> What I Am
>  by 2006midnight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Yearning To Comprehend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood still at the edge of the cliff. Beside her was one of her closest friends, Fluttershy. Together they watched the sun glide down toward the horizon. Around them, the late autumn breeze blew gently. Turning to her friend, Twilight said, "Thank you for coming with me Fluttershy. You were right that having a friend for company would be nice."

Fluttershy smiled shyly, "Oh, it was no trouble at all Twilight. I wanted to get out anyway, and company is always something nice to have after a long day."

Twilight smiled back at the yellow pegasus. Both ponies turned back to watching the sunset for a couple moments. Fluttershy turned her head to look at Twilight when the alicorn heaved a huge sigh. She appeared to want to say something, but kept silent instead. However, the yellow pegasus didn't fail to notice how her friend's ears seemed to droop. Just then, the last of the sun was swallowed by the horizon, leaving the landscape bathed in the light of early twilight. Twilight slowly closed her eyes and, when she looked more closely, Fluttershy could see a single tear part the fur on her friend's cheek. Unable to contain herself any longer, the yellow pegasus spoke up timidly, "Um, Twilight? I'm sorry, but, are you alright?"

Twilight didn't answer for a moment, and when she finally spoke, she kept her head turned away from Fluttershy. "I-I'm fine, Fluttershy. I was just thinking. It doesn't really matter. Not now anyway."

Not convinced, Fluttershy moved closer to her friend and said, "Come on, Twilight. I can tell something is wrong. Please tell me. I'm one of your best friends. Please?"

The lavender alicorn sighed, "That's just it, Fluttershy. Now that I've been friends with you, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie for this long, I can't imagine my life without any of you."

Twilight stopped when her voice began to shake slightly. Quickly, Fluttershy wrapped a wing around the other as she prompted, "But...?"

"But I-I can also still remember how happy I thought I was back before I first came to Ponyville. My entire life revolved around books and studying, and I didn't even think that having friends was anything that I needed or wanted as a part of my life. And when Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville and told me to make friends, I didn't take her seriously. I saw friends as an obstacle to me being able to figure out what the prophecy about Nightmare Moon meant. Yet, for some reason, I still let all five of you come with me to The Castle of the Two Sisters. I can't help but wonder if maybe, even back then, that there was a part of me that was lonely and actually wanted to have friends. Or-or maybe I'm just going crazy. I'm sorry Fluttershy."

Fluttershy pulled her friend into a tight hug as she said, “You’re not crazy Twilight. I-I can understand how you feel. Even though it isn’t really the same, I did feel somewhat similar when I was a young filly. The only friend that I had was Rainbow Dash, and, while she was and still is a great friend, we hardly had anything in common. To this day, I still don’t know why she was friends with me. Whatever her reason, I still wanted at least one other friend who would’ve had even a little bit more in common with me. But, because I was such a weak flyer, nopony wanted to associate with me. They felt that it would tarnish their reputations. If Rainbow Dash wasn’t with me, then I was alone. I hated being alone. Strange, I know, with how shy I am and all, but it’s true. I wanted the feeling of security that came with having friends constantly by your side. Or, if not constantly, then at least close by for you to go to whenever you needed them. The point I’m trying to make is that, without friends, I don’t think that a pony can truly be happy, no matter how much they may have convinced themselves that they are.”

Not saying anything, Twilight gently pulled out of her friend’s embrace and wiped away the few tears that had fallen when she had spoken before. When she did finally turn back to the yellow pegasus, she smiled gently, “Thank you, Fluttershy. Even after being raised to an alicorn and a Princess, it seems that I still have a lot more to learn than I thought. Without what you’ve said to me just now, I don’t think that I would’ve been able to understand my own confusion with myself. Thank you again for that.”

Fluttershy blushed slightly, “It was nothing, Twilight. Really. I didn’t do much. All I did was offer you my honest opinion.”

Now, it was Twilight who pulled her friend into an embrace, “Don’t be silly Fluttershy. You just gave me a new perspective on the true value of friendship. That certainly seems like a lot to me.”

Softly, Fluttershy replied, “Well, if you really want to think of it that way…”

Twilight giggled slightly as she unwrapped herself from around the yellow pegasus, and instead shifted to a position where she was merely sitting next to her with a single wing wrapped around her friend. Fluttershy, who was still blushing a light pink color, leaned her head on the lavender alicorn’s shoulder. Not another word had to spoken for both ponies to grasp the depth of emotion that the other was feeling at the moment. Instead, they were content to just sit as they were, looking up at the sky as Luna’s moon rose slowly to take the place where her sister’s sun had been not too long ago.