//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 (part 3) // Story: An Expression Of Love // by Fluttershy20 //------------------------------// “So, um… I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with… G,” Fluttershy said, looking back at Twilight with a grin that said, ‘bet you can’t guess that one.’ “G, huh?” Twilight hummed, looking around the island for something beginning with G. “Hmm.” She looked down at the long grass that nestled alongside the path, and smirked. “Is it grass?” Fluttershy shook her head. “Nope,” she giggled. Twilight lifted her eyebrows up in confusion, and surprise. “Well if it isn’t grass, then what else could it be?” “Do you want me to give you a clue?” Fluttershy asked in a singsong voice. Twilight nodded. “Well, it has grass in its name, and is commonly found in the grass. Oh, and they tend to hop around and make little noises. Oh, and they can fly. Oh, and they’re– ” Before she could finish her sentence, Twilight stuffed a hoof in her open mouth. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” Twilight said kindly, “but I think that was more than enough for me to guess on.” She pulled her hoof away, and lowered her head and squinted her eyes in the grass to make out what she thought Fluttershy was hinting at. Eventually, she smirked once more as she could make out movement among the grass. “Is it grasshoppers?” Fluttershy clapped her hooves together. “Yay! Well done, Twilight!” she cheered. “It’s your turn now.” “Okay, um…” Twilight hummed as she looked around. They had been walking across the second island for almost an hour or two now, and had spent the time talking, singing old songs and playing games like they were now. It was about halfway across the island when Fluttershy saw the path veering away into a large woodland area, and pleaded to Twilight to join her in exploring it. Eventually, and seeing she had no other option, Twilight conceded, and they took the smaller path into the woods, and whatever was on the other side. Around them, the trees looked old, and the many branches on the trees looked like they were reaching down and trying to grab them. The canopy was large, and shaded the two ponies as they walked from the blaring sun that gazed directly above them, and the woods were so thick and grouped closely together that all they could see were trees, grass, and bushes. However, that didn’t mean they couldn’t see any wildlife. Occasionally a hoot of an eagle owl was heard, making Fluttershy squeak in fright but relaxed after realising what it was. And sometimes a large, hairy black spider was on one of the logs, making Twilight gallop for the hills, while Fluttershy said hello to it. They re-grouped a little while later down the road, where Fluttershy found Twilight cowering in an old log from an old, cut-down tree. After comforting Twilight with a hug, the two carried on, and started playing a game of I Spy. “Hmm,” Twilight hummed once more when she got back out of her summary of what happened, looking around for something that would allow her to beat Fluttershy. “I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with… B?” “B?” Fluttershy repeated. Twilight nodded. Fluttershy looked around for a second. “Is it a branch?” “Nope,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “No? Oh, okay then, um…” Fluttershy looked around once more, her eyes squinting as she tried to look for whatever was here that began with a B. ‘But what does start with a B that’s here that isn’t a branch?’ Fluttershy wondered. She suddenly noticed a bee buzzing around a few plants that lived among the grass, and her eyes widened in delight. “Is it a bee?” she enquired, smirking as she knew it had to be right. “Nope,” Twilight replied, smirking as she watched the smirk on her friend’s face disappear instantly. “It isn’t a bee.” Fluttershy now felt completely lost. “Oh, wow, you’re really good with these. Could you give me a clue or something, please?” Twilight giggled. “Okay, just the one, then. It’s big and golden coloured, and has a great big blue wet thing in front of it.” Fluttershy’s face scrunched up in confusion. “That sounds like a beach, Twilight, but I don’t think there’s one around here.” Twilight giggled again. “You’re right that it’s a beach. And if you look close enough to your left, you can see it just through the trees.” She stopped and pointed through the trees into the distance. Fluttershy followed her friend’s hoof into the woods, squinting her eyes to get a more definite look, and her eyes widened when she could just make it out. “Oh, Twilight, could we go and have a look? Please? Oh, please, please, please, please?” She finished with the biggest and cutest eyes Twilight had ever seen. Although Twilight wanted to say no and stay well clear of the beach and water, the word, ‘no’ seemed to have disappeared from her vocabulary by just looking into Fluttershy’s eyes. ‘Darn you, Fluttershy, you’re too cute for anypony to say a negative thing around you,’ Twilight thought. ‘Actually, this is my fault. I should have just gone with the bee.’ “Okay,” she sighed. “We’ll go and have a look.” Fluttershy squealed and bounced in joy, and gave Twilight a quick hug and nuzzle. “Oh, thank you, Twilight.” She pulled away, and took Twilight’s hoof, making the unicorn blush. “Come on, let’s go!” She started pulling Twilight by the hoof into the woods and towards the beach eagerly. When they arrived in full sight of it, Fluttershy could feel her breath get taken away from her. “There are no words that can describe this,” she muttered to herself. “I can think of a few,” Twilight mumbled to herself. “Messy being one of them. And wet. Mostly wet.” The beach was hidden in a large bay with a single entrance heading out into the ocean. The bay was large, with tall, white cliffs at the far edges that corralled the beach in, and was mostly covered by water. The rest of it was covered in golden sand that shone in the sun, and was deserted, as if nopony else knew of this place. “Right, now that we have seen it can we go now?” Twilight enquired, turning her head to look at her friend and crush. She jumped when she saw Fluttershy wasn’t there. “Fluttershy? “Fluttershy, where are y-!” She cut herself off when she saw Fluttershy flying down onto the beach. Groaning, she powered up her horn, and disappeared in a flash of white. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, fluttered to the ground with a look of pure delight on her face. When she was a young filly from Cloudsdale, she had seen the pictures of beaches in her children’s stories when she was growing up, and since then had always wanted to go and see one. Unfortunately, as she got older, and had more responsibilities thrust upon her shoulders, she found it difficult and not practical to go down to the seaside for a day or more. So she forced herself to wait until the right moment when she could find time to go. Now that she was here, she felt that the wait had been absolutely worth it. The sand beneath her hooves felt as soft as her fluffiest pillow, and it made her want to nestle into it and go to sleep. The smell of the salty sea filled her nostrils, and she relished it. Before she knew what she was doing, she fell onto her back and began rolling in the sand, giggling like a little filly as she gave in to her most primal instincts. Twilight quickly appeared next to her, and looked at the water with fear. She quickly looked over to Fluttershy, and felt her heart melt at seeing Fluttershy looking so happy as she rolled on the sand. After a moment, Fluttershy got up, and shook off any sand that attached itself to her coat. “That felt amazing!” Fluttershy squeaked in delight, grinning at Twilight. She glanced to her right, and saw the large blue sea, clear as crystal. She suddenly had the urge to go for a swim; an urge that she couldn’t control. “Come on, Twilight, let’s have a swimming race! Bet you can’t beat me in that!” Fluttershy called. She raced up to the waterline, and dived straight in, disappearing under the waterline for a moment, and making Twilight’s heart stop beating. Under the water, Fluttershy looked with delighted eyes at the small fishes that made the seabed their home. Schools of fish swam together in uncountable numbers, but Fluttershy could name most of them: clownfish, paracanthurus hepatus, or regal tang for short, yellow tang, Moorish idol, and blacktail damselfish were just some of the many fish she could name. She gave them all a quick wave of her hoof, before heading back up to the surface, and breathing in the fresh, salty air as she breached the water once more. When she opened her eyes again, and looked to the beach, she saw with confusion Twilight was still standing where she had first appeared, frozen in fear of something. “Come on, Twilight, the water’s lovely!” she called assuredly, gesturing with a hoof for her to come forward. Twilight shook her head and backed away a bit, her eyes wide with fear. Fluttershy felt the grin on her face melt away, and she looked at Twilight with great concern. “Twilight? What’s wrong?” she asked as she got out of the sea to see her friend. She quickly shook the excess water out of her coat and mane, which stuck to her face, then moved and sat in front of Twilight, who was shaking in fear of something. Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, what is it, what’s wrong?” she asked gently. She looked into Twilight’s eyes, and felt disturbed at the amount of fear she could see in her friend. Twilight wasn’t even looking at her; she was looking behind her, at the sea. A sudden fear gripped Fluttershy, making her feel selfish for coming here and dragging Twilight along with her. “Are you… are you afraid of water?” Twilight broke out of her fearful gaze, and shook her head. “No, I like water just fine. It’s just that I… I can’t…” She wanted to force the words out of her mouth, but they kept sticking there as though she had glue in her throat. Fluttershy gave her a quick, comforting nuzzle. “It’s all right, Twilight. I promise I won’t laugh.” Twilight smiled at her. “I know you won’t. However, it’s just so hard to tell somepony that I can’t… I can’t…” She took a deep breath, and then said quickly, “I can’t swim.” Fluttershy clamped her hooves over her mouth to stifle the gasp she released. She could feel her eyes beginning to water. “Oh my goodness, Twilight, I am so sorry for bringing you here,” she said as she hugged the unicorn tightly. “That was so selfish of me.” “Hey, it’s not your fault, Fluttershy,” Twilight whispered as she wrapped a leg around her distressed friend. “You didn’t know about it; nopony does, for that matter.” Fluttershy pulled away, a look of shock on her face. “Oh, Twilight. How comes you’ve never learnt to swim?” “Because I’m a fool,” Twilight replied sullenly, bowing her head. “I had the chance. Plenty of them. But I always pushed the idea aside and went back to my books. My parents, Shining Armor, even Cadence goaded me into learning to swim, but I always ignored them, or went off on one to quit bugging me about it. I thought I didn’t need to learn to swim, confident that I would always keep my hooves on land. I was a fool to think that.” Fluttershy shook her head in disagreement. “No, Twilight. You’re not a fool. You could never be a fool.” Twilight looked up and smiled thinly, making Fluttershy’s heart surge in happiness in causing such happiness. “Thanks, Fluttershy. But it still doesn’t change what I should have done a long time ago.” She looked over to the water, and sighed. “I guess it’s too late for that.” At that, Fluttershy’s mind went into overdrive as a radical, crazy, and outrageous plan formed in her head. Normally she would shun away from such an idea as big as this one, thinking it would be too dangerous for her to do and too silly to attempt. Yet this was for Twilight. A friend that she cared about more than she realised. She couldn’t understand why that was how she felt, but it didn’t matter presently. ‘Your friend is upset, Fluttershy,’ she thought. ‘Now you can help her, as she has helped you so many other times.’ Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, making the unicorn look up, and smiled at her. “Twilight, there is one thing I have learnt to stick by for my whole life, and that is that you are never too old to learn.” Slowly, and a bit hesitantly, she took Twilight’s forehooves in her own, and slowly brought her forward towards the ocean. Twilight’s hooves felt warm and soft in her own, and she could feel them tremble in nervousness as Fluttershy took her towards the edge. “Wait, what are we doing?” Twilight asked nervously, her eyes bouncing from the sea to Fluttershy and back again. “I’m going to teach you how to swim,” Fluttershy replied, smiling calmingly. Twilight’s eyes grew even more fearful, which hurt Fluttershy a little. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, how deep is the sea? How far does the shallow end go? Is it safe? What if there are sharks in there, waiting to gobble us up?” she asked frantically, her face beginning to sweat. Fluttershy let go of Twilight’s hooves, and looked back at the sea. Twilight did have a good point. She couldn’t teach Twilight in deeper waters, not without risking both of their lives. She quickly took to the air and began hovering over the water, looking down to see how deep the water went. ‘At least the water’s clear,’ she thought. ‘It makes it easier to know how deep it gets.’ Eventually, the water went so deep she couldn’t see the seabed anymore. She looked back up, and grinned when she saw that she was closer to the mouth of the bay. She quickly flew back up to Twilight. “The bay’s mostly quite shallow,” she said. “You can see the bottom easily.” She landed in front of Twilight, smiling sweetly. Twilight still felt unsure about this. “I-I don’t know.” Fluttershy tilted her head a little. “Do you trust me, Twilight?” She held up a hoof for her to take. Twilight didn’t hesitate. She quickly took it in both hooves, assuring Fluttershy greatly. “I trust you with my life. Don’t you ever forget that. But how are you going to teach me? I thought we would have to start in a shallow pool or something.” “It would be easier if there was a rock pool or something like that,” Fluttershy admitted. “But we can do it in the ocean as well.” She sat on her haunches, and put a hoof to her chin as she thought. “How to teach you…” She thought long and hard about it, staring from Twilight to the sea. She saw that Twilight had fine, strong legs – strong enough to help her flow through the water. The only problem was keeping Twilight calm for the duration of the lesson. She knew that the unicorn was prone to panic attacks, much like herself. She needed to keep Twilight calm long enough to get her swimming right, and without close support. Yet how to get the unicorn into the sea if she was not feeling entirely brave enough now, was a question Fluttershy tried hard to answer. She groaned when she couldn’t think of anything. “Oh, how do you teach somepony to swim?” “Well how about you start by describing it?” Twilight suggested. “What does swimming feel like to you?” “Oh, well,” Fluttershy pondered, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “I would say that swimming is like flying, only you aren’t high in the air, and you feel a lot safer.” Her eyes suddenly went wide and she gasped as an epiphany came to her, telling her just how to teach Twilight. “Can you levitate yourself like you do with us sometimes?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, of course I can.” “I would like you to levitate yourself into the air… if you would like to please?” Twilight nodded, although she was unsure how this was going to teach her how to swim. ‘No sense in arguing,’ she thought. ‘Fluttershy’s the teacher here, so what she says goes.’ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and channelled the magic within her to her horn. She soon felt the warmly feeling of magic around her, and opened her eyes to see herself being levitated into the air. She lifted herself off the ground until she was about five feet in the air, and stopped, awaiting for whatever Fluttershy had planned. Fluttershy spread her wings and fluttered up to where Twilight was now floating. “Okay, now, we are going to practice swimming from here, and when I think you’re ready, we’ll move on to actually swimming. Okay?” Twilight nodded understandably, her eyes detailing her understanding of what Fluttershy had planned. ‘Very clever, Fluttershy,’ she thought. ‘Very clever.’ “Okay, so what is the first thing to do?” “Okay,” Fluttershy breathed, taking a moment to think on what to do next. “So, uh, swimming is also like galloping. You’re pushing yourself through the water. So, um, if you want to, that is, try doing this.” She began kicking her front legs out in short bursts and bringing them back towards her, while kicking her hind legs out fully, pushing herself forward slowly across the sky. “See. That is how ponies, and dogs I might add, swim. Try it.” Twilight nodded, swallowing down the nervousness she felt building up inside her. She suddenly looked over to Fluttershy, who was smiling at her encouragingly and gesturing with her forehooves for her to come forward, like a mother would with a foal that was learning to walk for the first time. ‘Fluttershy’s counting on you,’ Twilight thought determinedly. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she began kicking her forelegs out, then pushing them towards her, while kicking her hind legs behind her, bringing them in, and kicking out again. “Twilight, you’re moving! You’re moving!” Fluttershy declared with delight, clapping her forehooves together. Twilight opened her eyes and looked down to see she was actually moving forward. ‘It’s working,’ she thought. She felt a grin spread itself across her face. “It’s working, Fluttershy! I’m swimming!” She began to push herself forward faster, much to Fluttershy’s surprise, and delight. “That’s it!” Fluttershy called. “You’re doing it, you’re doing it!” She gestured with her forehooves for Twilight to keep coming forward. “Come on, you can do it!” After a moment, Twilight found herself floating directly in front of Fluttershy, who tackled her in a hug. “Oh, I just knew you could do it!” Fluttershy shouted, beaming from ear to ear. Twilight beamed as well. “Well I did have the best teacher to coach me,” she praised Fluttershy, who blushed. “By the way,” Twilight added, “were you goading me on like a mother would with a foal?” Fluttershy’s blush grew fiercer, and she looked away. “I’m sorry. It was something I have always wanted to do.” Twilight giggled, and patted her on the shoulder. “It’s all right, Fluttershy. At least I know you would make a great mother.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think I would, to be honest. I wouldn’t stop worrying over the child if I had one.” ‘Which I won’t. I don’t really want one, anyway.’ Twilight smiled assuredly at her. “I think you would.” She quickly shook her head. “But I think we’re getting off topic here. What are we going to do next?” Fluttershy looked back at her, and her eyes sparkled with an assuring sense for the unicorn. “Well, if you’re up for it, we can try swimming from one bit and back to the beach again.” Twilight’s beaming grin faded a little, but she still felt a great amount of confidence that emanated from Fluttershy’s eyes. “You think I’m ready to try actual swimming?” she enquired. Fluttershy grinned, and nodded. “You are more than ready, Twilight.” She took the unicorn’s forehooves in her own, and gently guided her back down to the ground. As soon as Twilight’s hind legs touched the ground, that aura around Twilight dissipated, and the unicorn was free from the spell. “Ready then?” Fluttershy enquired. Twilight took a deep breath, and nodded. “Okay, let’s do this,” she announced confidently, if not a little bit nervously. Fluttershy nodded, then swung around the unicorn so that she was hovering just over her, and wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck. “Wait, what are you doing?” Twilight asked, glancing down at the yellow hooves resting against her chest. “I’m going to help you keep your head above the water,” Fluttershy explained. “I know that sometimes when somepony’s head goes underwater on their first try then they start to panic. I don’t want you to panic, Twilight, and I’m not going to let you go in the water by yourself. You trust me, right?” Twilight’s head shot up, locking eyes with the pegasus’s own. “I trust you immensely, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, smiling at her. Fluttershy smiled warmly at her, making Twilight’s heart melt at the sight. ‘Her smile can melt the sun,’ Twilight thought. “Right, come on, let’s get into the sea,” Fluttershy said gently. Twilight nodded, and, swallowing down whatever fear she had inside her, she walked slowly forward. She could feel Fluttershy’s hooves pressing tightly around her neck, not once loosening, not once making Twilight feel in danger or insecure. In Fluttershy’s hooves, she felt like she could walk into the sun itself, and come out the other side unscathed. She suddenly gasped out as she felt her right foreleg touching the water. “Ah, that’s cold! That’s cold!” she exclaimed. “It will warm up, I promise,” Fluttershy said soothingly. “Now put your other hoofies in there and get ready to start swimming.” Twilight looked up at her with a wry smile. “Hoofies?” Fluttershy blushed once more. “Oh, sorry, did I do the foal talk thing again? Oh, I am so sorry, Twilight, I need to stop doing that. It’s embarrassing.” “Well at least there aren’t any other ponies here to see us doing this,” Twilight observed. She had a quick look around incase any ponies had arrived while they were moving into the water, and sighed in relief when she saw nopony. She felt her hind legs enter the water, and gasped once more as the cold feeling of the water gripped her legs and went up and across her body – except her neck, where Fluttershy’s hooves were wrapped firmly in place, as though held there by glue. ‘If I wasn’t so set on telling Fluttershy that I love her at the place of the flower, I would have told her here,’ Twilight thought as they moved off the beach and deeper into the bay. She suddenly felt the seabed beneath her hooves begin to feel lighter. She looked down, and her eyes widened when she saw her legs were about to leave the seabed, and leave her in open water. “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…” “Shh,” Fluttershy soothed lovingly in her ears. “It’s okay, Twilight. I will not let anything happen to you. I promise.” Twilight felt her fears get washed away by the gentle smoothness of Fluttershy’s voice. “I know you won’t,” Twilight whispered. With that, she kicked her hind legs out from beneath her, giving her some forward momentum, and began swinging her forelegs forwards, then back to her as she began to swim. She could feel Fluttershy’s hooves pressing even tighter around her neck, though not tight enough for Twilight to have difficulty breathing, as Twilight began to kick faster and push herself forward. “That’s it, Twilight, you’re doing it, you’re swimming!” Fluttershy squealed delightfully, beaming with pride. Twilight glanced down and saw how far her legs were from the seabed, and began to laugh. “I’m swimming! I’m swimming!” she announced to the world, laughing as she began to put more power into her strokes. The water splashed into her face and surged into small waves behind her as she worked faster, and her breaths became quicker as she started to put all her energy into swimming. Her legs began to ache as she used them far more than she normally did; yet she did not care. With Fluttershy above her, goading her on, Twilight felt like she could swim back to Equestria, and still go back to the Iron Pony Islands on her own. She didn’t feel, or notice, Fluttershy forfeiting her hold around her neck. Yet the pegasus stayed close, with her forelegs stretched out incase she had to help her friend again. They went slowly around the bay, and then headed back to the sandy beach, with Twilight grinning with pride at herself, and Fluttershy beaming proudly for Twilight. Twilight breathed a light sigh of relief when she felt her hooves hit the seabed once more, and jogged out of the sea and onto the beach. Once she felt the safety of the sand beneath her hooves, she flopped onto her stomach, panting heavily, and worn out, yet she felt immensely proud of herself. “I did it… I did it…” she croaked between breaths. “Yes you did, Twilight… yes you… did.” Fluttershy landed beside her, and flopped onto her side, facing Twilight; exhausted after using her wings longer than she was used to. Despite the two mare’s exhaustion, both had the widest and brightest grins on their faces, proud of one another for their achievement today. They rested beside each other in silence, with Twilight dripping wet from neck to rump, and panting heavily as they got their breaths back. As they rested, they listened to the sound of the waves pushing up to the shoreline, before retreating, then charging up again as though they were trying to get to the edge of the beach. Above, the seagulls hovered over their heads and called loudly, their eyes looking over the beach for scraps of food for them to fight over. The wind was thin, and the warmth from the sun felt delightful on their coats, warming them up and drying them off slowly, but surely. “Well done, Twilight,” Fluttershy remarked once she was able to regain her breath. “I knew you could do it.” “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when I have Equestria’s finest swimmer teaching me,” Twilight complimented. Fluttershy’s cheeks burned pink at the praise, and she partially hid her face behind her wet mane just to hide them. Twilight giggled, then sat upright, while beads of water dripped gently down her coat from her mane or face. Fluttershy looked at her friend for a second, and for that second, she thought that the unicorn was the most beautiful pony she had ever seen. The way the sunlight reflected on the water on Twilight’s coat seemed to make her shine like silver, and her eyes sparkled with a love she had rarely seen coming her way. The only times she had seen that look was from her friends when they saw her, and her parents, yet there was something about Twilight’s eyes that set them all apart. ‘For the last time, I do not love her!’ Fluttershy roared in thought. Even as she thought that, she felt the cracks starting to appear, and grow wider, in her mind. “Thank you so much for teaching me to swim, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, breaking Fluttershy from further thought. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Fluttershy rolled onto her stomach, then sat upright and shifted herself about to face Twilight directly. “It’s all right, Twilight. What are friends for, right? Might I just say that you’re a fast learner? Most ponies who were just starting out would have found it difficult to go as far as we did.” “Really, well how far did we go?” Twilight queried, her head tilted to the side and a curious look on her face. “About the halfway point of the bay,” Fluttershy informed her, pointing out to the bay itself. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “I swam that far!” she shouted. Fluttershy nodded, grinning away. “I am so proud of you for that.” She curtly got up, and shook off any excess water on her body. Twilight quickly got out of the way before she could get wet anymore, then shook herself dry to a point. “How do you feel about setting off once more, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “I don’t mind if you want to stay here for a bit more, of course, I was just wondering if you were ready to move on, that’s all.” Twilight giggled, then looked to the sun and saw it was lowering from the sky. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I wouldn’t mind staying here for a little while longer, but it’s getting late, and we’ll have to find somewhere to stay for the night; it’ll be too late to make it back to Skyros, and I don’t fancy walking back through the dark.” “Me neither,” Fluttershy agreed with a shake of her head. With that settled, they picked up their saddlebags, which had been thrown off when they arrived, and trotted up a thin path that hugged the cliff-side up and back onto the main land. They walked for many more hours, well into when the sun was halfway over the horizon. After stepping out of the woods, they came across a vast plain that was dotted with lumps and bumps, and covered with vividly coloured flowers and plants that littered the plains. Fluttershy and Twilight chose to ignore the paths for this reason, and make their way through the fields, dancing through the flowers, with Twilight hoping the flower they were looking for might be among them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and they moved swiftly on. They travelled on paths that took them to the edges of cliffs, allowing them to look down and see the ocean smashing against the cliff face, weathering it away piece-by-piece, year-by-year. “Just think, that in a few hundred years from now this cliff will no longer exist, and the coast will be somewhere over there,” Twilight said upon looking down, pointing somewhere behind them. “Wow,” Fluttershy said in awe. They moved quickly on after that. As well as plants and trees and cliffs and other strange things, they passed old houses that sat isolated either by the cliff edge or on one of the hills. Most of them were rectangular, and made from stone – which was probably taken from the ruins of Castamare, Twilight observed – with thin trails of smoke rising from the chimney. Although Twilight suggested they could have asked the ponies of these homes for a place to stay for the night, Fluttershy went firmly against it. “I would feel awful if I had to kick somepony out of their bed for the night,” she protested. “We’ll find somewhere to stay for the night, I promise you.” Twilight was reluctant, but agreed, knowing that to argue with Fluttershy was a pointless endeavour. They moved on from the last home they saw, and headed further west along the island, their eyes drifting about to look for somewhere to stay. Yet the further they looked, the more desperate they were becoming as they couldn’t find anywhere. That desperation nearly turned to panic when Fluttershy caught sight of the evening horizon, and her eyes widened in horror. “Twilight, look!” she yelled, pointing west. Twilight looked where she was pointing, and gasped in horror at the huge thunderstorm coming rapidly their way. The clouds were as black as the coming night, and every now and then several lightning bolts shot out from the clouds and hit the sea, making Fluttershy shoot up in fright. “We need to find shelter, now!” Twilight yelled as she looked around for a place where they would be safe from the storm. Seeing none, she began to gallop in a random direction, with Fluttershy running right beside her, her eyes wide with nervousness of the coming storm. After a while of running, Twilight and Fluttershy stopped and looked around frantically for shelter, knowing if they were exposed to the storm then they might not live to see the next day. Twilight’s eyes widened further as panic gripped her when she couldn’t find a place. The storm was getting closer by the second, and could hit the island at anytime. “Over there!” Fluttershy shouted, tapping the unicorn’s shoulder with her right hoof and pointing with the other. Twilight looked around, and her heart leapt in joy and relief at the sight of a cave entrance in a large hill. “Go, go, go!” she shouted, putting her head against Fluttershy’s bottom and pushing her forward gently. Fluttershy broke out of her daze and galloped towards the cave entrance, with Twilight close behind her. They entered the cave just as the first drops of rain began to fall. Once they were inside, the two ponies collectively breathed a sigh of relief. “It was lucky you found this when you did,” Twilight said, looking outside as the first little drops of rain began to come down harder, and in greater numbers. “I don’t fancy staying out there for the night.” “Me neither,” Fluttershy agreed with a nod. She turned around, and froze in concern when she saw the darkness of the cave. “Goodness, it’s so dark.” “Allow me to fix that,” Twilight offered. She closed her eyes, and suddenly her horn lit up brighter than a lamp light, and they could see to the back of the cave. “Hmm, is it me, or does it continue around the corner?” Fluttershy squinted her eyes as she could just make out the back of the cave, and the slight bend in the right corner. “I think you’re right, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. She began to shake in fear as she suddenly felt uncomfortable in being in the cave. What if this was a vicious pony eater’s home? What if it belonged to a ravenous horde of undead ponies who wanted their brains and wanted them to join their herd? As those questions and more entered and flew around her head, it made her want to step back outside and find someplace else to sleep. A sudden flash of lightning, followed close behind by thunder made Fluttershy jump and scream in fright, and hop onto Twilight’s back for protection. Twilight grimaced and gritted her teeth as she tried to take Fluttershy’s weight. “Fluttershy, would you mind getting off my back?” she hissed through gritted teeth. “You are a lot heavier than you look.” “Oh. O-oh, sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy stammered. She clambered off Twilight’s back and grinned sheepishly. “I was just startled by the lightening, and scared by whatever could be down there.” She pointed with a trembling hoof to the direction of the cave, and wherever it led. Twilight looked down at the throat of the cave, then back at Fluttershy with an assuring smile. “Well let’s find out, shall we?” She began to walk down the path to whatever lied beyond. Fluttershy watched her go slowly forward, and her mind began to battle on whether to go with her or not. Another flash of lightening from behind her made up her mind for her, and made her charge forward. “Wait for me!” she shouted. Around the corner, the cave narrowed to the point only one pony at a time could barely squeeze through. “I hope you lost some of that pudge of yours, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, “or else you won’t be able to fit through there.” Fluttershy sat down on her rump and looked down at her belly, sizing it up to see if it was slim enough. After a moment, she nodded to herself. “I think I’d be able to fit through. What about you?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, no problem. Let’s see what’s on the other side.” With that, she walked slowly forward, while Fluttershy waited for a moment, then started going through as well. It was a tight squeeze, as both ponies could feel their saddlebags pressing into the sides as the walls grew narrower. Just when they thought the walls would get any narrower, they suddenly spread apart, and both ponies felt they could breathe again. Then suddenly, the walls alongside disappeared altogether, leaving Twilight stunned at what was around them. She stepped forward to allow Fluttershy to come in, while her eyes wandered across the room, her mouth open in wonder. “Oh my,” she heard Fluttershy say behind her, a gasp escaping her lips shortly after. They were in a round room, big enough for around twenty ponies, and carved out by hoof, with cave paintings adorning every spot of the walls. Each painting was different, yet all were of the same simplistic design: ponies with no features, terrain flatly done, and bright, unrealistic colours. Despite the ton of artistic inaccuracies that would make an acclaimed artist choke, none of it took away the immense interest Twilight held for them. Some were of the island’s history, while others were of rituals of different types, one of which Twilight saw was of religious sacrifice. ‘Must have thought that ritual would keep the storms away,’ Twilight thought. ‘It probably never worked.’ She looked right of that one, and smiled a little when she saw a pony with sticks for legs running alongside what appeared to be a bison. “These are incredible,” Twilight muttered, placing a hoof on the old work as her mind tried to work out how old they were. “Not really,” Fluttershy remarked, her eyes unable to stay still as she took in her surroundings. “They’re not as good as yours.” Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Fluttershy, but my drawings were made after a hundred ways to create art had been discovered. These, on the other hoof, date back to the time when parchment or paper never existed, or any of those techniques I learnt. In fact, I can’t even properly date them, they are that ancient.” Fluttershy walked up alongside her, her eyes looking from the painting of the sacrifice, to one with a group of ponies dancing around a large fire. “Do you think these have been found before?” she asked softly. Twilight just shrugged. “I’m not sure, to be honest.” She had a quick look around of the small room. “Doesn’t seem like it’s been touched for thousands of years,” she observed. “We could be the first ponies to have seen these in a long, long time.” At that, Fluttershy burst into a yellow and pink ball of uncontrolled excitement. She began squealing like a filly who had just got their best present ever, and bounced around the room in joy. For Fluttershy, this moment was one she had wanted to do for a long time – to leave her mark on something that had never been seen before. Now that goal was completed, and she just felt she had to let it all out. As Fluttershy hopped around the room like a mad rabbit, Twilight looked on with a raised eyebrow and a growing smile. That smile turned into giggles as the pegasus did not calm down. ‘This is too cute,’ Twilight thought, her eyes following Fluttershy’s rapid movements. After a while, Fluttershy finally stopped, and took a few deep breaths till she felt calm and relaxed once more. “Sorry, Twilight. Had to do that. Finding something that nopony has ever seen before has always been one of my dreams, and thanks to you, I just fulfilled it.” Twilight smiled and blushed. “You were the one to find the cave in the first place, Fluttershy,” Twilight corrected her. “I should be the one for thanking you for finding this place.” She spun around with an outstretched hoof, gesturing to the whole cave. “This is a treasure trove of history.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “And a good place to camp for the night.” She slung off her saddlebags, letting them rest just beside her, and sat on her haunches. “At least it isn’t full of scary creatures that want to eat us.” “Yeah,” Twilight replied, nodding agreeably. She suddenly added teasingly, “They come later.” Fluttershy slightly paled. “Oh, don’t tell me that, Twilight. I won’t be able to sleep tonight now.” Twilight chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. And don’t worry, these islands have no natural pony eaters, just the storms like the one outside we have to worry about.” She set down on her stomach, and let out a long, content sigh. “And I imagine we’ll be fine in here.” Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief; glad that nothing would come in the night to gobble them up as they slept. “That’s good.” Sighing once more, she settled down onto her stomach, and began to rummage through her saddlebags for her blanket. Her eyes widened when she couldn’t feel it. “Oh no, where is it, where is it?” She sat back up and dived her head into her saddlebags, while Twilight looked on worriedly, her blanket already out and covering her back. “What is it?” she asked. “My blanket, it isn’t in my bags!” she replied in a panicked tone. “I thought I had it with me when we left the ship, but it isn’t there!” She sat on her haunches and put her hooves to her mouth, trying to control her breathing. Twilight could not stand to see Fluttershy like that, so she jumped up and embraced Fluttershy in a comforting hug. “Shh,” she cooed softly. “It’ll be okay.” She pulled away, and offered Fluttershy a comforting smile, which the pegasus returned. “You know, if you want to, we could… share my blanket for the night?” Twilight suggested, rubbing her hooves together and blushing faintly. Fluttershy’s mouth formed an O, her eyes widened and a tint of pink appeared on her cheeks. She had never shared a blanket with anypony other than her parents before. It seemed something like two ponies who were in love would do. She briefly considered saying that she’ll be fine, and that Twilight could keep it all to herself. However, as she looked deep into Twilight’s eyes, the word ‘no’ disappeared from her vocabulary. Twilight’s eyes were pleading her to keep warm, for her sakes rather than her own. Those eyes brought up that feeling she felt when Twilight defended her from Princess Celestia after Philomena burned up. ‘She really is the sister I always wanted,’ she thought. Yet as she thought those words, a part of her wished they weren’t true. That small part of her wished she was more. “Okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy agreed with a meek nod. “We’ll share it… if you want to, that is.” Twilight beamed with delight, and brought over her blanket by magic. Before she could bring it far, however, Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder to stop her. “But not yet,” she said. “I don’t feel tired at the moment.” Twilight scrunched up her face as she thought about something. “You know, thinking about it, neither do I,” Twilight said. She set the blanket down, and sat comfortable facing Fluttershy, who sat on her haunches as well, looking at Twilight expectantly. “So what shall we do now? Play a game? Tell each other stories?” Fluttershy tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm, how about… we do that little welcoming thing you said we would do?” she suggested eventually. “I can’t think of a better time than this to try it out.” Twilight’s eyes lit up in delight at the idea. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? But what shall we begin with?” She raised a hoof, and began tapping the side of her head in a gentle rhythm, hoping it would help flow her ideas forward. While she did that, Fluttershy rubbed her chin with a hoof, and she looked to the ground to come up with an answer of her own. “How about we start with this?” Twilight said. She lifted a hoof up. “We’ll give each other a high hoof bump, then I’ll give you a low hoof, and then you’ll give me a low hoof bump. How does that sound?” Fluttershy nodded, smiling eagerly at the idea. “Of course.” She lifted her hoof up above her head, and the two ponies put their hooves together quickly. The sound of their hooves touching echoed across the cave, yet they paid no heed to it. They pulled their hooves away, and Fluttershy brought her hoof down to her stomach for Twilight to bump. Twilight, grinning away, brought her hoof down and bumped Fluttershy’s gently. Afterwards, Twilight turned her hoof around, and waited for Fluttershy to bump it. The pegasus grinned, and gently slapped Twilight’s with her own. The two ponies giggled. “Right, shall we try that again, except this time quicker?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy nodded quickly and excitedly. “Oh, yes please!” she answered. So they tried it several times, each attempt quicker and more precise than the last. “Oh that’s brilliant, Twilight!” Fluttershy beamed after the fifth and final go. “But I can’t help but feel there’s something missing?” She tapped her chin with a hoof, while Twilight tapped her forehead as the two sunk into their minds. “How about we high hoof each other’s tails?” Fluttershy suggested after a while, a hopeful smile across her lips. Twilight looked up from the floor, and gave Fluttershy a grin. “That sounds brilliant!” She stood up on all fours. “Come on, let’s try it.” Fluttershy stood up and turned around so that she was standing side by side with Twilight. The two ponies looked back, and gently slapped the ends of each other’s tails one at a time. They sat back down and giggled once they had the routine sorted. “And then,” Twilight finished, “how about we end it with a hug?” Fluttershy giggled and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds lovely.” So the two ponies came together in a hug while oozing out, “Aww.” The two ponies pulled away, and giggled again. “Shall we try it in full?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded eagerly. The two ponies did the routine one more time, while saying in a singsong tone, “High hoof, low hoof, high tail, hug.” Afterwards, they pulled away and laughed about it for a moment. “That was brilliant, Twilight,” Fluttershy remarked. “I’m looking forward to doing that when we get back home.” Twilight chuckled. “I do too. Wonder what the others will think of it?” “Probably Pinkie would want to join in, especially in the hug part,” Fluttershy replied. She was about to say more, but a large yawn came out instead. “Oh dear, excuse me, I must be more tired than I think. Mind if I…?” “Of course not,” Twilight replied, her horn lighting up to bring the blanket over to them. “I’ll probably hit the hay myself.” She draped the blanket over her, and then gestured with a tapping hoof for Fluttershy to join her. “Come on in. I promise I won’t bite,” she teased. Fluttershy nervously complied with a shallow nod. She walked around Twilight and the blanket, then crouched low and, using her muzzle to lift the blanket up, crawled under it until her head popped out of the other side, and she was next to Twilight. “Oh my,” she said as she felt the blanket on her body. It felt to her as soft as snow, and made her feel drowsy just by its touch alone. “It feels so nice. Where did you get it?” “My mum hoof-stitched it for me when I left to study under Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied. She ran a hoof along the blanket. “Something to remind me of home.” Fluttershy ran a hoof along it as well. “It’s beautifully made,” she commented. The blanket was a lavender purple that matched Twilight’s coat, with a darker purple trim along the edge, and Twilight’s cutie mark on its face, with the main star stretched out so that its points hit the edges. “Thanks, and I would like it myself, if it didn’t have my cutie mark across it,” Twilight said, looking at the face of it disapprovingly. “It’s like its saying, ‘This is my cutie mark, isn’t it more special than all of yours?’” Fluttershy tried her best not to giggle, and failed. “So it should. You have a lovely cutie mark, Twilight, and a great talent,” Fluttershy said, blushing fiercely as she realised what she had just said. “Thanks, Fluttershy, although I don’t know if I should be worried that you were looking there,” Twilight said, smirking wryly. “Well, it’s not like I can help it when I see you and your cutie mark,” Fluttershy said with a shrug while her blush grew more intense. She shook her head rapidly, clearing any thoughts she didn’t want to think, and quickly changed the subject. ‘I would take any subject over looking at Twilight’s cutie mark.’ “So, um, you’ve had yours for a long time, then?” Twilight nodded. “Yep, had it for nearly eight years now.” She looked away from her blanket and her crush, and sighed as that thought stayed in her head. “Eight years,” she chuckled disbelievingly. “Wow. Time goes by when you’re learning something new every day.” She looked back at Fluttershy, smiling amiably. “What about your blanket? I don’t think I’ve even seen it before.” “Well, both my parents made it for me when I was younger, so that when I was in flight camp I would have something to remind me of home. They thought it would help me with my homesickness,” Fluttershy replied, her ears flat as she lamented its loss. ‘Mum would kill me if it doesn’t turn up,’ she thought. At that, Twilight’s mind sent back to Fluttershy’s reaction after she had mentioned her parents before running off to Castamare. She could not understand why Fluttershy would react like that, especially after talking about her mother quite well before that, so what could have happened to provoke such a reaction? She wanted to sate her curiosity and ask, but found herself unsure. On one hoof, Fluttershy could just say that they don’t meet during the winter holidays, since the pegasus wanted to do other things in that time. On the other hoof, however, she was completely uncertain what it could be. The worst-case scenario she could think of was an argument between them, yet she could not believe that would be the case. ‘Fluttershy would never hold a grudge for long,’ she thought. ‘They probably had a small one then made up soon afterwards.’ Yet, that thought didn’t give her any assurance on the issue. ‘How about we ask Fluttershy about them again, and see what happens?’ Twilight’s mind suggested. Twilight liked the idea, but was reluctant to use it. She didn’t want to hurt Fluttershy if there really was a problem the adorable pegasus was hiding. Yet sometimes, as Twilight learnt from experience, it is best to let out the pain, especially if a friend is nearby for comfort. ‘I will be there for her, no matter what happened,’ she decided. “So, Fluttershy, about your parents. How are they?” Twilight asked, making Fluttershy’s eyes go wide in horror. “Does Velocity still make those delicious gingerbread ponies with the fruit-flavoured buttons?” Fluttershy’s eyes shot from place to place, trying to come up with an answer that would convince Twilight. ‘Oh, Fluttershy, there’s no point in trying to lie,’ her mind told her. ‘You’re a poor liar, and always have been. Whatever you say, Twilight will see through it.’ She felt inclined to agree that she was a poor liar, but that still didn’t mean she could not try. “Um, the-they’re fi-fine, Twilight, thank you for asking. And y-yes, they- I mean, Velocity- um, I mean…” She shrank away from Twilight’s suspecting gaze, knowing that Twilight wasn’t being fooled. She looked away and closed her eyes, fighting back tears as the memories flooded back up again: the words she said, the tears in their eyes, everything. “Please… please don’t make me go back there,” she pleaded. “Please don’t make me relive those moments.” Twilight now felt incredibly guilty for pushing Fluttershy into this. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” she said gently. “But maybe if you told me what happened, it might help ease your mind a bit.” She put a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder. “I know that this will be a lot for you, but I am here and I will not leave your side. I promise.” Fluttershy slowly turned her head to look back at her, her eyes shimmering with tears. Twilight felt her heart being crushed by the sight. “You’ll hate me for what I did,” Fluttershy said, trying hard to keep her voice strong and not burst into sobs. Twilight shook her head. “I could never hate you,” she said softly. “How could I hate the kindest mare that has ever been produced?” She gestured with a hoof to her chest. “Rest your head on my forelegs and against my chest, and let it all out. I promise I will not move a muscle while you talk, and I will still be here when you have finished.” Fluttershy sniffed back her tears, willing herself to stay strong for Twilight, for the sister she never had, and nodded. Twilight was right; it was time to talk about it. She had held it back in her mind for so long, she feared she could never tell anyone about it, except Applejack, who was the only one to know. Slowly, she lowered her head until it was resting on Twilight’s stretched out legs, and shifted it until it was up against her chest. She could hear the faint beating of her friend’s heart, and found it to be as comforting as the softest melody from a nightingale’s song. She felt Twilight’s head settle on top of hers, and sighed when she realised there was no way out of it now. “Comfortable?” Twilight asked, glancing down at her friend and crush, and feeling a blush appear on her cheeks at the close proximity of said crush. “Very, thank you,” Fluttershy replied, looking up. “You have a wonderful heartbeat.” That didn’t help Twilight’s blush disappear at all. “Thanks.” The two went silent for a while as Fluttershy listened to Twilight’s heart beating faster, then descending to a more calmer rhythm, while the unicorn listened to the sound of their soft breathing, and the rain falling outside. “Are you ready to begin?” Twilight asked suddenly. She felt Fluttershy nodding her head, which felt odd since she was lying on top of it. “All right,” Fluttershy sighed tepidly. “But where should I begin?” “Um, from the start?” Twilight suggested as she rolled her eyes. “Oh… yeah, that might be best,” Fluttershy said giggly, blushing sheepishly. “Well, do you remember me telling you about how I got my cutie mark?” “Oh yeah, I do remember that. I still can’t believe it, actually. Being saved by a large group of butterflies sounds amazing, yet unbelievable.” However, Twilight wanted to find that group of butterflies, and kiss each and every one of them for saving Fluttershy’s life. ‘Without them, I wouldn’t have met Fluttershy, nor would I have fallen in love with her.’ “I know it sounds it, but it’s true,” Fluttershy said defensively. “But anyway, did I ever tell you what happened after I gained my cutie mark?” After a moment of rummaging through her memories, Twilight shook her head. “No, I don’t think you ever did. What did happen after that?” With a small, sad sigh, Fluttershy began her tale. “After I managed to calm all the animals down, I stayed with them all until the sun was starting to go down. We danced, we sang, we talked about everything I could think of as I tried to get to grips with all these animals, and what they did and what life was like on the ground. “Once the sun started to set, the animals and birds went back to their respective places, and I was left alone. I realised that it was getting late, and I needed to get back up or I would be late for supper, and I have never been late for supper before. So I spread my wings and tried to fly back up to Cloudsdale. I only made it a few feet, before finding myself on the ground again.” Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as she began to see where this was going, with the image of a younger Fluttershy trying to fly back up to Cloudsdale, and falling back to earth each time. ‘Oh no,’ she thought. “I tried again, and again, and again, and again, but every time I found myself back on the ground. By now the sun was starting to go down, and I was starting to panic and cry. I tried more times than I can remember, but every time was a failure, and left me exhausted to the point where I couldn’t even leave the ground anymore. I was stuck down on the ground. Alone, miserable and very afraid. I recall I cried myself to sleep that night, hugging myself tight under a tree to shelter from the rain. “The next morning, I still didn’t feel like I had the strength to fly back up, so I began walking blindly in any direction, hoping I would find somepony who would take me back home, but I found nopony. I ate what I could find, had to go to the toilet wherever, and every step was a living nightmare as every sound around me rattled my nerves.” Twilight lifted a leg out, up and over Fluttershy’s head, and began to stroke the pegasus’s shoulders right down to the tip of her tail. “How long were you wandering for?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I think I counted three days.” Twilight went pale. “Three days!” she exclaimed. “You were down on the ground for three days?” Fluttershy nodded. “It was horrible, but it came to an end eventually.” Fluttershy smiled thinly as she thought about what happened next. “At the start of the third day, I began heading east, after realising that to continue heading south would mean more forest, and I was getting sick and tired of forests. I was cold, tired, my feathers were a mess, starving; in short, all of me was a mess. “It was about that afternoon when I came across a whole apple orchard, stretching right back as far as the eye could see, and every tree was full of red, juicy apples. I knew that these belonged to somepony, but I was desperate, and hungry. I had to have at least one; besides, I had thought, it’s not like they’re going to miss one, whoever they belonged to.” Twilight smiled. ‘I think I know who those apple trees belonged to,’ she thought. “I jumped up the tree, crawled across the branch, and tried to reach out with my teeth to get a really big one. I almost had it, when a cry of, ‘Hey, you!’ broke me out of my concentration. I fell off the tree and fell unconscious. “When I came around, I was in a large bed, surrounded by a whole group of ponies, one of which was a doctor. All of them were looking at me with concerned, caring eyes, while I stared back at them with scared eyes, afraid of what would happen to me. Eventually, they all left, except for the pony who shouted at me; an orange earth pony filly with freckles and a blonde mane.” “Applejack!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming with joy. Fluttershy looked up with a small grin, and nodded. “Yes. Applejack. At first I was afraid to say a single word to her, yet she spoke to me plenty, and over time I managed to get out my name, and then a multitude of subjects as she sat by my – well, her bedside, really, since it was her bed. We became friends really quick after that. “She stayed with me all night, probably because she was guilty that I fell out of the tree because of her. I apologised for trying to steal the apple, but she just waved it away. She said that I needed one, especially in the state I was in. I fell asleep not long after that, with Applejack falling asleep beside me. I had the best night’s sleep in three days. “I stayed with the Apple Family for about a week, and they became a second family to me. Big Mac even said I was a second sister to him, while he was an older brother to me. I made myself useful as well while I was there and awaiting my parents to take me home. While they looked after me, and kept me fed and housed, I paid them back by taking care of the many critters that annoyed them, and convinced them all to go bother someplace else. Me and Applejack became an unstoppable team as we made the beavers go somewhere else, even after learning completely new words that I never want to use in my life. “Everything was going great. I was beginning to adore the ground, and like I sang in my song, I never wanted to leave.” She paused for a moment as she felt her smile fade from her lips. “Then one day my parents came to Ponyville and took me back to Cloudsdale.” Twilight smiled, her soft strokes never losing momentum along Fluttershy’s back. “I’m sure that was a good thing, Fluttershy. They must have been worried sick about you.” “Oh, they were,” Fluttershy agreed sharply. “Mum wouldn’t stop crying or let go of me when we got back home, and my dad wouldn’t stop pestering me about how I got lost down there, and what happened exactly. Even Rainbow Dash, when I saw her again, was quite upset that I had gone missing, and was angered when I turned up without an excuse to my whereabouts.” “She must have blamed herself for the fall, the poor thing,” Twilight whispered in Fluttershy’s ear, making her voice feel like a gentle wind going through Fluttershy’s ears. “Oh yes, she was very upset. In fact, she was so wracked by guilt that she tried to stay away from me so I would never be hurt by her again. I told her it was just an accident but she would not listen. No matter how many times I tried telling her, she would not budge from her decision. It came to the point where we sort of, parted ways. We never spoke again until we were reunited in Ponyville. “The two weeks after that went quickly. I tried to continue with the flight camp, as my mum and dad wanted me to, but I started slipping out of classes and going to see some of the birds in the park.” Her ears fell flat when she heard Twilight’s sigh of disapproval. “I know, I shouldn’t have done that, but what would you have done if every time you went into class, and all you heard were taunts from everypony? I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I started slipping away, and coming back before I was missed. “I would have continued doing it, had my own parents not caught me while taking a stroll through the park.” She paused to shudder, and Twilight thought she would not continue. “Fluttershy,” she goaded her on gently. “It’s best to let it all out.” Fluttershy nodded, even as she felt the tears start to fall down her cheeks. Twilight could feel them dripping onto her chest, and her heart started to tear apart. “They took me home straight away, and sent me straight to my room with no dinner. When evening came, I came back downstairs and into the main room, where my parents were waiting for me, demanding an explanation to my behaviour. I told them about the bullies, I told them that I wasn’t a good flier, and that I didn’t like it there anymore and wanted to go into where my talent lied: with animals. But they didn’t want any of it; they wanted me to continue trying and not give up with it. It soon turned into an argument, talking turned into shouting, and then I said…” She trailed away as she began to cry, splintering Twilight’s heart with every sob. “I’m here, Fluttershy,” Twilight cooed softly. “I will always be here.” Fluttershy sniffed back her tears once more, and said quickly, “I said to them that I should have had better parents.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and her hoof stopped running down Fluttershy’s back in shock at what she just heard. Although she was surprised she could imagine Fluttershy saying something like that, she felt a great amount of sympathy for her. Flying fast and doing whatever those who were taught at flight school did was something that Fluttershy could not do. Her life was one on the ground, with taking care of the animals and other critters that roamed Terra’s surface. She broke out of her thoughts when she heard Fluttershy beginning to cry, with her shoulders shaking as she sobbed loudly. Twilight felt her heart break apart at this. ‘If there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s seeing my friends in pain like this.’ She hauled Fluttershy up onto her haunches, and hugged her tight, with Fluttershy returning the hug as quick as she could. Twilight felt Fluttershy’s tears fall down her chest and onto her belly, and she could feel tears in her own eyes, mostly out of Fluttershy’s pain that was now falling out in little droplets of water. After a minute or so, Fluttershy’s eyes stopped spilling tears, and all that was coming out was little sniffles. “Thank you, Twilight. You were right; I really needed to do that. I feel so much better than I did before I told you it.” Her mind didn’t feel as heavy as it did before she told her tale. It felt it had been lifted from her shoulders, and taken by Twilight. ‘Twilight is truly one of the most amazing ponies I know,’ she thought, nuzzling against her friend’s chest while purring. Twilight smiled sweetly, and then gently lifted her friend’s head with her hooves to look her in the eye. “That’s what friends are for,” she said in a hushed tone, using her hooves to wipe off the tears that stained Fluttershy’s cheeks. “Though you mean more to me than a friend, Fluttershy. You, like the rest of the girls, are like the sisters I never had, yet always wanted.” Fluttershy smiled beamingly. “I always thought the same about you, Twilight. You are the younger sister I always wanted when I was little. Someone who I could share everything with, and not be ridiculed for it.” Twilight’s eyebrows flicked up in surprise. “Ridiculed? That’s a fancy word.” Fluttershy giggled. “You’ve been rubbing off on me, it seems.” The two ponies shared a quite giggle, and then went silent as they held each other in an embrace, rocking back and forth softly like a cot. As they held each other, Fluttershy never felt safer than she did now. Twilight’s hold on her was soft and gentle, almost motherly, making her feel at peace with herself and her surroundings. Twilight’s scent was like lavenders, and her coat felt like the fluffiest pillow in the world, one Fluttershy felt like falling asleep in. “So your parents?” Twilight whispered enquiringly, breaking the silence. “What happened next?” She looked down, and smiled when she saw Fluttershy had fallen asleep in her embrace, a wing draped around the unicorn to keep her close. She leaned down, and kissed Fluttershy lightly on the head. The sweet, taller pegasus shifted a little, but relaxed just as quickly, putting Twilight’s mind at ease. “Sleep well, my love.” As gently as she could, she lowered herself and the pegasus in her hold until they laid out on the ground, and then covered themselves over with the blanket. “Goodnight, sis,” Fluttershy muttered dreamingly, tightening her hold on the unicorn. Twilight’s smile trembled as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She had never been called ‘sis’ before, and coming from the mare of her dreams, it was something she now felt had been missed out. ‘Yet, it couldn’t have been, ‘goodnight, my love’ could it?’ she grumbled. ‘There’s still plenty of time for that, Twilight,’ her mind reminded her. Twilight knew her mind was right. There still was time for that to happen, yet when, she could not say. It would be only when the flower is found is when her friendship with Fluttershy be changed, for the better or the worse. With a final sigh, she lowered her head so that it was resting beside Fluttershy’s, and quickly fell asleep, the chamber going black as Twilight’s light spell faded into non-existence.