Inflorescence

by Reptilicus

Versus curses in your eyes

Fluttershy generally didn't keep her life too well organized. She knew when the sun was coming up it was time for breakfast. When breakfast was over it was time to feed the early birds. After that it was time to tend to her garden and then the chicken coop. She would check eggs for signs of life. If they showed none she'd collect them. Sometimes if she had enough she'd sell them to Applejack or Pinkie Pie, who baked often. Eggs that showed life, and their mothers, would be moved to a second more secure coop where the eggs could be incubated and the chicks never separated from their parent. After this was done she'd fly up to the roof and make sure the bird feeders were full. With those early chores done, one of the two things would happen. If she was in need of groceries, she would head into town and shop at the various open markets, waiting patiently in line and chatting with townsfolk she knew, always as politely as she could. However if she wasn't in need of anything from the market, she would generally visit Rarity or Rainbow Dash. More often than not, it would be Rarity. The two would spend time discussing fashion, design, and spoiling themselves at the salon or spa. Rarity had a relatively large income and would often treat Fluttershy to these things, and in turn Fluttershy always made sure that Opal, Rarity's beloved pet cat, was always healthy and getting the best cuts of fish that Fluttershy could find. But with Rarity being out of town for almost a month now, Fluttershy often found herself visiting her old friend Rainbow Dash instead. Which was difficult. Dash was outgoing and loud and loved to get in fights and race around. Fluttershy preferred to sit quietly in the sun, enjoying the day around her. They often wore on each others nerves.

But that was just a vague guideline. Fluttershy generally didn't try to plan her days too much ahead. She ignored her calendar most of the time, and often had no idea what day it was. She liked the freedom of no schedules. No lists. No organization when it came to her life. She could do whatever she wanted any day she pleased if she felt like it. If someone in town needed her to check on a pet or sickly animal, she could drop anything she was up to easily and check it out. This was how her life had always been, and she hoped in some way always would be. Of course having such a lax system of doing things meant that when the time came to actually do something organized she kept second-guessing herself. Which meant planning her tea party for Twilight had gone from a simple list to a full fledged council amongst all the animals.

In the upstairs loft she sat, a piece of paper covered in inane scribbles and notes, surrounded by a large assortment of chickens, raccoons, chipmunks, and of course Angel who was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Okay, so....uh...." Fluttershy crossed out some more text on the sheet. "I think we've all come to the agreement that rooibos and chamomile tea blend would the best tea for the picnic. Yes? Are we all agree'd? Please raise your paws if anyone disagrees!"

One of the chipmunks fell over.

"Well now that the tea flavor has been sorted out, we can move onto the cookies. I know the original plan was some simple whole grain and oatmeal cookies but....those would probably not be very exciting. Not for Twilight, anyway. She probably eats way better cookies whenever she goes to Canterlot. We don't want to seem old hat. So I think perhaps some croissants with some lemon icing and honey on top would be nice. They're easy to make and very....um...regal! What do you all think?"

A raccoon in the back of the crowd sneezed loudly.

"Not a fan of croissants?" Fluttershy asked.

She was met with silence. The animals had no idea what a croissant even was.

"Oh dear. Well, I guess....." Fluttershy crossed out the croissant on the page. "....I suppose I could always make chocolate chip and hazelnut cookies. Or....maybe scones. Scones are more traditional with tea I think. Oh I wish I knew some of Pinkie's recipes. So I could make something elegant."

Angel exhaled a small loud squeak. It was rare that he made sounds, not being a very talkative type. In most cases ponies would find his shrill squeaking to be annoying, but Fluttershy's rare talent to understand animals meant she could hear what he said on a level most could never hope to.

"SHE'S NOT GONNA CARE." the rabbit squeaked angrily. "I'M HUNGRY."

"Maybe you're right, Angel. Twilight is my friend and I'm sure she's expecting the same sort of tea parties I usually host. I suppose I don't have to be fancy. Actually.....maybe being fancy might alienate her. I'm sure she's tired of being treated differently ever since she became a princess. I should make something nice and simple."

"MAKE ME FOOD SIMPLE! HUNGRY! MOVE BUTT! GO GO!" Angel squeaked, jumping up and down to get attention.

Once every blue moon Fluttershy got angry. It was a very rare sight. Like seeing a Sass-Squash. Or a ghost. And it was always very frightening. Fluttershy furrowed her brow and gave Angel the most damning look she could. The kind of look that turned one's blood to ice. Every frustration, sorrow, and wrongdoing the yellow mare ever experience were sent hurtling forward in a glance of pure rage that ponies simply called.......THE STARE. Effective on misbehaving animals and misbehaving children!

"Angel." Fluttershy spoke calmly and sternly, as her stare bore into him. "You are being very rude today and I already made you breakfast. I am very tired and worn out and now Twilight is coming over. You KNOW how I feel about this and her and the last thing I need is you making me stressed. So when Twilight is here you are going to be quiet and behave yourself like a good little bunny! Understand?"

The rabbit flinched and looked away shivering slightly before nodding his fluffy head. It was very rare he was scolded. After all, he was her favorite pet. For reasons nobody could ever really understand.

"Alright. Well I suppose I'll just do little scones to go with the tea. I hope she likes scones. It'd be unusual for a pony not to like those but you can never be too sure these days."

Two hours later found Fluttershy and several of her animals with their noses pressed up against the glass windows, staring out past the path near the stream, awaiting any signs of visitors. Her tea party was in the final stages of preparation right now. The tea was brewed and keeping warm in the pink kettle that she loved so very much. The scones, now a mere memory, had been replaced yet again by croissants which were baking in the oven, each with plenty of lemon rind baked right into the dough. And as the baked treats rose from their baking sheet, so did Fluttershy's anxiety. She stared out at the hills, seeing the sleepy town just beyond, her heart rate speeding up as the minutes passed. Feeling her throat become dry and her skin become cold as endless amounts of negative thoughts jigged merrily across her mind.

What if Twilight didn't come?

What if Twilight didn't even like tea parties?

What if Twilight had only flirted with Fluttershy just to get her hooves on the flower?

What if the flower WAS magical? What if it had hurt Twilight?

Twilight could be being eaten right now by a giant magical flower and nobody would know until it was too late.

Before Fluttershy knew it she was hyperventilating. The sweat poured from her brow, and into her mane and coat. She looked like a mess in a matter of moments. Angel held up a mirror, letting his master know she was getting far too worked up and looking less than appropriate. The pegasus sighed and breathed slowly. Calming her nerves and getting ahold of herself.

"No need to panic, Fluttershy." She whispered aloud. "This is the first date you've been on with a pony you actually like. And she likes you. Everything is going to be ok. Flowers don't eat ponies. You're just messing up your hair with all of this fretting."

She trotted upstairs to her bedroom and sat on the small knitted cushion that looked like a tree stump that she had made herself during one of her feverish knitting sessions. She glanced at herself in the mirror, wiping the cold sweat from her brow. She looked down at a small book that was hidden behind the mirror. It was a book that had managed to improve and ruin her life simultaneously quite some time ago.

Iron Will's Habits of Highly Effective Ponies

It was a good book. Fluttershy had taken some of the lessons to an extreme once, and harshly criticized her friends. Their relationships had never been the same since then, despite her attempts to mend it. Some kinds of hurt just don't go away and only time can make them better. That was the day she had closed the book and refused to follow it's lessons. And she was going to keep that promise to herself. But one of the book's slogans peeped back into her memory as she reminisced. It was a good book, and dangerous, but nobody would disagree it was great for building confidence. The slogan seemed to swim out magically into Fluttershy's vision as she thought about it.

"Being a mess is the cause of your stress. Looking your best is the dress for success. It's like playing chess. Just pound your chest. Show them you're the best. And then nobody will EVER dare think of you less."

It was a brutish slogan. But then, Iron Will was a very brutish minotaur. But he had a point, as he often did. If Fluttershy was hoping to feel confident, she was going to need to look the part. Luckily she had spent enough time in the presence of Rarity and the fashion world to know what subtleties she could partake of to improve her appearance. A bit of powder on her cheeks, a small curl to her eyelashes, a small dab of the amber eyeshadow she never got a good chance to use. Her hair rarely needed brushing but this was an important day! She felt a small tingle on her backside as she brushed. It was a familiar tingle that she knew was Angel, hopping his way up to the top of her head.

"Angel what are you....OH!" Fluttershy gasped in surprise as she saw one of her locks of hair fall in front of her face, a tiny white hibiscus with it's stem tied around the strand. In a few minutes Fluttershy had several of the white blooms sitting neatly in her hair, giving her a beautiful nymph-like appearance.

Fluttershy stood back, observing herself in the mirror.

"Oh, Angel, this was such a good idea!" Fluttershy cooed, picking up the small rabbit and hugging him. "They look so nice. Thank you!"

Angel grinned. He wasn't gonna get scolded again for a long long time. And if keeping his master happy was going to keep him happy, then he might as well help encourage this strange new fondness between her and the purple smart horse who comes over sometimes.

*************************

Twilight took a deep breath as she reached her hoof towards Fluttershy's door. It had been an exhausting night. Testing the flower into the wee hours of the morning before finally falling asleep. Spike had carried her to her bed before curling up on top of her tail. They had both woken very tired, but feeling like they'd made some real progress in understanding the properties of the flower. All this Twilight had documented with notes on scraps of parchment. She had taken these, graphs, and the flower itself and brought them with her. In her mind she had convinced herself that this meeting with Fluttershy would be as professional as possible. They would discuss her findings, enjoy a get together, and then call it a day. Twilight was going to stay in control of her emotions and not act weird or awkward. She was smart, she was collected, and now she was a princess. The least she could do is act like one.

The door swung open the moment Twilight's hoof had given it a single knock. The two stared at each other, their resolve gone, their trains of thought entirely derailed. Twilight's jaw worked but no sound came out.

"Hi Twilight." Fluttershy spoke, her voice almost inaudible. ".....um?"

"OH ACK!" Twilight coughed aloud, realizing she'd been staring. "Sorry sorry! Those flowers in your hair just....sorry. DISTRACTING!"

Twilight cursed inwardly. She hadn't been here more than a minute and felt silly. Deciding it would be best to get down to business, she calmly tried to walk inside the cottage.

"Oh, wait!" Fluttershy grabbed a small picnic basket and placed it on her back. "I think....that um.....we should have our tea outside. While we talk. If....if that's ok with you. We can go inside if you like."

"That's fine." Twilight mumbled. "Outside is fine."

The two made their way to a shaded area near the park. The sun was in just the right position in the sky to make the trees cast long shadows over the flowered hills. An acre or so away was the park itself, it's bright orange picnic tables sitting in the sun with nobody to occupy them. It seemed as if they had the whole place mostly to themselves. The privacy would be welcome in case something embarrassing happened.

The pink and teal blanket was unfolded and the small delicate croissants that had been drizzled with honeysuckle nectar were distributed on two paper plates. Twilight had a small white glass of dark green tea shoved into her face.

"Hmm. This is very good!" Twilight said, downing the cup. "What type of tea is this? I don't recognize the flavor."

"Thank you! Oh and it's ragweed flavor."

"I was unaware ragweed even had a flavor. I thought it was just a pest."

"Yes, I discovered it by accident and thought it was nice."

An awkward silence followed as Twilight and Fluttershy quietly ate. Twilight stared at the plate of food, afraid she'd do something weird if she looked up at Fluttershy again.

"Um....so.....did you find anything interesting about the flower?" Fluttershy asked, eager to get Twilight talking and end the silence.

"Oh right, the flower!" Twilight shouted, pulling all her notes and papers out of her saddlebag.

She plopped the flowerpot with the Pyrola in the middle of the blanket.

"So here's just a few snippets from my notes. Spike and I pulled an all-nighter on this thing. Which is why I'm not really looking my best. So first I simply measured the amount of magical energy output with a spell that Starswirl himself came up with. He originally used it to determine if another wizard was more powerful than he. I've never had the opportunity to really need to use it. It proved that the Pyrola Lunata Borealis is indeed magic. But the amount of power coming from it seems to be fluctuating. Whether that's of it's own accord or due to some outside forces, such as me tampering with it, I'm not entirely sure. It might also have to do with the flower's resistance to magic which I'll get to later. Originally I thought that perhaps it was terra magic. Something ancient and old like the hamadryad's used that quite a few historians believe might have created some of the first plants and trees on this side of the planet. No-one is really sure since they left Equestria a very long time ago."

Twilight took a deep breath, flipping her notepage over.

"So I tried exposing the flower to old terra runes in an attempt to evoke a reaction. In this case, trying to bless the flower with pure joy. Nothing substantial happened. No change in magical fluctuations. After that I decided to deduce if perhaps the flower was being enchanted by fey magicks like those created by the satyrs or spriggans. The creatures that changelings are descended from. I attempted to fire a few very light and mostly harmless classic hexes onto the flower. Vau, Aleph, Bacchus, Magus, Adept, and other ancient offense hex types. Not only did these not cause any magical disturbance to the flower, they didn't work period, Fluttershy. I KNOW these hexes still work. Spike accidentally managed to cast one on me once and I was sick in bed for a week with bees coming out of my nose. This meant the flower was immune to that type of magic. Really old magic that nobody really uses anymore."

Twilight pushed aside another paper, her brow furrowed. Fluttershy could feel the nerves on her spine tingling as Twilight's melodious voice continued to drone on about this strange research.

"Dark magic was next." she said quietly.

"Oh, Twilight." Fluttershy cried with a sad tone. "You didn't!"

"I know, I know, I shouldn't." Twilight muttered as she continued skimming her notes. "But I had to know, Fluttershy. I had to test literally everything. This meant things that....even though now we tend to forbid them, these spells used to be very common back in less civilized times. So I drew a decagrodon on the floor with some chalk and forest soil and used some very old chants. I tried the Mercury Incantation of Never Aging to see if I could freeze the flower in time and space. That didn't work. It froze the air around the flower but not the flower itself. Then I had to clean up all the frozen air which is very messy. After that I tried putting the flower on a circular talisman I drew and attempted to cast the Mi-Go Intonation of Soul. On creatures with consciousnesses, this spell is designed to remove their conscious or will, and place it into a small bubble that can then be manipulated, often called a Soulstone. For plants and less complex living things it tends to simply extract some life energy and put it into a very small bubble. As you can imagine, it's very forbidden for a reason. Outside of Celestia and I, nobody knows that spell. Then I tried hitting it with some of Sombra's dark manipulation beams."

"Okay....." Fluttershy had never heard Twilight speak in such great detail about any of her spells. It was frightening but also so exciting all at the same time. "So..... did that....work?"

"Nope!" Twilight quipped piling all the notes to the side and pulling out one last sheet of paper. "Now that I knew all the old magicks didn't work, it was time for something more modern and more scientific that has defined predictable results. I attempted a very basic humidity spell. I tried to turn the moisture in the air around the flower into dew. Very similar to what you pegasi do with clouds but on a much smaller scale. That worked."

"It worked?"

"Yes it did. After that I wiped it off, and did a very VERY drastically reduced lightning spell. Not very much. Just enough to get the electrons buzzing and get a bit of static electricity flowing through the plant. Then I flicked a small wad of dust at the leaves to see if it would stick. It did! Which meant the plant was susceptible to practical efficient pony magic. However it was also immune to any old unused types of magick. Which is very important because it supports your theory."

"My......my theory?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

"Well....Discord's theory." Twilight levitated the potted flower over to her body, turning it slowly as she studied it. "Fluttershy, the only reason this flower would and could be immune to elder magick is because it was MADE to be that way. And at the same time if it was immune to ancient spells, it should also be immune to modern ones like the types we use. But it isn't. This means that an equine created these flowers. And it couldn't be a changeling because their magic is always destructive to plants. The only pony that could have been around when these flowers were made, and have the knowledge to make them immune to dangerous old out-of-date magic would have to have been Celestia or Luna. That means that Discord was correct, Fluttershy. Either Celestia or Luna created this flower and also put safeguards on it's entire species just to be sure it would be around for as long as possible. These flowers have to be thousands of years old! And that means that...."

Twilight glanced up from the flower, feeling her heart leap in her chest and her muscles seize up. Fluttershy's eyes were gleaming, her light lanky wings fully outstretched. The rays of the sun pierced through her feathers, casting dozens of specks of light across the picnic blanket. The flowers in her hair gleamed as the sunlight pierced their semi-transparent forms, making them appear to glow as they framed Fluttershy's round grinning face.

"What?" Fluttershy asked, her throaty whisper completely drawing Twilight away from the waking world.

"You're a....g.. goddess." Twilight mumbled, the note falling from her hooves.

"I'm a what!?" Fluttershy asked, giggling loudly which snapped Twilight out of her reverie.

"What did I say? Oh I meant we need to VISIT the goddesses. Celestia and Luna. And see if one of them remembers making this flower. And if so, why?" Twilight wanted dearly to smack herself in the face as her cheeks went bright red.

"Do you think....that....maybe they hid this flower away? Twilight?"

"Hmm what?" Twilight shook her head again, trying to free herself from gazing at her friend. "Oh. No, I'm not sure what you mean exactly."

"Well......the Everfree Forest has always been dangerous, right? Even Celestia and Luna don't like it in there. So if everyone is afraid to go in there.....wouldn't uh......that be perfect? For hiding the flower?"

"That's a really good point, actually." Twilight set the flower back down on the middle of picnic blanket. "Why place something somewhere where almost nopony can find it if you didn't want it to be found. They could easily have destroyed this flower, and any other flowers of the same type in the forest. But they didn't. Yet they still hid it in there. Oh well! More things I'll have to bother Celestia about. Maybe I should write her a letter."

Twilight picked up a croissant and chewed it thoughtfully, trying to pretend to pay attention to the plant and not the massive social faux-pas she had just committed. She shivered as she she saw the blanket rustle, knowing Fluttershy had stood up, and twitched as she felt Fluttershy sit next to her, just close enough where their sides rubbed up against each other, sending small shock-waves through her nervous system. It took all her energy not to seem distracted as she felt her friend's head rest against her shoulder.

"By the way I'm sorry for my outburst." Twilight mumbled. "I keep....saying these stupid things when you're around. I don't know what's wrong with me. My diction just flies out the window."

"Um....d-did you mean what you said, Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered, her cool breath blowing up against Twilight's ear, causing the bookworm's purple wings to unfurl. "About me being a goddess?"

"I......yes. Yes I did." Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry. Fluttershy I keep trying to not think about what happened between us in the forest and it's not working."

"Why don't you want to think about it?"

"I'm....frightened a bit. I've never felt this way about.....well any pony. Anything ever in my life. And..."

Twilight turned to Fluttershy and for a moment their muzzles brushed against each other. Both ponies first instinct was to pull back. This was too close for comfort, especially out here in broad daylight. But nature and love had other plans.

"W....would you....l-like to snuggle...with....me?" Fluttershy squeaked. "Sorry if I-I-I-I'm being...um...pushy."

"No no! Actually I think that's an excellent idea. Or maybe its not... I can't be sure my mind is sort of swimming right now. I do really want to snuggle. Like REALLY REALLY. Let's snuggle near that tree over there. That seems like a prime spot. At the height the sun is at, the shadows of the tree should keep us hidden in case any of our friends show up. I'm not sure if I'm ready to explain to them all this....stuff. Are you?"

"Oh goodness.....no!" Fluttershy replied, grabbing Twilight's hair in her mouth and pulling the alicorn over into the shadow of the nearby oak.

And there they lay, wrapped in each other's arms and nuzzling excitedly, experiencing wonderful physical stimuli they'd never felt before. Several hundred miles away, a pony inventor had just completed his invention that could detect cuteness. His machine's 'cute gauge' immediately flew off the scale and exploded causing a small fire, overloaded with the amount of info it was being hit with from Ponyville. The inventor would never know what had broken his product. And Twilight and Fluttershy would never know that their snuggling was powerful enough to disrupt the natural order of cuteness that flowed across the landscape. They would also never know about the three pairs of eyes that were watching them at that very moment.

**********************

"Too many secrets, Gummy!" Pinkie whispered darkly.

The pink excitable pony with the curly poof of mane happened to be hopping happily through the park that day. Hopping happily was always one of the most important parts of the day for her. Generally if she wasn't hopping happily from one place to another, one could take it an ill omen. On this day, she happened to be happily hopping through Ponyville Park with her tiny pet alligator, Gummy. Pinkie was a bit of an airhead but she had the observational skill of a hawk at a salmon convention, able to pick up things most ponies would never notice.

So it only made sense that somehow, either due to clairvoyance or sheer luck, she happened to wander near enough to her friends to see them having a picnic. Her first thought being that no picnic was a REAL picnic without Pinkie Pie present. That simply would not do. Wherever there was a party, or a shindig, or a box social, Pinkie was THERE. However she stopped in her tracks when she noticed Fluttershy pulling Twilight next to a tree. Then dove into the bushes when she noticed the two of them appeared to be nuzzling. And not in the 'thank you' sort of way ponies usually did. But in the sort of way Mrs.Cake would nuzzle Mr.Cake when he was came home after a long day of delivering food.

"First Rarity told me a secret I can't tell. Then Applejack. And now we know another secret, Gummy." Pinkie sighed, turning away from the two ponies sitting a few meters away. "These two like each other, Gummy. And not in the normal way. But in the very very special somepony way. Now we can't tell anyone and they didn't even ask us not to tell."

She scratched her head pensively.

"But even though they didn't ask, we can't! They would say something to all of us if they wanted us to know! So they must not want us to know! Curses, Gummy! Curses! My head is so full of secrets it feels like it's going to explode!" Pinkie flopped onto her belly. "My tummy hurts. Too much smelly gossip. We need to get one of these ponies to talk, Gummy. I can't go on knowing all the thingies that I know. Too many secrets."

A flash of realization hit the pink mare. She sat up abruptly and held her pet alligator aloft, squinting with sincere suspicion into his blank stare.

"You don't have secrets do you, Gummy? SPILL THE BEANS, MISTER!"

The tiny alligator adjusted his eyes in a very chameleon-like motion and opened his toothless mouth, emitting a small hoarse squeak.

"That's what I thought! Good boy, Gummy."

As quietly as she could, which was difficult as Pinkie had a natural affinity for being incredibly loud, the pink mare slunk out of the bushes and resumed hopping happily down through the park, her pet alligator clinging to her neck like a koala. Pinkie had a plan to get one less secret out of her head. And since Rarity was out of town and Fluttershy and Twilight were....busy at the moment....she had to resort to pestering Applejack instead. Applejack was stubborn as a mule, but Pinkie was very convincing. Perhaps the most convincing pony in Ponyville.

********************

With a wistful sigh and a small grunt, Fluttershy pushed herself slightly farther up along Twilight's back so she could lay her head on the alicorn's neck, having already draped her torso over Twilight's shoulders. The two had been laying there for a while now, wordlessly. Fluttershy couldn't recall a time where she'd felt this comfortable and exhausted all at once. Twilight had felt the same way. Their surprisingly exciting hug session had eventually made its way back to the picnic blanket where the two now lay, panting quietly.

Bags were forming under Twilight's eyes, her lids seeming to droop. Her hair a mess, sticking out everywhere. Even her breathing seemed uneven. Her feathers were unkempt, badly in need of preening. Fluttershy felt a small pang of guilt. While Twilight was still beautiful, at this moment the purple alicorn seemed to be a bit of a mess. Was this Fluttershy's fault? This thought process, as it often did for Fluttershy, lead down an even darker line of thinking.

"Excuse me, Twilight..." Fluttershy whispered. "I wanted to ask you something. It's....sort of sensitive...."

"Ask whatever you please." Twilight grunted, flipping over to look Fluttershy in the face.

"Well...you know....as nice as this is. Us...being like this. Did you ever feel this way....before you became an alicorn?"

"I'd never really felt this way period, Fluttershy." Twilight rolled her eyes. "I spent so much time worrying about how much I knew I never took the time to get out of the Canterlot Archives and live. I always assumed I'd go looking for a mate after I completed my studies. But really I think.....I was just afraid of being social."

"I mean......" the yellow pegasus began to tremble. "What if....you only feel this way now....because something is wrong? Because you changed into this new form? What if this isn't real? What if..mmph!"

Twilight levitated a croissant into the air and shoved it into Fluttershy's mouth.

"That's silly, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled, leaning forward to plant a gentle kiss on her friend's forehead. "Honestly I haven't changed much at all since the transformation. I don't feel any more powerful. I don't feel like a Princess. I don't feel like the chosen one or whatever else ponies call me now. Outside of getting used to having these heavy wings on my back....I've felt the same. All that's changed is how ponies see me. Before I could fit into any crowds because I was the same as them. Now I stick out and everyone notices. Everyone expects me to save the world or perform miracles. To be the sort of charitable, social, outgoing pony that Celestia and Cadence are. But I'm not. I'm just....me. And it's been very stressful dealing with everyone overreacting to me....being me."

Fluttershy nodded.

"But here....now. This is the best I've felt in months, Fluttershy. I haven't felt this relaxed in a while. In these few days I've experienced so many new things I'd never felt before. I made out with a pony, romantically. I flirted. I even kissed a pony for reasons out of just being polite." Twilight nuzzled her friend. "You've made me feel more like a princess recently than these big wings and the formal gowns and crowns and trinkets ever did. So thank you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy felt her eyes overflowing with fluid as she managed to squeal, "You're welcome."

Tearfully the two embraced, which was the perfect opportunity that a small fuzzy stowaway had been hoping for. With the kind of agility that could only come from a small subtarranean mammal with powerful hind legs, Angel slipped out of the picnic basket. He had been hiding in it for quite some time, afraid to move. Angel was no fan of the mushy stuff, and had been trying not to gag as his master traded lovey-dovey talk with the purple horse he didn't mind as much as the other horses. It had been difficult, but he had succeeded in not giving away his hiding place, sitting quietly between a stack of napkins and knitted potholder. Now as he peered between two laces of the wicker picnic basket to see that the two ponies finally had their eyes closed, he knew his patience had paid off. His chance was here. With a few hops and a roll that would have impressed any athlete he had launched out of the picnic basket, Fluttershy's diary clutched in his fluffy white paws, and rolled into Twilight's saddlebag.

"I wish I knew why Celestia made my wings so...large." Twilight said with a sheepish grin as she and Fluttershy separated. "These things are a bit ungainly. And they make my shoulders sore."

"Well...." Fluttershy brushed her hoof along Twilight's wing. "All the pegasi used to have wings around this size, Twilight."

"Really?"

"MMmm Hmm. It was many generations ago. I think as we spend more time on the ground and in the presence of unicorns our wings are getting smaller and smaller. We probably won't have wings at all one day."

"That's.....kind of a sad thought." Twilight said with a frown.

"Yes...I guess it is."

***********************

Spike had the entire house to himself the whole day. And unlike the previous day where he'd been alone and beside himself with worry over Twilight, today he felt comfortable. As if he was now the king of the castle. A throne constructed of feather pillows and books had been assembled, and he sat smugly on top thumbing through one of his favorite storybooks. Having grown up in a library next to Twilight, he had a fondness for books. But not the dusty boring institutional tomes that his caretaker often flipped through. His preference had always been for flights of fancy, adventure stories, and comic books.

Spike looked up with a smile from the latest issue of the "Silver Stallion: Requiem" comic book to see a very disheveled but happy Twilight lope through the door.

"Well well well!" Spike smiled broadly, trying not to smirk. "How was Twilight Sparkle's first date ever in her whole entire life?"

Twilight grabbed the tiny dragon out his makeshift throne and tossed him into the air, catching him in her arms.

"It was wonderful, Spike. Elating. Majestic. Pulchritudinous!" Twilight giggled as she spun around, depositing Spike back into his throne, upside down as she cantered merrily out of the living room, dropping her saddle bag to the floor.

"I dunno what those words mean, but I guess that means you had a great time!" Spike replied, righting himself and finding his spot in the comic book again.

"Oh I did, Spike." Twilight sang as she flung open all the cupboards and began pulling out various odds and ends in the kitchen. "I haven't felt this relaxed and energized since....I'm not even sure. The Gala maybe. I feel happy enough to make us something for dinner instead of us going out like usual! How do you feel about bowtie macaroni and cheese tonight, Spike? I can put some of the leftover jasper stones in yours! I know how much you like them."

"You are speakin' my language, Twi!" Spike called, licking his lips. He did love jasper. Of all the gemstones there were, those had always been his favorite. Like little rock-hard chunks of heaven.

His joy came to an abrupt end as he saw a small fluffy white bunny come hobbling out of Twilight's pack, with a large weathered journal clutched in it's arms. Had anyone unfamiliar with Angel seen this, they might have thought this was their chance to follow a rabbit into the enchanted world of Wonderland, where everything was happy and nice. But Spike had dealt with this rabbit before, and wasn't entirely pleased to see it.

"Oh great. And what are you doing here? And why are you in Twilight's bag?"

Angel squeaked something that Spike couldn't understand and made a very rude hand gesture.

"Ugh. Hey Twilight!" Spike shouted. "Fluttershy's bad bunny is in your bag with your book!"

"My book?" Twilight asked, trotting into the room and lowering her head to be level with the rabbit. "This isn't mine. What is this, Angel?"

The rabbit quickly thumbed through several pages of the book until he arrived at the page he was looking for. Leaping up and down frantically, he eagerly pointed to a passage in the book for Twilight to read. It had been written a few days prior.

"March 17th, Year of Corvus 412

Twilight and I have stopped to rest for the night in the Everfree Forest. I pretended to sleep so that I could sneak away a little and write this. I'm watching her now as she sleeps and I write. It's been a long day. Bark barnacles attacked us and then a thunderstorm struck......"

Twilight skipped down to the bottom, not entirely eager to recall some of the embarrassing events of that day.

"......I never thought I'd feel this way. I started thinking that maybe love like the way Rarity describes it wasn't real. Like it was just some form of lust. And all the wonderful things I'd ever read about it in books was just wishful thinking. But I was wrong. This is the strongest thing I've felt in my entire life. It's intoxicating. I wish I had the bravery to say how I felt. But I'm not sure I should. Twilight was so upset after I explained what her wings were doing. I was afraid she'd never want to speak to me or anyone ever again. But since then she's changed. She seems almost happy about it all, but frightened. I'm frightened too. I don't want to lose a friend as special as Twilight. I've never had many friends, and the ones I have mean so much. I'd hate for Twilight to think I was taking advantage of her during these stressful times. So for now I'm going to be quiet. Which is easy for me because I'm always quiet, too scared to speak. I'll wait quietly and see how things pan out. Try not to encourage it. See what happens and hope. Just hope Twilight will one day like me as much as I like her. I shouldn't be writing this. I should be asleep or trying to protect the Pyrola Lunata Borealis. But I can't. All I can think about is this lavender pony. I think lavender has become my new favorite color."

Twilight grinned sheepishly as she closed the book and handed it back to Angel.

"Well Fluttershy certainly has a way with words." Her expression turned stern. "But I already DO like her, Angel. There was no need to show me this passage. And certainly no need to show me her private diary."

The rabbit frowned and kicked at a small dust pile on the floor.

"You know she's probably wondering where her diary is." Twilight gave the rabbit a gentle pat. "And I'm sure she's also wondering where you went to as well, Angel. Worried sick about where you've gone to. When you'll come home. If you'll come home."

Angel felt terrible. He had hoped showing the purple horse this diary would help make it infatuated with his master. But now he learned that he was too late and it had already happened, making his plan and trip redundant. He had wasted the whole day. And worse, now his master was probably sad because he was missing, and would scold him when she found out he'd taken her special book.

A moment later the door to the library burst open, with a terribly frightened looking Fluttershy stumbling in.

"Twilight! Spike! Have either of you seen Angel? I think he might be missing and oh......he's here."

Twilight took note of the rabbit's grievous expression. With a quick zap of magic she had teleported the book out of the library and as close to Fluttershy's cottage as she could manage. Teleporting objects was always tricky when one couldn't see the destination with one's own eyes. But the book landed safely out in the lawn of Fluttershy's cottage where it was quickly beset by a group of ladybugs, eager to read through it and gossip amongst themselves.

"H-hey Fluttershy." Twilight mumbled with a crooked grin. "Yeah he's here. I think Angel smelled the macaroni I was making and decided he wanted some."

"Oh." Fluttershy whispered, pawing the welcome mat with her hoof.

The bright yellow pegasus looked up at Twilight and an awkward silence fell over the room. Spike glanced between the two mares, raising an eyebrow. Shaky knees? Check. Visible nervousness? Check. Tongue-tied? Check. Unable to break eye contact? Check. These two had it bad, and it was going to be up to Spike to help move this along, or else he'd never get macaroni and these two would never move beyond this awkward stage. For a moment Spike face-palmed before finally walking in front of Fluttershy and waving to get her attention.

"Fluttershy....what Twilight MEANT to say...." He began, politely smiling. "...is that she was wondering if you'd like to help us prepare dinner."

"Yeah....dinner." Twilight mumbled, blushing.

"Oh....." Fluttershy glanced down at Angel for guidance, to be met with the rabbit rolling his eyes and nodding vigorously. "Yes I'd love to Twilight. I don't really know how to make....macaronis. I usually just make....you know....veggie stuff."

"Well I will just have to show you how." Twilight replied.

The two ponies made their way to the kitchen giggling quietly and, as soon as they were out of the line of sight of their wards, nuzzling happily thinking the dragon and rabbit were none the wiser. Spike shook his head at the embarrassing display. It was like watching two small children trying and failing to hide a crush from their friends. But at least Twilight and Fluttershy were happy. And he and Angel had managed to convince Fluttershy to stay over. He glanced at Angel and gave the rabbit an approving nod, as if to say that he now knew that the two of them were on the same page. Angel nodded back, approving of Spike's decision. And so Spike went back to reading his comic book, now joined by a small fluffy bunny that sat on the armrest of his makeshift throne of pillows. The bunny couldn't read very well but he did like the pictures in the story.

*************************

The moon was beginning to go down by the time Spike's favorite radio show had come to an end. He hadn't really been listening, trying to distract himself from the sounds on the couch with his comic. After they'd finished eating dinner, Spike had switched on the radio while Fluttershy and Twilight had sat on the couch, whispering to each other just quietly enough where he couldn't hear what they were saying. He was thankful for that. Occasionally he'd hear the quiet peck that let him know the two ponies were kissing. Despite his occasional calls of "can you two tone it down?" the sounds had continued. He knew there'd be no chance of him getting any sleep while hearing Twilight make out with one of her best friends only a few feet away from the basket he slept in.

He closed the comic and glanced over at the couch, seeing precisely what he'd expected. Twilight, still looking tired and stressed in her sleep, laying on her belly. Fluttershy lay perpendicular across Twilight's back, her wings protectively wrapped around Twilight. It was sweet, and Spike probably would have appreciated it more if it hadn't interrupted his sleep schedule. He grabbed a blanket and draped it over the two of them, noticing that Angel had managed to wrap himself in Fluttershy's hair. As much as he disliked the rabbit, he couldn't deny how happy and peaceful the bunny seemed. It reminded Spike of when he'd been really little, how he loved curling up in Twilight's bangs, feeling safe and cozy.

"Sorry I can't tuck you in, Spike." Twilight whispered with a very slurry sleepy voice, apparently still slightly awake. "I'll make it up to you."

"It's ok, Twilight." Spike replied, blowing out one of the candles. "It's just nice to see you relaxed and happy. You haven't really been either of those things since...y'know. The coronation."

"Yeah, I know."

"Maybe, Twilight.....you should just.....take a break for a while and just hang out with Fluttershy. Ever since you became a princess it's been like....old times again. When you would never have time to leave the library. Always working and studying. I didn't like those times."

"I think that's a good idea, Spike. When I get up I'll write Celestia a letter, so she knows I'm taking a vacation. A long vacation. Then Fluttershy and I can hang out until we get sick of each other." Twilight chuckled slightly, followed by a yawn. "But for now I think I'm just gonna go to bed. Goodnight, Spike."

"Goodnight."

Comments

[Lore Horse]

Once every blue moon Fluttershy got angry. It was a very rare sight. Like seeing a Sass-Squash. Or a ghost. And it was always very frightening. Fluttershy furrowed her brow and gave Angel the most damning look she could. The kind of look that turned one's blood to ice. Every frustration, sorrow, and wrongdoing the yellow mare ever experience were sent hurtling forward in a glance of pure rage that ponies simply called.......THE STARE. Effective on misbehaving animals and misbehaving children!

And all I can see is this scene from Ghost Rider.
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