> A Forward Approach > by Ahiam94 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > A Twist to Romance > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Twilight, I have something I need to tell you." Rainbow Dash looked straight into Twilight's eyes, jaw set and chest puffed out. "What is it? Is something wrong?" Twilight asked, frowning as her ears flattened. "No, nothing's wrong. I just need you to listen to me for a second. I have something very important to tell you." Rainbow never broke eye contact for a single second. Twilight felt like Rainbow was staring straight into her soul, and a blush spread across her cheeks as she tried to avert her eyes. "Alright. What is it?" Rainbow Dash took in a deep breath, still not breaking eye contact. Twilight noticed Rainbow's hooves shaking and sweat starting to fall from her mane. Rainbow, finally, let out the air she had taken in. "Twilight, I like you." Rainbow said, suddenly. Twilight looked at Rainbow, confused. "Umm, I like you too, Rainbow. We're friends after all, of course we like each oth—." "No!" Rainbow yelled out,interrupting Twilight and causing her to take a step back. "I mean I really like you! Like a lot. I think you're pretty, and cute, and funny, and really awesome!" Rainbow screamed, her eyes finally closing. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, a deep shade of read covering her entire face. "I- uhm, uh," was all Twilight could get out. Her hooves stood stiff, as if unable to be moved. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes again only to see that Twilight's cheeks were beet red. Seeing that she wasn't moving or talking Rainbow stepped back and bit her lip. "Twilight, are you alright?" she asked. Twilight closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts for a second. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. After a few seconds she opened her eyes, "I, I don't really know what to say," she admitted. "Well, you could start by telling me if you feel the same way." Rainbow said, leaning forward and grinning from ear to ear. Twilight looked at the pegasus, she thought long and hard about the way she should answer. "Listen, Rainbow. I really do like you," Rainbow's eyes lit up, "But, I don't like you that way." Rainbow's smile instantly fell. She slowly turned away tears building up in her eyes. Twilight noticed the tears and quickly ran over to the pegasus. "That doesn't mean we can't be friends, though. We could just go back to the way things were before. Is that alright?" Rainbow didn't move an inch, and Twilight's own frown deepend in the face of Rainbow's continued crying. "Come on! You're Rainbow Dash! You can overcome anything, right?" Twilight gave Rainbow a smile and a nudge. "Wait," Rainbow finally spoke up. "What did you say?" Twilight furrowed her brow. I'm not sure I like where this is going, but anything is better than Rainbow crying, right? "Um, you can overcome anything?" She repeated, a strained smile on her face. Rainbow Dash lifted her head up her eyebrows furrowed and a smug smile on her lips. "You're right! What am I doing? I've never seen a problem that I wasn't able to get over! What makes this different? Nothing! That's what!" Rainbow yelled. Twilight let out a long sigh, "It's great to hear you've moved on." Twilight said. Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight. "What do you mean moved on?" Rainbow asked. "Well, you're moving on aren't you? Accepting that me and you need to be just friends, and getting back to life the way it was?" Twilight asked, taking a step towards Rainbow Dash, a hopeful smile on her face. "No way." Rainbow said, swiping her hoof towards Twilight, as if blowing away her suggestion. "Huh?" Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, mouth agape. "You said it yourself. I'm Rainbow Dash! I can overcome anything!" She yelled, flapping her wings energetically, "Which means I'll be able to get you to like me back, the same way I like you!" Rainbow said, a confident and determined look on her face. Twilight couldn't believe what she had just heard. How could she have taken my words of encouragement and made that out of them? "Uhm, Rainbow. That's not really what I meant—" "Just you wait Twilight!" Rainbow yelled as she pointed a hoof at Twilight, interrupting her. "I will get you to fall in love with me in no time at all!" Rainbow turned around and readied herself for flight. She took one last look back at Twilight, "Catch ya later, sexy!" Then she took off as fast as she possible could. Twilight sat alone in her library, not completely sure as to what just happened, a blank expression on her face. "Did, Did she call me sexy?" *** "Spike! Why is the closed sign not on the door? I told you to keep it there!" Twilight yelled, levitating the closed sign over to Spike, aggressively. "Alright alright, I'll put it back up, but you know, some ponies need books. And you can't just say that the library's closed everyday. It's been three full days since the closed sign has gone up." Spike said, opening the library door and putting the sign back up. "I know, but I don't want anypony to think I'm in here right now, that's why all the lights are off. And if you have the closed sign up, it'll make ponies think that I'm out and I had to close the library until I got back. Spike sighed, "Twilight, you're going to have to leave the house sometime soon. You can't just stay in here forever!" Spike tried reasoning with Twilight. Twilight glared at Spike, "Of course I know I can't stay in here forever! I'm just having a hard time leaving. I haven't seen Rainbow Dash since she said all that-" Twilight blushed hard and lowered her head, "stuff to me." Spike sighed and walked over to the unicorn and gently put a claw on her back, "Twilight, I know that this has got to be kinda weird for you. Especially since, you never really had friends before coming here, and there definitely weren't any ponies that thought of you that way. But you've always told me that hiding from your problems is no way to take care of it, and that's exactly what you're doing right now. Hiding." Twilight lifted her head back up, she could see in Spikes face how concerned he was for her. She sighed, "You're right Spike, I am hiding. I need to face my problem head on. I need to take action! And I'm not going to be able to do that when I'm just sitting around in this library." Twilight said. "That's right! Glad to see you're back to normal!" Spike agreed, happily. Twilight approached her door and looked back to Spike, "I'll be back soon." Twilight opened the door." And Spike, thank you." Spike smiled. "No problem. After all, what's a number one assistant for?" *** Twilight walked toward the center of Ponyville. She had almost forgotten how wonderful the scenery of the simple town was. All of the happy ponies walking around, all the birds flying through the air, and Rainbow Dash stealthily flying above Twilight. "ACK!" Twilight noticed Rainbow Dash and took off as fast as she could. She thought she'd end up running into Rainbow Dash, but not so soon. She wasn't prepared for this. It would have been so much easier if she had seen Pinkie Pie, or Rarity, Fluttershy, or Applejack. It had to be Rainbow Dash. As she ran, she wondered if maybe Rainbow had been waiting above Twilight's home. Just sitting and waiting for her to leave the house. How long had she been waiting for? Twilight hadn't left the library in three full days. Twilight ran for a great distance, almost through all of Ponyville, going in and out of alleyways underneath covers, trying to lose the pegasus in pursuit. Finally, Twilight stopped, "*Huff* I think *wheeze* I lost *cough* her." Twilight was barely able to speak. "I really need to get into shape. "Lost who?" Came a voice behind Twilight. Twilight's pupils dilated, her mane stood on end, and she turned her head slowly. The pony behind her was none other than Rainbow Dash. Twilight turned and tried to run again. After taking three or four, clumsy, steps, she fell forward. Her head in the ground, with her flank still in the air. "Woah, Twilight, getting into position already?" Rainbow said with a lustful tone as she walked over to Twilight." I didn't expect you to be this straight forward, I was thinking we'd get a hotel room or something, but if you want to do it right here then I won't complain." Rainbow said, her eyes stuck on Twilight's flank. Twilight quickly re-positioned herself to face Rainbow Dash. "You know that's not what I was doing!" She yelled, a hard blush quickly gathering onto her face. "Hmm?" Rainbow's eyes finally left Twilight's flank and looked at her face, "Sorry, I wasn't listening. I was too busy admiring that beautiful ass of yours." "Wha- ah, you-" Twilight couldn't say anything. "Hey Twilight. Your lips sure do look delicious. Do you mind if I try having a taste?" Rainbow asked, ignoring Twilight's stuttering while slowly approaching her. "Yes! I do mind, actually!" Twilight shouted, jumping away from Rainbow and tensing her whole body. "Oh, calm down, Twilight. I'm just having fun. You know I like having fun." Twilight finally eased her muscles. Did Rainbow Dash finally get it? Did she realize that all Twilight wanted was a little bit of space? "Well, as long as you understand." "You know," Rainbow interrupted,"There are other ways of having fun." "Oh no." Twilight said, backing away from Rainbow Dash. "All you have to do is follow me to a quiet place and we can have fun all night. Come on, Twilight. There's no need to be shy. In fact let's do it right here." Rainbow got into a pouncing position, as if she were about to jump onto Twilight. Twilight turned and ran away as fast as possible, leaving nothing but a dust cloud behind. Rainbow could faintly hear Twilight's voice in the distance. "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" > Love interests > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "NNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Twilight screamed as she ran faster than she ever though possible. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as her hooves moved as quickly as possible. Twilight ran on for what felt like hours, blindly. Finally, she was forced to a stop when she ran head first into a large wooden cart. Twilight flew backwards, landing on her back with a groan from the force of the crash. Everything was blurry, stars flew around in the sky, and birds circled her head. "Twi! Twi are ya okay?" Applejack quickly rushed to Twilight's side. "What in tarnation were ya thinkin'? You were chargin' through Ponyville like a mad bull." Twilight, still dizzy and barely aware of what was going on around her, spoke up. "I... Rainbow Dash... kiss... chase... run... ...crash." Applejack stared at Twilight. "Twi, Ah have no idea what yer sayin'." Applejack looked at Twilight as she continued her random babbling. "Boom... cart... me... stars... ooh look at that one." Twilight moaned as she pointed at a star, only visible to herself. "Twi! Snap out of it!" Applejack yelled. Twilight jumped into the air. When she landed she fell instantly into a defensive stance. "What!? Where am I!? Where's Rainbow Dash?" Twilight looked around nervously. "Twi, calm down. You're in the middle o' Ponyville, and Ah haven't seen Rainbow today," Applejack quickly replied. "Really? Rainbow isn't here?" Twilight let out a large breath of air. "Good." Her muscles loosened and Twilight relaxed her posture. Seeing that Twilight had recovered from her momentary panic, smiled and stepped closer to her friend. "Okay Twi, now that yer all normal again, Ah need ta know. What in tarnation were ya doin' running through town like that? And why are you so skittish about Rainbow?" "Oh, what should I do? Should I tell Applejack about Rainbow? It'd be nice to have some advice on what to do with this whole situation." Twilight furrowed her brow and looked at Applejack. "Applejack, if I tell what is going on, could you promise not to tell anypony?" Applejack was surprised by the sudden intensity of the conversation, but she knew what she had to do as Twilight's friend. "Of course Ah won't tell anypony. You know you can trust me," Applejack said, reassuringly. Twilight smiled, "Of course I can tell her, Applejack is very dependable. Twilight inched towards Applejack and took a deep breath, and in a hushed voice said, "It all started three days ago when Rainbow confessed her love to me and when I told her no she got sad and I said she could do anything so now she thinks that she can win my heart but I just wanna be friends and just now Rainbow tried to kiss me and she said something about a hotel which is why I started running and bumped into you...sorry by the way." Applejack took a step back, trying to absorb all of the information that was just pushed onto her all at once. After a few seconds Applejack got it all down. "So, Rainbow's been tryin' to win yer heart ever since you rejected her love?" Twilight looked down at the ground a red blush on her face. "Yes." Applejack frowned and averted her eyes, blinking rapidly. Twilight looked up from the ground and saw Applejack. "Um, Applejack? Are you alright?" Applejack put on an excessively broad grin and looked up at Twilight, "'Course Ah am. That was jus' a lotta stuff to take in all at once." "It's pretty obvious that Applejacks smile is fake, but I don't have enough time to go into that right now." Twilight thought. "So, what do you think I should do?" Applejack put her hoof to her chin. "Hmm, Ah guess ya could—" Applejack was cut off by a sing song voice coming from the distance. "Twiliiiight. Where are you?" Twilight suddenly tensed up. Her pupils shrunk and her hair stood on end. "Oh sweet Celestia, was that Rainbow just now?" "There you are Twilight!" Rainbow said just as she came into view. "Gah!" Twilight flailed her hooves and took off running in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash smirked. "Come on, Twilight. Don't you realize that you're trying to run away from Equestria's fastest flyer?" At that moment, Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings and took off after Twilight. With both ponies gone, Applejack stood still, now alone. "Ah guess Twilight was tellin' the truth. Rainbow was really chasin' her." Applejack lowered her head, she grabbed her hat and covered her face. After taking a deep breath, Applejack raised her hat back up. "Well, ah guess I should take this cart to Fluttershy's like Ah was goin' to before all that crazy stuff." With that Applejack strapped herself back to the cart and started pulling it towards Fluttershy's cottage. *** Spike stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at the library, puffing out his chest and nodding to himself. All the piles of books were gone. Every item was stacked alphabetically on the shelves. Spike sat down and let out a deep breath. Everything was perfect. But, now that everything was so perfect, what was he supposed to do now? Suddenly, somepony knocked on the front door. "Huh? Who could that be?" Spike mused as he approached the door. "Hello?" Spike asked as he opened the door. Spikes curious eyes turned into hearts as he saw who the visitor was. "Ah! Just the little dragon I wanted to see." Rarity practically sang. "I was wondering if you could help me with some chores. I am terribly busy at the moment, so I will be needing some assistance. Would you be so kind as to lend me a claw?" Spike, blinded by his love for Rarity, agreed by slowly nodding. "Sure, Rarity, anything for you." "Oh, thank you so much, darling. Now, let's get back to the boutique." Rarity said happily as she trotted off towards her boutique, Spike following behind, leaving a trail of hearts behind him. Just as Spike and Rarity left, off in the distance a large trail of smoke approached the library. In front of the smoke was a certain purple unicorn. Twilight charged towards her library, surely if she got in there she would be safe. Slightly above the cloud of smoke was Rainbow Dash, staying close to Twilight in the air. "Come on Twilight, you know you want to!" Rainbow yelled to Twilight, a mischievous grin on her face. "For the last time! I said I don't want to make little foals with you right now. Especially, not in the middle of Ponyville, why would you even suggest that!" Twilight screamed as she continued to run. "Oh come on, Twilight. I was joking about the part where we would do it in Ponyville. But look! Your house is pretty close, let's do it in there!" Rainbow yelled, easily keeping up with Twilight's pace. Twilight did not even bother replying. She just put everything she had into reaching her house. She was so close, she charged as fast as she could. She was approaching the library rapidly. Twilight, finally, approached the door and quickly opened it and vanished inside. Twilight slammed herself onto the ground, she was finally able to rest. "Hey, Twilight. You left the window open." Rainbow smirked and slowly made her way down the stairs. "Oh, Celestia. You've got to be kidding." Twilight got back up and planted her hooves. "Come on Twilight, you're not really going to try running again, are you?" Rainbow asked. Twilight hardened her stance. She closed her eyes and her horn lit up. A sudden burst of light took over the entire library. And with that, Twilight was gone. *** Applejack detached herself from her cart of apples. "Phew, Finally here." She walked up to the cottage and gave the door a few knocks. Applejack could hear some rustling behind the door. Eventually, the door opened and Applejack was greeted by Fluttershy. "Oh, hello Applejack," she mumbled, hiding her face behind her mane "Hey, Fluttershy," Applejack replied. "I brought you those apples you were askin' for." Applejack pointed her hoof towards the cart of apples. "Oh, thank you so much, Applejack." Both ponies stood awkwardly, not sure what to say. "Um, you would like to come in?" Fluttershy finally offered. Applejack thought for a second, "Well, aside from the apples, I don't think I had anythin' else I needed to do." "Sure, I'll come in for a little while." Upon entering the cottage, Applejack heard a giggle from the second floor. "Is somepony already here?" "Yes, Pinkie stopped by a little while ago." Fluttershy faced the ground. Applejack wasn't quite sure, but she thought she saw a blush on Fluttershy's face. "Wee! That was fun!" Pinkie yelled as she came down the stairs, gummy on top of her head. "Oh, hey Applejack! Whatcha doing here?" Pinkie asked, happily. "I was jus' droppin' off some apples. What about you, Pinkie?" Pinkie grabbed Gummy from her head and presented him to Applejack. "Gummy was acting strange so I brought him to Flutters, and now he's back to normal!" Gummy stared blankly back at Applejack. Applejack smiled. "That's great to hear Pinkie." Suddenly a ringing came from Pinkie. It sounded like an alarm clock and was loud enough that it startled both Applejack and Fluttershy. "Oh, gosh! Is it that time already? Sorry girls, but I gotta go!" Pinkie yelled and took off in an instant. "Ah, wait, Pinkie." Fluttershy held a hoof out towards cloud of dust that was left behind Pinkie. *sigh* Fluttershy lowered her hoof and dropped into a sitting position. Applejack looked around, and scuffed a hoof on the floor. "What the hay is goin' on with Fluttershy?" Applejack took a deep breath and approached Fluttershy. "Is somethin' the matter, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy did not move at all, Applejack thought that she did not even acknowledge her. But then she spoke, "It's just, well. Applejack, have you ever wanted to tell somepony something, but no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't work up the courage?" Applejack was taken back by the question. "Does Fluttershy," "Actually, Ah'm sorta goin' through that problem right now. Well, Ah was goin' through it. But now, Ah don't think that anythin' Ah say will help me." The two ponies sat, neither saying anything. Both were stuck in their thoughts. Eventually, Applejack spoke up. "Ah think Ah better go. It was nice seein' you, Fluttershy." Applejack left without saying another word. Fluttershy wanted to talk more with Applejack, but right now, she did not feel like doing anything. After Applejack had left Fluttershy started hearing noises from behind her. Curious, she looked around her cottage. There were a few sparks appearing from thin air. Then, the whole room was covered in a white light. After the light faded, there was a crash. Fluttershy looked to see that Twilight had appeared in her house. Twilight shook her head and looked around. "Fluttershy? Please you need to help me." Twilight said, desperately. "Rainbow won't stop chasing me! She keeps on talking about making foals, and having a party under the covers! What does that even mean?! Who says that? How could you party under covers!? It doesn't even make sense!" Twilight yelled. Fluttershy looked down at Twilight, not sure what to make of what she had just heard. "Um, Twilight. Could you please explain what you're talking about?" Twilight took a deep breath and calmed down. "Alright, I'll start from the beginning." > Everypony's Falling > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash flew over Ponyville, closely scanning every inch she covered. After what felt like an eternity of searching, Rainbow finally started to descend. Since Twilight teleported Rainbow had no clue where Twilight could be, for all she knew, Twilight could be in Canterlot. Rainbow finally descended into the heart of Ponyville. "Where could Twilight have gone?" Rainbow thought aloud to herself. Rainbow rubbed her chin and glided mere inches above the buildings of Ponyville, eyes looking down at the ground, when her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pounce and a big pink blur. "Hi Dashie!" Pinkie yelled as she tumbled onto Rainbow Dash, sending both ponies plummeting to the ground. "Whatcha doin'?" Rainbow groaned and shoved Pinkie off her body. "Pinkie! Get off of me!" She stood up and brushed herself off before bringing her hoof back to her chin. Pinkie watched Rainbow, a huge toothy grin plastered across her face. "Are you thinking about something?" Pinkie asked, but Rainbow just rolled her eyes. "Ooh! I get it! You want me to guess what you're thinking of, right? All right, here I go! Are you thinking of what to have for lunch? No?" Rainbow Dash started grinding her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. "Then are you thinking about a new trick? Are ya? Are ya? Are ya? Huh? Huh? Huh?" "PINKIE!" Rainbow finally yelled. "Yes, Dashie?" "I'm not playing a game! I'm trying to think of where Twilight is!" Rainbow finally answered. "Oooohhhh. I don't know where Twilight is, but I know where I would be right now if I were Twilight!" "Really?" Rainbow asked, rushing over to Pinkie," Tell me!" "Okay! Follow me!" Pinkie said as she happily led Rainbow Dash down the street. *** "It all started a couple days ago, when Rainbow Dash stopped by the library," Twilight began. "She had said she had something really important to tell me. I, of course, gave her all of my attention, I thought it'd be something about a certain monster or something coming to Ponyville, since that happened oddly often. But instead Rainbow Dash told me that she… Um…” She bit her lip and blushed. “She told me likes me. Like really likes me. I think she may have even said love. I appreciate what Rainbow said, I really took it as a compliment, actually. But I just don't think of Rainbow Dash that way, so I turned her down." Twilight stopped, expecting Fluttershy to cut in with questions. But nothing ever came, so Twilight continued. "Of course that really upset her, so to try and get her spirits back up I told her that shouldn't feel sad. I told her that she was Rainbow Dash and she could overcome anything. She seemed to really take my words to heart and I thought that it meant she would try and move on, but instead she almost took it as a challenge to win my heart. And ever since then Rainbow has been acting a little different than usual." Twilight again, paused for questions, but Fluttershy sat still, eyes on Twilight. "She keeps talking about doing obscene things, in the middle of Ponyville, too." Twilight continued. "And she's constantly chasing me around. I don't know how much more I can take, Fluttershy. You've gotta help me." Twilight finally finished. Fluttershy sat in silence. She had listened to Twilight without the slightest thought of interrupting her. Now that Twilight was finished Fluttershy thought she'd try to say something. "Umm, well. To be honest Twilight. I don't really know what to do in this kind of situation. I've never been caught up in something like that." Fluttershy got up and approached Twilight. "I might know somepony who can give you advice, though." "Who?" Twilight asked, eyes shimmering as a shred of hope flittered through her mind "Rarity. She reads all of those romance novels, so I'm sure she may have an idea at least." Twilight perked her head up and a smile spread onto her face. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you so much Fluttershy! You're a genius!" Twilight squeeled as she wrapped Fluttershy into a tight embrace. Fluttershy blushed. "I'm always happy to help." Twilight released her hug. "Fluttershy, you're such a good friend, so nice and understanding." Twilight's eyes scanned Fluttershy, from her mane to her hooves. "And so pretty." "Umm, what was that last one?" Flutteshy asked. "Oh! Um, nothing." Twilight averted her eyes and blushed. "Uh, listen. I'm pretty tired from all of the running around. Do you mind if I rest here for a little bit?" Twilight asked. "Oh no, I don't mind. Rest as long as you need to. You can sleep on this couch, it may not look like much, but it's very comfortable." "Thank you so much." Twilight said as she laid on the couch. As Twilight closed her eyes, she managed to steal a few more glances at Fluttershy. So, pretty, Twilight thought before falling asleep. *** "Pinkie! I'm telling you, we started at this stupid cafe! We already passed it like nine times!" Rainbow Dash almost screamed. "I'm leaving! I can find Twilight myself!" Rainbow turned away from Pinkie and began walking in another direction. "Wait, Dashie!" Pinkie called out, "I know where I'm going now! I just needed to get on the right track!" Rainbow stopped and sighed. "I'll give you one more chance, but if we end up at this dumb cafe again, I'll never forgive you." Pinkie grinned ear to ear. "Don't worry, Dashie. I know exactly where I'm going, now!" Pinkie chirped, as she bounced in another direction. Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm following you again. Well, just so long as I can find Twilight, I'll be fine in the end." Rainbow thought aloud. Pinkie slowed her pace a little and went by Rainbow's side. "Hey Dashie, why do you want to find Twilight so badly, anyway?" "I have to win her heart." Rainbow simply replied. Pinkie stopped. "Why would you want Twilight's heart? Twilight needs that to live, Dashie! You can't take it from her!" Pinkie yelled. Rainbow Dash slapped her face with her hoof. "Of course I'm not trying to actually take her heart. What I meant is that I'm trying to get Twilight to fall in love with me." "Oh." Pinkie then continued leading the way. "Wait." Pinkie stopped again. "What is it now?" Rainbow grunted. "Why do you want Twilight to love you?" Pinkie asked. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Because I love her, and it's only natural for you to want the person you love to love you back, right?" Rainbow reasoned. "Oh." Pinkie continued bouncing. "Wait." Pinkie stopped. "Oh for the love of Celestia! What now!?" Rainbow yelled. "Do you mean like 'love' love? Like more than a friend love?" "Yes." Rainbow replied, blankly. "Really?" "Really." "Oh." Pinkie continued to bounce forward. And Rainbow followed. Suddenly, Pinkie stopped. "Okay! Here we are!" Pinkie announced. "Really? Is Twilight here? Where is she?!" Rainbow looked around enthusiastically. "Oh, I don't know if Twilight's here. I just said this is where I would be if I were Twilight. But then again, I would be here no matter who I was." Pinkie grinned, eyes sparkling. "Wait, don't tell me." Rainbow turned around and saw that Pinkie had led her to Sugarcube Corner. "Pinkie!? Are you kidding me!? Sugarcube Corner!? Really!?" Yelled, Rainbow Dash. "Uh-huh. I love it here, so of course I would be here if I was Twilight." Pinkie smiled. "Arrgghh!" Rainbow screamed as she disappeared into the sky. "Wait Rainbow!" Pinkie called out, "Don't you want a snack while you're here?" No response came. "Guess not. ”Pinkie stroked her chin for a moment and shrugged. “Oh well. More snacks for me!" Pinkie then happily trotted into Sugar Cube Corner. *** "I'm back!" Rarity sang as she trotted into the Carousel Boutique "And look! I brought Spike." she announced. Sweetie Belled picked herself up off the floor. "Oh! Is that where you went? I thought you were going somewhere to explode, since your face was so red." Rarity blushed and cleared her throat loudly. "Ahaha. Darling, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. That aside," Rarity turned towards Spike, "This is why I brought you over. I need you to keep Sweetie Belle busy while I try to finish my order." Spike, hearts still in his eyes, slowly nodded. "Of course, anything for you, milady." "Good, then take Sweetie Belle and go out and play, or whatever it is that you kids do now days." Rarity said as she budged Sweetie Belle and Spike out the door. "Wait, Rarity!" Sweetie Belled yelled, "What about dinner?" Rarity tossed a couple of bits at the pair. "Here you go, that should pay for dinner for both of you and a little extra. Have fun!" Rarity waved and slammed the door behind her. Spike still sat with hearts in his eyes, he then snapped out of his state and shook himself back into reality. "What just happened?" Spike asked himself. "Uhm, well, it looks like we're forced to go do something. Did you have anything you needed to do today?" Sweetie Belle asked Spike. Spike brought a claw up to his chin. "I got nothin'" Spike finally admitted. "Okay. Well, let's go find something to do, then." Sweetie Belle started walking toward the center of Ponyville." "Oh, wait for me!" Spike called out as he started running towards Sweetie Belle. *** "Thanks for the cake!" Pinkie called. "No problem at all, deary." Mrs. Cake replied. Pinkie continued walking. She wasn’t really sure where she was walking. She was just walking. She noticed that she happened to be heading in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. "Hmm. I was just over at Fluttershy's…” She shrugged. "Oh well. Might as well go again!" Pinkie thought aloud to herself. After a long walk Pinkie finally arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. Pinkie, with no hesitation, opened the front door and barged in. "Hi Fluttershy! I'm back!" Pinkie called out. "Pinkie! What are you doing here?" Fluttershy called from the other room. "Dunno." Pinkie shrugged. "I was just walking and I ended up here." Fluttershy walked into the entrance now in Pinkie's view. "Well, that's fine, but try to be quiet. Twilight's sleeping on the couch." Fluttershy gestured towards Twilight in the other room, sleeping. Pinkie looked over at Twilight then back at Fluttershy. "Ohh, I get it" Pinkie said. "Huh? Get what?" Fluttershy replied. "No it's okay, Fluttershy. You don't have to explain. I get it. But isn't it going to be hard on Dashie after she hears what you did with Twilight?" Pinkie asked. "What?" Fluttershy looked back at Twilight. Suddenly, her eyes snapped wide open and a blush gathered onto her face. "No Pinkie! It's not like that at all! Twilight was just tired and she laid down and went to sleep. Nothing happened." Fluttershy explained. "Uh-huh." Pinkie said, narrowing her eyes. "I'm sure that's all that happened." "Please, Pinkie. You have to believe me!" Fluttershy dived towards Pinkie and grabbed her hooves. She looked up at Pinkie furiously blushing all the while. "It's okay, Fluttershy. I believe you, I was just joking. If you did do something with Twilight, I would've been really upset." Pinkie comforted Fluttershy by stroking her mane. Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie with tears in her eyes. "You really believe me?" "Of course!" Pinkie happily replied. "Oh, good." Fluttershy said as she got back up and straightened herself. "But when did Twilight get here, and why is she sleeping on your couch anyways?" Pinkie finally asked. "Um, well. Let me explain everything that has happened so far." *** Applejack walked through Ponyville, a sad expression sitting on her face. She had been in deep thought since the incident with Rainbow and Twilight. There was no question about it Rainbow Dash loved Twilight, that much was obvious. And by the looks of it, Rainbow would stop at nothing to get Twilight. Applejack let out another sigh. Applejack looked up to see that somehow she managed to arrive at Rarity's boutique. "That's it! Rarity! She's good with all this romance stuff ain't she? Ah'll jus' ask her what to do!" Applejack quickly headed into the boutique. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is— Oh, Applejack. What are you doing here? I know you're not dress shopping." Rarity chuckled. "Yeah, You're right Ah ain't here for no dress, Ah actually came to talk to you, Rarity." Applejack looked up at Rarity, a blush across her face. "Oh, well I'm sure there's nothing that I know that could help you. I don't know anything about hard labor or any of that icky business you do back at the farm." Rarity said. "Actually, it's not about any of that stuff. I wanted to talk to you about... love." Applejack admitted, a dark blush taking over her face. Rarity's eyes widened a deep blush spread among her face. "Oh my, Applejack this is so sudden, I- I don't know what to say." Rarity started fidgeting nervously. "Ah need to talk to you about Rainbow!" Applejack yelled. Rarity sat in silence. After a moment she faked a smile. "I'm not sure how the two are connected but I will try to answer any question you have the best I can." Rarity assured her friend. "Thanks, Rarity. Ah knew Ah could count on you. It all started today when Ah was deliverin' some apples to Fluttershy..." *** "So how many bits did Rarity give you anyways?" Spike asked. "I'm not really sure, let's see. One, two, three, *mumble* Umm, I'm getting thrity." Sweetie finally replied. "Thirty bits!" Spike snapped his eyes wide open. "Where does she think we needed to eat? I don't think any place in Ponyville would cost that much for just one filly and a kid dragon. How does Rarity have that much money to just throw away, anyways? "Rarity may not show it much, but her business is actually really successful. She gets ponies like Sapphire Shores and Fancy Pants all the time." "I guess that's true, but still... Thirty bits for a dinner for two? That's crazy." Sweetie Belle and Spike continued walking until they were interrupted. "Oh look it's the blank flank. Are you on a date with you little dragon friend?" Diamond Tiara asked, with Silver Spoon laughing next to her. "Oh no, not them." Sweetie said under her breath. "Where are your stupid friends, Sweetie Belle?” Diamond Tiara sneered. "Did you ponies finally give up on getting cutie marks or did you finally figure out that you have no special talent?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Just you wait!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "We'll get our cutie marks, and they'll be amazing!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "I'm sure they will, go ahead and give me a call when that happens when you're in a retirement home," Diamond Tiara said, drawing another laugh from Silver Spoon. Spike then walked in between Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara. "Excuse me, but can I ask you what's so amazing about your cutie mark? If I'm not mistaken it's just a tiara. So is your special talent wearing that tiara that you have on? I don’t see how that’s worth writing home about. You know, if I wanted to I could wear that tiara too, and I would probably wear it just as well as you." Silver Spoon ran up to Spike. "Don't you insult Diamond Tiara like that—" "And if I'm right," Spike interrupted. "Your cutie mark is just a spoon. How is that a talent? Can you hold a spoon? If you ask me, I'd rather be a blank flank than be stuck with your guys' pointless cutie marks." Spike finished. "Pointless!?" Yelled Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in unison. "Come on, Sweetie Belle. Let's go." Spike walked away, ignoring the frustrated yelling coming from the two foals. "Uh, r—right." Sweetie Belle followed Spike, unable to believe what just happened. "So, where do you want to eat?" Spike asked. "Uhm, anywhere is fine." Sweetie Belle replied. Sweetie Belle glanced at Spike, "I've never noticed how cool Spike is. He really stood up for me, and completely told off Diamond Tiara and SIlver Spoon. Spike is so cool." Thought Sweetie Belle. > Minor Complications > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. She gave off a yawn and stretched her legs. Slowly, Twilight opened her eyes, but something was off. Twilight rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things correctly. "Fluttershy? What are you doing on top of me?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy gave Twilight a sensual smile. "You just looked so cozy, I decided to join you." Twilight started sweating. she avoided Fluttershy's gaze as a deep blush covered her cheeks. "What's going on? This isn't something Fluttershy would do." Thought Twilight. "Twilight~," Fluttershy softly sang. Twilight glanced back at Fluttershy, who brought her head down and planted a kiss on Twilight’s lips. Twilight's eyes snapped open. She did not understand what was happening, but she loved it. Fluttershy's lips tasted so sweet. Everything about Fluttershy was so gentle, and so were her kisses. Fluttershy finally broke off the kiss. She pulled her head back up and gazed at Twilight. "Fluttershy, what's gotten into you?" Twilight asked. "You're not usually this forward about anything." Fluttershy simply smiled at Twilight, not saying a word. "Umm, Fluttershy?" "What do you mean, 'Fluttershy' I'm not Fluttershy?" Fluttershy asked. Fluttershy stopped smiling. Her face seemed to lack any emotion now. Her hoof reached up behind her head and grabbed a hold of something. In one smooth motion, Fluttershy unzipped her entire body open. "Fluttershy!? What are you doing!?" Twilight screamed. "I told you, I'm not Fluttershy!" Rainbow yelled as she sprang out of the Fluttershy costume. "Wha!? Rainbow Dash? What's going on!?" Twilight yelled as she back as far away from Rainbow Dash as she could. Rainbow Dash put a hoof to Twilight's mouth and brought the other up to her own mouth, making a soft shushing sound. Slowly, Rainbow Dash lowered her head down towards Twilight. "Wait! Rainbow! Hang on! I'm not ready for this!" GAH!" Twilight yelled as she quickly rose up from Fluttershy's couch. Twilight looked at her surroundings. "It was just a dream." Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia. That was horrible. Although, it didn't start off to badly." She thought out loud. "Twilight? Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked as she trotted down the stairs. "I heard a scream." "It was nothing. Just a bad dream, is all." Twilight reassured. "Good. I thought that something bad had happened to you." Twilight began to step off the couch. "Well, thanks for letting me sleep here, Fluttershy. I think that I should get going to Rarity's house now." Twilight said as she stretched her legs. "How long was I out, anyway?" "Not too long. Just a little over an hour." Fluttershy answered. "Okay, that's good. So, I guess I'll take my leave." Twilight said as she starting walking towards the door. Fluttershy smiled and waved. "Alright, See you later, Twilight." Twilight blushed. "Yeah, see you later," Twilight replied as she walked out the door. Fluttershy turned towards the top of the stairs and headed back up. She opened the door to find Pinkie rolling around on the floor. She noticed Fluttershy walk in and stopped. "Everything alright, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked. Fluttershy averted her eyes from Pinkie's. "Of course. Why wouldn't things be alright?" She lied. Pinkie got up off the floor and approached Fluttershy. She got her face really close to Fluttershy's and narrowed her eyes. "Um, Pinkie?" Pinkie gazed deep into Fluttershy's eyes. Fluttershy felt like she was gazing into her soul. Suddenly, Pinkie stepped back and returned to her usual self. "Hey, Fluttershy. Do you want to go somewhere?" Pinkie asked, suddenly. Fluttershy was taken back. "Wh-what do you mean?" Pinkie smiled. "Well, I just wanted to hang out. Is that alright?" On the inside, Fluttershy was jumping up and down with joy. "I'd love to." Pinkie began to hop towards the stairs. "Great! Then it's a date!" Fluttershy's eyes burst open. A blush gathered on her face, and a smile began to grow. "A date?!" *** Twilight trotted, happily back to Ponyville, with a spring in her step. It was the first time she felt at ease in a few days. She looked up at the clouds and marveled at how beautiful day it was. The sun shined on her coat, giving her a nice warm feeling all over. The slight wind made sure that she wasn't getting too hot. She could hear birds chirping off in the distance. Right now, everything was perfect. Twilight smiled as she continued her walk towards Rarity's Boutique. "Okay, gotta make sure I keep an eye out for Rainbow Dash. I don't want to run into her until I at least talk to Rarity." She though aloud. Twilight started humming to herself. Things were finally starting to get better. *** Rainbow Dash sat at a vacant table at the Ponyville park, her head slumped down. She glanced around her to check if Twilight had walked by, but to her dismay, there was not Twilight. Rainbow let out a sigh and slammed her head down onto her table. "Where could she have gone? I wonder what she's doing now. I'd give anything to see her." "See who?" A voice asked from behind Rainbow Dash. "Huh?" Rainbow turned around to see Blossomforth. "Oh, hey Blossomforth. What's up?" "Nothing much," Blossomforth replied as she made her way to the other side of Rainbow's table. "But something seems to be up with you. Why're you so down?" She asked as she made herself comfortable on the bench. Rainbow let out another sigh. "It's just... Well, it's um..." Rainbow started to blush. Blossomforth gave Rainbow a confused look. "Well, what is it?" "I'm trying to tell you! It's just that it's kinda embarrassing to tell somepony that I don't know really well." "Hmm. I guess that makes sense, if you don't want to tell me what's up, you don't have to force yourself. I'll just go." Blossomforth started to get up. "I'm having love trouble!" Rainbow shouted, while blushing. Blossomforth's eyes opened wide, she smirked and slowly sat back down. "Well, Rainbow my friend, It seems that you've finally started having some normal problems." "What do you mean normal?" Rainbow asked. Blossomforth smiled. "What I mean is that your problems are always so crazy. Stuff like saving Canterlot from the changelings and stopping Discord. That stuff isn't normal, but for you, it's just another job." Blossomforth adjusted herself to get more comfortable. "Okay, so what 'love trouble' are you having? I might be able to help." *** "Applejack, if you do not tell me then I simply can't help you." Rarity said, getting annoyed. "Ah know Rarity, but it's just kinda hard to say out loud." Applejack replied. Rarity rolled her eyes. "If you weren't prepared to tell me anything, then why did you ask me for help?" Applejack lowered her head. "You're right, Rarity. I jus' gotta come out an' say it." Applejack took a deep breath. "Ah kinda... Well, Ah sorta have a thing for—" She coughed. "Rainbow Dash." She coughed again. Rarity stared at Applejack. "Is that all? That doesn't seem like much of a problem, darling." Applejack, still recovering from finally letting her secret out, looked back at Rarity. "Well you see, me liking her ain't the problem. The problem is who Rainbow likes." Rarity's eyes widened. "Wait, who Rainbow likes? Well, this just got interesting. Do go on!" Rarity said, with excitement. "Okay, it all started this morning when..." Applejack told Rarity everything had happened to her when she ran into Twilight. "So, let me recap. You like Rainbow Dash." Applejack nodded. "But Rainbow Dash likes Twilight." Applejack nodded again. "And Twilight doesn't feel the same way about Rainbow, so she's been running away from her since this morning." "Right." Applejack confirmed. Rarity sat down. "When did things get so interesting?" Rarity asked herself. "Ah wouldn't exactly say interestin', but it's different from our usual problems." Applejack commented. "Well, Applejack, after hearing your story, I have some good news and some bad news." Rarity said as she stood back up and regained her composure. "Alright, what's the good news?" "Well, isn't it obvious? Twilight doesn't like Rainbow Dash. So in that regard you have a chance." Applejack smiled. "But don't got too happy yet." Applejack's smile seemed to instantly vanish. "From what you tell me, Rainbow Dash seems to be head over hooves in love with Twilight. So, it's going to be hard to get her to notice you, in that way." Rarity finished. Applejack looked up at Rarity. "Well, what have Ah gotta do?" She asked desperately. Rarity brought a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. "Well, the most direct way to get noticed would be to make Rainbow Dash stop loving Twilight. But, that won't be easy. Or at least, I can't really think of anything that would help you." "Ah got it!" Applejack interrupted. Rarity stepped away from Applejack, her eyes widened. "Ah gotta find Twilight, quick!" Applejack charged out of Rarity's boutique. "Thanks, Rarity!" She called out. Rarity sat in silence for a moment. She let out a sigh. "Well, it certainly was hard to keep a straight face all that time." Rarity lowered her head and continued to welcome silence. "Stupid Applejack." *** Twilight's head slowly rose up from a bush. She took quick glances at all of her surroundings. Seeing the coast as clear, she quickly jumped out. She ran to the next covered area. "Whew, this is tiring." Twilight thought aloud. Twilight kept sneaking around corners until Rarity's boutique finally came into view. "There it is!" Twilight took a quick look around and dashed towards the boutique. She got to the door and knocked on it, constantly looking all around her. The door opened and Twilight quickly jumped inside. "Please come in." Rarity said sarcastically, and closed the door. "Sorry, Rarity. I just can't be out in the open like that for very long." Twilight said, as she lay on the ground, trying to catch her breath. "Ah yes, are you referring to your problems with Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked. "Yeah, she won't sto— Wait. How did you know about that? Is Rainbow here?" Twilight quickly looked around and readied herself for an attack. "No, darling, she's not, calm down. So, why are you here?" Rarity asked. Twilight lowered her guard, but was still taking glances around her every now and then. "Well, I was thinking maybe you could help me out with my Rainbow Dash problem. Among all of the ponies I know you're the most educated on the subject of love." Rarity chuckled. "If I'm so educated in love then why am I so helpless." Rarity asked under her breath. "What was that, Rarity?" Twilight asked. Rarity quickly went back to normal. "It's nothing, darling. Now tell me everything about Rainbow and I'll see if I can help." *** "Wow! Quite the story, Rainbow." Blossomforth said, after Rainbow finished her recap. "I gotta say, you have some guts for being so forward to Twilight. I admire you for that." Rainbow sighed. "There's nothing to admire. My approach didn't work." Rainbow placed her head down on the table. "Aw, it's alright, Rainbow." Blossomforth reached over and patted Rainbow Dash on the back. "The only problem is that you weren't working hard enough." Rainbow pulled her head back up. "What?" Blossomforth closed her eyes and gave a smug smile. "That's right. You weren't direct enough! You need to really be forward! You need to redefine the word forward! Never take no for an answer! And soon, Twilight will be yours!" she finished. "I don't know, Blossomforth. I don't think that's right." "Well, let me ask you this!" Blossomforth jumped up onto her chair. "Have you ever made anypony fall in love with you?" She pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash. "Well, no, but—" "Exactly!" She yelled. "But I have!" "What!?" Rainbow looked up at Blossomforth. "Who!?" "Blossomforth crossed her hooves, and put on another smug look. "Cloudkicker." "What!? When!?" Rainbow Dash jumped onto her seat and paid full attention to Blossomforth. "Just recently. She didn't really think of me in the way I did to her. But, eventually I turned her around and she ended up confessing to me. We've been going out since." Rainbow Dash looked at Blossomforth in awe. "Tell me everything you know about being forward!" > Interruptions, New Tactics, Running > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy silently followed Pinkie. She wondered where they were going, but Pinkie didn’t say a word. Pinkie's usual happy bounce was replaced with a calm walk. After a long moment, Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Pinkie, do you mind telling me where we are going?" Pinkie did not look back at Fluttershy. She didn't even slow down. She just replied. "Don't worry, we'll be there in a little bit." Fluttershy, silently, sighed. She knew that she would not get a straight forward answer. All she could do was follow Pinkie Pie and wait. *** "And that, is how you do it!" Blossomforth finished. Rainbow Dash looked at the pegasus in awe. Her mouth agape, a large blush spread across her face. "I-uh, I don't think I can do that, Blossomforth. I mean, I've been forward, yeah. But only with words. I've never actually done anything physical to Twilight." Blossomforth kept her smug expression on her face. "Which is why you haven't won her heart yet." No matter how hard Rainbow tried, she could not defeat that logic. "I guess you're right. I'll go ahead and try your way. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Rainbow reasoned. "Exactly!" Blossomforth replied. "Now get out there and win yourself a unicorn!" She said. "Alright!" Rainbow cheered as she flew off at a great speed. Blossomforth sat on her bench and saluted towards Rainbow Dash. "Good luck, you crazy kid," she said as a single tear ran down her cheek. *** "Okay, Twilight. The way I see it, you have very few options," Rarity said. Twilight gazed at her, listening to her every word. Rarity, for her part, flipped her mane and continued to pace in front of Twilight. "One choice, the easiest choice, is you accept Rainbow Dash's love and you may live happily ever after." Twilight gave Rarity an uncertain look. Rarity let out an airy laugh. "I'm not done yet, darling. You're second choices is to tell Rainbow how it is, very bluntly. Tell her that you just don't have any attraction to her whatsoever, and that no matter how hard she tried, you two would never become more than friends." Twilight lowered her eyes. "I know I could do that, but that would probably break Rainbow's heart." Twilight interrupted. "Yes, that is the downside to that option," Rarity continued. "Now, your third, and final, option. Tell Rainbow that you can't love her, because you are already in love with somepony else." Twilight's mouth opened, but Rarity quickly held up a hoof, silencing Twilight. "This option also has the chance of breaking Rainbow's heart. But, with this method, it's possible that she'll understand and will want to continue at least being friends with you." Twilight frowned. "Isn't there any way to not end up with Rainbow Dash AND not break her heart?" she asked. "There aren't any that I can think of, I'm afraid," Rarity replied. "Oh." Twilight lowered her head. A long silence filled the room. Rarity shifted and bit her lip "Um, Twilight? Maybe if I were to talk to Rainbow Dash, I would have a better understanding of the situation. With that, I may be able to come up with a better solution for both you and Rainbow Dash." Twilight's head instantly perked up. "Really? Do you think that'll work?" "I'm not saying it will work, I'm saying it can work," Rarity admitted. "It's still something," Twilight said as her eyes shimmered. "Wait right here Rarity. I'll find a way to get Rainbow here." Before Rarity could say anything, Twilight teleported out of the boutique. Rarity let out a long sigh and took a seat. *** Fluttershy continued to follow Pinkie Pie. She still had no idea where she was going, but she still followed Pinkie without question. Every so often Pinkie would look back at Fluttershy. Every time she did, Fluttershy would feel her heart skip. Pinkie finally stopped walking turned to face Fluttershy. "We're here!" she announced. Fluttershy observed the area around them. They were on top of a hill that led to a cliff. Nopony was around. There were no buildings, and there was barely any sound; aside from the occasional blowing of the wind and some birds chirping. The only thing you could see around the ponies was grass and trees. "Where are we, exactly?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie turned around and gazed into the sky towards the setting sun. "This is the place I come to to relax. Whenever I feel a little sad, I come here and I feel better." Pinkie looked over the cliff. "And we're here just in time." Pinkie smiled. "Just in time for what?" Fluttershy asked. Pinkie didn't answer. Instead she sat down in the grass at the edge of the cliff, and made a gesture for Fluttershy to sit next to her. Fluttershy, without a word, headed over to Pinkie and sat down. She know knew what Pinkie meant by being just in time. The sun was shining with a beautiful orange glow. At the bottom of the cliff was a massive flowerbed. It was the first time Fluttershy had seen anything so beautiful. Fluttershy looked over at Pinkie Pie. Her eyes were shining, a calm sincere spread across her face. Fluttershy had never seen her look so amazing. Pinkie noticed Fluttershy staring at her. "What is it, Flutters?" Fluttershy blushed. "I need to tell her how I feel. It's so perfect right now. There won't ever be a time like this again." Fluttershy took a deep breath. "Pinkie, I. I..." The other two words Fluttershy searched for stood at the tip of her tongue. "Come on, Fluttershy! You can do this!" She thought. Pinkie stared at Fluttershy, still smiling. "I... I'm sorry!" Fluttershy yelled as she quickly got up and flew away. Pinkie got up and looked towards Fluttershy. "Wait! Fluttershy, come back!" Fluttershy flew higher and higher. She needed to get away. Tears started to block her vision. "Why am I so pathetic? Why can't I just tell her? I'm so stupid." *** "Wow, that was great." Spike commented. "Sure, they didn't have any jewels, but still..." Spike trailed off as he rubbed his stomach. Sweetie Belle walked behind him, brow furrowed. Spike stopped and looked back at Sweetie Belle. Soon she passed him and continued walking. "Uh, Sweetie Belle?" he called out. "Huh?" Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. "Oh, sorry Spike. I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm just thinking about a lot of things." She said, trying to quickly end the conversation. "Let's go. It's getting dark and we should both get home, right?" She picked up her pace towards her house without giving Spike a chance to reply. "Oh, okay," Spike said as he tried to catch up. After a small walk Spike and Sweetie Belle arrived at Rarity's boutique. "Thanks for walking me home." "No problem," Spike replied. "We should do this again. That was pretty fun!" "Yeah, we should," Sweetie Belle replied. Spike looked at Sweetie Belle with narrowed eyes. "Hey, before I go. I need to ask you, why have you been acting so weird?" Sweetie Belle started to sweat. "What? Weird? I haven't been acting weird. Heh, hehe." "Yes you have. Ever since we saw Diamond Tiara you've been really quiet. Why?" Sweetie Belle tried to think of a way out. "Um. IgottagoBYE!" Sweetie Belle yelled as she disappeared into Rarity's boutique. "Wait! Sweetie Belle!" Spike called out. "What with that pony?" Spike asked himself as he walked off towards the town library. *** Rainbow Dash flew low, scanning the area for Twilight. She still wore the beaming grin that had been on her face when she left Blossomforth. "Alright Twilight, where are you?" She looked down and saw a purple blur. It had gone from a bush to a table. Rainbow stopped immediately. "Was that Twilight?" Rainbow narrowed her eyes as she focused all her attention on the table. Slowly, a head came out of under the table and looked around. "It is Twilight!" Rainbow, calmly lowered herself towards the ground and came to a silent landing behind Twilight. Rainbow Dash took a few steps towards Twilight. "Alright, now I just need to do follow Blossomforth's instructions and Twilight will like me back." Rainbow tried to take single step forward, but felt something holding her back. Rainbow Dash started sweating, her face red. "Come on, Rainbow! You can do this." Rainbow thought. Twilight glanced behind her and caught Rainbow. Twilight's eyes widened, but she did not move a muscle. Rainbow grit her teeth and started running towards Twilight. "She already saw me. Now’s my chance." Twilight could not move. She was frozen in place. She knew she would not be able to move on time, so she closed her eyes and embraced for an impact. Rainbow jumped onto Twilight, knocking her down to the ground. Rainbow stood above Twilight. Slowly, Twilight opened her eyes and saw her situation. Her cheeks were consumed by a dark red. Rainbow stood still and looked closely at Twilight. She could not help but admire Twilight's beauty. "Twilight," Rainbow whispered. "I... I really do love you." Rainbow slowly closed her eyes and lowered her head. Twilight did not know what to do. Rainbow Dash was closing in on her. She felt paralyzed. Without thinking her horn began to glow. A bright light consumed the two ponies, and they disappeared in a flash *** Rarity let out a long yawn. She was finally putting the final touches to several dresses, that had taken op most of her day. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to stick a thread through a needle. "So many interruptions. What's with everypony today?" She asked herself. Suddenly, her door flew open and slammed shut. Rarity jumped, making her thread miss the needle. She let out a long sigh. "What now?" Rarity turned to find Sweetie Belle leaning against the door. "Sweetie Belle. Why did you slam my door, that's not very lady like." Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity. "Oh, sorry. I just really needed to get back inside, quickly." "Wait! Sweetie Belle!" Spike's voice could be heard behind the door. Sweetie Belle gave Rarity an innocent grin. "Sweetie, what's going on?" A deep blush gathered onto the filly's face. "I... I don't really know," She admitted. "What do you mean?" Rarity asked as she arched an eyebrow. Sweetie Belle told Rarity about her whole outing. She went into great detail on how she felt after Spike chased off Diamond Tiara, and how cool he looked when he did it. "And when he asked me what was wrong, I felt really embarrassed. So I ran in here as fast as I could. Why am I doing this stuff? Do you know, Rarity?" Rarity smiled at Sweetie Belle. She could not believe that her little sister was already developing her first crush. "Well, Sweetie, it seems like you've found your first crush," She said. "My first what?" Sweetie asked. "It means that your starting to see little Spike as a little more than a friend." She explained. "Like a BEST friend?" Rarity sighed. "No, it means that you're starting to like Spike in a 'very special somepony' kind of way." "Is that what this feeling is?" Rarity nodded. "Oh, I thought that having a... crush would be a good feeling. But it's not. It just makes me feel embarrassed for no reason." Rarity looked down at her sister with a bit of jealousy. "Well, I'm gonna go to my room. I'm tired." Sweetie Belle, then headed upstairs. "Goodnight, Sweetie." Rarity called out. Rarity let out another sigh. "If only my love problems were that simple," Rarity thought, as she walked back to her sewing machine. "If only I were just going through a crush. Then maybe..." Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "Where is Applejack? She stormed out of here, and never came back," Rarity thought aloud. "Oh, well. Best I get back to finishing the rest of these dresses." Rarity walked to her sewing machine. She placed some fabric down and began sewing. After getting three stitches in, her home was filled with a sudden flash. "Ugh, I'll never get these dresses done!" she yelled. Rainbow Dash and Twilight fell onto Rarity's floor. "Rarity, I'm back." Twilight announced. Rarity walked up to the two new guests. "Yeah, I could tell." She replied. Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night. *** Pinkie walked into Sugar Cube Corner. She still did not understand why Fluttershy would fly off so suddenly. She had checked Fluttershy's cottage, but nopony had answered. She had no choice but to go home. "Hi, Pinkie," Mrs. Cake said from behind the counter. Her smile was quickly replaced with a worried look when she saw Pinkie's current state. "Oh, what's wrong, dearie?" She asked. Pinkie walked towards the staircase. "It's nothing Mrs. Cake. I just feel a little strange." Pinkie lied. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine." "Oh, okay. Feel better soon, dearie." Pinkie closed the door behind her. She walked over to her bed and let herself fall onto it. "Why did Fluttershy run away? I don't get it. Was it something I did? Was it something I said?" Pinkie let out a big breath. "I don't know. I thought that the sunset was a great way to cheer her up, but I just made things worse." An image of Fluttershy crying flashed in Pinkie's head. "I hate seeing my friends so sad. Especially when it's Fluttershy." Then came the tears. "How can I make her happy again?" > Spoiling the Mood > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack swung her head around and smashed the last nail into the wooden fence with the hammer in her mouth. She wiped the sweat from her face, and smiled seeing the repaired old fence. "There, I'm finished. Can I go now Granny?" Applejack gasped. "What do you mean go? There are still tons of things to do 'round here." Granny Smith replied, as she rocked back and forth in her chair. Applejack sighed. "What do you mean? I've already repainted the barn, bucked enough apples to satisfy Ponyville, and I just fixed this here fence. What else is there that I have to do!?" She asked. Granny smiled. "Don't you worry, we'll find something for you to do." Applejack let out another long sigh. She was going to be stuck on her farm for a while longer. *** "Okay, that was the weirdest feeling ever." Rainbow Dash said while rubbing her head with a hoof. "Where are we, anyway?" she asked. Rainbow proceeded to take a quick look at her surroundings. She noticed all of the mannequins around her, and turned her head to find Rarity. "Rarity's house? Why are we here?" Rarity approached the two ponies on the floor. "You are here, Rainbow Dash, because you and Twilight need to sit down and have a long, calm discussion." "About what?" Rainbow asked. Twilight glared at Rainbow. "What do you think?" Twilight questioned, angrily. Rainbow Dash placed a hoof to her chin. "Hmmm... Dunno." She said as she shrugged her shoulders. Twilight buried her face in her hooves. Rarity sighed. "Rainbow, in case you have not noticed. Twilight has not been exactly happy with the way you have been behaving." "Oh! That." Rainbow's cheeks grew slightly red. "I was only doing what Blossomforth told me to do." Rainbow said. Rarity's eyes widened. "Blossomforth? Ugh, I should have known." Rarity put a hoof to her forehead. "You were listening to Blossomforth!?" Twilight shouted. Rainbow sunk down towards the floor. "Well, yeah. She gave me some advice that worked with her, so I thought—" "Rainbow..." Rarity interrupted. "Blossomforth is a bit, um, well, how to put this nicely. She's a little... strange at times." "What!? What do you mean "strange"? Blossomforth just gave me some advice that worked with her when she was having a hard time trying to get Cloudkicker to notice her." Rainbow explained. Rarity gave Rainbow Dash a confused look. "Rainbow, "Rarity said. "Blossomforth and Cloudkicker are not seeing each other." "Yeah, sure Rarity. Then why did she tell me she was?" Rainbow said, thinking that the argument was over. "Well, Rainbow. She told you that, because Blossomforth is a little untruthful at times," Rarity said. "What do you mean?" Rainbow asked. "Ugh! She means that Blossomforth is a liar!" Twilight finally shouted, getting tired of Rainbow's density. "What!? No she isn—" Rainbow stopped mid-sentence. A door in her head opened releasing a flood of memories with Blossomforth. The time that she said she had taken care of Ponyville's bad weather, when in reality she hadn't even woken up until Rainbow Dash called for her. The other time when she told Rainbow Dash that she was married with sixteen children. The last memory was of the time she said she once beat Celestia in a flying race and became princess for a day. "Okay, Blossomforth may be a liar after all." Rainbow Dash admitted. "Okay. Now that that's out of the way," Rarity said, trying to get the conversation back on track. "Rainbow, we need to find a way to solve this problem between you and Twilight so that everypony will be happy." "So, you're going to set me and Twilight on a date? Awesome. While you're at it, can you make it one of those dates that ends with a little bow chikka wow wow?" Rainbow Dash asked. "No, Rainbow." Rarity replied, simply. "Well, to be completely honest, that's the only way I'll be happy." Rainbow Dash said. Rarity sighed and buried her face in her hooves. "Okay, Rarity. How can you do this? The sooner you sort through this mess, the sooner you can get back to work." After a few more moments of silence Rarity finally spoke up. "Okay, I have an idea. Twilight," Twilight immediately gave Rarity her full attention. "Why don't you tell Rainbow Dash exactly how you feel about her? Tell her, why you love her as a friend and nothing more than that." Twilight sat in silence for a moment. She then proceeded to take in a big breath. She stood up straight and faced Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, you are a great friend. You are one of the best friends anypony could ever ask for. But just look at they way you are, and then look at the way I am." "I have." Rainbow cut in. "What?" Twilight asked, taken back. "I have taken a look to the way you are. The way you are is the reason that I fell in love with you." Rainbow said as she also stood up straight and looked Twilight in the eye. A deep red blush spread across Twilight's face. "But, we're so different!" Twilight tried to reason. "I know." Rainbow said. "I thought it was weird too when I started feeling this way." Rainbow Dash began getting closer to Twilight. "But once I realized how I felt, I knew that I had to find a way to become closer to you." Rainbow Dash stood within a few inches of Twilight. Twilight could feel Rainbow's breath on her, but she felt motionless. The sweet sincere words that came from Rainbow Dash made her feel powerless. Almost as if she felt obliged to give Rainbow a chance. Right now, if Rainbow were to attempt to kiss her, she didn't feel like she would be able to fight back. "So, what do you say, Twilight? Wanna get down and dirty right here?" With those words, Twilight snapped back into reality. "No!" Twilight pushed Rainbow onto her back and shot out of Rarity's boutique. Rainbow lay sprawled out. She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Ouch, Twilight. Why'd you have to go and do that?" "What is the matter with you, Rainbow Dash!?" Rarity yelled. "What?" Rainbow asked. "You had her!" Rarity pointed a hoof out her door. "Twilight was more than willing to let you kiss her. But you!" She pointed her hoof accusingly at Rainbow Dash. "Went and spoiled a perfectly romantic mood with that sleazy line!" "You think Twilight would have let me kiss her?" Rainbow asked. "It was obvious that she would have!" Rarity said. "That means I still have a chance!" Rainbow instantly got back onto her hooves. "Thanks for your help, Rarity!" Rainbow said, as she saluted the unicorn. She then flew out of Rarity's house in an instant. Rarity stood still. Yet again, left alone in the dust. "I need to leave Ponyville for a few days." Rarity said to herself. Without another second to herself, there came a knock on the boutique's door. "Please! No more!" Rarity begged. She quickly took a deep breath and put on a very forced smile. She opened the door with her magic. "Hello, how may I help... Oh, Hello Applebloom, hello Scootaloo." "Hi, Rarity!" The two filly's said in unison as they flew into Rarity's boutique. "If you're looking for Sweetie Belle she is upstairs." Rarity said, as she gestured to the stairs. "Okay! Thanks, Rarity!" The two fillies said, again in unison. The two Cutie Mark Crusaders disappeared up the stairs. "Will I ever get a break?" Rarity asked. *** Sweetie Belle was laying on her bed. She had been quietly thinking about everything that had happened that day since she got into her room. "Could I really have a crush on Spike?" She thought to herself. Her silent thinking time came to a grinding stop when Scootaloo and Applebloom burst into her room. "Hi Sweetie Belle!" The two energetic fillies yelled. Sweetie Belle slowly rose up to face her to friends. "Hi, guys." Sweetie Belle replied, in a monotone voice. Applebloom looked Scootaloo, wearing a worried expression. Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders. "What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?" Asked Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle smiled, she realized that if there were anypony that she could talk to about her problem, it would Applebloom and Scootaloo. "Well, if I tell you guys what's wrong you have to promise me that you won't tell anypony else." "We promise." The two fillies replied. "Do you Pinkie Pie promise?" Sweetie Belle asked further, as she did the several motions that signaled a Pinkie Pie promise. "We Pinkie Pie promise." Scootaloo and Applebloom replied mirroring Sweetie Belle's movements. "Okay, we need to be quiet. Come closer." Sweetie Belle gestured her friends closer with her hoof. Applebloom and Scootaloo got closer. Sweetie Belle kept gesturing, and the two ponies got closer. They kept getting closer until Sweetie Belle's mouth was next to the Applebloom's and Scootaloo's ears. "I think," Sweetie Belle very quietly whispered. "I might have a crush... On Spike." She finished. Applebloom and Scootaloo both jumped back. "What!?" They both screamed. Sweetie Belle quickly placed her two front hooves on their mouths. "Sshhh! I told you to be quiet!" "Oh, yeah. Sorry." Applebloom apologized. "So, why are ya all of a sudden gettin' romancey thoughts 'bout Spike?" "Well, this morning..." Sweetie Belle went on to tell Applebloom and Scootaloo everything that had happened to her that day. "...And then Rarity told me that I probably have a crush on him, and the more I think about it, the more I think she's right." Appebloom sat still while Scootaloo held a hoof to her chind and squinted her eyes. "I got it!" Scootaloo yelled as she jumped into the air. "You're answer is simple Sweetie Belle. Lets just go ask Spike what he thought of his time the spent with you." Scootaloo beamed, thinking her idea was foolproof. "No way! I can't just ask Spike that! It'd be embarrassing," Sweetie Belle said as her face turned red. "Ugh, fine. Then me and Applebloom will go ask him. Right, Applebloom?" Scootaloo looked to Applebloom with a big smile. "Yeah, Ah think that's a good idea!" Applebloom agreed. "See, Sweetie Belle! It'll be great! We might even get our cutie marks with this!" "Yer, right! Let's go!" Applebloom shouted. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Matchmakers GO!" The two fillies yelled in unison as they jumped into the air and bumped hooves. Then they disappeared out of Sweetie Belle's room. Sweetie Belle sat in her room alone. "I should've never told them any of that stuff." *** Spike picked yet another how to organize book and placed it alphabetically on a shelf. He turned to find that there was still a several piles of books placed around the library. Spike knew he should have had this mess cleaned up by now, but he was distracted. Ever since Sweetie Belle fled from him at Rarity's he could not stop thinking about her. He tried to go over as many scenario's in his head as he could, but none of them could explain why Sweetie Belle panicked the way she did. Spike was knocked out of his thoughts when he heard the library door open. He turned to find Applebloom and Scootaloo standing at the entryway. "Hi Spike!" The two Cutie Mark Crusaders said in unison. "Oh, hey guys!" Spike replied. "Do you guys need a book?" "Nope, we came to see you, Spike!" Scootaloo replied. Spike tilted his head in confusion. "You came to see me?" He asked as he pointed a claw to himself. "Yup!" Applebloom confirmed. "Okay well, what do you need with me?" Spike asked. "We just have ONE question for you." Scootaloo raised her hoof, emphasizing the word one. "What do you think of Sweetie Belle?" Spike was caught off guard by the strange question. "Why are these two asking me this? Doesn this have something to do with the way Sweetie Belle acted earlier?" Spike thought. "Well?" The two fillies asked as they got closer to Spike. Spike took a step back to regain his comfort bubble. "Um, well. I don't know. She's nice?" "Ugh." Scootaloo hit her face with a hoof. "No, how do really feel? Like, deep down inside." "Why are you even asking me this?" Spike asked. "That doesn't matter, Spike." Applebloom interrupted. "Just think about it. How do ya really feel 'bout Sweetie Belle?" Spike brought a claw to his chin. He squinted his eyes and thought hard for a few seconds. "I don't know. I like hanging out with Sweetie Belle. I think she's cool, and she is a great friend to have. So, I guess I could say, I really like Sweetie Belle." Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at each other both wearing an ear to ear grin. "I knew it!" Scootaloo yelled. "Ah did too!" Applebloom shouted. "Knew what?" Spike asked, confused. "Let's go tell Sweetie Belle!" The two filles yelled, then they vanished. Spike stood alone in the library. "I really don't understand fillies." > Chaotic Love > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia sat in her study. She had a large amount of papers that needed to be sort through. It was not even morning and she was already exhausted. She looked at the pile of papers and sighed as she saw no decrease in the size of the pile since she last checked. Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and looked back at the papers. I think I've earned a small break. Celestia thought. Celestia walked out of her study and began making her way towards the dining room. I wonder what sort of cakes the chef has prepared today. Celestia thought, excitedly. Celestia was soon outside of the dining room when she heard a noise. She quickly turned her head. She knew exactly what the noise meant. Celestia sighed and reluctantly opened the dining room doors. Just as she thought. The chairs were all dancing and tables were on the roof. The cakes were having a food fight, using themselves as weapons. Celestia closed her eyes and focused on not letting her emotions show. She opened her eyes. "Discord," she said, calmly. "Would you please put everything back to normal?" With a flash of light, Discord appeared in front of Celestia. "Oh, come now, Celly. You are never any fun. Why don't you ever react the way you used to? I remember it like it was yesterday. Your face getting red as your food ran away from you. You were so much fun back then." Celestia looked at Discord with no emotion. "Oh alright." Discord snapped his fingers and the dining room returned to its once regal self. "Thank you," Celestia said. She walked to a chair and sat. She grabbed a fork with her magic and attempted to get a piece of cake. She looked at her fork with confusion when she realized there was nothing there. She then looked down at her plate and realized that the slice of cake was now running away from her. Again, Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Discord, could you return my cake to me?" she asked with a thin smile. Discord's once excited expression dropped into a disappointed frown. "Fine." Discord snapped his finger again, and the cake returned to Celestia's plate. "Thank you." Celestia looked down to find that her fork was now missing. "Discord." Discord covered his mouth, attempting to hold in his laughter. "Yes, Celly?" "Where is my fork?" "Oh, that old thing?" Discord asked. "I got rid of it." Celestia closed her eyes. "Why, may I ask, did you do that?" She asked through her teeth, her anger finally starting to show. "Because I replaced it, with THIS!" Discord snapped his fingers and a fork the size of Celestia fell onto the table. "Now, you finally have a fork big enough the support your appetite!" Discord began laughing. Celestia started grinding her teeth as a vein in her forehead began to expose itself. "Discord?" Discord laughing slowly came to a stop. "Yes, princess?" He asked as he wiped a tear from his eye. "How would you like to take a trip?" Discord was intrigued by the sudden question. "Where to?" He asked. "I was just thinking that it had been awhile since you've seen your Ponyville friends. So, why don't you go both- I mean, keep them company for a day or two, or six" Celestia whispered. Without a second of hesitation Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared. After a few moments, he reappeared wearing sunglasses and tropical shirt. He had a camera around his neck and sunscreen on his nose. "I think that sounds like a great idea! I'll leave now. Don't miss me too much, Celly!" With that, Discord disappeared. Celestia smiled. Finally she could get some work done. "Sorry, Twilight. But I'm much too busy to deal with Discord today." Celestia looked down to try to eat her cake, but noticed that her fork was still gone. She looked at the giant fork Discord had left behind and sighed. "How did I ever have a crush on that?" *** Twilight kept running. She didn't know where she was going. She did not care. How did Rainbow Dash do it? How did she almost trick Twilight into kissing her? She could not come up with an answer. So she ran. She ran until she could no longer move. Her legs collapsed from underneath her. She lay on an empty field of grass outside of Ponyville. She breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. Twilight looked up to find that the sun started to rise once again. "I wonder what Princess Celestia is doing right now." Twilight thought aloud. Suddenly a white flash came from behind Twilight. She quickly turned around to see what caused the sudden light. "Helllooooo, Twilight!" Discord yelled. "Oh sweet Celestia!" Twilight sighed under her breath. "How is my favorite little teacher's pet doing?" Discord asked. "Well, since you asked, it's not going so well," Twilight replied. Twilight lowered her head back down into the grass. "Aww, what has the little unicorn so upset?" Discord asked as he started laying down next to Twilight. "I'm not going to talk about it with you, Discord." "Oh come now. I'm actually quite the good listener." Discord snapped his fingers and appeared in a suit a couch similar to Rarity's appeared underneath Twilight and Discord was holding a quill and a clip bored. "Now, tell me what has you so upset." Twilight could swear she had done something almost exactly like this to Rainbow Dash once. She let out a sigh. "Fine, I guess I can tell you. It's not like there's anypony else around here." Twilight told Discord everything. She, somehow, felt comfortable telling him all of this. All the while, Discord was writing things down on his clipboard. Every so often Discord would laugh at something he wrote. Twilight thought it better that she did not know what he had written. After altogether too long a time for Discord, Twilight smiled and nodded her head. "And that's when you showed up." "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that this diagram sums up everything you just told me." Discord finally showed Twilight what he was writing. It was a large drawing made from simple stick figures. It had everything in it. At the top was Twilight and Rainbow Dash in her library, Rainbows cheeks red. The next image was Twilight running from Rainbow, the picture continued going covering the important parts in Twilight's story. Twilight examined the entire picture and found that it all matched up. "Uh, yeah. I guess that's right." "See? I told you I was a good listener." Discord snapped his fingers and the couch, quill, and clipboard disappeared. "Alright, now that you listened, what do you think I should do?" Twilight asked. "Hmm?" "What should I do?" "I don't know." "What do you mean 'you don't know'?!" Twilight yelled. "I told you I was a good listener, not a good adviser." Discord replied. Wha—? Bu—? Augh!" Twilight yelled as she started stomping off. "Nice talking to you Twilight!" Discord yelled as he waved his arm. He leaned back and let out a long, lazy breath. "Ahh, always such a joy helping these ponies. I should find another one!" In a flash, Discord disappeared. *** Pinkie Pie sprawled across her bed, eyes shut as her mind raced. She rustled around constantly. She finally opened her eyes and felt confident that trying to go back to sleep would have been a waste of effort. With a sigh she slowly got up. The vision of Fluttershy still repeated in her mind. What did I do to make her sad? And how can I make her happy again? These were the thoughts that had been going through the pink mare's head all night. Pinkie turned towards her window and pushed it open. She saw that the sun had come up. It was the start of a new day. Again Fluttershy's face flashed in her head. Pinkie quickly canceled out the bad thoughts. Pinkie had no idea why Fluttershy got so upset, she also had no idea how she was going to make things right. But she did know one thing. "I have to make Fluttershy smile!" Pinkie said. She ran out of her room and headed out of the bakery. She stormed through Ponyville towards Fluttershy's cottage. *** Fluttershy opened her eyes only to feel them burn. It seemed that she had cried her eyes dry. Several animals surrounded Fluttershy as Angel slowly stroked her mane. She looked at the kind hearted animals and smiled. "Thank you all, but I'm fine, really." As Fluttershy finished she felt herself choking up. Somehow her eyes started tearing up again, and she began sobbing, as she buried her face into her couch once again. *** Sweetie Belle lay on her back looking up blankly at the ceiling. She tried her hardest to ignore the weird feeling in her chest, but no matter what she did, it was always take over any thoughts she had. She had given up on distracting herself. All she could think about was Spike and how he might respond to Apple bloom and Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes tight as she brought her hooves up to her chest. I hate this feeling. Why does this have to hurt so bad? Wasn't falling in love supposed to be fun? *** Rarity stitched the last thread into her final dress. She lifted her creation up with her magic and smiled at her accomplishment. "Well, it took all night, but I did it!" Rarity said. Now Rarity could finally get some sleep. She slipped off her glasses, with a yawn. She then headed towards the stairs with nothing in her head but her bed. *** Applejack looked at all of the apples that she had collected and smiled proudly. "Ah'm done, finally! Now ah can get back tuh what Ah was doin'." Applejack took a single step towards Ponyville only to stop in her tracks. "What was Ah doin'? It was somethin' tuh do with Twilight, but what was it?" Applejack sat and rubbed her head with her hooves. *** Still frustrated with Discord, Twilight walked in an empty field. She was not sure where she was. She thought she was somewhere near Fluttershy's house, but was not completely sure, she just knew she had to stay away from Rainbow Dash, and now Discord as well. Many things were rushing through her head, but the biggest question was, Why did I almost let Rainbow Dash kiss me? Did she have me under some sort of spell? Did she somehow hypnotize me? What happened? I guess it doesn't matter. I was able to get away in the end, anyways. *** Rainbow Dash looked high and low for Twilight. A smile sat on her face. I almost got Twilight to kiss me, I was close, but next time, I'll get even closer! Rainbow Dash knew that Twilight couldn't have gotten far. So she would not give up her search easily. She knew she had to be around somewhere, and she would not stop until she found her. *** Celestia let out a relaxed breath. She felt so happy. There was silence. No floating chairs, no random explosions, and no Discord. She was starting to wonder if bringing back the draconequus was such a good idea after all. She heard a knock on her door. "Come in." Celestia called out. Very slowly the door started to open. Celestia then saw a cautious Luna poke her head in. "Sister? What are you doing?" Luna looked over at her sister and smile. "Sorry, it's just that I've yet to see Discord yet and usually that means he's booby trapped the doors. And I really didn't want to set one off." Luna explained. Celestia gave out a small chuckle. "It's okay, sister. Discord won't be bothering us today. I sent him out." Luna instantly started smiling. "Really!?" Celestia nodded in response. "Oh, most wonderful of days!" Luna cheered. *** Spike looked out the library window to see that the sun was rising. "I guess Twilight isn't going to be coming home anytime soon." Spike assumed. He did not really mind the absence of the unicorn. It just made the library quieter and easier to clean up. "Still," Spike said. "I wonder what was up with Sweetie Belle. Did it have something to do with the way Apple bloom and Scootaloo acted just now?" Spike pondered for a second. "Meh, oh well." He shrugged. *** Twilight stopped. She figured she was close to Fluttershy's cottage, but she did not really think she would bump into it. Twilight gazed at the cottage and images of the pegasus flashed in her head. She's so pretty. I should drop in and say hello. I'm here already. With her mind made up, Twilight headed up the entryway steps. She brought up a hoof and knocked on the door. Fluttershy shot up. "Whuh!? Who's there?" As quickly as she could Fluttershy rubbed the tears from her eyes and fixed her mane. She headed for the door and opened it. "Oh, hello Twilight. What brings you here?" "Hi, Fluttershy. I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd say hello," Twilight explained. "Oh, that was nice of you. Would you like to come in?" Fluttershy offered. "Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight said as she stepped into the cottage. > Breaking Hearts > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight walked into Fluttershy's cottage and finally let her guard down. She took a deep breath. She finally felt safe again. She turned around to see Fluttershy shutting the door. A slightly awkward silence filled the room. "Um," Fluttershy finally breaks the silence. "Has anything happened with you and Rainbow Dash yet?" she asked. Twilight stared in shock at Fluttershy for a moment. She did not think Fluttershy was able to cut to the chase so quickly. "Um, no. Not really," Twilight replied, not really wanting to admit that she nearly kissed Rainbow Dash. "What about you, Fluttershy? Has anything happened to you since we last talked?" Fluttershy's eyes began welling up with tears. Just the thought of what happened between her and Pinkie Pie made Fluttershy want to cry. Luckily, she was able to swallow her sadness. "No, not really," she replied. Twilight stared at Fluttershy. I don't know how, she thought, but I can tell she's hiding something. Twilight took a few steps towards Fluttershy. "Are you sure nothing happened, Fluttershy? You can tell me anything." Twilight inched closer to Fluttershy. Fluttershy's eyes began to fill with tears, but she did not want Twilight to see her cry, so she quickly walked around Twilight and faced the other direction. "Yes, I'm sure, Twilight. Nothing happened. Nothing at all." Fluttershy said, quickly. Okay, now I know she's hiding something. Twilight headed up to Fluttershy. "Listen, Fluttershy. I'm your friend and you can tell me anything. After all, that's what friends are for, right?" Fluttershy slowly backed away from Twilight. "Yes, I know I can tell you anything, but there's nothing to tell." Fluttershy began to sweat nervously. As Twilight got closer and closer, Fluttershy kept backing away until she tripped on her couch and fell. Twilight still continued to get closer to Fluttershy. What am I doing? she thought. I'm sure I'm making Fluttershy uncomfortable, but I just can't stop moving closer. Twilight now had her two front hooves on the couch, each hoof on both sides of Fluttershy. She drew her face closer to Fluttershy's. Fluttershy looked up at Twilight, her face red. "Twilight?" As Twilight drew closer, Fluttershy closed her eyes tight. Fluttershy could feel Twilight's breath on her face. She could feel the heat coming from the unicorn. Twilight could not stop herself. She wanted to stop, she knew this was not the right way to do things, but her body kept moving. Without thinking, Twilight spoke. "Fluttershy, I—" Twilight was interrupted by a sound that came from behind her. "Hey, Fluttershy. Listen I—" Pinkie Pie stopped mid-sentence seeing the situation that Fluttershy was in. Fluttershy and Twilight both looked back to see Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway. Twilight regained herself and jumped away from Fluttershy. Fluttershy felt her heart stop. She could not speak, she could not move, she could not even breathe. The room stood in silence until Pinkie Pie spoke. "Wow, I didn't expect to find this!" Pinkie Pie said, gleefully. "What?" Was all Fluttershy could get out. "Honestly, I can't believe I didn't see this coming. You and Twilight do make such a good couple," Pinkie said. Fluttershy tried to regain her composure. "You mean, you aren't mad?" Fluttershy asked, as she got off of her couch. Pinkie gave Fluttershy a confused look. "Why would I be mad? I'm always happy to see that my friends found their very special somepony! Especially when one of my bestest friends very special somepony is another one of my bestest friends!" Fluttershy felt her entire universe shatter. She knew now. Pinkie held no special feeling for her. If she did, she would not have been so happy to see her with Twilight. Fluttershy's hung her head. "I should throw you two a party! It'll be the 'Congratulations on Finding Your Very Special Somepony' party!" "Wait, Pinkie." Twilight finally spoke up. "What is it, Twilight?" Pinkie smiled at Twilight, awaiting her response. "Uh, well, you see. Fluttershy wasn't really—" "I don't feel that way about Twilight!" Fluttershy yelled. Pinkie and Twilight both turned their attention back to Fluttershy. Twilight felt a horrid pain in her chest. What is this pain? Did, did my heart just break? Yeah, I think that's what that was. But, did I really feel that strongly for Fluttershy? Was this feeling that I had love? I guess it was, and all it took was my heart breaking to realize it. Twilight lowered her head. Pinkie stood in shock and confusion. "What do you mean, Fluttershy?" "What I mean is. . ." Fluttershy took a deep breath, then with all of her might, screamed. "I love you, Pinkie!" *** Rainbow Dash came to a gentle landing. "Where is that sexy little thing?" Rainbow asked herself. She looked all over Ponyville. I didn't think Twilight would have been able to get that far. Wait. . . That's when it hit Rainbow. Twilight can teleport, can't she? "Aughh! That means she could be anywhere between Canterlot and Hoofington! Now what am I supposed to do?" Rainbow asked the skies. "You could always ask the all-knowing Discord," said a voice behind Rainbow Dash. "Gah!" Rainbow yelled as she quickly turned. "Discord? What are you doing here?" Rainbow asked in an attacking stance. "Relax, Commander Hot-Head." Discord said. "I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm just here for a break from the almighty princess." He threw up air quotes as he referenced Celestia. "Alright, I guess I should start trusting you. If the princess does, then I guess I should too." Rainbow eased out of her stance and took a more relaxed pose. "So?" Discord asked. "So what?" "What are you going to ask me—the all-knowing Discord?" Fireworks launched from behind the draconequus. Rainbow let out a sigh. What's the worst that can happen? "Alright, Discord. Do you know where Twilight is?" "She's somewhere," Discord answered bluntly. "I knew it!" Rainbow pointed a hoof accusingly at Discord. "I knew you wouldn't really answer my question!" "Alright, fine, fine. I will tell you where she is." Discord signaled for Rainbow to come closer. She sighed and took a step closer. He motioned again, she took another step. Yet again, he motioned. "Augh! Forget it!" Rainbow stormed off. Discord burst into a fit of laughter. "Wai- wait Rainbow Dash! I will tell you." Rainbow stopped. "I'm sorry, Dashie, but you ponies are just too much fun!" Rainbow just glared back at Discord. "Oh, alright. She's somewhere near Fluttershy's cottage." Without a single word Rainbow Dash took off into the sky. "Come back when you get a sense of humor!" Discord shouted. "Now, who shall I visit next? Oh, it's so much fun catching up with old friends!" *** Rarity walked up her stairs anticipating her nap. She had been up all night working on those dresses and now that she was done, her reward was rest. But, as if fate was trying it's hardest to keep Rarity away from happiness, a knock came from her door. "Ugh, what now?" Rarity walked back down her stairs and opened the door. "Who is—" "Hi again, Rarity!" Applebloom and Scootaloo yelled as they barged in and charged up the stairs, heading towards Sweetie Belle's room. Yet again, Rarity stood still in silence. She felt as if this was happening a lot recently. "Hello, girls. Won't you come in?" Rarity asked. I swear those fillies are too full of energy. Well, at least they can keep Sweetie Belle entertained while I get my beauty rest. Rarity turned and headed up her stairs again. Rarity opened her door and was almost brought to tears of joy when she saw her bed. It was a glorious sight, it almost looked as if it were shining. Rarity walked over to her bed and collapsed onto it and fell asleep almost instantly. Sweetie Belle waited anxiously for the fillies to return, and to her surprise, they barged into her room both wearing big grins. "That was fast," Sweetie Belle commented. "Course it was. We had to get back here fast so we could tell y'all the good news!" said Applebloom. "Good news? Does that mean?" "That's right!" Scootaloo interrupted. "Spike said he's totally crazy about you!" "H-he did?" Sweetie Belle asked, her face turning red. "Yep, he sure did!" Applebloom confirmed. "He went on about how you were a great friend and that you were one of the greatest ponies he knows!" "He really said all that?" Sweetie asked again. "Uh-huh!" Both fillies answered. Sweetie Belle could not believe it. If Spike said all of these great things about her, then that must mean he liked her back. "Well, what're we waitin' for? Let's go back to Twilight's library!" Applebloom yelled. "Wait, we're going there now!?" Sweetie asked, starting to panic. "Of course we are!" Scootaloo said. "Why wait? We already know how Spike thinks, so we need to get this thing going as soon as possible!" "Wait! I don't think I'm ready for this!" Sweetie Belle yelled, now panicking. "Sure ya are!" Applebloom comforted Sweetie Belle. "Now, let's go!" Without any hesitation Applebloom and Scootaloo rushed over to Sweetie Belle and picked her up. "Wait guys! I'm not ready!" Sweetie Belle's screams went ignored. The two fillies rushed out of the boutique and set Sweetie Belle down onto Scootaloo's scooter. And just like that, they were headed for the library at top speed. "Waaaait!" Sweetie Belle screamed. *** Applejack walked through the main shopping center of Ponyville. She was unaware of her surroundings. She knew she had a plan. But with all the work that Granny Smith made her do, she had forgotten all of it. "Shoot! It doesn't seem like Ah'll ever remember," said Applejack. Applejack was forced to stop walking when she ran into a Discord statue. "What in tarnation?" With a flash the statue disappeared and a live Discord took its place. "I don't know about you, Applejack, but I think that a statue of me would look terrific right here. What did you think when you saw it? Was it too big, too small, or did it just look out of place." "What are you doin' here, Discord?" Applejack asked with a happy tone. "Well, this is strange. You're the first pony to seem happy to see me today. You're friends are such haters," Discord commented. "Well, the way Ah see it, the princess trusts you, so ta me, y'all are trustworthy." Discord was taken aback. He did not expect such kindness from anypony other than Fluttershy. "Oh, well, thanks." Discord replied, hesitating for just a moment. "Well, I'd love to stay 'n chat, but Ah got some thinkin' ta do." Applejack nodded her head and began walking again. Discord brought a finger to his chin I guess I should repay her kindness. After a moment of thought, he shrugged and snapped his fingers. With a flash, Discord was now standing in front of the farm pony. "What seems to have you so troubled, dear Applejack?" Discord asked. "Ah, well, it's not really something you need to worry 'bout." Applejack answered. "Nonsense," said Discord while waving his arm. "I'm always willing to help such a trusting pony." Applejack frowned. Can Ah really trust Discord to help me with this mess? "Come on Applejack! Let me turn that frown upside down." As Discord spoke he grabbed his own mouth and spun it around until it looked like a smile. With a little more thought, Applejack made her decision. "Alright, Discord. Ah'll trust ya ta help me." *** "Alright! We're here!" Scootaloo announced. "Come on, Sweetie Belle! Let's go inside!" Applebloom yelled. Sweetie Belle hid behind Applebloom. "No, you can't make me! I told you, I'm not ready for this!" "Ugh! Come on, Sweetie Belle! What's the problem? Spike likes you and you like Spike! How can this go wrong?" Scootaloo asked. "I don't know, but I just don't want to go." "Fine then, I'll make you go!" Scootallo ran behind Applebloom and tried to grab Sweetie Belle. "No!" Sweetie Belle yelled as she pushed Scootaloo back and ran and jumped into some bushes a few feet away. "Come on! I know where you are!" Scootaloo yelled. "No you don't! I'm hidden!" "I can see your face!" Sweetie Belle quickly hid further into the bushes. "Now get out here!" Just as Scootaloo was about to charge after Sweetie Belle, the library door flew open. "What's going on out here!?" Spike yelled. "Ah, Spike! Good timing. Can you help me grab Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked. "What? Grab Sweetie Belle?" Spike asked as he came down and stood next to the two fillies. "Get out of there Sweetie Belle!" "No!" "Come on, we're just tryin' ta help," said Applebloom. "No! I'll never come out! Not for the rest of my life." The young unicorn yelled. "Oh, come on! You can't stay in there forever. You'll get all wrinkly and gross! You'll probably grow a beard too!" Yelled Scootaloo "I don't care!" Sweetie Belle then imagined herself at Granny Smith's age, still stuck in a bush with older Scootaloo and Applebloom to pull her out of the bush by grabbing her long beard, but only succeed in breaking their hips and ripping off part of her beard. This thought horrified Sweetie Belle. "No! I don't want to break your hips!" She screamed as she burst out of the bushes. Sweetie Belle flew out of the bushes at top speed. Spike screamed as she came at him like a bullet. She was too fast for him to dodge. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate. With a hard crash, Spike and Sweetie Belle both ended up on the floor. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes to see Spike looking back at her. She froze. Her face felt hot. She could feel Spikes breath on her. Aah! What am I supposed to do!? Sweetie Belle's thoughts rushed through her head. What do I do? What do I do!? WhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdoWhatdoIdo!? > Resolve and Chaos > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eyes open as wide as they could go, face a deeper shade of red than anypony thought was possible. Her breathing had stopped entirely. Her sight was blocked by green eyes. She was frozen. "Sweetie Belle?" Spike spoke up, "Could you get off me?" He asked while struggling to move. "No, Spike!" Scootaloo yelled. "You're supposed to say something romantic!" Spike turned his head towards Scootaloo. "Romantic?" He asked Scootaloo. "Why would I say something romantic?" Spike turned his head back over to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, do you know what's going on? What is Scootaloo talking about? And why are you still on top of me!?" Spike yelled, eyes shut and fists clenched. Sweetie Belle began sweating. What do I say? What am I supposed to do? She turned her head slowly towards Scootaloo and Applebloom looking for an answer. When they noticed her looking at them, Applebloom pointed at Scootaloo, who started hugging and kissing the air. Sweetie Belle's face grew a darker shade of red and her muscles tightened up even further. She decided to ignore them and looked back down to Spike, who was still looking up at the filly expecting an answer. "I- I- I... I REALLY LIKE YOU!" Sweetie Belle screamed, her eyes shut tight, her head so hot she thought it was going to explode. Silence. Everything was quiet. Scootaloo and Applebloom both wore ear to ear grins. Spike lay still eyes wide. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes slightly and saw Spike staring up at her. Suddenly, she was able to control her body again. She got off of Spike, taking care to not step on him. Once she was off, Spike slowly got up and dusted himself off without a single word being said. The awkward silence grew more awkward by the second. "Well?" Applebloom spoke, finally breaking the silence. "Whaddya ya have ta say Spike?" "Yeah, Spike!" Scootaloo chimed in. Spike stood in silence. Um," He spoke at last, "I- I uh, guess I'm not against it." He said, as he averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "So, does that mean you like her too!?" Scootaloo asked. "Um, I don't know!" Spike shouted, his cheeks now red. "Let me, let me just think." Spike closed his eyes. He sat still and tried to process everything that had just happened. Sweetie Belle stood in silence, still unable to believe what was currently happening. She stood patiently waiting to hear what Spike had to say. Finally Spike opened his eyes again. "Sweetie Belle?" Sweetie Belle made a small squeaky noise in reply. "I, I don't really know if I like you that way or not," Spike said. Sweetie Belle felt a horrible feeling in her stomach. She felt like she was going to puke. "I really don't know you enough to really feel anything special about you." "So, are you saying that if you and Sweetie Belle started hangin' out more than you might end up liking her?" Scootaloo asked. "Um, maybe." Spike replied. "That's good enough! Spike we leave Sweetie Belle to you!" Scootaloo yelled as she and Applebloom jumped onto her scooter. "So long!" Applebloom said as she waved. Scootaloo began flapping her wings. "See you later Sweetie Belle!" Scootalloo yelled as the two fillies took off into the distance. Spike and Sweetie Belle stood looking in the direction that the two Cutie Mark Crusaders left in. Spike looked over at Sweetie Belle. "Um, want to come inside the library? I still have some things I need to do." Spike asked. Sweetie Belle still stood motionless. She slowly turned her head to Spike and gave a weak nod. The two headed into the library and Spike closed the door behind them. *** I love you, Pinkie!" Fluttershy yelled. Her voice echoed through her cottage. After the loud shout was nothing but silence. Pinkie stood still for a moment. "Ooohhh. It all makes sense now!" Pinkie said happily. "Whuh?" Fluttershy said, shocked with Pinkie's reaction to the love confession. "Why you were acting so weird the other day. It made me think that I did something wrong, but now I get it!" Pinkie put on a satisfied smile like she just figured out the answer to a riddle. "But wait!" Her smile disappeared. "What about Twilight?" Twilight's ears twitched upon hearing her name. "What!? What about me?" Twilight asked. "Don't you like Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked bluntly. Twilight face grew red. "Uh, well. That is, uh. I guess I do." Twilight admitted. "But you do too, don't you?" Twilight asked back. Pinkie gave an energetic nod. "Of course! I've always loved Fluttershy!" Pinkie jumped over to Fluttershy and hugged her. "She's just so adorable!" Pinkie yelled. She continued to hug Fluttershy as the pegasus' face grew more red by the second. Twilight looked at the two ponies, Pinkie was still hugging Fluttershy, and while it was obvious she was embarrassed, Twilight could see the happiness in Fluttershy's eyes. Pinkie looked like her usual happy self, but something was different at this moment. She seemed to be shining, like Pinkie was the physical form of true happiness. How could I ever cause any trouble to those two when they look so happy. Twilight smiled. Seeing these two like this is really all I need. I can tell by just looking at Pinkie, what I had with Fluttershy was nothing compared to how she feels. "You know what? I'm over it." Twilight said, with a sincere smile. If you two really do love each other then I shouldn't try to get in between you two. I'm satisfied enough with seeing two of my best friends so happy." Twilight began walking to the door. "Now, I'll go ahead and leave you two alone. I'm sure you want to be alone." Fluttershy blushed harder at this remark. "One last thing." She said as she approached the door. "Pinkie?" She asked. "Yeah?" "How did you know I felt that way about Fluttershy?" "Well, whenever I saw you looking at Fluttershy my ear would itch, then my eyes would blink and my hair would shake!" Pinkie answered. "Oh, so Pinkie sense then. That makes sense." With a small sincere smile Twilight walked out of the cottage. "Hey, Fluttershy?" "Hmm?" "Wanna go on a date?" Pinkie asked. Fluttershy smiled. "Yes, I would like that very much." *** Twilight walked away from Fluttershy's cottage. She could not understand the feelings that were going through her head at that moment. One second she was devastated to hear Fluttershy say that she loved Pinkie and not her, but after seeing Fluttershy with Pinkie she knew in her heart that Pinkie and Fluttershy being together was right. She no longer felt a horrible pain in her heart. She felt almost happy. But, her happiness was cut short when she saw a cyan dot approaching her quickly. "Oh no!" Twilight began running another direction. "Give it up, Twilight! I will catch you!" Rainbow yelled. "Oh, Celestia. Why can't I catch a break!?" *** "An' that's why Ah need yer help." Applejack finished. "Okay, so basically it's like this." Discord held out his notebook to Applejack. On the page was a bunch of crude drawing of Applejack and everything that she just told Discord. "Uh, yeah. Ah guess that's right." "Alright, then Applejack. I will help you. I'm guessing the best place to start is finding little Rainbow Dash. Luckily for you, I think she'll be here any second." "What makes ya say that?" Applejack asked. Discord answered by pointing a finger. Applejack looked in the direction he was pointing and noticed a cloud of smoke. "What in the hay is that?" She asked. "Why it's our little friend Twilight Sparkle of course," Discord answered. "And look who's following behind her." Applejack squinted her eyes. "It's Rainbow Dash!" Twilight ran passed Discord and Applejack with Rainbow closely behind her. "Come on, Twilight! What's one make out session going to hurt?" Rainbow asked. "I told you NO!" Twilight yelled back. "Discord!" Applejack yelled. "Can ya stop Rainbow fer me?" She asked. "Why of course!" Discord simply snapped his finger and a big orb began to appear above Rainbow Dash. Once the orb was done growing it slammed down and trapped Rainbow inside. "Oops, it looks like I may have trapped the little unicorn as well." Rainbow, still flying at top speed, slammed into the wall of the orb. While Twilight ran so fast that she almost went upside down before fall onto her back. "Discord!" Applejack yelled. "Ah didn't want ya ta get Twilight too." "Well, these things happen," Discord shrugged. Rainbow Dash recovered from the crash and looked around her. "What's going on?" Rainbow knocked on the wall of the orb. "What is this thing?" "I think it's a magic barrier." Twilight answered. "And by the looks of it, it's discord's." "How do you know that?" Rainbow asked. Twilight simply pointed a hoof and Rainbow saw Applejack and Discord in the distance. "Oh, yeah I guess that adds up." Rainbow turned towards Twilight. "Well, I guess I could take advantage of this. You have nowhere to run, Twilight." Rainbow got into a tackling stance. "Wait, Rainbow!" Twilight yelled. "We uh, we need to find a way out. 'Cause I uh, I can feel our oxygen running out!" Yeah! This has a limited amount of oxygen. Oh no! We're going to suffocate if we don't get out!" Twilight screamed dramatically. "Twilight, I'm breathing just fine." Rainbow replied in a deadpan voice. "You are now! Just wait! You'll be gasping for air any second!" Twilight screamed. Rainbow smirked. "Well, if that's the case, I guess I better make the most of my time." She said she began approaching Twilight. "Aah, that didn't work at all!" Twilight yelled. She began frantically looking for a way out but saw nothing. "There's no way for you go, Twilight!" Rainbow said as she got closer. Twilight thought hard about a counter spell for the orb. "Oh wait." Twilight focused her magic and disappeared out of the orb on the other side. "Ha! I got out!" Discord saw that Twilight had gotten out of the orb. "Oh, well that's no fun. Rainbow Dash was really enjoying herself." Discord snapped his fingers again. "Haha! I knew I could get out. I just had to tele—" The orb then stretched itself out grabbing onto Twilight and cutting her off mid sentence. "Aah!" Twilight screamed as she got sucked back into the orb and slammed into the wall. "Bahahaha!" Rainbow laughed as tears formed in her eyes and she collapsed onto the floor. "It's not funny, Rainbow!" Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. "I'll just teleport out again." Twilight focused her magic again, but felt no response. "What?" She tried again. "Why isn't it working? Don't tell me." Twilight glanced out and saw Discord laughing just as hard as Rainbow Dash. "Ugh, he must have put an anti magic spell in this thing." "Well, Twilight looks like you're stuck again," Rainbow pointed out. "Yeah, I noticed." Twilight replied. "Okay, Twilight get ready for—" "Rainbow." Twilight cut in. "I understand that you like me, or really like me, and I appreciate the thought. Really, I'm flattered. But I just don't feel the same way! Can we please just go back to the way things were?" Rainbow was caught off guard by Twilight's change of approach, but this did not change the way that Rainbow felt. "Twilight, you don't understand. There is no way things can go back to how they were." Rainbow stated. "Why? Why can't they?" Twilight asked desperately. "Because I have realized how in love with you I am!" Rainbow shouted, her cheeks red and eyes closed tight. "There's no way I can just see you as nothing more than a friend. Not anymore." "Rainbow." "Let me show you, Twilight." Rainbow Dash began approaching Twilight again. "Let me show you much you mean to me." Rainbow Dash slowly approached Twilight. Twilight, with little to no room to go, back up until she started going up the wall of the sphere. She kept backing up, until she lost her footing and fell onto her back. "Wait Rainbow." Twilight pleaded, but Rainbow Dash did not stop. She stood over Twilight and slowly lowered her head. Twilight closed her eyes and accepted the fact that there was nowhere to go. Her cheeks blushed and her eyes closed tighter as Rainbow Dash finally made contact with Twilight's lips. > The Death of Any Hope > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight kept her eyes closed. She could feel the embrace. She felt the weight of the pegasus shift as Rainbow lowered her body closer to Twilight's. She knew what was happening. She could smell the aroma of Rainbow. She heard the shaken breath that just came out of the pegasus. There was no stopping this. It was already happening. There was no going back. Twilight knew that Rainbow was putting everything into this kiss. This was the kiss that Rainbow was using to make Twilight return her feelings. This was probably the most passionate kiss Rainbow Dash would ever give. Twilight knew that. She knew. Twilight began to think. What if, somewhere, somewhere deep inside her, she really did love Rainbow Dash. What if this kiss could change her feelings. Twilight decided even if she was not sure about her feelings, she would try to feel the passion and the depth of this kiss. She would see if she could recognize Rainbow's feeling through this kiss. If she could not. Then, she would know. She would know that there was nothing. Rainbow Dash finally did it. She was doing what she had thought was only achievable in her dreams. She was shaking. She was so nervous, but she did it. She managed to kiss the unicorn she loved. She took in a deep breath and she could smell Twilight. It smelled so nice. So sweet and matching with Twilight. She tasted Twilight's lips, and it was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. Rainbow knew that kissing this pony would feel great, but she had no idea that a feeling like this could exist. Rainbow continued the kiss. This was the kiss that would change everything. This was the kiss that would make Twilight return her love. This was the most important kiss she would ever give. With one last breath. Rainbow pulled back. She raised her head and looked down to Twilight. The unicorn lay on her back, her cheeks a slight shade of red. She was breathing heavily, and sweat rushed down her face. She opened her eyes slightly and looked up at Rainbow. Rainbow Dash admired the sight. She had never seen Twilight look like she did now. She looked so beautiful and vulnerable. "Do you understand?" Rainbow asked. "Do you understand my feelings now?" Twilight silently and weakly nodded. "Did it change your mind?" Twilight stayed silent. The only noise she made was the heavy breathing. "I," she finally spoke. "I don't know," she answered. "What?" Rainbow asked under her breath. "But, I put everything I could into that." She added, still in a whisper. A tear formed in her eye and rolled down her cheek. "Why?" Twilight whispered. "Why did it have to be me?" Her voice started to quiver. "Why did you have to fall in love with me?" Tears streamed steadily from Twilight's eyes. "I felt everything. I felt everything you feel in that kiss. It didn't help me understand my feelings for you. It just made not knowing my feelings painful. There's no way I can reject you knowing how deeply you care for me. But, I also can't give you a relationship where the only reason I'm with you is because I'd feel bad otherwise. What do I do? Why did it have to be me?" Rainbow Dash stepped back. She looked down at Twilight. I didn't mean to do this. All I did was make her miserable. This isn't what I wanted. I don't want to see this. "I'm sorry," said Rainbow. *** "Discord! Get them outta there!"Applejack yelled, as she stomped her hoof. "What? Why would I go and ruin such a passionate turn of events." Discord asked as he ate some popcorn. "Whaddya mean passionate? I can't see in there. It's too far! What happened!?" "Relax Applejack, dear. I may have just helped you with your little love predicament." Discord said as he threw the rest of his popcorn behind him. "What?" Applejack asked in disbelief. "What happened in there! Ah need to know!" Discord began stretching. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm tired." He said ignoring Applejack's question. "I guess it's because of using so much magic." Discord snapped his fingers and the orb surrounding Twilight and Rainbow Dash disappeared. "Well, it's been a blast, but I gotta go! See ya, Applepony!" Discord snapped his fingers again and disappeared leaving behind nothing but a cloud of smoke. "Wait! Discord!" Applejack yelled. She then looked over to Twilight and Rainbow Dash and remembered that the barrier was gone. Without a second thought she took off towards the two ponies. After a short run, she arrived. She looked her two friends. Both of them looked miserable. Neither spoke. Both sat quietly and Applejack found herself unable to speak. She did not know what to say. What had happened in the magic barrier. Applejack had to know. Slowly she opened her mouth to speak. "Wha—" Applejack was cut off by Rainbow Dash. She suddenly turned and took off in an instant. Without thinking, Applejack quickly turned and ran after Rainbow Dash. Leaving Twilight by herself. Twilight managed to stop her tears, but she still felt sick and her chest hurt with an intensity that she had never felt before. This pain was different from what she felt with Fluttershy. She did not understand this pain. Slowly, Twilight got up to her feet. She stood still for a while. Thoughtless. Her mind was blank. Her expression just as blank. Eventually, she turned opposite the direction Rainbow Dash went and began walking. *** "And then we can got to the park and then we'll go eat some dinner! Oh this is going to be so much fun!" Pinkie yelled happily. Pinkie looked over to her newly acquired girlfriend and jumped in front of her. Fluttershy gave her a questioning look. Pinkie just smiled and quickly stole a small kiss from the pegasus. Fluttershy blushed uncontrollably. She covered her lips with her hooves and her eyes widened. "Pinkie!" She gasped. Pinkie giggled. "Sorry, Fluttershy. I just wanted to do that for so long! I was going to wait until we got to the park, but I couldn't wait! You're not mad," Pinkie asked. "Are you?" Fluttershy did not answer her. She silently walked up to Pinkie and kissed her back. After finishing the kiss, Fluttershy smiled. "No, I'm not mad." Pinkie smiled back at her. "Good! Let's go then!" "Okay." Fluttershy replied, beaming with happiness. *** "Oh, this has been a very great day!" Luna yelled with happiness, as she soaked in the warm water. Celestia replied with a simple smile and nod. It was the most peaceful day the two princess' had seen in a long time. The two were spending some quality time in the palace hot springs. They both sat quietly, simply enjoying each others company. Suddenly, a bright light forced both the princess' to shield their eyes. With a loud popping noise, Discord appeared with a towel on his head and a rubber duck in his hand. "Why hello, dear sisters! I'm exhausted after helping out all those ponies. I really needed a little bath time!" Discord explained as he slowly lowered himself into the water. Celestia and Luna both exchanged looks of disappointment. They simply sighed, then tried to enjoy the rest of the day, even though they knew that would be impossible. *** Twilight still felt sick. She knew the feeling in her stomach would not just disappear so easily. After walking blindly she found herself looking at Rarity's boutique. Should I ask Rarity what to do? But I've already bothered her so much lately. Twilight pondered. Rarity yawned as she crawled out of her bed. After all that time, she was only able to get so little sleep. She walked down her stairs and looked out the window to see a depressed and confused looking Twilight Sparkle. Looks like I'll be giving more advice. Rarity thought as a small smile crept onto her face.