5. Confrontation
Everypony had strange dreams, but as Fluttershy woke up, she had to wonder what that last dream had been about. All she could recall was this recurring image of herself and Twilight, wrapped up in a fine white blanket, as cozy as could be. But then there was something about the blanket also being a very sticky silk, and Rarity was a giant spider spinning her web around them, cooing the entire time…
Fluttershy groaned and buried her head underneath the pillow. Her therapist back in Fillydelphia would have a field day with that dream.
Blinking, she lifted her head and glanced around the room. Another moment passed before it finally sunk in that she wasn’t in her own bedroom.
“Oh, my,” Fluttershy whispered. She sat up immediately, kicking off the covers and wiping away the loose strands of hair that had fallen onto Twilight’s pillow. But her hoof lingered on the warm pillow, bringing a sad smile to her face.
That wasn’t a dream, she reminded herself. For the first time in her life, Fluttershy had finally admitted having a crush on somepony—and she’d acted on it, too! Dr. Freiberger would’ve called that a “massive step forward.”
But when she considered how late in the day it was, Fluttershy’s good feelings dissipated. Somewhere, downstairs or outside the library, Twilight and Rarity were having a chat. A very serious talk about Fluttershy and how Twilight felt about her. And when she pictured that, all Fluttershy could see was Rarity crying. Again.
First with Photo Finish, and then with Iron Will… Fluttershy buried her face into her hooves, letting her tail wrap around her like a security blanket. Why is it every time I try something new, I only end up making my best friends cry?
And then she heard voice comment inside her head. An old and bitter voice that she’d been hearing all her life. Just stop it, Shy. You’ll only hurt somepony if you can’t do better than that.
Her father’s voice felt so real that Fluttershy almost started crying herself. But her mother had taught her how to hold back. Biting down on her lip, she counted backward from three and felt the tears dry up. Her head and her heart still ached for release, but they could wait until she was safe in her room.
Let’s go home, her mother’s kind voice whispered in her ear. Fluttershy imagined Posey’s hoof stroking through her mane, brushing out all the knots and tangles. You’ll feel better, I promise…
Perhaps that would be best. Fluttershy hopped out of Twilight’s bed. She paused long enough to clear away any loose feathers and hairs, and then remade the bed as neatly as she could.
Spreading her wings, Fluttershy rose into the air and pulled the curtains open. With another nudge, she pushed the double windows open, letting a deep chill into the room. Fluttershy quailed for a moment, but right then, the autumn breeze felt better than all the pain bottled up inside.
Home, she told herself. I’ll feel better once I’m back home.
With two quiet wing-flaps, she left the bedroom and headed outside. But as her rear legs kicked the windows shut behind her, Fluttershy tasted something bittersweet in her mouth. She lifted a hoof to her lips and inhaled slowly.
Memories of that beautiful kiss with Twilight overwhelmed her, almost knocking her off-course. Fluttershy had half a mind to race back inside and throw herself into Twilight’s forelegs for one last kiss.
“I hope you can forgive me, Twilight,” she whispered and turned to leave once more.
With time, she could put this all behind her. Chalk it up to another strange dream.
Twilight poured another cup of tea and floated it over to Rarity. Now that lunch was over, they finally had the library to themselves. Sweetie Belle had gone outside with Spike to run around and practice some more magic, with Spike borrowing an old checklist from Twilight’s kindergarten days to keep track of the filly’s progress. Seeing them leave together had been sweet, but it also felt like all the joy was leaving the library.
Seeing Rarity’s tender smile was only making it harder for Twilight to stay focused. She had to be smart about this. One wrong move and she’d send Rarity running back to Carousel Boutique in tears.
Thinking of Fluttershy asleep in her room put Twilight at ease. It was a pleasant thought that didn’t have any romantic connotations. Only a peaceful image to reflect on. She allowed herself a smile and took a sip from her own teacup.
“So, darling,” Rarity said, turning away from the tea set on the table that she’d been admiring, “what is it that you wanted to talk about?”
“It’s about Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, flinching as that lovely name escaped her mouth. Why would such a beautiful name hurt? It didn’t seem right. “It’s about why she came over and what happened upstairs.”
Rarity nodded and took another sip of tea.
“I…” Twilight ducked her head. “Well, the truth is… I kissed her.”
“Oh, well, that’s…” Rarity’s polite grin suddenly dropped. Her eyes went wide as the truth finally registered. “Wait a minute. You kissed Fluttershy?”
Twilight winced. “Well, technically she kissed me first. J-just on the cheek. And then, when she said that she had feelings for me, I… um…”
The teacup that had been floating beside Rarity suddenly fell. A last-minute wave of magical energy caught it before the cup could smash into the table. Twilight felt every drop of tea that splashed over the rim and soaked into the wood below. Each splash was a tiny dagger being thrust right into her heart.
When she looked up, she saw that Rarity was shaking from mane to tail. Twilight wanted badly to throw her forelegs around her, stroke her mane, and whisper that she was sorry and could she please be forgiven. But she doubted Rarity was going to be in a forgiving mood just yet.
Or ever, that cynical voice in her head added.
“I wish I could say I was kidding, but I’m not,” Twilight added, trying to fill the painful silence in the library. “I don’t want to break your heart, but I’ve got feelings for Fluttershy, too.” Her head dipped toward the table. It wouldn’t do to let Rarity see the tears welling up in her eyes. “You deserve better than me, Rarity. I refuse to keep this a secret from you, so if you want to leave… I won’t stop you.”
“Sweetheart…”
Lifting her eyes, Twilight noticed the hurt expression on Rarity’s face. She’d expected that. But she hadn’t counted on the hoof that Rarity extended toward her.
It took a second for Twilight to muster up the courage and take Rarity’s hoof into her own. She blinked back her tears and marveled at how warm it felt. Warm and soft like Fluttershy’s lips—
No! Twilight shouted at her subconscious. Bad Twilight! Stay on task!
Meanwhile, Rarity was sitting perfectly still. She let out a gentle sigh. “You might find it hard to believe, but I’m seriously fighting the urge to run out the door.” When Twilight didn’t respond, the unicorn added with a wry smile, “Not too long ago, Applejack pointed out that I tend to run away instead of confronting my fears or listening to what other ponies have to say. Being with you has helped me try to curb that unfortunate behavior of mine.”
Twilight nodded, grateful for that show of faith. She wasn’t feeling it herself at the moment.
“Please, be honest,” she said quietly. “How mad are you right now?”
“Truthfully?” Rarity shook her head. “I’m not mad. You think I would be, but I’m not.” She closed her eyes for a moment, giving Twilight enough time to thank Celestia and any other deities for this reprieve. “I suppose… disappointed is the right word for how I feel.”
“Disappointed in me?”
Again, Rarity shook her head. “No. Darling, you did nothing wrong.” She sighed. “It’s me. Here I am, trying to be everything you could want in a marefriend, when all along you’ve been attracted to Fluttershy.”
Twilight’s mouth dropped open. “Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known—”
“I know, but please listen, darling.” Rarity’s hoof tightened around Twilight’s. “I’ve known Fluttershy for a long time. I’d always dreamed of seeing her paired up with somepony. The fact that she loves you doesn’t surprise me at all.” For a moment, she wore the ghost of a smile. “How could anypony not fall in love with you?”
That smile sent a shiver through Twilight. She loved seeing it on her face and instantly hated herself for how she felt about Fluttershy. Not for the last time, she wondered why her heart couldn’t make up its mind. When she was in the room with Rarity, she truly loved her, but she felt the same whenever she shared the same space as Fluttershy.
I have to believe we can make this work, she insisted to herself, quelling her doubts for the moment.
“But if I had to choose, I would rather see you happy with Fluttershy than stuck with me,” Rarity continued. Her lovely smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “I don’t want to be known throughout Equestria as the mare who got in the way of Princess Twilight’s one true love.”
“You won’t,” said Twilight, reaching out with both her hooves to grab at Rarity’s foreleg on the table. She clutched it as gently as she could, looking her marefriend in the eye. “Rarity, you still mean the world to me. I don’t want to lose you, all right?” Then she shook her head. “I just wish I knew how to handle these feelings about Fluttershy. I don’t want to break anypony’s heart.”
For a second, she was sitting beside Flash Sentry in the forest, watching him bandage up his broken wing with a sullen gaze. All those short and bitter exchanges between them flared up in her mind in less than a second. “I know what that pain feels like and it’s because of you that I got over it.”
A tiny sigh escaped Rarity’s lips. Her face lit up once more. “Oh, my dearest…”
“It’s true. You know it is.”
Rarity nodded and bent down to kiss Twilight’s hoof. “Of course. But maybe…” Her smile turned crooked as she struggled to find the words. “Maybe that’s all I was able to do for you. All you needed was me to awaken your heart’s desire and steer you toward Fluttershy.”
Twilight hadn’t considered that possibility. Turning it over in her mind, she could see the logic behind that line of thought. Flash had been her first romance, which meant Rarity would be the stepping stone to a better relationship with Fluttershy. It was a very neat theory, all in all.
Except her heart and her head were having a major disagreement. Her heart still ached for Rarity, even while confessing her love for Fluttershy. Back to square one.
“As a matter of fact, I’ll let you in on a secret,” Rarity added, still caressing Twilight’s hooves. “When I first met Fluttershy, I had my eye on her just as you do now.”
“You’re kidding.” Twilight stared up at Rarity, trying to spot a telltale smirk or wink to show she wasn’t serious. But the longer she looked, the more uncertain she became. “Sweet Celestia, you had a crush on Shy?”
Rarity shrugged. “Well, as you know, it’s quite hard to resist her charms. She is rather lovely and has such a pleasant personality to match.” Her eyes went distant while she spoke. “I remember trying to work up the courage to tell her how I felt after a month of getting to know her. I did the same things I did with you. We had dinner at Le Abreuvoir, we took long walks together, and I insisted on styling her mane a few times. All just to get close to her.”
Twilight blinked. “So what happened?”
“Well, it’s funny. I suppose I was too shy to ever ask her out.” Rarity glanced up toward the ceiling. Toward the bedroom where Fluttershy would now be fast asleep. “I thought that telling her how I felt would scare her off. And in any case, I assumed that my crush on Fluttershy was nothing more than a phase. I was more attracted to stallions until…”
“Until what?”
Rarity blushed. “Well, until you came along.”
Twilight glanced away, but she couldn’t resist blushing either. “Oh. Right…”
If she was being honest with herself, she knew that she’d been hoping that her own feelings for Fluttershy were also nothing more than a phase. Twilight could see that she was following the same lines as Rarity, hoping that her friendship with Fluttershy would win out over trying for a love affair. The only problem was that she knew that Fluttershy loved her back and that they could be happy together.
Her feelings were too mixed up. Twilight needed to stay objective and treat the problem logically. She began by imaging a chalkboard like the kind she’d used at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. A dark green chalkboard sitting at the front of an empty classroom, with fine white piece of chalk floating in the grip of Twilight’s magic. The more she could visualize it, the more focused her thoughts became.
On the mental board, she wrote out a quick syllogism.
* I love Rarity with all my heart.
* My heart has enough room to love Fluttershy.
∴ My love for Rarity and my love for Fluttershy aren’t mutually exclusive.
The piece of chalk scribbled furiously underneath those words as Twilight tried to sort out what to do next. Why did she have to pick between the two? She loved Rarity for her sense of style and her generous spirit, and she loved Fluttershy for her sweet nature and her gentle presence. Having both mares in her life was an invaluable treasure, just like any one of her friends. Except that these two were more than friends to her—
Twilight gasped. A meteor shower of inspiration raced through her brain—a million synapses all firing at once. The chalkboard in her head dissolved, bringing her back to the present moment.
Rarity stared at her with a mild frown. “Darling? Are you all right?”
Clearing her throat, Twilight said, “I’m… thinking.”
“Well, you’re very good at that.”
“What if…?” Twilight quickly levitated her teacup to her lips and took a sip to clear out the dryness in her throat. Her tea had gone cold, but that was fine. “What if none of us had to break up over this?”
Rarity’s frown deepened. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
Fighting to urge to babble on about the proof she’d worked out mentally, Twilight forced herself to take a breath and let it out slowly. She looked Rarity in the eye and smiled. “I know I’m going to sound crazy, so just be patient with me.”
Rarity nodded without a word. Her hoof tightened around Twilight’s again.
“You said you had a crush on Fluttershy when you first met her,” Twilight continued. “I’m guessing that you fell for her for the same reasons I did, right?” Before Rarity could respond, she cut her off with a hoof squeeze and added, “And we both know that Shy likes me the same way that you do.”
Twilight grinned, feeling the idea boil to the surface of her brain right as it left her mouth. “So what if, instead of choosing to sacrifice one relationship for another, we opened up our relationship to include Fluttershy?”
A deep silence fell over the library. Twilight thought she heard a commotion upstairs, but she couldn’t tell. Maybe Fluttershy was stirring in her sleep. It didn’t matter. What mattered was the beautiful unicorn sitting across from her with an expression of wonder on her face.
“That’s…” Rarity’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “That’s certainly a… novel idea.”
“I know, it’s the craziest idea anypony’s ever had—”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Rarity broke out into a sly smile. “Clearly, you’ve never seen my sister and her friends try to get their cutie marks as pastry chefs for pets.”
Twilight giggled. Rarity was right; that concept was far too wild for her poor brain to handle.
Another moment passed in silence. Rarity’s expression turned thoughtful as she looked Twilight over, never once letting go of her hooves.
“I must admit,” she finally said, “I do like Fluttershy more as a friend, but I suppose that’s only because I gave up on trying to woo her years ago.” A timid, almost wistful smile crossed her face. “But perhaps I could learn to see her that way again. To see Shy through your eyes, darling.”
Twilight grinned, letting out a fierce cheer inside her head. “You’ll really consider it?”
“For you, Twilight?” Rarity bent down and kissed her on the hoof again. “I’d consider anything.”
Relief flooded through Twilight’s veins. She felt so wonderful that she leapt up from her seat and raced over to Rarity’s side, nuzzling her without stopping. Her marefriend returned the gesture with equal enthusiasm.
For the first time that afternoon, Twilight’s head wasn’t spinning. Everything felt right, somehow. Like this was the solution she’d been dancing around all along.
“Well,” she said, her head still buzzing with new and wondrous ideas, “Fluttershy’s probably finished her nap by now. Think we should go up and tell her the good news?”
Rarity smiled. “If you think she can handle it…”
“That’s why we’ll tell her together.” Twilight draped her hoof over Rarity’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be receptive to the idea.”
Twilight stared at the scene before her. When she’d last left this room, she was positive that she’d left a sleeping pegasus in her bed with the curtains drawn shut. But the curtains were open, the window was shut, and the bed looked as though nopony had slept there at all.
“I’ll give her credit. She knows how to make an exit.” Then, glancing over at Rarity, Twilight offered a sheepish grin. “Or at least a quiet one.”
“Hmm.” Rarity rubbed at her chin, examining the bed. “Darling, do you remember that time I showed you how to use my gem locator spell?”
“I sure do, but what does that—?”
“It’s all a matter of deduction.” Rarity trotted over the bed, her horn lighting up as she did. Her blue aura covered the bedspread, sending up tiny ripples along every stitch and corner. “Our dear Fluttershy may think she’s been discreet, but I’ve been to the spa with her many times and I know a thing or two about pegasus body care.”
“Such as?” Twilight felt like she was playing the clueless pony to Pinkie Pie’s detective all over again. Though Rarity was clearly leagues ahead of the party planner.
Rarity smiled and floated a single pink hair toward Twilight. “On any other occasion, if Fluttershy was feeling a bit frazzled, she’d go straight to the spa. Loose hairs and old feathers can quite a hindrance to any flier. But the fact that she took off in a hurry—to avoid us, no less—leaves only one other place where she’d be.”
“Straight back to her cottage?”
“Precisely,” Rarity with a triumphant smile.
Twilight felt her knees wobble a touch. Her eyes drifted half-shut. “Have I told you how amazing you look when you’re being brilliant?”
“Oh!” In a flash, Rarity’s victorious expression gave way to an embarrassed smile. She glanced over to the bed. “Well, thank you, but I think we ought to focus more on Fluttershy.”
“You’re right.” Twilight siddled up against Rarity. “We need to go and tell her that everything’s going to be okay.”
“Yes…” Rarity turned back to Twilight with a searching gaze. “You know, not that I’m having second thoughts about this, er, arrangement you’ve suggsted…”
“But?”
“Well, I get that we need to convince Fluttershy. But however will we explain this to all our friends?”
Twilight opened her mouth to say it’d be fine, but even she had to stop and wonder. Would it, in fact, be okay? Sure, Pinkie Pie wouldn’t mind so long as she got to plan bigger parties for the three of them, but what about the others? Applejack seemed to have her own family traditions, even as a fillyfooler herself, and she supposed that Rainbow Dash would be a little protective about Fluttershy. Would those be reasons enough to be against the idea of Twilight’s romantic trio? And was “trio” even the right word? Did adding one more to a couple make it a “triple”?
Slow down, said her inner voice of reason. You’re getting ahead of yourself. First see if Fluttershy even wants to be a part of this. Then you can worry about everypony else.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” she told Rarity. With a gentle nudge, Twilight guided her away from the bed and toward the door. “For now, I think our biggest priority is making sure that Fluttershy is safe.”
“Agreed,” said Rarity, moving to follow Twilight downstairs at an eager trot.
With one last nudge, Rainbow Dash brought her mobile cloud to a slow drift over the edge of town. She wiped her brow and leaned back into the pure white fluff, relieved to finally be done. Even a week later, her rear legs were still sore from all that apple bucking practice. Coming back to weather duty had been a relief. Nothing else could compare to flying free and easy through the cold air all day.
She smiled and sank deeper into the cloud. Only thing, though, could compare to getting all her work done early and that was the tall mug of cider she could enjoy back at the farm—and the beautiful farm pony who’d serve it to her.
Had it really been a year? Rainbow Dash ran through some quick calculations. She remembered that their first kiss had been right after the Iron Pony competition, and somewhere around there Twilight and Flash Sentry had started going out, too. A grin spread across her face. And who could forget that time they all went on a double date? Drinks, dinner, dancing, and stopping a stampede of migrating bison to top it all off.
I hope she’s good with Rarity, she thought, turning over on her cloud. Twilight used to be so much more fun to be around…
“Aha!” Her ears perked when she heard voices down below. “We’re definitely on the right track! Another loose hair!”
Rainbow Dash peeked over the edge of her cloud. She spotted Twilight and Rarity galloping down the eastern dirt road, their tails whipping behind them like banners in the wind.
With a quick twitch of her wings, Rainbow Dash rolled off her clouds and dropped down to their level. She picked up a nice low current and sailed over their heads. “Hey, guys! Where ya off to now?”
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight exclaimed, coming to a skidding halt. “Just the pony I wanted to talk to! Did you see Fluttershy come this way?”
“Sure did!” Rainbow pointed her hoof up the road. “And she didn’t even stop to say hi either! Just flew straight home! You know anything about it?”
Twilight and Rarity shared a concerned glance.
“Er, we think so,” said Rarity. “But leave it to us. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of work to do.”
The only “work” that Rainbow Dash was planning on was back at the farm with A.J., but they didn’t need to know that. Instead, she grinned and said, “Yeah, lots of work to do. Gonna be busy tonight…”
“Come on,” said Twilight, turning back to the road, “we don’t have much time!”
“Right!” Rarity galloped after her. But even as busy as she seemed, the unicorn still raised her hoof in a dainy wave at Rainbow Dash as she left. “See you soon, darling! Let’s do lunch!”
Snorting, Rainbow Dash watched them go. Then she spun upward in a lazy spiral, heading back for a little R and R on her cloud.
Geez, Fluttershy, she mused, what in the world did you say to get those two so worked up?
Rarity came to a halt a few yards away from Fluttershy’s front door. She didn’t think the pegasus had any magic in her, but she had to wonder. Compared to the rest of the neighborhood, the air over the cottage was darker. Gray clouds clustered overhead and the wind carried a nose-tingling scent of wet dirt—the kind that usually came right before it started to rain. But Rarity didn’t remember hearing anything about rain being on today’s schedule. Could it be a random storm? Something that drifted out from the Everfree Forest? And could it be somehow drawn to the terrible guilt that sent Fluttershy racing back home?
But that was silly. Ponies didn’t cause freak weather to occur just because they were upset. The weather teams would never get anything done if that were the case.
“These hoofprints look pretty fresh,” said Twilight, coming up beside Rarity. Looking up, she focused on the front door. “They’re a little erratic, though. I hope she didn’t hurt herself on the way over here.”
Rarity winced at the concern she heard in her marefriend’s voice. “I think Fluttershy would take plenty of care when flying, dear.”
Even now, looking at the cottage, Rarity found her thoughts wandering toward all those times she spent with Fluttershy. So many hours at the boutique or the spa. Sharing lunch together. And while Rarity had talked her head off about everything from fashion shows to letters from her parents, Fluttershy would sit and listen with her cute little smile, showing nothing but genuine concern.
I love Twilight, but I realize now that I could never bear to lose Fluttershy either. As that thought raced through her mind with all the speed of Opalescence chasing a mouse, Rarity lifted her head and gave the cottage door a bold smile.
She could do this. No matter what anypony would say, she would at least tell Fluttershy how she’d felt, even after all these years.
After the misery of trying to get it out with Twilight, telling Fluttershy would be child’s play.
Meanwhile, Twilight lifted her hoof and knocked on the door. “Hello? Fluttershy, are you home?”
No answer came. Twilight glanced at Rarity and knocked on the door again. “Hello?”
Still no answer.
“Maybe she had second thoughts and went somewhere else,” Twilight surmised.
While she spoke, Rarity had begun to warm up her locator spell. A minute’s search through her magical aura would reveal the answer soon enough. But no sooner had her horn begun to glow than she caught a glimpse of curtains shifting in the nearby window. Rarity turned her head and spotted a flicker of pink mane ducking below the window as the curtains fell back into place.
“No,” she said aloud, “she’s definitely here.”
Taking a step forward, Rarity knocked on the door. “Hello? Fluttershy?”
Still no answer.
As she let out her breath, Rarity forced every positive memory of Fluttershy to rise up to the surface of her brain. Sweet Fluttershy, whose long pink mane fell around her shoulders and perfectly framed that lovable face. That pegasus who embraced skittish animals with the love of a mother in one moment and then ducked behind Rarity like a terrified child the next.
All those thoughts came to Rarity as she leaned toward the door. “Sweetheart, please open the door. I’m not mad. I’m not going to yell at you. We only want to talk.” She nearly tripped over her next words, but forced them out anyway. “We both… love you, Fluttershy. Truly we do!”
Rarity’s ears twitched. She could’ve sworn she heard something from the other side of the door. A muffled “eep!” perhaps.
“Please listen,” Rarity continued. “No matter what, we’re still here for you. I don’t hold that kiss with Twilight against you. And Twilight thinks she has a solution for the three of us to try.” She smiled, even though her friend on the other side couldn’t see it. “But only if you want to…”
Once more, her words were met with a cold silence from inside the house.
Feeling Twilight’s hoof resting on her shoulder, Rarity turned to her. “I honestly don’t know what else I can say.”
“Maybe I can teleport us in there?” Twilight offered. She shook her head, clearly at a loss. “I know it’s not the most polite thing to do, but it’s gotta be better than waiting out—”
They both jumped when they heard the door unlock and saw it creak open. Standing in the doorway was Angel Bunny, that tiny rascal of a rabbit, giving the two mares an accusatory stare. Rarity didn’t begrudge Fluttershy being friends with so many animals, but she did wonder how any creature that lived with such a sweet pony could develop terrible manners.
However, Angel didn’t seem inclined to be ornery today. Instead, the rabbit hopped to one side and pointed his paw inward. Twilight gave him a polite nod and headed in with Rarity close behind her.
The cottage was a little dark, but still as cozy and quiet as ever. They found Fluttershy curled up like a cat on her living room sofa. Rarity’s heart sank when she saw the tears streaming down the poor thing’s face, soaking into the carpet below. Every quiet sniffle from her cut deeply.
As Celestia is my witness, Rarity vowed, I’ll never give you any reason to cry like that again!
“Shy?” Twilight rushed to the couch, trying to smile. “It’s all right. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”
Fluttershy shook her head. She squeaked out something that almost sounded like an answer. Even Rarity, who’d known her longer than Twilight, couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Twilight stared helplessly at Rarity. “Any ideas?”
Rarity turned back to Fluttershy. All those happy memories kept coming to mind. She needed to convince Fluttershy that they were still friends. But how to do it without giving up more trite assurances and platitudes? Clearly, they weren’t having any effect on her.
Then came a flash of inspiration. Rarity’s eyes lit up when she looked at Twilight.
Slowly, with the utmost care, she got onto the couch beside Fluttershy. Then Rarity slid her hooves around her friend’s waist and gently hoisted her up. She pressed Fluttershy’s head against her chest and stroked her mane, not minding that her coat was now soaking up tears and sniffles. Rarity just smiled and closed her eyes, letting the moment play itself out.
Time passed. Eventually, Fluttershy stopped weeping long enough to lift her head and look up into Rarity’s eyes. Rarity kept smiling and tightened her hug a little more.
“I…” Fluttershy raised a hoof to wipe at her nose. “I thought you’d be furious…”
“How could I be mad at you?” Rarity bent down and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re my best friend, Shy. You always will be. And I’d never deny you the chance to be happy with your special somepony.”
“B-but…”
“Shh.” Rarity stroked her mane again. Her other hoof shifted around to hold Fluttershy’s chin and shift her back against Rarity’s chest. “Just relax and listen to what Twilight has to say.”
They turned to Twilight, who gave Fluttershy her most reassuring smile. Taking after Rarity, she jumped onto the couch and wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy, putting the pegasus between herself and Rarity. It occurred to Rarity that anypony who came in through the front door might be concerned at the cuddle pile on the couch and the tears on Fluttershy’s face, but she decided that she didn’t care about that. She wouldn’t apologize for how they all felt about each other.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, it’s an odd idea, but I think it could work. What I proposed to Rarity—and what I’m proposing to you—is that we start one big relationship together.” She grinned. “Just the three of us!”
“Th-the three of us?” Fluttershy repeated. Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“Well… no!” As her face turned red, Twilight added in a softer tone, “But as I told Rarity, I like you, Shy. I’d feel awful about turning you away.” Her hoof reached up to land on Rarity’s shoulder.”Besides, Rarity likes you, too!”
“What?”
Rarity gave a tiny nervous laugh. Fluttershy continued to stare at her, her precious mouth hanging open.
Suddenly, it was five years earlier for Rarity. She felt like she was meeting this shy pegasus for the first time all over again. That innocent beauty captivated her. Those blue-green eyes that stole her breath away. She wanted to shout her feelings to the heavens, but try as she might, she couldn’t quite summon the words to her mouth.
A quick glance at Twilight brought her back to the moment. Only Twilight could be so calm and reassuring at time like this. Rarity thanked all the forces of destiny for bringing them together.
“Hmm, yes. It’s…” Rarity stopped to clear her throat. “It’s true, darling.” While she spoke, she continued to stroke her friend’s mane. “Since the day we first met, I really did have a crush on you. It didn’t amount to much at the time and I was more than happy to be your friend.”
Her bottom lip trembled as Fluttershy pulled back from Rarity’s embrace. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I understand. A-are you saying…?” She swallowed. “Do you still have a… a crush on me now?”
Rarity smiled and pulled her back into her chest. “I’m saying that I want to see you happy with Twilight, dear. And I’m offering you the same chance to be happy with me. But only if you want to. We do so want you to be happy, sweetie.”
As more tears came streaming down Fluttershy’s face, Rarity couldn’t hold back any longer. She bent forward and kissed her on both cheeks, gently nudging the tears away.
“Oh, my,” Fluttershy whispered, sinking back into her friend’s forelegs. “That feels so…”
“So what?” asked Twilight, wearing a hopeful smile.
The little pegasus turned up toward Rarity, blinking back more tears. Rarity found that nopony looked more beautiful than Fluttershy did right at that moment.
“So—” Fluttershy’s voice broke off into a sudden squeal as a very loud crack filled the room. She ducked her head against Rarity’s chest, snuggling deep just like Sweetie Belle used to do.
Twilight frowned and hopped off the couch. After an anxious trot to the window, she groaned. “Wow. And this day was going so well…”
“What is it, love?” asked Rarity.
“It’s raining pretty hard.” Twilight pointed out the window, where Rarity caught a glimpse of dark storm clouds—almost black, as far as she could tell. “It’s not safe for anypony to be out there right now.”
Right on cue, it started to rain. Rarity held Fluttershy close when she heard the pitter-patter of raindrops, which steadily increased toward a fierce crescendo. The whole cottage shook a little under the savage pummeling from the elements. She could hear animals upstairs racing around in a panic.
“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy said, pushing herself out of Rarity’s embrace. “I’d better go check on them. E-excuse me.”
She glided upstairs with a gentle push from her wings, leaving Rarity alone on the couch.
Meanwhile, Twilight had gone over to a side table by the couch. Reaching into a drawer, she levitated a sheet of paper, a quill, and some ink.
“If I modify my teleportation spell,” she told Rarity, “I can get a message to Spike. Let him know that he and Sweetie Belle should stay inside the library.”
Oh, Sweetie! Rarity pressed her hooves against her cheeks. How frightened the poor thing must’ve been! But it was some comfort to know that she had a brave little dragon to protect her. If she could keep that image in her mind, she’d rest easier.
Then, when she glanced out the window at the brief flash of lightning—and cringed at the deep rumble that followed it—Rarity realized that, in a way, this was the answer to Twilight’s prayers.
As Twilight finished her letter and began to roll it up, Rarity gave her a tiny smile. “Well, far be it from me to waste an opportunity, but it seems that now would be the best time to try out our new relationship with Fluttershy.”
Twilight chuckled. “It sure looks that way.”
She paused and frowned down at the scroll on the side table. With a single grunt, her horn lit up and the air over the table flashed. When the light faded, the scroll had vanished into the ether—and somewhere, Rarity knew, Spike would be belching with green fire as the scroll reappeared wherever he and Sweetie Belle were. Indoors, she prayed.
“Perhaps you should go upstairs and talk to Fluttershy,” said Rarity. As she moved off the couch and toward the kitchen, she added, “I might as well whip up something for dinner. Something with daisies, perhaps?”
Twilight grinned. “Sounds good to me!”
But before Rarity could make it to the kitchen, Twilight caught her by the tail with her magic. Rarity looked back, surprised to see an earnest expression on her lover’s face.
“I…” Twilight blushed. “Thank you for doing this. For giving the three of us a chance.”
Rarity smiled. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. “I told you, dear. Anything for you.”
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It's ok, guys. Twilight's gonna fix everything. Or, everyoony's gonna die when that magical storm from 3B come and levels the place because nopony's paying attention to it. I haven't decided yet,
4684303 Come on. Nopony died in Ch. 7 of 3B when the storm interrupted Twilight and Fluttershy's pet play date.
I'm not exactly the GRRM of MLP fanfics.
4684531 I know, I just got done rereading it for the 14th time. I'm just messin' with ya, man!
4684583 Well, it's also nice to reassure my new followers, you know.
Some authors aren't that considerate. 
Awww
That was adorable. I just wanted to snuggle poor Fluttershy and tell her how Twi and Rarity felt about her. Loving the story thus far, I think I rather prefer this version of events over its sister. No offense, but this is SO much cuter. Not that Beauty, Books, and Butterflies was without merit. Far from it. I look forward to further updates
With the threesome started let's see how Spike and Sweetie Belle are doing.
4684733 Huh, I didn't expect that kind of reaction. I guess I wrote BBB to be more cuteness tied to a thin plot and vice versa for this story, but I'm glad you like it all the same!
4684788 We'll see them here and there. Not as much of a focus as RariSpike got in the last story, but some snippets of puppy love, rest assured.
Well, i'm glad that
took t news of 
also likin her marefriend better n' said mare agreein to t herd idea faster then what happened in U mak my life worthwhile fic 
. Anyways, it's goin to to be interestin to see what this herd's everday life is goin to be lik in t future 
Now that the tree of them are in a relationship let the magical S*** storm start.
Cute and relay enjoyable looking forward to the next one.
~Tobben
I'm pretty sure Twilight would know about trinogamous relationships. But who knows?
THANK YOU
Thank you soooo much!
You know how long I've searched for a story with detailed polyamorous relationships? A freaking long time
I love this because I went through the same dilemma
Really well done
Twilight: Hunting for our girlfriend...!
Rarity: With flair, compassion, and an eye for detail! winks
9733586
How did it turn out?
very cute. Its sad to see Fluttershy having 'daddy issues' but these two will set her right.