Her surroundings sharply regained focus, disorienting Twilight a little. No matter how many times she teleported, she could never quite get used to the sensation; the only adequate description she could give to it was 'having the world shift beneath your hooves'. Still, that was irrelevant now, as there was something more pressing that required her attention - namely, the pink-and-yellow mass huddled on the vermilion rug in front of her.
Twilight didn't say anything at first. She merely crossed the room and settled down next to Fluttershy, allowing a bit of space between them. A slight twitch of the yellow ear next to her told Twilight that her presence had been acknowledged, but Fluttershy said nothing. Instead, she curled up into an even tighter ball. Oh, Fluttershy. What happened?
Gently, Twilight shuffled herself along the floor, closing the small gap between the two friends. She sensed the trembles running down Fluttershy's back, and had to restrain the urge to swamp her in a big, warm hug; the sadness and pain radiating from Fluttershy was making it exceedingly difficult not to. Her friend's well-being was more important right now, Twilight reminded herself, and this needed to be done slowly if she wanted the shy mare to open up to her.
Almost there... Ah. It's okay now, Fluttershy.
Twilight exhaled, allowing the light pressure on her side to increase as her friend lent against her. It was the signal she had been waiting for - reaching out, Twilight ran a calming hoof over Fluttershy's soft, silky feathers. The trembles ceased immediately, leaving only a quiet, almost inaudible breathing that Twilight could nevertheless feel resonating in the still summer air.
She felt peculiar, as though she were... in tune with Fluttershy. It was strange - Twilight had never felt this connected with anypony before.
A minute passed in near silence, the only sounds being the occasional sniffle from her left side. Every time it happened, Twilight softly stroked Fluttershy's wings, hugging her tenderly until the noises receded.
It wasn't like how Rainbow had treated her, with a reassuring breath of confidence and a boldness that had struck down Twilight's doubts without any hesitation. No, this was deeper. Much deeper. One could say intimate, although obviously in a platonic way.
Eventually, Fluttershy looked up. Tear-drops clung to her long, delicate eyelashes, and Twilight's heart ached with a mixture of sadness and anger. How could anyone do something to hurt such a kind, wonderful soul?
"Twilight?" Fluttershy mumbled her name in a small voice.
"Yes, Fluttershy?"
"I'm... I'm sorry."
"For what exactly? You haven't done anything wrong, Fluttershy," Twilight said, brushing a pink mane aside so she could properly look Fluttershy in the eyes. She absent-mindedly noted how bright they were, like glistening sapphires.
"In fact, it seems that somepony has done something to you."
Except, teal-coloured sapphires. Or more like the ocean, actually: gradual, calming, enchanting...
"So, uh, would you mind telling me what's the matter?"
Fluttershy opened her mouth, then closed it. She dropped her gaze and slowly shook her head. "It's, um, nothing. Don't worry about it."
To her surprise, however, she felt a little nudge in her side, prompting her to raise her head again. Twilight sat, head tilted, a smile etched on her face.
"Come on Fluttershy, do you expect me to believe that a brave pony like you would cry over 'nothing'? I've seen you face off dragons before!"
"B-but, that was only because my friends were in danger. I could never normally do something like that..."
"There's more than that! Remember when you had to send those Breezies away?"
Fluttershy did remember, quite clearly in fact. It was one of the toughest things she had ever had to do, making her new friends leave like that. At the time, it had broken her heart, even if it was for the best.
Twilight smiled knowingly. "It was incredibly hard, wasn't it? But you did it. So when I see you crying, Fluttershy, I do worry. Because I know if it wasn't important to you, it wouldn't make you cry."
Wiping her eyes on the back of her foreleg, Fluttershy sniffed and - to Twilight's inward delight - gave a weak smile.
"You, think I'm strong? Me?" Fluttershy shifted in place.
"Of course, Fluttershy!" Wow, her coat looks so fluffy when she moves... Twilight imagined what it would be like to poke Fluttershy again, imagined her adorable giggle. She so wanted to hear that laugh.
"Oh my, I didn't think anypony... thought that... Um, Twilight, are you OK?"
"Huh?" Twilight's attention suddenly snapped back to reality, which led her to notice that Fluttershy was looking at her with a puzzled expression. Oh Luna, she shouldn't zone out like that.
"Er, yes! Yes, just fine! So then, Fluttershy, can you tell me why you're upset? Did somepony do something?"
"..."
Fluttershy averted her gaze. A silence hung over them, unbroken, as Twilight waited hesitantly for an answer. When Fluttershy did finally speak however, it was not at all what she expected.
"It's..." She took a deep breath.
"Twilight, I don't think I'm ready to share this with you or anypony else right now. Is that OK?"
"Oh... well, if you're sure, Fluttershy, then it's perfectly OK. Remember that we're here for you, though."
"I know. Maybe some day."
Hmm. This was a spanner in the works. She had been sure that if she approached the issue with enough care, Fluttershy would certainly have told her the problem! It had worked for Rainbow Dash with her, anyway, and this was a very similar situation. She and Fluttershy weren't having the best of days. Hopefully not everypony was feeling so down recently.
With an exceptionally graceful stretch of her back, Fluttershy got to her hooves. Despite her crying, she still looked stunningly pretty, Twilight noted with no small amount of jealousy. After having a breakdown, Twilight's appearance could only be likened to a train wreck. It just wasn't fair. Ooh, wait a second, what is that?
She would hate to be accused of nosiness - especially considering that Fluttershy had specifically told her she wasn't ready to share her problem with anypony - but could Twilight help it if her eyes strayed to the crisp, white letter clutched protectively in Fluttershy's grasp? That letter was probably why her friend had been so upset... If only she could sneak a peek at the address!
What? No, Twilight! Friends don't betray each other's trust! If there was one thing she had learned from hanging around Pinkie Pie, it was to never, ever, EVER do anything like remotely that, lest she face the consequences.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, had walked over to her desk and deposited the letter, a pensive expression on her face. She absently turned back to Twilight, then suddenly seemed to notice something. Hang on, she didn't see me staring, right?
"Twilight, were you-"
"I have something to ask, by the way!" Twilight cut in quickly, silently praying that Fluttershy would ignore her clumsy attempt to change the topic.
"What is it?" Fluttershy replied, with - to Twilight's relief - no hint of accusation in her voice. To the contrary, she had a bright smile, much brighter than before. Perhaps she did feel better after our conversation? Excellent! Oh, hold on, she should give Fluttershy a reply.
Of course, Twilight wasn't totally sure of what she was going to ask, seeing as her words had been more of a diversion than an actual question, although they had made a distinct impression on her. It was a common sensation, one Twilight usually felt when she was forgetting something. So, what was it that she was forgett- OH!
She hastily cast her mind back to the conversation she and Rainbow had recently had. What Rainbow had been about to say now made her feel rather stupid - in retrospect, it should have been the first thing she thought of. Or rather, the first pony she thought of. Twilight cleared her throat.
"Ahem! Well, it's to do with my crystal castle. I was wondering whether you could lend me a helping hoof with something over there?"
"Ah, I... see." The smile that Fluttershy wore slipped ever so slightly. She glanced to the side, scuffing her back leg against the rug. Oh dear, she really hated to disappoint her friends. She hoped Twilight would understand.
"Twilight, I'm really, really sorry, but your castle is too..."
"Wait a minute!"
Twilight's sudden outburst surprised Fluttershy. Did she realise that I was going to decline her favour? Oh, no! I bet she's really mad now!
Small tear drops pooled in the corners of Fluttershy's eyes. "I- I'm, s- sorry Twil-"
"No, no! I'm not angry or anything, Fluttershy, I just wanted to explain more clearly!" Twilight exclaimed, placing a reassuring foreleg on Fluttershy's shoulder. The contact felt... nice.
"Okay, I know that you were going to decline. I guess you find my castle uncomfortable, am I right?"
It pained her to admit it, but Fluttershy nodded. It was so big, and kind of scary! She didn't like the dark at all, and her animal friends refused to go inside it for reasons she completely understood. All in all, it made Fluttershy feel greatly overwhelmed, a feeling that she had been struggling to suppress her whole life. Even so, she still made it a point to visit Twilight every now and again - it wasn't worth losing a friend over, after all. She did try to arrange their meetings in more welcoming places, though.
"I know it's your new home, Twilight, but I find it so, um... frightening! I didn't want to hurt your feelings, though," Fluttershy said timidly.
"But that's just it! You understand completely!" Twilight squealed happily. She could not have found anypony more perfect for this!
Fluttershy watched Twilight's energetic bouncing with an increasing sense of puzzlement. "Are- are you sure you heard me properly?"
"Yes, yes! You hate my castle, that's great! Terrific!"
"W-what?"
Twilight's elated bouncing ground to a halt as she noticed Fluttershy's look of pure confusion. Oops, got carried away there.
"Sorry, Fluttershy, I don't mean that it's great that you hate it, I mean it's great we share the same sentiment. The castle is too... well, I suppose 'frightening' does come pretty close as a good description. None of the townsponies visit me anymore, not even Cheerilee!
"I don't suppose it's me, seeing as everypony treated me the same when I became a princess. You know, Rainbow Dash pointed out to me earlier that I should make more of an effort to go and see everypony in town. I can't even remember if Zecora is white with black stripes or black with white stripes! I haven't seen Roseluck for a while, either.
"But even so, it'd be nice if they did the same back! I doubt they will visit though, the whole 'crystal-palace-for-a-new-princess-right-on-your-doorstep' is somewhat... you could say..."
"Intimidating?" Fluttershy finished, giggling a little at Twilight's rambling. It was a habit of Twilight's that she loved - the expression on her face was really quite cute!
"Exactly! My point being, I need to make it less so. I assume you know what I intend to do?"
"Uh... convert it into an animal sanctuary?"
"Wha-? No! I'm going to redecorate the place, of course! Won't it be great, Fluttershy? We can clean it up and make it much nicer, and all the while we'll get to spend a lot of quality time together! Just you and me, alone, the two of us having lots of-"
Twilight froze mid-speech as her brain caught up to her mouth.
"Err, what I meant to say was, it would a good way to spend some time together, don't you think? As friends."
"Why, yes, Twilight! I'd be more than happy to help you, only..."
"Only?"
"I would still need some time to care for all the little critters at home, that's the only thing."
"Oh, Fluttershy," Twilight said, sporting a cheerful grin, "That's not a problem! I could go and help you care for your animals in exchange for your help in the castle. Would that be alright with you?"
"Definetely! It sounds wonderful!"
"Great! Then, would next week be a good time to get started?"
"I'll check my calendar, but I'm sure that it should be okay."
Unfortunately, Fluttershy never got the chance, for at that moment an almighty crash sounded from outside as a section of the wall caved in. A rainbow-coloured blur whizzed across the room, colliding - rather painfully - with the opposite wall and taking a number of ornaments with it. It promptly became apparent that the blur was none other than a befuddled Rainbow Dash, who glanced from side to side blearily.
"F... Fluttershy? That's you, right? Why is there four of you?" Rainbow mumbled as she made a feeble attempt to pull herself out of the rubble.
The mare in question was standing stock-still, her mouth slightly ajar. Her eyelid twitched. If Twilight wasn't currently flat on her back from shock, then she might have wondered what emotions were running through her right now - astonishment? Anger? Horror?
As it happened, it was Fluttershy's instinctive caring that won out. After a quick few blinks to establish that the whole scenario wasn't merely some crazy dream, she galloped over to Rainbow Dash and bent down to her level.
Twilight (who had now recovered from the inital trauma) watched Fluttershy perform a rapid series of inspections to ensure that there was no serious damage to Rainbow. She was perplexed by the expression of the yellow mare, however - the usual calm, compassionate demeanor that she associated with Fluttershy was gone, leaving behind the presence of a much more serious pony, one who was prepared to do anything it took to make sure that a creature she deeply cared for was alright. Twilight looked on in awe - the powerful resolve that had manifested in Fluttershy could easily rival that of Applejack, or even Rainbow Dash herself! She couldn't help but be impressed.
"Wings?"
"F-fine."
"Legs? This may hurt a bit."
"They're okay- OUCH!"
"This too."
"OWWW!"
Once Fluttershy had checked and re-checked everything for absolute certainty, she allowed her normal personality to fall back into place. Which, of course, meant tackling to the floor Rainbow with a crushing hug.
"Oh my goodness, Rainbow Dash! Don't ever do that again, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. Anyway, are you okay?!" Rainbow smacked her forehead with a hoof in frustration. "I'm the one that's supposed to be checking up on you, not the other way around! What were you crying over? Was it bad? Who sent it? I'll-"
"Shh," Fluttershy said tenderly, as she gently pulled Rainbow Dash in for a hug. Rainbow stiffened in surprise, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"It's fine now, I promise. I was just talking to Twilight about her castle."
Rainbow muttered something that Twilight thought might have been 'That's cool', and then lent back whilst stretching her forelegs and wings out to their fullest extent. Weird. Twilight had anticipated a slew of questioning and prodding over the details of her and Fluttershy's arrangements, but Rainbow sounded as though she had completely lost interest.
Oh, it was probably just Twilight being self-obsessed. Not everything revolved around her life, at any rate.
Fluttershy spoke as she brushed a few stray wood shavings out of her mane. "We can finalise things at the picnic tomorrow, right Twilight?"
"Yep! It'll be a good time to think things through."
"Y- yeah. Think things through." Rainbow repeated, now reasonably steady enough to stand up without toppling back over.
No, wait. Twilight was now sure that something was up with Rainbow Dash. Presumably the knock to the head on the way in had made her a bit loopy. Whatever the case, she was really in no fit state to go home alone.
Twilight stooped low, providing Rainbow with an impromptu crutch. Another benefit of being an alicorn - all that Earth Pony strength was really coming in handy now.
"If you need any help fixing that up," Twilight said, gesturing towards the pegasus-shaped hole in the wall, "Let me know."
"It shouldn't be a big problem, but thank you for offering, Twilight."
"No, no! I'll help! When I feel less... dizzy, that is..." Rainbow piped up, stumbling off to her left yet somehow managing to avoid knocking over anything. The other two winced.
"I'd better take her home. Don't want any accidents to happen," Twilight whispered to Fluttershy, who nodded discretely. Both knew that Rainbow valued her pride more than almost anything else in Equestria, so saying it outrightly to her would doubtlessly result in Rainbow insisting she walk home by herself. And then, accidents would happen.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Fluttershy!"
"Goodbye! Be careful!"
"See you, Shy..."
Twilight and Rainbow left through the front door, one leaning heavily against the other. Fluttershy gave them a warm wave as they disappeared off over the hill leading away from her cottage and into the soft, orange sunset. She was thankful to have such good friends. One's she really cherished.
Several rays of evening sunlight shone through the gap in her curtains, illuminating an old, antique desk that sat in the corner of the room. It had a single drawer, which contained a single object she had put in there not too long ago.
Fluttershy frowned at it, then turned away. Out of sight, out of mind.
For now.