With a scarf wrapped around her neck, Twilight stepped out her front door into the brisk autumn air. She closed her eyes and savored the sounds and smells: crisp leaves wafting through the air, freshly fallen from the branches of her home. Why did she have to go anywhere else? It was nice enough to just stand here and be caught up in the joy of a beautiful day—
“Ahem!” Spike prodded her from behind. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Right, Fluttershy!” Twilight blushed and flapped her wings. Slowly, she worked herself off her hooves and hovered just above the ground. “Thanks, Spike! I’ll be back soon!”
As she ascended into the sky, Twilight saw the other pegasi in town hard at work. In pairs, they flew their patrols overhead, creating gusts of wind to knock off old leaves and arranging them into tiny piles all over Ponyville. This would be their duty for another month or so, after which came the hard job of ushering in the first signs of snowfall.
She chuckled when she saw a flock of pegasus fillies using their wings to create small tornadoes of leaves. As she passed by, she overheard a small silver colt say to his friends, “See, we’re gonna dive right into the twister and see who can speed up their fall the most…!”
Actually, it’s been proven that all falling bodies accelerate at the same rate… Twilight slapped the side of her face and shook her head violently. No, I can’t afford another distraction! I’ve got to see Fluttershy now. I promised myself I would!
Unlike the night before, Twilight made a conscious effort to navigate her way to Fluttershy’s cottage. Even with such a big question weighing on her mind, she found the flight over to the cottage rather soothing. There was something quiet and inviting about that corner of Ponyville. Everypony felt neighborly there—and so did every animal within a thousand-yard radius.
Fluttershy had her own kind of magic, a quiet enchantment that spoke to animals and ponies alike. Twilight wondered if she’d ever get to bring her in for an experiment sometime—and then she shook her head again to dispel such thoughts. Who was she to reduce Fluttershy to some scientific curiosity? She was a full-grown pony, not some lab rat!
In any case, she’d given up asking for research volunteers. That whole business with Pinkie Pie and her “Pinkie Sense” had been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
As she landed outside the humble cottage, Twilight took a moment to collect herself. She readjusted her scarf and blushed when she started to brush back her mane.
It’s not that serious, she told herself. You’re just asking her on a harmless picnic, that’s all. Perfectly harmless… just like Fluttershy…
As she trotted toward the front of the house, Twilight was surprised to see the door already opening. She swallowed when Fluttershy herself stepped out, wearing a pale green scarf. Twilight waited as the pegasus grabbed the doorknob with her teeth and pulled the door shut. The sweet pony let a tiny, breathless sigh and turned around.
“Oh, Twilight!” Fluttershy trotted forward. “I didn’t see you there! What brings you around?”
“Er, nothing!” Twilight blushed furiously. “No, not nothing… sorry, let me try that again. I meant to say hi, it’s nice to see you and… everything…”
“Nice to see you, too.” With one hoof digging at the ground, Fluttershy slowly looked away. “Um, sorry I can’t stay to chat, but today’s the day I usually join Rarity at the spa.”
“That’s okay!” The mention of Rarity snapped Twilight back into focus. “But before you go, I wanted to ask if you—that is, you and me…” She rubbed her hooves together, conjuring up that ounce of courage she usually reserved for an emergency. “Would you like to join me for a picnic tomorrow? J-just the two of us?”
Fluttershy stared for a moment and Twilight’s heart sank. She berated herself for thinking this was going to work. She knew all along it would never work! And hadn’t she told Rarity that—?
“I’d love to.”
“Huh?” Twilight blinked. “Oh, t-that’s great!” She grinned. “I’ll come by tomorrow. What time works best for you? One o’clock? Two o’clock? Three—?”
“Two o’clock is fine.” Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled. “Thank you, Twilight. I can’t remember the last time somepony invited me to go on a picnic!”
Seeing her smile sent a thrill down Twilight’s back. She had to avert her eyes or else her friend was going to notice Twilight staring at her.
“Well, I guess I’ll be on my way.” As she strolled past Twilight, Fluttershy looked back over her shoulder at her. Still wearing that radiant smile. “See you tomorrow!”
Twilight waved, her goodbye caught in her throat. She kept waving and watching until Fluttershy had completely disappeared beyond the hillside.
She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew it had to be done.
Maybe it’s love or maybe we’re just friends, she told herself. Either way, we’ll know for sure tomorrow…
Rarity sighed in delight as she extended her hoof. She nestled deeper into her bathrobe as Lotus Blossom stepped forward with the file clutched in her teeth and began to rub it along the edge of Rarity’s hoof. She’d been so bad lately. She hadn’t gotten her hoof filed in nearly five days! Five whole days without immaculate hooves! The elites in Canterlot would’ve been shocked!
Well, maybe not Fancy Pants, but then, noble stallions like him were so hard to find…
“So, darling,” she said, “tell me about all your day. I feel like we need to catch up!”
“Oh, I’m afraid there’s not much to tell.” Fluttershy sat on the chair beside hers, wrapped up in an identical bathrobe. The pink spa pony, Aloe, was hard at work on Fluttershy’s mane and tail, giving her hair that rare shade of pink that Rarity could never quite reproduce in her fabrics.
Rarity tilted her head to the side. “Are you sure? There must be something interesting going on with you.”
“W-well…” Fluttershy squeaked and retreated into the folds of her robe. “Well, there is… um…”
“Beg your pardon?”
“A picnic!” Fluttershy exclaimed. She blushed. “Twilight asked me out on a picnic tomorrow! And I-I said yes!”
Although she offered her friend a polite smile, inside Rarity was cheering. She couldn’t believe it was happening! She knew this would finally work out for both ponies.
At least, she hoped it would.
She said out loud, “How lovely! Oh, I do hope you two have a wonderful time together!”
“Thank you!” Fluttershy beamed. “I hope so, too.”
The smile on her face was all Rarity need to see. She felt so confident that this match would really be the one. All it needed was time to develop, like putting on the stitches that turned a prét-à-porter dress into true haute couture.
Still, she couldn’t resist giving her friend a taste of what was in store. She hoped Fluttershy would appreciate the hint when everything finally came together.
“Oh, I nearly forgot,” said Rarity, pausing to let Lotus walk around and begin filing her other hooves. “I heard the most delicious bit of gossip the other day! Would you like to hear it?”
Fluttershy blew a loose strand of her mane out of her face. “Um, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Oh, but darling, it’s just a harmless bit of gossip!”
Suddenly, Fluttershy’s face went tight. “Gabby Gums wasn’t harmless.”
That set Rarity back. She’d almost forgotten about that unfortunate episode. So many ponies in town, all hurt by rumors and speculation from a simple school newspaper. And her own sister had been an accomplice! The shock! The nerve! And to expose Fluttershy’s tasteful tail extensions like that? It was the epitome of bad manners!
Rarity glanced down at the immaculate floor tiles. “I… I’m sorry, dear. I wasn’t thinking. Please don’t be upset with me.”
She heard Fluttershy whimper. “Oh, no, I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice like that.”
“But you didn’t—” Then Rarity remembered who she was talking to. A raised voice for her was different from most pony’s standards. “I mean, it’s fine. Water under the bridge.” She looked up and gave her friend a warm smile. “Besides, I think you’ll like this rumor. It has to do with you!”
Fluttershy froze. “…With me?”
“Yes!” Rarity leaned over and whispered, “I hear you’ve got a secret admirer!”
“An admirer? Me?”
“But, of course, dear! Many ponies would consider you quite ‘the catch,’ if you’ll forgive the rude phrase.”
Fluttershy stayed quiet for a moment, tapping her chin with the edge of her hoof.
“Now, I can’t say for sure who it is, but from what I hear, she’s quite lovely herself.” Rarity grinned as she pictured Twilight and Fluttershy out on their picnic. No doubt they’d be shy and awkward around each other as they were with nearly everypony. “She’s also well-read. A real hero. And ever so modest!”
“D-do I know her?” Fluttershy swallowed. “I wouldn’t want to upset her now that I know!”
“Why, yes, as a matter of fact!” Rarity winked. “You know her very well!”
“Is it… Pinkie Pie?”
“Heavens, no!” Rarity laughed. “I don’t think that poor pony has an eye for anypony else! I can’t imagine her being in love with anything but baked goods!”
“Then who?”
“I can’t say, dear. It’d be rude of me to out this fine pony!” Rarity settled back into her chair with a content smile. “You’ll have to find out for yourself. It is, after all, only a rumor…”
From the corner of her eye, she spotted Fluttershy smiling to herself. Had this dear pegasus never had an admirer before? Even after all those fans who’d gone head-over-hoof for her during her modeling career? It didn’t seem possible.
But Rarity was glad she could give her friend this chance to find happiness. She and Twilight would be perfect for each other. She just knew it.
Twilight was trying so hard to stay casual, but she couldn’t help herself. She kept looking back over her shoulder at Fluttershy, who trotted eagerly behind her on the road.
She’s just as excited as I am, thought Twilight. Maybe the feeling really is mutual…
“Just a little further,” she said. Her horn was thrumming with magical energy, using telekinesis to hold up the picnic basket. She was glad that Spike had been the one to get groceries and cook their lunch; Twilight’s attempts would’ve only resulted in a messy kitchen and a smoking oven. And she wanted so badly for Fluttershy to enjoy this.
A trio of robins swooped down from a nearby treetop. Twilight smiled when she saw them circling around Fluttershy’s head. One of them tried to nest in her mane as she came to a stop. When she looked at Twilight, they both started to giggle.
“I’m terribly sorry,” Fluttershy said to her avian companions, “but I need some time alone. I’ll see you back at the cottage, okay?”
The robins tweeted back something cheerful. Fluttershy waved as they flew off, then turned back to Twilight. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. We’re just about there.”
Twilight sighed with relief as she set down the picnic basket and unfolded the blanket onto the grassy field. With another twist of magic, she opened the basket and removed a pair of roasted mushroom sandwiches, two daisy salads, and a bottle of apple cider. Fluttershy settled down onto the blanket beside Twilight.
She had to stay focused on the food as she served up two plates. Being this close to Fluttershy was overwhelming. Twilight could feel the warmth of her body and smell a delicate aroma of oak leaves and animal fur coming off her wings.
She wondered what it would be like to preen Fluttershy. She’d never done it for another pony before. It would be an interesting experiment, to say the least…
“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy pointed her hoof. “I think that’s plenty of salad.”
“Huh?” Twilight looked up and realized that, in her reverie, she’d heaped up a veritable mountain of daisy salad onto Fluttershy’s plate. “Uh, whoops. Let me fix that.” With her magic, she split the salad pile in half and dumped the rest onto her plate. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
They munched for a while in silence. Twilight looked out over the meadow as she took a sip of cider. The meadow was just outside the northern end of Ponyville. From this distance, they could hear the chugging engines of trains stopping over at Ponyville Junction. And knowing Fluttershy’s fears, Twilight had made sure to pick a spot where the borders of the Everfree Forest wouldn’t be visible.
“How’s the food?” Twilight asked.
“It tastes wonderful.” Fluttershy set down her sandwich. “Did you make all this?”
“I had some help.” Twilight felt her ears twitch. “A lot of help.” Another ear twitch followed. “Actually, it was all Spike, but I supervised him thoroughly! And I packed this basket!”
All for you, she added silently. I hope you appreciate me for it!
“You’ve really outdone yourself, Twilight. I can’t begin to thank you for this lunch!”
“Thanks. I just thought we should spend more time together. Princess Celestia said my new royal duties doesn’t mean I should neglect my closest friends.” And if Cadance and Shining Armor can still be married and devoted to the Crystal Empire, then why can’t I have somepony as well?
“Oh, well, in that case….” Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together anxiously. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Twilight gulped loudly—and not just because she was finishing her salad. “Go on…”
“Well, I was talking to Rarity yesterday at the spa. She… she thinks I have a secret admirer!”
“Really?” Twilight grinned. It felt wonderful to do so. “Who does she think it is?”
Fluttershy blushed. “She didn’t say, but I think…”
Twilight’s heart was racing now. She needed to hear this. “Yes?”
“I-I think it might be… Rarity!”
Twilight’s ears flopped down—along with her heart. “What?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious?”
“Uh… no?”
Fluttershy was smiling again, but the sight of it wasn’t filling Twilight’s heart with joy like it had before. “I guess I never really noticed before. She’s so subtle! But I could tell she was attracted to me by how she spoke about a mysterious pony who admired me!”
“What did she about m—about this other pony?”
“Oh, only that she was a lovely and intelligent pony. A real hero. And very modest!” Fluttershy’s tail flipped back and forth as she spoke, matching the energy of her smile. “I knew it had to be Rarity. She’d never say it out loud, but I could tell she wanted me to figure it out for myself.”
Twilight wanted to scream. She wanted to jump up and fly away—all the way back to Canterlot. She wanted to stamp her hooves and shout, No, you’re wrong! It’s me! It’s been me all along!
But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t bring herself to yell at poor Fluttershy. But how else was she going to fix this? Blurt out her feelings? Force a kiss onto those soft, delicate lips?
“So…” Twilight had to look away. “Would you say you share Rarity’s feelings?”
Fluttershy’s reply was a long, anguished squeak from deep in her throat. Twilight couldn’t bear to hear that sound. It reminded her of their first meeting, when the poor thing could barely say her own name.
She cleared her throat and added sweetly, “You don’t have to tell me. I’m sure it’s none of my business.”
In the back of her head, Twilight was already making plans to talk to Rarity as soon as possible. She knew she wanted this now that she was so close to Fluttershy. They’d have to be extra careful from now on. Otherwise, this would just result in a very awkward love triangle until somepony set Fluttershy straight—
But then she heard a tiny voice answer, “I-I don’t suppose so.”
And just like that, all was right in Equestria again. Twilight snapped her head around, using her hoof to cover up her eager grin.
“I mean, she’s the best friend a pony could ask for, but I just don’t feel the same way about her.” Fluttershy dropped her head onto her hooves. “Horse feathers! Now I feel awful about it!”
“It’s perfectly fine, Fluttershy.” Twilight swallowed her pride as she shifted closer to her friend. Her own wings were ruffling as they grazed against Fluttershy’s feathers. “In fact, I think you might be reading too much into what she said.”
When the pegasus lifted her adorable face, she said in a quavering voice, “What do you mean?”
Twilight stared. Then, slowly, she let out a long-suffering sigh. She knew what had to be done now, and it had to be done as quickly and gently as possible.
Spike, you’d better be right about this, she thought grimly.
Without giving Fluttershy a chance to react, Twilight leaned in and nuzzled her cheek. She heard Fluttershy gasp and saw her cheeks flush.
“What I mean,” Twilight replied, “is that I’m the secret admirer Rarity told you about.”
“Oh, my…”