//------------------------------// // Six – Ponies of a Feather // Story: Beauty, Books, and Butterflies // by Rough_Draft //------------------------------// The sunlight that trickled in through her bedroom window tickled the back of Fluttershy’s mane as she turned over. She yawned and stretched beneath the covers, slowly coming around from a long and beautiful dream. She’d been a filly again, having landed in the middle of that magical forest, singing about all those woodland critters who’d come to see her. The best part had been when she’d run through a swarm of butterflies, only to find a smiling alicorn with a pink-streaked mane waiting for her with open hooves… Fluttershy gasped and sat up in bed. “Oh, no.” When she looked over at the other side of her bed, she felt a pang of regret that Twilight wasn’t there. But then she remembered last night—so many hugs from her friends, all those kind words, and Pinkie Pie shoving candy into everypony’s faces. Twilight had continued to read poems to Fluttershy after everypony else had left. Fluttershy had dozed off in quiet contentment, but when she woke up, she saw Twilight had fallen asleep. She’d looked so cute, holding onto the book the same way a filly would cuddle with her stuffed animal. Fluttershy had left her there, grabbing a blanket from the linen closet to tuck around her new marefriend while she snored. And for all Fluttershy knew, Twilight was still there. Maybe, she thought, she’s having her own lovely dream… about me… Even though the idea made her blush, she was determined to find out and threw off the covers. Fluttershy jumped down to the floor and set off at a brisk trot down the hallway. Her heart was racing as she contemplated what she was going to say if Twilight was still there. Would she want breakfast? Or a good morning kiss? How were marefriends supposed to greet each other? “Oh, dear.” Fluttershy came up short as she slid into the den. Her instincts took over as she tried to make herself small and hide behind her mane. “Um, good morning…” To her surprise, there was no response. Not a creature was stirring inside the den, which she found suspicious. Normally, Angel or one of the other critters would be up and asking—or in Angel’s case, demanding—their breakfast. But instead, the room was empty. Fluttershy crept over to the armchair where Twilight had been sleeping when she last saw her. The blanket was still there, but it had been neatly folded up. Lying next to it on the chair was a pair of Robin Hooves costumes, also neatly folded. The clatter of dishes from inside the kitchen drew Fluttershy’s attention. She trotted over to the source of the commotion, preparing herself for one of Angel’s temper tantrums or one of the raccoons digging through her trash cans again. And I just used the Stare on them the other day, Fluttershy recalled. I really don’t like using it, and certainly not this early in the morning! She took a deep breath before setting hoof in the kitchen. Her tail swished back and forth as she forced herself to look in. “Okay!” Spike called out. “Who’s up for seconds?” Fluttershy watched in amazement as the little dragon, now wearing an apron and chef’s hat, was serving up bowls of nuts, fruit, and foliage to all of her critters. And more amazing than that was how quiet and orderly every animal was around Spike. Each one gave Spike a polite nod or said “Thank you” in their own way. Even Angel gave him a shrug before digging into his breakfast bowl. “There you are!” Twilight was sitting at the far end of the table with a stack of hotcakes and a glass of orange juice in front of her. She waved to Fluttershy. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t be up in time!” It seemed as if Fluttershy couldn’t stop blushing that morning. She decided to fly over to Twilight, settling down on the empty stool beside her. Twilight reached out and took Fluttershy by the hoof, smiling tenderly. “Did you sleep well?” asked Twilight. “Oh, yes.” Fluttershy smiled gratefully at Spike as he slid a fresh plate of hotcakes over to her. “And h-how about you?” That got a sudden laugh out of Twilight. “Uh, it wasn’t bad. I couldn’t stay asleep for too long. Too excited.” She rubbed her hooves together with glee. “There’s just so much I’ve got to plan!” “T-there is?” “Yes!” Twilight’s horn glowed as a small stack of papers floated into view from the other end of the kitchen. Fluttershy stared down at the papers as they floated past her, trying to make sense of them. She saw charts, graphs, and lists that didn’t make sense. The handwriting was too illegible for her to grasp. “I figured that since we’re marefriends now, we’ll need to plan our first date.” As Twilight spoke, the papers floated in a loose orbit around her head. She glanced at them with barely contained excitement. “So I started making lists of all the things I enjoy and all the things I know that you enjoy. Then I compared them to the traditional models for dating and the stories I got from Shining Armor about how he courted Cadance. If my math is correct, then we might fall within two standard deviations from the most average dating plan, which is…” The words flew over Fluttershy’s head. She was still trying to wrap her head around the concept of being Twilight’s marefriend, let alone going out on a date with her. No doubt they’d go somewhere public. Somewhere that everypony could see them. Once word got out, all of Ponyville would be hounding their steps. Fluttershy whimpered when she started to have flashbacks about her modeling career. She glanced over at Spike, who was sprinkling gemstone pieces onto his hotcakes. “Help me.” The baby dragon chuckled as he leaned over and stage-whispered, “It’s okay. When she gets like this, the best thing to do is let her talk herself out.” “I heard that!” Twilight flicked her tail at Spike, glaring across the table at him. But when she turned to Fluttershy, her face softened into a gentle smile. “I’m sorry. I-is this too much pressure for you?” Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. Let’s forget about plans.” Twilight reached out and wrapped her hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulders. “What would you like to do for a date? It can be anything you want.” The concept didn’t sit well with Fluttershy. There had to be a catch. “Anything?” “Of course!” Now it was Twilight’s turn to blush. “Just because I’m a princess now doesn’t mean I have to be the one to make all the decisions. All I want is make you happy and to…” She looked away and cleared her throat. “To be with you.” Fluttershy didn’t know how to respond to that. She was touched. It was so nice to see that kind of devotion from somepony. But that didn’t answer Twilight’s question. What did she want? The strange thing was, she actually did know. But it was silly. Barely worth saying out loud, especially to somepony as accomplished as Twilight. “Well?” Twilight offered a curious smile. “What do you want to do?” “I… I guess I’d like to stay here with you.” Getting the words out was like ripping off a bandage; she had to be slow and gentle. Fluttershy forced herself to look up into Twilight’s eyes. Those deep, beautiful eyes. “And I want to read p-poetry! With you!” “Really?” Twilight tilted her head, giving a quizzical frown. “You don’t want to do something else?” “Not really.” Fluttershy decided to try something bold. She reached out her hoof and gently placed it over Twilight’s foreleg. “I just want to be with you, too.” Twilight blushed as she grinned. “Thank you.” “Hey…” They looked over at Spike, who was staring at them. So were all the other animals eating at the table. The dragon lifted a hand and scratched awkwardly at the back of his head. “Do you need us to leave the room? Because we’re still working on breakfast here.” “Sorry!” Twilight and Fluttershy said in unison. Then, as they glanced at each other, they started to giggle. As the animals went back to their meals, Twilight leaned in and nuzzled Fluttershy’s cheek with a sigh. “After this, let’s go see Rarity. I want to thank her personally for setting us up. And maybe she can give us some advice, too.” “That sounds like a plan,” Fluttershy replied and reached for the maple syrup. As they approached Carousel Boutique, Twilight and Fluttershy found that they could hardly keep their eyes off each other. Every so often, Fluttershy would catch herself looking at Twilight. When their eyes would meet, they’d blush and giggle like a pair of fillies out for a summer lark. They tried to stop when they saw other ponies along the road staring at them, but they couldn’t help themselves. I can’t believe she’s as nervous as me. She’s always a pony who takes charge—and now she’s a princess! That thought made Fluttershy’s stomach clench a little. Oh, dear. W-what if I’m not allowed to be her marefriend? Will I have to go to Canterlot with her, too? All those respectable ponies staring at us? Staring at me? But all she had to do was look over at Twilight’s confident trot toward the boutique and know that everything was okay. It was just another of her fears. She knew she could face them if Twilight was right beside her. Still, in the back of her mind, Fluttershy couldn’t quite shake the feeling of dread when it came to going out with a real-life princess. While she’d known Twilight as a friend, she had no idea what to do about being presented as her marefriend in public. The thought of having to evade all those fans and paparazzi again made her feel weak in the legs. “Hey.” Twilight paused as they reached the halfway mark across the bridge near Rarity’s home. She leaned over and nudged Fluttershy in the flank. “Are you all right? Do you need to take a break?” Fluttershy paused mid-step. When she noticed an anxious twitch in her hooves, she took a deep breath and counted backwards from three. It was, oddly enough, one of the few exercises she’d learned from Iron Will that she continued to practice: “When you start to go crazy, just count back from three! Get into the mode before you explode!” “Actually,” Fluttershy managed to say, “t-there is something I wanted to ask you.” “Go ahead.” “Well...” Fluttershy looked up at Twilight’s horn, then over at her tucked-in wings. It was strange how easy it was now to accept Twilight having wings; she’d only been an unicorn when they first met. “Well, I thought, if we’re going to be marefriends, is there some way...” She swallowed. “What I mean is, how should I address you?” Twilight grinned. “Well, you don’t have to call me ‘Your Highness’ if that’s what you’re worried about.” But the longer she looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, the softer her smile became. “I guess it’d be okay for you to use my nickname from when I was a filly.” “You mean... Twily?” The grin returned to Twilight’s face, along with a blush. She nodded and looked away. Fluttershy smiled. She was taking a curious pleasure in finding new ways of embarrassing her marefriend. It was worth it to see that smile and those rosy cheeks every time. “How about you?” asked Twilight. She slipped her hoof around Fluttershy’s and led her down the other side of the bridge. “Do you prefer Fluttershy or something else?” “Oh, dear.” Fluttershy had never even considered that possibility. The idea of being in a romantic relationship with somepony had been too much for her to reflect upon, let alone what nicknames they’d call each other. Slowly, she answered. “Normally, I’d only let Rainbow Dash use it, b-but you could use my nickname from flight camp.” “Well, what is it?” “Just... Shy.” “Shy,” Twilight repeated. Hearing it out loud sent a tremor down Fluttershy’s spine. She closed her eyes and smiled happily. Evidently, Twilight had picked up on the effect she was having. “Do you like me calling you Shy?” “Oh, yes.” Fluttershy leaned into her, gingerly brushing the edge of her wing against Twilight’s flank. “Please say it again, Twily?” This time, Twilight pulled her closer and whispered straight into her ear, “All right... Shy.” There it was. Fluttershy finally had a grasp on the one thing that had always drawn her to Twilight—first as a friend and now as a lover. It was her voice. There was something about the way Twilight spoke that always made Fluttershy feel so comfortable. And more than that—she felt stronger after talking to Twilight. Every fear and doubt that plagued her seemed to float away once Twilight was there to analyze her problem and help her through it. As she’d once told Discord, Fluttershy knew she was weak and helpless without her friends. And it was wonderful to have such encouraging friends like Rarity and Rainbow Dash when she needed them the most. But when she was with Twilight, she felt so much braver. She could face every dragon in the whole world, as horrifying as that idea was. All she needed was to hear her Twilight’s voice. Inside Carousel Boutique, they found Rarity in her workshop, putting the last sequin on a fanciful dress in midnight blue. She sighed with relief and floated the dress onto a bare mannequin, humming as she adjusted every sequin and ruffle into place. “Yes, marvelous...” But when Twilight cleared her throat, Rarity gasped and spun around. The glasses she’d been wearing flew off her head as she trotted over and embraced Twilight and Fluttershy in a crushing hug. Twilight wheezed for breath, only now remembering that she was still a little sore from the tackling hug she’d gotten from Fluttershy the night before. “I’m so glad you came!” Rarity squealed. As she let go of her friends, she pranced around the two of them with a smile on her face and an examining gaze. “Oh, I knew it! I just knew the two of you were right for each other. Why, even your coats are looking superb today!” “And we have you to thank for it,” Fluttershy answered. She quickly nuzzled Rarity, and for just one second, Twilight felt the tiniest sting of jealousy. She had to remind herself that Fluttershy wasn’t really in love with Rarity or vice versa—they were just great friends and not afraid to show it. In any case, she’d made a fascinating discovery only a few moments earlier on the bridge. Twilight decided it would be a good time to test her hypothesis again. She cleared her throat and said, as softly and slowly as she could, “So, Shy, did you want to tell Rarity where we’re here?” Just as Twilight suspected, her voice had an amazing effect on her new marefriend. Fluttershy gasped as her face turned completely red. She stepped back from Rarity, drawn by some magnetic force to Twilight’s side again. Although she felt a little mean for manipulating her new love like this, Twilight was mostly overjoyed. She had no idea if this was some kind of subtle magic that only Fluttershy was sensitive to, but she was glad to know it worked. “Um, Rarity?” Fluttershy was all but huddled against Twilight as she tried to demurely look over at their mutual friend. “We did want to thank you, of course, for being the one to bring us together. But we also came to get your opinion on where to have our first date.” Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! That means the world to me, darling!” She pranced over to her workshop, casting her magic out to grab hold of an old journal with a faded lavender cover. Twilight had a sneaking suspicion that this was the source of all those notes Rarity had compiled as a matchmaker. She even recognized the folded-up napkin from Le Abreuvoir, now stuffed into the back of the book. “Yes, yes, this is going to be wonderful,” Rarity murmured, her blue aura quickly turning the pages of her journal. “Knowing you two, I have just the perfect opportunity—” “Not another picnic,” Twilight groaned. When she noticed Fluttershy giving her a surprised look, she blushed and added, “Well, not right now, I mean. I wasn’t too thrilled about our last one turned out.” Fluttershy’s lips puckered into a frown. “Oh, no. That was my fault, really. I wouldn’t want you to hate the idea of a picnic because of me.” Twilight sighed and wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy, giving her a soft, consoling hug. “I don’t. I promise I’ll be better this time. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do.” When Fluttershy smiled, everything was right in the world once more. “If I may...” They looked over at Rarity, who was watching them with a proud smile. “I think I know the best idea for your first date. It’ll give you a chance to go out without having to face public and I know you’ll both find something to enjoy!” As she spoke, Rarity’s horn glowed and her magic caused a single sheet of paper to fly out from her journal and over to Twilight. She pulled her muzzle back as the page was forced to a sudden halt and carefully read the notes in Rarity’s elegant handwriting. “But it’s our weekly pet play date,” Twilight replied. She looked up at Rarity, feeling very lost. “It doesn’t seem very romantic.” “But it is!” Fluttershy insisted. She reached up and brushed her hoof along Twilight’s mane, which sent a shiver down the alicorn’s spine. “There’s nothing like seeing ponies and their pets out for a day at the park! It’s the most enchanting thing in the world!” Twilight couldn’t argue with her logic. Of course Fluttershy would love the idea of a date with a bunch of critters in tow. Even if they’d gone to Le Abreuvoir or the Horseshoe Cafe, birds would still probably flock into the restaurant just to nestle in Fluttershy’s mane while she ate. Meanwhile, Rarity was skimming through the rest of her notes. Her glasses had reappeared on the edge of her nose as she read. “Quite so, dear. And in any case, I’ll take the liberty of arranging a nice picnic for the two of you once the play date’s over. Imagine how much better the food will be once you’ve spent your day chasing after your pets and having fun together!” Gotta hand it to Rarity, Twilight thought with a quiet smile, she does know how to set up a romantic evening. Though, if she thought more about it, that kind of evening would only work for somepony like her and Fluttershy. She doubted Applejack and Rainbow Dash would ever sit still long enough for a quiet picnic. They were more likely to hit a bottle of cider and go racing through White Tail Forest, and she had a pretty good idea what that would lead to— “Please, Twilight?” Fluttershy’s wing brushed over Twilight’s back, curling the tips of her feathers into a gentle ridge. Twilight gasped at the sensation. Seeing Rarity’s knowing smile didn’t make it any easier. When she looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, Twilight knew she couldn’t refuse the lovely pegasus a thing. “Okay,” she said quietly and leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. “I’m convinced. It sounds delightful.”