There was no question about it. Fluttershy’s cottage, at the edge of Ponyville, was undoubtedly the most idyllic spot in the entire place. With its little pond, tweeting birds and bright and beautiful flowers, it was the kind of place that looked as if it had probably just sprung from the pages of a fairy tale. And that, coupled with the brilliantly bright sunshine, made this a good place to visit. And so it was that Twilight, with a smile on her face, was merrily trotting towards her friend’s home, a pair of saddle-bags upon her back as she did so. Once she’d reached the front door, she raised a hoof, knocking upon it. She waited a moment or two before seeing the door finally open, and when it did, she smiled even wider at the sight of her friend on the other side.

“Good morning, Fluttershy.”

Though Fluttershy’s smile was smaller, it was still a genuine one, and she gave Twilight a nod before stepping aside, allowing her entry. As the young alicorn made her way in, she took note of a few animals around the place, all busy with what had presumably been a very recent feeding. But, as she looked to them, Fluttershy closed the door behind her, walking alongside the princess before finally speaking up to her.

“Thank you so much for agreeing to help out today, Twilight.”

Twilight gave a nod before replying to that.

“It’s no bother. Anything to help.”

Smiling back, Fluttershy began to make her way towards her kitchen.

“I’ll get us some tea first, then we can make a start on fixing up the chicken house.”

Nodding, Twilight stayed where she was, watching her friend walk off. As soon as Fluttershy was out of sight, she continued to look around, sighing at just how peaceful this cottage was, even with the constant sounds of animals feeding in the background. However, as she began to hear the sound of a kettle boiling in the next room, the young princess caught sight of something. A small table off on one side of the room, and upon it, a single piece of paper beside a quill. Even from here, Twilight could see that there was writing upon it, and with curiosity overcoming her, she took a few steps forward. However, before she got close enough to read it, she was stopped by a squeak to the side of her. Turning, she saw that Fluttershy had returned, looking utterly terrified as she saw what Twilight was about to do, leading to her rushing forward, coming in-between Twilight and the desk.

“No!” she called out.

Naturally, Twilight was quite taken aback by this behaviour, which caused her to take a step backwards before speaking in a surprised manner.

“Wha…what’s wrong, Fluttershy?”

Realising how she must have appeared, a massive blush appeared on Fluttershy’s face, and her eyes darted from left to right for a while before she started to speak up again.

“It’s…it’s…it’s nothing! Just…something silly!”

Raising an eyebrow at that, Twilight started to speak up again, her voice calm and collected.

“Fluttershy…there’s nothing to be worried about. What could possibly be written on that paper that could make you so concerned?”

The yellow pegasus paused, staring her friend right in the eyes, wondering to herself what to do, which was something plastered all over her face at this point. She glanced over her shoulder, to the paper on the desk, before looking back to Twilight. After a long wait between the two mares, Fluttershy eventually let out a sigh, turning around and gathering up the paper in her hooves.

“It’s just…I heard about what Rainbow did, writing a story. And…well…I wanted to write one of my own.”

Hearing that, Twilight looked a little surprised. She still remembered well the story Rainbow had attempted and shown to her some time back, but to hear that another of her friends wanted to partake of that hobby was clearly not something she’d been expecting. Even so, for the sake of her friend, she soon grew a small smile.

“That sounds wonderful, Fluttershy. Would you like me to look it over?”

Fluttershy looked to her, clearly still nervous, prompting Twilight to speak in a calmer voice.

“I promise I won’t judge or make fun of you for it. I was just thinking that, maybe, you’d like an outside opinion on it?”

The timid mare looked down to the paper in her hooves for a moment before glancing back up to her friend. It took a while, but eventually, she nodded, granting consent. However, while Twilight was happy about this, she nevertheless gestured over to the other side of the room, to a pair of comfortable-looking chairs. Fluttershy noted this and understood immediately what was being suggested. So, nodding back, she joined Twilight in making her way over to the chairs, placing the paper down on a small table in-between them. However, before she sat down, she rushed to the kitchen, having just remembered that there was tea to be had. Twilight got herself comfortable in her chair while she waited, an in a minute’s time, Fluttershy returned, a pair of filled tea cups in her hooves. After setting them down gently on the table, she picked up the paper and offered it to Twilight.

“It’s…it’s my first try.”

Smiling, Twilight nodded, using her magic to levitate the paper so that it was now hovering in front of her face. After clearing her throat a little and watching Fluttershy get into her own chair, she began to read the story out loud.

“Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit named Angel. He had lots of friends who loved him very much, and he was always happy every day. But then, one day, he realised that he hadn’t had his carrot, and was beginning to get hungry. Then, one of his friends, a squirrel, surprised him by offering him a carrot of his own! Angel thanked him, and together, they ate the carrot. And they lived happily ever after.”

Twilight read the passage over and over again, occasionally flipping the page over, just in case there was something written on the back. There was not. In the silence that followed, she lowered the paper, looking Fluttershy in the eye, seeing the nervousness still there. It was a sentiment reflected in her voice when the young pegasus finally spoke up.

“I…I know it’s not very long. I’m…I’m sorry about that.”

Twilight looked down at the story she’d read, and let out a sigh, forming a smile upon her face as she looked back up to Fluttershy.

“You don’t need to worry about its length, Fluttershy. It’s…nice.”

But Fluttershy did not seem happy about that, and turned away.

“You don’t like it, do you?”

Twilight raised a hoof in an almost defensive manner.

“No! No! It’s not that! It’s just…”

But, she was interrupted when Fluttershy spoke up again.

“I know it’s not like a lot of the other stories you like. It’s not long. It’s not complex. It’s not got big adventures or deep characters or…”

However, this time, it was Fluttershy’s turn to be halted, as Twilight raised a single hoof, catching her attention. After a few moments of silence, Twilight finally spoke up again.

“Fluttershy…if you really feel that way about your writing…why did you write it at all?”

The yellow mare looked away again, poking her hooves against one another as she fumbled with a response.

“Well…um…I thought about what I liked in a story, and…well…that was it. I’ve never really liked stories where bad and dangerous things happen to people, especially to characters I liked. So…that was how I wrote. Nice animals and nice things happening to them.”

Slowly, she looked back to Twilight.

“Why do you ask?”

After a moment or two, Twilight cracked a small smile.

“I asked…because what you want to write is all that matters.”

At first, Fluttershy seemed confused by this, prompting Twilight to explain herself.

“If you say you want it short, simple and with nice and likeable animals in it, then you go right ahead and write it that way. Don’t let anypony tell you that your story isn’t worth it, just because it isn’t like other stories.”

As before, Fluttershy seemed taken aback, as well as a little unsure of herself right now. Twilight, seeing this, reached forward, placing her hoof upon Fluttershy’s, gaining her attention once more.

“Hey…you want to know a secret?”

Fluttershy paused for a moment before giving a hesitant nod. Seeing this, Twilight smiled before continuing.

“I actually prefer short and simple stories.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened with surprise at hearing that.

“R…really?”

Twilight nodded.

“Yep. Adventure and intrigue and complexity are always nice, but, if it comes down to it, a simple story about two people just spending time with each other…”

Briefly, she gestured to the nearby tea cups.

“…maybe just two friends enjoying some tea together…that’s still a good story to me. Not everything has to be big and flashy, or dark and ponderous, Fluttershy. Sometimes…”

Twilight chuckled a little before continuing.

“…sometimes…short and sweet is all we need.”

Fluttershy stared at her friend, seeing the honesty in her face, and gradually, she joined her in smiling. Together, they both giggled over the whole thing, and when the laughter finally died down, Twilight used her magic to levitate Fluttershy’s story over to her again. Taking the paper in her hooves, Fluttershy read the passage herself, smiling warmly at her writing, before finally looking back up at her friend.

“Thank you, Twilight.”

The young mare nodded back to her, picking up her tea cup with one hoof and raising it to her.

“No problem, Fluttershy. And here’s to you making more stories that you like.”

Giggling again, Fluttershy set her paper aside before picking up her own cup and raising it in turn.

“And here’s to me liking what I write.”

Author's Notes:

Published December 18th 2015