Hearts and Hooves Day is drawing near, and Twilight is determined to figure out this whole "love" business.
Hearts and Hooves Day is drawing near, and Twilight is determined to figure out this whole "love" business. She's prepared to dig through romance novels and travel through the Everfree Forest and back for answers. However, her research project keeps bringing her back to one particular pegasus, who's been doing a secret project of her own.
Through darkened woods, a red-hooded pony trod. The traveler flinched away from the cawing birds and the whispers racing through the Everfree Forest. Every snapped twig was an enemy ready to pounce. Every dark corner concealed something nasty and hungry.
At long last, the terror subsided when the pony in the red hood came to a clearing. There sat a humble zebra’s hut beside a great oak. Light and warmth radiated from within the hut, offering peace and plenty against the endless night of the woods. The desperate traveler raced to the hut and knocked on its door.
The zebra answered her door with a smile. Words passed between them. The traveler offered a handful of bits and received a small vial in return. And without another word, she fled back through the terror and the night.
---
“Spike!” Twilight cast a telekinesis spell to quickly look over her books on the lower right-hand shelf. “Did you find it yet?”
“Uh, just a second! It’s back here somewhere!”
Twilight paused in her search when she heard a distinct chewing sound from the kitchen. “Spike, are you looking for the book or making yourself a sandwich?”
The baby dragon appeared in the den, holding a gem-filled sandwich in one hand and a checklist in the other. “…Can’t I do both?”
The unicorn was about to say otherwise when her own stomach started growling. She blushed at Spike’s accusing glare and wisely decided not to press the issue. “Okay, you win. I need two minutes for lunch and then it’s back to work!”
“I don’t get it,” Spike said, his mouth stuffed with bits of precious stones. “Why do you have to run an experiment on romance? It comes from the heart, Twilight.”
“It’s for Hearts and Hooves Day.” Twilight continued to look over her books while her horn was passively casting magic to fix herself a sandwich in the other room. “Ever since Cadance’s last visit, I’ve been wanting to learn more about the chemistry behind love. How does it affect ponies? What are the health benefits? And why does it make some ponies go absolutely crazy?”
“Geez, you’re taking all the fun out of it.” Spike finished his sandwich in one gulp. After a tiny burp, he patted his stomach. “It’s nothing you can find in a textbook. You have to experience it for yourself.” He sighed and looked away. “Just like I did for my beloved Rarity…”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about!” Twilight pointed an accusing hoof at him. “The way you roll your eyes and your cheeks flush! It’s a clear metabolic reaction that needs to be studied.” She tossed back her mane proudly. “And I’m the pony to do it!”
Spike shook his head. “Whatever. I’ll keep looking for that romance novel. What was it called again? Daybreak or something?”
“No, I have that one accounted for.” Twilight summoned the checklist and pointed her hoof at the middle of the page. “We’re looking for The Illustrious Stallion Caller by Rough Draft. It’s been on the Manehattan Times Bestseller List for three weeks straight!”
“Stallion Caller, got it.” Spike shook his head as he left the room. “Honestly, what do ponies see in those awful books…?”
Twilight continued to pull out books and search through the piles she was making on the floor. Still no sign of the novel, but she knew it had to be somewhere in there. The Ponyville Library was always receiving new books from the Manehattan publishing houses; the editors were always writing to Twilight about what an honor it was to have Princess Celestia’s student reading and curating their books. She didn’t care about the accolades; she loved books and wanted to share that love with the other ponies in town.
“Did I lend this book out to somepony?” she asked herself. In a heartbeat, Twilight summoned a different checklist from her desk. This list had the name of every pony who checked out a book from the library and the checkout date.
“Here it is! Last week, Illustrious Stallion Caller was checked out by… Applejack?” Twilight frowned. She didn’t remember that visit in particular. Did Applejack come on her own and sign her name discreetly? Could she be embarrassed about being spotted with a romance novel?
There was no getting around it. She had to ask Applejack directly.
“Spike, I’m going to Sweet Apple Acres!” Twilight called out. “You can take a break now!”
“Already on it!” he answered with a snicker.
---
Applejack kicked her hooves against a tree, causing a spray of apples to fall into one of her buckets. She wiped the sweat from her brow and tilted her hat back.
“Twi, I don’t know what yer on about,” she replied, “but I ain’t got time for love stories!”
“But the list was signed with your name!” Twilight insisted. She looked over at Big Macintosh, who was bucking in his own section of the orchard. He didn’t seem to be paying any attention to their argument.
“Now, see here!” Applejack suddenly pulled her in by the shoulder and covered their faces with her hat. When she did, her eyes went soft and pleading.
“Look, ya got me,” Applejack whispered. “I didn’t want Granny Smith or Big Macintosh to fret ’bout the farm, but I do like some time fer myself, ya see? Just somethin’ to read ’fore bed. Wasn’t hurtin’ nopony.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand. That’s fine. I just need it for today and I can return it without anypony else knowing.”
“Oh, horse feathers.” Applejack looked down, slightly mortified. “Well, to tell ya the truth, Twilight, I might’ve… lent it to Fluttershy.”
“Oh!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me. She’s embarrassed about being a romance novel reader, too.”
“Don’t know ’bout that, but she’s mighty shy about somethin’.” Applejack put her hat back on and gave the apple tree another kick. “Now, I’ve gotta be gettin’ back to work. You go an’ talk to Fluttershy, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“And Twi?” Applejack glanced at her brother, who hadn’t stopped working, and then over at Twilight. “Thanks fer not laughin’ at me.”
“Sure thing, AJ.”
---
Over at Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight found the yellow pegasus sitting at a small table outside under a parasol. She had a small tea set out and was completely lost in her book. Sure enough, it was The Illustrious Stallion Caller.
“Hi, Fluttershy!” she called out.
“Meep!” went the pegasus. She leapt up, tucked the book under her chair, and sat back down with a blushing smile. “Oh, um, hello… Twilight…”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve got a favor to ask.” The unicorn pointed at the book under Fluttershy’s chair. “Do you think I could borrow that book for a day? I need it for a project.”
“Wh-what book?” Fluttershy cringed when Twilight summoned the novel. “Oh, that book!”
“I don’t want you to feel embarrassed,” Twilight reassured her. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with romance novels.”
“Oh, I’m not embarrassed at all!” Fluttershy continued to cringe as Twilight flipped through the book. “In fact, I was just reading about this one… er, saucy chapter...”
“Oooh, what happens in it?” Twilight took out a sheet of parchment and a quill right away. “And please, be specific. I need good notes for my research.”
“Well, there’s this love potion…” Fluttershy blushed and hid below her mane. “It’s a love potion that a zebra makes for the… the Stallion Caller… and then he uses it on his special somepony and they… they…”
She couldn’t finish. Her voice trailed over into a series of incomprehensible squeaks.
Twilight finished writing and put away her notes. “A love potion, huh? I wonder if Zecora knows anything about that.”
“Oh, yes, she does—” Fluttershy gasped and put her hooves over her mouth. “I mean, I-I wouldn’t know about that… but I suppose she might?”
“Good! I think I’ll pay her a visit right now.”
Fluttershy swallowed. “R-right now?”
“There’s no time like the present! Thanks for the help, Fluttershy!” And with that, Twilight ran from the cottage and straight for the woods.
Through darkened woods, a lone unicorn trotted. Danger lurked on every side. Creatures free to do as they pleased. Ominous branches that had never seen the sun. Careful to avoid thorns and leaves of poison joke, the unicorn trod through the darkness without fear.
And in the distance, a red-hooded pony trailed after her…
---
Twilight Sparkle knocked three times on Zecora’s door. She looked back when she thought she heard a rustle in the forest behind her. Probably a feral rabbit. Or a manticore. But far away and hopefully in no mood to trouble a humble pony like herself.
When Zecora opened her door, Twilight was fighting the urge to shiver. The zebra smiled warmly. “Twilight Sparkle, always a pleasure! Your visits here I do so treasure!”
“Hello, Zecora. Can I come in? I have some questions.”
The zebra stepped aside and let in. Twilight managed to find a bench to sit on. Zecora’s accommodations were simple, but effective. She could appreciate that kind of thinking. Much like her library was devoted mostly for books, the majority of space in Zecora’s hut was given over to the large, always bubbling cauldron in the center. The source of so many medicines and magical potions that were the zebra’s specialty.
Zecora trotted over to the cauldron and stirred it for a moment with a spoon from her mouth. Then she smiled. “Now tell me, Twilight most kind, what is it that’s on your mind?”
“I want to know all there is about love potions.” Twilight took out her research notes and read them over. “Hearts and Hooves Day is coming up and I want to figure out just what it is that makes love work. Where does it come from? How does it spread? Why are there so many songs and stories—?”
“If those are your questions, I can be of no help.” Zecora pointed a hoof at Twilight’s forehead. “Love is something you can only feel yourself.”
“But you make love potions, don’t you?”
The zebra nodded sagely.
Twilight spread her hooves in confusion. “Then you must know how it works!”
“Ah, but there’s the problem, of course. A potion only encourages love—it cannot be forced!”
Twilight put her head down between her hooves and sighed. She was getting nowhere. Everyone just danced around the subject of romance, but no one could tell her why.
She felt the zebra’s consoling hoof on her shoulder. “If you can’t find an answer here, I may know of another, my dear.”
Twilight perked up. “Really? Where?”
“The answer you seek lives close by. Go and see your friend Fluttershy.”
“But…” Twilight grabbed her notes and read them over furiously. “But I just came from there! All she was doing was reading one of those romance novels!”
Something squeaked and rustled in the bushes outside. Twilight looked out the window, but saw nothing there. She looked back at Zecora, who had gone back to stirring her cauldron.
“It’s not my business to pry,” the zebra said quietly, “but there’s more than you realize about Fluttershy.”
“More? What do you mean?”
“I keep secrets as best I can, but your dear friend has her own plans. She came here alone a week ago in search of a potion called Spirit’s Glow.”
“Spirit’s Glow…” Twilight wrote it down in her notes. “Did she say who the potion was for?”
“She never said who, but if I had to guess?” Zecora smiled. “You.”
Twilight’s quill snapped in half. She dropped the pieces on the floor, along with the rest of her notes.
“…Me?” Her lip quivered. “She was going to use a love potion on me?!”
Zecora lifted a hoof and came around the cauldron. “Now, Twilight, don’t assume! This potion was meant for her to bloom! To raise her—”
“Oh, I know exactly what you mean.” Twilight grabbed her notes in her mouth and ripped them apart in a wild twist of her head. She spat them out the window and kicked the hut’s door open. “Thanks for your help, Zecora. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a pegasus to see!”
She didn’t bother to hear what else the zebra had to say. Twilight raced out of the hut and back through the shadow-filled woods.
---
By the time, she got to Fluttershy’s cottage, there was no sign of the pegasus. The animals there were all taking naps or playing around, paying no attention to Twilight. She dashed on down the road to Ponyville, still very upset.
---
At Carousel Boutique, Rarity was working on a line of dresses for Hearts and Hooves Day when Twilight Sparkle came charging up the stairs to her workshop. She turned with fright when she saw her fellow unicorn panting and snorting madly.
“Why, darling!” she exclaimed. “Whatever is the matter?”
“Nothing!” Twilight shouted. She caught herself and coughed politely. “I mean, it’s nothing to worry about. Have you seen Fluttershy?”
“I haven’t seen her since yesterday. We were getting our manes and tails done at the spa.” Noticing the frizzle in Twilight’s mane, Rarity added, “You look like you could use a spa day yourself.”
“No time for that! I’ve got to go!” Twilight turned and ran back downstairs. Rarity went to the window to watch her racing away from the boutique and back through town.
“Oh, you poor dear,” she said quietly. “I had no idea you were so anxious to find your special somepony…”
---
Racing into Sugarcube Corner, Twilight looked around at the crowd of ponies buying chocolates and other sweets for Hearts and Hooves Day. But of course they would. They didn’t have to worry about their so-called “friends” trying to make them fall in love!
She was about to leave when a bouncing pink pony ambushed her with a hug. “Hey, Twilight! Here, have some free candy!”
Pinkie Pie stuffed her friend’s mouth with a handful of sweets. Twilight chewed and swallowed them reluctantly.
“Pinkie, I—” She paused and licked her lips. “Oh, my, that’s good. But I’m not here for candy. Have you seen Fluttershy around?”
“Nope! She’s probably at home tending to all her critter friends!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down with delight. “Even animals want to feel loved on Hearts and Hooves Day!”
I’ll bet they do, Twilight thought grimly. She pictured Fluttershy pouring drops of love potion into their food, bending them all to her will. And who would suspect such a sweet and innocent pony?
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”
Pinkie Pie waved. “Okey-dokey! Hope you find your special somepony!”
“Grr!” Twilight shot out of the bakery, dodging the other ponies in her path. She had no time for this. All she could about was Fluttershy and her nefarious scheme.
---
It was getting dark when Twilight finally gave up her search. She’d been over every inch of Ponyville, but couldn’t find a single feather to give away where Fluttershy was hiding.
On her way back to the library, Twilight had plenty of time to think about her last encounter with the pegasus. She had been acting suspicious from the very beginning. Applejack had noticed it when she gave her the romance novel. She could hardly look Twilight in the eye when they spoke. And there was even that little slip about Zecora’s knowledge of potions. She’d all but admitted her guilt to the pony she was trying to deceive!
I just don’t understand, Twilight thought bleakly. You’re supposed to be the Element of Kindness. How is this being kind?
She was almost home when she heard a rustling in the bushes next to the library. Twilight caught a glimpse of a red-hooded cloak and somepony racing down the avenue.
When she saw the pony’s yellow hooves, her jaw dropped. Twilight leapt forward and called out, “Fluttershy, get back here right now!”
Through the night-covered city, the red-hooded pegasus fled. Fear tucked her wings tight against her body. Fear kept her from looking back at her friend. She had failed again, and now she had to run before it was too late.
When a wave of lavender magic sprang up in front of her, the pegasus vanished. She cried out, only to reappear inside the library, where the unicorn stood waiting.
Her cheeks burned with shame as the pegasus pulled off her hood and let down her flowing mane.
---
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Fluttershy stood in the middle of the library, wearing a suspicious red cape and looking very guilty.
Spike wandered in from the kitchen, wearing a chef’s hat and holding a cookbook. “What’s going on, guys?”
“Nothing that concerns you, Spike.” Twilight kept her eyes fixed on Fluttershy. “Can you give us a moment alone, please?”
The dragon hesitantly glanced at Fluttershy, then looked back at Twilight. He averted his eyes and ducked back into the kitchen as fast as he could.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Twilight. She began to pace back and forth, brimming with fury. “I just can’t believe that one of my best friends would think it’s okay to use a… a love potion on me!”
“It’s not—”
“No, no excuses!” Twilight whirled on the pegasus with her horn raised aggressively. “I just want answers. I want to know why.”
Fluttershy’s bottom lip quivered. Then she dropped onto the floor, drawing her red cloak around herself for protection. Her mane hid all but a single teary eye. Twilight wondered if this was all just an elaborate act, like she was supposed to feel sorry for her friend.
“Well?” Twilight stamped her hooves. “I’m waiting.”
“It’s not a love potion…”
Twilight stared. “What do you mean? Of course it is!”
“No, I… you see…” Fluttershy squealed as she lifted her head. “I asked Zecora to make me a… a courage potion so I…” When she tossed her mane out of her eyes, Twilight could see tears streaming down her face. “So that I could tell you… that I loved you…”
The unicorn froze. “What?”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Fluttershy started to sob as she got back onto her hooves. She pulled up the hood of her cloak. “I’m so sorry!”
“Fluttershy, wait!”
But it was too late. The pegasus ran out the front door. Twilight raced after her, but her yellow friend was already up in the air, flying straight for home at incredible speed.
Twilight fell back onto her haunches. She felt tears of her own beginning to form.
“Oh Celestia,” she breathed. “What have I done?”
---
The next morning, Twilight didn’t bother with breakfast. She barely brushed her mane. She was wandering the streets of Ponyville, lost in a fog of her own thoughts.
The day before, all she could think about was Fluttershy. Imagining her betrayal and assuming that she had some diabolical scheme to make Twilight fall in love with her. And yet again, all Twilight could think about was Fluttershy, and how very sorry she was.
She’d failed in her studies. Instead of keeping an open mind and acting on clear evidence, she’d let a snap judgment get the better of her. Zecora had been trying to tell her the truth. She could see that now. That knowledge burned Twilight deep inside. All she could picture now was poor Fluttershy, locked up inside her cottage and bawling her eyes out.
After some more aimless trotting, she ended up near Carousel Boutique. Perhaps what she needed was a chat with Rarity to sort things out.
---
“Oh, why that’s terrible! How could think such a thing about poor Fluttershy?”
Twilight dropped her head on the kitchen table. “I know. I guess I was under a lot of stress. I really wanted to see how far I could get on this love research project—”
“Research?” Rarity laughed as she magically set down her teacup. “Oh, no, no, dear Twilight! You can’t just quantify love! It’s enchantment! It’s magnificent! It defies all logic! I mean, you’ve been in love before, haven’t you?”
Twilight shook her head. “I never bothered with that in Canterlot. I barely even had time for making friends, let alone finding romance. All I had were my studies and Spike.”
“Aww, my little Spikey-wikey.” Rarity took another sip of tea, then looked at her friend with concern. “Well, try to think of love as… er…” She looked around her kitchen. Then her face brightened and she cast a spell to summon a line of ribbon. “Like this ribbon! A dress might seem fine on its own, but once you add this ribbon, it becomes all the more beautiful!”
Fashion was not Twilight’s specialty, but she could appreciate what Rarity was trying to say. Fluttershy really was a gentle and caring pony who had always been a good friend to Twilight, but when she developed a crush, the timid pegasus became somepony more complex and… interesting.
“Did she ever mention this to you?” Twilight gestured at herself. “How she felt about me?”
Rarity blushed. “Oh, well, never out loud. But I could always read the signs. To be perfectly honest, she never was the bravest pony, but her confidence has gotten a lot stronger ever since you came to Ponyville.”
Twilight frowned, trying to remember that first day in town. It was the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. She’d interrupted Fluttershy during a rehearsal of her bird choir. The pegasus had been so embarrassed that she could hardly say her own name or look Twilight in the eye. Oh, she’d brightened up once she saw the baby dragon Spike, but she’d always been skittish in social matters.
But the strange thing was, Rarity was right. Twilight remembered the quest to find the dragon, the water funnel to Cloudsdale, the task of reforming Discord, and that whole fiasco with the switched-up cutie marks. Every time, she saw Fluttershy’s terrified face, but there was always an attempt at bravery when Twilight spoke to her.
I can’t get her out of my head now, Twilight thought. I just want to hug her and tell her… and tell her…
“Twilight?” Rarity tapped the table with her hoof. “Are you alright, dear?”
The other unicorn sat up. She felt her cheeks turning red. Her pulse was racing. Her brow was a little sweaty. A moment passed before she could figure out what was wrong.
“I… I wasn’t…” Twilight looked down at her hooves. She remembered what Spike had said before about falling for Rarity, how his heart beat whenever he thought about her.
She had never given love a chance before. And through every twist and turn, her research kept leading her back to Fluttershy. Even now, her tear-stricken face was all she could think about. She’d gotten so mad and she felt awful about it.
If it had been any other friend, Twilight reasoned, she wouldn’t have been quite so mad. She would have chalked it up to a prank by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Rarity would never have bothered with a potion when she had her own natural charm, and Applejack was too immersed in her family farm to worry about romance (except for a little late-night reading). But Fluttershy was so sweet and innocent. It seemed so out of character—until Twilight had learned it was a courage potion she’d been after.
Now she needed a little courage of her own.
“I’ve been so foalish,” Twilight confessed. She looked up at Rarity. “I have to know. That red cloak she wears? Did you design that for her?”
“Well, yes. A modest request, but then, one does what one can for friends—”
Night fell over the town. Doors were locked and lamps were lit. Ponies everywhere stayed close to one another for warmth and for company. It was the eve of Hearts and Hooves Day.
One red-hooded pony trod the streets alone with a saddlebag…
---
Twilight looked over the graphs and notes she’d written by candlelight. Here was a graph showing a correlation between romance and reproduction. There was a chart on different types of romantic love, from filly crushes to lifelong marriage. So many hours pouring over the elusive answers to love—and the real answer had been right under her muzzle.
There was a knock at the door. Twilight went to answer it, but there was no one there. She almost closed the door when she noticed a package sitting on her porch.
Taking the present inside, Twilight examined it on her desk. It was wrapped in white paper with a big red bow. She used her magic to quickly unwrap the gift.
It was her library’s copy of The Illustrious Stallion Caller. And somepony had used a slip of paper as a bookmark.
Although her tail was twitching anxiously, Twilight forced herself to open the book and read what was on the bookmark.
On top were the words I love Twilight Sparkle, which had been crossed out.
Below that read I love you, which had also been crossed out.
Below that was the unfinished sentence My name is Fluttershy and I’m in love with… That had been crossed out multiple times.
At the bottom of the paper were the words Attempts To Talk, followed by twenty-seven tally marks. Some of them looked fairly recent.
Twilight sighed and put the bookmark on her desk. She made a mental note to return the book to Applejack soon; AJ still had a week before she had to return it to the library. From there, she headed upstairs to her bedroom. Spike was fast asleep in his bed, holding a locket in his claws.
Curious, Twilight discreetly cast a levitation spell to pull the locket from his grip and open it. Inside was a tiny picture of Rarity and the words To the Noblest Dragon of All. With a smile, she put it back in Spike’s claws and let him be.
There was something to that. Even as she got under the covers of her own bed, Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about Fluttershy. All those times they’d shared a laugh, or danced at one of Pinkie Pie’s parties, or gone on an adventure with the others. So many wonderful memories.
Every time I see you, I want to hug you and make sure you’re all right, Twilight thought as sleep began to overtake her. I thought I was just being friendly all those times. I guess it was something else...
She would know for sure tomorrow. She had one last experiment for her romance project.
---
Fluttershy lay on the sofa with her hooves in the air and her mane pooling around her head. She was lost. It was like the first time she’d fallen from Cloudsdale. Weightless, plummeting, and all her friends fading away so fast…
Angel Bunny was being kind today. He’d gotten her a bowl of fruit for lunch and a glass of juice. He was even tending to the other animals around the cottage, organizing their play dates and preparing their food. It was nice to see that he wasn’t always self-interested. Fluttershy felt some pride in watching him work, but she felt miserable that he had to do what was supposed to be her job.
I’m so sorry, she thought for the sixty-third time that morning. I’m so, so sorry, Twilight…
Maybe she could take a trip to Cloudsdale and stay with Rainbow Dash for a while. If enough time went by, maybe things would get better. Maybe they could just pretend that all this never happened.
Fluttershy sighed. But even if that were true, she would still remember how she felt about the most wonderful unicorn in all of Equestria—
The sudden knock at her door made her leap in fright. She didn’t want any visitors, especially on Hearts and Hooves Day. How could she face anypony after her humiliation?
Angel, however, went hopping toward the front door. Fluttershy cringed as he opened it, but there was no one outside. Just a sunny morning and birds chirping.
The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her brow. But her heart kept racing when she saw Angel running up to her with a scroll in his paw. Hesitantly, she took the scroll from him and read it.
I am so sorry for everything I said last night, the message read. Let me make it up to you. I’ll be conducting an experiment in White Tail Woods at sunset. Bring the potion. Your friend, T.S.
“Oh, my.” Fluttershy held the letter against her chest. For the first time that morning, she allowed herself a smile.
Here was her chance to make things right.
---
White Tail Woods was lovely this time of year. Tall brown trees with green and yellow leaves, forming a beautiful canopy over a single road. This was where everyone came to watch the Running of the Leaves, and on Hearts and Hooves Day, it was a popular spot for couples to have picnics and other special moments together.
Fluttershy, though, wasn’t ready to be spotted by anypony who might be there. As a precaution, she wore her red cloak with the hood up. She recognized a few ponies like Lyra and Bon Bon, but nopony was paying attention to her.
When she came to a small clearing in the woods, she discovered a small checkered blanket had been laid out with a picnic basket set on top of it. At first Fluttershy thought she’d stumbled onto some couple’s private spot, but then she noticed the slip of paper tied to the top of the basket.
It was her bookmark.
Something rustled in the bushes behind her. Fluttershy winced as she turned around.
A pony in a green cloak came trotting up to her. Fluttershy blushed when the pony threw back her hood and smiled.
“I’m glad you came,” said Twilight.
Fluttershy slowly removed her hood and sat down on the blanket. “Um, it was no trouble.”
They shared an awkward moment of silence. Then Fluttershy remembered why she was here and took out the small brown vial from her cloak. “Oh, I brought Zecora’s potion. Y-you said you wanted to… test it?”
Twilight beamed. “I do.” She trotted past Fluttershy and sat down on the other side of the blanket. “I’ve had some time to think things over, and now that I know what you were trying to say, I wanted to give you a chance to try out the potion. But I’m still doing my love research, so I thought we might try the potion together. We’ll see how love and courage interact.”
“Oh, okay.” Fluttershy hadn’t counted on that, but she wasn’t displeased. In fact, she felt a little better about the situation.
“Here, I’ll take the first sip.” Twilight’s horn glowed as she summoned the vial to her lips. She smiled at Fluttershy and took a single sip. Then she passed it back to her friend.
The pegasus raised the vial to her lips and drank what was left, giving herself no time to hesitate. It was a sweet brew and tasted a lot like cinnamon and honey. She smiled and felt warm inside. It was already working.
Here she was, alone in the woods with Twilight, on Hearts and Hooves Day.
“Twilight Sparkle,” said Fluttershy, “from the moment I met you, I’ve always liked you a lot. You taught me to believe in myself when not even Rainbow Dash or Rarity could. Will you be my special somepony?”
Twilight giggled. “Only if you promise to be mine.”
“I do!”
They laughed and hugged each other tightly. Twilight nuzzled her and Fluttershy rested her head on her friend’s shoulder. This was the moment she’d been dreaming of for so long—
“Hey, wait a minute.” Twilight pulled back and looked at the empty vial on the blanket. “I didn’t actually feel any magical reaction from this potion. Did you?”
“Um, I thought I did. I mean, I confessed my feelings, didn’t I?”
Twilight scrutinized the vial for a moment. Then she licked the inside with her tongue and squinted. “Just as I thought. Honey and cinnamon. It’s a placebo!”
“A what?”
“This isn’t really a courage potion. But if Zecora told you it was one, then you believed it was and so you felt braver after you drank it.” Twilight’s eyes were shining when she looked up at Fluttershy. “So you didn’t need the potion after all. You just needed to believe in yourself.”
“I can’t believe it.” Fluttershy spread her wings and did a backflip in joy. “I really did it!”
“Yes, you did!” Twilight bounced in the air alongside her. “And I’m glad to have you here. It means my research is finally done.”
She took out a quill and a sheet of paper from the basket and started to write. Fluttershy hovered over her shoulder and read along.
Love, Twilight wrote, is a magical field that can be measured, but never conclusively tested. Not even a potion can force its existence; it can only encourage the love that is already there. It is a subconscious force that can build up over time from passion to a committed relationship. And it brings two ponies together in a way that goes beyond the magic of friendship.
Fluttershy landed beside her as Twilight folded up her research notes and put them away. Then she magically brought out a bottle and two glasses.
“Now, according to Rarity, a glass of punch is traditional for today,” Twilight said while she poured their drinks. “I know I’ll need it to wash out the taste of all that honey and cinnamon.”
Fluttershy giggled. She accepted the glass from Twilight, who lifted hers in a toast.
