~20~
"Everything."
Fluttershy brought down her hooves, the vow being made.
“I’m so glad.” Fluttershy looked to Applejack, only to find that the cowpony had not spoken.
“I thought I was going insane.”
Fluttershy followed the trail of the voice, till her eyes fell upon Twilight; who had been looking at her the entire time.
“So much was changing, and no one seemed to notice, or even care. It made me so mad…it made me go crazy!” Twilight sat down on the floor, as she brought up her hoof and bit down on it. “So crazy and mad, that I even yelled at a close friend without a good reason.”
Fluttershy blinked. She cleared her throat, but it still felt so tight and dry.
The room was bathed in silence. Rarity looked between the two friends, a frown accompanying her features. “Has something… happened, that we’re not aware of?”
Twilight’s gaze went from Fluttershy to the stares of all her friends in the room. She gulped and crawled backward. “Sort of,” she muttered, before coming to a halt. “Yes. A lot has happened.”
“My-my-my!” Rarity exclaimed, coming to Twilight’s side, bending down so that their faces met. “What on earth could we have missed?”
Twilight looked away from Rarity; turning her head away from all their stares. The room seemed to grow, her friends growing along with it – except for Twilight, who remained just as small. Everyone looked down on Twilight.
They didn’t even know the full story, yet they looked down on her.
But who gave them the right to do so? Why are they allowed to look down? They way Rainbow and Applejack are looking at her, already forming a judgment that’s incorrect. How dare they think. To form an opinion before the suspect can even plead their case. Just because Twilight’s a guilty party, doesn’t make you a saint.
Oh, but how Pinkie and Rarity are frowning! Twilight doesn’t need your pity. You can’t forgive someone before hearing what they’ve gone through, even if you might’ve been part of their crime. Judge if you like, but don’t give Twilight sympathy yet. She doesn't deserve it. Nay. She doesn’t want it yet.
It’s only when a pony says they're ready, do they deserve pity or hatred. Isn’t that right, Twilight Sparkle?
Twilight took a deep breath, and then, spoke. “Heh. I’ve been such a silly pony.”
Everyone tilted their heads.
“The way I’ve been thinking about all of you. Heck, how I’ve been thinking about everything lately, it seems so… childish. Thinking about my feelings in the company of my friends has made me realize just how silly they are.”
“Blarcha!” Pinkie exclaimed, as she appeared next to Twilight, throwing a hoof around her neck. “Silly Twilight, feelings can't be ridiculous. Feelings are feelings, that’s just how they are. Now, the way you can react to them, can be silly, but the feelings themselves never are silly. But you making them silly causes them to be silly, you silly old dope.”
Twilight blinked twice; a blush had risen on her cheeks. “Thanks, Pinkie.” She scratched the side of her head. “I guess.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Either way, I owe you an apology for the way I acted, Fluttershy.”
“Oh my–” Fluttershy shook her head “– no apology needed Twilight. I was more worried about what was happening to you; I could never be mad.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Twilight nodded her head. “But I still can’t believe I let my feelings get that far. Truth be told, I’m still rather angry with everything, even if I don’t have a good reason to be.
“But, as for now, I’m just glad we’re all together again.”
Every smiled and came closer together, but it was Dash who flew in the middle. “I don’t get it! Just what the heck happened; what did we miss?
All eyes were on Twilight again. “Do I have to talk about it?”
“Not if you don’t want to,” Fluttershy said.
“That’s not fair!” Rainbow exclaimed. “You’re only saying that because you know what happen– HAHA” Dash met the floor, her eyes just above the ground.
Applejack spat the tail from her mouth. “Easy now, Rainbow. I don’t know the full story either, but from that parts that I’ve heard, it don’t sound like a pleasant tale.” Applejack looked to Twilight. “If you don’t feel like talkin’ about it now, than save your breath.”
“But you know as well as I, Twilight: that it isn’t good to bottle things in.”
Twilight sighed, looking off for just a moment. “Maybe if I hadn’t bottled it in from the beginning, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad.” She shook her head and faced her friends. “I guess, since the air is already awkward, that I can just spill everything out.”
Every sat on the floor, all eyes on her. But their gazes no longer caused her to frown, but their open ears made her smile. Smiling through the words that came next. “Not too long ago, Spike quit his job as my number-one assistant, and moved out.”
The expected gasps came, but Twilight gave no time for questions to be raised . “I’ll let him explain his reasoning for leaving, as it still doesn’t make sense to me. All I know is, when we started to drift, I put more of my reliance on Spike. And with him gone, I guess… no, I felt like I had no one to talk to. I tried talking to myself, but I couldn’t get that fire out from my belly. I became so mad, and then, Fluttershy came to give me a visit.”
Twilight giggled, the memory playing like a nightmare, only with no sound. “Sorry about that, again.”
Fluttershy giggled as well.
“But, it felt so lonely not having anyone to talk to. I know I could of visit any of you, that any of you would listen. But, I just couldn't get myself to do it.” Twilight took a breath. “Need somepony else? Ridiculous! I’m Twilight Sparkle – give me some books, and I can live the rest of my life alone.”
Twilight burst out into chuckles, though the chuckles grew into laughter. Her friends didn’t join in on this one, but she didn’t care: laughing felt good. Once the laughter died down, and the single tear extracted from her right eye did Twilight speak again.
“I almost reverted into my former-self; I almost forgot about the magic of friendship. But I’m so glad to have you all back – that some things will remain the same.”
Rarity had a few tears stream from her eyes, but she wiped them away. Pinkie released a damn of tears from her eyes and hugged Twilight with all her might. “Twilight?”
Twilight did not return the hug, her hooves the furthest thing from Pinkie. “Hmm?!”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard all night, and I love it.”
Twilight hoovered his hooved just above Pinkie. “Uh, thanks?”
Pinkie punched away her tears and replaced that frown with a smile. She stood up on two hooves, struck a pose, and then simulated.
“What the fa…” Twilight stopped, shook her head, and dropped the thought.
“Geez, Twilight,” Applejack began, “I can’t help but feel a bit reasonable for you being unhappy. Afterall, I’ve been thinking about you girls constantly; I should’ve used the time to go and check up on Y'all.”
“Hey,” Twilight said, “you can’t know I’m upset unless I tell you that I am. So it isn’t your fault.”
Applejack smiled, while Dash pointed a hoof out her open mouth. “Blargh, can you guys cut it with the feelsey-weelsey stuff?” The faces around Dash told her she was alone on the matter. “Fine then. Anybody else have something they want to share? Might as well get it out now!”
“Oh, oh!” Pinkie raised up her hoof.
Dash sighed. “Yes?”
“I’m worried about, Spike!”
“Oh,” Dash dropped her hoof, “that’s a good thing to be concerned about.” Dash supported her chin with a hoof, peering down into the wood of the floor. “So, what is going on with him anyways?”
“From what I hear,” Applejack began, looking to Fluttershy, “he’s living with you now.”
Everyone but Twilight looked to Fluttershy, who in turn, hid behind her mane. The only sight she could see, was Twilight frowning, looking down at her hooves.
“Yes, that’s correct. After Spike had left, he came to live we me until he got his things together. Though, he’s been relaxing more than then taking care of his problems.”
“As he should,” the voice came from Twilight, who hadn’t lifted her head, “he’s long overdue for a vacation.”
“Twilight…” Fluttershy whispered, losing her voice.
“Dah!” Rainbow exclaimed, gaining the attention of the room. “There’s no such thing as relaxation if you got worries on your mind. As a master in the art of relaxation, you gotta face the stuff you don’t want to first so that you can enjoy everything afterward.”
Twilight still didn’t raise her head.
“Rainbow’s got the point,” Applejack joined, “in that he’s gotta face up to whatever he’s hiding. But, I suppose as with Twilight, we’ve should’ve been better friends and kept a better eye on him.”
“Stuff in the past is history!” Rainbow cried. “All we gotta do now is just sit down and talk. Besides, Spike ain’t the type to get mad or hold a grudge, and I’m sure he’ll pour everything out once we ask what’s wrong.”
Pinkie began to laugh. “Silly! We can’t just go up to Spike and ask him what’s wrong; if anything, we have to see how he stands as a dragon. I mean, he’s superficially cool with us, maybe an exception being with Twilight, but I’m not sure which one of us he trust.”
Pinkie then looked to Twilight. “Sorry about that comment, by the way.”
Twilight finally rose her head, giving it a little shake. “No worry. I’m just more surprised you knew the word superficial.”
Pinkie smiled, and Twilight tried to smile.
Applejack cleared her throat. “So, we have antisocial Spike hanging out in the barn alone. So I guess the question here is, who does he trust most in this room?”
Dash made no hesitation in answering, though her voice came almost like a whisper. “It used to be Twilight, but I doubt it now. There’s no way it’s me, and I doubt it’s Applejack. I don’t think Pinkie either.”
Before they had even selected a pony, Rarity was already making her way to the door.
“And where do ya’ you’re going?” Dash called out.
Rarity looked hover his shoulder and hummed. “To comfort Spike, of course. Afterall, he and I are the closets after Twilight – he spending most of his time at the boutique. I’m sure I can get him to talk, and I know I posses the wisdom to help him out.”
Dash went to speak, but the words were caught in her throat.
Rarity left, unhalted.
Dash sighed, casting her head down. “I was going to say; it is both you and Fluttershy.”
Rainbow dejectedly looked to Fluttershy, trying to say something through her expression. Fluttershy could grasp the thought, as she casted her head down. “No,” she said. “I think it would be best for Rarity to go to Spike. Even though we’ve spent some time together, he’s spent more of it with Rarity. Plus, I’d almost forgotten about his crush.”
All looked at the disappearing form of Rarity, not quite sure what to say next.
Except for Pinke. “Hey, did any of you meet the Falcon character? Seemed pretty suspicious to me!” All eyes were on her, causing Pinkie to shrink back. “I guess I should’ve mentioned that earlier?”
“Ah, kinda?” Rainbow said. She rubbed her face, sighing into her hoof.
“I suppose that’s something I too need to call out,” Applejack said, “as I’m the one who kinda told him where Fluttershy lived.”
Rainbow extracted the hoof from her face, which at this point, was boiling. With a scream, she let out all her anger.
“Just who is this Falcon guy!?”