Hours passed in the Everfree as noon turned to evening with the rain finally showing the signs that soon it may be letting up. At first Fluttershy had been content to simply sit idly, listening to the babbling of the rain as it fell through the canopy, making small rivulets that flowed through the furrows in the tree bark. The calm of the forest soon turned mundane, and Fluttershy had found herself out in the downpour, collecting orchids and vanilla blooms and had set out to make flower garlands out of the collection. Gently she had placed one around Twilight's neck, being careful not to wake her slumbering partner. The pegasus quietly watched her friend sleep, feeling proud that she'd managed to keep Twilight safe on this trip. She had managed to bring someone with her into these mysterious woods and keep them safe. A feeling of fondness washed over the yellow mare. It was an odd emotion she had felt in Twilight's presence before. It was like affection but it felt needier. Stronger. And as she smiled at her friend's curled up form on the floor, the emotion only increased, becoming almost bothersome. Fluttershy shook her head to clear her thoughts and glanced out the hole of the tree. The rain hadn't stopped but it was slowing down. Plus it was getting late and they needed to get moving as quickly as possible if they wanted to be back at an even slightly reasonable time.
Fluttershy bent down and gently prodded Twilight in the shoulder with the tip of her snout.
"Twilight. It's time to get up. The rain is dying down."
With a snort and a sniffle the purple alicorn rolled over, experimentally flapping her wings and rising unsteadily to her feet with a yawn followed by another snort. Groggily she glanced around the room, trying to remember how she ended up inside this knothole in the first place.
"Oh good. I was wondering when we were going to get out of -" Twilight's breath caught in her throat as she glanced at Fluttershy.
The yellow mare was sitting on the mossy floor, her innocent turquoise eyes glimmering aquamarine in the shattered sunlight that pierced through the storm into the hole, boring right into Twilight with concern and urgency. Soft orange light was filtering in from the setting sun, making Fluttershy's yellow coat gleam with a golden hue offset by the cool blue tones of the inside of the knothole. A white garland of flowers was about her neck, with more flowers and bits of moss dotting her hair. For many ponies this would have made them look dirty, like savages living in the woods. But for Fluttershy it was the opposite, she looked radiant. She truly belonged here, amongst the trees and natural wilderness. Almost heavenly, as her large eyes blinked in confusion at her friend's sudden silence.
"What?" Fluttershy whispered, looking down at herself, feeling self-conscious.
"N...nothing." Twilight coughed out as she felt her wings attempt to unfurl, and fought back immediately, clasping them tightly against her sides. "You just....you look.....you remind me of a fawn, with all that stuff in your hair. You know the deer at White Tail Wood have such a deep connection with the forest. That's all."
Twilight grinned and peered outside the hole in the tree, gasping in shock at the landscape stretched out before her. Every tree, every bush, every plant was covered in small white tendrils. Mere centimeters long that swayed delicately in the rain. Some receded into the surfaces they sat on, while more extended seemingly out of nowhere to join the rest. They clustered in groups all over the forest. Like white tiny veins, the tendrils ran along everything in sight, stopping at the forest floor, almost appearing like a strange unnatural snow that refused to touch the ground. Tiny white spores occasionally flecked out of these, taking to the air and mixing with the light rain that sparkled as the rays of the sun caught it. It a shocking change for the normally dark and very frightening Everfree Forest.
"Fluttershy....." Twilight gawked, her pupils contracting as she stared around the forest in wonder. "What is this? What happened?"
"Oh the little white fungi? Well that always happens when it rains in the Everfree. Those are called 'Fairy Chanterelle' mushrooms. They hide inside the plants like a parasite. Then when it rains the chanterelle all emerge and try to soak up the rain and pollinate. They taste pretty good.....Twilight? What's wrong?"
"Ow." Twilight swayed slightly, rubbing her shoulder with a wince. Her wings had entirely unfurled, taking up a vast amount of the room inside the knothole. "My wings keep....extending and and my muscles keep contracting whenever I try to stop it."
Fluttershy blushed and swallowed, trying not to stare at her friends condition. She had a inkling as to what might be causing it but the implications of such a thing were so extreme. The uncontrollable wing fluttering. The cute moans and grunts that her friend uttered whenever it happened. It was all so obvious. But Twilight needed to know. She was part pegasus now and would be dealing with the instincts that their species had for the rest of her life. She had a right to know and even though it made Fluttershy uncomfortable to talk about, it had to be done. But not before Fluttershy tested her theory first, to make sure what she thought was happening was correct.
"Aren't the chanterelle just......transcendent, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked in as calm of a voice as she could.
Twilight whimpered a bit, flinching and biting her lip as she tried to nod in agreement and ignore the throbbing her wings had just experienced. Fluttershy's face went red as her theory was confirmed. How was she supposed to explain this to Twilight? It was like explaining puberty to an adult. An adult who happened to be a professor. And worse still, how was she supposed to explain WHY it was happening without making both of them feel embarrassed and awkward to the point where it might not only ruin the trip, but possibly their friendship as well. She dearly wished she didn't need to do this but, she had to. She needed to be brave. Like her friend Rainbow Dash. Dash would never run from something like this. She would take it head-on.
'Brave like Dash. Brave like Dash.' Fluttershy thought to herself as she took a big breath and steadied herself.
"Twilight."
"Yeah, Fluttershy?"
"I know why your wings are...uh....acting up."
"Yeah you explained all that already. Something about some of my new muscles not being fully formed yet for all the stress I put them through or whatever. Paddle-eel muscles or something similar to that."
"Actually the word I used was patagialis." Fluttershy corrected quietly, blushing again as she noticed Twilight's wings spasm at the word. "And your muscles aren't the problem it's actually um....uh....well....."
"Well?" Twilight asked annoyed. "What's causing this?"
"Um.....you see Twilight....pegasi and other winged ponies use our wings for um....not just flight but for expressing ourselves. Long ago before ponies could talk.....pegasi would use their feathers....to show off...and look for mates. Like peacocks and cardinals and other colorful bird types."
"Okay....." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well." Fluttershy hid behind her mane, only her eye visible as she looked down at the floor. "Pegasus wings are very sensitive to emotions and....and....sometimes they move involuntarily when something....um....excites us."
Twilight's eyes widened, fear beginning to set in. "Wait you mean to tell me, that this weird wing movement....is happening because I'm feeling.....feeling...."
"Amorous." Fluttershy squeaked out, as Twilight's wings fidgeted again.
Twilight Sparkle went pale, her pupils contracting to small specks as this information sank in. She trembled, her eyes filling with tears as a look of horror passed across her petite features.
"Oh my gosh. Oh...my....gosh." Twilight's face was soon moist with tears as her cheeks went red. "I'm...I'm so sorry Fluttershy. I didn't know...that's just so disrespectful of me to do to you and I didn't know and I just..."
Twilight kicked up a cloud of dust as she scrambled to exit the knothole while Fluttershy continued to stare at the floor, unable to look at her friend. With a clumsy flap Twilight landed on the forest floor, covering her face with her hooves, trying to shut out the sun and the noise as the rain pattered down around her. She couldn't believe it. This was the most shocking and embarrassing thing she'd ever experienced. Such an intimate and strange body function and not only had it been happening where her friends could see, but Fluttershy was the one causing it. How has she not seen this before? It had started happening when she'd first noticed Fluttershy was an expert in natural science. And had only gotten worse from there. Why hadn't she noticed the trend? Why did she agree to come on this trip without getting her condition checked out first? Now Twilight knew she was getting all hot and bothered over one of her friends and now her trip, no her entire life, was ruined.
Fluttershy slowly crept out from the hole, too frightened to use her wings in the storm as she slowly slid down the bark of the tree, the myriad of tiny white fungi receding into the surface so as not to get squished by her hooves. With a quiet 'pomf' she had reached the base of the tree, her mind swimming. She knew Twilight would be embarrassed. Humiliated, even. But now her friend, one of the few ponies in the world who had ever had faith in her, who had believed in her when nobody else did, was crying. And crying very loudly only a couple of meters away. And even though Fluttershy knew there was no other way she could have explained the situation to Twilight, she still felt like this was all her fault. She had made Twilight this way. She had caused this. And now she had to fix it. With tiny soft hoofsteps, Flutttershy crept across the forest floor, making no sound. Cautiously she sat down on her haunches next to her friend, extending one of her small pale yellow wings and draping it around Twilight's shoulders, pulling the weeping alicorn in for what she hoped was a comforting hug. She frowned as Twilight cringed and leaned away from the hug.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry Fluttershy." Twilight choked out between tears. "I've ruined our hike."
"It....it's fine, Twilight." Fluttershy mumbled. "It's just nature. And instincts. It's part of being a pegasus. I mean....I've caused Rainbow to do it in public once or twice."
"You have?" Twilight brought her hooves down, her violet eyes that Fluttershy had always admired, now pink, puffy, and bloodshot as the tears cascaded down her face, leaving dark streaks in her coat.
"Yes. It just...happens by accident sometimes. Pinkie causes Rainbow to do it all the time, actually. She's just really good at hiding it by flying around. But I know better." Fluttershy grinned wryly, hoping her humorous observation would brighten Twilight's mood.
"But this wasn't an accident, Fluttershy! Hearing you talk about nature was causing me to react like this. And you had to sit there watching it happen and knowing what it was and having to endure me acting like some dirty hormonal teenager. It's so offensive and I cant...I just cant." Twilight covered her face again, fresh tears springing anew. "I should have trusted my cognitive dissonance. First I'm running away from my duties as princess and now I'm getting attracted to one of my friends just because of the way she talks? Like some sort of weirdo! That's not normal! What's wrong with me? Why can't I do anything right? I can't even go on a stupid expedition in a stupid forest without disaster happening!"
Fluttershy cringed and hid behind her hair. This was worse than she had thought. Twilight wasn't just humiliated. Her friend was stressed out and miserable. So much had happened in such a short amount of time for the Elements of Harmony. And while Celestia tried to assure them all that their duties as Elements hadn't changed, they'd forgotten what a toll it had taken on Twilight, who had been the centerpiece of the event. Fluttershy thought as hard as she could, settling on one conclusion. She needed to be honest with Twilight. Explain why she wanted to go on this trip in the first place. Make her motives clear and hope that it didn't destroy their friendship, especially now that they had grown so close.
"Please don't cry, Twilight." Fluttershy mumbled, her light voice scarcely above a whisper. "It's really ok. There's no need to be so upset, you know. I....I wasn't offended at all during this trip. Actually I....um...well....I...."
Twilight once again managed to cease her wailing for long enough to glance at Fluttershy, whose pale coat seemed to be turning paler by the second as she fidgeted. Fluttershy's eyes met with hers, causing the pegasus to have a very hard time continuing. The way those sad violet eyes bore into her, full of despair and hope all at once.
"....I was....really f...f-f-flattered actually." Fluttershy's voice stammered and wavered as her will left her in an instant.
Twilight wiped her eyes, frowning as she turned to look down at the ground in shame, her indigo bangs hiding her face from view as Fluttershy desperately tried to summon up courage.
"You don't need to lie to make me feel better, Fluttershy." Twilight rasped, her throat now sore from the grieving.
"I...I'm not. You know...m-me. I'm not good with lying. I really w-was...flattered. You....you're one of the first p-ponies...who ever felt anything for me....about what I had to say and knew....and not how I looked. No pony has ever liked me...for that before. But y-you....of all ponies did. I mean.......you're one of the prettiest, most intelligent, bravest ponies in Equestria. And...and..and you've been such a g-good friend to me. And....and...it's nice to think that...you thought I was special and....."
Again Fluttershy fell silent as her nerves went into overdrive. But she couldn't stop now. Not when she'd gotten this far. Not when she'd gotten this close. This close to getting her thoughts out in the open. 'I need to brave like Dash' she thought. It soon became a chant in her head, spurring her to go onward.
"....I-I-I-I mean....who...who wouldn't b-be f-f-flattered to have.....T-t-t-wilight S-s-s-p-p-parkle.....th-th-think that way about....th-th-them. Y-y-you....uh...uh...are just s-s-s-so..uh..and....."
Brave like Dash. Brave like Dash. Brave like Dash. Brave like Dash. Fluttershy took a deep breath, surging up every ounce of strength and energy she could. Her muscles were locking up, refusing to let her continue as anxiety coursed through the mare. But she had to do this, she had to. And slowly and gently as she could, Fluttershy leaned forward off her haunches. Her lips parted and delicately she put her mouth around the tip of Twilight's ear, closing gently around the velvety fuzz and giving it the softest most affectionate nibble she was capable of. As she drew back feeling mortified, she wondered if she'd been TOO gentle and if Twilight had even felt it. Part of her hoped Twilight hadn't. It was such a simple intimate gesture but it meant so much. A few harrowing moments passed as Fluttershy tried to control her heart rate. Almost instantly, the sounds of crying and sniffling stopped and Twilight raised her head, a look of hope and wonder on her face, her tears having come to an end as she flicked the ear that her friend had touched, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.
For a few minutes the two just sat in the silence, the rain reducing to a low drizzle as the storm passed. The white fungi waving in the air, their spores seeming almost like magic as it trickled up into the canopy around the two mares who were simply staring at each other, their eyes locked together as they fought a war against their nerves. One with a face stained with tears and the other with a face almost entirely lost to view behind her pendulous mane. Their hearts beating wildly, juiced up on emotions neither quite understood. And as quietly as the rain began to cease its gentle shower, a small smile grew on the faces on the two mares, their staring contest of anxiety becoming one of admiration, understanding passing between them. Feeling an inner peace for the first time since the trip began, Fluttershy was the first to break the silence.
"Anyway...um...I can make us dinner out of these chanterelle mushrooms if you want, Twilight. They're really good when they're prepared. That is of course if you, uh, want any..."
Twilight snorted with laughter and smiled, amazed at how graceful and generous her friend was even after all this drama. She wiped off the cold tears on her face with her hoof. Feeling warm and happy and calm for what seemed like the first time in an eternity.
"I'd love some."
****************************
A small bonfire was built, and a metal pot full of rainwater, orchids, slices of pear, and a generous helping of chanterelle mushrooms soon became a thick hearty stew that the two enjoyed, hungry after such an ordeal. After such dramatic admissions of feelings had occurred between them, neither was ready to strike up a conversation quite yet. So they sat in silence, eating quietly. But it was different than before, as they no longer felt the emotional stress and strain that had been leading up to this moment. Side by side they sat, leaning against each other, overjoyed at the physical contact, watching as the small bonfire soon became illumination as the sun started to set, the sky turning a dark cyan with hints of purple signifying that soon the stars would begin to weave their way across the dark sea of clouds.
Realizing they were losing daylight, the two packed their bags and trotted off into the forest. The rain had finally stopped, and with its absence, so too went the small white vein-like fungus that covered the forest vegetation and floor. It was interesting how cheery the fungus has made the atmosphere. But the two were reminded once again that they were in Everfree Forest as soon as it was gone. The trees returned to their dark green and mottled purple states, their twisted branches wrapping across the sky. The amount of bush, vines, brambles, and other plants that had to be climbed over, avoided, and at times cut down was evident. The rain had made the dry ground of the forest into a thin layer of mud, slick and unforgiving and often threatening to make the two ponies trip as they made their way deeper into the forest. The air grew chilly and the wind picked up, carrying the sounds of the forest through the trees, making the eerily quiet day transform into a din of nocturnal noise in the evening.
A shrill reverberating howl split the air, echoing across the woodland expanse, causing Twilight to stop in her tracks. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she whisked her head around, a small ball of energy growing on the tip of her horn, ready to fire at the first thing that made its way toward them.
"Are there timberwolves in this forest?" Twilight whispered as she continued glancing through the trees, trying to catch any signs of movement.
"Yes." Fluttershy calmly nodded. "But they're far away. At least a mile away....I think. Going by the echo. Plus I've kinda managed to make friends with them."
"You've made FRIENDS with timberwolves?" Twilight was dumbstruck. "How?"
"Well....the ones in this part of the forest are different from the ones north of Sweet Apple Acres. They're much smaller and smarter and grassier. I've talked to them."
Twilight's jaw dropped. "How on earth did you even get on speaking terms?"
"It was pretty easy. I didn't hurt them, and I told them I wasn't dangerous and so....they don't hurt me. They visit me sometimes. OH! Please don't tell Applejack, Twilight!" Fluttershy looked over in panic. "You know much she despises them. She'd be so upset if she knew I'd made friends with a few of them."
"Your secret is safe with me." Twilight smiled, shaking her head in disbelief.
It wasn't the first time Fluttershy had managed to tame a savage beast through pacifism. Dragons, manticores, basilisks, cockatrice, golems, serpents, kelpies...even the God of Chaos himself, the nefarious Discord, all had fallen under the hypnotic spell that the shy pegasus seemed to evoke with her gentle acts of kindness. Twilight smiled as she noted she too, was now finding herself enchanted in a similar way.
Onward they went, the trees placements becoming less uniform, soon grouping up in clusters as if trying to strangle the very lives from each other. Dull grey web-like wisps, like bits of string, dangled from the branches and almost reaching the surface at times, sparkling in a strange red shade when the light caught them at a specific angle. Fluttershy made sure she and Twilight avoided contact with these. She didn't know what they were, if they were a plant or the leavings of some massive insect, but she did know from past experience that they burned the skin and left one feeling drowsy for hours. The warm fog from the earlier storm was rudely replaced by a cold wind that blew through the trees, their dead leaves cascading down through the dark atmosphere. The ground remained damp but as they traveled was soon fragmented by shale and large limestone boulders that split the earth and trees, black lichens growing across their surfaces.
As they passed by the clusters of boulders, Twilight noted that in some spots small trickles of pebbles and soil seemed to be floating, lifting off the forest floor and hanging in midair as if by a string. But there was nothing there to support them. Fluttershy avoided these by several feet and Twilight followed suit. The physics-defying stones grew larger and other strange phenomenon began to join them. Dry cracks in the soil where the rain water had formed into perfect spheres that slowly bobbed and weaved in the air, occasionally bouncing into each other and connecting, forming larger spheres. Strange circles that hovered in the air, some small others massive, rimmed with an eerie light. They sat silently, with small balls of soil in their centers. Twilight noted that Fluttershy stayed even further from these than the other phenomena, but on another note these floating circles of light were also warping shadows of the rocks and trees near them. Even her own shadow was being pulled across the ground as she went by, as if being sucked in by some invisible vacuum cleaner.
"What are these things?" Twilight whispered.
"I'm not sure, honestly. They always come out during the rain. The animals in the forest call them ghost holes." Fluttershy nudged Twilight in the shoulder with her snout. "We should hurry. We're getting close to the flower."
"Yeah but this....these things. I've never seen such a strange spectacle. It's like these holes are bending the light around them. What happens if we get too close?"
"Please don't, Twilight." Fluttershy begged. "Bad things happen."
As if on cue, there was a quiet fluttering of wings from the branches above. Now that night was falling, one of the many bright white moths that slept under the leaves of the trees had taken flight, a flash of bright color against the dark treeline. The two ponies watched as it fluttered about, hungry and eagerly floating down to the ground. But it grew too close to one of the smaller hovering circles. Twilight held her breath, feeling a small sense of fright as the moth drew near. One of it's fuzzy antennae was grabbed first. If moth's were capable of feeling mortal terror, this one certainly did, uttering a high pitched squeak of fear as its head impacted with its chest. It's body cruelly bent, unable to fight against the forces inside the ghost hole, as it bent into a fetal position. The wings crumpled, and with a bloodless crunch the body began to implode as it headed toward the center of the orb. Within moments it was but a mere speck, floating with the other specks Twilight had assumed was dirt.
"This is why I don't like to come out here after it's been raining. Let's go. Please!" Fluttershy squeaked, nudging Twilight's side again, far more roughly this time.
The two scuttled quickly from the scene of the accident, returning to darting through the trees. What had become a frightening experience in the first place, running through a cold forest at night, had a whole new meaning now as it truly dawned on Twilight what sort of supernatural terrors lurked in this place. This wasn't just an expedition or some mere hike. This was a test of survival. And of all the unlikely partners she could have had on such a trip, it was the quiet and passive pegasus who spent most of her time petting baby bunnies and caring for sick animals. Once again Twilight was impressed that Fluttershy would ever dream of entering a hostile environment such as this, but now she felt a small pang of guilt.
"Hey Fluttershy?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't be offended or anything but....you are the last pony I would ever expect to come into a forest this dangerous and scary. I don't even think Luna would like this place. How did you even get in here in the first place? Curiosity?"
"Well....one day one of my foxes bit Angel on his foot. He was trying to steal it's kibble and it nipped him on his toe. He was so little back then....and so was I. I didn't even have my cottage then. Angel ran away frightened and I followed him into the forest. We got lost and were stuck in there for three days."
"That's terrible." Twilight gave her friend a sympathetic look.
"What was really terrible was realizing nobody in town had noticed I was gone when I had gotten back. Dash hadn't moved out of Cloudsdale yet so I was all on my own. And I realized I was really alone when nobody came to check up on me. But I had seen so many interesting things in the forest. So many new animals and bugs and birds and flowers. I had to come back."
"Is that when you decided you wanted to put your house near the Everfree?"
"Well.... it was some time after that, actually. When I had finally met Applejack and Rarity and had enough money to start making my own house. I had too many animals to worry about to stay in my apartment by then."
Twilight smiled at this, but the warmth of the memory was splintered with the icy meaning of Fluttershy acknowledging that nobody had looked for her. However long ago this had been, Fluttershy had been all by herself. A skittish recluse with a strange talent to talk to animals, ignored by society. It was no wonder the shy mare was willing to go to such great lengths to protect her friends, despite finding the world such a frightening place. They were all she really had.
"Fluttershy...."
"Yes?"
"I uhh....wanna apologize for earlier. My little outburst. I shouldn't have gone all to pieces on you like that and delayed our trip and just....I had a bit of a panic attack and everything just sort of came out at once."
"It's ok." Fluttershy leaned over, rubbing her cheek softly on Twilight's neck. "It's not good to hold in all that stress."
"The last place I should have been having a nervous breakdown is out in the Everfree Forest."
"I think me and the others are getting used to seeing you have little nervous breakdowns, Twilight." Fluttershy said with a small grin.
The two ponies giggled, their laughter echoing across the forest. As it fell silent, Twilight decided it was time to ask another important question, feeling her throat go very dry.
"Are we um....going to discuss about our little....moment?" Twilight blushed and coughed awkwardly. "That we had back there? I mean I guess we don't have to but...."
"If you want to." Fluttershy's voice grew quieter, which was incredible since it was already about as quiet as a voice could be.
Twilight didn't respond. The moment she'd even thought of approaching the subject she had felt that queasy feeling that let her know her nerd glands were firing up and she was going to make the situation awkward. She tried to steady her breathing and heartbeat, deciding to hastily change the subject.
"Also I'm sorry I didn't save that moth."
Fluttershy said nothing, continuing to look ahead, her face obscured by her mane.
"That was probably really upsetting. I know you have a fondness for butterflies and I could have saved it. It would have taken no effort on my part to save it. But I wanted to see...you know? See what would happen. I could have pulled it away but I let it suffer instead just because I was curious. I do that sometimes. I let things get worse than they should just to see the outcome. It's a part of myself that always.....worries me."
"So....are we not going to discuss our moment after all?" Fluttershy cast a sidelong glance at her friend.
"I'm not sure what to do now."
"I'm not sure either, Twilight. I care about you. So much. But things are really different now. You're famous and Equestria is watching your every move. I can't begin to imagine just.....how scary that is. I'd probably hide in my house and never come out. But I know that now you have a public image you want others to see and.....if you'd rather ignore this ever happened....pretend everything is still...um...normal between us....normal for a princess.....I'd be ok."
Fluttershy felt something cool and wet press against the side of her face. She glanced over to her side, seeing nothing but the large violet eyes she had grown to love. She let out a soft meep of panic as she realized Twilight was giving her a kiss on the cheek. This was followed up by one of Twilight's large regal wings wrapping around Fluttershy's body, drawing the two of them closer together as they walked and stumbled through the woods. Fluttershy's face went pink as her mane as Twilight shook her head in disbelief at her friend's selflessness.
"You're going to give me cavities if you keep being so sweet."
Fluttershy snorted with laughter. "Oh my goodness. Twilight was that...were you trying to flirt with me?"
"Yeah I guess. I overheard Spike use that line once."
"That's a terrible line, if you don't mind me saying." Fluttershy giggled.
It was a cheesy line but it got the reaction Twilight had wanted, the awkward silence was broken by their howls of laughter as they nuzzled each other and continued on their quest.
"Sorry. That's the first time I've ever flirted with anyone." Twilight whispered. "Apologies if I'm not too great at it. I have a lack of experience."
"That's the first time I've ever enjoyed having someone flirt with me." Fluttershy responded as she leaned against her friend. "But we can't keep doing this."
Twilight's face fell. "Why not?"
"Because we're here."
The cool indigo of the moon pierced through the leafy ceiling of the woods, bathing the trees in blue and amber light. The clearing was illuminated, all its secrets exposed in the darkness, and there it was. Only a few paces away, a quiet ethereal glow gleaming off its striped petals. Their prize, their macguffin, their trophy. The flower they had come on this exhausting trip to see in the first place. It was truly beautiful, even now after the thunderstorm earlier that day had battered it into a slumped position, still dripping from the earlier downpour, making small circular ripples in the mud puddles surrounding it.
"It's beautiful." Twilight whispered as she cautiously crept up to the plant, trying not to disturb it. "This is an incredible specimen."
"I always feel better when I visit. It's very comforting." Fluttershy laid down on her belly opposite Twilight, gently blowing some of the dirt from the top of the bloom. "I wish it was in a safer spot."
"Yeah it seems pretty banged up." Twilight attempted to straighten up the squished flower, but it flopped over defiantly. "I'm surprised it's even been able to survive as long in this environment. I'm even more surprised it hasn't been eaten by anything."
"That's why I think it might have magic in it. None of the forest creatures want to go near it." Fluttershy nodded to her left, Twilight followed her gaze and noticed a small black flying serpent was fluttering towards them. As soon as it hit the edge of moonlight in the glade, it quickly turned away and flew off.
"Yeah.....there's magic here." Twilight whispered as she looked around the quiet clearing. "Very ancient magic. I wonder who or what could have caused this. I can almost hear the energy passing through the ground into this plant. Although I can't tell if it's absorbing energy through its roots or just...drinking rain water. It might just be thirsty. Still, I can sense there's something magical about it. Something old but powerful."
"Discord said something about how....he thinks Celestia created these flowers. For some reason."
"And you believed him?" Twilight tried to suppress a scowl.
"Yes." Fluttershy responded with a small pout. "He wouldn't lie. Not to me. But he wasn't sure, himself. It was something he couldn't remember very well."
"Well if Celestia had something to do with it, I guess that's all the more reason for me to study it."
With the artful style of a pony who was an expert in magic, Twilight surrounded the flower by a large hovering mason jar and 4 thin sheets of magical light, hardened into makeshift spades which sank gently in the earth. Slowly they adjusted, moving to and fro, taking care not to sever even the tiniest roots. As soon she felt comfortable that the dirt that had enclosed all the roots was separated, she muttered a small incantation to herself. The four sheets of light slowly came together and rose from the ground, bringing the plant along and settling it into the mason jar. Somewhere in the hole that was left behind sat a very confused earthworm who would swear on his life he had just been visited by aliens.
"Perfect!" Twilight glanced behind herself into the night. "And now....we get to bring this flower all the way back home."
The purple unicorn wobbled unsteadily as she strapped the jarred flower to her rucksack, being careful to ensure it couldn't tip or suffocate the specimen. She fought to bite back a yawn, which hadn't gone unnoticed by her partner.
"Twilight you look exhausted. Maybe we should camp out overnight. We could try to jog back in the morning."
"What about your animals, Fluttershy?"
"Angel knows what to do if I'm way too late getting home. He's very reliable." Fluttershy winked. "In a fickle sort of way. I'll just have to apologize and make him something extra special to eat for being a good helper."
"Well...in that case I'm going to get some sleep. Maybe we can try flying back tomorrow. If you don't mind flying with an aerial novice that is."
"I don't mind flying as long as I have company."
The brisk night air picked up again, sending soggy dead leaves into the air and overhead in the glade. Now that the sun had been gone for some time, the temperature was starting to drop rapidly. Neither pony had expected they'd be out in the woods this late at night. Twilight shivered and glanced over at Fluttershy, who had a small charcoal pencil clasped in her teeth, scribbling on the pages of a small worn book that lay open on the ground in front of her.
"Documenting our progress?" Twilight asked groggily.
"Sort of. I always try to fill out a page in my diary whenever I come into the forest."
"It's very chilly out here. Does it always get THIS cold out in the Everfree?"
"I assume so. I try not to come out here this late ever. I think the last time was when Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo chased one of my chickens out into the woods."
"Was that the same night I got turned into a statue?"
"Mmm Hmm!"
Now satisfied with her entry for the day, the yellow pegasus shut her book and gently placed it into her back pack.
"Being a lawn ornament wasn't exactly what I'd call fun. I can see why Discord hated being turned to stone all those years." Twilight sneezed loudly. "Wow it's cold out here. I wish I'd brought a blanket. Or a tent."
Finally annoyed by the temperature, the two ponies threw as many dry twigs, logs and leaves into a pile and started a shoddy campfire. It didn't remove the biting cold but it did warm the breeze that flowed through the clearing. An idea entered Twilight's head. It was a daring and nerve-wracking idea but it was an attractive one all the same. It'd already been such a stressful day. And such an eye-opening one as well. What had begun as a normal day had been an emotional rollercoaster of tears, embarrassing biological enlightenment, and even light flirting. It was all so strange and new. And difficult to process, even for a well-educated pony such as herself.
"FluttershyIthinkweshouldhuddleupforwarmth." Twilight blurted, immediately swearing silently in her mind that she lacked the ability to not be awkward during times like this. Why Twilight? Why are you so bad at this.
"Oh.....ok." Fluttershy rose to her hooves, trying not to look Twilight in the eye as she lay down next to her friend, feeling the warmth as their two bodies pressed against each other, a warm and inviting tingle spreading over their bodies.
"Are you uncomfortable? You're shivering a bit." Twilight asked, ready to get up and move in case Fluttershy wanted privacy.
"You're shivering too." Fluttershy nuzzled her snout into Twilight's neck, trying not to snort with laughter as Twilight's wings unfurled on their own. "Good night."
"Good night, Fluttershy. Wake me up if you're up first. I don't want to delay you from getting back to your cottage and your animals."
She realized her words had fallen on deaf ears, as the quiet mare who was cuddled up to her side had drifted off to sleep, her gentle snores sounding like small bumblebees. A nervous sigh escaped the studious alicorn's lips as she lay her head against her friend, the smell of honey and firewood leading her into a quiet slumber as well.