Author: Milky Way
Prompt: Secret
Everyone knew Pinkie Pie valued secret keeping. Loose lips sink friendships, she would say.
That's why, when Pinkie had asked for the third time just why exactly, Twilight kept staring at her, nothing was said. As Pinkie asked various improbable possibilities, Twilight smiled.
She had a secret, you see. She held this secret very close to her heart, so that it would not get out. Because this secret, this terrible, scary secret, it could hurt.
It could hurt a lot of ponies. She had thought about this secret long and hard, and she knew all of the bad things that could happen if she ever let her secret out.
But at times like this, she wanted to let the secret out. She wanted to tell everyone one around, especially the mare who was currently looking at her, brow wrinkled in worry.
"TwiTwi, are you okay?"
Realizing she had been lost in her thoughts about secrets, Twilight shook her head. "Yes, I'm fine." She looked up into the face of her secret, deep blue eyes showing disbelief. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course. I'm great at keeping secrets. Oh, is it a big secret, or a little secret. Is it a clean one? Because I heard Time Turner tell Rose she was his dirty little secret, and I don't know if I want a dirty secret." Pinkie leaned forward, ears perked in anticipation.
Now that the moment was here, Twilight faltered. She had practiced telling her secret, she had imagined all different ways to say it, but this wasn't one of them. She hadn't even meant to say those words aloud.
But she had. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I think I'm in love with you."
Twilight didn't breath. She had let out her secret. The horrible,dangerous secret that could hurt a lot of ponies.
That could hurt her.
That could hurt the pony sitting in front of her, grinning larger than the Cheshire Cat.
"I love you, too." Leaning forward, Pinkie pressed her lips to Twilight's just as she did nothing else. Slowly, carefully.
The kiss lasted less than a second, but Twilight found the time for her eyelids to flutter shut. As Pinkie pulled away, Twilight smiled. She listened to Pinkie talk about how she had wanted to ask Twilight, but was afraid too.
And she realized, the secret hadn't been very bad at all. In fact, the secret was a great one.
Her smile widened as Pinkie scooted closer to her on the couch, and she changed her mind. The secret had been bad, when it had been a secret. But now it wasn't, and it was a good thing.
Sometimes, secrets were meant to be shared.