Now, on a bad day, or at least what would be thought of as a bad day, the local animal shelter of Canterlot would be abuzz with the near-deafening noise of animals. Dogs barking, birds squawking, and even the general chatter of some of the smaller creatures housed there. All-in-all it was not the type of place for one who enjoyed a little bit of peace and quiet. However, thankfully, today was a good day, and all of the animals were rested, sleeping soundly or just sitting quietly in their pens. In this time, the shelter was exactly the kind of relaxing atmosphere one needed after a long and stressful day. Such was the time that Twilight Sparkle, noted student of Crystal Prep Academy, now found herself, entering through the front doors of this place and looking around. However, rather than her usual appearance, the girl had actually taken to letting her hair down, rather than keeping it up in a bun as she usually did.

While not really a fanatical animal lover, a smile nevertheless crept onto her face at the sight of the creatures around her. And so it was that she felt comfortable enough to set down her school bag, unzipping it to reveal her beloved dog, Spike. Once out, the small canine made his way over to the various enclosures, sniffing them with curiosity, all while Twilight herself began to look around in earnest. After a few minutes of this however, the silence of the moment was disturbed by the arrival of another; Fluttershy. The pink-haired girl emerged from a door on the other side of the room, catching Twilight's attention, and it wasn’t long before she too was noticed, taking on a smile at seeing her friend. Twilight returned the smile, though kept silent as Fluttershy got on with her own work, carrying a box of animal feed over to the nearby counter. Only when it was set down did the girl finally speak.

"It's good to see you, Twilight. I didn't know if you were going to come."

Twilight nodded before turning, looking towards Spike, who was still investigating his fellow animals.

"Well...I had a bit more spare time than I thought, but I figured I could at least make it over for a little while."

Fluttershy smiled at that, starting to take out the various food items from the box. After a few more moments though, she stopped, instead looking to Twilight as if she'd just noticed something.

"Oh! Twilight! Your...your hair!"

Although confused at first, a look of realisation crossed Twilight's face, coupled with a slight blush, as she raised a hand and trailed her fingers through her now-loose hair.

"Oh, that. Yeah...um...I figured it might be nice to try a new style, and, well...here it is."

Fluttershy regarded it for a few moments before putting on a small smile.

"It's very pretty. But...don't you think it's a bit too much like...you know?"

Twilight didn't need to ask for clarification, for she already knew what her friend was talking about.

"Yeah. I know it's like her. I'm sorry if it's a bit confusing for you."

But Fluttershy shook her head at that.

“Don’t worry about me. You just do what you're comfortable with.”

Twilight looked to her, smiling in an appreciative way. However, as the spectacled girl turned, trying to put her gaze upon the surrounding animals, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of something in the girl’s eye. Hesitation perhaps? Maybe some kind of worry? Regardless, it was most definitely a clue to her that not all was right with the Crystal Prep girl. Now, most people who knew her would say that Fluttershy was not very outgoing, and certainly not the kind to involve herself where she felt she might not be wanted. And yet, here, in this time and place, she felt a need to speak to her friend.

“Um…Twilight? Is…is everything alright?”

Twilight turned to her, her face betraying the uncertainty she felt.

“Oh…yeah. I’m fine.”

But Fluttershy was unconvinced by that.

“Twilight…I know that look. It’s the same look I have when I’m trying to convince everyone else that something is fine.”

Twilight opened her mouth to give as retort to that, only to silence herself, turning from her friend with a look of shame. She had been figured out, and now there was no turning back from this. Fluttershy saw the clear discomfort she had, and was, admittedly, loathe to probe further. And yet, in her heart, she knew her friend was troubled by something, and so, being the kind of girl she was, she felt that this was something she had to enquire deeper about.

“Twilight…please…talk to me. You’re my friend. And…I want to help you if there’s something bothering you.”

Twilight turned to her, hesitation plastered all over her face, and opened her mouth several times, only to give out many false starts. In the end, she let out a deep sigh when she finally spoke, albeit in a hushed manner.

“Fluttershy…you and the other girls…you think of me as your friend, right?”

Fluttershy looked more than a little taken aback by those words, but nevertheless smiled and nodded in confirmation.

“Of course we do. Why wouldn't we?”

Twilight looked down at the ground, poking her index fingers together as she replied.

“It’s just…are you sure you really want to be friends with…with me?”

At that, Fluttershy tilted her head, her face bearing clear confusion.

“I…I don’t know what you mean.”

Again, Twilight was hesitant, and as always, Fluttershy gave her the time she needed to say what she needed to.

“It’s just…I need to know…are you all trying to be friends with me…or…or are you just trying to hold onto your friendship with…her?”

It took several moments for Fluttershy to truly understand what Twilight was talking about, and when she finally did, her eyes widened.

“You…you mean…Princess Twilight?”

Twilight nodded, a look of sadness crossing her eyes.

“There hasn’t been a single moment I’ve spent with you girls that I haven’t been thankful for. But…you’re the only real friends I’ve ever had, aside from Spike, my brother and Dean Cadence. So…”

The girl turned, unable to look Fluttershy in the eye any longer.

“I…I need to know…if you truly want to be friends with me…or if this is just a way for you to keep someone else in your life.”

Fluttershy stood there in utter silence, shocked at the words her friend had spoken. In truth, the look on her face made it clear that it was not something she had considered, and yet, her response was not to simply deny the accusation. Instead, she turned, looking away from Twilight, and thinking deeply about the matter. Twilight watched her, half-terrified at whatever answer she was going to hear. She clenched her fists, fighting against the urge to simply run out rather than stay and hear what Fluttershy had to say in response. But, stay she did, and after a long and incredibly uncomfortable silence, Fluttershy sighed, turning to her with a somewhat saddened look.

“I…I want to say that your fears are wrong. I want to tell you that we’re friends with you for selfless reasons, and that we wanted to help you. But…Applejack is not the only one of us who feels the need to be honest.”

Twilight stayed silent, watching as Fluttershy continued.

“Maybe we weren’t aware of it…and maybe we never even considered it…but now that you’ve said it…now that I’ve actually had to think about it…I think the truth is that, yes, some small part of me wanted to hold onto…onto her.”

So, from the mouth of Twilight’s friend herself, the truth had come out, and it was exactly as she’d feared. However, before Twilight had the chance to turn away, Fluttershy stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gaining her attention once more.

“But…that’s not the only part of all this. While I may have wanted, on some level, to be friends with you so I can keep a Twilight in my life…I also wanted to be friends with you…as in this Twilight, not just the other.”

Twilight looked to her with confusion, though still kept her mouth shut. Letting out a sigh, Fluttershy continued.

“I know it’s a terrible thing to admit to…and I’m sorry if it makes you feel sad to learn this. And I’m definitely sorry if we made you feel all that during our time together. I wish…I wish we’d have talked about this before…but I mean what I say, Twilight.”

Slowly, a smile crept onto her face.

“You’re not just a link to me. Not just a way to remind myself of her. You are your own person, your own Twilight. You’re a whole other friend to me, a friend who isn't her, even if you do share the same face.”

Stepping closer, Fluttershy’s face was one of reassurance.

“And I can promise you this…all of the girls, Sunset, Rainbow and the rest…I’m sure they feel the same about you as I do.”

Another silence fell between them, through this was far from being as uncomfortable as the last. Twilight stood there, taking in everything that had been said to her, and before long, Fluttershy saw, to her slight worry, that tears were beginning to form in her friend’s eyes. However, after removing her glasses and wiping those tears away, Twilight began to smile, and in a genuine manner.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. I…I really needed to hear that.”

Fluttershy smiled right back, and before long, the two girls moved closer, embracing one another in a hug. It was a warm feeling between them, and certainly a pleasant one, and of course, this was the moment when Spike finally turned to see what was going on. One look at the hug however, and he turned right back around, deciding that it would probably be for the best not to ask what was happening. As for the two girls, they parted from each other soon afterwards, and Twilight, still smiling, took both hands and began to tie her hair back into its distinct bun, all while Fluttershy watched with approval in her expression.

“There we go. You look like you again.”

Twilight chuckled a little as she finished her tying up.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. All that stuff…well…it was bothering me.”

The pink-haired girl nodded before looking as if an idea came to mind.

“You know…I hear Princess Twilight had a similar problem when she first came to our world.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that.

“She did?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Oh yes. Apparently she was already friends with pony versions of me, Rarity and all the rest of us. So coming here and meeting all of us…it must have been difficult.”

Twilight nodded, looking genuinely interested at that.

“Hmmm…sounds like it was quite an ordeal.”

Considering that point, Fluttershy put on another smile.

“Oooh! Maybe you could ask Sunset for that magic book of hers? Maybe…maybe correspond with the other Twilight yourself?”

Twilight paused for a moment, thinking that over, before a small smile began to creep onto her face once more.

“Yeah…I think I’d like that.”