it was like lightning; there one moment, then gone the next, and was vicious and unforgiving every time it appeared. Twilight nodded. “Oh, yes. More benevolent rulers overthrew them about three years afterwards, and they forgave the iron ponies for their sudden turning, while they begged for forgiveness for what happened that day in Castamare. The iron ponies agreed, on condition that they punish the original rulers who ordered Castamare’s destruction. The rulers quickly agreed, and handed them over.” Before Fluttershy could ask what happened to them, Twilight spun around and clapped her hooves together in anticipation of this small exploration. “Right then, let’s go and have a look at this, then, shall we?” Fluttershy quickly forgot about the events of the past, and then grinned eagerly alongside Twilight. A sudden idea had crept into her mind, something that could make this seem less solemn, and more fun. Although she wasn’t much for real fun, she felt she could have fun with Twilight easily, for the unicorn preferred doing other things than having fun, much like her. ‘We have so much in common,’ Fluttershy thought. She slowly walked forward, and then using her tail, tapped Twilight lightly on the muzzle. “Tag. You’re it,” she said, before galloping off into the ruins, giggling. Twilight wrinkled her nose, and then grinned excitedly. “Oh, it is on,” she said, then burst into a gallop, laughing as she did so. The two giggled joyfully as they weaved their way through the ruins, turning this way and that as Twilight tried to catch Fluttershy, to no avail. Fluttershy was too quick and agile for her. ‘She’s a pegasus, silly,’ Twilight thought. ‘Pegasi have a lighter skeleton than other ponies, and are much more flexible. They can squeeze into the smallest gaps without problem. I need to win this through my way – magic.’ Grinning to herself as a plan came into her mind, she quickly powered up her horn, and disappeared. Everything went white for a second, before colour and shape returned, and she found herself standing in front of Fluttershy, who was running towards her and looking back to see where Twilight went. The pegasus turned her head around to see where she was going, and skidded to a halt when she saw Twilight standing in front of her. She stopped just before Twilight, who casually raised a hoof and poked her on the muzzle. “Now you’re it,” she said with a smirk, before vanishing altogether. Fluttershy shot her head around to look among the ruins, and kept her ears up to hear the familiar cracking sound of a pony reappearing through reality. Even though she couldn’t see nor hear Twilight, she felt a grin spread across her face as she started looking among the ruins for her. This was fun; there was no doubt about it. She didn’t feel worried, or upset that Twilight used her magic. She knew she wouldn’t be too far away, nor would she use her magic when she knew Fluttershy had an advantage over her as well. ‘Time to use my wings,’ she decided. She spread her wings and shot into the air, until she was right above the ruins of Castamare and could see the whole sight. Once she began hovering, she looked down, and tried to make out her friend among the ruins and flora. She didn’t take too long, for she quickly saw Twilight’s rump and tail sticking out from underneath a stone, and heard the quiet giggle from the mare. Grinning, she slowly fluttered back to the ground, and gingerly tiptoed towards the hiding unicorn, who was looking out one way, yet was unable to look behind her. Fluttershy took to the air again, and hovered just above Twilight’s backside. Then, with a wide grin, began tickling Twilight’s sides. “Now you’re it,” she giggled. Twilight’s eyes widened as she felt hooves run down her sides and her most ticklish area. Quickly, she scrambled out of her hiding place, and tried to run away. She didn’t make it far, for Fluttershy leapt onto her, pinned her down and began tickling her on the sides. “No… please… that really… ti-tic-tickles!” Twilight gasped between fits of laughter. Twilight felt her hoof press against Fluttershy’s belly, gaining a ticklish reaction from the other mare. Twilight grinned when she realised Fluttershy was ticklish there. Glad she could now have the upper hoof; she began to rub her hoof on her friend’s belly in quick circles, making Fluttershy break off from her tickling spree, and laughing as she felt the tickles overtaking her. It was a good feeling. “Give up?” Twilight asked as she got Fluttershy on her back and tickling her relentlessly on the belly. Fluttershy nodded, her eyes tearing up after laughing so long and hard. “Yes! I give up, you win, just make it stop!” she cried through fits of laughter. Twilight pulled her hoof away and backed off from her. Both mares sat on their haunches, and smiled amiably at each other while getting their breaths back. “That… was fun,” Fluttershy panted, her soft smile turning into a grin, and making Twilight’s heart melt. ‘Any pony’s heart would melt at such a grin,’ Twilight thought. “That certainly was,” Twilight agreed. “I’d forgotten… how quick you were… the last time… we raced.” She stood up on all fours. “I don’t know why… you don’t do something like that more often, because… being with you… is a lot of fun.” Fluttershy stood up as well. “I’m fun to be around?” Fluttershy sounded surprised. “Wow. I always thought I was boring to be with.” Twilight’s smile faded. “Why on earth would you think that? I certainly haven’t thought of you as boring at all since I met you, and you definitely haven’t been boring on this trip.” “Oh, well, I guess it’s because of the others, I suppose. I don’t mean to sound mean, but compared to them, I feel boring. Yet with you, I don’t feel as boring for some reason. I don’t mean you are boring as well. You’re not. I just feel that way for some reason.” “Well don’t think like that. Ever,” Twilight said sternly, but gently. “You’re a lot of fun to be around, Fluttershy. Like I said before, your way of fun is slower and calmer than the others, and that’s why I like hanging around with you. ‘And it is another reason why I love you.’ Fluttershy’s smile returned. “Ah, thank you, Twilight. I love hanging around with you, too.” ‘Did I just say love instead of like?’ she thought. “Um, shall we have a look at these ruins and then go to that tower?” she asked quickly, gesturing with a hoof at the ruins around her. Twilight gave her an odd look, before recovering and nodding in agreement. ‘Why did she change the subject so quickly after saying she loved hanging around with me?’ Twilight thought. ‘Is she hiding something from me?’ If she was, Twilight couldn’t understand why she would do that. ‘She knows I can be trusted, doesn’t she?’ But then again, did she trust Fluttershy completely to reveal her love to her just yet? Although she trusted Fluttershy with her very life, she couldn’t understand why she felt like she couldn’t trust her with these feelings. She felt awful for standing in front of the mare she cared about most, and couldn’t say three simple words, out of fear. ‘All of this would have been avoided had I been brave and trusted Fluttershy enough to say those three words,’ she thought. ‘I will tell her, though. One day, on this trip, I will tell her.’ “Um, Twilight? Are you okay?” Fluttershy queried. She waved a hoof in front of Twilight’s blank face. “You look like you just zoned out there.” Twilight shook her head, and smiled assuredly. “Sorry, yeah I kinda did. Sorry.” She shook her head once more. “Come on, let’s take a slow walk to that tower.” She turned around, and began to walk through the ruins once more. Fluttershy broke into a trot to catch up to her, and once she was beside her, slowed into a walk. “I thought, well, being the capital and all, Castamare would have a lot more ruins. This place seems too small to be a capital,” Fluttershy said, looking around. “Oh, it was. Way bigger than this,” Twilight said. “Some ponies say it was the size of Canterlot timed by two.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s huge! Then, if it was that big, then what happened to some of the ruins?” “Long after the fall of Castamare,” Twilight explained, “the iron ponies brought down a lot of the ruins, and used a lot of the old stone, and any wood that was left that was renewable, to build new homes in Skyros or wherever somepony wanted to live if the city life wasn’t for them.” Fluttershy smiled warmly. “That’s good. At least the stone went to a good cause, rather than fade away here. I don’t want to imagine what it would have been like for the ponies who were forced to spend nights out in the cold without a roof over their heads.” “I’m sure they would have managed; they are known as the iron ponies after all,” Twilight said, although she expected Fluttershy to say something like that. If the kind-hearted pegasus was around, Twilight theorised, she would probably have built the whole city herself if it meant ponies could sleep comfortably at night. ‘I wouldn’t put it past her to build a whole city,’ Twilight thought. ‘I have watched her shake apples out of trees at quite a speed, after all.’ Twilight was shaken out of her thoughts once more when she glanced at one of the stones to the right of her, lying on the ground with weeds growing around it as the stone began to be reclaimed by nature. For Twilight, that was sad. A thousand years from now, maybe more, this stone, and the others around it will be taken by the earth, and would only be remembered through history books and song. Twilight’s eyes widened at the remembrance of the song, and wondered if Fluttershy would like to hear it. She knew Fluttershy was a pony who loved music, and had quite an extensive music collection back home. She decided to ask. “There’s a song about this place,” Twilight remarked suddenly, rubbing the stone next to her with a hoof. “An iron pony wrote it not long after Castamare’s destruction, mostly about the rains that fell for days without pause. Do you want to hear it?” Fluttershy looked from the rocks strewn about the place to Twilight, her eyes wide with fascination. “Is it a sad song?” “Well, it’s not exactly one you want to hear at a wedding, to put it one way,” Twilight answered with a shrug. “Oh. Then, if it’s okay with you, then I think I’ll pass,” Fluttershy said, smiling comfortingly. “It’s not your singing I don’t want to hear, of course. You’re a great singer, Twilight. It’s just that I don’t like sad songs. I prefer the more jolly ones; the ones that want to make you sway your hips and just dance to the beat with a smile on your face.” Twilight nodded in understanding, although she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. That disappointed feeling washed away when she saw Fluttershy’s smile. “That’s okay, I guess,” she said, smiling back. She briskly walked away from the stone and headed towards the tower, a look of curiosity on her face. Why was that tower there, and in one piece, when the rest of this place was just a ruin? “Oh my goodness! You look so cute when you’re curious!” Fluttershy exclaimed from behind her. Twilight halted, becoming still as a statue. She could feel her cheeks start to burn a fierce pink as her mind tried to tell her that she didn’t just imagine that. “Did you just say I’m…?” she asked as she turned her head around to face her friend and crush. Her question faded away, and her heart slowed down to a reasonable pace, when she saw Fluttershy wasn’t talking to her. The pegasus was staring delightfully at a small red squirrel, which looked back at her with a tilted head and curious eyes, blinking every now and then. “I’ve never seen a red squirrel before. I always thought you were all extinct. Oh I am so happy you are not!” Fluttershy squealed, picking the squirrel up and hugging it tight. The squirrel, although surprised it could understand what she was saying, returned the sweet affection with a nuzzle to her chest. “Wow,” Twilight whispered, tiptoeing up to them and looking at the squirrel with interested eyes. The squirrel’s head shot around to look at Twilight for a moment, and then tried to break away. “Hey, it’s okay, little one, it’s okay,” she reassured it. “Twilight is a really good friend of mine. She would never hurt you intentionally. If she does…” She left the rest unsaid, but the message was clear as glass, and it made Twilight shiver in fear in doing something wrong. The squirrel jumped out of Fluttershy’s hold and looked at Twilight with the same amount of curiosity as it did with Fluttershy. It inched its head closer to Twilight to have a proper sniff. Believing it wanted a nuzzle, Twilight inched her head closer so their noses were almost touching. ‘This is amazing,’ Twilight thought gleefully. She had wanted to get a grip with nature for a long time, and with Fluttershy, she saw a chance to be with her longer, and understand the world better. This seemed to be the start of such a journey, and it already felt magical. That magical moment was slaughtered when the squirrel sneezed in her face and then ran off. Twilight closed her eyes and backed away, wiping her face with a hoof, and wiping her hoof on the grass. ‘That was disgusting,’ Twilight thought, sticking her tongue out. When she opened her eyes again, she quickly narrowed them when she saw Fluttershy was hiding her face behind her mane, giggling as quietly as she could try. Fluttershy looked out from her mane shield to see Twilight glaring at her, then quickly hid her face back behind it, giggling even louder. “I’m so sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy giggled, trying to stop. “I don’t mean to, but I just can’t help myself. That was so cute! The poor little thing. I hope that cold goes away soon.” She threw her mane back out of her face and took a deep breath to calm herself down, which worked quite well. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Adorable,” she said sarcastically. Fluttershy gave her a sweet smile, which made Twilight’s heart melt. Immediately, any trace of her bad mood was washed away under the power of that smile. ‘That smile could stop an entire army of demons,’ she thought. “I’m sorry that didn’t go so well for you, Twilight,” Fluttershy comforted her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “But like everything in Terra, with just a little practice, you will get better at it.” Twilight smiled and nodded in agreement. “Great advice, Fluttershy,” Twilight remarked, making Fluttershy blush bashfully. Twilight looked from the pegasus to the sky above her, and saw that through the thin number of clouds, the sun was at the centre of the sky. “Come on, let’s get to that tower and see what we can see. Race you!” she said. She quickly broke into a sprint as she raced out of the ruins and towards the tower. Fluttershy grinned, and then quickly broke into a gallop after her, laughing to herself as she had the time of her life. She quickly caught up with the unicorn, and kept level with her as they left the ruins behind them, and ran all the way to the tower. When they arrived under its shadow, the two ponies stopped and fell onto their rumps, gasping for breath. “You must be getting quicker,” Fluttershy panted as they waited to get their breaths back. “I was only able to keep level with you this time.” “Yeah, of course. We only tied because you were holding back,” Twilight said. “You weren’t using your full strides like you were in Whitetail Woods.” Fluttershy lifted a hoof up to deny the claim, but quickly went against it. “Yeah, you’re right, I did hold back. But only because I wanted you to win for once.” “For once?” Twilight gasped, giving Fluttershy a feint look of offence, even though she had an open smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll beat you at something.” She looked up at the sky in thought for a moment. “How about we have a game of pool when we’re back on the ship. Best of three. Deal?” She lifted her hoof up for Fluttershy to shake. Fluttershy felt the usual hesitance that always gnawed at her when situations like this arose. However, this time it was merely fleeting. She brought up a hoof into Twilight’s own, and shook it confidently. “Deal,” Fluttershy said, surprised at herself that she would accept Twilight’s competition so quickly. ‘But then again,’ she figured as she thought about it, ‘it is Twilight.’ “Brilliant. I’m looking forward to beating you, you know,” Twilight said as she walked into the tower, smirking. “Not unless I beat you first,” Fluttershy replied confidently, grinning in eagerness behind her as they walked. Twilight laughed. “You know, it is quite odd to hear you so confident. Probably because I’m not used to it.” Fluttershy’s grin instantly disappeared, and she dipped her head so that some of her mane fell over her face. “Does it? Oh, I’m so sorry if I freaked you out. I’l- I’ll tone it down if you really want me to, of course.” Twilight giggled, then looked back. “Don’t ever apologise for being yourself, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Like I said, I’m probably not used to seeing you like that, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t welcome.” She turned her head around to look around the tower, and raised an eyebrow and whistled impressively at the structure. It looked fairly modern, with some of the stone used in the building looking like they have been recently put together. To her right was the start of a stairway that spiralled up the tower and to the top. While to her left was a small passageway that Fluttershy was looking down. “What’s down there?” she asked. “Oh, well, it seems to be some sort of information board,” Fluttershy replied, her eyes going over the writing. “It says this place was built about fifty years ago as a memorial for the ruins of Castamare, so when the last remnants of the city disappear, then this tower would be a reminder to anypony that comes by this way, and wonders what was once here.” She pulled back, and turned around. “At least they’ll have some way to remember that atrocity by. It is just a shame that they have to remember it at all.” Twilight nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but it happened and we can’t change it now.” “I wish we could,” Fluttershy mumbled, though loud enough to be heard, as she walked up to Twilight. Twilight raised an eyebrow, surprised. She turned around and began to head up the stairs, Fluttershy walking alongside her. “So what would you have changed then if you were given the chance to avert the Iron War?” “Oh, well, um… I would have apologised for being a meanie in asking for too much iron; much more than they could take out of the ground. Then I would have worked out an agreement where both parties would be happy, and nopony needs to get hurt.” Twilight stopped for a moment, surprised at the sound plan Fluttershy had. “That… that could actually work, though it depends on whether or not they accepted your apology.” ‘But I’m sure they would have if Fluttershy was the one who said it,’ she thought. ‘You cannot stay mad at her after she has said sorry. It just seems wrong.’ “Really? You think that could have actually worked?” Fluttershy asked hopefully. “Maybe, but I’m afraid we will never find out,” Twilight said sullenly. “Sorry.” “Oh, don’t be sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, waving the apology away with a hoof. “I know there’s nothing we can do to change it back, it’s just interesting to see what we would have changed.” She continued walking up the stairs, prompting Twilight to start moving as well. “What about you? What would you have changed had you been ruler at the time?” Twilight scrunched up her face in thought. “Hmm… I’m not sure, to be honest,” she answered. “I certainly wouldn’t go with what actually happened. I might have tried everything peaceful I could think of, and if it all failed, then I would have no choice but to invade the islands, and impose a martial law until a new leader is chosen among the iron ponies.” “Well, whatever you decided, I’m sure you would have tried your best,” Fluttershy said. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she looked away as the blinding light of the sun shone onto their faces. “Oh, goody, we’re at the top,” Twilight said excitedly. “Time to see what we can see.” She jumped the last lot of the stairs, and walked out of the way so Fluttershy could come up as well. What she saw caught her breath in her throat. The same went with Fluttershy “What a view,” she remarked. They could see for miles around. At the edge of the horizon in the far north was a wall of trees, while going back from it was endless plains and small hills, filled with plants of great variety, and exotic and wondrous wildlife: butterflies, caterpillars, moths, dragonflies, bees, and other small insects and mammals scurried about the plains and the ruins of Castamare. Looking east, they could make out the roofs of the buildings of Skyros, and the ocean they navigated across to get here. Westward, they could barely make out more woodlands and plains, and they could see the telltale signs of a river, coming from the ocean and making its way to the other side. Despite the beauty of the view around them, none of it compared to what Twilight was staring at in utter fascination and awe south of them. When Fluttershy got concerned, she walked over to see what the unicorn was looking at, and when she saw it as well, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. “I-is that what I think it is?” she asked. Twilight only nodded, for the sight of one of the bridges that had captured her imagination for most of her childhood was in front of her, making her unable to form coherent speech, or turn her gaze away from it. It was long – much longer than Twilight thought – and stretched from one island to the other in a completely perfect straight line. Below the main structure of the bridge, around ten large arches held the bridge up, with the stonework going down into the water itself – which Twilight thought was impossible since the water was so deep anypony without proper diving equipment, would drown. ‘Whoever built these were incredibly advanced,’ Twilight thought. “Wow,” Fluttershy gasped. “That looks so amazing!” “Amazing doesn’t quite cut it, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “In fact, not even epic could give this bridge true justice in its magnificence.” Fluttershy could only nod in agreement. “Are we going to go and have a closer look?” “You don’t have to ask me twice,” Twilight said gleefully. Just as she finished speaking, her horn started flaring, and in a flash she was gone. Fluttershy looked over the side just to see Twilight appearing at the base of the tower, before suddenly galloping off at full speed towards it. ‘I knew she would get excited about seeing this bridge, but I didn’t believe it would be at this level!’ Fluttershy thought. Not wanting to be left behind, she spread her wings and flew as fast as she could after her friend. She didn’t have to fly far, however, for Twilight stopped just before she was actually on the bridge, as though she was too scared of touching it. While she waited for Fluttershy to catch up, Twilight looked at the bridge with wide, fascinated eyes. Sitting atop of the stone-built walls along the side, grotesques stared threateningly at her, as though stopping her from crossing with their gazes alone. These gazes continued until the halfway point, where the grotesques had turned around and stared at the other side of the island. A frightened squeak from behind made Twilight shoot her head away from them, and looked at Fluttershy, who was shaking in fright behind her. “Those statues are scary, and very convincingly life-like,” she commented. Twilight giggled. “It’s all right, Fluttershy. They can’t harm you. They’re just statues – wards, more like. They were carved to serve as protectors and guardians against those who they deemed not worthy to cross this bridge.” Fluttershy gulped. “And what happens to those that are not deemed worthy to cross?” she asked nervously. “Nothing, I’d imagine,” Twilight answered. “They’re just statues, Fluttershy. They can’t hurt anything.” Although she felt confident in her own words, she still had a bout of uncertainty. Magic was an unpredictable thing, and could easily be hidden in plain sight from unsuspecting eyes, which hers and Fluttershy’s were, believe it or not. She might be a student under the Princess of the sun, but she had yet to be taught how to look for signs of a magic trap. ‘Only one way to be really sure,’ she thought. “Stay here,” Twilight commanded to a shaking Fluttershy. “Okay,” squeaked Fluttershy. With Fluttershy locked where she was, Twilight took a step forward, then another, and another, until she was standing on the bridge completely. She glanced at the grotesques beside her, and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised they were just statues. She chuckled to herself, feeling incredibly silly all of a sudden for being scared of grotesques. “It’s okay,” she said to Fluttershy, looking back at her. “Like I said: they’re just statues. Now, shall we head over and see what’s on the other side?” Fluttershy seemed to unfasten at the sight of seeing Twilight still alive and not burning into lavender soup by the hidden magic power of the bridge, and began to catch up to her. As she passed the first grotesques, she looked at both of them, and saw them as a beautiful piece of art, and not the ferocious monsters from legend. “I’m terribly sorry for thinking you were horrible monsters,” she said to them as she walked by. “You’re forgiven.” Fluttershy froze in shock, and quickly looked back to see if she didn’t just hear that. The grotesque which she imagined spoke faced the other way, and looked like it hadn’t moved at all. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at it and tilted her head, standing completely still to see if would move again. “Fluttershy! Are you coming?” Twilight called. Fluttershy jumped at the sound of Twilight’s voice, and quickly brought herself out of her investigation. “Coming, Twilight!” she cried as she spun around and galloped after her friend. While behind her, the grotesque chuckled, and then went perfectly still once more. As they walked along the bridge, Twilight and Fluttershy noticed something about the bridge that set it apart from others they had seen, especially from the ones back home. “Twilight?” “Yes, Fluttershy?” “Is it me, or is this bridge made out of iron?” “Hmm,” Twilight pondered, looking from the pegasus to the bridge under. She quickly tapped her hoof against it, and pricked her ears right up for the sound that echoed from the touch. It had a sort of metallic twang to it, like metal being bashed with a hammer at a forge. “You know what, I think you’re right.” She bent down to scrutinise the bridge carefully. “Fascinating. Stone and iron formed together. I don’t think I have seen a bridge like it. Whoever built this must have been incredibly advanced in technology. Technology that vanished when they vanished.” She looked to the other side, and saw a large hill overlooking the bridge in its entirety. “I need to get a drawing of this.” She got up and galloped over the bridge and to the hill. Fluttershy, who was looking at another one of the grotesques suspiciously, suddenly noticed Twilight was galloping away from the bridge without her. “Oh! Wait for me!” she shouted as she broke into a sprint after her. She followed Twilight off the bridge, up the hill, then off the path as the excited unicorn stopped at the edge of the tall hill, gazing at the bridge in front of them. “Right,” Twilight sighed. “Perfect for a bit of drawing.” She sat on her haunches, and took out her sketchbook and a quill, placing it on a small, flat rock in front of her. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she remembered Twilight promised to show her some of her drawings. “Oh, Twilight?” The unicorn looked back at her amiably. “I was wondering – if you wouldn’t mind doing it – if you would show me some of your drawings now?” Twilight’s eyes widened, and a grin spread across her face at the thought of showing somepony her work. “Of course!” she exclaimed delightfully. She gestured with a hoof for Fluttershy to sit next to her, which the pegasus quickly complied, sitting on her haunches, and taking her saddlebags off and putting them in front of her. “You know, if you don’t mind, that is, this would make a good place to stop and have a picnic,” Fluttershy observed. “I’m starving after all that walking.” Twilight giggled as she realised just how hungry she felt as well. “Brilliant idea, Fluttershy. You have all the lunch, right?” Fluttershy nodded, and quickly pulled out two bags full of sandwiches and a packet of lettuce-flavoured crisps. “I found them on the ship yesterday when I was in the mess room,” she explained about them upon seeing Twilight’s odd look. “I couldn’t help myself; they just looked so tasty.” After a moment, Twilight giggled. “I’m sure they won’t notice. Put them in the middle here so I can have a try, if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy nodded, then opened the packet, and set it between the two of them. With that done, Fluttershy took out a sandwich and began munching on it quickly, while Twilight opened up her sketchbook to show Fluttershy her first drawing. “This,” Twilight explained, “is my first drawing from when I was ten years old.” Fluttershy looked at the drawing, and found she couldn’t look away due to how brilliant it was. It depicted the Canterlot royal gardens, easily recognisable due to the many statues that were dotted about the field. The lining wasn’t entirely straight, as some of the statues’ plinths tended to bend this way or that, and some of the shading was a bit too light or too dark, or virtually non-existent, but it was still amazing. “That is incredible, Twilight,” Fluttershy commented, making Twilight blush. “Oh, not really,” Twilight waved the compliment away. “Looking back at it, this one is awful compared to the others I have done.” “Well, you did just start out, so of course you were going to make mistakes. And who am I to judge? I can’t draw to save my life.” “I bet you can.” “I can’t, really. I tried it once, but I just got a bit impatient with it all, so I gave up. Anyway, what was the next one?” “Oh, yeah. Give me a moment.” Twilight flipped the page over, while taking a crisp out of the packet with a hoof. She stopped when she felt something heavy on her hoof, which almost felt like another hoof. She glanced to her right to see that Fluttershy had tried to grab a crisp at the same time as her, and both ponies were now touching hooves. Both ponies blushed furiously, and pulled their hooves back while giggling awkwardly. “Sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “Do you want to get your crisp now?” “No, no, that’s okay. You go first,” Twilight insisted. Fluttershy nodded, then quickly dived her hoof in the packet, got hold of her crisp, and pulled it out again, with Twilight doing the same thing a second later. The unicorn’s eyes suddenly widened when the taste of the crisp took hold on her tongue. It tasted like lettuce all right, but sweetened down with salt and other flavours that added to the sensational taste in her mouth. “Oh my goodness, these crisps are delicious!” Twilight exclaimed, moaning pleasurably at the taste in her mouth. “What do you think, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy put her crisp in her mouth, and began crunching on it. After a moment, her face scrunched up in disgust, and quickly swallowed. “That tasted awful,” she commented, getting out a canteen of water, and then quickly gulping it down to get rid of the taste. “Far too sweet for my liking. You can taste the salt more than the lettuce, and I never liked salt. You can have them all, Twilight. I don’t mind.” Twilight grinned, surprised but pleased she had some of the most beautiful crisps in the world. “I’m gonna have to get some more of these when we get back home. Then we can have them at a future sleepover at some point,” Twilight said, smirking. Fluttershy looked horrified. “Oh, please don’t do that. Maybe one or two packets for yourself, or at least have some variety for us few ponies who don’t like salt.” Twilight giggled in response. “Relax, Fluttershy, I was only teasing. I’ll only have just one packet next time.” She took another crisp out of the packet and stuffed it in her mouth, before flicking the page over in her sketchbook. “This one I drew at my brother’s award ceremony,” she explained, smiling at the memory it opened up to her. “Shining Armor became a sergeant that day. I don’t know who cried the more at that: my mother, or me. Two years later he became the captain of the royal guard.” Fluttershy, chewing on one of her sandwiches, leaned over to have a look, and her eyes widened again. Unlike the other drawing, this one was near enough perfect, with a few squiggly lines at certain places, but otherwise it looked like a photo. She could make out Twilight’s brother at the front, with a rather attractive mare in front of him; both of them were dressed in armour. Behind the two, in two columns, were soldiers of the royal guard, with Princess Celestia in the right corner to oversee the promotion. And around the ponies, the room she could recognise as the one where Shining and Cadence got married was decorated in the standards and banners of Equestria, with pots of flowers overhead, and other small details that made Fluttershy think she could fall into it and go back in time. “Wow, Twilight, this one is even better.” Twilight blushed at the praise. “Thanks, but you have seen nothing yet.” She flicked the page once more, and Fluttershy gasped at the splendour of the next one. It was a drawing of Princess Celestia herself, sitting on the royal golden throne and talking to a pony casually, with a small smile on her face, and her mane and tail flowing in the solar breeze. If it was in colour, Fluttershy would have thought it was a photo, but it was as close to one as she could get hold of. The lining was perfect; the shading was top notch, and the ponies themselves looked as they should. “You are such an amazing drawer, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, her eyes wide with fascination, and interest. Twilight blushed once again. “Thank you, Fluttershy. It’s a shame, really, because this one was the last one I drew at the palace. The rest I managed to do when I was in Ponyville.” She flicked through a few pages; passing some abandoned pieces of work, and turned to one Twilight felt particularly proud of. “This one I took when I was completely bored with nothing to do, and everypony was busy. So I decided to borrow the balloon for a while and went up into the air, to draw this,” Twilight explained. She looked back at Fluttershy to see the pegasus was left speechless. The picture was of Canterlot itself from the front, with the road visibly leading out of the city and down the mountain, and the towers glinting in the high summer sun. “I absolutely adore it, Twilight!” Fluttershy piped cheerfully. “I love the shadowing on the side of the mountain next to Canterlot, and I love how accurate it all is. Oh, I would love to see you work and see how you do it all!” “Well, why don’t I show you?” Twilight suggested. “I’m gonna draw that bridge; draw it as a reminder of what we have seen. You can watch if you’d like.” “Really?” Fluttershy squeaked, her ears pinned upright and her eyes and face wide with delight. “Oh, I would love to watch. Don’t worry; I’ll be as quiet as a fish.” With that, her lips sealed tightly shut, and she inched herself closer to Twilight so she could see what the unicorn was doing. ‘Oh, Fluttershy. Her and her fishes,’ Twilight thought with a giggle while shaking her head. At once, her horn lit up to its magenta colour, and levitating in front of her was a quill with a thin point; perfect for drawing out the first rough lines. She quickly dipped the quill in a pot of ink, and began scribbling on the paper quickly the outline of the bridge, and the gap between the two islands. As she drew, Fluttershy tilted her head one way, and then another as she tried to work out what Twilight was doing. ‘Maybe I should ask her,’ she decided. She opened her mouth to ask about why it looked so rough, but quickly shut her mouth again when she realised in doing so would be rude. ‘I don’t want to ruin Twilight’s concentration.’ “You wanted to ask me something?” Twilight asked, glancing at her with the corner of her eye. “Oh, well, um… I was just wondering about why it looked so… rough,” Fluttershy said. She flinched back a bit as though she had been stung by her own words. “Oh, please don’t be mad at me, Twilight, I didn’t mean to be rude, I was just… oh… oh dear…” Before Fluttershy could burst into tears, Twilight laughed aloud, settling Fluttershy’s fears. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, you have actually brought up an interesting point. There is a reason as to why it’s so rough, so let me clarify.” She pointed to the page. “Right, what I’m doing here is creating a rough version of what’s in front of me, giving me some form to work and improve on before finishing it. Drawing with this method is like, uh… making a pony from scratch. You first make the skeleton, which is this,” she pointed back at the drawing, “and then you build over it with the muscles, fleshing it out a bit. Finally, you go onto the coat and details, adding things like a mane, tail, eyes… and other things. That’s what I plan to do when I get the muscles finished. Did you get all that?” Fluttershy nodded, her face an expression of fascination. “Completely.” Twilight smiled at her. “Brilliant! Now, with the skeleton complete, I have to flesh out the structure, and make it look more realistic, observe.” She took out a quill with a bigger point than the first, and began scribbling along the lines that represented the bridge, fleshing it out until it actually began to look like the bridge. After a moment, she pulled the quill away, dipped it in ink, and then started again, this time fleshing out the scenery around the bridge. Fluttershy leaned over till she was looking over Twilight’s shoulder with her eyes wide and lips sealed into an O shape as she watched Twilight metaphorically work her magic on paper. As she watched, she couldn’t believe that she was actually watching Twilight doing this amazing thing. She didn’t even know that Twilight did it. She waited until the unicorn had pulled her quill away from the paper, then asked, “How comes you never showed us this before, or told us about it?” Twilight looked at Fluttershy oddly, then looked at the ground between them shamefully. “I guess I didn’t want to look like I was bragging about it, that’s all. I’m sorry I never told you, or the others.” “Ah, that’s okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy said gently, nuzzling Twilight’s cheek comfortingly, making the unicorn blush. “I know you aren’t a bragger like other ponies I know. I’m glad you told me, though. You have such an amazing talent.” Twilight’s blush turned pinker at the high praise from the love of her life. To her, Fluttershy’s opinion meant more to her than anypony else’s, except her other friends and family. “You’re too kind, Fluttershy,” Twilight squeaked bashfully, trying to imitate Fluttershy by trying to hide her face behind her mane, but found it to be too short. Fluttershy giggled at the sight. ‘That is too cute,’ Fluttershy thought. She looked away all of a sudden as her smile faded and she felt herself starting to stress out. Why was she thinking like this? What had happened that made her keep seeing Twilight Sparkle as cute? ‘Because you love her!’ her mind screamed. ‘You know, you can always give it a chance and see where it goes. She may even return the feelings.’ ‘I can’t do that,’ Fluttershy replied. ‘I don’t want to do that!’ But what if she did? Although she had never said it to her, she had for a long time seen Twilight as a bigger sister, one she can go to when a problem arose, or to find comfort in being around when her fear became too great to handle alone. Aside from Rainbow and Applejack, who she knew for longer, she hadn’t felt this to any of her other friends. So when did she suddenly feel like that for Twilight? Just as she thought about it, the answer came to her. It was the day she had kidnapped Philomena, the pet phoenix of Princess Celestia, and just after she had watched the bird burst into flame, and become nothing but ash. When the Princess had arrived, Fluttershy tried to tell her what had happened, but Twilight stood in the way, saying she was the one who took it, and said that Celestia would go easier on her. Although she thanked Twilight for sticking up for her, and quickly said that she was the one that took the bird, she suddenly felt something different about Twilight that she hadn’t felt before with anypony else. Twilight was somepony who would stand up for her, and would not back down, even to the Princess of Equestria, her own mentor. Even then, after that there were many moments where Twilight would suddenly be there for her, and support her when nopony else could. She had felt something greatly different to Twilight than she did to anypony else; something that made her wish Twilight was her younger sister, somepony who was caring, gentle, wise, funny and above all brilliant company. But what if those feelings were not of a sisterly kind? What if they really were feelings of love? ‘No! It can never be,’ Fluttershy thought. ‘Besides, somepony else has her heart.’ “Fluttershy?” Fluttershy broke out of her brooding to look back at Twilight, who was tilting her head and looking at her in great concern. “Are you okay?” Fluttershy nodded, smiling assuredly. “Yeah, I’m fine. I thought I saw some wildlife over there somewhere, but I guess I was mistaken,” she lied. She looked down at the paper in front of Twilight. “Have you finished the drawing yet?” Twilight shook her head. “Just have to add some details in, like the ruins of Castamare in the background, that tower, and those grotesques along the walls of the bridge,” Twilight said, pointing to each in turn. She picked up the quill with the smaller point again, and began drawing in the small details with slow, careful movements. After a while of silence, and intense thought from both ponies, Twilight pulled her quill away for the last time, and smiled proudly at the drawing in front of her. “Perfect,” she muttered to herself. “What do you think, Fluttershy?” She looked over to the pegasus, who was staring at the bridge, deep in thought. “Fluttershy!” Fluttershy jumped with fright, broken out of her train of thought. “Oh dear, sorry, Twilight, I was away there. Have you finished yet?” “Yep,” Twilight answered, nodding, she gestured with a hoof at it. “What do you think? I know it may not be up to the standards of some of my other works, but I have been out of practice lately.” Fluttershy’s eyes trailed down to the picture, then her eyes widened in fascination at the picture. It was, like the Canterlot drawing, nearly perfect. Its shading was spot on, and coherent to the position of the sun. The lining work was fantastic. In all, it made Fluttershy think she could walk through it and onto the bridge once more. “Amazing,” she whispered, making Twilight blush once more at the praise. “So what were you thinking about just now?” Twilight enquired. “Don’t say you were just looking at the scenery. I know that look you had just now. I sometimes think I invented it.” Fluttershy giggled wryly. “I was just thinking about our friends again. I was just wondering what they were all doing right now. I know Applejack is getting ready with the rest of her family for the upcoming Apple Family Reunion, but the others I’m not sure.” “I know Applejack said to me she and Applebloom are planning to go on a camping trip to Winsome Falls at some point, though I can’t remember when.” “I wonder if Rainbow Dash will join them? She would never miss out an opportunity like that to tell a scary story one night.” “Well, knowing her love of the spotlight, she probably would go if invited. I wonder if anypony else would go, like Rarity?” At that suggestion, the two ponies burst into laughter, and began rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs as they tried to stop. “Oh, stop it, Twilight!” Fluttershy cried through her giggles. “That’s too funny!” Twilight tried to respond, but couldn’t find her voice through her giggles. After a moment, the two finally stopped laughing, and sat themselves upright, taking deep breaths. “I think that was a bit mean of us,” Twilight conceded, her ears falling flat as she looked guiltily at Fluttershy. “I’m sure Rarity would be a great camper.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement, her ears flat as well. “I’m sure she would. I could easily picture her camping.” She looked up to the sky, as though she was trying to imagine Rarity in front of a campfire. “Actually, I don’t think I can,” she admitted. “Neither can I,” Twilight agreed. At that, the two burst out laughing again, and had to lean on each other as they tried to control themselves. After a while, the two finally controlled themselves, and looked at each other with mischievous smiles. “I won’t tell Rarity if you won’t tell?” Twilight asked. “I won’t tell a soul about we just said,” Fluttershy replied. “I’ll carry it to my grave.” “Good,” Twilight nodded. Her horn suddenly lit up, and her sketchbook, along with her quills, was swiftly returned into her saddlebags. “Right then, are you ready to continue exploring?” Fluttershy nodded eagerly, while finishing off the last of her sandwich. “Oh, yes,” she answered after swallowing. “Let’s get going, and see what other things we can find.” With that settled, the two ponies placed their saddlebags on their backs, and trotted onto the path that wiggled its way deeper onto the second island like a snake, leaving the bridge and the first island behind.