To any of the ponies of Esperia that had never seen the Merchant Prince, and for that matter had never seen an Equestrian pony, seeing Twilight and Fluttershy walking through the streets would look as though goddesses were walking among them, or the pony giants of legend.
Fluttershy could not keep her head still as her eyes and mind took in the city around her. ‘So much to look at,’ she thought rapidly. So much to look out and so little time to see it all, it appeared to the pegasus sadly.
All around her, the city teemed with life. They passed street after street, each with a various number of ponies occupying them, and each had impressive sand-coloured buildings of varying shape and size with different creatures painted beside each door.
Birds of all sorts: seagulls, pigeons, sparrows, robins, blackbirds, crows and magpies, fluttered about from building to building and picked up scraps of food on the roofs and the ground. Fluttershy’s eyes lit up with interest as she watched them all fight over the food and a place to rest. ‘Nature is so fascinating,’ she thought.
They swiftly turned into another street that gently sloped downhill, and trotted past several houses terraced together, each with an array of potted plants on a balcony on the second floor. Fluttershy wanted to ask the owners what kind they were, but Twilight kept her moving, believing if they stopped and stared, they might get into trouble.
They soon came across a large area formed into the shape of a pentagon, with five cobbled paths heading in different directions, and a stone well in the middle with its crank in place and a few buckets around it. The two ponies stopped for a moment, and had a look down each of the paths in the hope they could see the library from where they were.
However, they had no such luck. “How much further is it to the library?” Fluttershy asked, the worry in her heart apparent in her voice. “I thought we would be there by now.”
“Let me check,” Twilight said, sounding quite agitated at the fact they hadn’t arrived yet. She took the map Welara gave to them out of her mane and spread it out on top of the wall of the well. The map itself was intricately detailed, with a compass in the far left corner, the places of interest circled in red ink, and every street viewable.
In short, only an idiot could get lost with it, and Twilight and Fluttershy were not idiots. “Okay, so I think we’re here,” Twilight said, pointing to an area of the map shaped like a pentagon. “And we need to get to here.” Twilight trailed a hoof to the circle building that was undoubtedly the library. “So we need to take…” She twirled around with a raised hoof, ready to point at the right path to take. “That one, I think,” Twilight announced, pointing to the path heading south and towards the harbour. She looked back at the map to be sure of her claim.
Fluttershy inched herself closer to her marefriend and examined the map as well. She quickly made out where the library was, just east of the harbour. ‘Wait, hold on.’ “Um, Twilight, didn’t Welara say the library was in the west? So why is it east of here?”
Twilight looked at Fluttershy for a second, and then looked at the map once more. “Ah, I know. Because Welara said it was west of the palace, and this map is drawn with the palace in the north, making the library technically east. But if you want to look it from the palace looking towards the sea, then the library would be west.”
Fluttershy tilted her head from side to side as her mind processed it, though it still sounded terribly confusing. “Oh, okay, that makes sense… I think.” She went silent for a moment as her eyes returned to the map. “Um, sweetie… well, if you want to, of course, but… wouldn’t it be easier if we go to the harbour first, have a slow walk through there, then head to the library? It would seem silly just to go to the library, then head back to the harbour, and then go to the maze.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes questionably at her marefriend for a moment, and then looked at the map once more. After a while of listening to the little ponies trotting past them, chatting in their own language, and the wind whistling through their ears, Twilight’s face went a little sheepish. “Ah. Yeah, I guess you’re right. That would be a little silly if we did that, and a little impractical as well.” She rolled the map back up, and secured it in her mane. “Let’s get to the harbour, have lunch and a slow walk there, then head to the library.”
Fluttershy nodded, and together the two set off down the road towards the harbour. As they walked down the street, ponies stopped and stared in horror as the two giants walked swiftly by; one pony screamed and ran away from them as though they were monsters coming to eat her.
“Sorry about keeping you from the library for a bit longer, sweetie,” Fluttershy said a little later, hanging her head low in shame.
Twilight chuckled, and then nuzzled Fluttershy’s neck. “Don’t be sorry, Fluttershy,” she said. “You’re right, we should go to the harbour first. I guess I let my excitement of a library get to me, so I should be sorry.”
Fluttershy shook her head in disagreement. “Oh no, you shouldn’t be sorry at all. It’s just you being you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Twilight smiled daintily. “I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you in the first place,” she said softly. She looked ahead again, and her eyes widened in surprise as the wide streets broke away from them, and they found themselves just outside the boundaries of the harbour, which was separated from the rest of the city by a wide road made of cobbled sandstone. “Wow. That was fast.” She turned to Fluttershy. “So what shall we do first?”
Before Fluttershy could say what it was she wanted to do first, her belly spoke for her by rumbling loudly. Twilight stifled her giggles with a hoof, while Fluttershy fell onto her stomach and covered her face with her mane, hoping she wouldn’t be noticed. She felt a hoof brush her mane away from her face, and glanced up to see Twilight looking at her with love. “I agree,” Twilight said. “Lunch sounds really nice right about now.”
Twilight hauled Fluttershy back to her hooves, and then together they walked into the harbour, passing through a wooden gate with a sign on the top written in the language of the Esperians. “I wonder what that says,” Fluttershy pondered, gesturing to it with a head dip.
“I could hazard a guess,” Twilight said.
“Oh, please don’t do that. That could be very dangerous,” Fluttershy joked, grinning teasingly at her marefriend.
Twilight stuck her tongue out at her. “Too bad, I’m guessing anyway. I think it might just say, ‘Welcome to the harbour of Esperius’.”
Twilight looked left, and giggled when she saw Fluttershy with her mane covering her face as though it would protect her from something horrible. “Is it safe to look out now?” Fluttershy enquired.
Twilight used her magic to brush Fluttershy’s mane behind her ear, and smirked when she saw the teasing grin on her marefriend’s face. “Ha, ha, ha,” she said flatly, giggling a little. “Yes, it is safe to come out. Now come on, let’s get some food.” Her eyes widened as she realised something. She facehoofed herself and groaned loudly. “Oh no!”
Fluttershy tilted her head a little, confused by the sudden outburst. “Um, excuse me, sweetie, but what’s the problem?”
“I just remembered we don’t have any money to pay for lunch,” Twilight replied, rubbing her forehead. Fluttershy’s ears fell flat as she realised the same thing. “Oh, this is turning into a disaster pretty quickly,” Twilight said, collapsing onto her rump.
Fluttershy smiled comfortingly, then walked up to Twilight and nuzzled her cheek. “Don’t think like that, sweetheart,” she said kindly. “Though things might not be going the way we want them to so far, I still don’t think this is a disaster.” She pecked Twilight’s cheek quickly, her own cheeks blazing pink afterwards. “We’re still together, and that’s what matters.”
Twilight slowly looked up at Fluttershy with wide eyes. A smile slowly crawled across her face. “You’re right,” she said, nodding. “Being with you is all that matters to me.” Her head and ears drooped again. “I would kill for some food, though.”
Fluttershy kept her smile, even though she disliked that term. “Maybe if we find out what currency the Esperians have, we can go from there.” With that, the pegasus began looking around the harbour front. She soon spotted what she presumed to be a café of sorts, with two little tables outside in front of the window. “I won’t be a minute,” Fluttershy said. She walked up to the shop, and peeked inside.
The pony at the counter froze in horror as a large yellow and pink head appeared at the door, and started to tremble in fear as Fluttershy entered with a warm smile. “Oh, um, hello,” Fluttershy said kindly, waving with a hoof. “Um, me and my marefriend were wondering about what the currency is for this place. We are both really hungry, see, and would like to get something to eat.”
The pony’s eyes widened in terror as the pegasus closed the gap between them. In an instant, the pony leapt through the back door with a scream leaving his lips. Fluttershy watched with a raised eyebrow, and craned her neck as if it would give her a better view on what the little pony was doing. Eventually, he reappeared with two bags, which had something inside of them that smelt very good. He threw them at Fluttershy, who squeaked in fright and shielded herself with a hoof as they came flying at her. They were stopped in their flight by Twilight’s magic.
Fluttershy watched as Twilight floated the two bags to her, then looked back at the pony. “Um, would you like us to pay?” she asked pleasantly. The little pony’s eyes bulged once more. He let out a scream of fright and galloped through the back door once more, this time not looking back.
Fluttershy turned to Twilight with a perplexed expression on her face. “What was that all about?” she asked.
Twilight shrugged casually. “Beats me, all I know is that we have lunch to snack on. Come on,” she said. She turned around and sauntered out of the café with the bags floating above her.
Fluttershy followed shortly after, a confused look still on her face. “Um, shouldn’t we at least give them something in return?” she asked. “It doesn’t feel right just taking whatever they made without offering them anything in return.”
Twilight looked back at her, and smiled comfortingly. “It doesn’t sit well with me either, sweetheart. But like we said earlier, we don’t have anything to give them. Besides, they may even have this free anyway.”
Fluttershy thought about it for a moment, before sighing and nodded. “I suppose,” she conceded, yet it still didn’t go down well with her. ‘How are they supposed to earn money if they give stuff away freely?’ she wondered. She shook her head, and then looked behind her at the city grading up the hill. ‘This place is so alien to us.’
“Sweetheart?” Twilight called concernedly.
Fluttershy whipped her head around, and smiled sweetly at the unicorn. “Sorry, Twilight, I was miles away there. What did you just say?”
“I asked if you wanted to sit on the beach to have our lunch,” Twilight repeated patiently, gesturing with a pointing hoof at the large sandy beach in front of them, flanked on both sides by a large wall of rocks and separated from the rest of the harbour by the heightened concrete path.
A grin formed on Fluttershy’s face. “Oh, that would be lovely,” she said. With the fact they took the food without paying forgotten, Fluttershy joined Twilight’s side once more, and together the two jumped off the edge and walked along the beach, which was empty of other ponies. Something that Fluttershy was very grateful for.
“Bet they don’t like the beach as much as we do,” Twilight reckoned aloud, looking at the beach around. She stopped abruptly, and felt the ground by pressing gently with her hooves. It reminded Fluttershy of how a cat would act before it made itself comfortable. “This would do nicely,” Twilight announced, and slammed her rump into the sandy ground.
Fluttershy giggled as she set her bottom down as well beside the adorable unicorn, wrapping her tail around her forelegs to shield her light yellow socks from the sun. “You looked so cute when you were just doing that thing with your hooves,” she remarked, making Twilight blush. “You reminded me of a cat.”
“Heh, it’s something of a habit of mine,” Twilight said sheepishly as she shifted her rump into the sand. “When I was little, and before I joined the school and became the princess’s student, the family had a long-haired black and white cat named Miss Tinkles.” She paused to giggle at a memory. “I swear that cat gave me evils every time I said her name. Anyway, when I went to my room to study, she would join me and rest on the pillow next to me, pressing her claws into the pillow to make sure it was comfortable for her to lie down on. I just liked it so much I started joining in with her. Done it ever since.” Twilight giggled once more, shaking her head. After a moment, her grin shortened bit by bit as she stared at the ocean. “I do miss her, you know. She was there for me when nopony else was; she even helped me study and pick out books before Spike was born.”
Fluttershy knew that feeling. She had experienced it over a thousand times in her short lifetime, and it never got any easier. She flung a leg over Twilight’s shoulders, and pulled her in close, giving her a comforting nuzzle on the face. “I know, sweetie. I know that pain, the loss of a loved critter. Did you know that I had about three other bunnies before Angel?” Twilight shook her head, surprise etched across her face. “Well, yes, I did. And when each one died, I was always left heartbroken. Yet do you know what always made me move on?” Again, Twilight shook her head. “Remembering the good times I had with them all.”
Twilight looked at Fluttershy for a long time, before breaking out a smile. ‘She is right,’ she thought. ‘Just remember the laughs I had with her, and it will all be fine.’ She nuzzled Fluttershy’s muzzle with her own. “Thanks, sweetheart,” she said. She pulled away from the pegasus and looked down at the bags in front of her. “Now,” she said as she turned, “let’s eat.”
Fluttershy nodded excitedly in agreement, and watched as Twilight magically lifted one of the brown, paper bags and set it down in front of her. “Thank you,” she said, before splitting the top open and peering inside. “Oh my.”
Inside the bag were about a hundred long, thick golden sticks. They weren’t hay fries; Fluttershy could tell quickly they were not, and the strong aroma of salt and vinegar whiffed through her nostrils and eyes, forcing her to pull her head back. She picked one up with a hoof and looked inquisitively at it. “Do you know what these are, Twilight?” she asked, turning her head to see Twilight digging into her bag without a problem.
Twilight stopped eating and faced her with puffed up cheeks. “Oh, these?” she asked, her tone muffled by the amount of the stuff in her mouth. “They are called chips, and they are the best thing to come out since pancakes.”
“Chips?” Fluttershy repeated, the name rolling over her tongue. She scrutinised the chip in her hoof once more. “I’ve never seen a chip before.”
“That’s because they’re only exclusive to Trottingham and Hoofington,” Twilight replied as she chewed. “Oh, and here, obviously.” She stuffed a few more in her mouth, and hastily swallowed. “They’re made of potatoes and fried in sunflower oil. Try them, they’re delicious,” she goaded the pegasus.
Fluttershy looked at the chip hesitantly, unsure whether to try it or not. Fluttershy was a bit of a fussy eater; if she had never tried anything before, she feared she might not like it and have the bile taste in her mouth until the end of time. The same went with the chip. She looked over to Twilight once more, and watched with a smile as she saw her marefriend devouring chips mercilessly. ‘If Twilight loves chips, then I might love them as well. We both do like the same foods, mostly,’ she thought.
She closed her eyes, threw the chip into her mouth and started to chew and let the pieces roll across her tongue, giving her the taste. Her eyes widened as the taste went to her brain, and she found to be so tasty. It was crunchy, and she could easily taste the potato inside. She didn’t just like them. She loved them.
Fluttershy quickly started taking out a mouthful at a time, while a perplexed Twilight looked on. ‘Fluttershy does have a bit of a greedy side when it comes to food,’ she noted. ‘It isn’t difficult to see how she was so easily swayed by the MMM a year or so ago.’ “Are they that good, sweetheart?” she asked.
Fluttershy took a minute to stop, and nodded vigorously. “They are the best!” she squeaked delightfully. “How did you come by such gorgeous creations?” She quickly stuffed her face with more chips.
Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head with a small smile. “When I was with Princess Celestia in Canterlot,” she began, “we would both go out of the palace and the school on day trips to other places. One of those excursions was a two-day trip to Hoofington and Trottingham. While we were there, I had a first-hoof experience in the main delicacy of the cities, and their pride and joy: chips. Needless to say I loved them, but I haven’t been back to either town ever since.”
Fluttershy gulped down the last of her chips, and then looked thoughtful as she stared out at the lake. “Perhaps, when we get back to Equestria, maybe we should go up there sometime?” the pegasus suggested shyly. “Just me and you… or, you know, we bring the other girls as well but leave them to their own thing.”
Twilight grinned, prompting Fluttershy to grin also. “It’s a date,” she said gladly. She devoured the last of her chips, then fell onto her back and let out a content sigh, rubbing her full stomach. “It’s so nice here.”
Fluttershy fell onto her back as well, and shifted herself left so that their sides were touching. “It is lovely here,” she agreed. “And so peaceful. There isn’t a seagull crying, or another pony’s foal running about and ruining the peace.”
Twilight glanced at Fluttershy with an odd stare. “I take it you don’t like foals.”
Fluttershy’s tongue rolled out, stating her disgust. “Ugh. I hate them. They are adorable when they’re little, but when they are between three and seven they become nothing but pests.” She let out a sigh as she rested her head against the sand. “I love it here.”
Twilight smiled serenely, and rested her head against Fluttershy’s. “I love it here, too. I love it right here, with you at my side.” The two went silent as they took a moment to enjoy the sun on their tummies, the sound of the water rushing in and out, and the sound of ponies walking calmly across the harbour behind them.
After a quarter of an hour or so, Twilight let out a reluctant sigh. “As lovely as it is here, I think it’s best if we get going, if we want to catch the play or whatever is happening at the amphitheatre tonight and still do all the stuff we have planned.” She sat up and looked to Fluttershy. “Ready to move on?”
Fluttershy gave a reluctant nod in reply. “I suppose we must.” She rolled onto her hooves, and shook off the sand in her mane, tail and coat. “Come on, then. Let’s head to the library.” She turned around and jumped back onto the stone path.
Twilight looked confused. “Wait, the library? I thought we were going to see the ship.”
Fluttershy looked back with a sweet smile. “We are, but we’re also heading in the direction of the library, so we will pass the ship anyway.”
Twilight teleported herself to Fluttershy’s side, and when she arrived smiled widely at the pegasus. “Like I said before, I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you.” With that, Twilight trotted ahead, while Fluttershy lingered behind, her mind going over what the unicorn just said to her.
‘She had reasons to fall in love with me,’ Fluttershy thought. Her face lit up as an idea passed through her head. ‘Maybe if I knew what her reasons were for falling in love with me, then maybe I can look for things that I love about Twilight, and go from there.’ Fluttershy clapped her forehooves together. ‘It’s the perfect plan.’
She broke into a canter till she was beside her marefriend, and then slowed herself down so she kept level with her. “Um, sweetie, mind if I ask you something?”
Twilight turned her head and smiled. “Of course, sweetheart. You don’t ever have to ask for permission to ask me something.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, thank you. So, um, I guess I want to ask you is, um…” she slowed herself down as she thought of the right words, while Twilight walked slowly ahead. “Why?” she asked finally.
Twilight halted abruptly, and spun her head to look at Fluttershy with a confused gaze. “What do you mean?”
“Why me?” she asked, placing a hoof to her chest. “Why did you fall in love with me when you had all our other friends? You could have gone with Rainbow Dash, or Rarity, or Pinkie Pie, or Applejack, yet you went with me. Why?”
Twilight’s sweet smile never faltered. She turned around and walked slowly towards the pegasus. “Because you are everything they are not,” Twilight replied. She stepped closer to Fluttershy, who felt her cheeks begin to warm up as she looked into Twilight’s loving eyes. “You’re more beautiful than Rarity.”
Fluttershy shook her head disagreeably. “Oh, I’m not,” she said bashfully, looking away as she felt the blushes intensify.
Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s right cheek, and gently moved her head so they could look each other in the eyes. “No, you are,” Twilight insisted. “Rarity is beautiful, but she tends to use makeup a lot to make herself more beautiful. You, on the other hoof, are naturally beautiful, inside and out. Your coat looks as soft as snow, your mane and tail looks as gentle and smooth as sand, and your gorgeous heart is bigger than all of Terra.” By now, Fluttershy’s face was turning as pink as her mane. “You’re the kindest pony in all of Equestria; you are willing to help anyone, even if you’re afraid. And that makes you one of the bravest mares I know.”
“Oh, I-I’m not as brave as Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy protested, though it sounded to her like it was a mumble.
“No, Fluttershy, you are not,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “You are far braver than her. Rainbow Dash isn’t brave, she’s reckless, and tries to stand up to terrifying things because she thinks she is awesome enough to do so. You are braver because you stand up to your fears, no matter what they are, and try to overcome them. And you know what?” Twilight rubbed her forehooves against Fluttershy’s. “You always succeed in conquering another fear. You are definitely a different pony to the one who couldn’t clearly say her name to me three years ago.”
Fluttershy’s neck started to go pink. ‘Stay awake, Fluttershy,’ she thought. “You really think so?”
Twilight nodded. “I do, without a doubt. And throughout this trip you’ve shown yourself to be an honest and really funny pony to be around.” She paused to nuzzle her marefriend’s cheek. “And one I absolutely adore.”
Fluttershy felt herself swoon in place as she realised just how hot she felt. “Oh my,” she said weakly, before she felt herself begin to fall.
Twilight squeaked in alarm, and quickly caught Fluttershy with her magic before she fell over. Twilight carried her over to the side, out of the way, and set her down, her face contorted with worry. “Fluttershy, are you all right? Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!” Twilight cried, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears.
Fluttershy opened her eyes, and saw how blurry everything was. She shook her head rapidly, clearing her vision, and smiled kindly at Twilight. “Oh, I’m fine, thank you. I was just, um… surprised, by what you said to me. Do you really mean all of that?”
Twilight let out a sigh of relief, and grinned as she caressed Fluttershy’s cheek with a hoof. “I meant every word I just said, sweetheart. I Pinkie Promise.”
Fluttershy stared at Twilight for a long time, before cracking a smile. She suddenly flung her hooves around Twilight’s neck, and brought her closer. “You are so sweet, Twilight. The sweetest pony I have ever known. Thank you.”
Twilight smiled as she felt her marefriend’s soft hooves around her, and quickly wrapped her own around Fluttershy. “You are most welcome.” She helped the pegasus up to her hooves. “Ready to continue?”
Fluttershy nodded excitedly. “Oh yes, let’s get going.”
Twilight led the way, her eyes wandering about the harbour, and the many old boats stranded on the beach, never to be used again by any sailor, only by ponies who considered the wood useful for other means. A small smile graced her face as she thought about what she had just said to her marefriend, and how well Fluttershy had taken it. ‘Maybe she does love me after all,’ she thought. But she could not understand why she was so hesitant to admit it. ‘Is she afraid of something? Or does she even know that she’s feeling love?’
Meanwhile, Fluttershy was deep in her own little world. ‘Was what Twilight just said about me the same as what I think about her?’ she wondered. She glanced conspicuously at Twilight for a bit. She couldn’t deny that Twilight was beautiful: the colour of her coat, her flowing mane and tail, her amazing eyes and most importantly her caring heart. She was smart, too, and always knew what to do and how to solve a problem effectively – once she knew what was wrong, of course. She was funny and witty, always knowing what to say to lighten a situation, and how to be gentle and comforting. And most of all, she was kind, and fiercely loyal to her friends and her lover.
‘Maybe I am in love with Twilight!’ Fluttershy thought delightfully, a grin crawling across her face. She was about to hop on the spot and yell how much she loved Twilight Sparkle, when more thoughts came flying through her mind that made her stop in her tracks.
All of her friends were beautiful; she couldn’t deny that at all. They all looked different but they were all so very pretty. They were all very funny as well, and smart, kind, comforting and loyal to one another, as good friends should be.
‘Curse you, over-thinking brain!’ Fluttershy screamed in thought. She sighed frustratingly as she rubbed her forehead while walking. Maybe she loved Twilight like she did all her other friends. The fact Fluttershy thought she loved Twilight romantically might be because of their time away from the others. The two had rarely been together before their adventure began; the only times they really saw each other was with the rest of their friends. ‘The only way to be sure is to go home and think about it,’ she decided.
She broke out of her line of thought when Twilight gasped in astonishment. “Whoa,” the unicorn remarked, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging limply open. Fluttershy looked at where her marefriend was looking, and let her own jaw drop at the sight of the old warship.
Raised on a high platform to keep it out of the reach of water, it was long – the length from her cottage front door to the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy figured – and had three main decks, each deck with around seven flaps on the side for ballista shots. At each end were two raised decks, the forecastle and the sterncastle – Fluttershy remembered their names from her early history books. Each castle had a tall sail, which were as tall as Twilight’s library, while at the centre of the ship rested the main sail, which was taller than the mayor’s office in Ponyville. The ship itself was trimmed with gold and blue; a colour combination the whole city took, it seemed to the pair. And on the main sail, glistening in the afternoon sunlight was a large, golden manticore with three heads and huge, leathery bat wings.
“I take it this is the Golden Wave,” Twilight said as her eyes worked their way across the ship. “Not exactly golden, is she.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “I think it might mean the manticore on the sail, sweetie,” she said, pointing to it. “Though I don’t get the wave bit.”
“Might be used as a sort of boast,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “Maybe it means it could move faster than anything else on water at its time.” she craned her neck forward to have a closer look. “Though I doubt it will get far now. Look at the hull.”
Fluttershy had a closer look, and saw how rotted and broken the hull was. Bits of planked wood had broken off and fallen to the ground, left to rot like the fallen leaves of autumn, leaving great holes big enough for the two ponies to stick their hooves through. “Oh dear,” she gasped. “How comes nopony has bothered to fix it? This is a piece of Esperian history. Not exactly the finest piece of history a country wants to be remembered by, but still.”
Twilight shook her head. “I’m not sure, sweetheart,” she replied faintly. As Twilight stared at the ship, she felt a pang of sadness flow through her. Like Fluttershy said, it was a piece of history, and should be treated with respect like every other artefact kept for historical reference. “I think I will talk to Grey Spot about this later,” she announced. “I can’t just stand by and watch a piece of history crumble away like it is nothing.”
Fluttershy smiled proudly, and moved to stand closer at her side. “And I will support you all the way,” she said determinedly. “And I will cheer you on, too. I’m getting better at my cheering. See? Yay,” she said so quietly it was almost inaudible to the unicorn.
‘Stop being so cute,’ Twilight thought as she gazed at her marefriend with a giggle. “I would love that.” She looked back at the ship. “We’ll save you, Golden Wave, even if nopony else can be asked.”
She sighed, and then turned to face Fluttershy once more. “Library?” they both said at once. Instantly, they pressed each other’s noses, giggling as they exclaimed, “Honk!”
“I agree, the library sounds good right now,” Fluttershy said, fanning herself with a hoof. “It is starting to get a bit hot out here.”
Twilight nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Come on, then. This way.” With that, she started trotting away from the pegasus, who watched her go with raised eyebrows.
“Um, sweetie, it’s that way,” Fluttershy said, pointing to the opposite direction Twilight was going in. The unicorn sheepishly turned around and trotted past Fluttershy with her head down and a fierce blush on her cheeks.
‘She is so adorable,’ the pegasus thought. She swiftly followed Twilight, moved to walk beside her, and then draped a wing over the unicorn’s back.
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed when she knew what it was, and even felt the aches in her back go away.
“You don’t mind this, do you?” Fluttershy asked. “I’ll take it off if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Twilight looked up with blazing pink cheeks and a warm smile. “Of course I don’t mind. In fact, it’s quite comforting,” she said happily. The pair fell into a peaceful silence as they trotted to the Esperian library.
There were few times in Twilight Sparkle’s life where she was left utterly speechless. Looking at the Esperian Library with a wide-open mouth and bulging eyes could easily be added to that list.
The library was a large, round building built out of sandstone, looking as though it had been raised from the ground and formed from the mound like it was a sculpture. Running around the building in the middle sat perfectly carved grotesques, with their eyes gazing out at the city and bat-like wings locked at their sides. The roof was a shining blue dome that glistened like the ocean in the sunlight. And above the main iron door was a large sign written in Esperian with an open book below it. ‘Probably welcoming ponies to this gorgeous place,’ Twilight reckoned.
She suddenly felt her whole right side lifted off the ground by something pressing into it. Just as it came, it went again, sending her back onto all fours. “Um, Twilight? Sweetie?” Fluttershy called concernedly, tapping her again to be certain she was still in the material world. “Um, I don’t mean to rush you, but um… do you want to go in?”
Twilight shot her head around to stare at the pegasus with a wide grin that said, “Don’t even ask.” It made Fluttershy feel very uncomfortable for some reason.
“Sure, let’s have a look,” Twilight said excitedly. She hopped across the space between her and the vast amount of delicious knowledge that was sure to be inside, Fluttershy following close behind, and opened the door with her magic. When she stepped into the cold interior, she was taken aback. “There are no words…” she whispered, her eyes going wide with delight even as she felt her own voice fade.
Inside, the library had about five different floors, each with a range of subjects for the pony to easily find their way around. The small aisles – about as tall as Fluttershy was – pointed towards the centre, with tables built for the little Esperian ponies at the centre of the large room for reading. Paintings adorned the walls behind the aisles, each ranging from subject to subject: one had tiny little ponies flying around a large hydra, while another was a large pony with wings and a horn shrouded by a golden light, while the ponies around it shied away or squinted their eyes.
Twilight’s head spun around from spot to spot as she tried to take it all in, yet her mind was unable to comprehend the scale of the library around her. Fluttershy, however, was taking it rather well. Though she was quite fascinated by the library, she wasn’t as much by Twilight’s standards. She still thought it was most impressive. Certainly beat the little library back in Ponyville, though she would never admit that aloud.
The two ponies made their way to the centre, and when they stopped, they looked up through the hole in the floors and stared in awe at the painting that covered the bottom of the roof. It was massive in scale. Over a hundred little ponies teemed across what was a cloudy bright blue sky, with one pony with his forelegs spread out wide as though embracing them all, while tiny ponies fluttered around him with stares of awe and joy.
“This is… this is…” Twilight tried to say, to find a way to express her joy, yet nothing she could think of would give this place justice.
“Um… amazing?” Fluttershy suggested, unable to tear her gaze away from the painting above.
“Yes, that’s a good word, but not what I was looking for,” Twilight replied. She started rubbing her chin as if that would help her situation.
“Epic?” Fluttershy suggested again.
Twilight brought her head up for a moment, before nodding. “Yes, epic is about right as well, but again I don’t think it fits this place.” She started rubbing her head for a moment, before setting her leg back down again and sighing. “Nope, can’t think of anything that would fit this place well. So let us just go with fantastic, okay?”
Fluttershy nodded numbly. “Um… okay, I guess.” She took a deep breath, and then looked around her. “So, um, what are we going to do here, then?”
Twilight shrugged. “I’m not sure. Thought I might have a look around, see what this place is like.” Her face lit up as a thought came to her. “Welara did say the library held maps of the continent and the surrounding kingdoms, didn’t he?”
“Why yes, I did,” a voice said from behind Fluttershy.
The pegasus jumped and squeaked in fright at the sudden miniature pony’s voice behind them, then grinned amiably when she turned her head and recognised Welara. “Oh, hello, Welara, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Yeah, it is,” Twilight concurred, yet her eyes showed her suspicions. “I thought you said you were busy with other things around the palace.”
Welara smiled and shrugged. “Well that was true, but since I’ve done most of my chores I thought I might as well go to the library and have a look through at what they got. I’m surprised to find you both here, to be honest. I thought you would both be long gone.”
“Well, that’s my fault, see. I realised going to the harbour first then the library would make things a bit easier for us, rather than having to go back and forth between places,” Fluttershy explained shyly.
“Ah, that’s some good thinking there, Fluttershy,” Welara commented amiably, making the pegasus blush. “It isn’t everyday a pony thinks rather logically about these sorts of things.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “So, uh, I suppose you both want to know where all the maps and such are kept.” The two larger ponies nodded. “Right, then if you would follow me,” he said, gesturing with a hoof for them to come with him. The couple nodded, then together they set off after him. They passed the aisles to the flight of stairs at the back of the library, which were bordered by golden railings and had light grey steps with small, dark grey spots on them.
They reached the stairs and started walking up them. Twilight and Fluttershy were forced to go slowly as Welara’s little legs couldn’t keep up with them. “Oh, Welara, I have been meaning to ask you something, if it’s okay of course,” Twilight said, walking tediously beside him.
Welara looked up with a small smile. “Well ask away, Twilight Sparkle.”
“How is it you can speak such fluent Equestrian?” she asked. “I don’t think I have seen any other pony apart from the Captain of the Guard, Grey Spot and yourself that can speak our language.”
“Ah, well it’s a long story, really,” Welara replied. “But I’ll leave it short. When Grey Spot first started working in the palace, he needed somepony to teach him how to speak Esperian. Of course, as payment, he started teaching me Equestrian. Me and him have been friends ever since, and when he became the Merchant Prince, he offered the role of advisor to me, promising that when he died, I will be the next Merchant Prince.”
Twilight and Fluttershy smiled. “He must mean a lot to you,” Fluttershy remarked.
Welara looked back and grinned. “Oh yes, he does mean a lot to me. And I mean a lot to him as well.” Before the two ponies could ask what he meant, they noticed that they had made it to the second floor. They found themselves standing in front of the balcony of the hole that dropped to the ground level, and on either side were two large rooms full of aisles stacked with books and scrolls.
“This way,” Welara said, pointing to the aisles on the left. The couple followed for a moment, but abruptly halted when they heard the sound of voices singing in a language none of them understood.
They looked on the other side of the walkway, and saw to their surprise about a dozen ponies dressed in long, crimson robes, their hoods covering their faces with only their mouths visible, heading towards the aisles in a tediously slow march, chanting all the while. In the leading pony’s mouth was a long candle pointing up to the roof, its fumes spreading themselves out like an aurora across the first floor.
Fluttershy breathed some of it in, and found to her surprise how well it smelled, even as she felt her other senses dim rapidly. “Smells like the sweetest honey on a wet but lovely spring morning,” she remarked dreamily, her body swaying about as the fumes made her light-headed.
Twilight and Welara both raised an eyebrow at the entranced pegasus, and then turned to look at one another. “Who are those ponies?” Twilight asked, pointing at the ponies as they disappeared behind the aisles.
“They are the Keepers of the Word, or the Book Priests as some like to call them,” Welara replied, watching the procession with fascination in his eyes. “They are essentially the librarians of this place, and make sure every book is in immaculate condition, and is ready to be read by anypony.”
“Oh, that sounds like a job you would adore, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, prodding the unicorn relentlessly. “You have a very firmly muscled body, by the way. Do you exercise a lot?”
Twilight turned to look annoyingly at the pegasus prodding her, and gasped as she looked into her marefriend’s eyes – they were light and dreamy, and looked as though they were about to wander in every direction. “I think the fumes from the smoke have addled her brain,” she said as she picked the drowsy pony up with her magic. “I better take her outside and get her some fresh air. Sorry, Welara,” she said as she turned to leave.
“Hey, that’s fine,” Welara said with a dismissive wave of his hoof. “And if you want, I can get you the maps you wanted to see and take them to your room to look at later. If you’re not coming back here, of course.”
Twilight gave it a bit of thought. Though she could stay in the library and live off the vast knowledge it had – once she figured how to speak Esperian, of course – she knew it wouldn’t be fair on her marefriend if she did; besides, they still had so much to do and see before the night closed in.
After a minute of thought, Twilight smiled and shook her head. “I think I’ve seen what I wanted to see. That would be great, by the way. I would love to see some maps.” She turned around and trotted towards the stairs, a galloping Fluttershy still gripped in her magic above her. “See you later, Welara.” With her final goodbyes, she skipped down the stairs.
When they made it outside, Twilight set Fluttershy down on a bench and said, “Take a deep breath for me, sweetheart.”
Fluttershy did as she was told, and inhaled a lungful of air. As soon as she did that, her head felt as it should do, and her vision was no longer cloudy, as were her senses. She brought her head up, and her eyes glistened with tears as she saw Twilight staring at her with relief. She lowered her head to look away from Twilight’s gaze, ashamed of what she had done in front of another pony; she could remember poking Twilight, but couldn’t remember anything else. “I… I am really sorry if I embarrassed you with what I did back in the library, Twilight,” Fluttershy muttered, though it was loud enough for the unicorn to hear.
Twilight set her hooves on Fluttershy’s cheeks, and lifted her head up to look into her eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart,” she said warmly, her smile growing inch by inch. “You didn’t know that the fumes would affect you that way, and neither did I.” She paused to kiss Fluttershy’s forehead, making them both blush. “Besides, you are very cute when you say something like that.”
Fluttershy got off the bench she was on and stood next to Twilight. “Saying what?” she asked, gazing at Twilight oddly.
“Oh, nothing much. Thanks by the way, for the compliment,” Twilight teased as she turned and trotted away, giggling to herself.
Fluttershy caught up with her. “Oh please, tell me what compliment is it that I said.”
Twilight giggled again as she trotted ahead, mostly to hide the blush on her face. “Oh, something about my body that you really liked,” she explained.
Fluttershy looked worried all of a sudden. “Oh please tell me I didn’t compliment your… posterior,” she said pleadingly, her cheeks burning pink.
Twilight laughed boisterously. “Oh no, you didn’t do that at all. You just said I have a very firm body, that’s all. I’m surprised you don’t remember it.”
“Oh, I must have breathed in more than I should have,” Fluttershy said, looking ashamed of herself once more. “I am sorry if I embarrassed you with my remark,” she said, quickly muttering afterwards, “Though it is true.”
Twilight chuckled, then leaned her head forward and nuzzled Fluttershy’s cheek. “It’s all right. Nothing to apologise for,” she said sweetly. She pulled away from Fluttershy, and then spun around, her mane and tail swishing as she spun, and looked up at the hill towards where the gardens and the maze should be. “Right, if we leave now, we can get to the gardens, look around and make our way back to the amphitheatre before nightfall.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go,” she said, giggling in excitement at the thought of seeing the gardens of Esperius.
Twilight grinned widely at seeing her marefriend’s excitement, and then started to trot around the library towards the gardens. “Oh, and um, you do, too,” she said when she looked back, her eyes flirtatious as she stared at her mate. “And very nice curves as well.” With that, she looked away and continued trotting briskly with a happy smile and a low hum leaving her closed lips.
Fluttershy followed close behind, her face burning pink while her brow furrowed in confusion. ‘What did she mean when she said I had nice curves?’ she wondered. ‘The only place I can think of on my body that is curved is my… Oh my.’ Her face went bright pink. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and then cantered after Twilight.
An hour later, after getting lost within the confines of the city and being attacked by a family of seagulls who thought Fluttershy’s yellow-feathered wings were some sort of butter delicacy and Twilight’s horn was a hay sausage, the two arrived out of breath on the outskirts of the city gardens.
“Did we lose them?” Twilight asked, scared of looking back in case the evil creatures were upon them.
Fluttershy looked back and peered for any sign of anything that had a white coat and wings. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw nothing coming their way. “I think we lost them back at that street where we passed a restaurant of some sort,” she said. Her ears fell flat and she allowed her head to fall and her shoulders slump. “I can’t believe my words had no affect on them.”
Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder and gently rubbed it in circles. “Don’t let it get to you, sweetheart. I bet they were just too hungry to listen.” She briefly checked her horn for damage by rubbing it. “Can you see any nips in my horn?”
Fluttershy brought her head close and looked closely at Twilight’s horn. “It’s okay, I don’t see any damage.” She stepped back and spread her wings. “Can you see any tears on my wings?”
Twilight looked at both of her wings, and felt a grimace crawl across her face. “You’ve got a few feathers that look a bit out of place on both wings.” She inched closer and raised a hoof. “If you hold still I could–” Before she could get close enough, Fluttershy stepped back, bringing her wings back to her sides.
“Oh no, I’m sorry but you cannot do that just yet,” Fluttershy announced, looking rather bashful. “Sorry,” she weakly added.
Twilight looked confused, and upset. “Why not?”
“Oh, it’s nothing personal, Twilight, believe me. It’s just that, well, preening is a rather special thing for pegasi, and, um, when somepony else preens one’s feathers, it means, um, they’re sort of a couple…” Twilight still looked perplexed. “A married couple, Twilight,” Fluttershy elaborated.
Twilight’s eyes widened as she finally understood. “Oh, of course, I should have known, since my brother is married to a pony with wings and all. Though my brother told me he preened Cadence before he got married.”
“Oh, well, the laws for that sort of thing aren’t as strict as they used to be,” Fluttershy explained, rubbing shyly a foreleg. “But once upon a time, it was law that a pegasus would only be preened by another pony if they were married. It was abolished some time ago, but a few stick to it, like my family and myself. Sorry, but I believe a pony who wants to preen my wings has to be really special to me, and has to be committed to spend her life with me.” She meekly added, “Please don’t hate me for it.”
Twilight nodded serenely as she understood. She smiled warmly, then leaned forward and kissed Fluttershy’s forehead. “I could never hate you for your beliefs,” she said warmly when she pulled back, easing Fluttershy’s fear. “I applaud you for still holding to them, actually. Though our world is changing, it is nice to keep to some of the old ways. Sorry for trying to do something you weren’t comfortable with.”
Fluttershy smiled sweetly. “Oh, it’s okay,” she said, batting the apology away with a hoof. “You didn’t know any better. And… I think if I was a little less strict on preening, I wouldn’t have any other pony but you to do them.” She turned around and gestured with her head to the gardens, missing Twilight’s blush and wide smile. “Shall we press on?”
Twilight moved to stand beside Fluttershy, then wrapped her tail around hers. “Let’s go,” she said. With that, the two began trotting through the gardens, gasping with joy or in awe as they observed their surroundings.
The Esperian Gardens were made up of around a hundred large squares, each split apart from the other by gravel paths that were as straight as a ruler, and crunched like cereal in a pony’s mouth beneath the ponies’ hooves. Each of the large squares was different, in what was in them and how they were arranged. One square the couple swiftly past was bordered by a large hedgerow, hiding whatever was inside. Another had a large fountain with little angel ponies holding up the top bowl with their forehooves, while one proudly stood on its hind legs at the very top of the fountain, with its forehooves reaching for the sky.
They went down another path, passing the fountain, to find one square that was bare of anything; not even a piece of weed grew out of the perfectly trimmed grass, which was a bright green. Another square had a single oak tree at its centre, with a few ponies lying in its shade as they laughed and read books that rested at their hooves. ‘Probably students,’ Twilight thought, smiling as she pictured herself among them.
“This place is incredible,” Fluttershy whispered, too amazed to talk any louder. She looked at another square, which was surrounded by hedgerows, but could make out through the arches the several statues of ponies within. “I wonder who built all this. Our Equestrian ancestors, or the Esperians?”
Twilight’s nose wrinkled as she thought about it. “I would imagine the Esperians built this place,” she reckoned. She stopped for a minute and pointed to another fountain, one that was made of bronze and shone brightly in the sunlight. “See that one? No rust whatsoever. It looks as though it was built yesterday.”
“But that doesn’t mean ponies don’t look after their ornaments,” Fluttershy pointed out.
Twilight’s mouth opened and closed as she tried to come up with an argument against that, but found none in her mind or at the back of her throat. “Point taken,” she conceded. The two walked on, their heads darting about to look for this maze. “Where is it?” Twilight wondered aloud. Fluttershy merely shrugged in response.
The couple eventually stopped at a crossroads, where a four-headed sign rested in the corner. Each sign was pointing down each road and was, obviously, written in Esperian. “So…” Twilight sang as she looked down at each path except the one they were on. “Which path shall we take?”
Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip in thought. “Um… I’m not sure. Want to try eeny meeny miny mo?” she suggested.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “How will that help?”
Fluttershy bowed her head shyly. “I always find it helps, and I only rarely get it wrong,” she said proudly. “Could we try it? Pretty please?”
After a minute to think about it, Twilight sighed. “Fine. Go right ahead,” she said, gesturing with a hoof for her to step forward.
Fluttershy giggled delightfully, then took a step forward, sat on her haunches, and looked at each road carefully. From where they were, there wasn’t a sign of the maze – unless there was on the signpost next to them – in any direction. All they could see were the small squares that divided the garden up. ‘If signs fail us, we have to rely on our intelligence, and our luck,’ Fluttershy thought. She gulped worriedly. ‘If this doesn’t work, we could be stuck wandering this place until nightfall.’
She covered her eyes with one hoof, then pointed to each road with the other, chanting, “Eeny meeny miny mo. Catch a tiger by the toe. If it pounces, let it go. Eeny meeny miny mo.”
When she removed her hoof from her eyes, she saw her other hoof was pointing to the path on their left, which graded gradually down a hill. Fluttershy stood up, and then gestured to Twilight with her head to move. “You ready, Twilight?” she asked.
Twilight took her place by Fluttershy’s side, then after a brief exchange of nodding, they set off down the path. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Twilight said as they walked.
Fluttershy grinned nervously. “Me too,” she replied. The couple had a companionable silence as they walked.
When they found themselves staring down the hill, the two ponies gasped in surprise. “Look!” they both shouted at once. They looked at one another, then poked each other’s noses, shouting, “Honk!” as they did so. When they finished their little ritual, they stared back down at the maze again in delight.
It was stretched out across the flat at the base of the hill, and was possibly bigger than the Esperian palace, with around a thousand different paths to take, leading eventually to a giant rock at the centre with a shining blue gem at the top. The hedges bordering the paths were a dark green, and were neatly trimmed and faultless, so nopony could cheat and cut their way through.
Thought that wasn’t a problem for two ponies that could fly and use magic. “Before we go down there, let us agree on one thing. I am not allowed to use magic of any kind, and you are not allowed to fly,” Twilight said. “Sounds fair?”
Fluttershy nodded agreeably. “Of course. It wouldn’t be fair on the Esperians that we win that gem by our wings and magic.” Fluttershy lowered her front end down, spreading her legs out as though she was prepared for a race. “Want to race down there?” she asked, grinning cheekily.
Twilight smirked in kind, then made herself ready for racing as well. “You might have beaten me the last few times we raced, but this time, you’re going down,” she declared.
“I know I’m going down. We’re racing downhill.”
“Very funny,” Twilight said flatly. She licked her lips, and then said rapidly, “Three, two one go!” Before Fluttershy knew it, Twilight was off down the hill faster than a fleeing rabbit.
Fluttershy silently counted to five, before sprinting forward and galloping after her marefriend, laughing joyously as she did so. It didn’t take long for Fluttershy’s longer and more powerful legs to place her next to Twilight. Soon the two ponies were vying for first place, with Twilight inching herself forward slightly, before Fluttershy counted and pushed herself a little faster. ‘Goodness,’ the pegasus thought in admiration, ‘she certainly has gotten a lot faster.’
She was so fixed on watching Twilight run, that she missed the large rock in her path until it was too late. With a squeal of alarm, she found herself falling and rolling forward, knocking Twilight off her hooves in the process and sending her tumbling down the hill with her as one big wrecking ball.
The world stopped spinning for both ponies when they finally made it to the flat, groaning and aching in several places. Fluttershy lay sprawled out on her back, her eyes spinning in their sockets, while Twilight lay on her stomach, groaning as her head wobbled in place.
Fluttershy was the first to bring herself around, shaking her head rapidly to clear her vision. “Ouch,” she groaned when she felt her sides and legs ache, especially the leg which tripped over the rock. She sat up, looked around, and then squeaked in alarm when she saw Twilight groaning next to her, her eyes disorientated. “Twilight!” she cried. She jumped up and shook the unicorn. “Sweetheart, speak to me! Are you all right?”
Twilight’s vision slowly started to clear, and she could hear Fluttershy’s smoothing voice running through her ears. “Uh… Fluttershy?” She looked up, and saw at least three Fluttershys staring down at her with looks of fear.
“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry about that. I didn’t mean to trip you up; I tripped on a rock up there and went down,” Fluttershy explained, her tone sounding ashamed of herself. Her eyes started to brim with tears as she slowly wrapped her forelegs around her marefriend and hugged her close. “You know I didn’t mean to trip you up. I would never do that, not even to the pony I hate the most. You know that, don’t you?”
Twilight’s mind soon put itself together once more, and it hastily explained to her what had happened and what Fluttershy had just said. At first, her mind said Fluttershy did it because she was jealous Twilight was getting faster, but quickly swatted the horrible thought away. That was the part of her mind that told her she didn’t need anypony, no friends, and no lover. Only her books, the library and Spike to be her company. Even after three years, she still couldn’t get rid of it.
Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her marefriend, and brought her even closer. “I know you didn’t, sweetheart,” Twilight replied softly, resting Fluttershy’s fears. Twilight pulled away and examined Fluttershy’s body.
Apart from a few bruises here and there, and a roughened mane and a dirty tail, she looked okay. “Do I look okay?” Fluttershy asked, too scared there might be something wrong with her to see for herself.
Twilight looked all over her body, then brought her head eye level with Fluttershy’s and smiled assuredly. “You’re fine, just a few bruises here and there, and a rough and dirty mane and tail. Other than those, you’re fine.” She spun around on the spot. “How do I look?”
‘Like an angel that has fallen from the heavens,’ Fluttershy wanted to say, even though she had no idea where that came from. So instead she opted to say, “You look okay. Just a few bruises and red spots, but other than that you’re fine.”
Twilight audibly sighed in relief. “It’s good we’re okay; one of us ending up with a broken leg is not how I want to end this journey.” She rubbed her forehooves together in anticipation. “Right, let’s go and have some fun in the… maze,” she said, spinning around on the spot, only to feel as though a large anvil of disappointment was crushing her heart once she was looking at it. She didn’t fail to hear Fluttershy’s groan of annoyance.
The maze looked splendid from afar, but up close, the hedgerows only went up to the bottom of their necks, leaving the two giant ponies to have perfectly good view of the paths leading to the centre of the maze.
Twilight’s head fell as she puffed out air, while Fluttershy could only stare incredulously at the tiny maze. “How is that a…” the pegasus said her voice trailing away as she found herself unable to form words.
“I should have known,” Twilight said grumpily. She sat down and rubbed her temples. “I should have known being in a city of little ponies everything here would either be too small for us or incompatible to us.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “That’s a big word for something like this,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s the only word I can think of!” Twilight snapped, making Fluttershy flinch back in fright. Twilight felt her eyes brim with tears when she saw her marefriend’s shocked face. “I’m… I’m sorry, I…” she said, shaking her head and looking away just as she felt the tears starting to fall.
She suddenly felt the comforting, soft hair of Fluttershy’s legs wrap around her neck in a delicate hug. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m disappointed, too. But I don’t mind it that nothing here is going all right.” Fluttershy kissed both cheeks, drying them of stained tears, then softly pecked Twilight’s forehead. “So long as I am with you, then I am happy.”
Twilight slowly brought her head up, and looked into Fluttershy’s loving and kind eyes. ‘She’s right,’ Twilight thought, feeling a smile crawl across her face. ‘I’ve been too focused on enjoying the city, that I’ve forgotten that I should be enjoying my time with Fluttershy.’ Her eyes narrowed lovingly. “I really want to kiss you right now,” she stated, feeling a blush on her cheeks as she felt the words slip off her tongue.
Fluttershy felt her cheeks starting to burn once more, but her gentle smile remained. ‘Maybe if I do kiss her, then I might know for sure how I feel for her,’ Fluttershy realised. She hesitantly leaned her head forward, tilting it a bit so she wouldn’t hit Twilight’s nose. “Then let’s,” she whispered, her breath brushing against Twilight’s muzzle.
Twilight’s eyes widened for a second, before slowly narrowing again and her smile turned dreamy. She found herself leaning her head forward to meet Fluttershy’s own, and could feel Fluttershy’s hot breath on her face as they closed in. Twilight wanted to keep her eyes open so she could watch their lips connect, but quickly remembered it was considered rude to do so, so she allowed them to close and let Fluttershy’s breath guide her forward. In her head, Twilight squealed delightfully.
The pair’s lips were an inch apart from each other when the sound of a seagull braying jolted them apart in surprise and fright of another attack. “Oh, for crying out loud!” Fluttershy cried. She got up and stared angrily at the seagull circling over them. “Why can’t you just let me know my feelings for Twilight?” she bellowed. “Why can’t I kiss my marefriend without some stupid bird getting in my way!”
The seagull, frightened by the sudden outburst from the shy mare, spun around and flew away faster than it was supposed to do. Fluttershy sighed heavily and allowed her head to fall lowly. “Feeling any better?” Twilight queried calmly.
Fluttershy nodded nimbly, feeling her whole body shake with anger. “A little, thank you,” she whispered.
Twilight inched closer. “Do you want to try that again?” she asked.
Fluttershy wanted to, she really wanted to try it again, but the feeling she had as she had leaned forward was gone, taken by the seagull as if it was a snack for its supper. She looked up at Twilight, and solemnly shook her head. “Sorry, Twilight,” she said quietly.
Twilight smiled warmly, though a part of her wanted to scream at the pegasus to make up her mind. ‘I shouldn’t,’ she chided herself. ‘It would break us apart.’ Instead, she walked up to Fluttershy and gently nuzzled the side of her face. “It’s all right, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. Just tell me when you’re ready to try again.” She calmly added, after a brief silence, “And if a seagull interrupts the next time again, I will learn how to cook a griffon delicacy that could be given to your bear friend: roast seagull.”
Fluttershy giggled cutely, her normal, cheery self returning at quick velocity. “Oh, I don’t think Harry will like that,” she said. “He’s a strictly vegetarian bear.”
Twilight stared at Fluttershy strangely as they turned away from the maze to head back up into the garden. “How can a bear be vegetarian? They’re meat eaters, meaning they eat anything with muscle and bone in it.”
“Oh, they are actually omnivores, but not poor Harry. He’s an exception. His fellow bears ridiculed him because of his reluctance to eat meat. That’s why he stays near me these days, for protection,” Fluttershy explained sadly.
Twilight’s ears drooped at the thought. “That’s horrible.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I know, but he’s happy now, and I look after him and keep him safe from other bears. That’s all I can ask for.” Before Twilight could ask what Fluttershy meant, the pegasus sighed and looked behind her. “What do you want to do now?”
Twilight licked her lips upon feeling how dry they were, then looked up at the sun. Judging from its position, the sun was about six hours away until it would begin to set and night would come upon them. ‘Six hours to kill, and we’ve already done everything,’ she groaned. She did not particularly want to go back to the library, which was surprising even to her, nor did she want to go back to the palace, where the Captain of the Guard was likely to be. Unable to come to a conclusion, she turned to Fluttershy. “What do you want to do?”
Fluttershy smiled. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind just relaxing under a tree with you and cuddling until we have to move again… that is, if you don’t mind doing that, of course,” she answered.
Twilight grinned at the thought; why didn’t she think of that before? “I would love to do that,” she replied.
Fluttershy grinned as well, visibly delighted that her idea was approved. “Then let’s go and find a tree,” she said, skipping merrily ahead.
Twilight’s grin broadened as she followed her marefriend’s movement. She was just about to join her, but stopped when she saw the rock Fluttershy had tripped over. As soon as she laid eyes on it, her heart skipped a beat.
She picked it up with her magic, and narrowed her eyes at it suspiciously. ‘This rock is far too big compared to all the little ones,’ she thought. The path was made up of small, smooth pebbles, and the rock in her telekinetic grip was not any of those things. It was rough, dark, and had a sharp tip. ‘That was no random accident,’ she surmised, the fear in her eyes plain for all to see. ‘Somepony wanted us to be lamed with this thing, or even to…’ She dropped the rock with a thud as the thought swept through her head like a fierce hurricane. ‘K-k-kill us.’
The thought made her feel queasy, and her heart started beating faster with every second that passed. ‘But who would want us dead or injured to the point we would be stuck here for a few more days?’ She looked around for any sign of anypony that had come this way before them, but there wasn’t any hoofprints other than their own, nor was there any on the grass. Despite the lack of evidence, it was obvious somepony was out there to do them harm, and Twilight knew she would not let her guard down so long as Fluttershy was in danger.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy called cheerfully, naïve of the danger Twilight now felt all around her. “Come on, I can see a tree we can rest under!”
Twilight smiled assuredly, and then broke into a trot after her marefriend. She swiftly decided to keep the danger to herself; she didn’t want to disturb Fluttershy with her own fears. ‘Besides, I might just be being paranoid,’ she assured herself, though she knew it was a lie in her own head.
She soon made it to the safest place she felt in the city – at Fluttershy’s side. Then together in perfect harmony, they trotted over to the tree the pegasus had spotted.