//------------------------------// // Sleepover Begins // Story: Shy Words // by Ryuler //------------------------------// Twilight was relaxing on the couch in her cozy library home, reading a book to pass the time. She glanced at a clock mounted on the wall, and realized it was nearly 10 minutes 'till 8pm. She took a moment to scan the room, assuring that it was clean, as she was awaiting Fluttershy for their sleepover that night. Spike had already taken refuge in his basket upstairs, and was peacefully asleep for the night. Twilight finished a few more pages of her book before she heard a knock on the front door. Knowing who it was, she immediately marked her page, placed the book on the correct shelf, and opened the door. "Hello Fluttershy, so glad you could make it!" she greeted her friend with a smile "Thank you for inviting me," the pegasus replied. Twilight gestured her winged friend to step inside, and she gently shut the door behind her. Fluttershy hesitantly took a seat upon the couch in the middle of the room. She took a moment to admire the interior of the library. She had been there many times before, however, the amount of books and antiques Twilight had stored in her home were still fascinating. It seemed as if the walls were stocked with pages of eternal knowledge. Fluttershy hummed a gentle tune to herself, quietly, as she awaited Twilight to join her on the couch. "How did everything go with Angel and the others?" the unicorn asked "Oh, it went well. I'm just so glad I can help those poor animals." "You do have quite a gift when it comes to providing care for them." Fluttershy smiled at Twilight. They sat together on the couch, a respective distance away from each other, when silence fell upon the both of them. Twilight with little to say or ask, sat quietly, and took a few glances around the room. Fluttershy simply hid behind her hair and stared at the floor. "Well," Twilight broke the silence "Are you hungry or thirsty? I can get you something if you'd like." "Oh, I would like just a little bit of tea, I mean, if that's ok." Twilight placed a hoof on her own mouth and giggled slightly "Alright." she said, as she pushed herself from the couch, and walked into the kitchen. Some cluttering could be heard from the kitchen, and a few moments afterwards, Twilight returned to the couch. "Kettle is on the stove, warming up," she informed. Once again the silence had returned to the home. Twilight had a few things planned for the night, but didn't propose any of her ideas, unsure of what Fluttershy may think. Twilight placed a hoof on her own chin, contemplating a few possibilities. Desperately looking for a way to break the silence, and to entertain her friend, she crafted an idea in her mind. "Hey Fluttershy, I got a game we can play." She explained. "Guess who I am." Twilight leapt off the couch, and quickly grabbed a curtain from a nearby window. She wrapped the curtain around her neck, and began to trot about the room. "Bow down to me, for I am great and powerful! The most powerful insensitive jerk in all of Equestria!" She announced in a voice of mockery. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle. "Trixie sure is one of a kind." "You said it," Twilight laughed a bit herself "Can I try?" Fluttershy politely asked. "Of course." Twilight unwrapped the curtain from around her neck, and folded it neatly before setting it down on the floor. In the meantime, Fluttershy had left the couch Twilight had returned to, and was standing in front of her. "Oh, look at me. I'm so cool and awesome," she proclaimed as she lifted her head in the air and placed a hoof on her own chest. "You are all so lame, and I'm so cool and... cool!" Even when Fluttershy was mocking someone, she was so graceful in her tone and posture. Twilight tilted her head slightly, observing the sight in front of her until it finally hit her "Oooh, Gilda?" Fluttershy nodded joyfully, giggling as she did "Yeah. You don't think I was too mean did you?" Twilight simply laughed. Here the two of them were making fools of themselves impersonating individuals they disliked, and Fluttershy was concerned of displaying too much negativity. "Not at all Fluttershy, we're just having fun is all," Twilight reassured her, and gave her a smile. Moments of laughter went by, filled with the two of them impersonating others. A few times, Twilight was worried they were making too much noise for Spike to remain in his slumber. However, they were having too much fun, and Twilight somewhat pushed the miniscule worries from her mind. Their activity was interrupted by the whistle of the kettle in the kitchen. Twilight hastily entered the kitchen to remove it from the stove. She telepathically retrieved two small tea cups from the cupboard, and placed them on the counter. She carefully poured the hot water into each cup equally, and began mixing the herbal remnants used to make tea into the cups. She added a couple spices and other additives to perfect the flavor of the tea. Fluttershy entered the kitchen, attracted by the aroma of Twilight's creation. "Wow, that smells great," she complimented Twilight placed the cups on a small table and invited Fluttershy to sit down. They took their seats, and began sipping the hot tea. "Do you like it?" Twilight asked "Oh yes, very much. Thank you Twilight." Fluttershy truly enjoyed the flavor. It was sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. It smelled like fresh herbs and honey. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste, almost lost in her cup of tea. "Wow Twilight. This is actually very very good." She complimented again. "Thanks. I was a little worried how it would turn out, but I believe I did well enough." "You most certainly did." They enjoyed their herbal delights while they shared a nice conversation. They mutually acquired substantial knowledge about each other's preferences and dislikes, as well as various childhood memories. "I enjoy reading more than most activities. Especially when I was younger, my parents could never get me outside. All I wanted to do was read." Twilight shared "Oh. I was always afraid to go outside and explore. Rainbow Dash loved it though, but I didn't." Twilight took another sip of her tea "So what does it truly feel like to live up in the clouds, and look down at all the earth ponies below?" "Well it was mostly scary. I was always afraid of falling. Even though I could fly, I still feared falling off." "But it just seems like it would be a wonderful experience to live up there in Cloudsdale for a while." "I don't miss it too much." Twilight laughed at took another sip of her tea, which was near complete depletion. "Fluttershy, you truly are intriguing." Twilight stated as she smiled. "Is...that a good thing?" "Of course it is. You're a very interesting pony." "Thanks." Fluttershy sipped the remaining essence of her herbal treat. "That was really good Twilight, thank you." Twilight nodded and swallowed the last bit of her tea as well. She then removed the tea cups from the table, and put them to rest in the sink. "So Fluttershy, what do you want to do now?" There was a short silent interval of mutual contemplation. A few moments later, Twilight surfaced another idea. "We could bake something. Like a cake or cookies, that seems like fun." Even though Twilight had attained baked goods earlier that day, she felt that practicing the culinary arts with a companion would be an enjoyable experience. "Ok," Fluttershy agreed Twilight gathered the necessary ingredients to make one dozen chocolate chip cookies. She placed everything she needed on top of the counter. She turned the oven on, and proceeded to mix the batter. She began by pouring flour, salt, baking soda, and other various items into the mixing bowl. Fluttershy assisted by breaking 2 eggs, and emptying the contents into the bowl as well. Twilight murmured to herself as she crafted a bowl of increasing sugar content. The amount of activity and clutter created quite a mess, as flour and other ingredients spilled and flew about the room. This incented laughter among the two friends. "And some brown sugar, and butter, and cinnamon." Fluttershy poured 2 cups of chocolate chips into the mixture, along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Satisfied with their creation, Twilight mixed all of the culinary elements together, creating a thick, smooth batter. Using her magic, she carefully poured 12 equally sized circular formations of batter onto the tray, evenly distributing each unit. Fluttershy opened the oven door, and Twilight placed the tray inside. Fluttershy closed the door, as Twilight set a timer for 15 minutes. After returning the remaining ingredients to their original locations in the kitchen, the two ponies stopped to examine each other. "Wow, we sure did make a mess. My mane is full of... whatever got in there." Twilight shuffled through her mane, gently tugging small bundles of her messy hair. Fluttershy let out a small sneeze as she inhaled some flour that was on her nose. Twilight giggled slightly at her friend then she started washing her hooves in the kitchen sink. Fluttershy sneezed a few more times, and grabbed a small washcloth to wipe her nose. "Well that's not going to work," Twilight said, and turned off the water. "Let's go wash all this off, I'll get a bath started." Twilight proceeded to exit the kitchen, but Fluttershy stopped her "Wait... you mean. for the two of us?" Twilight took a short glance behind her and replied "Well yeah. What's the... oh..." Her words came to a halt, realizing how awkward that must have sounded. "Well we're friends aren't we? It shouldn't be that much of a problem." She reassured. She waved her hoof at the pegasus, gesturing for her to follow.