22 - Picking Up Pieces
Chapter Twenty-Two
Picking Up Pieces
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The castle felt bigger and darker than usual. Fluttershy tried to rationalize it, tried to convince herself that she was just nervous, but it was hard to break through the anxiety. She kept on her path though, making her way steadily to Twilight’s room. They had to talk.
Hoofsteps echoed through the otherwise silent castle. Even considering that it was night time, it still felt too dark. The hallways were usually lit well enough for Fluttershy to make her way through them easily, but not tonight. Several times she thought she saw things move in the shadows, but whenever she turned to look, there was nothing there.
As terrified as she was of talking to Twilight, she was still relieved once she reached the door to her room. She took a moment to steel her nerves before opening it, but as she reached a hoof to open it, she heard the first sound from something other than herself since she entered the castle: voices.
“Well, I definitely see why Fluttershy likes you so much.”
Fluttershy stopped, her hoof held in the air poised to open the door. She recognized that voice. Although she had only heard it for the first time the day before, she was positive it was Amber Glow.
“Let’s not worry about her right now,” Twilight said. “I’m still not done with you yet.” She heard Amber laugh, which ended in a moan.
Fluttershy thought she might faint. Her chest tightened as her breathing became rapid and shallow. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t what it sounded like. Twilight would never…
She pushed open the door to see a mess of lavender and brown fur entangled on Twilight’s bed, locked in a passionate kiss.
“T-Twily?” Fluttershy squeaked. The two ponies pulled apart and looked at her.
“Oh, hey Fluttershy,” Amber said with a smile. “You should totally join us.” Although her smile was the same one that had consistently spread to Fluttershy the day before, she found it much less appealing now.
Twilight just laughed. “Oh, she’d never do that. I can’t even get her to sleep with me.” She shook her head and addressed Fluttershy directly. “You know this is really all your fault. What did you expect? If you’re not going to even try to satisfy me, then I’ve got to find somepony who will.” She pressed her lips to Amber’s again, then Amber’s kisses worked their way lower and lower.
Fluttershy wanted to turn away, but she stood transfixed. She couldn’t bring herself to stop staring at her marefriend’s face as her eyes rolled back. “It’s better this way, really,” she murmured. She held Amber’s head in place and let out a moan, then turned to address Fluttershy directly. “After all, why would anypony actually want to sleep with somepony like you?”
Fluttershy backed up without turning away. She tried to, she wanted to look at anything else. But no matter how much she willed herself to, she couldn’t stop staring at the sight before her.
She bumped into something soft, and turned to see a dark blue alicorn. “Luna!” Fluttershy threw her forelegs around the princess and buried her face into her chest.
“Hush now, my friend,” Luna said. “There is no need for tears. Open your eyes.” Although she was afraid of what she’d see, Fluttershy trusted the princess and did as she said.
They weren’t in the castle anymore. They were under a tree in a field of flowers, the same place Luna always took her from her nightmares.
“It all felt so real…” Fluttershy said.
Luna wrapped a wing around her. “It always does.”
While awake, Fluttershy would be uneasy with the display of affection from anypony other than Twilight, but in dreaming she found comfort in it. Because of the alicorn’s size, her wing surrounded Fluttershy, and as the yellow pegasus leaned against her friend, she felt safe from everything.
“Why would I dream about something like that?” Fluttershy asked. “I know Twilight would never do that.”
“Our dreams are not always easily understood. Even I sometimes have trouble understanding their significance. This time, however, the answer is clear once you look at it from the correct angle. Forget the action that you saw. Think instead on Twilight’s words.”
As much as Fluttershy didn’t want to think about it, she knew she couldn’t forget them. “It’s because Twilight’s tired of waiting for me to be ready.”
Luna shook her head. “There are some who believe that our dreams tell us about the world, or the future. They are wrong. Our dreams do not tell us about anypony but ourselves. This is why they are so important. Your dreams will never tell you what is in Twilight’s heart, only your own. So then, what did this dream tell you about what is in your heart?”
Fluttershy thought for a moment. “It’s not because Twilight’s upset with me, but because I think she is?”
Luna smiled and nodded, but kept her eyes on Fluttershy, waiting for more.
“I’m afraid of losing her because I’m not ready, but I’m also afraid of… intimacy.” Fluttershy lay down with her head on her hooves. Luna folded her wing back and sat next to her.
“Have you talked about this with Twilight?” Luna asked.
“Uhm… it’s come up. She said she’s okay with waiting until I’m ready, but I think she’s getting frustrated.”
“Yes, I would be surprised if it hadn’t. But I meant have you told her you’re afraid of sexual intimacy?”
“No, I… I couldn’t.”
“Because she’ll want to know why?” Luna asked. Fluttershy nodded. “You will have to cross that bridge eventually. I believe talking about it with her would help you tremendously, and I can assure you that you have no cause for concern about her reaction.”
Fluttershy knew she was right, but it didn’t soothe her fears. “Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if we would both be happier if she did, uhm… sleep with somepony else. That way we wouldn’t have to worry about this anymore.”
“Well, there are ponies who do that, and many of them have completely healthy and loving relationships. But I do not think an open relationship is the best course of action for either of you.”
“Why not?”
“Even with your blessing, I can not imagine Twilight would forgive herself, if she even agreed to it in the first place. And remember what the other mare said when you first entered the room. Everything in dreams comes from your mind and reflects your thoughts, although not always in ways that are readily apparent. She invited you to join. As an aspect of your subconscious mind, what do you think she represents?”
Fluttershy had been too preoccupied with Twilight to think much about Amber’s role in her dream. “Uhm… well, Amber is really brave. She’s always going to new places and meeting new ponies. Is she the part of me that wants to try new things?”
Luna smiled. “Yes, very good. I was unaware that you knew her personally, but with that in mind the message seems even more clear. I think that there is a part of you that is ready to experiment with your sexuality.”
Fluttershy felt much more comfortable talking about personal things in her dreams, and had been seeing a lot of Luna in the past few months. They had even written the occasional letter back and forth. But while she knew that Luna was right, talking openly about her desires was not something Fluttershy was ready to do.
Instead, she turned the conversation elsewhere. “I met Amber Glow on the train yesterday. She was really nice and we talked for a while, but then she asked me out on a date. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but Twilight was so jealous and we even got into a fight about it.”
“Really? Well, I hope you didn’t throw away a friendship because Twilight is being hypocritical.”
“No, we’re meeting for lunch later today. What do you mean by hypocritical?”
“Well, let me put it like this,” Luna said with a grin. “Next time she says something about your friendship with Amber Glow, tell her you don’t have a problem with her friendship with me.”
Fluttershy blinked at the princess a few times, trying to wrap her head around what she just said. “You mean you have a crush on Twilight?”
“What can I say? You are a very lucky mare.” Fluttershy would expect most ponies to be embarrassed about admitting something like that, but Luna’s confident grin never faltered. “Does that bother you?”
“No. I love Twilight. She’s patient, kind, understanding, beautiful, she can do so many things, but she never feels like she’s better than other ponies. She’s wonderful, and I’m sure lots of other ponies can see that, too.” Fluttershy looked up at Luna. “If anything, I feel sorry for you. I know how hard it can be to have feelings for somepony when they don’t feel the same way back.”
Luna chuckled. “Do not worry, Fluttershy. I am well practiced in dealing with these emotions. I told Twilight that the feelings that I had for her ended some time ago because I didn’t want her to feel sorry for me. But if she is being stubborn about your friend, then by all means tell her I informed you that this is not actually the case. Twilight Sparkle led you all to saving me. She will not be easy to get over.”
Unsure of what to say Fluttershy just wrapped a foreleg around the princess, which caused her to laugh more. “It is not often I enter another pony's dream and find them comforting me. I do not think it has ever been because I had feelings for their marefriend. Truly, you need not worry about me, my friend. Our time here is limited, as the sun will rise shortly. Tell me, is there anything else you would like to talk about before I must go?”
“Well…” Fluttershy was scared to tell Luna about her feelings for Amber. What if Luna told her she was a bad pony after all? What if she told Twilight? Luna nodded in encouragement and Fluttershy decided that if she never told anypony, she would never be at peace with it. “I think Twilight might be right. I think I shouldn’t see Amber anymore.”
“And why is that?”
“Well, I… I think I’m attracted to her,” Fluttershy mumbled, and wouldn’t meet Luna’s eyes.
“She was very pretty.” Luna’s tone was casual, holding no sign of judgement. She stated it as a simple fact, as if she was just describing the weather.
“But I shouldn’t think about other ponies like that. If I really loved Twilight, I wouldn’t.”
“Tell me, Fluttershy, where are we?” Luna said, gesturing around them.
Fluttershy was confused, but she knew Luna must be going somewhere with the change in topic, so she went along with it. “This is a field by my house. When it’s not a dream, I mean.”
“Yes, but what is its significance to you?”
Fluttershy didn’t need to take in her surroundings to know exactly where they were. She’d never forget this place as long as she lived. “This is where Twilight first told me that she had feelings for me.”
Luna nodded. “I see. I thought it might be something like that.”
“You mean you didn’t know?” Fluttershy asked. She thought Luna knew everything that happened in a dream.
Luna shook her head. “You thought I brought you here? I did not. I am but a visitor in your mind. At times I can guide you, though. I asked your subconscious to bring us to the place you’d be the most comfortable. I was surprised the first time you brought us here. Most of the time I end up in the dreamer’s house. But you see, Twilight is your comfort.”
Rather than feel better, the thought made Fluttershy feel worse. She bowed her head. “Sometimes I worry that’s all she is. That I don’t love her, I just love the peace she brings me.” She spoke almost more to herself than to Luna.
“And why should that be any different? You love her because she brings you comfort, and she is your comfort because you love her. You told me earlier the things you love about her, and while they are fine things, those are not why you love her. Love, real love, is harder to place. You do not love somepony because of what they are, you love them because of how they make you feel. You love her because she fills you with peace and happiness as no one else can.
“And that is why you need not worry about your friendship with Amber Glow. She is a beautiful mare, and one only needs eyes to be attracted to her. This does not affect the true love you share with Twilight, and it does not mean you’ll falter in keeping true to her. It does not mean anything, really.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you, Luna.” She knew that more ponies looked up to Princess Celestia, but she couldn't help but feel like Luna was really the wisest pony she’d ever met.
“You are quite welcome. But I’m afraid it is time for me to leave; the night ends and I must lower the moon. But remember, if you have need of me again, you need only reach out for me.”
Fluttershy nodded and waved as the dream came to an end.
Fluttershy woke up at the kitchen table. Her head was killing her and she had spilled the last of her third cup of coffee. She desperately wanted a glass of water to wash the horrible taste out of her mouth, but first she walked outside to watch the moon disappear over the horizon.
Smiling to herself, she thought of all the great friends she had made over the past couple years. She went back inside and finally got a glass of water, which didn’t really help.
Fifteen minutes later, after cleaning the kitchen and brushing her teeth thoroughly, she was back outside. She felt horrible for not checking on the animals at all the night before. She knew Applejack was dependable, but she couldn’t help but worry.
As she trudged through the snow she hummed merrily and was soon surrounded by all sorts of animals. “Good morning! I missed you all so much!”
Everywhere she went, Fluttershy had an entourage that followed her. It only grew as she walked along the outskirts of Everfree, checking on nests, dens, and burrows as she went. She always enjoyed her job, but the day didn’t feel like work at all. Her heart felt so light that she flew with the birds, ran with the bunnies, and played on the ice with the otters.
“Okay, that’s seriously the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Fluttershy bolted into a sitting position as two of the fox kits she had been rolling around with ran behind her, with the bravest one standing in front. Amber Glow stood nearby with an apologetic expression. “Uhm… how long have you been there?”
“A few minutes. I didn’t mean to startle you or your pets, so I was just gonna wait until you were done, but it kinda seemed like I’d be waiting a while.” Amber smiled sheepishly. “I can come back later if you want. I’m probably a little early, anyway. I don’t know when you normally do lunch, but it’s like noon now.”
“Already? I guess I lost track of time. But you don’t need to leave, I already finished all my chores.” She got up to walked over to her friend while the brave fox jumped onto her back. “And they aren’t really my pets, I just help take care of them.”
“That’s so cool. When nopony answered the door I saw all these animals in the distance, so I got curious. I didn’t think I’d find you out here.” Amber carefully reached a hoof out to pet the little fox, who used it as a bridge to get onto Amber’s back. She broke out into a grin. “He’s just the most precious thing! I want, like, ten of them.”
Fluttershy giggled and lifted the fox off Amber. “Alright, run along now. I’ll play with you again tomorrow.” She set the fox down and he ran off to the others. Smiling at Amber, she led the way back to her cottage.
Outside the door she noticed a bag filled with what looked like a stack of paper. “What’s that?” she asked.
“Oh, uhm… well, I guess you’ll see it sometime.” Amber pulled out an issue of Pony Magazine. The headline read ‘Royal Scandal: Princess Twilight’s Secret Lover.’ It had the picture of Twilight’s shocked reaction to the reporter’s question next to one of her and Fluttershy walking side by side.
Whatever reaction Amber had expected, it probably wasn’t Fluttershy laughing. “You’re taking it well.”
“Well, they’re not wrong,” Fluttershy said. “Is that entire bag full of these?”
“Yeah. On the way over I walked past the newsstand and figured you’d be upset, so I bought them all. I don’t know how many were already sold, though. And I know I shouldn’t have, and that it’ll just make their sales go up, but I panicked. I know you don’t want ponies to know about you two.”
Fluttershy smiled. “It’s okay. Thank you for doing that, I’ll give you back whatever you paid.”
Amber shook her head. “No way, I’m not taking your bits. I was the idiot who didn’t realize they were half sold out already.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have some bits Twilight gave me to keep hidden away in case of an emergency.” She opened the door and gestured for Amber to come inside. “She’s the one who actually wants to cover it up anyway.”
“Oh, uhm. I know it’s not really any of my business, but is that what you two were fighting about yesterday?” Amber asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“That’s part of it,” Fluttershy said. She decided it would be best not to mention the other part.
“That’s always tough. Back when I was living in Fillydelphia, my ex-marefriend and I fought about that a lot.”
“Is that why you two broke up?”
“Nah, we had a lot of problems. In the end, we were pretty much fallen apart when she decided she even wasn’t even into mares. Said it was just a phase she went through.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll find somepony else.”
Amber shrugged. “I’m not really stressing it right now. I’m more interested in traveling then dating.”
Fluttershy wondered how true that was considering Amber had just asked her out the day before, but decided it would be awkward to try and press the issue. Instead she went into the kitchen and checked the cupboard, which was mostly empty. She never did get around to shopping after they got back. “On second thought, let’s go out for lunch.”
“Sounds good to me, lead the way,” Amber said.
There were any number of great restaurants in town they could go to, but Fluttershy was a little wary of being seen by Twilight if she happened to be in town. The last thing she wanted was to give Twilight more reason to think it was a date by picking a fancy restaurant.
So instead, Fluttershy chose a small diner. It was certainly a nice place to eat, but a far cry from anything that could be misconstrued as romantic. They both got hay burgers and a basket of fries to share.
“How long are you in Ponyville for?” Fluttershy asked as they sat down with their food.
“I’m on the first train out Monday morning, heading for Vanhoover.”
“Is there anywhere you haven’t been?”
“The Crystal Empire. That train doesn’t make too many trips, so it’s always operated by the same crew. Aside from that, I’ve been everywhere the rail connects to. I’ve never been anywhere it doesn’t, though. I’m still working on that part of my adventure.”
“I’m sure you’ll get there. I can’t believe you faced your fears all by yourself. I don’t think I could have done that.”
Amber smiled, but a voice coming from behind Fluttershy cut off whatever she was going to say. “Hey, that’s Fluttershy. Did you read the news?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know. If she’s dating Twilight, then why’s she out with another mare?”
“Maybe they broke up already. You know how those celebrity relationships go.”
Fluttershy ducked into her mane. She nibbled on fries as she pretended to be unaware of the whispers that were spreading around them. She looked at her half-eaten burger and found she wasn’t hungry anymore. Going into town had been a mistake.
Amber’s eyes narrowed as she frowned, but she just took a deep breath before smiling and turning to the two ponies who had started the conversation. “Hi there. My name’s Amber Glow. I’m guessing you already know my friend here. We were wondering if you wanted to come sit with us?” She sounded as friendly as always.
The two ponies looked at each other for a moment before one of them asked, “Why’s that?”
“Well, it’s always more fun to talk to somepony instead of about them.”
Both the other ponies looked embarrassed. “Uhm, actually we were just leaving. Come on, Bon Bon.” Even though she had only addressed the two that had started everything, the entire room found themselves silently contemplating their menus.
Amber turned back to Fluttershy and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” Fluttershy said meekly. “Uhm, would you mind if we just go now?”
“Of course not,” Amber said, shoving the last bite of her burger in her mouth. On the way out she apologized again. “I never really think things through. What if they decided to take me up on my offer to talk with us? That would of been so awkward.”
“Don’t worry about it. Everything worked out okay.” Fluttershy looked around them, noticing some ponies seemed to be stealing glances and gesturing towards them.
Amber’s ears swivelled in the direction of the somepony who was muttering something, but she kept her eyes and her smile directed at Fluttershy. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Fluttershy said. She did want to see if Twilight was okay, but she didn’t know what would happen if she showed up at the castle. Above all else, she wanted to avoid another incident like they’d had on the train. “I guess I’d like to visit my friend Rarity. She was with Twilight last night, so maybe she can tell me if she’s still mad.”
“Yeah, probably best to get that whole thing sorted out,” Amber said.
“Would you like to come? You can make another friend in Ponyville and see a bit more of the town.”
“Yeah, that sounds great!”
The two ponies walked the short way to the Carousel Boutique, talking casually about Ponyville as they went. It was nice to have company, especially since Fluttershy was all too aware that ponies were talking about her as they walked by.
At least she had Amber with her. The outgoing mare was always able to find something to talk about to keep Fluttershy distracted. Whenever Fluttershy started to feel down by the whispers, Amber would point to a shop or landmark and ask about it. It didn’t make her forget about the gossipers completely, but it helped quite a lot.
Of course, it still came as a huge relief when they reached the Carousel Boutique. Fluttershy was eager to put the shop’s walls between herself and all the rumors floating around town.
“This is it,” Fluttershy announced as they approached the shop.
“Cool. I’ve never actually been to a dress shop before.”
Fluttershy opened the door. As the bell jingled to signify somepony had come in, a voice called out the familiar greeting – albeit a surprisingly squeaky voice. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and, uhm, magnific!”
“Magnifique,” Fluttershy corrected. “Hello, Sweetie. Is Rarity around?”
“Hi, Fluttershy! Yeah, she’s asleep. I’ll go get her for you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’d hate to disturb her…” While Rarity had never been a morning pony, it was already afternoon, leaving Fluttershy to wonder why she would be asleep.
“She won’t mind. She said not to bother her unless it was for a customer, Twilight, or Fluttershy.” Before Fluttershy could protest any more, the little unicorn had already run off.
If anything though, that did make her more curious what news Rarity might have. Apparently she had been expected, and not just her, there had been a chance Twilight might show up as well. What could have happened at the castle after the train ride?
“Swanky place,” Amber said, looking around. “She really makes all these herself?”
“Yes. While she has asked for assistance a few times, she normally does everything from designing to making all the clothes by herself.”
“That’s pretty cool. I’ve tried my hoof at art before, but I don’t really have the patience for it.”
“Fluttershy, darling, I’m so glad you stopped by!” They turned to see Rarity enter the room, Sweetie Belle following behind. “I do hope you’ll forgive my appearance. I was up all night planning something that I think you’re just going to love!”
Despite the lack of sleep, Fluttershy couldn’t notice a hair out of place. The fashionable pony was as radiant as always. “Oh, I hope we’re not bothering you. This is my friend, Amber Glow. Amber, this is Rarity.”
Rarity smiled broadly. “Why hello, darling. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Hi! These outfits are amazing!”
Rarity laughed and waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh these? They’re just showpieces, really. A true work of beauty will only ever look just right on the pony it was created for.”
“Did you design the dresses from Fluttershy’s modeling days?” Amber asked.
“Well, I did design some,” Rarity said, “but only one was ever used. I must say, I’m surprised Fluttershy told you about that. She’s normally very shy about that whole experience.”
“Uhm… I didn’t,” Fluttershy said, staring at the ground. She’d rather forget that whole fiasco, and always felt especially bad about it whenever it came up around Rarity.
“Hey, speaking of subject changes, that’s from Hinny of the Hills. You didn’t design that did you?”
“A fan of musical theatre, I take it? Yes, that’s from Hinny of the Hills, and I did have the pleasure of assisting with some of the designs, although merely as a collaborator. Generally I design ensembles for formal events, but it was great fun to work on performance costumes for a change.”
“That’s cool. I bet ponies come lining up for a chance to have you design for them.”
“Oh, I do alright for myself. I was lucky enough to get a few high profile clients early on, but certainly the biggest boost has been being the number one designer for Twilight.” She looked towards Fluttershy for a moment before addressing Amber again. “And on that note, I do beg your pardon, but I really must discuss something with Fluttershy privately. I hope you won’t mind.”
“Of course not, don’t worry about me.”
Fluttershy and Rarity stepped into the workroom, where they could talk without worrying about being overheard. Fluttershy didn’t waste a moment. “So, uhm, how did things go with Twilight last night?”
“Well, it took ages, but eventually Spike got her out of that room so Pinkie and I could speak with her. She told us you two had a bit of a disagreement.”
Fluttershy sighed. “More than a bit.”
“Well then, what provoked this whole incident? Twilight told us she thought you were okay with your relationship not being public knowledge.”
Fluttershy sighed, well aware of how her case would sound when spoken out loud. “I was at first. When we first started dating, I didn’t want other ponies to know either. But then as time went by, well… I guess I just always thought it was temporary, that we’d tell everypony eventually.” Fluttershy twirled her mane around in her hoof. “I guess I started to feel like Twilight was ashamed of me.”
“Oh, darling, that’s simply not true! Twilight adores you,” Rarity said. “Tell me, have you talked to her about this?”
“Yes. Or, well, I tried to… I’ve tried to tell her I want to stop hiding it a few times, but I just…”
Rarity gave her a knowing smile. “Had problems speaking your mind?”
Fluttershy nodded. “I know I should have told her, but whenever it came up, she would always talk about it like it was something distant that we didn’t need to worry about right now, and I’d lose my nerve. This wouldn’t have happened if I was more confident.”
“You know darling, you can always ask for assistance. I’d be happy to help, of course. I could be a mediator to make sure both sides have the chance to say exactly what’s on their minds.”
Even though Fluttershy wasn’t sure Rarity would be the best pony to ask for help with something like that, she smiled anyway. “You know, Rainbow said pretty much the same thing before we left for Canterlot.”
Rarity chuckled. “Well, I certainly would like to believe I’d be less biased than Rainbow in helping both of you, but yes, you could ask her, or any of our other friends for help. We’re all here for you, darling.”
“Thank you. I just wish this whole thing could be over with. I wanted to talk to her today, but I don’t want to fight anymore. I know she’ll be mad at me…”
“Fluttershy, she’s not angry with you. I know she overreacted, but really, you simply took her by surprise. We both know how poorly Twilight handles the unexpected.”
“She didn’t tell you about the other half of the argument, did she?” Fluttershy wasn’t sure how she felt. Part of her was amused Twilight had left that part out, while part of her was upset.
“Was there more, aside from your disagreement on whether or not to remain secretive?”
“Yes.” Fluttershy glanced at the other room. All of a sudden, she wasn’t sure talking about it was a good idea. She didn’t want to cause any unnecessary drama for Amber. “After the first fight I left the room, and somepony actually asked me out. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but Twilight, uhm…”
“Might be upset if she found out you were still spending the day with the charming mare?” Rarity finished, causing Fluttershy to blush and stutter incoherently. “Don’t worry darling, I suspect Twilight didn’t tell us that part because even she knows she was being foalish. There’s certainly no reason to feel guilty about your new friend. Besides, I know of another friendship that had a similar circumstance, and I’d say that turned out well in the end.” Rarity placed a foreleg around Fluttershy’s shoulder.
Fluttershy might have felt better if Twilight hadn’t thrown that in her face too. “So you think I should go talk to her?”
“When you’re ready, darling. In the meantime, I believe we left your friend at the mercy of my sister for long enough.”
As they approached the other room, voices became increasingly apparent. “Are they… singing?” Fluttershy asked. They opened the door and stared at the sight in front of them.
“And I’m a dancing pony!” Amber and Sweetie Belle sang, finishing the big finale of Hinny of the Hills. Sweetie Belle was wearing the outfit Amber had noticed earlier, although it fit poorly, while Amber was wearing an old fashioned tuxedo jacket, complete with a bow tie, bowler hat, and even a fake moustache.
“Sweetie Belle! What have I told you about playing with my outfits?” Rarity glared at her sister, who fidgeted nervously.
“Sorry, it was my idea,” Amber said. “I tried on the hat, then wanted to try on the rest of the outfit.”
Sweetie began to protest. “But that’s not –”
Amber shushed her, then leaned in and did her best gentlecolt impression, which all things considered, was pretty good. “Trust me here, kiddo, I got these ladies wrapped around my hoof.”
Fluttershy laughed. Even Rarity couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I suppose I can let it slide this time. But really now, you know better.”
Sweetie Belle grinned and tried to run up to her sister, but tripped on the overly large dress. Rarity sighed. “Now please take that off before you tear it. You’re free to go play with your friends now; I think I can manage the shop for the rest of the day.”
Sweetie Belle took off the dress and tried to levitate it onto the ponyquin, although she couldn’t manage to get it on neatly. She gave up and turned to Amber instead. “Thanks for singing with me, and for, uhm…” She glanced back at the dress.
Amber pulled off her hat and bowed. “Anytime, my dear. Now, if you’ll excuse me I do believe I have another call on my time.” Sweetie Belle ran off and Amber walked over to Rarity and Fluttershy. “So what do you think?” she asked with a wide grin.
“You look…” Fluttershy searched for something nice to say then shook her head. “Ridiculous.”
Amber laughed. “Hey, what? I thought you were supposed to be the Element of Kindness! I think I’m quite the dashing gent, if I do say so myself.”
“Wherever did you find that thing?” Rarity asked. “I made it for a bad taste party ages ago; I could have sworn I’d gotten rid of it.” Rarity looked at the old fashioned jacket as if it might infect her.
“It was in a dusty box over there. Sorry I put it on without asking, but it didn’t really seem like something you cared about.”
“It’s quite alright, dear. I could never sell anything that out of style, anyway.” Rarity waved a hoof dismissively.
“Well, I’ll buy it. How much is it?” Amber seemed immune to Rarity’s horrified expression, smiling as she brushed more dust off the jacket.
“Darling, please, I could make you something much more fitting that that old thing!”
“But it fits fine.” Amber shrugged.
Rarity’s eye twitched. “No, I meant that… never mind. If you really want it, you can have it. The only thing I ask in return is that you don’t tell anypony who made it.”
“Score!” Amber threw her hooves up. Her happy expression stayed in place as her new hat floated off her head surrounded by a light blue aura.
“We are at least fixing the trim from that garish shade of green. Black is traditional, but I think red would look nicer with your coat. And that bow tie is absolutely not to be worn with that jacket. Come here, I have a better one.” Amber shrugged and followed Rarity. Fluttershy smiled and fell in step behind them.
By the time Rarity was done making minor adjustments, Amber did look halfway decent in the outfit. Except for one detail.
“The moustache is a bit much,” Fluttershy said.
“Nah, it’s suave.”
“I’m going to have to agree with Fluttershy on this one,” Rarity said.
“My dear lady, while I hold your keen sense of fashion in the highest regard, I’m afraid I simply cannot part with the mustache.” Amber tugged on it, but it remained on her face. “I used the wrong glue.”
Rarity chuckled. “A hot bath tonight ought to loosen it up, but do be delicate unless you want to pull your fur out with it. Although if you do end up with a bald patch come see me, I’m sure I can fill it in for you.”
Amber tipped her hat. “Thank you, my lady.”
“Now, while it was a pleasure to meet you, I do have so much to do.”
“What are you planning?” Fluttershy asked. “It must be important if you were up all night.”
“I’m not telling!” Rarity said in a sing-song voice. “It is very important though. Amber Glow, I do hope you’ll be in Ponyville a week from Thursday?”
“I can try to be. I work on the train, so there’s no telling when I’ll be where, but maybe I could talk scheduling into working around it.”
“Well, if it is at all possible, I certainly do think it’ll be an event worth attending.”
“I’m sure I can call in some favors to make that happen.”
“I do hope so. Now I really must get to work, although my door is always open if you need me, Fluttershy darling.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you. I think I’ll be okay now.” She hugged her friend, and the pegasi made their exit.
Amber glanced at the sun. “I daresay I’ve kept you long enough, my lady. I believe there is another with whom you should be with.” Dropping the gentlecolt voice, she added, “I mean, if you’re ready to talk to her.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I’ll walk you to your hotel along the way.”
“Egads, what would the fellows say if they knew I let a dame walk me to my room?” Fluttershy raised her eyebrow and tried not to smile. “Bah, stuff and nonsense. Of course I would be delighted to walk with such a lovely lady.”
Amber took the lead as they set off. Ponies everywhere stopped to look at them, but most of the attention was drawn to the mustachioed mare. Every time somepony would point or mutter something about them, Amber would politely tip her hat and greet them in character. Some awkwardly looked away, but most smiled and waved back.
“Today was fun, maybe sometime before I leave we can do it again,” Amber said once they reached the hotel.
“That’d be nice,” Fluttershy said. “Hopefully Twilight will want to join us next time.”
“Yeah, that’d be cool. I’d love to meet her. And don’t worry about anything, it’ll all work out.”
“I’ll try not to,” Fluttershy said. “I’ll let you know how everything goes.”
They hugged and waved goodbye, then Fluttershy made for Twilight’s castle alone. She managed to keep her spirits up, however. She was not oblivious to the stares, although they bothered her less than they had earlier in the day.
‘I think it’s better that nopony wants to talk to me about it,’ Fluttershy decided. While there was undeniably something grating about the fact that everypony who did seem to be talking about her was only doing it behind her back, she wouldn’t have the slightest idea of what to say if somepony did ask her about the article.
Perhaps that was why the talk didn’t bother her so much anymore, but whatever the reason, it was only once she stood at the castle door that she felt daunted. She stared at it, thinking about her dream. Of course, she knew nothing like that would ever happen in real life, but standing in front of the castle still brought the same sense of dread. She meekly pushed open the door and entered.
The entry hall was empty. “Hello?” she called quietly, to no answer. Not surprising. The castle was large, and Twilight would probably be in either her room or the library, both of which were upstairs. As she ascended the stairs, she wondered if she imagined the unnatural stillness in the air.
She knocked on Twilight’s door but got no answer. “Twilight?” she called, pushing it open. The room was empty. She walked in and checked Twilight’s study, which was also empty. She walked out to check the library, but stopped when Spike popped up from his room around the corner.
“Hey, Fluttershy, what’s up?”
Fluttershy smiled, relieved at the normalcy the dragon’s appearance brought with him. “Hi, Spike. Is Twilight around?”
Spike gave her a confused look. “Isn’t she with you? She said she was gonna meet you for lunch hours ago.”
“She actually went? Oh no, I wasn’t home. She hasn’t come back since then?”
Spike shook his head. “Maybe she went to Sugarcube Corner or the Carousel Boutique. She was up working on something with Rarity and Pinkie Pie last night.”
“Thanks, Spike. I’ll go find her.” Fluttershy ran down the stairs and out the door before taking to the air. She didn’t normally like to fly, but she was in a hurry. ‘Please still be there.’
It was obvious that Twilight wasn’t at the Carousel Boutique, since Fluttershy had already been there. Sugarcube Corner was a possibility, but that wasn’t where Fluttershy decided to go first. Maybe it was less likely, but her hopes that Twilight was still at her cottage outweighed the logic that she wouldn’t have wanted to stay there alone.
She landed in front of her house and opened the door. She started to run up to her bedroom to look for Twilight, but doubled back as she realized she was asleep on the couch. She had one of Fluttershy’s books in her hooves, and a Pony Magazine lay open on the floor. ‘Oh well, she was bound to find out eventually.’
Fluttershy approached her marefriend, whose ear twitched in her sleep. She smiled and realized she wasn’t upset anymore. She leaned down and kissed Twilight on the cheek.
“Morning, beautiful,” Twilight said as she wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy in an awkward hug.
Fluttershy smiled and climbed onto the couch, which really was too small for even one pony to fully stretch out, leaving Fluttershy lying more on Twilight than the couch. “Why are you asleep on the couch?”
“Didn’t sleep last night,” Twilight said, rubbing her eyes. She tapped the cover of the book she was still holding. “Was trying to stay up until you got home, but I fell asleep during the prologue.”
“I meant why weren’t you in the bed.” Fluttershy nudged her.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d want me in your room. But I’d be happy sleeping on your couch. I just… don’t want to go home alone.”
Fluttershy nuzzled against Twilight’s chest. “You’re being silly. Of course you can sleep in our bed.”
Twilight stroked her mane quietly for a while. Fluttershy wondered why she had ever been so upset. The whole thing seemed silly now that they were together again. Ridiculous, even. “You know, you should just move in with me,” Twilight said.
Fluttershy giggled. “And you said I’m the one who would raise suspicions.” As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She had meant it as a joke, but as Twilight’s hoof stopped on her shoulder, she knew it was a mistake.
“I’m sorry I said that. I’m sorry for a lot of what I said yesterday. I was out of line.” Twilight pulled her closer. “Especially about your friend. I don’t know what I was thinking. Why should I be upset that somepony else sees how amazing you are? And despite how I acted yesterday, I want you to know that I do trust you completely. I hope you didn’t cancel your plans because of me.”
“No, we still had lunch. I didn’t think you’d come and I didn’t have much food here, so we went out.”
“That’s nice. I’m glad I didn’t ruin your day.” Twilight went back to stroking her mane.
“Uhm… she’s in Ponyville until Monday. If, uhm, you wanted to meet her.” Fluttershy was glad she had her head on Twilight’s chest so she didn’t have to make eye contact.
“Yeah, I think that sounds good,” Twilight said. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Fluttershy listened to Twilight’s heartbeat. She was tempted to let it lull her to sleep, but she wasn’t really tired and she knew napping with two ponies on this couch was a mistake. Her eyes wandered the room and she noticed the bag of magazines, which reminded her there was something else they needed to talk about.
“I’m sorry too,” Fluttershy said. “I should have talked to you about wanting to come out. It wasn’t fair to drop it on you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Interesting article today, though. Did you read it?”
“I only saw the headline, I didn’t read the whole thing.”
“Remember how that reporter mentioned a ‘reliable source’ told them that you spent the holiday with me?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, the article talks about her too. It doesn’t give a name but it says ‘a lifelong neighbor’. That can only be Ivy Jewel, nosey witch.”
“Why would she do that, though?”
“Who knows. Maybe just because she’s a busybody, but I think it’s ‘cause I keep not showing up to her dinner invitations.” Twilight gestured towards the bag with her head. “Why do you have so many of them anyway?”
“Oh, Amber bought them. She didn’t want anypony spreading rumors about us.”
“That was nice of her, but it didn’t work. I was asked about it half a dozen times just on the way here.”
“Really? Nopony’s asked me, thankfully. I don’t know what I’d say if they did. I’m so bad at stuff like that.”
Twilight attempted to shrug which didn’t really work with her marefriend on top of her. “Just tell them what I did. We’re going to address the claim at an official event a week from Thursday, and until then, you’d rather not have to explain the whole thing to every single pony in Ponyville.”
Fluttershy lifted her head to look at Twilight. “Rarity said she was planning something for that day.”
Twilight smiled. “Yeah, she, Pinkie, and I are, actually. You too, if you want to help. We decided to host a press release garden party to break the news.”
Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “The news?”
Twilight nodded. “About us. That we’re officially the first same-sex royal couple.”
Fluttershy tried to say something to thank her, but no words felt big enough. Eventually she pulled Twilight into a kiss instead.
She wrapped one hoof around Twilight’s back and the other around her head, and after a moment, opened her mouth for Twilight’s tongue. Twilight’s hoof moved down her body, moving slowly over her flank to her thigh. Fluttershy inhaled sharply as it moved further.
Twilight pulled away. “I’m sorry! I’m not trying to, I mean, I know you’re not…” She tapped her hooves together nervously. “I’d never try to push you into anything.”
Fluttershy hadn’t been thinking. Now that she was, she found herself terrified of how things could have gone. “It’s okay,” she said. Even though they were still side by side, the distance between them felt vast. “Do you… ever get sick of waiting for me?”
Twilight took Fluttershy’s hooves in her own. “I love you, Shy, with all my heart. And I’ll wait as long as you need me to. And if you’re never ready then I’ll still love you; that doesn’t even have to be part of our relationship.”
Fluttershy blushed. “I… I want it to be, though. I just…”
Twilight smiled and kissed her cheek. “You know, I did end up skipping lunch. What do you say we get an early dinner?”
Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “Okay. And thank you, Twily. For everything.”
They left the house to go into town. As they set out, Fluttershy was careful to keep distance between them, but Twilight soon closed it, and they walked into Ponyville side by side.
~ End Act III ~
Another act done! And of course, that means more end of act music!
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I wonder what Rarity and Pinkie said to Twilight. That's quite a turn around.
From a nice roller coaster drop to a smooth glide. Yet I have the feeling there is another drop somewhere... I'm excited to see what happens next.
6232374
Next chapter's focused on Twilight and will elaborate a bit on her thoughts, but I wouldn't say Twilight was adamantly opposed to coming out, rather that she was on the fence. I think it might seem that she was more against it because the focus of the last few chapters has been on Fluttershy, and during the fight Twilight was defensive and overly agitated because of her jealousy. Before that it was something she was thinking about, to the point of asking Luna and Celestia for advice/opinions.
6232454
I'm a huge fan of drama, so you can always expect more will come.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it
6231539
it's not the length of you're chapter (do you know the fic An Expression Of Love ? When i read that around 1 or 1 and a half year's ago i read around 50k words a day so the length isn't the problem. The problem is, that i don't know the problem. But today i will read the Chapter i swear.
6232601
That's a lot of reading. I've seen the story around and I'm interested, but I generally don't read things on hiatus, because the better it is the more torturous it is to not know how it ends.
I think I might have read 40k words per day reading Long Road to Friendship (my personal favorite fanfic, and one of the best things I've ever read in general), which was literally reading all day.
Sweet babies
I'm like the slowest reader ever
6232740
so if a story is good or i like it then i can read it in a short amount of time. But i think i found my problem. In my land, wich is Germany btw., it is at the moment dayli 27 - 31°C+ and i am not made for those warmth <---(don't know the gramaticaly correct word for that 
) that's probably my problem. But i did it nice 11th chapter i bid sad and the start of the 12th chapter. I was a bit shockt about that twilight x amber part. but luckly it was a dream :D
yeah i know. At that time i was new to the site. Well the interresting part was the story had me that much that i did read it in around 2 day's... . And The Heart of an Author i did read in 1 day...
6232781
Heart of an Author looks interesting. I'll read it once I get caught up on Night Mares. My read it later list has gotten so huge these days
I feel you on the heat. I live in southern US, and it's like 37°C here lately. I've been writing so much because I'm staying at a house with air conditioning at the moment, but I don't have one at home. It's hard to get motivated to do anything when it's so hot
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter
*Starts reading the start of the chapter*
So you just keep writing and i'll keep reading and cementing.
Oh we are getting steamy. *Reads the name Amber* Oh Fluttershy the things you'r mind dose when you are asleep.
Overall this was, as always, very fun to read. And don't worry i love the drama and i love the fluff, i even love the steam
~Tobben
6234301
Repressed desires much
I'm definitely not comfortable with my ability to write anything too sexual, so while it may well come up again this is probably as much detail as you can expect from me
Than.
Missing " at the beginning.
I'm helping.
6234873
Thanks, fixed now
For some reason Google Docs hasn't been saving all the edits ArchAngelsWings has been making
Just dove in to this story in the last two days, and I've enjoyed it! TwiShy makes for an appealing couple, and I think that you've done a nice job of keeping their personalities intact while crafting an interesting relationship. I thought that their fight was well done... Very reminiscent of real fights between couples where one is less satisfied with the status quo than the other, yet has a personality that doesn't press the matter until it blows up.
I do feel for poor Twilight though... Mostly, I disagree with the comparisons Luna and Rarity are making in regards to Amber. To me, there is a vast amount of difference between casting aside a trusted long-time friend who has just admitted a crush on you and turning down a chance to spend more time with someone you just met who did the same. Being upset that Fluttershy wants to get closer to someone who is interested in her romantically may not have been "right", but it was a very human (pony) kind of reaction. People have insecurities, and a significant other cozying up to someone who would eagerly replace them will play on those insecurities. It happening in the middle of their first fight certainly couldn't have helped those insecurities.
I also don't fully trust this Amber pony either (possibly as a result of sympathizing with Twilight, possibly not.). Just a bit too stalkerish in how she turns up in scenes and has followed Fluttershy's life... It makes her just a bit unsettling. She seems awfully outgoing these days for the backstory she gave, making for a bigger turn-around than Fluttershy herself has managed in the same time period.
In any event, I'm looking forward to seeing this continue and the possibility of more drama to come!
6236706
Keeping things realistic is my number one goal.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it, and thanks for the thorough comment and compliments
I've been hoping someone would take Twilight's side. Not that I think she's right, but rather that I tried to make sure both sides have valid points.
Without getting into detail about my plans for Amber one thing I would like to point out (as it was probably my fault for not explaining well enough) is that she was never as shy as Fluttershy. She was always outgoing, but suffers from hodophobia, fear of travelling.
I don't really know how to feel about this, seems like when Fluttershy was against telling anyone she was a lesbian Twi was right there telling her that it's a big personal moment and she should only tell someone if she's comfortable with it... I know they are a couple but why is it suddenly ok for Fluttershy to pressure Twilight into coming out to the WHOLE country when Twilight was so ok letting Fluttershy take her time telling their closes friends, and what's with everyone calling Twilight a hypocrite for being friends with Luna when she JUST learned Luna HAD a crush on her, didn't Luna tell twilight she already was over her and didn't think they would work out? As also I don't think it's unreasonable to understand why twilight would be upset that fluttershy would agreed to go out to lunch with someone she just met would just tried to ask her on a date, right after a huge fight which fluttershy walk out on her after. Just it all seems very one sided, like only fluttershy is right and twilight is wrong and being unreasonable. If I'm missing something please let me know.
Although it's nice to see twilight still being the awesome one not pressuring fluttershy into anything physical, cause pressuring your partner to do something their not comfortable with is wrong, you know... like coming out of the closet, no matter who's doing it... ok that was just me being snarky
But honestly as it stands I don't know if I can keep going with this story, at first it seemed like a really sweet TwiShy but now it just seems like more the Fluttershy show...
And that would be fine but why is it going that way by tearing down twilight? Honestly I've loved this story up until these last two or so chapters...
6908939
Whether you continue reading or not, your comment made my night. I always love seeing people think more about the story than what's on the surface, even disagreeing with the characters, because I try to write thought provoking things. On that note, you're right. Twilight has valid points. It was never meant to be one side is right and the other is wrong, because that's not how arguments work.
If it feels one sided it's because it literally is only showing one side. This story uses single point of view narration (even if it does switch between two points of view every chapter or so). Fluttershy is the POV character for these chapters. The narration is on her side because it's her, the characters are on her side because they're her friends, she's upset, and they're talking directly to her. And really, I chose her as the point of view character because I think Twilight has the stronger case, at least with the whole coming out thing, and telling it from Fluttershy made the whole thing feel more even to me.
I'll explain Fluttershy's side, but that doesn't make it more valid than Twilight's. As far as coming out goes, Fluttershy did pressure Twilight into it, but that was during a heated argument. It's not that she didn't mean it, but she was making demands instead of explaining her case. Anyone who says they've never said anything in a way they regret during an argument is deceiving themselves. Does it make her right? No. But both of them said things that were uncalled for. In the end when Fluttershy said she was done hiding it, she was referring to her sexual preference only, not Twilight or their relationship.
With Amber, Fluttershy literally didn't think anything of it until Twilight reacted the way she did, making her first impression of the situation be that Twilight doesn't trust her. A feeling that wasn't helped along by Twilight's comment about Rarity. You're right that Twilight has a valid concern, but she did not go about voicing it in the right way.
As far as Luna calling Twilight a hypocrite, while you are right that they're different circumstances, Luna was the only one to actually say that. Others took Amber's side, but never called Twilight a hypocrite. But I probably could have done that part better, so I'll take the blame there.
In the end Twilight did relent. This is because arguments don't end with both sides agreeing to who was right and who was wrong, they end when both sides are done fighting. Compromise doesn't always mean meeting in the middle, and often one side will absolutely just give in to the other. I prefer realism to neat happy endings. Still, I wouldn't say it's tearing Twilight down. They had an argument, Twilight relented, they moved on.
Fluttershy taking center stage in this story wasn't something I intended to do (if anything I was thinking the opposite would be true) but I do acknowledge that's kinda what happens in it. I don't regret it, and I wouldn't say it's all about Fluttershy, but the story is about 60% her 40% Twilight throughout the whole thing.
One last thing, just so you know what you're getting into with this. I don't know why people seem to get the idea that this is a sweet story. Aside from the drama tag (I'm so happy they made a drama tag) I did put a warning in the description that parts of this story are very dark. You haven't even got to the parts I was referring to yet. While parts of this story are definitely fluffy happy stuff, it's all about highs and lows. These chapters are lows. There's more lows to come. There will also be more high points, but if the contrast isn't your thing it's probably best to read something else, as much as I'd love to hear your thoughts on the rest.
"Tell me, is there anything else you would like to talk about before I must go?"
HOW DOES THE WEATHERVANE TRICK WORK!?
7845495
Careful now, Twi and Shy are still too inexperienced to go introducing weather vanes into their relationship. But of course, as the good friend she is, Luna could show Twilight proper use of weathervanes in this universe as well. Purely for edification, of course, and with no ulterior motives at all
Heh heh
‘It isn’t the mane thing about you’ episode from season 7
Heh heh.
Wonder how many nightmares Luna stops per night. Good to see she is a thorough in stopping the cause of the nightmare as she is in the show with the CMC and starlight (coming to think about it I could have just said CMC as starlight was like the original cutie mark crusader except she was more crusade on cutie marks than a crusade for cutie marks).
It’s also good to see conflicting viewpoints in the comment section.
Ah.
Reminds me of youtube but with more love, tolerants and grammar.
I'm still in the act of reading this but I had to stop and say how much I loved the Luna dream sequence. That's exactly the sort of scene I hope to read at fimfiction--scenes that didn't air but are easily believable because the author had such a good grasp of the characters. You nailed them both there. Even before Luna's dream duties got the extra show material, I was always put off(suspension of disbelief killed) when fics depicted her as aloof or even haughty. Luna cares. She cares so much that when she thought it wasn't at all reciprocated she broke.
And Fluttershy's comforting hug in context--you know it might sound strange or obvious to say, but it's surprising how often I'll read authors who seem to forget she's the element of kindness and apt to do things like try to comfort someone in the middle of her own nightmare. Not you, you remembered! Even though it's all fanfiction here and people are free to characterize how they want, I just seem to favor the stories where even if the themes run way off from show fare, the authors remember exactly who these characters are. I suppose I have very rigid concepts of them and strong attachment, with how often I'm asking, "Would XXXYYY do this?" When the answer is "Hell no," it almost feels disrespectful.
9514039
Dreams have sort of become a trademark of mine; I’ve used dream sequences in most of my long fics, often several times. This was my first, so it’s cool to still be getting nice comments about it years later 
Thank you very much, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this dream sequence so much
And I’m also delighted you like the characterization so much. I love playing with these characters (lol as is probably obvious by the amount of words I’ve written for them), and take a lot of pride in how I depict them. I’m a bit differently minded in that I love seeing how others interpret the characters rather than having a single interpretation in mind for each of them, but I definitely do know what you mean about hating to see them act out of character. It’s one thing to have a different interpretation, it’s another to just completely change the character.
Above all, I’m glad you’re enjoying the story and I hope you continue to do so. And thank you for the comment, it really made my day to hear
Oh
Oh no
Absolutely not
Please don't
Be what I'm thinking
There's just so much wrong with this that I could possibly think of
I really hope I'm overthinking this
9874960
Oh wait a second
It's
A
Dream
You
Scared me
Shitless
Oh gods
That place doesn't happen to be... The Hayburger by any chance, right? :V
As in Lyra and Bon Bon? The only Queer couple that's actually canon to the show?
MORE
... More Amber Glow
Oh gods she is amazing
I'm never getting tired of this character and I've only known her for 2 chapters
I think that I'm in love
Stooop you're gonna give Rarity an aneurysm
I love this fic with all my heart
Aaaaaaah I'm so happy about it
It keeps surprising me by taking so many turns. Much like Looking Glass, it isn't like anything I've ever read. It's neither overly sweet nor overly dramatic. It's so much like real life, really. People mess up, forget about very important stuff only for it to blow up later but it's okay because you can't really stay mad all the time, and none of the mistakes warrant it, so it isn't sad but after the second half of Act two it has been keeping me more and more at the edge of my seat, in a different way Looking Glass did but just as exciting.
I personally love the idea of music in the end of an Act. It helps a lot to set the mood or maybe clue me I'm on what mood you were when ending said Act. It's less of a Play than TEL was but I love the Acts division in all the main WWB stories. It helps me pause and think about what happened, and that's the best thing for a voracious reader like me.
Anyhow, onwards!!! This'll be fun
9875076
I wrote this story years ago, but I still think it's got one of the best drama/fluff balances out of anything I've written. And realism is always something I've strived for, so it's great to hear I'm making that goal 
Also cool to know you're still enjoying the songs lol, glad someone is 
Super happy to hear that
Amber is fun, I can't wait to read her story.
9927133
I love my splotchyhorse, glad to hear you do too
Ah yes, a friendship with a mutual friend who used to have a crush vs. A friendship with a complete stranger to half the relationship who literally just asked them on a date. Totally comparable.
I can't be the only one who feels twilight has been entirely in the right over all of this, right? She's royalty, she has the future and public relations to think about, and being upset about your partner going out to meet with someone who literally just asked them out even though they told you they declined is more than reasonable.
10622271
If you comb the comments on this group of chapters, you'll find people take both sides of this. I do feel like Twilight's in the wrong more than in the right, personally. It is a valid concern re: public opinion, but Fluttershy's desires to be out are valid. If not now, then when? Public opinion isn't going to change, and Fluttershy made it clear that she's not willing to live as a secret marefriend forever – and she shouldn't have to. That gives them two options; they can break up due to this incompatibility, or they can come out publically. As for Amber, I don't know what to say except that so what if Amber does have feelings for Fluttershy? Twilight should trust in her partner not to do anything, and if she doesn't, they shouldn't be together.
Whew, I figured after a minute that had to be a dream. :') On a similar note, I'm glad you're leaving very large, unsubtle hints about just what happened to Fluttershy so I can prepare myself for the reveal. c.c;
Add Luna to the list of characters you've written extremely well. :D
Wow, the kid's got a good head on her shoulders. :)
Lyyyyraaaa, that embarrasses people! :V
Okay, now Amber's starting to turn into someone worth feeling threatened by. V: Little Miss Perfect and Suave over here, she is.
It's a testament to your ability that you write the kind of drama I really enjoy, yet I can get the exact same thrill from reading the make-
outup session afterward. :DWooh, thank god for hopeful endings. The hangout with Amber was fun to read, especially the whole singing with Sweetie Belle scene. That was cute. And imagining poor Amber trying to remove the moustache is amusing.
I'm glad Twi realized how silly she was being and that they made up. I also can't wait to continue reading since IIRC the press release is the start of something... 'fun' and by that i mean its a lot ;)
Great job!
Been enjoying the story, but I think I'm going to have to stop reading here. Most of the story, especially this chapter, feel too one-sided in favour of Fluttershy with so many characters ganging up on Twilight. It's really getting me down...
Amber's a pretty neat character.
*I deleted my old comment because I forgot the edit button was a thing whoops.*
This is probably the first chapter I outright dislike. Luna calling Twilight a hypocrite makes no sense. Fluttershy should have at least called out this dumbass logic.
Everyone shits on Twilight but she was trying to end the argument before Fluttershy left. I don't think Twilight was even being that unreasonable. Yet Twilight is the only who has to apologize the same way it has been this whole story.
You say there isn't meant to be a right or wrong side but that really does not come across at all this chapter. With basically everyone shitting on her for both valid and completely stupid reasons.
Sorry if I come across as overly negative. I do love this story overall but this one chapter just really annoyed me.