The sun and temperature both rose at the same time, pleasuring everything across the landscape. The nocturnal beasts of the night turned in, blowing out their candles and lanterns, pulling up the blankets and ready for sleep. Everything else began to stir, stretching, blossoming, awakening, and ready to begin the day. And what a perfectly beautiful day it was. The rays of the sun came down in white, yellow, amber, and even green. The birds usual chirping was elevated to a fully orchestrated musical number, complete with synchronized flying and a dance. To anyone who had not visited Equestria before, it would all feel like something out of a cartoon. Which was a silly notion. Of course all this glee was lost entirely upon the Everfree Forest. The chilly winds may have left with the rising of the sun, but the atmosphere was still damp and oppressive. Like a wet nun. In a small patch of forest that was able to experience the rays of the sun lay two ponies and a flower in a glass pickle jar. A more unlikely trio of sleepers the forest had never seen.
Twilight awoke with the sun, as she always had ever since she had begun her tutelage under the sun herself, Princess Celestia. Whether it was by mere routine or through the special magical connection Twilight shared with her mentor, she had always found herself waking the moment the first bright spot of yellow showed itself on the horizon. On most days (which for someone as scheduled as Twilight meant every day) she awoke, made herself a cup of Cafe de Olla coffee in one of her enchanted porcelain bowls, and then set out making a schedule of things she needed to get done that day. This morning was different. As her eyes fluttered open and her vision began to slowly unblur she found herself staring at a peculiar sight. The sleeping face of Fluttershy. As her nervous system began to follow her eyes example, Twilight soon realized she and Fluttershy were lying on the dirt floor of the forest, wrapped in each others forelegs, with Fluttershy's frail hind legs clung tightly around Twilight's belly. Memories of the previous day slowly peaked back into Twilight's mind. The embarrassment, the tears, the bite, the flirting, the kiss, her eyes widened as the real impact of all this reared its head. Polite and innocent as these gestures had all been, they meant so much to her. She smiled and tightened her grip on her friend, closing her eyes. For the first time in a very long time, she decided that there was no point in worrying about her schedule, especially out here in the middle of nowhere, and she would sleep late instead.
Sleep is a funny thing, time passes by so quickly. It felt like her eyes had only been shut for a few moments, but in reality Twilight was awakened hours later by a prod to her shoulder.
"C'mon wake up. I'm taking you guys home." a hoarse, cheerful and familiar voice called.
Twilight struggled to turn over, seeing a silouhuette against the noon sun above her. As her vision focused she could make out a toned body and mischievous face, barely hidden behind bright prismatic bangs.
"Hey Rainbow. What time is it?" Twilight coughed out as she yawned.
"It's uh...about 12:30 I guess. You guys have been out here more than a day now. Spike's been worried sick, as have a few others back in town."
Twilight's face turned pink as she realized she was still clutching Fluttershy to her chest like a teddy bear. She sat up quickly and began to gather her things, trying to hide her embarrassment as she prepared to leave.
"It must have been freezing out here if you two were cuddled up like that." Rainbow mumbled as she prodded Fluttershy. "I hate flying over this part of the forest. There's weird flying sting rays and crap. C'mon Fluttershy wake up already!"
Twilight glanced over on the far end of the clearing to see there were several other pegasi awaiting. Some were chatting while others were casting a suspicious eye at the surrounding eerie forest. A folded up piece of cloth lay in front of them. What was that for? Twilight turned to see that Fluttershy was trying to hug Dash in her sleep.
"Tw.....iiiiiliiibfffdfdfff." Fluttershy burbled, nearly pulling Dash onto the ground.
"Dangit Shy, wake up already! I don't have time for this!" Dash yelled, suplexing Fluttershy which immediately woke the yellow pegasus up, albeit very rudely.
They collected their things and moved over to the crowd awaiting them. The tarp was unfolded, with small tethers tied around the waists of the other pegasi. Fluttershy and Twilight sat in the center of the cloth as it was hoisted into the air by the others and they were carried quickly away from the small glade in the woods, their adventure there now over. A sense of regret filled both ponies. Snuggling together under the moon had been such a joyful experience. It wasn't as if they didn't hug regularly. Hugging was just a thing ponies did alot. For some it was almost a job. But now that the two of them had a vague awareness that their friendly relationship was changing to something a bit stronger, the snuggling had felt so much more powerful. So much more special. Every time she would glance at Fluttershy, their eyes would meet and they'd grin sheepishly and go back to seeming disinterested.
"Is that little speck over there the town, Dash?" Twilight asked, squinting her eyes.
"Yep. I'm not sure how you guys managed to take more than a whole day to get this far."
"To be fair, Dash." piped up a lilac pegasus with a bright white spiky mane named Cloud Chaser, "The forest is full of all sorts of weird stuff. Maybe they got slowed down by something."
"They probably got slowed down by Fluttershy." quipped Dash, giving her old friend a critical glance. It was true though, Fluttershy's cautious way of avoiding danger usually meant she caused any journeys to take much longer than they needed to.
"Actually Fluttershy was an excellent tracker and navigator." Twilight curtly responded, coming to Fluttershy's defense. "The delay in our return is mostly because I wanted to collect samples of the plant life and soil. On top of that I wasn't really physically prepared for such a long hike and had to rest quite a few times."
"Tracker? Navigator?" Dash asked, looking confused.
"Yes! Fluttershy did an excellent job teaching me about the dangers of the woods and helping me avoid quite a lot of the natural and unnatural phenomena. I'd probably be dead if not for her."
"Oh....what I do is nothing special." Fluttershy whispered as her cheeks went red, hiding behind her mane. "I'm not really that good."
"Nonsense!" Twilight responded, feeling giddy that her compliments had caused this reaction. "You were amazing, Fluttershy. You should have seen her, Dash. She was like a quiet polite Daring Do."
"That so?" Dash flashed them both a cocky smile. "Well I'm pretty impressed then, Shy. Good work all around. Did you two find what you were looking for? Fluttershy mentioned some sort of flower or something."
"Yes, we already got it!"
"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt..." asked a green pegasus with pink bangs named Merry May, "but uh....why are we carrying these two? They both have wings. I mean...I know the purple one is royalty but this still seems a bit unnecessary."
"Oh that." Dash rolled her eyes a bit. "Fluttershy isn't exactly the speediest thing in the sky. And Twilight isn't the most graceful. This is the fastest way of getting them home, believe me. Plus after spending a whole day in the deadly woods of the Everfree, I doubt either of these two feel like flying, right?"
Two polite nods answered her question.
"Actually...as long as I'm here." Dash's voice went down in pitch and octave, signalling that she was about to change to a more serious subject. "I actually need to thank you, Shy."
"Oh?" Fluttershy poked her snout out from under her hair. "Why are you thanking me?"
"I wanted to thank you for your advice on dealing with Scootaloo's nightmare problem."
"What happened?" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide as she grinned. Helping Dash be less of a jerk always made her feel proud.
"Well...uh...I woke up and she was crying and stuff. So you know I like...held her and had her tell me what her dream was about. Something dumb like giant frogs eating her or something. And after that I took her downstairs and hoof-fed her some ice cream and then she...uh...fell asleep." Dash swallowed, her eyes glassing over a bit.
"You fed her by hoof?" Fluttershy asked, trying not to squeal with glee.
"Yeah....you know the whole....'here comes the airplane'...thing. She fell asleep in my arms and I just sat there watchin' her and...I mean eventually I fell asleep too, but....I think I understand now, Shy. I get why you like caring for youngsters and little animals so much."
Fluttershy nodded, her smile growing.
"It....I dunno it hurt I guess." Dash continued, her voice growing a bit shaky. "But it hurts in a good way. To have that little filly sleeping against my shoulder. Like she knew she was safe with me. It made me feel...special I guess. I was scared at first but...you were right Fluttershy. It felt really good to do that. So thanks."
"That's pretty lame, boss." Cloud Chaser said with a cheeky grin.
"You know what else is lame!?" Dash shot back. "Cleaning out the latrines back at camp. Guess who gets to do it now?"
Cloud Chaser's grin was wiped off her face so quickly that it managed to almost give her whiplash.
******************
Not long after found the two tired adventurers back in their home town. They thanked their rescuers for their transportation and soon found themselves wandering back in the direction they came. Not to re-enter the forest. There was really no time for that again. Not anytime soon. But Twilight simply felt that after all the kindnesses Fluttershy had given, that walking her friend home was the least she could do. Fluttershy was simply happy to have the company. While she was relieved to be home again and able to care for her beasts, she couldn't shake the fact that she was going to feel a bit lonely once the bookish purple alicorn had returned home, leaving Fluttershy alone again. In silence the two trotted to the mossy cottage, it would be suppertime soon. Fluttershy needed to tend to her animals and Twilight needed to tend to Spike. With a gentle push the door to Fluttershy's cottage creaked open and she began to enter. She turned to look at Twilight, noting the false smile on her friends face. Twilight had always been so transparent with her feelings. She knew that they were both feeling the same emotion. A modicum of regret that they would be separated, if but only for a little while.
"Thank you for walking me home, Twilight." Fluttershy mumbled, shuffling and cleaning some dirt from her hooves on the doormat. "I hope you find something interesting in the flower."
"You'll be the first pony to know if I do." Twilight spoke, though her voice lacked excitement.
They stood for a moment, not sure what to say. Twilight thought hard. It had been such an eventful two days. And now she felt such a strong connection to her friend. What could she say at this point? Goodbye? See you tomorrow? None of these responses seemed apt for the moment. Surprisingly, Fluttershy spoke up first.
"So, I guess everything goes back to normal, now." It was impossible to not hear the sad tone in the yellow pegasus voice.
"Yeah. I suppose it does." Twilight responded, sighing.
"Are we....should I just....not bring up anything that happened...in the forest?" Fluttershy asked, staring at the floor.
"I'm not sure."
Twilight swallowed. In her heart she knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell her friend how much she cared. How they should be open and honest with each other. How she'd love to spend more time with Fluttershy. Talking to her. Getting to know her friend even better. She'd learned so much from the shy mare, and she only wanted to learn more. Feel and touch more. Maybe even give her another quick kiss. But there was no confidence to spur her into action. No bravery to say what needed to be said.
Fluttershy thought long and hard as well. Her friend had been even more of a social outcast than Fluttershy had ever been. Spending all her time in a library, hidden from the world. Even if Twilight wanted to say something, anything, the poor mare probably wouldn't even know what to say. Fluttershy was no social butterfly, but out of the two of them she had slightly more experience when it came to manners and etiquette. But it would require courage. The same courage she had managed to summon when she had affectionately nibbled Twilight's ear in the forest. Once more she began to repeat her mantra in her head.
I need to be brave like Rainbow Dash. Brave like Dash. Brave like Dash. Brave like Dash. I can do this. Brave like Dash. Just ask her. Brave like Dash.
She glanced up to see that Twilight was turning to leave, a look of despondency on her face.
"Uh! Twilight wait!" Fluttershy called as loudly as she could, which for her was about as loud as a mouse farting.
"Yes?" Twilight asked, turning back, a look of hope and worry in her eyes.
"Would....um....well.....I'd like you to....visit me tomorrow." Fluttershy squeaked, her face going red. "We could have tea and......uh...I k-know a p-place where....we could enjoy the sun and t-talk....about m-magic or nature or anything you want, really....but if you...you're too busy...it's ok."
Twilight's eyes lit up.
"I'd love to, Fluttershy! I can tell you all my findings with this flower tomorrow and we can go over hypothesis and theories! Oh it'll be so much fun!"
And with that the purple alicorn galloped off, seeming very happy. She couldn't see the look of relief in the eyes of her pegasus friend, just as her friend could not see the look of panic that now was etched on Twilight's face. She was going to need some advice. This was something new and different and she wasn't prepared for this. Not in the slightest.
**********************
Fluttershy's mind was occupied by the animal tending for the next hour and a half. Angel and the rest of the animals were quite hungry due to having missed a meal thanks to her absence. Several hadn't even shown up, assuming that Fluttershy was lost in the woods or had gone on an impromptu vacation. A few of the raccoons had formed a search party and disappeared into the forest. Being raccoons they quickly grew bored and decided to invade the alleyways of Ponyville on the search for scraps. The rest of the creatures eagerly followed Fluttershy around the house helping her prepare their snacks and meals as she quietly whispered apologies to them. Outside of Angel, none of them were very cross with her. Small toasted bits of whole wheat bread with chunky peanut butter spread on top was given to the squirrels. Shrimp and nightcrawlers were tossed to the trouts living in the stream. The turtles received little bowls full of strawberries and beetle grubs. A sandwich of steamed tuna, cabbage, and broccoli was given to the grizzly bear, who seized Fluttershy in a rib-cracking hug. Cracked walnuts and smoked cheese was placed into the feeder for the raccoons, for whenever they got back from wherever it was they were. Diced honeydew melon and carrot seeds were given to the birds and finally a carrot and grape salad was given to the rabbits, including Angel who shot Fluttershy a very angry glance.
With the animals fed, Fluttershy got to work making herself a snack as well. She normally tried to eat healthy. She wasn't a very vain pony, but she did enjoy looking her best. However after such a long and stressful journey she believed she owed herself a treat. So some spinach chips were piled onto a saucepan and drizzled with a bit of honey. Chopped onions, sliced tomato, cilantro, and smoked sharp cheddar were layered handsomely on top of the chips, then covered in several dollops of Pinkie Pie's special custom hot sauce. Nobody knew what was in the sauce, but it was perfectly tangy and very very hot with an aftertaste of mango. A perfect kick for a plate of slightly-healthy nachos. She smiled as she watched the cheese melt and bubble as the pan sat on the stove. A perfect treat for an almost perfect day.
But the vigor of food preparation soon wore off and the realization of what she had done hit Fluttershy with the force of an asteroid, causing her to shake uncontrollably as her pupils contracted.
"Oh my sweet Celestia. I just asked Twilight out on a date didn't I? Oh no I did. Oh no. OH NO! OH NO!!!"
Her dainty hooves clicked loudly across the floorboards as she rushed into the living room, tripping and falling flat on her face. The sounds of eating stopped as all the animals turned to stare questioningly at their master as she rose unsteadily to a standing position.
"Okay everyone stay calm!" She spoke aloud, mostly to herself. "Everything is fine. It's just a get-together. We're just going to um....uh....whats the word? Hang out! Yes. WE are hanging out. It's not a date. I didn't ask Twilight out on a date."
The look of disbelief on the faces of all the staring animals spoke volumes.
"Who am I trying to fool?" Fluttershy sadly muttered as she sat on her haunches. "Oh Fluttershy, you blockhead. Now what am I supposed to do?"
Angel whipped out a small piece of parchment and grabbed a crayon from the box in the corner where he liked to scribble. He quickly drew an image, his face contorted in a look of concentration with his tongue poking out the side of his mouth. One it was done he held it up, giving it some self-criticism before folding it up and hopping up to his master. He laid it flat in front of her. It depicted a purple circle with 4 sticks for legs and a smaller purple circle above it with two dots for eyes. Some scribbles representing feathers jutted from its back. Opposite this purple creature was a yellow one of very similar design. The two ovals that represented their heads were pressed up against each other, with crudely drawn pink and green hearts firing off between the blobs that represented their mouths. Fluttershy's face went red as she realized what Angel was suggesting.
"Oh my goodness, Angel! I could never kiss Twilight...l-like that! On the m-mouth! How incredibly lewd that would be of me!"
A pungent smokey smell of cheese and oregano drifted past her nose a moment later.
"My spinach nachos!"
*************************
Twilight sighed as she pushed open the door to the Golden Oaks Library. She wasn't going to have any time to relax tomorrow and sort out all these strange new emotions in her brain. On the flight home she hoped that she might get a day or two to recuperate. Try to figure how an innocent trip into a scary forest had wound up with her flirting with Fluttershy. Try to figure out where these feelings of attraction had originated. Had they always been there? Just laying dormant waiting for her and her friend to be secluded and vulnerable before springing out like an awkward socially inept jack-in-the-box? She couldn't even be sure anymore. Never had she felt an emotion so powerful. Even the memory of it sent chills down to her hooves. How was she going to concentrate on studying this flower if these thoughts were nagging at her?
"Twilight!" gurgled a happy young voice. "You're home! You're ok!"
With his small claws scraping noisily across the bark floor, Spike ran as fast he could, tackling his caretaker and embracing her as he tried not to tear up.
"I was so scared, Twilight! I thought something had happened."
Twilight smiled and wrapped the tiny bundle of purple scales up in her wings, hugging him fiercely.
"Well something did happen, Spike. There was a big thunderstorm and then I got very...tired. I'm so sorry, Spike. Was everything alright? Were you able to get food?"
"Yeah I just warmed up some cans of beans and ate those. I gave that annoying owl some popcorn seeds. He seems to like them."
"I'm so proud of you! Taking care of Owloysius while I was stuck in the woods." Twilight nuzzled the baby dragon, hoisting him onto her back.
"Did you find the plant you were looking for?" Spike asked, his greedy claws already rummaging into Twilight's saddlebag.
"That I most certainly did!" Twilight chirped as she levitated the glass jar out of her bag, placing it gently on the table where she kept her magnifying glass and test tubes. "And I am very sure it has magical properties."
"What kind of magical properties?" Spike asked, pressing his nose right up against the glass.
"I'm not sure yet, Spike. That is why I need to research it. But now I'm not going to be able to concentrate and get anything done!"
"Why not?" Spike asked, squinting at the colorful plant in the jar.
"Well, I have a bit of a problem, Spike. Okay actually maybe I'm fibbing a little bit. It's actually a very large problem that I've been doing my very best to ignore. But the problem is simply far too large for that. And there's nothing I can do to really reduce it's size or make it less evident. And it's very distracting and annoying and it could possibly alter the very course of my life. And did I mention yet that it's a very big problem? Because it is." Twilight paced impatiently.
"And uh....." Spike raised his eyebrows, amused at Twilight's frustration. "What exactly IS the problem?"
"Ahaha...ha....oh yes that. The problem. Well, Spike....erm. I've been asked out...kinda."
"Asked out?"
"Asked out."
Spike grunted suspiciously. "Like....asked out on a date?"
"Yes. Well no. Well yes, no. It's complicated, Spike. There's many layers to this and I can't really get through them all and make sense of it."
"Right."
Twilight approached the table, freeing the flower from its prison and depositing it into a porcelain flowerpot, giving it a small trickle of water and beginning to extract various books she'd need for research from off the shelves. She piled these up, one after another, next to where the plant stood. Charts, protractors, beakers, hotplates, runes, amulets, and dozens of other trinkets used in the scientific and magical processes were soon joining the books on the table. Spike stared at Twilight as she frantically grabbed these things, his large eyes giving off an air of skepticism at Twilight's story.
"So...." he began, a small grin growing on his face. "What brave colt had the guts and grit to ask Princess Twilight the alicorn out on a date?"
"It wasn't a colt." Twilight mumbled, biting her tongue immediately. "And it doesn't matter who it was, Spike."
"Oh ho ho." Spike's grin blew up into a full wicked smile. "Well well well! So it was a girl, huh? And that's what got you all wound up? Well I mean it's not like you agreed to go on the date, right?"
"I practically encouraged it." Twilight groaned, drumming her forehead against the table in exasperation. "I'm so stupid. I was not ready for this sort of social interaction. I barely understand how friendship works. I can scarcely not look like a fool at any large public spectacles. I JUST got promoted. And now this."
"Wait.....wait....." Spike's smile faltered a bit. "You like....uh...mares?"
"No. Well....UGH...yes I guess I do. Maybe." Twilight growled, pacing around the room. "I don't know, Spike. I think I like one and I found out in the most embarrassing way possible which is what led to all this."
"So you just became a princess....as in....you need a prince and now you just realized you prefer...princesses." Spike was trying very hard not to laugh as Twilight's pacing became an angry trot around the library. "With the exception of Flash I guess."
"I don't PREFER them, Spike. I just prefer this one....well I don't even know if I do. I mean I kissed her...."
"YOU WHAT?!" Spike jumped, running forward to keep up with his master.
"It was just on the cheek, Spike." Twilight grumbled. "I'm not sure what came over me. I think my hormones must be out of control thanks to my recent transformation. It's the only logical explanation as to why I can't control myself. As for the royalty thing I'm not even sure what to do with that. If word got out a princess didn't want a prince...."
"Nobody would care." Spike quipped, very matter-of-factly as he grew tired of chasing Twilight and plopped down on the couch. "It's not like you'd be the first."
There was a loud sound like that of tires screeching as Twilight skidded to a stop in front of Spike, her face livid.
"What does that mean, Spike?"
The tiny dragon nonchalantly flipped over onto his back.
"Luna didn't have a prince. If you catch my drift."
"Those were just rumors, Spike." Twilight sighed loudly.
"Nah. It's true. From what I overheard when she and Celestia were talking, Luna had like....a harem. A very very long time ago. Celestia forbids having that many suitors now since it's kinda....dirty. But I don't think either of them would be too bothered if you told them you like girl ponies."
"Oh goodness." Twilight massaged her temples. "This is too much information far too quickly."
Spike hopped off the couch, giving his master a hug.
"You're worrying too much, Twilight. You should just relax. Do what you always do. Follow your lists and schedules and other things that keep you happy and calm. And don't worry about the date. It's a first date right? With a friend, even. Just treat it like you would any get together. It's nothing fancy. Fluttershy probably just wants you to spend some time with her. Maybe you'll even enjoy it."
"You're right, Spike." Twilight said with a sigh as the tensity in her body subsided. "I'm getting all worked up over something so insignificant. I'm being very silly. I'll just test this flower for magic, make us some dinner, and then get some sleep. Then I can worry about my date.....hey wait a second."
Twilight levitated the baby dragon in front of her face, studying him.
"How did you know it was Fluttershy who asked me, Spike?"
A cunning grin cut across his scaly face as he smugly folded his arms.
"Well it's kinda obvious. You spent almost two days alone with her. You had no interest in dates or dating before EVER. And I doubt that somehow on the trip back from wherever Rainbow and the others dropped you off that SOMEHOW you managed to get asked out and kiss a pony all at the same time between then and getting back home. I mean come on, Twi! I'm no great detective or anything, but it's kinda obvious what happened."
"What am I going to do?" Twilight whined, dropping Spike to the floor. "She invited me over to tea tomorrow. What am I supposed to do? Or say?"
"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight." Spike shook his head, happy to be the voice of reason. "This is Fluttershy. The nicest, kindest, pony in all of Ponyville. And a friend you've known for almost a year now. Just do what you always do. Ignore the fact it's a 'date' if it helps. It's not like you and her haven't had tea before right?"
Twilight's eyes lit up. "You're right, Spike. You're absolutely right. I'm getting myself all worked up over nothing. Fluttershy is probably at home relaxing and feeding her animals and not letting this bother her, while I'm here having a heart attack. I need to just calm down and treat our get-together like I would any other visit with a friend."
She picked up the small dragon and gave him another hug.
"Thank you, Spike. I don't know how I'd keep my life together without you around."
"That's what I'm here for, Twi." Spike said with a wink.