Steam billowed and vanished into the air, as Fluttershy cooled down her cup of tea. Settling down on a blanket, she glanced over at the pony beside her. Twilight smiled back, before glancing off into the glowing horizon. Spectrums of warm reds and oranges melded with cool purples and blues in the birth of a new day. Nestled upon an outcrop in the heath, the two settled down with a book apiece and a teapot. Fluttershy loved Wednesday mornings.
Skimming through the pages, she found her spot from the night before, turning it over and laying it down. Twilight's eyes darted over and were fixed on the mortal sin. Fluttershy noticed this as well, and set down her teacup.
“Oh, is something the matter, Twilight?”
“Hmm?” The other mare pretended to just be looking up from her own novel, Cansteed. “Oh, well, it's just that you left your book open, pages down. It's horrible for the spine and the bindings, and could lead to pages just falling right out... And you know how I am about that kind of stuff.”
“Oh, of course!” Fluttershy snatched her storybook up as if it were about to catch on fire. “I'm sorry.”
Twilight smiled. “It's fine, it's just something that bugs me when ponies do it.” Watching the pegasus shrink back, she added, “But you've already fixed it, so no harm done!”
Fluttershy managed to return through a wall of hair. “Are you sure? What if something broke?”
“I'm sure. It takes months of mistreatment to damage a book like that.” Twilight tried to smile encouragingly. “Now, how about you stop worrying over the books?” She took a quick taste of her drink. “This is really good, Fluttershy. Where did you get it from?”
“Oh, the tea?” Fluttershy brightened, guilt evaporating from her shoulders. “I bought it from a vendor in town, who said she got it from Canterlot.”
“Jasmine Leaf?”
“The nice green mare with the brown eyes?”
“That's the one.” Twilight nodded.
“Oh, then yes, that was her. She said it was called 'Ashen Noble,' grown somewhere out east.” Fluttershy was particularly fond of the blend, enough of a bite with a hint of citrus.
“Hmm, I might have Spike go out and buy it for me sometime.”
Fluttershy nodded, then turned to her book. It was a fairytale, one she had always loved since she was a filly. Normally she didn't read stories like this, but today felt different. Sure, Twilight and her always enjoyed Wednesday mornings trying a new blend of tea and delving in their own stories, sharing eachother's company. But this morning felt...different.
Perhaps it was the fresh air, or the new location, or maybe the miraculous view, but something was placing her under a passive spell, that warmed her soul from its depths, spurting to the surface with bursts of energy and smiles. Of course, the energy and smiling was uniquely her own, from the occasional gentle flight into the dawn sky on the way over, or the grin when she glanced over at the unicorn, but it was still a few notches up from where she usually was.
The words on the pages fell into the mental background as the pegasus pondered. Was it the dawning sun? It looked wonderfully beautiful this morning, Celestia must've been happy when she woke up. Or was it just enjoying the friendship of Twilight, the silent bond that passed in the silent air between their silent mouths, as if their souls supported and lifted the other into a new height of happiness and well-being?
“Fluttershy?”
Eyes widening as she snapped from her daze, the mare in question glanced over to Twilight. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to say thank you for convincing me to come out all this way this morning. It's been a hectic week so far, and it's great to know I have a friend who cares enough to get me to relax and enjoy something so simple as a morning read.”
Dimples rose on Fluttershy's face as her grin grew. “Oh, you're welcome, Twilight. I think we all need times like these to see what's truly important.”
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but then shut it in favor of her own wide smile. Nodding, she took a sip of her tea and returned to her book.
Following suit, Fluttershy looked back to the ink-scribbled pages, as the golden rays of the sun hoisted themselves over the horizon, bathing the two in a warmth that would last for days on end.