//------------------------------// // In Search of a Crush // Story: In Search of Knowledge // by thehalfelf //------------------------------// In Search of a Crush “Darling, we need to talk, but here is hardly the place to do it.”  Rarity clopped her hooves together before rising from her chair.  “Come.  Fluttershy and I have planned a little get-together, and we would like you to join us.” Twilight’s mind spun in circles, kicking up pointless little excuses just so she could go upstairs and curl up in bed.  “But, it’s your get-together with Fluttershy, I wouldn’t want to interrupt that.” “I’m sure Fluttershy won’t mind, the more the merrier,” Rarity shot back, almost as quick.  Her smile was inviting, but her eyes dared Twilight to object a second time. “What about Spike?  I can’t just leave him here alone all night.”  Attempt two. “My sister and her friends are having a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres, he was invited as well.  You already gave him permission to go, remember?”  Strike two. “B-But I’m tired,” Twilight whined, unable to come up with a reasonable excuse. “Oh, come now.”  Rarity stepped forward and hooked a hoof around the librarian’s withers.  “Fluttershy and I can fix that easily.” The lavender mare sighed in defeat.  “I don’t have a choice, do I?” “Nope!” Rarity dragged her unwilling party guest through the threshold of the library making sure to shut the door, and down Mane Street towards her boutique.  Along the way they ran into Fluttershy, struggling to remain airborne with the weight of her bulging saddlebags.  “Yoo-hoo!” Rarity called up at the pegasus. “Fluttershy!” The pegasus glanced around at the sound of her name.  Spying her friends on the ground, she gave them a soft smile before landing heavily nearby.  Rarity steered her captive over towards Fluttershy.  She removed the saddlebags from the pegasus’ back with her magic, moving the laden fabric to her own. “Oh, thank you.”  Fluttershy gave the white unicorn a warm smile.  “I may have taken too much...”  She sheepishly glanced at the saddlebags before her gaze shifted to the other mare.  “Oh, hello, Twilight.  It’s nice to see you.” “Hi, Fluttershy.” Rarity cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the others to her.  “Twilight will be joining us tonight, darling.  I hope you don’t mind.” “Not at all.”  Fluttershy shook her head for emphasis, shooting a wink at Rarity when she thought Twilight wasn’t looking. Unfortunately for the shy pegasus, she did.  “Uh, what was that?” Fluttershy fluffed her wings, avoiding Twilight’s gaze.  “W-What was what?” “That wink.”  The librarian pointed an accusing hoof at the nervous pegasus.  “You winked at Rarity.  What’s going on here?” “I told you, we need to talk,” Rarity interjected, using her hoof to redirect Twilight back towards the boutique.  Fluttershy fell in step on the unicorn’s other side and the trio set off once again. “Did I do something wrong?” Rarity looked over at the sad visage of her friend.  “Of course not.  Why would you think that?” “Maybe because you keep saying we need to talk and then refusing to talk about it?”  Twilight shot a withering glare at Rarity.  “What am I supposed to think?” Rarity was about to reply when Fluttershy gently cleared her throat.  “We’re here,” she said, pointing to the boutique’s door as the other two turned to look at the pegasus. “And so we are.”  Without missing a beat, the fashionista stepped forward and unlocked the door.  Pushing it open with a hoof, she steered Twilight inside and further into the building to the kitchen.  The front door clicked shut moments before Fluttershy entered the kitchen as well.  Once they were all together, Rarity wasted no time removing two large bottles from Fluttershy’s saddlebags, then returning them to their owner. Twilight eyed the bottles nervously, lavender eyes flitting between the two glass housings and the other unicorn.  “Um, Rarity, why did Fluttershy give you four... rather large bottles of wine?” “Conversational lubricant, dear.”  Rarity pulled out a chair and motioned to it.  “Sit.”  To Twilight’s right, Fluttershy planted herself in a chair.  She looked between the two other mares and the bottles of wine, waiting anxiously for something to happen. “Y-You two planned this?”  Despite her accusation, Twilight took the offered seat and turned her gaze to Fluttershy, the least resistant of the two conspirators.  “Somepony better tell me what’s going on.  Now.” “Well...”  Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged a look.  “It’s about Cheerilee.” “Cheerilee?”  Twilight leaned forward in her chair, ears perking towards the other unicorn.  “What about her?” “You tell us, dear.  You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with her, you brought her to Pinkie’s last party, and you vanished in the middle of Nightmare Night when we were playing with the foals.  You even took her to the spa, willingly, when Fluttershy and I have to beg you to come with us.”  Rarity flashed Twilight a look of hurt.  “We just want to know what is going on in our friend’s life is all.” On the librarian’s other side, Fluttershy nodded along.  “If you want to tell us, that is.  We...”  The pegasus tossed a glance at Rarity before continuing.  “I won’t force you if you don’t want to say.” “We’re just writing a textbook, that’s all.  We’re spending a lot of time together because writing a book is hard work, and takes a lot of time.  I brought her to Pinkie’s party because I promised her we would work before I remembered about the party, and didn’t want to leave her behind.  Yes, I disappeared Nightmare Night because I had a chance to play a prank on Cheerilee, and we went to the spa because Rainbow gave me the passes while she was there.  We worked most of the day, and I wanted to treat her as a thank-you.”  Twilight turned away from the two mares, trying desperately to ignore the pounding in her ears. The room fell silent for a moment.  “You know, I think we should uncork this wine, hmm?”  Rarity rose from her chair and fiddled with a cabinet for a moment before withdrawing three crystal glasses.  She placed all three on the table before deftly uncorking the first bottle of wine and pouring the golden liquid into the glasses, passing one out to each mare as soon as it was full. Twilight warily eyed the drink placed in front of her.  “Uh, Rarity, I don’t think...”  She glanced to her left in time to see the unicorn take a dainty sip of her own drink.  “N-Nevermind.  Fluttershy, maybe...”  A glance to her right revealed the pegasus doing the same.  Feeling trapped, Twilight slowly sunk into her chair until her muzzle was level with the table’s edge. “Now then.”  Rarity sat down her glass and turned her attention to the top of Twilight’s head.  An eyebrow slowly worked its way up her forehead.  “What are you doing, Twilight?” “Nothing,” the librarian replied from under the table.  “Just, um, just sitting.  You?” The other eyebrow joined it’s twin on Rarity’s forehead.  “Why are you sitting so strangely?” “I-I’m not.  What are you talking about?”  Rarity just stared Twilight down, letting her eyes answer the question.  With a sigh, the purple unicorn sat up in the chair.  “I’ve never had wine before,” she mumbled. Rarity and Fluttershy both cocked the heads and leaned forward.  “What was that, darling?” “I’ve never had wine.” “Is that all?”  The fashionista lifted Twilight’s glass in her magic and moved it closer to the mare.  “Well, what better time to change that than now?” “I... I don’t know...”  Twilight sniffed, turning her gaze to Fluttershy.  “Last time I drank something, I ended up in...”  The pegasus shook her head frantically, tossing a worried look to Rarity.  “...in bed all day with a bad hangover.” “Well, we’ll make sure you drink plenty of water, and if that fails, send you home with some aspirin.”  Rarity pushed the glass a little closer.  “Go on.” “It is really good,” Fluttershy added from Twilight’s other side.  She punctuated her remark by gracefully lowering her head to the glass and taking a small sip. After glancing between her two friends, Twilight sighed.  “Okay,” she said, lifting the glass to her lips.  “I guess I’ll have a glass...” --_--_--_-- “And then, and then she reached under her throne, and pulled out a slice of cake!”  Twilight slammed her hoof down on the table, leading the three ladies in a loud fit of laughter.  “Two... two slices,” she continued once her laughter subsided.  “She even offered one to me.  It was actually pretty good.” Fluttershy giggled maniacally from her spot on the floor, leaning against the kitchen cabinets.  Rarity chuckled as well, refilling Twilight’s glass from the second bottle of wine.  “Really?  I didn’t know the princess had such a sweet tooth.”  She sloshed the contents of the bottle around before frowning and filling half of her glass.  That done, Rarity magicked the bottle over to join the first in the trash. Twilight nodded.  “She’s like Pinkie Pie, with the emergency cake and stuff.  It’s funny to watch.” “So.”  Rarity slid her chair over to Twilight and leaned close conspiratorially.  “What about you and Cheerilee, hmmm?  What’s going on with you two?” Twilight ducked her head behind a hoof.  “N-Nothing, nothing at all.  We’re just friends who like to hang out and talk and eat together and she’s really warm and soft...”  She trailed off, smiling softly towards the window. “Oh?  Is she warm, or does she make you warm?”  Rarity pressed even closer to the tipsy librarian.  “It is a very important disten... destin... thing.” “Mmmmmmm... both,” Twilight replied, gaze never leaving the stars outside. “Oooohhh, Twilight’s got a crush!”  Fluttershy giggled.  “You were right, Rarity.” Twilight’s head whipped around, sticking the pegasus with a harsh glare.  “No I don’t!” “Yes you do-oo,” the pegasus sing-songed, ignoring Twilight’s glare.  “She makes you feel all warm and fuzzy and when you think about her late at night your wings stick out and...”  Fluttershy stared, puzzled, at the unicorn’s back.  “You don’t have wings...”  Confused, she looked from her own back to Twilight’s, forgetting everything else in her quest for answers. “N-No she doesn’t.”  Twilight crossed her hooves against her chest.  Rarity cast a worried look towards Fluttershy before returning to her intended prey. “Twilight, please, you don’t have to lie to us.”  Rarity pulled the other unicorn’s attention back to her by putting a hoof around her withers.  “We know about the book.” “Right!  We’re writing a book together, that’s all.”  Twilight nodded and reached for her glass again, taking a long sip of the amber liquid. “Not that book...”  Rarity slowly got to her unsteady hooves.  She ambled out of the room, pausing a moment to steady herself against the door frame before moving on.  Moments later she returned, a well-loved paperback held in a shimmering magic aura.  “This one.” Twilight snatched the book from Rarity, willing her uncooperative eyes to focus on the words decorating the cover.  “Oh, Her Only Stallion.  Yeah, I read it, and the sequels.  What does that have to do with Cheerilee being warm?” “You read the others, you know what happens.  Shadow crushes on her best friend, and whenever they’re together, it makes Shadow warm and fuzzy.  Cheerilee makes you warm and fuzzy, so you have a crush on Cheerilee.”  Rarity nodded her head with finality. Twilight sighed in defeat.  “Okay so... so maybe I have a little teeny-tiny crush on Cheerilee, so what?” “So, what are you going to do about it?” A gentle shake worked it’s way through Twilight’s frame.  “Nothing.” “Nothing?” Fluttershy repeated, abandoning the Case of the Missing Wings for the moment. Twilight nodded firmly.  “Nothing.”  Trying to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes, Twilight turned her attention back to her wine glass, frowning when she noticed how little was left. Rarity hummed softly to herself for a moment.  After watching Twilight sip slowly at her wine, she rose to her hooves and headed over towards Fluttershy.  Seeing the movement from the corner of her eye, the librarian swiveled and ear towards the conspirators, trying her best to overhear their conversation, to no avail. “No.”  Rarity declared a short while later.  Both she and Fluttershy rose to their hooves and stalked over to the moping unicorn. “No?”  Twilight turned her attention to the two mares.  “No what?”. “No, you are not going to do nothing.”  Rarity and Fluttershy both took a lavender hoof in two of their own and heaved until Twilight was standing.  While the librarian attempted to gain some semblance of balance, Rarity swooped in and snatched the three wine glasses from the table.  After dumping their contents down the sink, she set them down to clean later. “Hey, I wasn’t done with that!”  Twilight fixed the fashionista with an angry pout.  “What was that for?” “Darling, Fluttershy and I simply cannot allow you to make yourself miserable over this crush.” “But I’m not...” “Ah-ah-ah!”  Rarity gently placed a hoof over Twilight’s mouth, cutting off her protesting.  “You are and you know it.  I see you flinch every time we say her name, don’t deny it.  You’re smitten and too stubborn to admit it.” “Think about her,” Fluttershy ordered.  “Just think about everything about her.”  The pegasus waited until she could see the immense gears turning behind the lavender eyes.  “Good.” Rarity spun Twilight around and gave her a good push towards the door.  The unicorn stumbled forward, blindly reaching out with a hoof to keep from colliding with the wall.  “What was that for?” she demanded, turning her head round with a fiery gaze. “We’re trying to help.  You must go tell her, you must!”  Rarity and Fluttershy both moved forward.  They each took one of Twilight’s sides and started gently nudging her towards the front of the building.  “You must tell her... so you can continue.... your study of the magic of friendship.” Twilight dug her hooves in, valiantly attempting to prevent her forced confession.  “What does a crush have to do with the magic of friendship?” “Everything,” Fluttershy replied.  She wrapped a wing over Twilight’s back to Rarity, attempting to squeeze the three together and prevent most of the lavender unicorn’s ability to cause trouble.  “The best relationships come from good friendships.” “It also prevents all of that awkward ‘getting to know you’ phase,” Rarity added, lending her own weight to Fluttershy’s plan.  The group of three slowly waddled towards the front door, now opened by a burst of blue magic.  “She would be great for you, Twilight, you just have to give it a shot.” “I remember what happened at the gala, you weren’t such a good judge of character there,” Twilight retorted.  She slammed the door shut with her own magic. Rarity scoffed.  “Blueblood, that boor?  If he was my friend first, it would not have happened.  Besides,” she changed the subject quickly, both to ignore painful memories and in an attempt to catch Twilight off guard, “what if she has a crush on you, and is suffering the same?  Wouldn’t you want to prevent that if you could?” “Y-Yes, but if she has a crush on me, why didn’t she say anything, hmmm?”  Twilight arched an eyebrow, confident in her logic. “Maybe she is afraid, too.”  Twilight opened her mouth to argue Fluttershy’s point, but nothing she came up with really made sense. “I... I guess...”  The unicorn hesitated, ceasing her efforts to escape the iron grip of the yellow wing. Sensing a moment of weakness, Rarity pressed the attack.  “You wouldn’t want her to be sad, would you?” “N-No...” Rarity shrugged off Fluttershy’s wing and stepped forward to open the door.  “Then go to her.  Tell her what you told us, and make sure she isn’t sad anymore.” A fire ignited in Twilight’s eyes.  She confidently strode forward, stopping only when she passed the threshold into the dark night.  “I’ll do it.”  She turned around, fixing her friends with a grateful smile.  Before she could speak, however, Rarity lifted a hoof. “Just go.  You do not need to thank us.”  Twilight nodded and charged off up the street as fast as her wobbly hooves allowed.  After the unicorn was out of sight, Rarity closed the door. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked with a worried glance back to the kitchen.  “She did drink almost a whole bottle herself...” “I’m sure it will be fine.  Come.”  Rarity motioned the pegasus back towards the kitchen.  “I stashed a third bottle away after Rainbow Dash told me what she saw in the library.  Let’s celebrate our victory, hmm?” Fluttershy giggled and followed her friend back towards the kitchen, silently wishing Twilight good luck under her breath.