The kettle’s scream cut through the silence of the cottage. Fluttershy rushed over, snatching the handle and pulling it off the stove before it could wake any of her animal friends. She sighed. It had been a long day; all of the animals—Angel especially—had been difficult, and she needed some time to relax.
Fluttershy poured herself a cup of tea, then lay down on her sofa and sipped her tea. Now this is nice, she thought. She stretched, feeling the tension in her muscles fade just a bit.
The quiet seemed almost jarring in the wake of all the chaos that had filled the place earlier. Discord hadn’t even been around—Celestia had requested his presence in Canterlot, probably to keep an eye on him.
With the animals asleep, it was actually a bit lonely in the cottage. Fluttershy probably could have remedied this by cuddling one of the baby animals, but they really needed their sleep. She couldn’t ignore their needs just for the sake of having some company.
She brought the cup back to her lips, only to find it empty. That had been quick. Fluttershy sighed again. She hadn’t even taken the time to fully enjoy it. Still, she had boiled enough water to make at least a cup or two more…
A series of knocks intruded upon the silence. Tilting her head, Fluttershy walked over to the door.
Twilight stood just outside, bearing a nervous grin. A telescope hovered at her side, and she was wearing saddlebags.
“Hi, Fluttershy.” She fidgeted. “Um, I know it’s late, but would you happen to know of any good places to go stargazing outside of town?”
Fluttershy blinked. “Don’t you have an observatory in your new castle thing?”
“Well…” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her neck. “It turns out that with all the lights on at night, there’s too much light pollution, at least for most astrological sights.” She sighed. “If I can’t see anything, there’s no point in looking.”
“I suppose not.” Fluttershy rubbed her chin. “There is one spot… I sometimes go there and just look at the stars.”
“Really?” Twilight’s ears perked up. “Could you show me it?”
Fluttershy looked back inside the cottage. Nothing stirred, and she heard no noises save for Harry’s snoring. Turning back, she smiled. “Yes, I think I can.”
Twilight grinned. “Great! Lead the way.”
…
The path was hardly noticeable, given away only by the slight bend of a small patch of grass or by the snapped end of a tree branch. Fluttershy trod lightly to try and keep it that way, noting that Twilight did the same. Well, tried, anyway. Walking on paved streets apparently didn’t offer much opportunity for a pony to practice that skill.
Faint roaring could be heard from the deeper part of the forest, and Fluttershy heard Twilight’s slight panting just behind her. Twilight was so close behind that Fluttershy was certain she felt her friend brush up against her once or twice.
The path curved to the right, back toward the edge of the forest. She heard Twilight breathe a sigh of relief as they walked away from the roars.
The trees and tall grass gave way to a wide, flat clearing where the grass was shorter and, more importantly, the sky was clear.
“Here we are,” Fluttershy said quietly.
Twilight looked around, eyes wide and mouth agape. “It’s perfect,” she whispered. She turned to Fluttershy. “Thank you.”
Fluttershy smiled. “You’re welcome.” She watched as Twilight unfolded a blanket.
“Hey, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy turned to see Twilight’s sheepish grin. “Um, would you mind staying around? I’m not sure I’ll be able to find my way out on my own.”
It seemed rude to point out that Twilight could teleport out. Maybe something prevented that, like the Everfree blocking most magic. If that was the case, Fluttershy could certainly understand the fear of being lost in the Everfree. Goodness knows I’ve almost gotten lost before. At any rate, it seemed like a better option than sitting home alone.
“Okay.”
Twilight smiled at her, patting the spot beside her. “C’mon, there’s plenty of room for two!”
Fluttershy walked over and laid down beside her friend. The blanket was very soft. She imagined that it must have been made of high-quality cotton or some other material.
Pulling something out of her saddle bag, Twilight scooted closer. “I brought a thermos of hot cocoa. I don’t have any cups, though. I hope you don’t mind.” She bit her lip.
The thought of sharing a drink—pressing her lips against something Twilight’s lips had touched—made her face heat up. “I don’t mind,” she said without a thought.
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Good,” she said. She took a sip, then passed it to Fluttershy, who also took a sip. Fluttershy looked over into Twilight’s sparkling violet eyes. She felt warm inside—much warmer than a sip of hot cocoa should have made her feel.
“So, um, what exactly are you looking for, Twilight?”
Twilight looked up at the stars. “According to my calculations, there should be a meteor shower tonight.” She sighed. “Of course, they’re not always easy to predict, so I brought this—” she picked up the telescope “—just in case I couldn’t get a good view... but I don’t think I need it.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “You picked a really good spot.”
The compliment made Fluttershy feel like she was floating off the ground.
Twilight, however, was still too absorbed in the sky to notice. Propping her head on her hoof, she turned to Fluttershy. “The meteor shower could take all night, Fluttershy. Do you still want to stay?”
Smiling softly, Fluttershy nodded. “I don’t mind. The animals won’t need me till morning.”
Twilight grinned. “Good. I’d really like the company.” She rolled over onto her back, prompting Fluttershy to do the same. They each took another sip of cocoa.
Despite the constant chirp of crickets and occasional hoot of an owl, they sat in near-silence. Every so often they’d take turns with the thermos, or a breeze would rustle the trees and make them shiver, but it was mostly still as they sat and looked at the stars.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Fluttershy said, turning to Twilight.
Twilight smiled slightly. “It sure is. Although...” Her smile turned to a smirk. “Don’t tell Princess Luna, but it’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Fluttershy sat up. “What is the prettiest?” she said, but Twilight was already digging through her saddlebags again.
She pulled a small plastic bag out. “Sandwich?”
Fluttershy took the sandwich, softly taking a bite. “Mmm, daisies! My favorite,” she said, turning to Twilight.
Twilight smiled. “Mine too,” she said, grabbing one for herself.
They sat there for a while, quietly eating their sandwiches, before Fluttershy gasped and pointed up.
“Look!”
A small trickle of meteors flashed across the sky before blinking out.
“Make a wish, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy closed her eyes. Laying here, side by side with one of her best friends whom she had shared a wonderful evening with, she knew without a doubt what she wanted more than anything. She wondered if Twilight had wished for the same.
She opened her eyes, looking over to see Twilight just looking up at the sky. She tilted her head. “Aren’t you going to take notes or something?”
Twilight laughed. “I already did a study on meteor showers years ago.” She leaned in closer. “Now I’m studying if wishes upon meteors come true.”
“What’s the wish?”
Twilight laughed again. “Everypony knows that telling someone a wish makes it lose its magic!” She smiled. “Results are inconclusive so far, but I feel optimistic.”
“Ah.” Fluttershy rolled back over. “I hope you get your wish, Twilight.”
“Me too,” Twilight said, sighing. She grabbed the thermos, only to open it up and look inside. Frowning, she rolled over and said, “It looks like we’re out of cocoa, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy bit her lip. A cold gust wind blew over her, making her shiver. “How are we going to stay warm then?”
“Well…”
Twilight fidgeted. “I could fold the blanket over us, but we’d have to get really close to make that work.”
Fluttershy thought she saw her face redden.
“So… basically we have to cuddle really close to keep warm?” Invasive thoughts of being flank-to-flank with Twilight filled Fluttershy’s mind, and she wasn’t sure she wanted them to stop. She did, however, wish that her face would stop getting hotter. If faces could get hot enough to catch fire, she was pretty sure she’d burn down the Everfree soon enough.
“That’s one way of putting it.” Twilight bit her lip. “But only if you’re okay—”
Fluttershy moved closer, almost pressed up against Twilight. She heard Twilight exhale, then felt the blanket fold over both of them. Twilight shivered, apparently out too far, and slid over. Now they were pressed against each other.
Twilight felt warm against Fluttershy’s side. Her muscles were tense, but she relaxed them when Fluttershy smiled at her. She smiled back.
The flashes in the sky did little to light the field, but Fluttershy saw them reflected in Twilight’s deep violet eyes. Those deep violet eyes stared back, wide with surprise. Fluttershy felt herself lean in, and soon everything was purple as she closed her eyes and kissed her friend.
Twilight inhaled sharply and pulled back a bit, but Fluttershy opened her eyes to see Twilight smile and go in for another kiss. The meteor shower was forgotten. This flash of light was the only one that mattered as their lips met and melted and became one, before they had to pull away to breathe.
Fluttershy panted softly. “Wow…” she whispered.
Twilight giggled. “Wow, indeed.” Fluttershy felt Twilight nuzzle her cheek, felt her breath on her neck.
“I got my wish,” Fluttershy whispered in Twilight’s ear.
“Mmm… I got mine too.”
The two giggled, holding each other close as the meteor shower neared its end. Every flash reflected in their eyes. Fluttershy found it hard to turn away from Twilight, however.
Finally, they were left in darkness. “The shower’s over,” Fluttershy said. Despite having Twilight in her hooves, she felt a little bit colder.
Twilight smiled coyly. “Well, there’s a new moon tomorrow if you want to see that.”
“I would love to.”
The two kissed then slowly got up and started the walk back, their wings wrapped around each other the whole way.