Twilight walked up to the pair. Fluttershy had her head turned to one side, avoiding her gaze. Rarity looked directly to her, her lips offering a small, apologetic smile. Fluttershy's soft voice reached to her quietly.
"Um, hello, Twilight."
Fluttershy's inaudible greeting alarmed Twilight, who trotted nearer to her.
"Are you ok, Fluttershy?"
"Y-yes, I am... I think..." The pegasus didn't turn to look at her.
"I can't hear you, Fluttershy... What's happening, Rarity?" She turned her head to address the other unicorn, who lowered her head slightly.
"Do not worry, Twilight, the poor dear is just embarrassed." Wiping the smile from her face, Rarity took a hoof to her mouth, disguising a small cough, throwing a furtive glance towards Fluttershy. "I'm afraid I had to discuss your... worries with her. I apologize for the indiscretion, but I'm convinced Fluttershy has to know and you have to talk to her."
Twilight felt as if all the blood on her body was rushing towards her cheeks, intense warmth spreading through her face. She pawed at the floor with one hoof. She glared at the white unicorn.
"I don't think that was necessary, Rarity..."
The white unicorn shook her head, putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I know it was. Again, I'm sorry. I think it's best if you two discuss it on your own, so I will take my leave now. Goodbye, you two!"
Before either of them could say anything, Rarity turned tail and sped off, trotting through the street. Twilight watched her marching away until she finally turned and found Fluttershy sitting, looking at her with her eyes downcast.
"Fluttershy, I..." began Twilight, but she stopped as she saw her marefriend opening her mouth. Fluttershy took a deep breath, closing her eyes and them opening them again; her voice resounded at normal volume again.
"Have you been feeling like this for long?"
Her eyes locked themselves into Twilight's, as she bit softly on her lip. Her words resonated in Twilight's head; the unicorn vacilated. Fluttershy simply stood in front of her, her eyes piercing into her marefriend's.
Twilight felt her throat drying, forcing back a gulp. "Yes. I have for quite sometime now. I tried to shake it off, but there's always that feeling in the back of my mind and I can't get rid of it. I thought it'd be fine, as we've been doing fine, but..."
The very same look Fluttershy threw at her, while not being her infamous Stare, had Twilight fall quiet on the spot.
"No, Twilight, nothing it's ever fine if there's something bothering you, no matter how small you may believe it is, it will keep growing, adding to other things until it goes out of control. I don't like recalling this, but do you remember the Smarty Pants incident?"
A small frown appeared on Twilight's face. "There's no need to bring that up, Fluttershy, I've already worked on controlling my issues." The muscles in Fluttershy's face relaxed. Her stern expression shifted then into a caring smile; she lifted a hoof, caressing Twilight's cheek tenderly. The unicorn closed her eyes, sighing. She spoke with a soothing voice, reaching towards her special somepony.
"Please don't get angry. I'm not saying you lose control of yourself anymore, but we all experiment troubles, and there is no trouble at all in speaking of them. I would like if you spoke to me about it, and we solved it together. I love you, Twilight."
A soft kiss to the forehead emphasized the pegasus' words, making the unicorn feel even warmer. Twilight opened her eyes again. "You're right, of course, Fluttershy. I should have told you about this. I'm sorry."
"No apologies are needed, Twilight." She looked around them. The park was bustling with activity from ponies, mules and donkeys walking around. A couple of earth ponies, mare and stallion, passed by their side, throwing a barely concealed look at them. "It's too crowded in here... How about we go to the library and talk about it?"
Twilight nodded. Fluttershy smiled and walked alongside her, pressed against her as much as possible. Twilight casted a furtive glance at her, finding her aquamarine eyes staring back at her, the gleam in her pupils crowning Fluttershy's warm smile. She answered it and turned her head back to look at the path they were traversing.
Twilight opened the door with her magic, allowing Fluttershy to enter before her. Both ponies waved to Spike, who was dusting books in an upper shelf.
"Good job, Spike!" chanted both ponies as they crossed the main library, climbing to their room. Twilight locked the door magically. Through simple white curtains, the room was only dimly illuminated in the Ponyville afternoon, with the sun descending on the opposite side, a favorite feature of the couple which snuggled in the room during many warm evenings and found warmth in each other throughout chilly days. Twilight sat at the border of the soft bed, which receded under her weight. Fluttershy sat upon her haunches on the floor.
"Rarity told me she had recommended you something, but she wouldn't tell me what it was. She said you'd tell me."
Twilight nodded. She patted the patch of bed next to her, and Fluttershy stood to sit down next to her. Twilight grabbed Fluttershy's right hoof with her left hoof, and told Fluttershy all about her talk with Rarity, her meeting with Lyra and the reunion they had held at the park.
"And I told her I'd meet with her tomorrow at Bon Bon's shop to tell her the schedule for our meeting. But now I know that it wasn't that good of an idea."
Fluttershy shook her head. Her other hoof found a place resting on top of Twilight's left hoof. "Let's do it."
Twilight looked at her, blinking. "A-are you sure?" Fluttershy nodded slowly.
"I don't want to fall into what I told you before. I don't want to believe it'll be alright and then find out that it is not, and that we're lost. So I want to at least see what she can do for us. It might help us, and if it doesn't, I'll just think up of something else with you. Doesn't that sound right?"
Twilight remained silent for some moments, and then slowly nodded as well. "Yes."
Fluttershy smiled and reached for Twilight with her hooves, embracing the unicorn.
"Just remember that you can talk these things with me, ok honey?"
Twilight smiled, nuzzling Fluttershy's cheek and deepening their embrace. "I will."
She rose to deliver a soft kiss to Fluttershy's forehead, which brought a blush and a smile to the pegasus' face, as she snuggled up closer.
"When do you think we should meet up with her?" asked Twilight. Fluttershy looked at her, tilting her head slightly.
"Well, you're going to see her tomorrow, so why not meet with her afterwards. I can take care of my little friends and you can bring her to the cottage," answered Fluttershy.
"Sounds good for me." Fluttershy smiled and sauntered closer to her, kissing her cheek softly. Twilight enjoyed the feeling of Fluttershy's lips against her and pressed herself to the pegasus' face. "You're the best, you know?"
"I've got to be, since I've got the best marefriend I could've wished for."
Sunlight was filtered among the branches of the trees at both sides of the path leading to Ponyville, marking their shadows. Neither the sun nor the moon were present at the sky, bathed with the colors of dusk.
Twilight trotted slowly, taking her time to appreciate her namesake as stars began to illuminate the darkening firmament. She climbed the hill that led from Fluttershy's cottage to Sweet Apple Acres, stopping at the top. She turned to look back at the cottage, in which the light coming from the windows created a contrast with the darkness around. She smiled broadly before turning back again to continue her trek towards Ponyville.