Dear Princess Celestia,
I'd like again to thank you for my new title and rank amongst the royal family. It has been an honor to share it with you, Luna, and Cadence. But as the saying goes 'Heavy is the Crown' and ever since the coronation, the torrent of events and work has been overwhelming. I still have weird dreams about that human world I briefly stepped into. I still have nightmares about the overgrowth of Discord's vines that tried to choke the life out of the Tree of Harmony. My wings keep my back sore, everybody treats me differently now. It's like everyone is on pins and needles around me.
I won't lie I've been trying to downplay the princess angle as hard as possible. Try to explain to the other citizens here that I'm just like them and haven't really changed. But it's not helping. Simultaneously, I know with the parliament meetings coming up that you need my help signing the stack of treatise and treaties that arrive at my door every morning. And were this at any less exciting point in my life, I'd be happy to fill them out. You know I like paperwork.
But I'm sorry to inform you that I'm just too weary, Celestia. These changes in my body, my network of friends, this mysterious lockbox that perplexes me, the way all the other ponies have been treating me. I've been hiding away in my library, just working mostly. I'm settling into old habits and this place is becoming a prison.
So, starting today I'm taking a break. I'm not really asking, I'm telling. Please don't be upset. I need this very badly. I'm pretty certain my physical and mental health both depend on me getting out and away from all this business for a little while. I've just been exhausted for some time now and until recently not very happy. I should probably explain that last sentence further. I've met someone. Someone I really like who likes me back. I'm not really at the point where I'm ready to say who it is.
This has been my first experience with this sort of love. It's very addicting. I realize now what a tremendous power Cadence has, and what a mature and profound way she has of utilizing it amongst her ponies. I may or may not send a report about this sort of friendship.
Oh! I forgot the reason I needed to write this letter in the first place. Fluttershy and I have rescued a very rare plant from deep within the Everfree Forest. We believe that you or Luna had a hoof in creating it. It resists all forms of magic except modern day pony varieties and if my tests have proved anything, it should be a few thousand years old. It's scientific name is Pyrola Lunata Borealis. I believe it was thought to be extinct but Fluttershy found one and I'd like you to see it as soon as possible.
I shall patiently await your reply.
As always, your faithful followers,
Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy (who helped write this while I ate breakfast)
******************************************
"Looks good to me." Twilight said around crunches of oats as Fluttershy folded the letter up. "Thanks, Fluttershy. You really didn't have to write it down for me."
"Spike and I both agree you need to rest for a while, Twilight." Fluttershy cheerily spoke as she cautiously held the letter in front of Spike's sleeping face. "At least until you feel like you used to. I could show you how to meditate if you want. I find its very good for soothing the spirit. Um....uh......."
She turned her head this way and that, trying to figure out how to send the letter. On most days Spike would simply roast it with a spurt of green dragon fyre, sending the letter a great distance across the continent and magically disposing it into the royal bedchamber of Princess Celestia. When Twilight had first arrived in Ponyville, she and her friends had been asked to send letter to Celestia, updating her on what they'd learned about friendship. As time had passed, these letters had become less frequent.
"Uh.......Twilight....." Fluttershy whispered, glancing over to her friend. "Little Spike is asleep. How do we ....um...you know. I don't want to wake him. That would be very rude of me."
"Oh that. Just pinch his nose and give him a little pat on the back."
Fluttershy extended the two longest feathers of her wings, pinching the nostrils of the purple dragon shut, causing him to emit an annoyed gurgling sound as he snored. Gently she gave him a soft poke between his shoulders.
"Nothings happening!"
"Well you can't do it that lightly. Pretend you're....burping a baby."
With a cringe Fluttershy raised her hoof a little higher, bringing it down with enough force for it to make a very quiet patter. A loud fiery belch exploded from the mouth of the tiny dragon, incinerating the letter as it promptly disappeared into the air. A strange stench filled the air that smelled like wet concrete.
"Is.....is that it?"
"Yep." Twilight hopped off the couch and affectionately rubbed her snout against Fluttershy's neck. "Now we just wait for Celestia to send us back her reply."
"How long does that usually take?"
"It really depends on how busy she is. With all the meetings at parliament trying to enact new laws, I imagine she's probably as bogged down as I am right now. Problems always seem to ramp up at this time of year."
"Ramps......ramps....." Fluttershy muttered, her eyes glassing over. "OH NO!"
"What?"
"I was supposed to help Dash and Applejack build a ramp today for Scootaloo outside of Dash's house!"
"Well you still could...I mean it's not like -"
"No! You don't understand! I was supposed to be there almost an hour ago! Dash is probably going to be very upset with me. Applejack as well."
"Actually I'm not, really." came Rainbow Dash's scratchy voice as she opened the door to the library and soared in, landing on her hooves and sauntering into the middle of the room. "I was pretty much expecting you to be here. And not to show up."
If Dash wasn't upset, she certainly didn't look it. There was a definite tone of 'grump' about her face, and a stronger tone of 'not so grump' as she carried herself into the library. Her face was offset by the foal carrier she had on, with a sleeping Scootaloo bundled up on her chest in the harness.
"I'm so sorry, Dash. I was being selfish and forgot all about my plans for the week. Please forgive me." Fluttershy said sadly, looking at the floor.
Rainbow gave her a mildly sympathetic look. "It's ok, Shy. Applejack didn't show up either so I wound up building it all with Scoots. Poor kid's all tuckered out now. But the ramp came out nice at least. So that's that."
Rainbow flinched a bit before glancing at Twilight and clearing her throat.
"Hey...Shy...can I uh.....talk to Twilight. Alone. For just a bit."
"Of course you may. I need to go home and feed my animals anyway. C'mon, Angel. I'll see you later ok, Twilight?"
The look that passed between the two mares was unmistakable, but not entirely unsurprising to Rainbow. She'd been suspecting this for a little bit now. As Fluttershy exited, Rainbow shut the door, then fluttered over and sat in one of the mushroom-shaped stools near the couch Twilight lay on.
"What do you need, Rainbow?" Twilight asked in as upbeat a tone as she could, worried this conversation was going to be taxing on her nerves already.
"So uh....you and Fluttershy have crushes on each other, huh?" Dash spoke, her voice emotionless. She watched as a look of fear seemed to briefly pass over Twilight's features. "Yeah I figured it out."
"B-b-but....h-how?"
"I could just tell by the way you two looked at each other on the ride back from the Everfree. No offense meant, Twi....but neither you or Fluttershy are exactly masters of subtlety. You guys were practically drooling."
Twilight looked at the couch, frowning sadly, her voice growing very quiet. "I take it you probably don't approve of what....me and Fluttershy are going through."
"I...uh." Dash scratched the back of her head. "How do I put this? I don't...mind too much. But I'm really really concerned for you two, Twilight. For all of us. This is a big deal and could be really REALLY bad for the Elements of Harmony, ya know?"
"How so?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.
"I've been through this stuff before, Twi. Back in Cloudsdale I had a group of buddies and we all used to hang out. Then two of them started dating and it got.....really weird between all of us. Then they broke up and didn't want to be friends anymore. We all drifted apart after that. Nobody wanted to hang out with each other anymore since it felt so off. After that all I had was Gilda... and you saw how that turned out. And I'm....just...." Dash bit her lip, looking very nervous. Which was rare as she was generally considered a very brave pegasus. "I'm not sure I want to see that happen again, Twilight."
"I understand, I think." Twilight replied softly. "I've never lost a friend, before. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like losing one of you girls. I'm not sure what I'd do with myself."
"And it's not just that, Twilight." Dash trembled slightly. "You know....we get into alotta trouble. You, me, and the rest. Fluttershy's always along for the ride. But we both know she doesn't enjoy it. She and AJ would rather be here in town, where it's calm and safe. I always feel bad for Shy. She's always there with us and always so scared..."
Twilight nodded.
"....our group has been through so much junk." Dash swallowed, trying to stay calm as she felt tears form. "I've been protecting Shy since we were little kids. From bullies and jerks and monsters. Her safety is always in the back of my mind, bugging me. And...Twilight it's like.....you know..... well you're already part of the royal family. You and your family have had to deal with so many weirdos and nutcases and stuff. This is normal stuff for you. And we're always there to help. We've defeated armies of changelings, dragons, seen all sort of wild stuff. I mean....Cadence killed a guy. Like she made Sombra completely explode. That's scary stuff right? Seein' a dude explode. And I know I like to pretend I'm brave but I'm actually very scared for everybody and....."
Dash fidgeted, wiping her eyes.
"Fluttershy is the closest thing I've had to family for most of my life, Twi. And...please don't be upset by what I'm about to say but....now that you're a princess and everyone is watching you....it's like a big target has been painted on your head. And if something happens, if another spooky crazy monster comes out and attacks us....I don't want to see you or Shy get hurt. And Shy can't really defend herself. I don't want her to be collateral damage. I just want her to be happy. Ok?"
"Oh Dash." Twilight trotted up to her friend, embracing her in a comforting hug. "I would never EVER let Fluttershy get hurt. I swear. I know exactly how you feel. It's why I try to keep Spike out of dangerous situations. I'm not sure what I'd do if I was responsible for getting him injured. I'm sure you feel the same way about Scootaloo as well."
"Okay good." Dash said breathlessly, returning the hug. "I don't like worrying. Worrying sucks."
"Yeah believe me, I know." Twilight grinned and rolled her eyes. "Is that the only reason you came over today? To worry us?"
"Well that and making Fluttershy feel guilty about the ramp thing." Dash smiled, that cocky toothy grin that let Twilight know she was feeling better. "Plus uhhh...what else. Pinkie swung by and said something about all of us going to Sweet Apple Acres around noon to discuss something. She said it was very serious."
"I can't imagine Pinkie and serious in the same place." Twilight said with a chuckle.
"Yeah me neither, just passing the message along."
And with that, Dash hoisted herself into the air with a mighty flap of her wings, sending dust and bits of parchment scattering around the room. She adjusted the harness to be sure that Scootaloo couldn't fall out, and then soared out the doorway, leaving Twilight in the library with a lot on her mind.
*****************************
"So now that I've been thinking about it, I'm kinda curious."
Rainbow Dash was hovering down the cobblestone path through town that went past the fenceposts of Sweet Apple Acres. After having talked with and delivered a message to Twilight, she had delivered the same message to Fluttershy. And now that it was nearly noon, they felt it was a good a time as any to head to Sweet Apple Acres and see what Pinkie had to say. After a quick stop at Dash's floating cloud house that looked like a flying castle to drop off Scootaloo, the two had begun their journey to Applejack's home.
"Curious about what?" Fluttershy asked, prancing quietly down the road with a joyful leap in her step.
"You n'.....Twiiiiliiillllight." Rainbow made a devious grin and a kissy face.
Fluttershy slunk low to the ground, her long mane nearly enveloping her entire head.
"Oh dear. So you know." Fluttershy said softly.
"Sure do, pal." Rainbow gave Fluttershy a friendly jab to the ribs. "So how did YOU know? What attracted you to Twilight of all ponies? Her brains? Her nerdiness? Her uh.....purpleness?"
"All that stuff!" Fluttershy giggled aloud. "I always liked her. Now she likes me. We've only been on one date so far. I'm awful sorry I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want to seem like a loudmouth. Are you....not bothered by it?"
"Of course I'm bothered." Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. "Two of my best buddies are dating. If something were to go horribly wrong in you and Twilight's little thing it could totally destroy our whole friend group. It would be the end of the Elements of Harmony. But then I got to thinkin'....you and Twilight are already so passive and nice to each other....maybe I don't need to worry too much. Probably. So you guys are cool by me."
Fluttershy returned the jab to Rainbow's ribs as the two continued down to Sweet Apple Acres.
******************************
Five of the elements of harmony had gathered on the lawn of Sweet Apple Acres. None quite looking their best, but all happy to be together for the first time in ages. Save that is, for Rarity who was still in Canterlot slowly becoming famous. Applejack sat near a tray of apple fritters that she had prepared for her friends, Pinkie Pie at her side.
"Hey y'all. I guess ya got Pinkie's message after all." there was no mistaking the small hint of disappointment in Applejack's voice. As if she didn't want her friends to be there.
"I made some fritters here if ya get hungry while we....er I....talk."
"Whats this all about, AJ?" Rainbow asked, darting for a fritter and cramming it into her mouth. "Deciding to have a party after bein' a sad sack and ignoring us for weeks?"
"Well I didn't mean to ignore y'all I've just had a lot on my mind. Actually um, that's why yer all here."
Expectantly the five ponies waited. From inside the barn approached two more. Big Mac, Applejack's large and oft silent brother, and Granny Smith, their grandmother and owner of Sweet Apple Acres.
"Oh no." Applejack groaned under her breath.
"What's all this then hmm?" Granny Smith asked, her dentures clacking loudly. "Havin' some sort of meetin'? Is another one of them uh...whatsemcalled...wizards attackin' the crystal kingdom?"
"Crystal Empire!" Twilight corrected. "And Applejack was just about to tell us all something important."
"Yeah but I didn't want....." the orange earth pony glanced helplessly at her brother and elder grandmother.
A very soft hoof stroked Applejack's back, trying to comfort her.
"Go on, Applejack." Pinkie whispered reassuringly. "Just tell them what you told me. Go on!"
"Yeh but....what...what if...." Applejack spluttered, glancing again at her grandmother.
"They won't love you any less. I just know it!" Pinkie squeaked giving her friend a hug.
Applejack stared at her hooves for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"Alrighty. Guess I can't run from this any longer. I got alot ta' say an if'n ya don't wanna be my friend afterwards I understand."
For as long as anyone could remember, Applejack had always worn a brown stetson on her head. It was rare she pulled it off, even for formal occasions. But she was removing it now and pulling out a small purple glass bottle. It was very tiny, like a perfume bottle, with a small heart drilled into the glass and two letters chiseled inside the rounded curves of the heart: "F+W".
"That looks....very familiar." Fluttershy gave the bottle an experimental poke with her hoof.
"Well it should. Rarity helped make it." Applejack replied. "Y'all remember when Rare went down to that all-natural wellness center?"
"Oh yes! Flax and Wheat's All Natural Wellness Center! I remember Rarity managed to help keep them in business." Twilight smiled at the memory. "She made them so successful too."
"Yep." Applejack said dryly. "You know Rare was always tellin' me how that place was all muddy n' dirty and all about relaxin' after a good days work. Said I'd probably love it there. I'd thought a' doin' it a few times. Takin' a lil' break to get myself together."
Applejack licked her lips, which were becoming very dry. "So ya know when I asked Rare how she kept Flax Seed and Wheat Grass in business, she told me she'd industrialized 'em. Made them a machine. Cut down their workload, allowed them to make tons of bottles of their natural beauty products. I was proud of her, Rare helpin' out some farmers she barely knew. But I was really interested in the machine she said she made...."
Applejack put her hat back on her head.
"I couldn't believe that our Rarity...one of the most hooves-off ponies in Ponyville...someone who can barely build a sandwich...had managed to build an automatic bottlin' clockwork contraption. Out of tools and garbage, even. I just didn't think she was capable." Applejack grinned, looking at the ground. "But I guess that was always my problem. I always underestimated Rarity."
"What's your point, Applejack?" Rainbow growled, grabbing another fritter. "This is takin' forever."
Applejack shot Dash a dirty look. "I'm gettin to it! Anyway, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go down there a few weekends ago when Rarity was there. I figured it'd be more fun if I was there with a friend and not alone. Wheat and Flax showed me where Rarity had been staying. It was an old barn she'd been patchin' up for 'em. Used to be a right mess at one point they said. So I walked in and she wasn't there but her bed was there, with a lamp and nightstand."
Applejack cleared her throat loudly, casting a worried glance at Pinkie. Pinkie beamed and nodded, urging Applejack to continue.
"So...ya know I don't mean to snoop but somethin' caught my eye in there. On Rare's nightstand was her clock, and an old photo of her cat....and uh..well....a photo of me. A photo of me the night before we went to the Gala. My glamor shot or whatever she called those. And that was it. All the rest of her photos of her and Sweetie Belle and Spike had been packed away or weren't there. All that was there was....me. Lookin' at me. Front n' center."
Fluttershy trembled a bit, feeling apprehension at the direction this story was taking. As quietly as she could she wrapped her tail around Twilights, hoping to find comfort, and happy to feel Twilight squeeze back.
"Rarity walked in a moment later. She saw me lookin' at the photo and there was this.....look she gave me. Like...I caught her doing something bad. She seemed so scared of what I'd say next. So I tried to joke and wonder why I was the only photo there. And she just gave me this sorta...sad smile and said it made her feel...safe. We didn't talk much durin' that trip or afterwards cause I felt....funny...and Rare looked..I dunno...sad I guess."
"So...you think Rarity might have a thing for you?" Rainbow munched around bites of fritter.
"Well yeah, sugarcube. It's just...you know I'm real close with Rare. And after I found out...that Rare ...you know...it was such a shock to mah mystem. An' as the shock wore off, well...I think....I'm pretty sure I...."
"You care for her?" Twilight offered.
"In that special sort of way?" Fluttershy added.
"Yeah I...guess I reckon I do. I was gonna tell her before she left for Canterlot but...." Applejack gritted her teeth and looked away at the grass. "I was too scared."
Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"So is that why you've been moping all day all this time on the hill near the train station? This is what's been on your mind?"
"I'm so proud of you, Applejack!" Pinkie gave her fellow earth pony a warm hug. "Don't you feel better now?"
"Guess I just lost 10 bits." Big Mac grunted in his deep voice, handing a few copper coins to Granny Smith.
"Wait what!?" Applejack spluttered.
Granny Smith pranced over, her old bones creaking loudly, drawing her granddaughter into a comfortin' hug.
"I just knew y'all liked that there pretty lil' Rarity unicorn, Applejack. Big Mac didn't o' course cause he's as stubborn as a mule and twice as thick. So I had to have me a lil' wager with him. I knew I'd win o'course!"
Big Mac frowned and wandered off.
"But Granny....how....how did ya know?" Applejack asked, her green eyes darting left and right, searching her grandmother's wrinkled face for answers.
"Well...yeh talk in yer sleep sometimes honey." Granny said with a wink. "'Course it's also the only time I ever see you brush yer hair is when she's comin' ta' visit."
Nobody had ever seen Applejack turn more red.
"So you're...not......" Applejack trembled, unable to finish the sentence.
"What dearie?" Granny cocked her head. "I'm proud of ya. I don't mind it's a mare...I'm jes' glad ya found some pony you like. And it ain't some hooligan. Was startin' to get worried. Guess that means yer as fruity as this here orchard!"
"Good one Granny Smith!" Pinkie laughed loudly, falling on her back in a fit of giggles.
"Why did Pinkie Pie invite us to Sweet Apple Acres if you were the one confessing a secret, Applejack?" Twilight asked.
"I was just tired of having so many secrets in my head!" Pinkie replied, hopping up and down happily. "Seeing you and Flutters smoochin' in the park was the straw that broke my camels back!"
Twilight and Fluttershy both looked horrified at the same time.
"Oops!" Pinkie stopped hopping in midair, looking ashamed. "I've been a bad pony."
"We've only been on one date!" Twilight shouted.
"Wait a minute....so I...ain't the first?" Applejack asked, looking bewildered and relieved. "Well I feel much better now."
Rainbow shook her head at the absurdity of it all, and grabbed another fritter.
"Well you shouldn't. A very tentatively okay situation just got escalated into no-holds-barred badville."
"How do you reckon?" Applejack asked.
"Because now instead of having JUST two of our best friends in love with each other, now you're in love with a fourth best friend! You and Rarity can hardly even get along! How do you think she's gonna react when you ask her to go steady?"
Applejack looked horrified. "I ain't tellin' Rarity any of this! What's gotten into you, Dash?"
"Oh Rainbow you mustn't be so negative!" Fluttershy protested.
"Why not!" Rainbow shot back, looking panicked. "This is just like what happened before! I'm gonna lose everyone I care about just like in Cloudsdale!"
"You didn't lose me." Fluttershy said coolly.
Dash calmed down immediately, looking at the grass with an unhappy expression.
"Yeah, Shy. I guess you're right. You always stuck by me."
"And I always will!" Fluttershy cheerfully replied. "You really shouldn't worry about losing your friends again, Dash. It's different now. Don't you think we're all much better friends than your old...kind of jerky ones....from Cloudsdale?"
Dash cracked a smile. "Yeah. They were kind of jerks."
"I really do think that our friendships can overcome any hardships." Twilight gave Fluttershy a hug. "We just need to be strong. And patient. And not jump to crazy conclusions."
"Just trust that we're making the right decisions." Fluttershy said with a nod.
"Alright, I'll try. First you and Twi, now AJ. Everyone is fallin head over hooves for somepony these days. I guess I'm the only one not affiliated." Dash smirked.
Pinkie's large blue eyes turned to Dash, an expression of confusion and sorrow mixed on her face.
"What do you mean not affiliated?"
"I mean I'm the only one here apparently not bitten by the love bug."
"Ooooh!" Pinkie gave Dash a very speculative look. "But what about last Thursday when you helped me make that cake and then you ate half of it and got a tummy ache and I rubbed your tummy until it went away and you said -"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Dash shouted. "All of Ponyville doesn't need that broadcasted!"
"Aww but it was so cute, Dashie!" Pinkie squealed, fluttering her eyelashes and leaning uncomfortably close to Rainbow. "I'd never heard you neigh before. You have such a cute neigh! We were so comfy curled up on the kitchen floor I don't know why you don't-mmph mmpohhh mmph!!!"
Dash had put her hooves over Pinkie's mouth clamping it shut, looking annoyed as her cheeks went red. A deafening awkward silence filled the air. Granny Smith chuckled and walked off, leaving the rest of the gang sitting in a circle, unable to look at each other.
"We are not talking about that!" Dash hissed, flying on top of the roof of the barn and sulking.
"Well...." Twilight began. "Now that we've all managed to embarrass ourselves publicly....who would like to see the interesting magical flower that Fluttershy rescued?"
*******************************
Despite having been isolated from the Everfree Forest, the flower in question was doing quite well. It swayed delicately of it's own will in the tea kettle full of soil that Fluttershy had deposited it in. Five small colorful ponies crowded it, curious that such a beautiful thing had emerged from a place so terrible.
"Purty little thing." Applejack said. "Imagine havin' a bunch of 'em right outside yer windowsill, greetin' ya every mornin'!"
"Yes it would be nice." Fluttershy agreed with a smile. "But I don't think it's meant to be. Technically its home is still in the forest. We're just borrowing it for a little while."
"What a tryhard plant." Rainbow muttered, snorting on the plant, making it sway slightly harder.
"Tryhard? Really?" Twilight asked with a bemused expression.
"Well yeah look at it!" Rainbow scoffed. "Polka dots? Stripes? All those clashing colors. No sense of coolness or streamline design. All those curly antennae things sticking out of the center of it. It's like the flower that wanted to be pretty and then went WAY overboard with it."
"Looks good enough to eat!" Pinkie leaned forward, ready to clamp her tiny white teeth over one of the plants frail leaves.
Twilight frowned and dragged Pinkie back from the plant a few feet with a bit of telekinesis magic.
"No eating." She stated sternly.
"So what'd y'all call this thing again? A Pyola Lunar Boreal? Or summat?" Applejack asked.
"Pyrola Lunata Borealis." Fluttershy corrected. "It's very very rare. I'd been visiting it for some time and then thought Twilight might like to see it. And Twilight deduced that either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna must have made the flower."
"So ya both went into the Everfree? With all the ghosts n' goblins n' timberwolves n' such?" Applejack looked very impressed. "So....did Fluttershy get scared n' jump into yer arms or somethin', Twilight?"
Applejack, Pinkie, and Dash all chuckled loudly.
"Sorry Fluttershy!" Applejack wiped away a tear of merriment. "Just can't imagine either of ya goin' into that forest on purpose!"
"It was actually quite the opposite!" Twilight rubbed the end of her muzzle on the tip of Fluttershy's nose, eliciting a happy squeak from the pegasus. "Fluttershy was in charge and when I was distressed...she was there in my time of need."
"Time of need." Dash quipped with a mischievous grin causing both her and Applejack to snort with laughter.
"I don't get it!" Pinkie announced happily.
"Ignore them, Pinkie." Fluttershy said with a snort. "They're just being immature."
"That's my favorite kind of ture!" Pinkie said, feeling left out.
Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground, causing the rest to cease their laughter. "ANYWAY, if you three are done....this flower only blooms once a year and has magical properties. I have tried casting every variety and sub-variety of ancient spells on it from before pony magic and none of them have worked. But pony magic works."
"Water also works." interrupted Spike, who waddled over carrying a large watering can with a striped spout in his short chubby arms. "Time for the 2 O'Clock shower. Stand clear from the splash zone."
He wasn't kidding. Due to his short size and stubby limbs, a large majority of the water missed the plant entirely, spattering across the table and the floor. Fluttershy picked up the tiny dragon, giving him a gentle hug.
"Spike's been helping us take care of it. He's been very responsible." she cooed.
"Meh." came Spike's answer. "It's easier than sorting Twilight's books all day."
A deep gurgle rumbled out from inside the tiny dragon, followed by a loud fiery belch. A scroll wrapped in a red ribbon with gold trim flew out from the dragon's mouth, hitting the ground with a moist splat.
"Oh! Celestia wrote back already!" Twilight clacked her hooves together with glee.
"Why is that letter all wet?" Rainbow asked, hovering close to the soaked parchment on the ground. "Is that dragon slobber?"
"It's worse." Spike gagged slightly. "I think it's just sweaty."
"Well that confirms my suspicion that Celestia has been working as hard as I am." Twilight grimaced. "Sorry Spike."
"I'm gonna go brush my teeth." Spike growled, stomping off.
Twilight unfolded the letter with a spark of magic and held it in front of herself as a small cloud of purple magic enveloped it.
"Wassitsay, Twi?" Applejack asked, as the rest stood watching Twilight skim the letter.
With a smile the small alicorn folded the letter back up and placed it next to the flower.
"Celestia says she created quite a few flowers in the past. Having her recall a specific one is too hard. So she'd like us to bring it to her so she can inspect it herself! She also says I can take as long of a vacation as I want! Sounds as good a reason as any for us to take a trip to Canterlot."
"Hey we can visit Rarity and Sweetie-Belle while we're there, too!" Rainbow did a backwards somersault in midair. "We should totally bring Scootaloo and Applebloom along with us, AJ."
"Yeah, I know Applebloom has been missin' Sweetie something awful, RD. I bet the little ones will be happy as pie to hang out again." said Applejack.
"Oh! And you can tell Rarity how you feel!" Fluttershy whispered. "It'll be so special to do it there in Canterlot!"
"Y...yeh...I s'pose I could do that while I'm there." Applejack said nervously, looking worried. "Though...I'd rather not."
"Aww don't rush poor Applejack!" Pinkie gave the farmer pony an affectionate nudge. "She's already nervous enough. Oh! I should tell the Cakes I'm going out of town! And find someone to feed Gummy while I'm away!"
"Why not just have the Cakes feed Gummy?" Fluttershy asked.
Pinkie looked at Fluttershy in the way a cat looks at a rottweiler. "Why would I ever do that!?"
"We should all prepare." Twilight said.
The others nodded.
***********************************
Planning an out of town trip takes rather a lot of preparation. Even for ponies. And especially for ponies with families and careers and pets. I would be several days before any of the Elements of Harmony were ready for travel. Applejack had to pack clothes for herself and her sister in case they needed to attend a formal event in Canterlot. She also needed to pack a few extra hairbows for Appleblooom so the filly wouldn't be forced to wear the same one every day. Dash bought an entire cabbage for her pet tortoise, Tank, to feed on. Instructing him that any cabbage he didn't eat should be kept in the icebox so it could keep fresh. Pinkie delivered her pet alligator Gummy to the remainder of the Apple family at the orchard. Big Mac had a keen interest in reptiles after being bitten by a rattlesnake years ago, and was more than happy to care for Pinkie's pet, though he was certain that the strict diet Pinkie fed to the gator was not exactly healthy. Mostly candies, cookies, and cakes. Dash didn't pack anything except some bits. She figured that if she and Scootaloo needed anything while they were in Canterlot, she'd just buy it. Better than hauling luggage around.
As for Twilight, all she really needed was to pack up her notes, her crown that she rarely wore, and find an efficient small terrarium to keep the flower in while she traveled. She was quick about it, eager to spend as much time helping Fluttershy get her affairs in order for the trip as she could. And simultaneously getting to spend time with Fluttershy. Both mares were still unsure if they should make their relationship public, although it was growing painfully obvious the two liked each other
. It would be nearly a week before everyone was ready to go. In that time Twilight spent more time away from her books than she'd ever spent in her entire life. And Fluttershy for the first time in forever was able to happily sleep in the arms of someone she loved, unworried about the creepy noises that echoed through the woods and town painting nightmares in her head. In Twilight's arms she felt safe, calm, knowing that her magical friend of capable of a great and sometimes shocking power. She still felt guilty that Twilight made the walk to her cottage every day and offered multiple times to visit Twilight in the Library. Spike had realized that as long as Twilight was out of the library, he was no longer needed for the endless stream of obsessive-compulsive chores that his caretaker seemed to come up with out of nowhere. Her being at Fluttershy's place was a perfect setup. Twilight got to relax and be with a friend, Fluttershy got to do the same, and Spike got to lay around all day or go play in the park with the other little fillies and colts after school. He couldn't think of a better opportunity to hang out with children of his age.
Fluttershy generally was a pony of few words. She enjoyed staying out of the way and preferred the silence. But with Twilight around, the skittish pegasus found herself saying more things in a day than sometimes she'd say in months. It was as if having the newly crowned princess in her house gave Fluttershy the urge to chat about everything that she'd never had the nerve to say anything about previously. She told tales of her embarrassments and escapades as a child. What it was like to be stuck on the ground as a pegasus and figure out how to fly back up to Cloudsdale. Her harrowing and terrifying years in high school. How she and Dash had first really become friends. What life was like in Ponyville before Twilight had arrived. How she'd come to find Angel and raise him. She even found herself sometimes explaining how Iron Will's self help books had, in a strange opposite sort of way, helped her realize she didn't need to pretend to be someone different to be happy. And that most of all was why she liked Twilight. The purple alicorn would listen intently as Fluttershy went on and on, listening with fascination. She thought Fluttershy was perfect, and didn't want her to change one bit. When Fluttershy would finally grow tired of speaking, Twilight would in turn try to tell her tales of what life had been like for her before arriving in this quaint town. But Twilight didn't have as much to say, having spent most of her life as a very introverted scholar living amongst the dusty archives of Canterlot, being taught by Princess Celestia herself. Her life had been nowhere near as adventurous or harrowing.
It was funny in a way, they both thought how similar their lives had ended up being, despite the roads being so different. Fluttershy's life had been filled with running and avoiding the outside world, learning to deal with her low self-esteem and often dark brushes with self loathing. Twilight's life had been filled with knowledge, magic tricks, illusions, and the joy of quill upon page, rarely seeing the sun and hiding herself away from society, determined to be the smartest and brightest and win approval. Yet despite these differences, both had ended up leading very stressful lives as adults, trying their best never to lose their nerve, never to lose their temper, and knowing that so many individuals relied on them. For Fluttershy, she had learned to relax from making her own candles, incense, and herbal stews. Finding hobbies in caring for animals and knitting. Twilight had never really learned how to relax. So as the week went by, Fluttershy taught Twilight how to meditate. And not the concentration form of meditation, designed to focus one's will for magical purposes like the enchantress Zecora would preach. But the quiet kind where a pony would stretch her muscles, bend, twist, and quietly enjoy the sun on her face and the sounds of nature around her. Twilight came to love these times where she and Fluttershy would simply sit back to back, their eyes closed, finding contentment in mere existence. For the first time in her life, Twilight truly felt at peace. Her mind, normally a storm of thought, becoming a calm tranquil sea. At least that is until Friday, since Pinkie Pie enjoyed meditating as well and did it very loudly.
"YOU TWO ARE SO CUTE!" Pinkie screeched, shattering the silence like a dragonfly being hit by a train.
"Pinkie we're supposed to be meditating." Twilight said with a slight edge to her voice.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Pinkie whispered, resuming her position of sitting upright in the grass with her eyes closed.
She couldn't keep them closed for long. Fluttershy and Twilight looked so happy together. She's never seen Fluttershy seem so excited, or seen Twilight seem so calm. Their effect on each others natures was palpable. And as they sat in the grass leaning against each other for support, Pinkie simply couldn't help but squeal with delight.
"eeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
"Oh for goodness sakes." Twilight muttered, exasperated as she stood up shaking her head. "Done. I can't do this like this."
"Poo! I'm sorry Twilight!" Pinkie crooned. "I just can't help it. I wish I had a special somepony. Someone to party with and bake pies with and ride balloons with and kiss with and sing improvised musical numbers with..."
Twilight waltzed over to Fluttershy's windowsill, pouring herself a glass of cherry iced tea and taking a long drought. She had hoped she'd get to spend her last night before the Canterlot trip with Fluttershy.... alone, but Pinkie was ruining the mood and rustling the jimmies with her ineffable need for chatter.
"Pinkie." Fluttershy began, walking over to her very pink friend. "I don't think Dash would enjoy singing improvised musical numbers. At least not the kinds you sing."
The pink pony turned, tilting her head til it was almost upside down with a confused expression.
"I never mentioned Dashie." she stated flatly, flicking her ear.
"Oh!" Fluttershy backed away, realizing she'd possibly made a rude inclination. "I'm so sorry, Pinkie. I just assumed that...you know...that uh...um...she was...special to you."
"She is." Pinkie said with a smile, turning her head back to its correct position. "I've never liked anypony as much as I like her."
"Why not...you know do something about it, Pinkie?" Twilight asked from over near the window. "You never know, she might like you just as much. It took me having a complete nervous breakdown in the middle of a forest expedition in a rainstorm and blubbering my eyes out to realize how much Fluttershy meant to me. I know Dash seems like a pretty tough egg, but I'm sure under that hard shell is a very soft....yolk?"
"Yes. Dash is a big softie, you know." Fluttershy agreed with a nod.
"I like yolk!" Pinkie exclaimed, nodding vigorously, but then just as quickly her smile faded. "But I could never ask Rainbow about that stuff. It'd be bad for me and her."
"Bad....for you and her?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well yeah." Pinkie said, her voice growing quiet as she looked away. "It'd be unhealthy for me to do that to Dashie. I'd be a very mean Pinkie to say I like her."
"Wait what?! Why?" Twilight asked, befuddled at Pinkie's logic.
"She doesn't belong here." Pinkie looked at her hooves in the grass. "She's always fidgeting when she's indoors or here on the ground with us. I always notice. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't keep her here with me. She's meant to be in the sky."
Fluttershy frowned, walking up to her friend.
"Pinkie...."
"She's gonna be famous one day, you know. She's gonna be a Wonderbolt! Accomplish her dream! She's already halfway there!" Pinkie's eyes shone with glee as she spoke, but there was a hurt there, deep behind those blue irises. "She's gonna be the top athlete, a hero....in Cloudsdale. Which is.... where she... belongs."
Twilight put down her glass, afraid she might drop it as her hoof shivered. Pinkie's words were very different than the usual lighthearted babbling she normally spouted. It was almost frightening.
"She's gonna be a superstar. She's gonna see the world and do tricks and win races and be what she was meant to be. And I'm always gonna be here." Pinkie's smile faded completely as her voice grew even quieter. "Ponyville is my home. I'll always be an earth pony in Ponyville, making sweets and treats and saying greets. But not Rainbow. This isn't her home. And we all know it. And that's....that's why I can't."
The small pink pony began to tremble.
"Because I know that....one day....probably not too far from now...my Dashie is gonna fly away. Fly away and do what she was meant to. And I....won't ever see her again. You girls might...you can fly. You're meant to be in the sky. But I won't. I'll always be here. Behind. I'll never see her again. Ever."
Pinkie stood up from the grass, shaking her head, the characteristic crazy smile slowly returning to her face.
"Huh. My face is all wet." she said with a sniff. "Well I think that's enough meditationeering for me for today! I think I'm gonna go home and bake a little. I'll see you girls tomorrow at the train station. Okey-dokey?"
"See you there, Pinkie." mumbled Twilight breathlessly, still trying to process everything she'd just heard.
"Goodnight! Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Pinkie called as she stumbled off into the darkening path as the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the hills.
For a minute the two watched their friend gallop away until she disappeared into the sleepy little town, lost to view.
"Poor Pinkie." Fluttershy whispered.
"Yeah. I never thought she'd feel that way. Denying herself even a chance at love just to be sure her friend could succeed. I'm not sure if I should admire her or pity her." Twilight yawned and frowned. "Pity I guess. I wish I could help."
"She has a point, though."
"Yeah. I never thought about it but....you know this won't be the last time Rarity is gone for an extended period. As Rarity becomes more popular, she's going to have to go on business trips and become a fashion superstar." Twilight grinned wryly. "That's her dream. And she can't accomplish it here with the rest of us. Same with Dash."
"Dash was right to be frightened about our little group falling apart." Fluttershy whispered, with her eyes downcast. "Nothing lasts forever. Maybe not even friendship. Eventually some of us will have to go our separate ways and....that will be it."
Twilight furrowed her brow. "I hope that isn't for a long time."
"Same, but I don't think I could ever leave Ponyville." Fluttershy said, walking over to give Twilight a kiss on the cheek.
"Neither could I." Twilight wrapped her arms around her marefriend, holding her close. "As much as I love Canterlot, and as much as I miss it. This is my home now. I'm happier here...and with you...then I've ever been in my whole life."
"It's getting late." whispered Fluttershy, looking at the crescent moon. "I should probably go to bed. Do you want to stay over tonight, Twilight?"
"No not tonight." Twilight sadly replied, nuzzling her friend. "Me and Spike have to make sure the library is pristine before I head out tomorrow. I'll see you at the station, Fluttershy."
And with that the two parted, one to the comforts of her home, and the other on the path to a similar end. Their hearts now heavy with a sense of foreboding. Four little ponies were in love, now. Two of them were happy and two were not. Or at least so they thought. They didn't know about the blue pegasus with the prismatic mane who happened to be trying to sneak up behind them as they meditated, holding a crate of water balloons for a prank. They didn't know how she had hid in the branches of the willow tree, eavesdropping their conversation. They didn't know how wet her own face was, as she watched her pink friend walk away. And so those four ponies, unknowingly were five. Whether the hiding pegasus could admit it to herself or not, she was now among their ranks.