TwiShy with a bit of AppleDash, Sequel to Magic of Love!
Twilight is planning something big for her marefriend, and is keeping it a secret from everypony. In the process, Fluttershy starts to wonder if the unicorn's feelings are true. Meanwhile, an old enemy starts to plot her vengeance! Hope you enjoy! Contains Femslash, you been warned! ^_^
Original pic belongs to IraeCoal, here's her dA, make sure to check her out, you won't regret it!
“I’m glad to hear that, Twily. I’m delighted that you're finally as happy as I am. Now you know how I feel about Cadence.”
“You're really happy for me?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I? My little sister is growing up!”
“Well, I thought that you wouldn’t accept it… You know, because…”
“You're both mares? Who am I to judge? There’s no right or wrong in love. It’s just love, no matter how it presents itself. If you're happy, I’m happy.”
“Shining…”
“Yes, Twily?” Twilight jumped on her brother.
“You're the best big brother that any sister could ask for!”
“And you are the best sister that any brother could ask for, Twily.”
“I am also proud of you, Twilight Sparkle, and you too Fluttershy. I’m happy to see that two bearers of the Elements of Harmony found love.” Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other, then smiled.
“Well, now that you mention it, Princess…” But Twilight was interrupted by a door opening and a guard coming in. He bowed to the Princess before speaking.
“Princess Celestia, sorry to interrupt, but your sister requires your assistance!”
“I must go check on her. I apologize for leaving like this!”
“Don’t worry, Princess. Duty calls; you can’t just ignore that.”
“Thank you, Shining Armor, Twilight, Fluttershy. We’ll meet again at another time.”
“Until next time, Princess!” Twilight waved as the Princess left the room.
Celestia arrived at the balcony where her sister was.
“Please tell me that there are good news, sister. Have you found them?” Princess Celestia said as soon as her sister was within earshot.
“Well, there are good news and bad news. I did find them, but…”
“But…?”
“You better look by yourself... You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” Princess Luna moved aside so her sister could see through the telescope. She sounded sad, so it clearly wasn't something good. The princess of the sun expected the worst. She looked through the telescope and saw her faithful student’s parents throwing their daughter's belongings outside. Celestia couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“How can they be doing this? They are supposed to be happy!”
“I can’t believe it either, sister… Twilight Sparkle will be crushed…!”
“No, we can’t tell her this… When I received a letter from them asking me to 'fix' their daughter, it was obvious that they didn’t accept the fact that their daughter had a marefriend, but doing something like this? I never expected that from them… She’s in the other room, and I've never saw her so happy… It was hard for me to pretend that everything was fine. Promise me that you won’t tell them!”
“I won’t. But she will find out someday and you know it, sister. Twilight Sparkle is very smart. You won’t be able to hide this from her forever.”
“I know, but I have to think on a way to tell her. She’s very happy right now and I don’t want to take that smile from her face…"
Luna put a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder, who had a sad look on her face. “It’s not your fault, Celestia. They are the ones who disapprove of their daughter’s happiness. They are the horrible ponies, not you…” Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smile when she saw the comforting look on her sister's face.
“I know, thank you… I can’t keep calling them 'parents' after what they've done.” She yawned after saying that.
“You need to rest, sister. You have to raise the sun in the morning and give provide a hole Kingdom with light.”
“You’re right. Good night, Luna.”
“Good night.”
Princess Celestia opened the door to exit the balcony, but stopped when she heard voices. She saw a couple of shadows approaching, and quickly closed it. She stayed hidden until she was sure they were gone. The mysterious ponies were talking, and she instantly recognized the voices: Princess Cadence and Fluttershy.
“It’s your first time staying here during the night?”
“Yes… I don’t come here much. I don’t like places where there are a lot of ponies…”
“I can understand that. I hope you enjoy your night! We're happy to have you and Twilight here.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Princess Cadence.”
“I told you that you can call me Cadence.”
“I can’t do that... You’re a Princess and you should be named like one.”
“Well, if you insist… But you don’t have to do so if…”
As the two ponies got further and further away from the balcony, their voices began to fade. Celestia waited until they were gone before opening the door and headed to her room to rest enough to raise the sun the next day. But she couldn’t sleep; her thoughts were focused on what she'd just seen, and even when she saw it with her own eyes, she still couldn't believe it.
“What am I going to tell her? She'll be crushed no matter how I tell her… I’ll think about this later. I need to rest now…”
She closed her eyes and surrendered to her dreams. However, they weren’t pleasant at all; she dreamt about how Twilight would take the news. In one, the Unicorn yelled at her and said she didn’t want to see her again, and in another dream, Twilight was telling Fluttershy that they had to break up, making the Pegasus cry and fly away. Most of the dreams were similar, but the last one was different. Twilight was thanking Celestia for telling her and said that she wasn’t mad; she was crying, but smiling at the same time. After that dream, the Princess of the sun woke up and wasn’t as worried as the last night. Instead, she was smiling. She left her room and headed towards the balcony where her sister was waiting.
“Go to rest Luna, I’ll take over from now.”
“I see you are in a good mood!”
“Yes, I won’t let it to bother me any longer. You were right; I just needed to rest… And it seems like you need to do the same.” She said when she saw her sister yawn.
“Yes, I believe so… Goodbye sister, I'll see you tonight.”
“And Ah’ told her not to carry it but she insisted and, well, it was too heavy for her!” Applejack bursted out laughing along with Twilight and Fluttershy, who just giggled a bit, but Rainbow Dash was angrily glaring at her marefriend.
“You promised not to tell anypony!”
“Ah'm sorry sugarcube, but I couldn’t resist. Besides, it didn’t hurt much!”
“Only my pride…”
They were at a restaurant having their first double date--Rainbow Dash finally agreed to have one. They were waiting for their orders.
“I understand that you wanted to help her with apple bucking, but you should listen to her next time Rainbow Dash.” The Unicorn said after she managed to stop laughing.
“Yes, Applejack has experience since she has been doing it her entire life; she knows when a bucket is too heavy.” Fluttershy said to prove Twilight’s point. Applejack looked at Rainbow with a smile, finally calmed down.
“Ah really appreciate your help Dashie, but they're right. Next time try listenin’ to me, okay?” Rainbow looked into Applejack's green eyes, her anger faded as soon as she did so.
“I’ll… I’ll listen to you next time. Now stop looking at me with those eyes; you know I can't resist them!” She looked away, trying to hide her blush. Applejack nuzzled Rainbow's neck with her head.
“Ah’ love when you get nervous, sugarcube!”
“You guys are cute!” Fluttershy said as she watched the scene. Suddenly, she felt something on her neck and saw Twilight doing the same on hers.
“Remind you of somepony else, 'Shy?” The Pegasus smiled and accepted the cuddling.
“Oh look, the food is coming!” Twilight said, sitting back up in her chair. Fluttershy sighed in response, not wanting her to stop.
“Here are your orders, Bon Apetit, girls!” The waitress put their food on the table and bowed before leaving.
“Thank you… Well, let’s dig in!” Applejack said before start eating.
“That was the best food I've ever eaten, and the cider? Delicious! But it wasn’t as good as your apple cider Applejack!” Twilight said as they were leaving the restaurant, each mare with their tails intertwined with their respective partners.
“Ah agree with you, Twi. ah have never tasted anythin' so delicious, and th’ cider wasn’t bad either.”
“It’s late… I’m so tired…” Rainbow Dash said between yawns.
“Yer always tired, sugarcube. Ah don’t get it since you are always nappin' on the clouds or in my barnyard!” Applejack said, laughing.
“AJ, you…!” Rainbow shut her mouth when Applejack kissed her cheek.
“You were sayin', Dashie?”
“You… Never mind…” Rainbow couldn’t help but to blush and her friends laughed. They kept walking and talking until they had to separate. They said goodbye and each couple went on different paths. Twilight decided to walk Fluttershy home.
“I’m glad that Applejack finally convinced Rainbow Dash to do this. It was so fun!” Twilight said excitedly.
“Yeah, I hope they want to do it again sometime… Although, nothing compares to it being just the two of us…” The timid Pegasus said blushing lightly and smiled.
“Of course not, but it’s fun to date with another couple who are also our friends! Even when Rainbow Dash wasn’t showing it, I can tell that she was having fun too. Remember that our anniversary is in three weeks! We'll be going to our special place!”
“Oh yes, I’m looking forward to it! I can’t believe we forgot to watch the sunset that night!”
“Your company under the stars was all I needed for the date to be a success. Almost an entire year has passed and I still feel like it’s new. My heart races when I think about you or when I'm looking at your pictures. I've never been so happy in my life…”
“Twilight… I feel the same way about you… I know you're the only pony I could ever love, and the only pony that can get me to smile when nopony else can… I love you more every day…” They nuzzled their cheeks and kept walking as slow as possible to spend as much time together as they could.
But everything has an end. They arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage, saddened that the time to say goodbye has arrived. Fluttershy took her time to open the door before turning to see the pony she loved one last time.
“It was fun, Twilight... Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Of course you will, shy. Good night!”
Fluttershy slowly leaned towards Twilight and gently pressed her lips against her marefriend’s. Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but they knew that was impossible. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Fluttershy went inside. She gazed into Twilight’s eyes before closing the door.
“Oh Twilight, you’re finally here! I was…” The purple dragon yawned, unable to keep his eyes open.
“Spike, you didn’t have to wait for me. You need to sleep properly.”
“I wanted to make sure you got home safe. You don’t know when Trixie might make her move.”
“I’m glad that you're worried for me Spike, but I can take care of myself. Last time she caught me by surprise, but that won’t happen again.”
“I hope that you're right… Oh, I almost forgot! Rarity came here a few minutes after you left. She said she wanted you to visit her tomorrow morning. She wants to talk to you.”
“Rarity, really?” The unicorn inquired, “What would she want? It’s strange for her to invite me to her place so early unless it's important… Well, I guess I’ll figure it out tomorrow! Spike? Oh…” The baby dragon fell asleep standing. Twilight couldn’t stop a smile from emerging when she saw the scene. She used her magic to put him in his bed and put his blanket over him. “Sweet dreams, Spike. I guess I should do the same too…”
She prepared to go to sleep, but before she did so, she looked at the moon.
“Good night, Princess Luna. Thank you for the lovely night you've given us.” With that said, she found herself unable to keep her eyes open any longer and fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with Fluttershy as usual; she'd been in her dreams for the past 11 months and she didn’t want them to stop.
When Celestia’s sun hit Twilight’s eyes, she woke up, she quickly took a shower, and had breakfast. She was in a big hurry to see Rarity. She wondered what her friend would want on the way to the boutique. When she arrived, she saw that the sign said Closed so she knocked on the door and immediately heard her friend’s voice.
“Come in Twilight, it’s open!”
The lavender Unicorn opened the door and found Rarity sitting at her table drinking tea. There was another cup beside the teapot.
“Please take a sit, darling, and have some tea.” Said the fancy Unicorn in a serious tone.
Twilight didn’t say anything as she sat and drank her tea.
“It’s delicious, Rarity!”
“Thank you, dear. Now, you're surely wondering why I asked you to come here. Well, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Go ahead” Said Twilight, still confused.
Rarity dropped her seriousness and smiled giddily. “So... When are you going to propose to Fluttershy?”
“What, how…?!” Rarity had taken her by surprise. How did she find out?
“I saw you at the jewelry store a week ago, choosing an engagement necklace. I wonder, why didn’t you take me? I have an eye for that kind of stuff, darling.”
Twilight gulped and took a breath to calm down. “I wanted it to be a secret and tell you all after she and I got engaged, if she accepts…”
“What are you talking about? Of course she’s going to say yes! Twilight, I can tell that you two are made for each other! Do you know how happy she is? I always see her with a smile on her face or singing. She talks more when we go to the spa… Not much, but more than before. She will be extremely happy when you ask her to marry you!” Twilight was smiling while Rarity talked. She was right; there was no way Fluttershy would refuse the proposal. For all she knew, the Pegasus might've been waiting patiently for that day to come.
“You're right, Rarity. I don’t know what I was thinking... She will accept my proposal!” The lavender Unicorn said confidently.
“I’m telling you she will! Now, when are you going to propose her?”
“I was thinking about doing it on our anniversary, at the same hill where we had our first official date.”
“That’s so romantic, darling. I didn’t think you had a side like this,” Rarity said with her hooves on her chin. "Can I see the necklace?”
“Tomorrow. I left it back at the library, hidden, of course. I don’t want Spike finding it by accident.”
“Even if he did, he would keep your secret.”
“I know, but it would ruin the surprise…”
“Oh, right… And now, darling, I would love to hear about your date last night before I open my boutique.”
Twilight told her friend all about the previous night's happenings, even what Applejack said about Rainbow Dash wanting to help her, making them both laugh.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash, always thinking that she can do all by herself!” The fancy Unicorn said between laughs. Once she was finished with her story, it was midday. Twilight thanked Rarity for the tea and for her support before making her way to the library. Spike probably already opened it, and he would need some help. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Fluttershy woke up in the first few hours of the morning to take care of the forest critters. She had her breakfast and made one for Angel too, who was waiting impatiently next to his plate.
“Here you go, Angel Bunny. Make sure you don't leave anything!” The white rabbit started to eat, food launching everywhere in his rush; he was very hungry. “Angel, please don’t do that!” But Angel ignored her and kept eating hurriedly.
“Angel Bunny!” The shout of his owner was enough to make him stop. He looked into her eyes, angry at first, but his feelings quickly changed to fear when he saw her face. Fluttershy was staring at him with an expression that could strike fear in anypony's heart. The rabbit, scared to death, began eating properly, but with an irritated face. “That’s better. Now I have to see the rest of the animals before going to Ponyville.”
It was a normal morning for her. None of the critters needed anything special; just food and love. When she was done, it was almost midday, so she headed to Ponyville to visit her friends. She decided to visit Rarity first to tell her about last night. She knew that her best friend would want to know, but when she got there she saw Twilight trotting out. The Pegasus quickly hid before she was seen. She noticed that the Unicorn was very happy and almost skipping.
“Why is she smiling like that? She only has that smile when she's with me… unless… No, it can’t be!” When she couldn’t see her marefriend anymore, she got out of her hiding spot and trotted to Rarity’s boutique. The sign said the shop was open, but she knocked on the door anyway. Rarity opened the door and was surprised to find her best friend standing there.
“Fluttershy, darling, you don’t need to knock if it's open!” Rarity said with a warm smile.
“Um, sorry, but… When I was coming here I saw Twilight. What was she doing here…?”
“Oh, yes! I asked her to do me a favor. I needed somepony to help me try the dresses on and she was kind enough to assist me, that’s all!” She grinned nervously, and Fluttershy noticed it but she decided not to say anything.
“I see… Well, I’ll be on my way. I don’t want to bother you…”
“Oh, darling, you're always welcome here! Come back anytime!”
“Thanks… I'll see you later…”
“Take care, Fluttershy!” Rarity closed the door and waited until she couldn’t hear hoofsteps before sighing. “Phew, that was close! Twilight wouldn’t forgiven me if Fluttershy finds out…" ____________________________________________________________________________________________
“I know what I’m going to do... Twilight will tell me; she would never lie to me. I just hope I’m wrong…” Fluttershy was trotting, but before she could reach the library, she was ambushed by Pinkie Pie.
“Hi, Fluttershy! How have you been? I haven’t see you since…yesterday!”
“Oh, hi, Pinkie Pie. I’m sorry, but I’m a little busy right now. I’m going to see Twilight!” She started trotting again, but Pinkie Pie followed her.
“Oh, goodie! Can I come? I think the last time I saw her was sixteen hours ago!”
Fluttershy was about to argue more, but they arrived at Twilight’s library and her pink friend was already knocking on the door. The Unicorn opened it and saw Pinkie Pie first.
“Pinkie, you don’t need to knock so many times; just two or three times are enough… Oh, hi, Flutters!”
“H-Hi… Twilight…” The yellow Pegasus said with a sad tone. Twilight found it strange. Fluttershy hadn’t spoken to her like this since they started dating. She was about to ask her if she was okay, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie.
“Howdy there, Twilight! I was just hiding in a near bush watching everypony when I found Fluttershy and I decided to reveal myself! She said she was coming to see you so I came along!” The party pony said quickly and with a smile on her face. She was breathing fast when she stopped talking.
“Oh, I see… What’s going on?” The Unicorn let them in.
“I just remembered, Mr. And Mrs. Cake asked me to come here and ask you for a recipe book. They need it now so I’ll look for it and be on my way!” Twilight helped Pinkie Pie look for the book she needed before the pink mare left.
“I wonder how she can be so energetic... I rarely see her quiet!” The bookworm pony laughed, but she stopped when she saw Fluttershy’s face. "Is something wrong, Shy?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, no, nothing… I Just… I wanted to see you…”
“How sweet of you! I’m glad you’re here.” The Unicorn kissed her on her cheek. Fluttershy accepted it, but she was still looking strange. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want something to drink?”
“No no, I’m fine, really! Did you just wake up?” Fluttershy asked timidly.
“Actually, no, I woke up early and went to see Rarity. She told Spike that she wanted to see me yesterday, so that was the first thing I did today. She just wanted me to do her a favor.”
“What kind of favor?” She stared into her lavender eyes with a serious look that Twilight had never saw before.
“Um… Well, she…” She thought of something quickly. She hated to lie to the love of her life, but she had no choice. Fluttershy started to move closer to her, still looking at her suspiciously and making her step back until she was between the wall and her marefriend. Finally, she thought of something. “She wanted me to try her dresses on. Yes, then we talked for a while; I told her about the amazing night we had yesterday!” She smiled warmly at her lover, who no longer had a suspicious look on her face.
“Oh, I see… Well, I’ll be going now… I have something to do. I'll see you later, Twilight!” She turned and headed to the door, but before leaving she looked back and said timidly, “I love you…” Twilight stared at her, puzzled.
“I love you too, Fluttershy… I…” She tried to approach the Pegasus, but she left before she could do so. Twilight closed the door and sighed.
“I don’t know, sugarcube... Ah’ don’t think she would do that to you, Ah’ know that she really loves you; you must be overthinking things!” The farmer pony tried to comfort her sobbing friend.
“Listen to Applejack, Fluttershy! Don’t jump into conclusions. She’s surely telling you the truth.” The cyan Pegasus said while putting a hoof on Fluttershy’s back.
But, But… I saw her face when she was saying it... She’s hiding something… I just know it!"
“Well… Maybe, but she will tell you if she’s doing somethin'. She wouldn’t hide anythin' from you.”
Fluttershy used a hoof to wipe her tears away. “You’re probably right, but she’s acting strange… I’ll give her some time and try to act as if nothing happened… Thank you, girls…” The Pegasus trotted away after hugging her friends. When she was gone, Rainbow Dash flew next to Applejack.
“Do you think that Twilight is cheatin’ on Fluttershy with Rarity, sugarcube?” Applejack gave her marefriend a questioning look.
“Nah, Twilight wouldn’t do that. Besides, I’m pretty sure that Rarity likes stallions.”
“You’re right… Fluttershy is just worryin' too much. Ah’ just hope she doesn't do anythin’ stupid...”
It was nighttime when Fluttershy finally arrived at her cottage. She ignored her growling stomach and the impatient bunny. She headed straight to her bed. She tried to convince herself that she was thinking too much, but her dreams prevented her from a good sleep. In most of them, Twilight would say that she didn’t love her anymore and would leave with Rarity, both laughing happily. In a particularly bad dream, Twilight was kissing Rarity and she couldn’t move. The rest of the dreams were similar. Finally, she woke up to the singing of the birds. She was pale.
Twilight woke up the next morning still feeling tired. She'd stayed up late trying to figure out why Fluttershy was acting weird, but she gave up when she knew that her brain needed to rest. She headed downstairs to make breakfast. Spike woke up just when she started to make the waffles; he walked into the kitchen, yawning.
“Good morning, Twilight… You went to bed pretty late last night…”
“Yeah, I had some things to solve before going to bed… You want your waffles with gems like always?”
“Yes, please, I’m starving!”
Twilight brought the waffles to the table, shaking while she did so. She almost dropped them.
“Are you okay, Twilight? You look… Strange this morning…”
“What? Oh, it’s nothing… I’m just a little tired…”
“Alright…” But the dragon wasn't convinced. He could tell from her expression that something was worrying her, but she didn’t noticed the way he was looking at her.
After breakfast, Twilight headed to the basement where she was keeping the necklace. She pulled the box out from its hiding spot behind her desk and opened it. Inside, there was another box, but this one was made of gold. Within it, there was a beautiful necklace that was also made of gold and had a ruby in the center. She used to cry of joy from looking at it, but now she wasn’t sure how to feel. Fluttershy was acting weird and she didn’t know why. Maybe if she talked with Rarity she would know what to do. So, she put the necklace away, placed the box inside her saddlebag, and left. The Unicorn told Spike that she was going to see Rarity and that she would be back soon.
“Dear Celestia, this is beautiful! You have a good eye for jewels, darling. Fluttershy will definitely love it!” Rarity couldn’t stop looking at the necklace. She was examining it carefully, using her magic to levitate it.
“I sure hope so…”
“What's wrong, Twilight? You don’t look very excited…” Rarity looked at her friend for the first time since she'd shown her the necklace.
“Fluttershy came to my library yesterday… She was acting weird and wanted to know what I was doing here…”
“Oh, she came here right after you left! She was interested in knowing what you were doing here; I of course didn’t tell her the truth and told her that you were helping me with trying on my dresses…”
"You told her that? I said the same thing!“ Said the lavender Unicorn, almost shouting.
“Wow, imagine what would have happened if we told her different things!” The fancy Unicorn laughed, but when her friend didn’t join her. She was worried. “Twilight?”
“She… She came here asking you what I was doing here, then came to my place asking me the same thing… I think that… She thinks that I’m cheating on her with you…!” Twilight's eyes widened and she looked at Rarity, who began to laugh again.
“Darling, don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way she thinks that. You're not capable of doing such things, and she knows I like stalions! Besides, I wouldn’t do something like that to a friend!”
“I’m telling you, she probably thinks that. What other explanation is there?” Rarity now had a serious look. She didn’t say anything for a few moments.
“Maybe you’re right… What are we going to do?”
“Well… She can’t see us together, and we’ll have to explain to her that we aren’t doing anything… I just hope she believes us; she looked very upset yesterday…”
“That’s sounds like a plan. If she starts acting weird and is asking strange questions about you, I’ll tell her.”
“Thanks, Rarity. Now I have to go back and put this in the basement again. I’ll see you later!” She said goodbye to her friend with a hug and left.
Twilight wasn’t as worried as before; the fact that Fluttershy was thinking about something like that made her smile. It wasn’t all that bad, just a misunderstanding. She just needed to find her and make her stop worrying.
“Hey, Twilight, wait!” The Unicorn stopped and looked up to see a cyan Pegasus with a multi-colored mane approach her from a cloud. Rainbow Dash stood in front of her.
“Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash. I see you woke up early this morning.”
“Yeah, well… What’s up?” The Pegasus yawed. She clearly didn’t want to be awake this early, but for some reason she was. Twilight didn’t say anything about it.
“Well, I decided to go for a walk before opening the library to clear my mind… What about you?”
“Me? Nothing special. I was just laying on a cloud when I saw you. What’s in that bag?”
Twilight thought on something quickly. She didn’t want to lie to another friend, so she decided to say half of the truth. “Here? Just something I bought for Fluttershy to give her on our anniversary. Please don’t tell her, it would ruin the surprise.”
“Can I…?”
“No!” She didn’t realize that she'd shouted until it was too late. “Oh, sorry, Rainbow, but I really want it to be a surprise for everypony…”
Okay… Well, see you later, egghead!“ Rainbow Dash flew away before Twilight could say anything else.
“That was… Strange…” She continued on her way to the library, still confused about what had just happened.
“You were spying on her?” Fluttershy's disapproval was evident in her voice.
“It was Applejack's idea! Do you think I wanted to wake up early to watch her?” Rainbow Dash looked at her childhood friend, who was staring right back with an expression between confusion and anger. The cyan Pegasus sighed before speaking again. “We did it because we were worried about you. We wanted to show you that there’s nothing to be worried about….”
“She went to see Rarity, right?”
“Well, yes… But that doesn’t mean anything! They were probably just talking. Rarity is your best friend and Twilight loves you. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt you; you're thinking too much! She… She bought you something for your anniversary… I saw her carrying a bag, but she wouldn’t tell me what was in it. Not that I was going to tell you, anyway…”
“She did…?” The timid Pegasus said in an ashamed tone.
“Of course she did! She really wants to be with you and whatever she bought you will prove it, I'm sure.”
“But… I haven’t gotten her anything… What will you do for Applejack?"
“I’m taking her to Cloudsdale on a private tour right after I give her the best present ever!”
“What would that be…?”
“Remember that store in Cloudsdale where they made you a scale figure of whatever you want? Well, I’m going there today to ask them to make one of me and AJ laying together!”
“Oh, yes, I remember that place! Can I go with you?”
“Of course you can! Remember to take a picture so they know what to do!”
“I will. I have the perfect one!”
“Awesome. I’ll pick you up after lunch!” Rainbow Dash flew off before her friend could say anything else. Fluttershy blinked before returning into her cottage to look for a nice picture. Soon enough, she found the one she wanted. It had both Twilight and Fluttershy in Sweet Apples Acres; Applejack had taken the picture a couple of months ago. In the picture, she could see herself cuddling against Twilight’s neck with her eyes closed. The Unicorn had her hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulder and was smiling lovingly at her. Looking at this photo made her realize that she'd overreacted.
“Look at that smile… She’s really happy with me. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt me… The girls are right--I have been thinking too much. I need to show her how much I care for her on our anniversary!”
After lunch, Twilight was going to visit Fluttershy to explain everything, but she wasn’t at home or with the critters. She noticed that they had plenty of food, so she speculated that Fluttershy must've planned to be gone for a while. After seeing that her marefriend wasn’t at home, Twilight decided to pay Applejack a visit.
“Hello, Applejack! I see that you're apple bucking. Do you need help?”
“That would be nice, sugarcube! Apple Bloom is at the club house with her friends and Big Mac went to the market, so Ah’ would appreciate some help!”
“And what about Rainbow Dash?”
“She said she had to go and that she would be back in a few hours without givin’ me any details.” Applejack said in a confused tone.
“What’s up with all the Pegasi? First Fluttershy thinks I’m cheating on her and now Rainbow Dash suddenly has something to do?” The Unicorn chuckled, but stopped when she didn’t hear Applejack laughing with her.
“So, you aren’t cheatin’ on her?” She seriously asked.
“What? Come on, Applejack, not you too! I wouldn’t do that to Fluttershy! I love her; I really do!” Twilight spoke with conviction as she stared directly into her friend’s eyes, who smiled after a few moments.
“Ah’m sure you’re not. Ah’ just wanted to hear it from your mouth, Ah never doubted you! Now, let’s get these apples off the trees!” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but she decided not to add anything else.
When they finished, at least two hours had passed and they decided to relax after a job well done.
“So, your anniversary with Rainbow its coming up. What are you planning to do?”
“Dashie told me she would take me to Cloudsdale, so we're stoppin’ by yer library so you can do that spell thing to make me able to walk in the clouds. Ah’ don’t know what kind of surprise she's going to get me, but whatever she’s thinkin’ Ah’ll love it! And Ah’ll give her a bottle of her favorite cider. What about you, sugarcube?”
“Well I’m… I haven’t decided yet, but I have plenty of time, I’ll come up with something.” She smiled, trying to hide her nervousness.
“Ah’m sure you will, just look with her eyes and you’ll know what to give her!” The farmer pony said, not noticing her friend’s sudden anxiety.
“Thanks, Applejack. I’ll do that!”
They spent the rest of the day talking about their lovers (mostly Rainbow Dash). The sun was setting when Rainbow Dash finally came back. She gave Applejack a quick kiss before noticing Twilight.
“Oh, hi, Twilight. I didn’t see you there!” The rainbow-maned Pegasus said sheepishly.
“Hello, Rainbow Dash! I decided to pay you guys a visit, but you weren’t here.”
“Well, I had something to do… Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What could you be doing? If you aren’t lying on a cloud, you're lying on Applejack!” The Unicorn laughed.
“Hey, I do stuff sometimes!” She approached Twilight angrily, but Applejack stopped her with a hoof.
“Come on, Dashie. We’re just teasin’ you!”
Rainbow Dash sat. “Fine… I’m telling you; you sound like Spike!”
“Spike! I told him I would be back soon! Sorry, girls, but I have to go. I'll see you later!”
Twilight trotted as fast as she could back to the library, almost crashing into other ponies. Each time, she'd give out a hasty apology before continuing to her home. Soon enough, she arrived at the library and pushed the door open.
“Spike, sorry I’m… Flutters?”
When she heard her name, the timid Pegasus turned around and closed the book she was reading with a smile.
“Hello, Twi. I've been waiting for you.”
“Where have you been? I went to your house today and didn’t find you there, I…” She was silenced by a passionate kiss from her marefriend, which she gladly accepted and returned. When they broke the kiss, Twilight kept her eyes closed for a few seconds before slowly opening them, grinning when she saw the pony she loved smiling. “Shy… I want to…” Fluttershy put a hoof on her mouth.
“Let me speak first, please… I came here to apologize for my behavior. I don’t know what I was thinking… Will you forgive me?”
“Whatever was bothering you, it surely wasn’t a big deal… Of course I forgive you…”
“Oh, thank you, Twi!” The yellow Pegasus hugged her tightly, “Now, I would love to stay but I have to go back... Angel Bunny must be worried!”
“Fluttershy, wait!” But she was already gone. “Just what’s with that pony?”
“Twilight?” She heard Spike’s voice behind her. She turned and saw the dragon with his arms behind him.
“Oh, Spike. Sorry for leaving you all day, I…”
“Don’t worry about that. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure Spike, what is it?”
“Well, I was cleaning the basement today, and I found something… rather interesting.” He moved his arms in front of him. Spike was holding a box which Twilight recognized immediately and opened it, showing a golden necklace with a ruby in the middle. “Is this what I think it is?”
The Unicorn gasped--how could she be so stupid? She should have hidden it better!
Twilight didn’t move; her eyes were frozen on the necklace she'd gotten for Fluttershy. She remained immobile for a couple of minutes before Spike called her.
“Twilight? Are you okay?” The Unicorn blinked a few times before realizing where she was.
“Yes…”
“What?”
“It is what you think it is, Spike… I’m going to propose to Fluttershy…” The baby dragon almost dropped the box. He kept staring at the Unicorn, not believing what she'd just said. “Sorry for not telling you before, Spike, but I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone… But since you and Rarity already know, I have to ask you not to tell anypony else, especially Fluttershy, alright?” Spike didn’t say anything for a few minutes, but just as Twilight was about to ask if he was okay, he spoke.
“I… I won’t say a word, but…”
“What is it?” She worriedly asked.
“That… wasn’t what I was thinking…”
“Excuse me?”
“I thought you bought it for me… You know, to eat…”
“What!? You mean that I just revealed everything to you by accident!? Spike!” She raised her voice as she spoke.
“I'm Sorry! But I promise that I won’t say a word!” The dragon defended himself. Twilight sighed after realizing that she was almost shouting.
“Sorry, Spike… But I really wanted it to be a surprise... Why is it so hard?”
“Don’t blame yourself, Twilight. It’s a huge step that's hard to hide. If you allow me, I want to congratulate you. I’m sure that you two will be very happy!” The lavender Unicorn hugged the dragon and smiled.
“Thanks, Spike, but she hasn’t accepted yet…”
“She will, Twilight. I’m sure she will!” ________________________________________________________________________________
Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne when a white stallion entered the room. He bowed to her before speaking.
“You called me, Princess?”
“Yes, Shining Armor. Thank you for coming so fast; I have some matters to discuss with you.”
“I’m all ears.”
“First, I received a letter from your parents. They want to see you.”
“Parents? I don’t consider them that after what they've done to Twilight… I don’t want to see them ever again. I would feel like I was betraying my sister.”
“A negative response it is. I don’t wish to discuss this matter either, but I thought you'd want to know. From now on, I’ll give negative answers to all of their letters.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
“Now, there’s something else,” The Princess said as she walked to the closest window she had. “I have a feeling that something bad will happen during the next few weeks. I need you to be on guard and to report any suspicious activity.”
“I’ll alert the guards. Shall I warn Twilight?”
“I believe that you should. She and her friends must be aware.”
“I’ll write a letter to her right now! Anything else?”
“No, you may now leave.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Shining Armor bowed to her again and left the throne room. ________________________________________________________________________________
Two weeks later…
Twilight and her friends had been taking precautions ever since she'd received a letter from her brother explaining what Princess Celestia had told him, but they've made sure nopony else heard about the situation. They didn’t want to cause unwanted fear, making the situation worse. But so far, they didn’t see anything unusual.
Everything between Twilight and Fluttershy was back to normal now, but every time the Unicorn tried to ask her about what had happened, the timid Pegasus would avoid the question, saying that it was something stupid and that she shouldn’t worry about it. Soon, she had learnt to leave it in the past and to forget about it, but as the day of their anniversary approached, she started to become more nervous.
“Try not to think about it, darling! Let the proposal be the last thing on your mind until the day itself; try to keep your mind busy with other things.” Her fancy friend had advised, but no matter how hard she tried to focus on reading, the thought always seemed to find its way into her head. Also, it seemed to pop up every time she was with Fluttershy. She would start to space out, causing the Pegasus to worry. Twilight would realize that and tell her that she'd been studying more than the usual lately.
Six days before their anniversary, the couple were saying goodbye with a kiss after their date. Fluttershy could see Twilight shaking more every day.
“You shouldn’t read more than you can, Twi... You'll collapse if you continue like that.”
“I have to, Flutters… Don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine.” Fluttershy hugged her marefriend.
“Try to rest well tonight, and remember that you promised to help me with the critters.”
“I haven’t forgotten, Shy. I’ll see you early tomorrow.” They kissed one more time and Fluttershy entered her home. She was immediately met with an angry bunny who was patting the floor impatiently.
“Oh, Angel Bunny! I’m sorry for being late, but I left your plate full of food.” She looked at the plate and saw that it was untouched. “You didn’t eat? Then why are you…? Wait, don’t tell me that you’re jealous of Twilight!” the bunny shook his head, but he couldn’t hide his embarrassment.
“Angel, you don’t have to be. I love you both and I have time for both of you; I just have to adjust my schedule to give both of you enough time. Why don’t you help us tomorrow? Twilight will come to take care of the little creatures with me.” But the bunny shook his head again and headed upstairs. “He’ll be fine.” She giggled before preparing her dinner.
Once she had finished eating, she headed upstairs to finally sleep. However, when she opened the door, she found Angel looking outside through the window.
“Angel, what are you doing there?” When the bunny heard her, he quickly turned to face his owner and pointed outside. Fluttershy approached the window to see what was causing him to act strangely. Outside, she saw what seemed to be the shadow of a pony coming from the Everfree Forest. “Who… Who is that?” The Pegasus was shaking. The mysterious pony moved into the light and Fluttershy quickly recognized who it was. “What is she doing here?” The pony saw that she was spotted and trotted away. Fluttershy opened the window and flew towards her. She wasn’t heading back to the forest--she was running for the hills. ________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight was admiring the necklace she was going to give Fluttershy. She was so concentrated on it that she didn’t notice that she had a hoof in her food.
“Twilight… Your hoof…” The baby dragon sounded tired; it wasn’t the first time that this had happened.
“What? Oh, I have to wash my hooves!”
“If you keep thinking about it, you’ll make it worse. Do what Rarity said and let the proposal be the last thing on your mind!”
“I can’t help it, Spike. I’m really nervous; it’s an important question and the answer will change my life!”
“Relax... Everything will be okay, you’ll see!”
“How do you know? What if she rejects me?” She said desperately, raising her voice.
“Calm down, Twilight! She won’t say no; I’m sure that she'll accept. All you need to do now is to eat and sleep well for tomorrow morning.”
The Unicorn sighed. “You’re right… Thanks, Spike.”
“Don’t mention it.”
After eating, Twilight headed to her bed. But just as she was about to sleep, somepony knocked at the door.
“Who could that be at this hour…? Let me open it, Spike!” She trotted downstairs and got in front the entrance door. She waited for Spike to join her before opening it. On the other side, there was a pony with a hood to hide their face.
“Who are you and what do you want this late?” Twilight yawned, but the voice of the mysterious pony woke her up immediately.
“I'm sorry for bothering you this late, Twilight Sparkle, but this is very important.” The visitor took their hood off and there she stood Trixie Lulamoon, looking at Twilight with her magenta eyes. There was pity in them. “It’s about Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy was approaching the pony, wondering why she would be out so late. She followed the mare until they were right next to the Everfree Forest. The Pegasus was shaking; she wanted to get away from there, but she had questions that needed to be answered. Once she was at the top of the hill, she approached the shadow.
”Twi… What are you doing here? Come on, Let's go back to Ponyville…”
“What’s the rush, Fluttershy?” Twilight Sparkle turned slowly and looked directly into Fluttershy's eyes. “Stay with me. We’ll have fun!” The timid Pegasus got instantly hypnotized.
“You!” Before Trixie could do anything, Twilight jumped on her. The lavender Unicorn pinned her to the ground and was glaring angrily at Trixie, her horn glowing. “What are you doing here!? Are you thinking about attacking me in my own home!? Where is Fluttershy!?”
“Please, Sparkle, I didn’t do anything! You have to believe me!” Trixie was scared, but that didn’t stop Twilight from pressing her hooves into her harder. The blue Unicorn closed her eyes to suppress the pain.
“You didn’t do anything? You tried to kill me and Fluttershy a year ago! Give me a good reason to forgive you!” Trixie was crying from the pain at this point; Twilight was putting more pressure on her.
“I’m innocent! I wouldn’t go that far!”
“I don’t believe you!” Twilight’s horn started to shine, but it wasn't the usual purple. It was dark and her eyes suffered the same fate. Trixie tried to free herself, but it was no use. "Why don’t you defend yourself!?" her voice sounded slightly dark.
“I don’t want to hurt you. Please, I’m telling the truth!” More and more tears escaped the defenseless Unicorn. Twilight was completely blinded by her anger and she wasn’t hearing a word. But just before Twilight did anything harsh, Spike shoved her to the ground. Trixie was released, and Twilight came back to her senses.
“W-What happened?” The bookworm pony asked in a confused manner.
“You were about to do something that you would regret for the rest of your life.” Spike said to his friend while helping her stand up.
“Twilight Sparkle…” Trixie spoke, slowly standing up. She was still shocked about what had just happened, or what almost happened. “Please, hear me out. That wasn’t me who tried to kill you or your marefriend a year ago… It was an impostor. It must've been a Unicorn with magic powerful enough to change appearances. And they must hate you… A lot…”
Twilight thought for a few moments and then looked at Trixie in sudden realization. “Or a changeling… Queen Chrysalis!”
“Queen Chrysalis? I've never heard of that name before…”
“She’s an evil changeling that tried to take over Canterlot once. She uses love to make her magic stronger… But we were able to stop her. I should have known she would come back!” Twilight stomped the floor with a hoof.
“If she uses love to make her magic stronger… That means…”
“Fluttershy! Trixie, please tell me that you know where she is!"
“I do know. That’s why I’m here; I saw her following somepony up the hills!”
“Thanks! Spike, go wake the others and tell them to bring the Elements of Harmony. Trixie, come with me!”
The Unicorns and the dragon went their separate ways, hoping that it wasn’t too late.
I’m coming, Fluttershy... Please be okay! Twilight thought as she followed Trixie.
“So, why did you take an entire year to come here and clear this up?” The unicorns were galloping fast as they could towards where Trixie said she saw Fluttershy go.
“I was in Fillydelphia a year ago and I didn’t read newspapers. One day, ponies started to watch me like if I was a criminal. They didn’t explain anything, so I escaped. I was traveling from town to town, but it was the same everywhere. I was galloping away the entire time. I found out about the situation a month ago, so I thought about coming here to explain everything, knowing that you were the only one who could clear my name. However, I didn’t think you would be so hostile…”
“I’m really sorry about that, but I thought you were the one who almost killed us… I’m glad that Spike stopped me in time...” Twilight said, ashamed.
“I should thank him later, but first we have to save Fluttershy.”
“You remember her name?”
“I read it in the paper. You two are a famous couple!”
“Luckily, they aren’t bothering us much now. So, how did you find Fluttershy?”
“When I first arrived, she was the only pony I saw. I hid to prevent her from spotting me; she flew just above me and I could see that she was chasing somepony. Something about that pony made me suspicious, and that was when I went looking for you.”
“Trixie, I owe you a big one. After this I’ll make sure you get your old life back!”
“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I saw Fluttershy going this way; let’s hurry!” Twilight didn’t need to be told twice; she was very worried about her marefriend. The Unicorn knew that Queen Chrysalis wouldn’t kill her, but she would use love to gain power and who knows what she was planning to do next.
They were getting close. Soon, they spotted a light coming from one of the hills and trotted there. When they got to the top, they found Fluttershy and another Twilight.
“Fluttershy!” The lavender Unicorn exclaimed when she saw her love. Fluttershy's eyes seemed to be gazing into nothingness, just like Shining Armor did when Queen Chrysalis hypnotized him.
“Well, well, Twilight Sparkle… You haven’t change a bit.” Chrysalis said when she saw the duo. She transformed into her normal self before speaking again. “Her love for you is strong. I feel so powerful!” She laughed maniacly.
“Let her go, Queen Chrysalis!” Twilight was full of hatred again, just like she was a few minutes ago.
“Queen? Not anymore. After you stopped me from taking over Canterlot, my subjects abandoned me. I found myself alone in a world I hated. I wanted revenge, but found myself defenseless. I needed to get rid of you, but I was forced to hide myself because of my weak state. I decided to spy on you, and I found the perfect moment to strike! Luckily, I arrived just when this Unicorn showed up and challenged you to a magic duel. It was then that I got the idea to disguise as her and try to kill you, so in case you somehow survived you would blame her! But I underestimated this Unicorn; she told you everything. But it doesn’t matter. I have enough power to kill you, so enjoy your last night... The three of you die tonight!” When she finished the phrase, her horn started to glow. She attacked the Unicorns with the magic blast, but they dodged quickly.
“You destroyed my life... I want it back!” Trixie launched a spell at the changeling, but Chrysalis counter-attacked. She threw Trixie a few meters back--almost enough to send her off the cliff.
“Trixie!” The studious pony exclaimed and attacked the ex Queen. The changeling attacked her as well, and their magic collided. They struggled for a few moments, but the changeling's magic was more powerful. She soon won, and the magic hit Twilight, sending her next to Trixie. Twilight almost slid off, but the blue Unicorn grabbed her with her hooves. “Trixie, behind you!”
Trixie turned her head and saw Chrysalis approaching them, getting ready to attack one last time.
“Goodbye, pests!”
“Not so fast!” Twilight heard a familiar voice and looked up. She saw Rainbow Dash flying with Applejack between her hooves at a high speed. When they were close enough, Rainbow dropped Applejack who launched herself at the changeling in pure rage, landing a blow on her leg. The changeling reared back in pain, and the earth pony didn't waste any time. She gathered all the strength she could in her rear legs and pushed herself powerfully from the ground, gaining speed towards her target, dodging every attack that the changeling casted, all but one that hit the floor in front of her, making her lose her balance and fall. Chrysalis prepared to finish her off with one more attack but Rainbow Dash pushed her while flying at a high speed, making her miss the attack. But as soon as she recovered, the orange mare's hoof connected with the changeling's jaw, sending her off the cliff.
"You don't seem to be as strong as before!" Rainbow Dash taunted.
“Good timing, girls!” Twilight said after getting her hooves back on the ground. “Where are the elements?”
“Rarity said that she would bring them and told us to come here in case you needed us.” The cyan Pegasus said while catching her breath. “How much do you weigh, AJ?”
“Don’t ask!” She gave her lover an angry look, then looked at Twilight concerned.” Are you two okay?”
“We're fine…” The lavender Unicorn said before looking at Fluttershy. “I’ll try to get her back to her senses.” Twilight approached her marefriend and nuzzled her neck. “'Shy, wake up… Angel is hurt!” Not even a second passed before Fluttershy blinked several times, seeming as if she'd awoken from a dream.
“What?! Oh no!” The timid Pegasus started to trot around the hill, looking for the bunny, but didn’t find him. She looked at Twilight desperately. “Where is he?”
“Fluttershy!” Twilight hugged her tightly, catching Fluttershy by surprise. The Unicorn was crying from happiness. “I lied… You were under Chrysalis's hypnosis…”
“Ch-Chrysalis?”
“She’s right there, sugarcube.” The farmer pony pointed to where the changeling lay.
“You sure are strong, AJ. You knocked a changeling Queen out, I'm very impressed!” Twilight congratulated her friend.
“Th-Thanks, but I wouldn't have done it without Rainbow's help...” Applejack blushed.
Everypony trotted down the hill and watched Chrysalis from a safe distance. Twilight was in front of the group with Fluttershy, who was embracing the Unicorn with her head on her marefriend’s chest. Hearing Twilight’s heartbeat calmed her down. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were on their right and Trixie on the left.
“What are we going to do with her?” The blue Unicorn inquired.
“We’ll use the Elements of Harmony to turn her into a statue and make sure she stops being a problem.”
“But what if I refuse to cooperate?!” The changeling stood up, looking maliciously at them.
“Oh, come on! Can’t you just give up!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed impatiently.
“Do you really think that I would be so easy to get rid of!?” As Chrysalis spoke, Her horn became to light up, but Twilight was already in position.
“Fluttershy is back to normal now. You lost your powers!”
“Oh please, I don’t need her to destroy you!”
In that moment, Trixie heard something behind her. When she turned, she saw a trunk magically being attracted towards the couple. “Look out!” She shouted as she pushed them out of the way. Applejack saw the trunk too, and moved Rainbow before she got hit. However, Trixie wasn’t fast enough. She only had time to put a hoof in front of her face. A crack was heard when it hit her. Trixie fell to the floor, unconscious.
“Trixie!” Twilight exclaimed as she watched the scene in horror. She turned towards Chrysalis and used a spell to distract her. She then levitated the same trunk and threw it at her. It was so fast that the ex Queen didn’t have time to react, and it hit her on the head, knocking her out once again.
Twilight was panting hard after that. Luckly, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike arrived with the chest that contained the Elements of Harmony.
“Sorry we were late, but somepony had to go to the bathroom!” Rarity gave Pinkie Pie a look.
“I can’t control my bladder! When you have to go, you have to go!” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.
“Just put on the elements and let’s end this!” Twilight said with impatience.
Each pony put on their element, floating to the sky. When their eyes turned white, Chrysalis woke up once again. She tried to escape when she saw the fate awaiting her, but the rainbow didn't miss. She was turned into a statue.
When they were on the ground again, Twilight approached to Chrysalis and stared at it.
“It’s over, Chrysalis!”
“Twilight!”
When she heard the voice she lovedFluttershy's she didn’t hesitate to respond to it. Twilight headed back to where her friends and marefriend were. She saw them forming a circle around Trixie. Fluttershy had the head of the unconscious Unicorn on her lap.
“It was Queen Chrysalis the whole time?” Princess Celestia asked. She was having a conversation with her faithful student outside the hospital's waiting room.
“Yes, Princess. Trixie is innocent; she never did anything wrong. Well, she did make some mistakes, but she never tried to kill anypony. Please clear her name, Princess Celestia... Last night, she proved herself to be a good Unicorn.”
“I understand, Twilight Sparkle. I think this is more than enough proof to eliminate the capture order.”
"Thank you, Princess! Everypony is safe now, right?"
“Yes. I no longer sense danger nearby. You may now live in peace. I must return to Canterlot now and put the statue of Queen Chrysalis somewhere safe and away from everypony.”
“Farewell, Princess, and thank you again.”
“Good luck, my faithful student!” The Princess winked before trotting out the hospital corridor. A very confused Twilight was left alone.
“What did she mean by that...?” She shook her head and entered the waiting room. Immediately upon entering, she was hugged by Fluttershy.
“Twilight!” They held each other for a few more moments before looking into the other's eyes worriedly. The lavender Unicorn, then, looked to her friends.
“I just talked with Princess Celestia…”
“What did she say, sugarcube?” Applejack was sitting with Rainbow on her lap, who woke up when the door opened.
“Trixie isn’t wanted by the guards anymore, and she will be safe. She told me not to worry about it.”
“That's super duper great news! We have to celebrate!” Pinkie Pie jumped around the room until Rarity stopped her.
“Pinkie, please! Remember that we are in a hospital!”
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that!” She giggled.
“Anyway…” Twilight spoke again. “All we have to do now is wait for Trixie to get out of surgery and thank her personally…”
They were waiting for hours. Applejack and Rainbow Dash fell asleep long ago, and Pinkie Pie was trying to keep the rest of them entertained. However, she couldn’t do so without having to make noise. Rarity paced in no particular direction, muttering about how awful the situation was. Twilight was sitting next to the door that lead to the emergency room with Fluttershy embracing her with a wing.
“'Shy… After all you've been through, you should sleep…”
“Oh, no, no, no… I want to stay awake. I’ll wait for the doctor with you.” She nuzzled Twilight with her cheek.
“Th-Thank you, Fluttershy…”
“Are you okay, Twi? You sound… worried. She'll be fine.”
“I know, but I feel guilty for the way I treated her. She turned out to be more noble than I thought and… She saved your life…”
“Our lives.”
“...I value your life more than mine. I would give my life to save yours...”
“Twilight…”
“I was so worried about you, Fluttershy.” She started to cry. “I thought I'd never see you again, or hug you… Or kiss you. I… I don’t know what I would've done if I'd lost you…!” Fluttershy moved her lover’s head so she could stare into her lavender eyes. She smiled sweetly.
“That will never happen, Twilight. I will always be there for you, with you…. Always.” Twilight was about to say something, but the Pegasus stopped her with a kiss. It was more than enough to silence her sobs. After the kiss, Fluttershy wiped Twilight's tears away and hugged her.
“Thank you, Fluttershy…” And, after taking a deep breath in her marefriend's mane, she calmed down.
The doctor appeared from the door a couple of minutes later, causing everypony to look at him.
“She’s out of surgery; you may now visit her.”
“Thank you, doctor. Come on, girls, let’s see our friend!” Twilight excitedly said.
The doctor directed them to the room where Trixie was. When they entered, Trixie was surprised to see them. Her broken hoof was covered with bandages, but she didn’t seem so bad.
“What are you doing here?” The blue Unicorn gazed at each of them not in a friendly way.
“We just wanted to make sure you were fine.” Twilight said, confused by Trixie's tone.
“Of course I’m fine. The great and powerful Trixie is always fine--ouch!” She tried to raise her broken hoof, but it obviously hurt.
“You don’t want to do that, trust me.” Rainbow Dash laughed, but Applejack nudged her softly and she stopped.
“What do you want?” Trixie asked in an impatient tone.
“We wanted to thank you for saving our lives.” Twilight said.
“Okay, you did it, now go away! Ouch!”
Everypony turned to leave, but Fluttershy approached Trixie, looking at the injured pony with a sad expression. “Thank you…” And she headed to the door.
“Wait!” Trixie exclaimed just as they were about to leave. Everypony looked at her. “You… can stay if you want… But I don’t want anypony else to know that I’m here!"
The group smiled and trotted over to her once again. Pinkie Pie jumped on the bed and hugged her. “We won’t tell anypony else. We Pinky Promise! Right, girls?”
"Pinkie, give her some space so she can recover!" Applejack scolded her.
“Oopsie, sorry!”
They spent a few hours with Trixie before going back to their homes. Over the course of the next few days, Trixie received visits from everypony. Applejack and Rainbow Dash always gave her an apple pie to cheer her up. Pinkie Pie baked her cupcakes that Trixie enjoyed, and, as generous as Rarity was, she offered to design her a new costume.
The day before Twilight and Fluttershy’s anniversary, when Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike left, Twilight stayed behind. Fluttershy kissed her before she took her leave. Applejack and Rainbow Dash didn't go this time since it was their anniversary.
“How does it feel…?” Trixie asked after a few minutes of silence.
“What?” Twilight asked in a confused manner.
“You know, being in love; having a special somepony… How does it feel?”
“It’s the best feeling in the world… It's hard to explain; you have to experience it by yourself… You've never been in love?”
“Me? Please! I don’t have time for that, nor do I want to.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“I was just curious, that’s all!”
“Alright then…”
Silence took over the room again. However, it was broken by Trixie a few minutes later.
“You really love her… Don’t you?”
“She’s everything to me. I don’t know what I would do without her… I’m really thankful to you, Trixie, for saving her. And for that, I owe you a big one."
“You don’t have to do anything…”
“I insist; you saved what I love most in Equestria. Princess Celestia has already removed you from the dangerous ponies list, so you're free to show your face in public again. There must be something I can do… Wait, how about if you took your magic to the next level?”
“You want to teach me magic?”
“Not me. I know somepony, or, better said, a zebra who can.”
“A zebra?”
“I’ll introduce her to you when you get better. Well, if you want to stay here, that is…”
“I really don't have anywhere else to go, so I guess I can stay for awhile… And what are you going to do tomorrow?”
Twilight blushed and instantly became nervous. “Me? N-Nothing!”
“Really? Then why are you suddenly acting nervous?”
“I’m not nervous, just…”
“Come on!.”
Twilight thought for a few moments, then sighed.
“I guess I owe you that much… I’m… I’m planning on proposing to Fluttershy…”
“You are? Congratulations! You deserve it, Sparkle.”
“Thank you, Trixie, and you can just call me Twilight.”
“I’ll think about it...”
The doctor entered a few seconds later.
“Visiting time's over; the patient needs to rest.”
“Okay. I’ll be on my way then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Trixie!”
The day Twilight both anticipated and feared has finally arrived. She'd barely slept last night, and when she was able to, Princess Celestia’s sun only woke her up an hour later. She jumped out from her bed and took a quick shower. After that, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, waking Spike along the way.
“Twilight, why did you wake me up?” The baby dragon asked while he rubbed his face.
“Sorry, Spike, it’s just that I’m so excited! Today is the big day and I can’t control myself!”
“Twilight, breathe! You sound like Pinkie Pie!”
“Sorry, Spike! Too excited!” When Spike saw that she was about to make breakfast, he quickly stopped her.
After breakfast, Twilight decided to visit all of her friends, starting with Rarity. As usual, the fancy Unicorn was very happy to see her.
“Oh, Twilight! I was hoping you'd come to see me today. How are you feeling?”
“Excited and scared… I have most of the night planned, but I don’t know how to begin the proposal.”
“Maybe we can figure something out, darling. Let’s think… Oh, I know! Luna is the Princess of the night? So, she can help you with that!”
“What do you have in mind…?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow as the mare waved her over. She hesitantly stepped closer. Rarity whispered the idea into her ear, causing Twilight to beam immediately.
“That’s a great idea, Rarity! But that means I have to tell Princess Luna about this... I hope that she doesn’t tells Princess Celestia...”
“She won’t if you make her promise her not to!”
“Rarity, you're such a good friend! If you ever need anything, just tell me!” Twilight spent the rest of the morning explaining her plans for the night to Rarity, who loved every detail.
“Fluttershy is so lucky; I’m really jealous! Please come back to tell me how everything goes tomorrow morning!”
Twilight gave Rarity a hug and left to visit her other friends. Pinkie Pie was next in her mental checklist since she needed to get cupcakes for the night.
“Howdy, Twilight! I'm seeing a big smile on your face and that makes me smile! But if you don’t mind telling me, why the big smile?”
“Today is my one year anniversary with Fluttershy. We're having a special date tonight!”
“Oh, yay! Congratulations! It has already been a year? You two are so cute together! I should make you a party after Trixie gets out of the hospital! I’m going to…"
“Pinkie, before you continue…" Twilight rised a hoof in front of her to stop Pinkie from talking. "I would love some cupcakes for tonight.”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie quickly prepared a dozen cupcakes and put them in the oven.
“Pinkie, twelve cupcakes? We're just two ponies…” Pinkie Pie got so close to Twilight that their muzzles were only inches away.
“There’s never too many cupcakes! If you don’t eat them all tonight, there’ll be more for tomorrow!” Pinkie Pie, then, got back behind the counter. “What are you girls going to do tonight?”
“Can’t you wait until tomorrow?”
“Nope!”
The Unicorn sighed. “Fine… We're going to the hill where we had our first date.”
“Where Queen Chrysalis ponynapped Fluttershy?”
“No, and thanks for the reminder...” Pinkie Pie giggled.
“Oopsies, sorry! Please continue.”
“Well, after we get settled, we'll eat, and then I’m going to give her my gift.”
“Oh, what did you get her?”
“Sorry, Pinkie, but that’s a secret to my friends, too!”
“Aww, I want to know! Please tell me!” Her eyes swam with tears. It was hard for Twilight to resist, but she couldn’t say the truth.
“I'm sorry, I really can’t tell you. You’ll have to wait like everypony else.”
“Aww, please, please, please?”
“No, Pinkie. Please stop asking.” The party pony was about to cry, but the timer for the oven sounded, completely changing her mood.
“Oh, your cupcakes are ready!” She hurried to the kitchen, putting the finished desserts in a basket. Pinkie Pie gave it to Twilight. “Enjoy them, Twilight, and have a good day!”
“Thanks, Pinkie. I promise to tell you everything tomorrow--It’s a Pinky Promise!”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!”
When Twilight was about to leave, Pinkie Pie called her.
“Twilight, look out!” She pushed Twilight out of the way, almost making her drop the basket.
“Pinkie, what are you…!?” She fell silent when the door slammed open with a thud and both Mr. and Mrs. Cake entered Sugarcube Corner.
“Hello, Pinkie... Oh, Twilight, I didn’t see you there!”
“Sorry, Twilight, but my ear started flopping, my eyes began fluttering, and then my knee started to twitch! And you know what that means!”
“Look out for opening doors... Thanks, Pinkie. I guess that’s another point for your Pinkie Sense!”
“Be careful on the way, Twilight. I’ll see you later!”
Twilight headed to Sweet Apple Acres, planning to get the food next. She saw a pony resting on the grass wearing Applejack’s favorite stetson, so, she decided to greet her.
“Hey, Applejack! It’s strange to see you relaxing instead of… Rainbow Dash?”
“H-Hey Egghead, what’s up?” The cyan Pegasus said as she stood up.
“Is that Applejack’s stetson?”
“Yup! I asked her if I could wear it for a bit; it’s really comfortable.”
“It really suits you! Where’s Applejack?”
“She’s over there! I wouldn’t bother her; she’s very busy.”
“And, why aren’t you helping her, then?”
“She told me that I already did enough for her and wanted me to rest.”
“Since when are you working?”
“Well, love can make you do this kind of stuff. We both know that!”
“Yeah, I am getting better with the critters... They love me almost as much as they love Fluttershy. I have to talk to Applejack now, so, I'll see you later!”
“Alright, but try to be quick!” Twilight slowly approached Applejack.
“Hey, Applejack! I know that you’re busy apple bucking, but I needed to ask you something.”
“Go ahead, Twi.” The farmer pony didn't stop kicking the trees.
“I’m going out with Fluttershy tonight, and I need some food. Can you give me some of your apple pies? I’ll pay you tomorrow.”
“Sure, sugarcube, just go to talk to Apple Bloom!”
“Thanks you!”
The lavender Unicorn knocked on the door that led to the basement storage area. It quickly opened to reveal Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.
“Well, hi there, Twilight! what do ya need?” Apple Bloom asked with a big smile on her face.
“Applejack told me to talk to you. I have a date with Fluttershy tonight and I need food.”
“Oh, sure, come on in!”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took her inside where there were large boxes stacked to the side.
“So, what do ya need?”
“Just an apple pie, please.”
“Sure thing. Scoots, bring me that big one, please!” The orange filly grabbed one of the pies and hoofed it over to Twilight.
“Oh, thank you, girls! Now I can go back to my place and relax until the night. I'll see you later!”
“Goodbye, Twilight, take care!” The fillies said as the older mare left.
It was late afternoon when she arrived home.
“Spike!" She waited until he came running down the stairs, "Good. It's time to write my letter to Princess Luna.”
“Now? She's probably sleeping…”
“I know. You’ll write it now and send it later, when she’s awake. Let’s do this quick; I promised Trixie I would visit her!”
“Alright… just tell me what to write.”
“Dear Princess Luna, I know that I don’t normally write to you, but I need to ask you a favor…”
“The manestyle doesn’t fit my personality… But I have to look good! Angel Bunny, would you mind helping me with the flowers?” The white bunny reluctantly hopped onto the table, took the flowers, and put them behind his owner’s ears. “Thank you, you're really nice, Angel. Now, my gift… And now I’m ready! I hate not bringing anything else, but Twilight said she would bring the food… Angel, be a good bunny and look after the house while I’m gone, okay? I’ll be back later!”
Fluttershy closed the door behind her and started to walk to Ponyville, humming. The sun had just set when she arrived the town. She knocked on the library's door and waited patiently. When it opened, the Pegasus couldn’t believe her eyes. She had to rub them, but it wasn’t her her eyes. Twilight looked beautiful with her mane down, blushing when Fluttershy kept staring at her.
“Fluttershy...?”
“Y-You look beautiful, Twi…” Twilight’s blush became more noticeable.
“Thanks… But I don’t look nearly as good as you, 'Shy. You look amazing.”
“No, I don’t. I thought I was, but after looking at you… I look awful.” The Unicorn kissed her cheek.
“Don’t say that, Flutters. You always look beautiful. Now come on, it’s getting late!“ The bookworm pony took the basket and closed the door. Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice the bag on her date’s side.
“What’s in that bag? If you don’t mind me asking…”
“It’s your gift! I’ll give it to you tonight.”
“Oh, right… I have yours under my wing.”
“I’m so excited... Let’s go before I pass out!” They intertwined their tails and walked to their destination. Nopony said a word. Fluttershy enjoyed the silence, but Twilight was too nervous to talk. Her mind was elsewhere; thinking about what she was planning to do on the date. When they finally arrived to the hill, Twilight put the blanket she brought on the ground. Fluttershy sat as the Unicorn put the basket on the floor and cut two slices of pie. She sat next to her marefriend, who embraced her with a wing as soon as she did so. They ate in silence, looking at the stars. The only sound that could be heard was made by the crickets. Fluttershy nuzzled into Twilight’s chest and could hear her heart thumping loudly.
“Is there something wrong, Twi…?”
“Huh? Why would there be something wrong? It’s our anniversary!”
“Well, your heart... It’s racing really fast…”
“N-No, it's always like this when I’m with you!” She laughed nervously, making Fluttershy even more suspicious. “Can I get my gift now?” the Unicorn grinned, trying to hide her uneasiness.
“Oh, okay!” The Pegasus smiled and gave the gift to her date, who carefully started to unwrap it. When she finished, she saw a small crystal figure of herself and Fluttershy in an exact replica of the photo Applejack had taken of them some time ago.
“Fluttershy, this is so beautiful... I love it! Where did you get it?”
“Cloudsdale. Rainbow took me there a couple of weeks ago; I got one made for you and she got one for Applejack.”
“So that’s why I didn’t see you that day until I got back home!”
“Yes… Happy Anniversary, Twi!” Twilight kissed her on her cheek.
“Happy Anniversary, 'Shy!”
“Oh, Twilight, I’m really loving this date so far! But I have to say, even on that scary night… I couldn’t help but feel a Déjà vu…”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Almost a year ago, Trixie… I mean, Chrysalis tried to kill us in the Everfree forest, and on the next day, we confessed our love to each other… But she won’t be bothering us again.”
“No, she won’t… Thanks to you…”
“Thanks to us, 'Shy. We were able to defeat her for good because of the Elements of Harmony. You helped defeat her as much as everypony else.”
“I guess you’re right… Are you sure I wasn’t a bother?” Twilight hugged Fluttershy gently.
“Flutters, you’re never a bother to anypony. We all love you… Well, I do more than anypony else, but everypony cares about you.”
“Maybe you’re right…”
“I am, 'Shy…” She kissed her while putting a hoof on her cheek. “I am…”
The Pegasus put her head on the unicorn's chest. “Twi, your heart is still racing…” She said, blushing.
“I told you; you make it race even if it’s just by looking at your picture… Or your gift.” Fluttershy nuzzled into her chest again, making them both blush. Twilight hugged her tighter.
“I went to see Trixie today. The doctor said that she will be able to walk again in a week, but she still have to use the bandages a while longer.”
“Really? That was fast, considering that she was hit by a trunk.”
“She has strong bones and hasn't had an accident before. Even so, she doesn’t want to be seen here; you know why…”
“Yeah, I understand…”
“But she'll be staying for some time, wearing a hood in public places so she won't be recognized.”
“I see… I’m happy that she will be with us, even for just a little bit. I really don’t know how to thank her…”
“Show your kindness to her!”
“Okay… I can try…”
Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s cheek and nuzzled it softly. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments, neither of them wanting to look away. But Twilight noticed the stars moving, and her heart started to race even faster.
It was time.
“Flutters… Look over there…” The unicorn nervously pointed to the place where the stars were forming a phrase. The Pegasus watched them in amazement as the stars finished moving and the words could be read.
Fluttershy, I want to stay with you forever. Would you give me the honor of becoming your wife?
The pegasus stared at the words for a few seconds, trying to see if she was reading it wrong. She, then, turned to her date and saw her kneeling with an open box in her hooves. A golden necklace with a ruby in the middle glinted from within it. Twilight spoke again.
“You are the most beautiful pony I've ever met, both in the inside, and the outside. I love every part of you. You’re perfect, and sometimes I think I don’t deserve you. I know you really love me and that you only want to be with me. Fluttershy, will you marry me?” Both mares were crying of joy. Silence ruled the night--even the crickets stopped as if they knew the importance of this moment. Finally, after a few minutes, Fluttershy spoke.
“Twilight Sparkle… I love you so much and I know that I can’t love anypony else… Of course that I will marry you!” Fluttershy took the necklace and put it around her neck before hugging her date tightly. They stared into each other’s eyes and kissed passionately. Fluttershy opened her eyes and gazed romantically towards her partner’s closed eyes before closing hers too. After the kiss, Twilight hugged her once again.
“If it isn’t a bother…” Fluttershy jokingly said, and they both giggled.
“Fluttershy, you can’t imagine the joy I’m feeling right now!”
“I’m so happy about this too, Twi. We will always be together… Always!” The Pegasus hugged Twilight even harder, surprised when she heard a snore. She looked down to see Twilight sleeping, holding her tight. Fluttershy kissed her forehead and laid on the floor, still holding her. “Sweet dreams, my beloved fiancée…” She fell asleep shortly after.
“So, what did you want to tell us, Twi? Why did you ask us all to come to your library?” Applejack was panting, just like Rainbow Dash (who was flying), and Rarity who'd trotted as fast as she could.
“Hold on, girls. Pinkie Pie isn't here yet.”
“Tell her later, we're…” Rainbow Dash tried to speak, but she was interrupted by the pink pony arriving.
“Howdy! Sorry I’m late but Mr. and Mrs. Cake wouldn’t let me go until I was finish with a birthday cake for a costumer! It was for Lyra; do you know that her birthday is tomorrow? Anyway, she wanted a choco…”
“Alright, we get it, Pinkie! Now that we're all here, Twilight, will you please tell us what you got us all gathered together for?" Rainbow Dash asked with an impatient tone.
“Rainbow Dash, don’t be so rude! Apologize to Twilight and Pinkie now!” The farmer pony said, hitting her marefriend on one of her hooves.
“No harm done, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she hugged the cyan Pegasus.
“I say the same, Rainbow Dash. Now, about the news…”
“Wait, where’s Fluttershy?”
“I’m glad you asked, Rarity! Fluttershy, you can come in now!” Fluttershy walked in from the kitchen with Spike on her side, smiling. She was wearing the engagement necklace, which Rarity was the first to notice. She screamed out in happiness and trotted towards her best friend, hugging her immediately.
“Congratulations, darlings! I am so happy for you! I couldn’t help but cry when I saw the message in the sky last night!”
“Woah, woah, woah, woah… One thing at a time! What message? And is that necklace what I think it is?” Rainbow Dash questioned incredulously.
“You mean that you didn’t see the message, dear? And since when can you recognize jewels?” The fancy Unicorn turned to see the cyan Pegasus.
“Well, I fell asleep as soon as I found a nice cloud to do so... I've always recognized different jewels, but I didn't think it was important to tell you.” Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves.
“Oh, yes! Twilight proposed to me last night. It was so romantic; I didn’t expect it at all!” Fluttershy was standing right next to her fiancée, nuzzling her cheek when she finished speaking.
“Congratulations, girls! I’m super happy for you! Wow, I have lots of parties I need to throw right now... I should start working on them soon!” The party pony put her hooves on her head before turning to see Twilight. "Would you mind if I make yours the day after tomorrow? I have to do Lyra’s birthday party first!”
“We don’t mind, Pinkie. Don’t worry!”
“Okie dokie lokie!”
“Congratulations! You two will be so happy together, ah’ know it!” Applejack said as she softly patted Twilight's side.
“Yeah, but I'm warning you, Twilight... If you break Fluttershy’s heart, I'll break you!” The cyan Pegasus seriously said.
“Thanks, but I wouldn’t do that, Rainbow Dash. I’ll treat her the way she deserves--with love.”
“Group hug!” Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted, pulling all of her friends together. When the hug was broken, Twilight spoke again.
“And... We have another announcement to make! Honey, do you mind telling them?”
“Sure, love. Twilight and I have decided to live together, at my place!”
“R-Really!? When are you moving?” Rarity exclaimed in surprise.
“Right now! Would you mind helping us ?”
“We don’t mind, sugarcube. We’ll help you with the movin’, right, Dashie?”
“Do I have to?” Applejack gave her an angry look. “Okay, okay… I’ll help!”
“Me too!” Rarity said with a wide smile.
“Oh, oh, and me!” Pinkie Pie jumped with a grin.
“Wait, just one thing, Twilight… Are you going to leave me here alone?” Spike asked worriedly.
“Of course not, Spike. You’re coming with us!”
“But what about the library?”
“Well… I hope you get used to waking up early.”
“Earlier? Oh, come on!” Everypony laughed.
“Now, come on, I've already packed. It's just a couple of boxes.” Said Twilight.
“Just that? Are you sure?” Applejack questioned.
“Well, I really don’t need much, and Fluttershy has everything at her cottage. I’m not taking anything from the kitchen since I am still coming here to work.”
“Come visit us if you can. Once you’re finished with the moving, of course. I would love to see you! Oh, and tell me what you think of Lyra’s cake!” Pinkie Pie said with her usual smile.
“I’ll stop by later!”
“Yay!” She said before, quite literally, disappearing. Twilight always wondered how she was able to do that.
“Oh, before I forget..." Rainbow Dash began, “I’m about to go with the other weather ponies--it'll rain tonight!”
“Oh, good! So we'll be sleeping this time. And at least you warned us!” Rarity gave her a glare.
“Hey! I said I was sorry!”
“I was just walking out of the beauty parlor!”
“As if that place could help you…” The cyan Pegasus whispered, but she was still heard.
“What did you just say!?”
Their muzzles were only just inches away as they stared at each other angrily.
“Rainbow Dash, either you apologize, or you'll sleep in the barn tonight!”
The Pegasus sighed and looked at Rarity. She spoke reluctantly, barely moving her lips to show her teeth. “I’m sorry, Rarity… Can I go now?”
“Sure. Ah’ll see yer later!” The cyan Pegasus flew off at a high speed. “Sorry about that. Now, if you'll excuse me, ah have to go apple buckin' before it gets dark!”
“Alright, see you all later!” Twilight said as she waved at her friends. The Unicorn, then, entered her new home and saw Fluttershy in the middle of the room.
“Welcome to your new home, Twilight! I've already put your stuff on its place, but for one thing...” The Pegasus picked up the crystalline figure of them with her mouth from one of the boxes.
“I know the perfect place for it!” The bookworm pony took it with her magic and put it on the fireplace. “There. So, now everypony who comes in will see its beauty!” The timid pony nuzzled her cheek with her own.
“It’s official. We're living together!” She said as she looked at the gift she'd given to her fiancée.
“Yes, and I couldn’t be happier! I’ll write a letter to Princess Celestia and my parents. After that, we'll head out!”
“Okay!” Twilight called Spike and had him write two letters. She put him in charge of the house and told him to look after Angel Bunny.
The couple walked into the the woods with their tails intertwined. It was so natural to do it now, since they'd done it for over a year. The timid Pegasus decided to feed the forest critters while Twilight, predictably, brought a book. Twenty minutes had passed when Spike came running, holding a piece of parchment.
“Twilight, you received a letter from Princess Celestia!”
“Really? Let me see!” Twilight took the letter with her magic and read it with interest. “Oh, that sounds great!”
“What is it, love?” Fluttershy appeared from behind, surrounded by birds and squirrels.
“The Princess wants to visit us!”
“Really? Princess Celestia, here? When is she coming?”
“She just says soon; apparently she’s too busy right now."
“Oh, I see… Well, I have to make sure to clean the cottae before she comes. I don’t want her to come to a dusty place.”
“Any letters from my parents, Spike?”
“I'm afraid not, I didn’t receive any from them… Sorry, Twi…”
“That's strange… Why aren’t they writing to me?”
“I'm sure they have an explanation, love… Don’t worry, they’ll write to you soon…” Fluttershy put a hoof on her fiancée’s shoulder.
“I hope so…” The Unicorn, putting her hoof on Fluttershy’s. “It breaks my heart that I haven’t hear from them for so long…” Twilight hugged her soon-to-be wife, starting to cry in the process. “Why aren’t they writing to me...? Why…?!”
Fluttershy just embraced her, crying a bit. The critters tried to comfort them, and Spike hugged them, too.
____________________________________________________________________________________________ Meanwhile, at Twilight’s former home…
Two Unicorns, a stallion and a mare, were sitting in front of a fireplace. They watched how the piece of parchment burnt. The only visible part was the start of the letter, which read: Dear mom and dad… However, it soon turned into ashes.
“That pony keeps calling us mom and dad… How dares she address us like that after what she's done!?” The stallion spoke with rage.
“I don’t know, dear, but I don’t want to see her face again!”
“Princess Celestia denied correcting her, claiming that there's nothing wrong with her. Unbelievable! We have to fix this by ourselves. She's ruined our family tree--no member of our family has ever been with somepony of the same gender. She’s ruining everything!”
“If she sees her mistake and apologizes, I might consider letting her back home, but if she doesn’t… That’s it!” The mare expressed her rage, too. “But how are we going to bring her to the right path again?”
“Where is the son of your best friend? You know, the one who once asked for Twilight’s hoof.”
“He’s on a trip, but he can’t communicate with anypony; he’ll be back in a month.”
“Then in a month we are going to visit her and make her realize the bad decisions she has made.”
It was nighttime when Twilight got back home. She told Fluttershy that she was going to visit Pinkie Pie.
“'Shy, I’m home! I'm so glad that I made it before the rain started!” Fluttershy came in from the kitchen.
“Oh, Twi, I was starting to get worried!” She gave her a quick kiss and hugged her before looking into her eyes. “What took you so long?”
“Well, you know Pinkie Pie… And, I paid Trixie a visit…”
“Oh, Trixie! I was thinking about visiting her, but I didn’t know what to bring her…”
“You don’t have to bring her anything, honey. Just go and talk to her.”
“You know I’m not good with talking…”
“Then I’ll go with you!”
“Okay… If it isn’t a bother…”
Twilight kissed her. “You aren’t. I wouldn’t marry you if you were. Have you prepared dinner?”
“Oh, yes, I hope you like it! I made it especially for you…”
Fluttershy trotted into the kitchen and brought three plates to the dining room. One of them had gems that Twilight had brought from the library, which was obviously for Spike. After that, she went to the kitchen again and brought vegetables, putting them on Angel’s plate. Then, she went upstairs and came back with Spike and Angel following her.
“Yummy, time to eat. I’m starving!” The baby dragon said as he sat at the table. “This is delicious! I've never tasted anything so good! Oh, I mean, besides your cooking, Twi!” He added after he saw Twilight looking at him.
“Thanks, Spike. I’m glad you like it.” Fluttershy said.
After dinner and washing the dishes, the couple headed to their room while Spike headed to his bed in the living room. It started to rain while they were finishing eating.
“You know, Flutters, I was thinking about giving Spike his own room… I think he deserves one…” Twilight commented on the bed while Fluttershy was about to accompany her.
“Twilight, I think that it's a good idea. But there isn't an extra room… When Sweetie Belle and her friends come here, I had to give them my room while I sleep on the couch…”
“Have you ever considered adding a room to your house?”
“Our house, and now that you mention it… No… I never needed one until now, but it’s very expensive to expand the cottage…”
“I have been saving for a while… I think we can afford it, I just need to check prices and my savings!”
“Really?”
“Yes, saved in case of emergency… But Spike needs a room.”
“That’s so nice of you, Twilight!” She said before yawning. “Now, I could use some sleep… And a better pillow...” She added before embracing her fiancée.
“You know… This also happened an year ago…”
“Another Déjà vu?” The Pegasus giggled into Twilight's fur.
“Yeah… Strange, huh?” But just as she embraced her back, she heard a sound coming from downstairs. It sounded like if somepony was knocking at their front door.
“Did you hear that, Twi?”
“Yeah, who could it be at this hour, and in the middle of a rain?” Both mares headed downstairs. Twilight saw Spike rubbing his eyes, about to get up and Angel Bunny with him, but he didn’t seem to notice the knock.
“Go back to sleep, Spike. We’ll handle this.” Twilight said. The baby dragon nodded and went back to sleep.
When they got to the door, Twilight gave her partner a look, motioning for her to stand behind her. The Unicorn opened the door and saw a pony that she couldn't recognize from the dark.
“Who are you and what are you doing here so late, especially with this weather?” The bookworm pony questioned. But before the mysterious visitor could speak, a lighting flashed behind her, and for a brief moment the couple recognized their visitor.
“Rainbow Dash?” They said in unison.
“Please, help me… Applejack and I got a huge arguement…” The sad Pegasus said.
“Can I come in? I’m very cold, wet and… My heart is broken…”
“Oh, of course! Come in, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy said as she and Twilight moved aside. “Let me get you some hot chocolate!” She added before trotting to the kitchen. Twilight, on the other hoof, helped the cyan Pegasus sit on the couch by using her magic to cover her with a blanket. The Unicorn didn’t say anything until Fluttershy was back, she only stared at her friend. It was clear that she'd been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears were still coming out. Twilight had seen the mare cry before, but it was never as bad as this. After a couple of minutes, the timid pony came back with a cup of hot chocolate in her mouth. Rainbow Dash took hold of it, shakily. Twilight looked at where Spike was, and found him fully awake.
“Spike, why don’t you take Angel and go upstairs?”
“Sure.” He said, taking the unconscious bunny upstairs. The couple waited until hearing the sound of a door closing before speaking.
“What happened, Rainbow…” Twilight said.
“Well… When I went to the farm to check on Applejack and Scootaloo, I found her working really hard. I saw see her sweating a lot, so I offered her my help. She was angry, and she told me to leave her alone….”
“Leave me alone, Rainbow Dash, Ah don’t need yer help! Go somewhere else!” The farm pony exclaimed, not stopping working.
“Why are you so mad, AJ? I was just trying to be nice…!”
“Well, Ah don’t need yer help, now go!”
“Fine, then I’ll let you work all alone. Just don't ask me for help if you change your mind!” The cyan Pegasus flew to the barn, laying in a pile of straws. “Stupid cowgirl… She didn’t have to yell at me…”
“Rainbow Dash?” A filly walked into the barn, staring at the older mare. “What happened?”
“Oh, Scootaloo. It’s nothing, Don’t worry about it…”
“It didn’t sound like it was nothing… Apple Bloom and I saw everything…”
“I'm Sorry… I didn’t want you to see that, but I don’t know what happened… Where’s Apple Bloom?”
“She went to talk to Applejack. Are you two going to be alright…?” The young Pegasus worriedly asked before getting closer to her idol and hugged her.
“Don’t worry about that, Scoots. Couples argue all the time; it’s normal… Applejack is just tired. Once she’s done with apple bucking…”
The filly looked up and Rainbow could see tears on her eyes. “Do you promise…?”
“I promise…” Rainbow Dash patted her tiny head and they both fell asleep.
They both woke up a few hours later. It was already dark, and rain was pouring loudly just outside.
“Well… We better get inside or we'll freeze in here!” Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo just nodded and followed the older mare. Rainbow Dash covered the young pony with one of her wings when they walked to the house. However, she heard something that made her stop.
“She can’t be serious!” The cyan Pegasus exclaimed, angry. She'd recognized the sound and ordered Scootaloo to get in the house. It could only be made by hooves kicking a tree. She trotted to where the sound was coming from and saw Applejack still apple bucking.
“AJ, are you crazy? Get in the house now!”
“But Ah’m not finished; Ah can’t rest until ah do!”
“Applejack, come in before you catch a cold!”
“Stop bothering me, Ah’ll get inside when Ah’m done!”
Rainbow Dash tried to force Applejack to stop by taking her hooves and pulling her inside, but the earth pony was too strong. Because of the rain, however, Applejack's hooves slipped, causing the Pegasus to collide with the buckets of apples which Applejack spent harvesting all day. Most of them were crushed.
“Applejack, I’m sorry…”
“Yer sorry? Do you realize what have you done…?”
“I’m…”
“You just made me lose all those bits! Ah can’t get 'em back!”
“But…”
“Look around, all… Lost…!”
“You still have more apple trees!”
“That’s not the point! You should've left me alone when Ah’ asked you to!”
“I was just trying to get you inside! You were going to get sick if you kept at it…!”
“Ah’ was going to after Ah was finished… Ah don’t care if Ah catch a cold as long as it was worth it…!”
“If you would've let me help you earlier, we could have finished before now!”
Applejack looked at the Pegasus with a very unhappy expression.
“Leave.”
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.
“You heard me, now get out! Ah can’t look at you right now!” Applejack said in an anger that Rainbow Dash had never seen before.
“Fine! If that’s what you want, I’ll leave!” the cyan Pegasus said while she started to cry. Applejack seemed to notice because she calmed down a bit. The Rainbow Dash trotted away, reaching the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. She prepared for flight, but a voice stopped her.
“Wait, where are you going, Rainbow?”
“Scoots… I need you to stay here for now…”
“But, Rainbow Dash…”
“Just do what I say and get inside!” She shouted without looking at her, not wanting the little Pegasus to see her crying. Scootaloo trotted back inside as soon as she was told to do so, not wanting to be yelled at again. “Sorry…” The older Pegasus whispered before flying away, the darkness swallowing her up.
“And that’s when I came here…” Rainbow Dash finished her story with another sob. Fluttershy sat with her while she was speaking, her head on her lap. The cyan Pegasus started to cry again while Fluttershy tried to comfort her. Both she and Twilight had tears in their eyes. The Unicorn thought on what should they do.
“Why was Applejack apple bucking by herself? Where’s Big Mac?” Twilight finally spoke after several moments of silence, other than Rainbow Dash' sobs.
“He went to visit his cousin, he’ll be back by the end of the week… So, she’s been apple bucking all by herself since she refuses to let me help her…” Rainbow Dash said, wiping her tears away.
“She had no right to treat you like that! But we can’t do anything tonight… I’ll talk to her tomorrow. As for you, Rainbow… You’re staying with us tonight; you can sleep on the couch…”
“Thanks, Twilight…”
“Do you want me to stay with you, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy questioned sincerely.
“No… You go with Twilight… I’ll be fine…”
The couple stayed with their friend for a few more minutes before wishing her a good night and heading upstairs.
“Twilight, Do you think it’s a good idea to talk to Applejack?” The yellow Pegasus expressed her concern.
“I have a word or two I want to say to that pony... I’ll go tomorrow morning while you stay here with Rainbow Dash.”
“Okay, if you say so… I trust you…” They opened the door to find both Spike and Angel awake.
“What are you two doing awake?” Fluttershy asked.
“Sorry, but how were we supposed to sleep after seeing Rainbow Dash like that?” Spike crossed his little arms over his chest.
“Well, Do you want to give her company? She told us to leave, but I’m sure that she doesn’t really want to be alone right now…”
“Alright… Good night, girls…” The baby dragon said as he and Angel left the room.
Neither Twilight nor Fluttershy said a word as they laid on the bed. The room was engulfed in silence for about ten minutes before Fluttershy finally spoke.
“Twilight, Are you awake…?”
“Yes…”
“I’m worried about Rainbow Dash and Applejack… Do you think they'll be okay…?”
“I hope so, Shy… We have to try and fix this…”
“Poor Rainbow... She was the first friend I ever had, and she protected me from the bullies don't like to see her like this."
“Neither do I. Tomorrow will be a long day, so let’s get some sleep.”
Fluttershy cuddled up next to Twilight, using her chest as a pillow. “Good night, Twi…”
“Sweet dreams, Flutters…” The Unicorn kissed her forehead before falling asleep in her fiancée’s embrace.
The sound of the birds singing woke up Fluttershy, just like always. She smiled at the new day that greeted her, but her happiness faded quickly when she remembered the events of last night. She looked over to see her fiancée sleeping peacefully.
“Twi… Morning’s here…” Twilight didn’t wake up, so Fluttershy started to shake her body with a hoof. There was no success. “Since when was she hard to wake up? This will make her open her eyes...” The Pegasus lowered her head and pressed her lips against Twilight's. She could feel that the kiss was returned and broke it after a few moments.
“Fluttershy… From now on, I want you to wake me up like that. It’s good to start the day with the right hoof!” Twilight yawned and gave Fluttershy a hug. “'Honey, I know that you love your necklace, but it’s cold. At least take it off when you sleep!” She jokingly said.
“Twi, I was serious when I said I would never take it off.” Fluttershy said after giggling.
“You’re so cute! Now, let’s go downstairs… I bet Rainbow will wake up when she smells your delicious food!”
“Don’t count on that... She really hates mornings.” The couple headed downstairs. When they reached the living room, they were surprised when they didn’t find their friend there. Spike and Angel were still sleeping.
“Weird… I wonder where she could have gone…?” The Unicorn wondered aloud.
“I’ll check outside… You prepare breakfast…!” The Pegasus said, already out the door.
Fluttershy started to shout Rainbow Dash's name while trotting around her cottage. The grass was still wet from the downpour last night, and only a few clouds remained in the sky. Maybe she’s on one of the clouds! She thought, flying to a nearby cloud. It was empty. She continued her search in the sky, from the Everfree Forest to Ponyville, but she was nowhere to be seen. She started to get hungry, so she returned to have breakfast before continuing the search. The timid pony went back to the ground once she neared her cottage, and sighed before opening the door.
“Twilight… I didn’t find Rainbow Da…” Fluttershy stopped talking when she saw the cyan Pegasus herself coming from the kitchen. “Rainbow!” She happily exclaimed, flying towards the mare.
“Fluttershy, I…” But Rainbow Dash soon found herself in a tight hug from her friend.
“I looked for you everywhere! Where have you been?”
“In the bathroom.” Twilight said ash she also came from the kitchen. “I was about to tell you to come back, but I saw you flying towards Ponyville and you didn’t hear me.”
“Oh… I guess we should have started looking for her here before going outside!” The shy Pegasus giggled, releasing her friend.
“That’s what I was about to suggest before you rushed outside!” The Unicorn said with a smile.
“Sorry....”
“You don’t need to apologize, honey… It was a nice gesture.” She kissed her cheek. “You acted under the influence of your instincts. That’s another quality I love about you.” Twilight added, causing her fiancée blush.
“I don’t want to interrupt you guys, but my marefriend hates me. Remember?” The rainbow-maned Pegasus sighed.
“Oh, yes…! We’ work on that after breakfast. I'll talk to Applejack while you stay here with Fluttershy…” the Unicorn said.
“Okay… As I said last night, I trust you, Twilight… Please, I need her…”
“Don’t worry, Rainbow. I’ll do my best to make Applejack apologize to you.” Twilight said while she put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. The bookworm pony went to the kitchen again and brought four plates to the table using her magic. She then brought vegetables for Angel bunny and she woke the bunny and Spike up. Rainbow Dash barely touched her food, though. She spent most of the time staring at her plate.
“Please… Eat, Rainbow…” The timid Pegasus said after noticing her friend's lack of movement.
“I don't really feel like eating right now…”
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day… It gives you all the energy you need to start the day.” Twilight added.
“I’m not going to do anything today, anyway… What’s the point without AJ…? Thanks, girls, but I’ll just go find a cloud and think about how empty my life is…” Rainbow Dash slowly flew outside, leaving them alone.
“That’s it! I’m going to talk to Applejack now!” Twilight yelled as she hit the table with her hoof. She couldn’t stand seeing her friend in such a depressed state anymore. She headed to the door. When she was about to open it, Fluttershy called her. She turned to see the Pegasus approaching her.
“Twilight, don’t do anything stupid… Just talk to her; we don’t want to hurt her…” She said worriedly.
The lavender Unicorn put her forehooves on her fiancée’s shoulders.
“Don’t worry, shy, I wouldn’t do anything that I'd regret later, no matter how mad I am.” She gave her a quick kiss. “Remember, stay with Rainbow Dash. She needs a close friend right now…”
“I will.”
Twilight opened the door and both got out the cottage. “I’ll see you later!” the Unicorn said. Fluttershy nodded and took off. “Spike, look after the cottage, okay?”
“I’m your dragon, Twi! Don’t worry!” Spike puffed his chest out.
Twilight smiled and closed the door before heading to Sweet Apple Acres, trotting as fast as she could.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were watching Applejack apple bucking. She still was angry, so they didn’t dare try and talk to her. She'd been working even before they woke up.
“I’m really worried, Apple Bloom… Rainbow Dash hasn’t came back yet… What if she never comes back?”
“She will come back… She has to! Mah sister misses her, even if she won’t admit it…”
“How do you know?” The Pegasus filly asked.
“Ah know mah sister; just look at her face.”
Scootaloo took a closer look and she could see that, despite her anger, she was crying.
“She isn’t herself, Scoots. Without Big Mac, she's taking on much more than her body can stand. Nopony can make her stop when she’s like this…”
“I guess if Rainbow couldn’t… Then nopony can…” Both fillies kept looking at the farmer pony, feeling pity for her.
Applejack kept kicking the trees, letting all the apples fall in the buckets she'd placed around them.
Rainbow Dash… Thanks to you, Ah have to work more to recover all the bits you made me lose! She thought to herself. Ah wonder if she’s okay…? Who cares!? Ah hope she spent the night in the rain! No, Ah don’t want that… Ah want to see her again… But she owes me an apology! Her mind kept arguing. She was confused, unable to find a solution, and still not sure what to do. She could only delay those thoughts with working, but they wouldn't go away. She was starting to feel guilty, and was wondering if she should be the one apologizing.
“No! She’s the one that ruined mah harvestin’ and made me lose important bits! But… ah can get them back… Rainbow was offerin’ something that nopony else could give me, and if Ah lose her, Ah'll never get her back… She was giving me her love…” Her tears became more evident now. She was now feeling very guilty for her actions. “Oh, Dashie… What have ah done…?”
Applejack collapsed onto the ground as she began to cry uncontrollably. The fillies were about to approach to her but they heard a voice coming from the distance. Applejack heard it too, and looked toward the direction it came from. She wiped her tears away and stood up. She saw a lavender Unicorn approaching fast, and she didn’t seem happy.
“Applejack, there you are! I have a few things to tell you, and you will listen!”
“Twilight… Can’t it be later? ah have to…”
“No, it has to be now! Do you realize what you've done!? Rainbow Dash came to Fluttershy and me looking for help… She's destroyed! She had told me what happened and I have to say that you overreacted!”
“Twilight, please listen to me…!” She was starting to cry again, but Twilight was too busy yelling at her to pay any attention.
“No, you listen to me! She thinks you hate her and is refusing to eat or do anything! She cried until she ran out of tears, and even then she kept crying! You had no right to yell at her like that! And don’t tell me that this is none of my business, because she’s my friend, and I don’t like seeing her…!”
“Twilight, please stop!” The Unicorn stopped yelling and looked to where the voice came from. Two fillies were trotting towards them, and Twilight recognized them. Apple Bloom went to comfort her sister. It was now when Twilight noticed that the mare was crying.
“Twilight… Look at her! Do you think she’s proud of what she did?” Scootaloo said, almost angry. Twilight got closer to Applejack, who looked up when she sensed somepony approaching and she saw her friend sadly looking at her.
“Applejack, I’m sorry... I was so mad at you that I didn’t stop to think about your feelings… You clearly regret what you did… right?” Applejack nodded and hugged her friend, bursting in tears once again.
“Twilight… Ah'm a monster! Ah don’t deserve her after what Ah did... She thinks that Ah hate her and it’s all mah fault! Ah don’t know if she will ever forgive me!” She let out all of her sadness on her friend’s shoulder. The Unicorn held her tightly and patted her back.
“You’re not a monster, Applejack. You just commited a mistake and you recognize it… The only way to find out if she forgives you is if you apology to her…”
“But, what if she doesn’t forgive me?” The crying pony questioned with a sob.
“If she really loves you and sees your regret… She will. Now come on, she may still be at the cottage with Fluttershy!”
“Okay…” She looked at the fillies. “You two stay here and take care of Granny Smith.” The fillies nodded and went to the house. Twilight started to walk back with Applejack following close behind.
“Please, Rainbow Dash, will you eat something now…?”
“I told you, I’m not hungry! I will never leave this cloud! Never!”
“Oh ,don’t say that Rainbow, don’t say that! You have to move eventually... You're part of the weather control team; you have a job to do! Not to mention that your friends would miss you if you stay here by yourself…”
“I don’t care! They were fine before meeting me and will be fine without me. They don’t need me... Nopony needs me… And I don’t need anypony!”
“But… But…”
“Please leave me alone, Fluttershy…”
Fluttershy didn’t move. She opened her mouth to argue more, but closed it when she didn’t know what to say. She stayed next to her on the cloud, looking at her… Feeling bad. When she couldn’t stand the sadness she looked down to the ground and she saw something that made her smile again.
“Rainbow… Why don’t you look down?”
“Why should I?”
“Please do it… For me…?” Rainbow Dash was about to turn her down again, but when she saw Fluttershy’s cyan eyes wet, she couldn’t do it.
“Fine…!” She sighed and glanced down where Fluttershy was looking. Her eyed widened when she saw Applejack walking closely behind Twilight. She wasn't sure if she should or shouldn’t go talk to her at first, but after looking at Fluttershy's expression, she decided to go. She landed right in front of them. “What do you want?” Her eyes were focused on Applejack. Her anger was obvious.
Applejack took her hat off. “Ah came here to apologize… Ah realized mah mistake; Ah never meant to hurt you… Ah love you, Rainbow. Please forgive me. Ah don’t want to lose you; yer important to me…” Tears started to fall through Applejack's eyes she was speaking, but the cyan Pegasus wasn’t convinced.
“You made me feel horrible... I felt like if I was just bothering you… You made me feel unloved…”
“Ah know, and Ah’m really sorry! Ah wasn’t mahself. Ah made a terrible mistake… Please, forgive me… Ah need you…”
“Rainbow Dash, just look at her… This is her state after losing you for one night… Do you think she’s proud? She won’t be doing anything like that again… Give her your forgiveness… Another chance… She needs you as much as you need her!” The Unicorn spoke in a serious tone. The rainbow-maned pony thought for a few moments, not looking away from the farmer pony. She could tell that she was really sorry. She approached her and took a closer look. Applejack stared into her magenta eyes, and before she realized what was going on, she was embraced by her marefriend.
“That means that you will forgive me one day?”
“I already did, AJ… I missed you…”
“Ah missed you too, Dashie… Ah missed you so much…”
They moved their heads back to see into each other's eyes. Applejack then placed her hat atop Rainbow's head with a small smile.
“But will you let me help next time, AJ?”
“Yes… Sorry for…” But she was cut off by a kiss from her marefriend.
“Stop apologizing; I already forgave you!” Rainbow Dash said between kisses. Fluttershy flew next to her fiancée and nuzzled her cheek with her own when she put her hooves on the ground.
“Well done, love. I knew that you could do it!”
“Thanks, honey… But I think we should leave them alone…”
“Oh, you’re right.” Fluttershy said as they both started to walk back to their home, their tails intertwined. “So, what happened at the farm?”
Twilight told her what happened at the farm without missing any detail.
“And now I feel bad for yelling at her…” The Unicorn said, ashamed. Her partner kissed her cheek.
“Don’t feel bad, Twilight, you didn’t know… Besides, you apologized to her, and she accepted it.”
“Thanks, Shy… You always know what to say to cheer me up!”
They soon arrived at their home and sat on the couch for their well deserved rest. Fluttershy put her head on Twilight’s shoulder as they sat in silence, enjoying their company for an hour before a knock on the door made them stand up. When they opened it, they found Applejack and Rainbow Dash on the other side.
“Hello there! We thought you would be at the farm by now.” Twilight surprisedly said.
“Something happened when we were going back…” Applejack spoke and, after looking at her marefriend, she looked back to Twilight and Fluttershy. “Rainbow and Ah are kinda engaged…!”
The four mares stood in silence for the next couple of minutes. Twilight and Fluttershy's jaws had dropped, whereas Applejack and Rainbow Dash were smiling. Twilight managed to speak after a while.
“I can’t say I saw this coming… I mean, I did, but not any time soon... Especially after the fight you had!”
“I think that what Twilight is trying to say is, how did it happen?” Fluttershy said, stepping forward.
“Well, we…” Rainbow Dash began speaking, but Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Let me, sugarcube.” The cyan Pegasus nodded. “Well, after makin’ up, We started to make our way to the farm. Ah kept telling her how sorry Ah was, but she kept telling me that it was alright…”
“Ah was feeling so empty. Ah missed you so much… Ah really need you…” Applejack was about to cry again, but she was pulled in for a hug by her marefriend.
“I missed you too, Applejack… I need you too. I was only away from you for less than a day, but it felt like it was more… Without you, I lost track of time, I lost the will to do anything. Applejack, I will never let you go again…”
“Rainbow… Are you…?”
The rainbow-maned pony gulped. “Yes, Applejack… I want to marry you. I want to spend my life with you. I want to wake up every day by your side. I love you, and nothing would make me happier than having you as my wife…” Rainbow Dash stared into her green eyes. She meant what she said. Applejack had never heard her so sure of herself before, not even when she bragged about her awesomeness. The cowgirl couldn’t find the words to express how she was feeling at that moment, so she expressed them the only way she knew how to. She kissed her with a passion she'd never had before, her hooves wrapping around her neck. Applejack didn’t want to part, but the Pegasus broke the kiss after a minute.
“So… Is that a yes?”
“Of course, Dashie! Ah want to stay by yer side forever. You just made me extremely happy!”
The couple hugged tightly, looking forward to the day they would share their lives with each other. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Applejack finished her story with a happy sob while Rainbow Dash nuzzled her cheek with her own. Fluttershy and Twilight had also tears in their eyes.
“That was so sweet! Rainbow, I never imagined that from you!” Twilight said, trying her best not to cry.
“While I was alone, I realized how much I needed her. I know that she’s the one.” The cyan Pegasus turned to see Applejack. “You’re the only pony I want to spend my life with.” She added, leaning forward to give Applejack a quick kiss and hug.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, we're so happy for you!” Fluttershy hugged both of them. “Would you like to come in to celebrate? I’m not Pinkie Pie, but I serve nice tea…”
“Oh, we would love to, sugarcube, but we have to get back to the farm. The fillies and Granny Smith must be worried ‘bout us.”
“Oh, yes, of course… We’ll see you at Pinkie’s party tomorrow, then!”
“Pinkie’s party! I almost forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me, Twilight, We’ll see you tomorrow!” Rainbow Dash said as she and Applejack trotted away.
“Phew, that Rainbow Dash sure is a mystery. I’m really happy for them!” Twilight said closed the door. “What do you want to do now, Fluttershy?” She added, slowly approaching her to give her a kiss.
“Oh, Well, I would like to check on the forest critters… They must be missing me…” She quietly said.
Twilight woke up first on the next day. She found herself with Fluttershy’s head resting on her chest. She leaned down to kiss her on her forehead.
“Wake up, honey. Morning's here.”
The timid Pegasus barely opened her eyes and she yawned. “Is it morning already? Can’t I have five more minutes…?” Twilight was unable to control herself from the cuteness, so she hugged her.
“It seems like you've caught Rainbow Dash's laziness. Come on, Shy, let’s have breakfast!” The couple got off the bed and headed downstairs.
After breakfast, there was still time before Pinkie’s party, so they decided to take a walk in the park. Which was apparently the place where the Cutie Mark Crusaders had picked as their next place to play.
“Twilight, Fluttershy! How are you doin’?" Apple Bloom asked giddily.
“We just decided to get some fresh air before heading to a party.” Fluttershy replied.
“Oh yeah, is that the engagement party that my sister mentioned?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Fluttershy blushed. “Yes, that’s the one…”
“Speaking about your engagement...” Scootaloo interrupted. “We were just telling Sweetie Belle about Rainbow and Applejack’s engagement. They said they told you first!”
“Yes, they did, and it was quite the surprise!” Twilight said, fondly.
“It was a surprise for us, too! Who would have imagined that they would decide to get married after fightin’ like that?” The farmer filly laughed.
“Fighting? What fight?” The Unicorn filly wondered aloud, but before her friends could tell her, Fluttershy spoke.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to know that, Sweetie Belle. It was a serious arguement…”
“But I want to know!” The filly protested. But before anything else could be said, she was dragged away by her friends.
“And you will know; we’ll tell you about it!” Scootaloo said as she pushed her away from the older mares.
“But… But…!” Fluttershy tried to stop them, but Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Leave them be, honey. It won’t hurt her to know. Besides, it all worked out in the end.” The timid Pegasus sat on her haunches with a sigh.
“If you say so… But they're too young…”
“Not so young anymore. They may not have their cutie marks yet, but they are growing up.”
“Maybe you’re right… It’s just that I still see them like the little foals I watched over that night… ” Twilight put her head on Fluttershy’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry about them, They're fine.” She tucked her head on her shoulder, releasing a sigh. Fluttershy closed her eyes to enjoy the moment with her beloved.
“I wouldn’t miss this party for anything, Pinkie Pie! Am I the first guest?” The fancy Unicorn inqured, looking around. She could only see Pinkie Pie.
“Yeppers! The others should be here any moment! Come in and make yourself comfortable!”
Rarity went to where the punch was and served herself a glass. When she took a sip, however, she felt something on her side. She turned to see her friend staring at her with a grin on her face, inches away from her.
“So? How is it?”
“I must say this is simply delicious Pinkie! Is it…?”
“Cherry! Remember? Like Chimicherrichanga! That ride on the handcar was tons of fun! You remember it, right, Rarity? Chimicherry, Cherrychanga, chimi…!” Rarity was saved by a knock on the door.
“Oh, thank Celest--I mean, somepony seems to have arrived, Pinkie!”
“I’ll get it! You enjoy your punch!” The party pony skipped happily to the door and opened it. “Howdy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack! I’m glad you made it!”
“Anytime, sugarcube!”
“Yeah, your parties are always awesome! Hey, Rarity!” The cyan Pegasus called as both mares walked towards their friend to greet her. Pinkie Pie closed the door and turned on the music.
“Hello, Applejack, Rainbow Dash. I’m glad that you’re getting along now! Sweetie Belle told me that you got into a fight…”
“Oh, yeah…” Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed the back of her head while Applejack looked away, ashamed. “We don’t really want to talk about that… It’s a chapter of our relationship that shouldn't be mentioned ever again.” The Pegasus finished with a nervous giggle.
“Oh, of course! I just wanted to make sure that it's all good now. I think you're smiling even more than usual… Does this have to do with what Sweetie Belle was about to tell me before she was suddenly stopped by her friends?”
“She what?" Applejack exclaimed with a panicked look on her face.
“Wow, Applejack! I see that she wasn’t supposed to say anything! I guess that you will tell us when the moment arrives” The fancy Unicorn smiled.
“Yes, we’ll tell you when we feel that it’s time.” Applejack sighed with a smile.
“Thanks for understanding, Rarity.” Rainbow Dash said, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.
In that moment, there was another knock on the door.
“I got it!” The pink pony said, rushing to the door. “Fluttershy, Twilight! Attention everypony, the guests of honor are here!” She let the couple in. They were hugged by each of their friends.
“Congratulations!” Everypony greeted them. They just smiled sheepishly and thanked them.
“Now, let’s party!” Pinkie Pie turned the volume up and everypony started to dance and enjoy themselves.
In the middle of the party, Twilight found Applejack and Rainbow Dash on one of the corners of the room. They looked nervous. Twilight knew why. “Honey, why don't you go to get some punch and talk with Rarity. I’ll see the girls over there.” Fluttershy nodded and kissed her on her cheek. The bookworm pony approached the nervous couple. “Hey girls, what’s going on? The party’s over there!”
“Hi, Twilight… We were wonderin’ if it's a good idea to tell ‘em now about… our engagement.” Applejack whispered the last two words.
“It’s a good idea to do it now. You have us all gathered here!
“But… It’s your party and Fluttershy’s…” Rainbow Dash protested.
“Then, let’s make it our party! Come on, you won’t get out of this one... I’ll help you!” Twilight turned around. “Attention, everypony! Pinkie, turn the volume down for a bit… Thanks. Applejack and Rainbow Dash have something they want to tell you!” Twilight finished by pushing her friends into the middle of the room. All their friends were staring at the couple.
“Thanks, Twilight…” Rainbow Dash spoke nervously. “Well… Yesterday, Applejack and I were talking and… and…” The cyan Pegasus felt as if her tongue had suddenly abandoned her. She was unable to continue.
Applejack stepped forward. “We are… engaged…” Both mares stared at their friends. Nopony said anything for a few minutes, until Pinkie Pie jumped on them with a hug.
“Yay, we’re so happy for you! Now the party's for you two too!” She said, hugging them so tightly that they had to break it to breathe. However, Rarity was already trotting towards them for a hug, too.
“So that was the secret! Congratulations!” She hugged them even tighter than Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy approached Twilight and nuzzled her cheek.
“Another good job, Twilight! Now, everypony knows!"
“Well, Spike still doesn’t. I'll tell him when we get home…”
They giggled and they went to congratulate the happy couple too.
“Come on, honey! We're almost at the hospital!” Twilight looked happier than usual, almost like a foal going to the toy store.
“Calm down, Twi… The hospital isn’t going anywhere.” Fluttershy said with a smile. She was walking behind the lavender Unicorn, who couldn't contain her excitement.
“I know, but I can’t wait to see Trixie walking again! To give her Rarity’s present, and take her to our cottage for her party!” She was about to canter away again, but Fluttershy bit the saddlebag which contained Trixie’s present, effectively stopping her.
“Love, I know you’re happy to see her, but, you could at least walk with me; you’re going too fast…!”
“Sorry, but I can’t help myself! I’m so excited!" Twilight looked at her fiancée in her eyes and she sighed."Okay… I’ll try to calm down…” the Unicorn waited for her partner. Fluttershy intertwined her tail with Twilight's to make sure she wouldn’t escape this time.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, they were surprised to find Trixie already outside.
“Trixie? What are you doing outside?” Twilight asked, confused.
“I didn’t think anypony would come. I was about to head to your library, Twilight.”
“What do you mean? We're your friends now! Aren’t we?” The Pegasus asked with a sad tone. She wasn't sure if Trixie considered them to be that close to them.
“You really mean that?” Trixie asked, smiling slightly.
“Of course we do!” Come on, we’ll take you to our place now!" The bookworm pony exclaimed as she and Fluttershy placed themselves on each side of the injured Unicorn.
“But I lost my hood... Everypony will recognize me and I don’t want to be seen--especially by Snips and Snails!” Her eyes widened in horror at the thought.
“Don’t worry about that, Trixie. Rarity made you a new one!” Twilight smiled sincerely as she pulled out a hood from her bag, covering Trixie with it. “I asked her to make one exactly like the one you had before. It took a lot of time, but she finally agreed.”
“Oh, this is a very nice gesture! Remind me to thank her.” The three ponies started to walk back to the cottage. Trixie kept her injured hoof in the air during the journey, limping slightly. They decided to walk through Ponyville. “Wait a minute… Your cottage? What happened to the library?” The blue Unicorn asked, glancing at the lavender mare.
“Oh, I still go there, but just to work. I live with Fluttershy now.”
“You moved!? When?”
“After we got engaged!”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Because I wanted to see the look on your face!” Twilight said, laughing. Fluttershy smiled apologetically.
“I apologize for the behavior of my fiancée. I don’t know what got into her; she just woke up like this…”
“It’s fine… As long as she just does harmless jokes.” As they walked through the busy streets of Ponyville, Trixie’s heart started racing from her nervousness that somepony might recognize her. Luckily, nopony seemed to notice her under her hood, nor did they question it. Some of them even waved to the couple. However, that luck didn't last long.
Suddenly, a ball rolled in front of the three ponies, Snails trailed right after it. He stopped when he saw the mares in front of him, but what caught his attention was the pony with the hood. He stared at her for a few moments, causing Trixie to gulp and step back a bit. Just as he was going to approach her, his friend called for him.
“Snails, what are you doing?! Bring the ball!”
“Oh, yeah, sorry!” He picked the ball up with his mouth, cantering back to Snips.
“Phew, that was a close one!” Fluttershy let out the breath she'd been holding, relieved.
“I knew that coming here was a bad idea!”
“Don’t worry, Trixie, they left! Besides, we're almost out of Ponyville, and nopony will show up the rest of the way.” The lavender Unicorn patted Trixie's shoulder comfortingly.
“That’s right, you don’t have to worry once we reach the exit.” The timid Pegasus reaffirmed her fiancée's statement.
“Alright...” Trixie said, defeated. As the couple had said, once they got out of Ponyville, there was nopony to be seen. So Trixie calmed down and, a few minutes later, she was confident enough to remove the hood from her head. “Are you sure we're going the right direction? We seem to be getting closer to that ugly forest.” The Blue unicorn commented as she saw that the Everfree Forest was increasing in size with every step they took.
“Oh, yeah, we live next to it. It was a little scary being by myself, but I feel safer since Twilight moved in.” Fluttershy assured her friend.
“Now that you mention it, you were really brave for even thinking about living by yourself near the Everfree Forest.” the bookworm pony said.
“But I wasn’t completely alone. Angel Bunny was with me; not to mention all the beautiful creatures I look after.”
“So, you look after all the forest critters?” Trixie asked, half wanting to know, and the other half doing it to prevent them from kissing in front of her.
“Oh, yes. I’m the only caretaker in Ponyville. I can understand them and they understand me. They are so cute! You want to see them later?”
“I think that I’ll pass for now… ”
“Believe me, they'll help you recover...” Fluttershy said in a low voice. Trixie looked at Twilight, trying to find a way to get out of it.
“I think you should do it. When I got hit in the head last year by Chrysalis disguised as you, I spent some time with the critters and they really helped me to recover!” Twilight said, smiling.
Trixie sighed in defeat. “Fine, if you say it like that...” She turned toward the Pegasus. “I’ll see them…”
“Really? Thank you! I’ll introduce them to you tomorrow.”
“Why not now…? Is this where you, girls live?” Trixie said, only just noticing the cottage ahead of them.
“Yes!” Twilight said heading towards the door, more excited than a mare her age should be. Fluttershy stayed by Trixie’s side. “And to answer your other question… Because we prepared something for you today!”
“What is it?” Trixie said in confusion as she trotted up to the door. When Twilight opened it, Pinkie Pie and Rarity jumped outside.
“Surprise!!!” They yelled, pulling her inside. The living room was decorated for the party. Hanging from the ceiling, there was a banner that said, We're glad you’re feeling better! Applejack and Rainbow Dash were drinking punch when Trixie arrived, and went to greet the injured Unicorn when they saw her.
“A party?” Trixie asked,surprised. She wasn't sure about what was happening.
“For you.” Fluttershy said as she entered.
“This is our way to thank you!” Twilight hugged her injured friend a little too tightly. “Don’t worry, we are all friends here! Go ahead and get something to eat!”
“I was hoping to get some rest when you brought me here…” However, Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere right next to her.
“You've rested enough already, silly! It's time to have some fun!” The party pony dragged Trixie to where the rest of the ponies were.
“Be careful, Pinkie! She’s not fully recovered!” Twilight tried to warn her friend, but Fluttershy nuzzled her neck.
“Don’t worry, love. Pinkie Pie knows it. Look! Trixie isn’t walking with her injured hoof.” Twilight noticed that she was right and sighed.
“You’re right… I guess I’m just being overprotective. I want her to fully recover…”
“I know you do, and I do, too… Just let her have fun. She seems to be enjoying it.”
The bookworm pony looked at Trixie and saw that, despite having a serious face, every time Pinkie Pie turned toward her, she seemed to smile. “She does look like she's having fun. Why don’t we do the same?” She gave her Fluttershy a romantic look. The shy Pegasus blushed in response, and the two walked together to the center of the room and danced. Everypony watched them before Rainbow Dash and Applejack joined them. The three other mares stared as the couples danced to a slow song, their heads on the shoulder of their respective partner. After awhile, Twilight and Fluttershy gazed into each other’s eyes and slowly joined their lips for a passionate kiss. Applejack, seeing this, did the same, but didn't wait for consent before abruptly kissing Rainbow Dash, causing her eyes to open in surprise. When Applejack saw her expression, she broke the kiss and giggled.
“Dashie, you’re so cute when--!"She was silenced with Rainbow Dash's sudden kiss. It was the cowpony’s turn to open her eyes in surprise, but she slowly closed them to enjoy the kiss.
“Aww!” Exclaimed both Pinkie and Rarity. Trixie didn't say anything, but she was smiling.
“Oh, sorry, darling… This is supposed to be your party!” The fancy Unicorn said, looking at Trixie.
“Oh, I don’t mind! I appreciate what you’re doing for me. But it doesn’t mean that they can’t share their love during my… party!”
“That’s what friends are for!” The party pony giggled, putting a hoof around Trixie's neck, hugging her. “Will you visit us?”
“Yes, I will! It’s the least I can do for you…” The Blue Unicorn was slightly uncomfortable by Pinkie Pie's hug.
“You've already done enough for us, darling. Visit us for you! I think that visiting your friends once in a while won’t hurt you. Remember, wherever you go, we will always remember you. We won’t forget what you did for us… For them. You almost lost your life for our friends, and that shows us how much of an amazing pony you trurly are, Trixie!”
The blue Unicorn was about to cry, but her pride wouldn't let her. “It was actually not that big of a deal. I just did it to clear my name.”
“Yeah, right…” Rarity sarcastically said, putting a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “Thank you…”
Trixie was about to say something else, but there was a sudden flash of light outside.Moments later, somepony knocked on the door.
“I’ll see who it is… Pinkie, you didn’t invite anypony else, right?” Twilight said as she trotted over to the door.
“Nopey-dopey! Just us!”
Twilight opened the door. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to… Princess Celestia?!”
“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. I see that you are having a party. What is the occasion?” the Princess of the Sun said as everypony bowed to her. Trixie didn't since her injured hoof didn't let her.
“Umm… Trixie’s recovery party… Do you wish to come in?” The lavender Unicorn said after standing up properly.
“I would love to, but I'm afraid that I don’t have much time. I just came to congratulate you and Fluttershy for your engagement. Also, if you don't mind, I need to have a word with her.”
“With me…?” The timid Pegasus appeared behind Twilight. “What about?”
“In private, if you don’t mind.”
“O-Of course…” Fluttershy nervously said as she followed after Princess Celestia. Twilight watched suspiciously as the two walked around the cottage. Trixie approached her.
“Was that Princess Celestia herself? I've never seen her before!”
“It’s because she only shows up when something important happens… I wonder why does she wants to speak with Fluttershy...”
“I’m sure that you are wondering why do I want to speak with you, Fluttershy.”
“I am, Princess…”
“And I’m also sure that you’re wondering why didn't Twilight’s parents answer her letters.”
“Do… Do you know why…?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes with resignation, and then looked at the yellow Pegasus with a saddened expression. “But you’re not going to like it…”
“Why…? What reason could they have for not writing to their own daughter?”
“It’s because… she likes mares…”
“What? That can’t be right…!” She didn’t want to believe it, but Princess Celestia’s expression was completely serious. The Princess wouldn't lie about it. “So… they hate her… because of me…?”
“Don’t take it personally…”
“How wouldn't I? Princess, they hate her because she’s with me! I was the one who started it all! If I just didn’t tell her my feelings…”
“They'd hate any mare who tried to date her. Besides, she would've fallen in love with you regardless if you'd confessed or not. She told me about you in her letters, even before you two started going out. She wrote about you in a special way she didn’t with her other friends. And, judging by the letters I received during this last year, I can say that she really loves you. There’s nothing wrong with your love; they are the ones who don't accept the fact that she loves a mare. Fluttershy, I've never seen her so happy, and it makes me happy knowing that you’re the reason. I want you to keep her this way, and I don’t want to take that happiness away by telling her the situation. I’m asking you to keep this secret, unless there comes a time that you must tell her the truth…”
Fluttershy was crying silently, not for herself, but for Twilight. She was angry at the Unicorn's parents, but at the same time she was happy to hear that Twilight had always cared about her. The Pegasus wasn't even sure how she should be feeling after hearing something like that.
“Thanks for telling me, Princess Celestia... I’m glad that you told me the truth, and I promise I won’t tell her unless I feel it’s necessary. But, I must ask… Why did you tell me?”
The Alicorn smiled this time. “Because I thought that you deserved to know the truth after all you've done for her. I can trust you, Fluttershy, and now I'm sure she will ask why I wanted to speak with you. Please, tell her that I asked to celebrate your wedding in Canterlot, just like her brother and Princess Cadence’s wedding.” Princess Celestia stood up as she finished.
“I will tell her that, and I’m sure she will accept.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy, you are worthy of your element. As for me, I’m afraid that I must leave. Tell Trixie Lulamoon that I hope she recovers soon, and send everypony my regards.”
“I will, Princess."
“I’ll be watching you.” With that said, the Princess’ horn started to light up and, in a flash, she disappeared.
Fluttershy stayed in place for a few moments, trying to get her thoughts in order. She didn't want to accidentally clue somepony in to what had happened, but still felt like a wreck inside. Reluctantly, she headed back to the party.
During the next three weeks, Fluttershy completely avoided talking about Twilight’s parents. It wasn’t an easy task, especially since she would often write to them. Every time, Twilight would get sad when she didn’t get an answer. Fluttershy was always there to comfort her, but now that she knew why her fiancée never got any response, it made her angry and sad at the same time. But even so, she couldn’t tell the truth knowing that it would destroy her. The timid Pegasus didn’t want to be the one to tell her the bad news.
As Princess Celestia had advise, Fluttershy told Twilight that the reason of her visit was to propose having the wedding in Canterlot.
“That’s strange…” The Unicorn commented after she heard that. “Why would she talk to you about it in private? It’s our wedding after all, and I’m her most faithful student…”
“I also thought the same, but, I couldn’t ask her because she left as soon as I agreed…” Fluttershy said, hiding half of her face behind her mane.
“Besides, we were already planning to have the wedding there." Twilight said, putting a hoof on her chin. "Are you sure she didn’t tell you anything else?”
“Yes, I'm sure!” Fluttershy answered a little too quickly. Twilight stared at her questioningly. Fluttershy feared that her fiancée was about to demand for the truth; Her heart began to race as she tried to think of anything to calm her down. Luckily, the Pegasus was able to relax when Twilight sighed and nuzzled her neck.
“Of course she didn’t. You would tell me if she told you anything else, right, honey?”
“O-Of course I would!” She hated lying to her, but it was for a greater good. Twilight seemed so happy, and she didn’t want to see her crushed. It’s never pleasant to know that your own parents hate you. Besides, she made a promise to Princess Celestia not to tell her unless she felt it was necessary.
Towards the end of the third week after Princess Celestia's visit, everypony was having a picnic in the park.
“I’m glad that despite four of us are engaged, we still find time to be together! Just the six of us, like when we were just six friends!” Rarity commented as she served some tea to Futtershy.
“Of course! Nothing will separate us! Even after we get married, we’ll only keep reuniting.” Fluttershy assured her, taking the cup of tea. She was sitting next to Twilight, their tails intertwined and the Unicorn’s head on her shoulder. Applejack had her back against a tree and Rainbow Dash on her lap. The farmer pony was caressing Rainbow Dash’s hair and was now wearing a golden necklace with a green emerald. Rarity was sitting in front of Twilight and Fluttershy while Pinkie Pie was skipping around her friends.
“Ah think the same. We will always be hangin’ out. No matter what happens in the future, our friendship will stay strong!” Applejack added with a determined smirk.
“I’m glad to hear it. I don’t want to separate from any of you. You all changed my life the day I arrived in Ponyville!” Twilight said happily, “Let’s make it a Pinky Promise! No matter what happens, we will always be together!”
“We Pinky Promise!” Everypony laughed.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, I still can’t believe that you set your wedding two months after us!” The Unicorn said after catching her breath.
“Yup! In eleven months!” The cowpony excitedly said.
“You’re going to get married at the farm, right?”
“Absolutely!” Rainbow Dash was the one to talk this time. “We think that it’s a good idea. Most of the ponies we know live here, and besides, Applejack’s family has always gotten married in their homes. We'll keep that tradition!”
“I think that’s nice.” Fluttershy smiled, “You two are going to be so happy together! Are you going to move in with Applejack?”
“Well, I’m kinda living with her now, I just need to bring a couple of things…" Rainbow Dash saw her friends getting ready to say something, but she quickly spoke again, "Oh! Don’t worry, I can do it alone. You guys don’t need to help me!”
“Wait, None of you asked us to be your mares of honor!” Rarity exclaimed suffenly, scaring everypony.
“Rarity, You know you'll be mine. I've already promised it to you.” Fluttershy reminded after recovering from the shout.
“You did?” The fancy Unicorn asked, confused.
“Yes, remember? Last year…”
“Oh, yeah…! I remember now! But you never answered, darling. You said that Twilight would never love you, and you couldn’t be more wrong!”
“Yeah…” Fluttershy blushed. Twilight embraced her and kissed her on her cheek. “But still, you asked first, so I choose you, Rarity…” As soon as she finished, Rarity jumped on her, separating the couple. She gave her a tight hug.
“Oh, thank you, thank you! You won’t regret it!”
“You’re welcome…” The timid pony uttered, barely able to speak. Finally, Rarity let her go, allowing her friend to breathe again.
“We have so much to do in nine months… Before we know it, the day will arrive! So, can you come to my place tomorrow morning? I don’t mind taking a few hours from work; it’s for a good cause!”
“Okay… If it isn’t a bother…”
“It isn’t, darling!” She trotted back to her place and sat down, a dreamy look on her face. She glanced at Twilight next. “What else have you decided?”
“Well… I've already asked Spike to be the ring bearer. I think he did a great job with my brother’s wedding.” Fluttershy sat next to Twilight again, and intertwined their tails like before. She also put her head on her shoulder. “And 'Shy was thinking about having Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as her bridesmares, if that’s okay with you.” The Unicorn looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash expectantly.
“Ah don’t mind, sugarcube.”
“Yeah, me neither. I’m sure they'll love to participate in a wedding again! But be sure to return them before our wedding!” The cyan Pegasus finished with a giggle.
“Wait a minute…” Rarity spoke again. “What about Sweetie Belle?”
“Don’t worry, Rarity, we didn’t forget about her!” Twilight chuckled, “She'll be the flower filly!”
“She'll be very happy to hear that!”
In that very moment, Pinkie Pie squeezed herself between Rarity and the first couple to get engaged.
“What about me, what about me?!” The party pony asked, bouncing.
“Pinkie Pie, I haven’t forgotten about you either!” Twilight giggled, “I'd like you to be my best mare!”
“Yay, the best mare! That sounds super duper fun! What does the best mare do?”
“You will have to organize a bachelorette party for the day before the wedding!”
“Organize a party? That’s my specialty!”
“That’s why I chose you, Pinkie! I have full trust in you. And you also have a few more responsibilities, but I’ll explain them to you later.”
“Okey dokey lokey!”
“Too bad Trixie didn’t join us today… Why did she reject our invitation, again?” Rainbow Dash spoke suddenly.
“Well, they removed the bandages yesterday… She thanked us and asked Twilight to introduce Zecora to her… I don't think she liked us after all…” Fluttershy mentioned sadly.
“Honey, I told you that I talked to her on the way to the Everfree Forest. She told me that she felt that we already did too much for her and didn’t want to bother us anymore. But she promised me that she would come visit us, and I’m sure that she will appreciate it if we pay her a visit sometime.” Twilight told her partner in a clear voice, making sure everypony else could still hear her.
“Let’s visit her tomorrow!” The party pony exclaimed, scaring everypony a little.
“Ah’m in!” The farmer pony immediately said.
“Me too!” Rarity agreed.
“Yeah, let’s go tomorrow!” Rainbow Dash sounded excited.
“Yes, good idea…” Fluttershy nervously added.
“Okay, it’s settled then. Tomorrow we'll visit our friend!” Twilight raised her free hoof. They spent the rest of the picnic talking about the wedding. Once the sun started to set, they decided to get back to their homes. When Twilight and Fluttershy entered their home, Spike came running from upstairs, followed by Angel Bunny.
“Twilight, you finally made it! I got a letter from your parents!”
“Really!? Those are great news!” Twilight was jumping from excitement, but Fluttershy didn't share her excitement. Princess Celestia’s words came to her mind again. She stood completely still, wondering why would they write to her. Were they sorry and wanted to tell her how proud they were? Fluttershy wasn’t convinced in the least. Twilight hadn't seen her looking suspicious. She was already reading the letter. “They want to meet me in a restaurant located outside of Ponyville right now. Strange place, but I’m happy to finally hear from them! Are you coming, 'Shy?” She glanced at Fluttershy, only now noticing the Pegasus looking everywhere but at her. “'Shy?” The Unicorn put her hoof on her fiancée’s shoulder and shook it. “Hello? Equestria to Fluttershy! Wake up!” Fluttershy blinked several times before looking at Twilight's concerned expression.
“Oh… Sorry…”
“What’s with you? You've been acting weird since we got home. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes… Well, actually… No.” The timid pony knew that it was time to tell her. After the seriousness Princess Celestia had warned her about Twilight's parents with, she didn’t trust them at all. “I… I don’t think it’s a good idea to go. Sorry…” She said, torn between keeping a straight face and being sad.
“What? Why?” Twilight sounded confused. “Why wouldn’t you want to meet my parents?”
“Not just me… You shouldn’t either… I… I don’t want you to go…”
“Why?” This time the Unicorn sounded angry.
“B-Because…” Fluttershy was starting to get nervous and scared of the way Twilight was staring at her. “They didn’t write to you at all. You didn't get a single letter and now, out of nowhere, they write to you? It's suspicious!” Judging by Twilight’s face, she realized she shouldn’t have said it that way. The Unicorn was angrier than before. Spike sensed danger and quickly ran upstairs, closing the door behind Angel Bunny.
“Do you realize how much this means to me, Fluttershy? It's been a long time since I last saw them, and I wanted them to meet you! But you refuse to go just because they didn’t write to me before? Maybe they were busy and will tell me why tonight!”
“But…”
“Don’t say a word, Fluttershy! It hurts me that you don’t trust my parents! They're the reason I'm here--I owe them everything! But you don’t trust them? Why!?” Twilight yelled at the timid pony, stomping towards her. Flutterr stepped back until she hit the wall and couldn’t move anymore.
“Because…” Fluttershy was about to burst in tears, but she tried her best to hold them in. “Because they don’t love you anymore!” She covered her mouth with her hooves, immediately regretting what she'd said. It was the truth, but she wasn’t supposed to say it like that. Twilight found herself confused again, but her face quickly changed back to rage.
“What are you talking about!? Of course they love me, you don’t even know them! I can’t believe you said that! I… I can’t even look at you right now!” She yelled, turning away. Both mares started to cry silently. “I’m going to meet them, whether you like it or not. I suggest you to think about what you've said and we’ll finish this talk when I get back…” She opened the door and stepped outside as Fluttershy let a sob out. “Honestly, Fluttershy…” Twilight spoke, still not looking at the Pegasus. “I can’t believe you’re still wearing that necklace after what you have said…” She closed the door with a slam when she finished speaking. Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes and started trotting to the meeting place, which wasn’t so far from the cottage.
As soon as the door closed, Fluttershy burst in tears and collapsed on the floor, covering her eyes with her hooves. She had just messed everything up. She should've thought before speaking, and she should've mentioned what Princess Celestia told her. But she was so nervous that she couldn’t think. It didn’t matter now anyway; the damage was already done. She couldn’t take back what she said, and her fiancée was on the way to meet two ponies who hated her--if she could still call Twilight that. Maybe she would break up with her and call off the wedding if her parents convinced her.
“Fluttershy?” The Pegasus heard a familiar voice and looked up. She saw Spike and her critter friend in front of her.
“Oh, Spike… Angel Bunny… I… I've just made a terrible mistake.” Fluttershy managed to say between sobs. The rabbit approached the crying mare and tried to comfort her while the baby dragon spoke.
“I couldn’t help but overhear what happened; Twilight was yelling really loud… Why don't you trust her parents?”
Fluttershy wiped her tears away, but they kept coming. She was barely able to speak, “Princess Celestia came to warn me about them… S-She told me that they didn’t love her anymore… Not since she started dating m-me and… And she made me to promise that I wouldn’t tell her unless I thought it was necessary… I should have told her that in the f-first place… But I blew it…! I blew it, Spike!” The Pegasus was desperate, she grabbed Spike and started to cry again. The baby dragon patted her head for comfort.
“Princess Celestia told you that?” Fluttershy nodded meekly. “Then I believe you. I can’t believe they hate their own daughter…! Can I ask you something, Fluttershy?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Why are you still here? You should go and warn Twilight! You’re getting married to her and you should protect her from these situations!”
Fluttershy heard his words and sat up. She wiped the remaining tears away with a hoof, and looked at her necklace. She stared at the ruby, remembering the night Twilight proposed to her. Spike was right, she should protect her and she was wasting her time. “You’re right!” She said, stopping crying and standing up. “She’s going to become my wife; I have to do something! I have no time to waste. Spike, will you…?”
“Yes, I’ll take care of the cottage while you're gone, now hurry up before it’s too late!”
Fluttershy hugged both of her friends and left the cottage. She flew as fast as she could to the restaurant.
Twilight ran all the way to the restaurant. She was tired, but at least it kept her mind away from the thoughts of what happened back at the cottage. Fluttershy… Why? Why don’t you like my parents? You've never met them before… Forget about her; she better have an explanation when I get back or it’s over! The Unicorn kept moving, ignoring the tears escaping from her eyes. She replaced the bad thoughts with her parents. Finally, after so long, she was going to see them. Soon, she arrived at the restaurant’s doors. Twilight stopped to catch her breath since had been running for so long.
After a few minutes, she entered the restaurant. For a place so far away from Ponyville, it was crowded. Most of the ponies weren’t even from there. Twilight wasn’t like Pinkie Pie, but she could recognize all the faces in her town. She noticed a Unicorn she'd seen in a picture at Pinkie Pie's house weeks ago. Her name was Lyra, and she wasn’t alone. She was with an earth pony Twilight had also seen back in Ponyville, but had never spoken to. She was yellow and had cyan eyes, her mane a mix of pink and dark blue. They seemed to be on a date, since they were looking at each other lovingly and holding their hooves. The bookworm pony couldn’t help but think about her and Fluttershy in the same situation, all those moments they spent just looking into each other's eyes and embracing... She shook her head, forcing herself back to reality. If she doesn’t apologize… We'll never do it again… And even if she does, I don’t think that I could forgive her… A tear ran down her muzzle, but she wiped it away and started to look for her parents. She found them in no time; they weren’t far from Lyra and her date. She smiled and started walking toward them. However, she noticed that for some reason, they were staring at the turquoise Unicorn and her partner in a strange way. She could have sworn that it was a look of disgust, but it couldn’t be. Soon, she arrived at their table.
“Hello, mom and dad, I missed you!” She excitedly exclaimed.
“Oh, Twilight! You made it!” The stallion said, faking a smile, but Twilight didn’t notice. She tried to hug them, but they stopped her. “Not in a public place…” Her father said. The younger mare was a little confused. “Please, sit and join us, Twilight. There’s somepony we want you to meet.”
“Really? But I thought you wanted to catch up with me. Why didn’t you reply to my letters?” Twilight asked, even more confused.
“Oh, here he comes!”the older mare said, ignoring her daughter. “Over here, Star Bright!”
Twilight turned and saw a grey stallion with green eyes, red mane, and a horn approaching them.
“Here, sit with Twilight! Do you still remember Star Bright, Twilight?”
“Of course I do... I wouldn’t forget my ex-coltfriend.”
“That doesn’t sound very nice. Just call me a friend, yes?” The grey Unicorn winked, getting closer to her.
“Wh-What are you doing?” Twilight questioned nervously.
“I've been thinking... Maybe we should start over?”
“What are you talking about?!”
“You know… You and me… Those were the happiest moments of my life.”
“It was nice, but we broke up for a reason…”
“I promise I'll change!”
“You said that last time, but you didn’t listen. You never listened to me; you always interrupted and then you proposed to me when we were only dating for two months!”
“I won’t do it again!”
“Besides, I’m…” But in that moment, the older mare interrupted her.
“Kiss her!”
“Wha…?!” But she was silenced with the stallion’s kiss. She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her go.
____________________________________________________________________________________________ Fluttershy had the restaurant in sight, and got back to the ground to catch her breath.
“I’ll… see if I can… see her through the window…” The Pegasus said between breaths as she trotted to the window. At first, she just saw Lyra and Bon Bon. She really didn’t know them, but remembered seeing them in Ponyville. She kept looking for Twilight and soon found her, but couldn’t believe her eyes. She was kissing another pony! Fluttershy looked away from the window and started to cry. How could this happen? How could Twilight do that? She could understand if she was mad at her, but kissing somepony else behind her back? She looked at the necklace and removed it. She was about to throw it away, but froze when she heard Twilight's voice. She was yelling.
“But… I thought you wanted to come back with me…!” The male Unicorn said, both scared and confused.
“Who told you that!?” Everypony in the restaurant was listening to them; the only thing that could be heard was Twilight’s voice.
“Your parents… They sent me a letter…” But the younger mare quickly looked at her parents, ignoring everypony else.
“You what!? Why!?”
“Because it was the truth!” The older stallion spoke. “You needed somepony, it's time for you to get married!”
“But I’m already engaged! I've told you in my letters! I already love somepony else and I’m loved! Why are you doing this!?”
“You’re engaged? You never told me that! I’m sorry, Twilight, I’m leaving now…” Star Bright apologized before leaving in a hurry. The older stallion kept talking when he was out of sight.
“You are not in love! Love is only between a mare and a stallion! You and that… fillyfooler are making a mistake; it’s wrong! We came here to help you, to bring you back to the right path!”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing! I'm deeply in love...! I've never been so happy in my life and you want to ruin it because I’m getting married with another mare!? I know what I feel for Fluttershy is true love; I've never felt this with anypony else, and you should be happy for me!"
“Happy? For having raised a fillyfooler!?” The older mare exclaimed, disgusted. “We want to know where we went wrong! We failed as parents when you 'fell in love' with a mare. What did we do?!”
“First of all, never call me a 'fillyfooler.' Secondly, you failed as parents when you stopped loving me for who I am! Your only mistake was thinking that you were bad parents for having a mare who likes other mares! I don’t want to see you two at my wedding, or ever again!”
“Listen, you have no right…!” But the older stallion was interrupted by a male pony, dressed in a fancy suit.
“We do not serve your kind. We accept love here, and I’m asking you to leave my restaurant now! And never come back!” Without saying a word, the older Unicorns stood up and left, being stared at by everypony with disgust. When she saw them coming, Fluttershy hid in a bush nearby. She'd heard everything that Twilight said, and was crying of happiness now. She really loved her! As soon as Twilight's parents were out of sight, she flew back to the cottage to wait for her fiancée.
Twilight trotted out of the restaurant. She was sad and she felt bad now. Fluttershy was right. She had to go back and apologize to her. But before she could start her walk back, she was stopped by somepony. She looked back and saw Lyra and Bon Bon.
“I just wanted to tell you that you were really brave to confront your parents like that… I would never be able to do that.” Lyra spoke with seriousness.
“Thanks… I'm still shocked about the situation, but, with luck, I won’t see them ever again…”
“I understand your sadness. You must be feeling horrible…” Bon Bon lamented, a sympathetic expression on her face.
“Yes, but it’s not only about that… Before I came here, my fiancée tried to warn me about them, but I didn’t listen and I yelled at her… I have to go back and apologize… I hope that she forgives me…”
“If she really loves you like you said back there she will… now, go get her!” Bon Bon encouraged Twilight.
“You’re right, I don’t have time to waste! I’ll see you back in Ponyville!” Twilight yelled as she left. Lyra looked at her marefriend with a smirk.
“See? I told you that she was from Ponyville!”
“I think I remember her now… I hope we see her again!”
The lavender Unicorn arrived home faster than the time it took her to go to the restaurant, and, somehow, she didn’t feel as tired as she felt before. She opened the door with a sigh, and saw Fluttershy on the other side of the room.
“Fluttershy… I should have listened to you… I’m very sorry and I…” She was silenced by Fluttershy’s lips making contact with hers. While she was speaking, the Pegasus had flown to her and kissed her like never before. When they broke it, Twilight looked very confused. “Fluttershy, I don’t under…” The timid pony put a hoof on her mouth and timidly pressed her lips against hers again. When they separated, Fluttershy stood up and looked at her partner on the floor, who still had no clue about what was happening.
“Let me show you how much I love you, Twi…” She said, leading her to their bedroom.
After a night of love, Twilight found herself on her fiancée’s chest and embraced by her, but she still had no idea of why it happened. Fluttershy must have felt that she was about to ask her, because she answered her unspoken question.
“I… followed you… I know I wasn’t supposed to do it, but I was worried about you. Also, Spike for convincing me…”
“Spike?”
“He heard us. He asked me what happened after you left… I told him the situation the way I should have told you…” The Unicorn didn’t say anything, silently asking her to continue. “Do you remember when Princess Celestia came to Trixie’s party? She came to tell me the truth about your parents, and I promised I wouldn't tell you unless I felt it was necessary… I should have told you that from the very beginning…” After a few moments, Twilight embraced her tightly.
“You probably should have... I’m really sorry for yelling at you…”
“Don’t worry about that now, Twi. I heard everything you said to your parents… I have already forgiven you. Hearing what you said made me extremely happy.
Twilight kissed her forehead. “What I said was the truth, Shy… I love you with all my heart. That’s why I’m marrying you. The wedding is still on, right?”
“Of course it is, love!” Fluttershy gave her a quick kiss and put her head on the Unicorn's chest. “Now, I could really use some sleep… But one thing isn't clear...”
"What is it, honey?"
"You never told me that you dated somepony else before..."
"Oh, him? It's because I never considered him a relationship, I had a crush on him but it faded as soon as I knew him better."
"I see..." She yawned. "Now, I'm really tired..."
“Me too… It's been a long day… Good night, Flutters…”
“Good night, Twi…” The Unicorn snuggled more against her fiancée and she soon fell asleep. Fluttershy followed her shortly after.
Princess Celestia’s castle was crowded. The sun was about to set and the birds were singing happily. The Princess of the sun was outside, greeting the guests while the brides were preparing to get married.
“Twily, are you ready yet?” Shining Armor asked as he entered the room which was designated for Twilight. It was empty, but Applejack's voice came from behind the door that led to the bathroom.
“She will be in a minute. We're almost done with the makeup!”
“Alright, I’ll wait here.” The stallion said as he sat on the bed. He waited for around five minutes before the door opened and Applejack came out. She was dressing formal, just like everypony else at the wedding. Shining Armor stood up.
“Allow me to introduce you to yer sister, Twilight Sparkle.” When she finished speaking, she moved aside and let Twilight walk out. She was smiling nervously with a beautiful white dress on and her mane was put down.
“So… What do you think, big brother?” Twilight asked while she spinned around to let the male Unicorn see the entire outfit.
“Wow, You look… wonderful!” He was almost at a loss of words.
“You’re exaggerating!”
“No, I mean it! I can't believe you’re getting married today. My baby sister… I’m so proud of you!”
“Th-Thanks…” Twilight blushed a little.
“Ah don’t want to ruin the moment, but you have to go to the altar now, sugarcube.” The farmer pony said before taking Twilight to the door.
“Wait for me; I’ll go with you!” Shining Armor said as he followed them. While they were on their way to the altar, they came across two pegasi, a stallion and a mare. He was orange and his mane was yellow. The mare looked almost exactly like Fluttershy.
“Silent Steed, Clear Skies! How are you?” Twilight asked, still nervous.
“Oh, we're fine. This is a special day for our daughter, so our happiness is remarkable!” Silent Steed spoke.
“You better treat our daughter the way she deserves! If I ever hear that you hurt her, I’m going to…!” Clear Skies was silenced by her husband’s hoof on her shoulder.
“Honey, please! She wouldn’t harm our little daughter, right?” He glanced over at Twilight for assurance.
“O-Of course not. I’ll make her the happiest pony in all of of Equestria. I'll always be there for her!”
“See? She seems to be a pony we can trust.”
The mare pegasus sighed, but she still didn’t look convinced.
“Fine. But you make one little mistake…!”
“I promise I’ll take care of her!” Twilight was even more nervous now.
“Come on, honey. We have to go see Fluttershy.” Silent Steed lead his wife to the a door. They opened it and disappeared behind it, leaving the other three ponies behind.
“They seem… adorable. Especially her mother.” Shining Armor spoke.
“Twilight?” Applejack looked at her friend worriedly. The lavender Unicorn shook her head and adopted a serious look to hide her evident nervousness inside.
“Sorry… I’m ready!” The three continued on their way and soon arrived at the doors that lead to the altar.
“Are you sure that you're ready, Twily?”
“Yes… Let’s get me married!” They opened the door and everypony turned to see her as she anxiously approached the altar.
Fluttershy was in another room, also getting ready. Apple Bloom was sitting on the bed while Scootaloo was pacing impatiently.
“Scootaloo, come on, sit!”
“Why are they taking so long?”
“You know Rarity. She won’t let us see Fluttershy until she thinks that she looks perfect.”
“By the time she finishes, the wedding will be over!”
“They can’t have the wedding without Fluttershy, Scootaloo...”
The filly pegasus didn’t listen to her. She knocked on the door impatiently.
“Come on, what’s taking you so long?!”
“Fluttershy must look perfect for her wedding. You can’t force perfection!” Rarity yelled from the other side of the door, followed by a low voice from the bride.
“I think I look good enough already…”
“Just a second darling, we are almost done!” No more voices came from the bathroom. Scootaloo got back to pacing around the room.
“Scoots, yer making me lose mah patience. Just sit on the bed!”
The young pegasus opened her mouth to argue, but after seeing Apple Bloom’s expression, she decided to obey. She reluctantly walked over to the bed and sat next to her, crossing her hooves. The farmer filly patted her head.
“See? You can wait while sitting, cuz!” Scootaloo looked at her in a confused manner.
“Cuz?”
“You don’t like it? I've been thinking about calling you that. After all, we will be like cousins once mah sister and Rainbow Dash get married in two months.”
Scootaloo put a hoof on her chin. “You’re right… After all, Rainbow Dash is like my sister!” She finished with a big grin on her face.
“Yes we are, Scoots!” Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom jumped out of surprise when they heard Rainbow Dash’s voice. They turned around to see her standing in front of the opened door. “What are you, girls doing?” She asked, smiling proudly when she saw the expected reactions from the fillies.
“R-Rainbow Dash! How long have you been there?” Scootaloo asked sheepishly.
“Long enough, sis!” The cyan Pegasus said, patting Scootaloo's head.
“Why does everypony like to pat my head?”
“Because it’s fun! But I’ll stop if you want…”
“I… never said that…”The Pegasus filly said in a low voice, looking away. Rainbow Dash patted her head again.
“What a cute little Pegasus you are!” This time, Scootaloo smiled.
“Where’s Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Oh, she had to go to the bathroom! She'll be here soon.”
In that moment, Fluttershy’s parents appeared at the door and entered the room.
“Good afternoon, everypony! Is Fluttershy ready?” Silent Steed asked with a smile.
“Ask Rarity!" Scootaloo said, pointing towards the bathroom door with a hoof. "They're still in the bathroom.” However, the door opened shortly after and Rarity walked out proudly.
“Thanks for your patience, everypony. I proud to introduce you to the bride, Fluttershy!” As the fancy Unicorn finished speaking, she moved to let Fluttershy walk out timidly. She was wearing a long white dress, her mane was behind her ears and she had white flowers on both of them. Her head was low, and she was blushing deeply. Everypony looked at her with their mouths open. Rainbow Dash was the one who spoke first.
“Fluttershy, You look... great…!”
“Th-Thanks Rainbow Dash…” The timid Pegasus said without looking up.
The two fillies trotted towards her, trying to look at her face but she kept looking to the opposite direction.
“Come on, Fluttershy. Let us see you!”
“N-No… Please don’t come to close…”
“Alright, girls, give her some space! You know how she is!” The rainbow-maned Pegasus said as she moved the fillies aside. Clear Skies approached to the timid pony and she put a hoof on her daughter’s chin, forcing her to look into her eyes.
“You look beautiful, dear. We are so proud of you.” She said as Fluttershy started to cry of happiness.
“Thank you, mom…” Silent Steed approached to her as well.
“Your mother is right. We're happy for you!”
“Thanks, daddy…”
In that moment, Sweetie Belle appeared the door, panting.
“Sorry… For the delay… But your precious flower filly is here! Wow, Fluttershy, you look amazing!”
“Th-Thank you, Sweetie Belle…” Fluttershy was still feeling anxious. “Do I look too nervous?” She asked, looking at her friends and family.
“Nah, you’re fine. You just need to forget about all the eyes focusing on you as you walk to the altar…!” Rainbow Dash tried to encourage her friend, but it did just the opposite.
“You’re not helping, Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy was even more nervous, looking down again. However, her mother made her look into her eyes again.
“Forget about everypony. Just focus on the one you love, dear… keep looking a the pony you're marrying into and ignore everypony else and you’ll see just how easy it is. I did the same when I married your father, and it wasn’t as hard as I thought. Just keep thinking that you're about to marry somepony you love. That’s more than enough to kill your nerves.” When she finished speaking, Fluttershy hugged her.
“Thank you, mom… I’ll do what you told me…” The hug was returned, but just before they were about to separate, everypony else hugged them. The shy pony smiled and thanked Celestia for having such wonderful friends and parents. Finally, after a few more moments, they all parted.
“It's time, dear… Are you ready?” Silent Steed questioned.
“I have never been more ready, daddy!” They all walked outside the room and towards the altar. Fluttershy walked with confidence.
Twilight was waiting for Fluttershy, repressing her nerves. She was shaking slightly. Pinkie Pie was by her side and Princess Celestia was talking to Luna on her other side. Spike was ready with the necklace and ring. Her brother was sitting in the first row with his wife, Applejack (who was admiring her necklace from time to time), and Trixie, who smiled at her when Twilight looked. Next to them were empty chairs for the rest of her friends and future mother and father in-law. A row behind them sat Lyra and Bon Bon. Since the night Twilight met them, they kept in contact. She then looked to the windows to see them crowded with the birds that came to see the marriage of the pony who looked after them. Even Angel Bunny was there, thanks to the help of the birds.
“How are you feeling, Twi?” Pinkie Pie asked, moving her head closer to her friend. She kept her eyes focused on the guests.
“How do you think I’m feeling, Pinkie? It’s my wedding day; I’m about to get married!”
“Then you must be excited and happy! I bet you're shaking of happiness!”
“Well, that and nervousness…” She turned to see her best mare. “Besides, I’m feeling sleepy. I could barely sleep after that extremely long bachelorette party you made me yesterday!”
“But it was your last night before getting married. I wanted it to last longer!”
“It was a nice party, but I was supposed to sleep well. I could barely sleep an hour before I had to get up!”
“But you had fun, didn’t you? It’s a shame that you left; I still had a few things planned, but I was able to do them with the guests!”
“They stayed? For how long after I left?”
“A couple of hours… Too bad you couldn’t stay!”
“Sorry, Pinkie Pie… I’ll make it up to you in the next party you organize.”
“Okey dokey lokey!”
In that moment, the doors opened. Rarity, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Clear Skies entered the altar. Rarity went to see Octavia and the pianist, whispering something to them while the rest went to their seats. When Rarity took her place at the altar to wait for Fluttershy, Octavia and the pianist started to play The Wedding March. Sweetie Belle walked across the carpet, throwing blossoms everywhere. The next moment, Fluttershy and her father appeared and walked to the altar while everypony was watching. As they approached, Twilight couldn’t help but smile when she saw the pony she loved walking towards her. All the nervousness and tiredness suddenly disappeared. She kept looking at her until she arrived. She gave her father a kiss on his cheek and he went to sit next to his wife. The yellow pony and the bookworm pony were now looking at Princess Celestia. Once the march was finished, she started to speak.
“Fillies and gentlecolts. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. This day is special for me too, because not only are the brides two of the Elements of Harmony, but one of them is my faithful student.” Both mares blushed. “I understand that you wrote your vows. You may now read them.” Pinkie Pie approached Twilight and gave her a piece of parchment. Then, the lavender Unicorn turned to face Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, these past two years have been the best of my life. I still remember the day I met you... You were so surprised to see a new pony in town who was talking to you that you couldn’t even say your name!” Both of them giggled a little, remembering that day. “I didn’t know it then, but I'd just met the love of my life. I've learned a lot about friendship with you and our friends, but you taught me something that the others couldn’t… You taught me about love.” In that moment, tears started to fall from their eyes. “Two years ago I accidentally heard you talking about the feelings you had for me. In that moment, I didn’t know that I felt the same way as you, but after an incident it became clear to me. The next day, I returned your feelings and we shared our first kiss. A year later I decided to further prove my love to you by asking you to become my wife. When you agreed, I felt like the luckiest pony in Equestria. And now, I’m standing here saying yes, I'm ready to begin our lives together.” Twilight looked at Fluttershy, who was smiling and still crying as well as most of the guests and even the Princesses themselves.
“Now… We will hear Fluttershy…” Princess Celestia spoke, wiping her tears away. Rarity walked over to give her best friend a piece of parchment where she had her vows written, but the timid Pegasus rejected it. Fluttershy then turned to see Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle… As you know, and everypony else here does as well, I’m not a pony of words. But looking at you helps me express how I feel. When I met you, I found myself practicing for the Summer Sun Celebration with the birds. You surprised me when you appeared out of nowhere. In that moment, I felt something inside me... Something I wouldn’t know what it was until some time later… It was love. I never thought it would hit me, but it did. And when I discovered what it was, it was both a blessing and a curse. You were a friend, one I saw almost every day, so talking to you became harder than it already was. Luckily, my best friend was there to help me and thanks to her, I was able to confess my love for you. It wasn’t like we'd planned, but it worked. After a horrible incident I don’t want to remember, you returned my feelings and we shared our first kiss. My life is complete. Sure, we had our share of fights and misunderstandings, but we got through them and our relationship only became stronger. On our first anniversary, you proposed to me. I didn’t expect it, but the word 'yes' came by itself. You were so excited that you fell asleep soon afterwards.” Twilight let a little giggle out, blushing. “You and Spike came to live with me, and I was glad I wasn’t going to be alone anymore. And here we are, our big day… To be honest, I never thought I would get married because of my problem with communicating, but you understood me. You love me for who I am and I couldn’t be happier. I’m giving you my heart today, because I know you will take good care of it. You already proved it to me. I love you, Twilight Sparkle, and I always will. And here we are today, ready to show our love to Equestria.” Fluttershy finished, clearing her tears from her face with a hoof. Nopony had ever heard her say so much non-stop. Princess Celestia continued with the ceremony.
“Bring the necklace and ring.”
Spike approached the brides with the pillow where the golden necklace and ring were and stood between Twilight and Fluttershy. Princess Celestia spoke again.
“Twilight Sparkle, do you promise to stand by Fluttershy's side, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death break you apart?"
“I do,” Twilight said as she put the necklace around Fluttershy’s neck.
“Fluttershy, do you promise to stand by Twilight Sparkle's side, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, untill death break you apart?"
“I do,” Fluttershy said as she put the ring on Twilight’s horn.
“Then I now pronounce you mare and mare. You may now kiss.”
They leaned to share their first kiss as a married couple, accompanied by the guests' cheers and applauds. After the kiss, they turned to see all the guests. Twilight saw Shining Armor crying on Cadence’s shoulder. Rainbow Dash had a foreleg around Applejack, both crying and smiling at them. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were crying while hugging each other and Trixie winked at them after clearing her tears. Then, they started to walk to the door, ready to begin a new life.
“Dashie, would you mind passin' me that wooden board please?”
“Sure, beautiful!” Rainbow Dash grabbed a wooden board and gave it to Applejack.
“Thanks, sugarcube!” Applejack said before kissing Rainbow Dash's cheek and she started to nail the wood onto the wall.
They were adding a room to Fluttershy's cottage for Spike. Twilight used what remained of her savings to do it. They started to build it a week ago; Rarity offered to keep Spike busy, taking him to Canterlot for the whole week. They would be arriving that same evening, so they had to work hard. Pinkie Pie couldn’t join them because she had to take care of the Cake twins, since their parents left for the week, and Trixie left Ponyville the day after the wedding. She promised to write and come back when she could. Luckily, they were almost finished. Applejack just needed to nail the wooden table, and it would be ready to paint.
“Ah'm done! Wow, just look at this place… Ah can’t believe that we did this in just one week!” The farmer pony commented as she wiped her sweat away.
“I can’t believe it either! Spike will surely love his new cool room!”
“Ah can’t wait to see his face! We just need to wait for Twilight to arrive with the paint!”
In that moment, the door opened and Fluttershy walked in, carrying two glasses of lemonade. Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly took them, thanking them before drinking.
“The room's already built? Good job, girls! Thank you for helping us!”
“That’s what friends are for, sugarcube!”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t say no to you! Besides, we all think that Spike needs his own room!” Rainbow Dash remarked.
“You are the best friends a mare could ever ask for! We're sorry for not being able to help much… I wasn’t made for this kind of work and Twilight isn't very good with hammers…”
“We don’t mind, sugarcube. Ah have experience with this and so does Big Mac.”
“It was nice of your brother to help us, Applejack.” The timid pony said as she took a look to the room.
“If we hadn't taken turns between days, we wouldn’t have been able to finish. Somepony had to stay at the farm for apple buckin’.”
“Yeah, but when he was replacing you, I got bored. He doesn’t talk much…”
“He’s always like that. He rarely speaks to anypony else besides the family.”
“That’s the point, Applejack. We're getting married in a month, that means that I will become a part of your family… Shouldn’t he be speaking to me a little more?”
“Give him time, Dashie. Maybe he'll talk more after we get married…”
“Speaking of which…” Fluttershy spoke as soon as she felt confident enough to talk. Both mares looked at her. “Sorry if I’m bothering you, but… Is everything ready?”
“Yes it is, sugarcube. Thanks again for accepting being mah bridesmare!”
“How could I decline such an offer, Applejack? I was surprised when you asked me to be your bridesmare!”
“Ah'm sure that you'll do a good job. Ah have full confidence in you!”
“Th-Thank you…”
“Twilight has been annoying during this past month and it's getting worse!” Rainbow Dash commented out of nowhere. “She insists on completing all the stuff on her list on time; I barely have any time to sleep!”
“Rainbow Dash, you’re talking about my wife!”
“S-Sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to… Why are you laughing?”
The shy pony had started to laugh out of nowhere, stopping after a few moments. “I was just messing with you!”
“You just wanted to say the word 'wife,' didn't?” The cyan Pegasus rolled her eyes with a smile.
“I… Just can’t help it, it’s a beautiful word! Especially when I say it after 'my'.”
They heard a door open downstairs.
“I’m home, and I brought the paint!” Twilight’s voice echoed up the stairs. Fluttershy disappeared in a blink of an eye, but she was soon back with Twilight, helping her with the paint. “I told you that I could do it alone, honey!”
Since Fluttershy was holding the bucket with her mouth, she had to put it on the floor before speaking. “But I wanted to, I insist on helping you in any way I can!”
Twilight kissed her cheek. “That’s sweet of you. Now…!” She looked at her friends. “Sorry for taking so long, but I bought everything we need!” Only then she took a look at the room, realizing that it was almost complete. “Nice job, girls! Now we just have to paint it, and then we'll be done!”
“Thank you, egghead! It was hard work, but it was worth it!” Rainbow Dash said, lifting her wings and smiling proudly. Applejack muffled a giggle with her hoof. Twilight used her magic to give a brush to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. She then took one for herself. “We only have a few hours before Rarity and Spike arrive; we can make it!” They put their brushes in the air, yelling “For Spike!” and each pony took a bucket of paint and started to paint the room with purple.
They finished with the new addition to the cottage with an hour to spare. They had time to take a shower and go to the train station to wait for Spike and Rarity. When Twilight and Fluttershy arrived to the station, they were greeted by Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and even Pinkie Pie.
“Howdy! Mr. and Mrs. Cake got home early so I can come see the new room! Rainbow Dash and Applejack told me that it looks great! Can I see it too?” The party pony spoke fast, like she usually did.
“Of course you can, Pinkie!” The lavender Unicorn said as they headed to the platform. They spent the remaining time talking about the upcoming wedding. The engaged couple were excited and couldn’t wait for the big day to arrive. After Twilight and Fluttershy's wedding, they felt ready.
The train from Canterlot arrived half an hour later and the dragon and the fancy Unicorn walked out of it alongside Spike. The group trotted towards them and made a group hug.
“That was a marvelous trip! I met some old faces over there and I was also asked to make some new clothes! Spike is just an amazing helper; I see why you love him so much, Twilight!” Rarity hugged Spike, making him blush.
“It was nothing, Rarity… Really!”
“You’re too kind, Spikey-Wikey. You gave me a beautiful jewel on your birthday, and you never complained about it!”
“It’s because I love helping others... It’s not a problem to me!”
“Ah don’t want to interrupt, but Ah think we should go before it gets too dark.” The farmer pony commented, glancing at the sky.
“I think you’re right. Darkness makes me nervous…” Fluttershy nervously said. Twilight nuzzled her cheek.
“Don’t worry, honey. You’re not alone.”
They started on their way to the cottage, Rarity and Spike passing the time with tales of their adventures in Canterlot. When they arrived, they quickly headed upstairs, covering Spike’s eyes.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Spike asked, confused.
“You’ll see… Pinkie, you don’t have to cover your eyes!” Twilight said, giggling.
“I don't know how the room looks. I want it to be a surprise to me too!”
Twilight sighed with a smile. “Alright. 'Shy, would you open the door please?”
“Sure, Twi!” Once Fluttershy opened the door, they led Spike and Pinkie Pie into the room. When they were in the middle of the room, they uncovered their eyes. Spike's jaw was wide open, and so were Pinkie Pie and Rarity's. Inside, there was a bed and a table. All his belongings were placed just to the side so he could accommodate them how he wanted.
“You really did a good job, all within a week!” Rarity commented.
“It’s super duper fantastic!” Pinkie Pie said, jumping. But Spike was still looking around the room. Twilight and Fluttershy approached him.
“So? What do you think of your new room, Spike?” Twilight nervously asked. The baby dragon turned to see the mares.
“My… Room?” He wasn’t sure if he had heard her right.
“Yes…” Fluttershy spoke. “Twilight wanted to give you your own room and I agreed with her. She used the last of her savings and with the help of our friends, we were able to do it…”
Spike looked between Twilight and Fluttersy while tears started to cloud his vision. He hugged them shortly after.
“Th-Thank you...! I don’t know what to say!”
“You don’t have to say anything, Spike. You deserved your own room!” The lavender Unicorn said, hugging him back.
“Dashie… Are you cryin’?” The farmer pony suddenly said. Rainbow Dash hid her face with her wing when she was discovered.
“No, it’s just that… I got something in my eye…”
“Sure...”
“Hey, I’m telling the truth!”
“I believe ya!” Applejack said as she approached her fiancée’s ear. She whispered something to her. “It’s okay if you want to cry…” Rainbow Dash blushed in response.
“We should celebrate! What do you say if I arrange a party here tomorrow?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed out of nowhere, scaring everypony in the room.
“Ask Spike, it’s his room after all!” Twilight said.
“Sure, Pinkie. I would love for you to make a party!” Spike replied with a smile.
The party pony hugged him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I better go plan it, I'll see you tomorrow!” She said as she left.
“Applejack and I have to go, too.” The cyan Pegasus spoke.
“So do I. I will see you tomorrow at the party, darlings!” Rarity said as she left with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Once they were alone in the house, Fluttershy spoke again.
“Are you sure you like it, Spike…?”
“I love it. I really appreciate this!”
“I’m glad to hear that, Spike. Now, I think you would love to sleep after the trip…”
“Well, yes, but I have something for you.” The dragon handed Twilight two letters. “This one is from Trixie, and this one is from Princess Celestia.” Twilight opened and read the one from Princess Celestia first with Fluttershy. It stated that her parents had moved out of Equestria because they couldn’t stand living in a place where two mares could get married, and the Princess of the sun sent her and Fluttershy her regards.
“Oh, Twi… I’m sorry…”
“For what? These are great news. They're gone and I will never see them again!”
“But they're your parents…”
“Not since the day they stopped loving me for who I am… Don’t worry, honey. I’m fine!” She hugged her wife, but she was lying. Part of her was sad. She wished that her parents wouldn’t have acted in such a way. She still couldn't believe it after all they had done for her. “Now, let’s read Trixie’s, shall we?” Twilight said as she opened Trixie’s letter and read it with Fluttershy. “Wow, she’s doing pretty well! She’s in Manehattan and says that everypony love her. She really has learned to use her magic better!”
“And look, there’s a picture at the bottom.” Fluttershy said, pointing to the picture. She was beside the Statue of Liberty, waving and smiling. There was something written under it.
“To my friends: thank you for everything! I’ll visit you whenever I can. I Pinky Promise!”
“A Pinky Promise? She's spent too much time with us!” Twilight said jokingly.
“I’m happy for her… I hope she comes soon. It's too bad she left the day after our wedding…” Fluttershy commented, sadly.
“I hope so too… What do you say, Spike… Do you…?” But the baby dragon had fallen asleep. Both mares watched him for a few moments before Twilight used her magic to put him in bed. Fluttershy covered him with a blanket. They left to their bedroom, being careful not to wake Spike up. Fluttershy got in the bed first and embraced Twilight as soon as she lay on the bed, quickly falling asleep in their favorite position.
