Why can't I understand?

I frowned.

Why can't I just see their reasons, accept it, and move on?

My brow furrowed, I closed my eyes and tried to force the questions to leave me alone. I couldn't help that I wanted to understand. For the better half of my life, it had been my job to learn how to understand. I was Princess Celestia's star student. Her only student in the last couple hundred years. She chose me. I was the ace apprentice, the studious pupil who never failed to find the roots of a problem and unravel every element of it until complete understanding was achieved. So why, why, was I getting hung up on something as simple as this?

Not only did I feel like a horrible student, I felt like a horrible friend. For a moment I wished I could just un-see what had happened between Dash and Fluttershy. I felt like this new found knowledge was making me respect them less, not because I didn't appreciate their choices but because I just couldn't understand.

There are some things you just can't explain.

My own words to Celestia. A harsh bitterness filled my heart as I realized I hadn't learned a thing about friendship; no matter how many moral-filled messages I sent to the princess, I wasn't learning any of the lessons I had shared.

But this last pondering brought about a new thought. Those words to Celestia were from when I was struggling with Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Senses". I couldn't understand that, either.

Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie. The social pony, the one who understood social interaction better than I ever would.

I know everypony, and I mean every pony in Ponyville!

I didn't doubt in the slightest that she would know something about taking a gallop on the...I cut this thought off. I was being stupid. Finding all these ways new and creative terms for the topic was just idiotic of me.

"LESBIAN!" I shouted to myself. I felt better for a moment. But then, with a sudden sinking feeling I looked around. Spike was no where in sight. I breathed a sigh of relief, but then questioned, for a moment, where he might be. I soon dropped the query and returned to my thoughts.

Pinkie, as the social one, would be able to tell me anything I needed to know about homosexuality...the what, the who, and with any luck, the why.

Without delay, I ran to Sugarcube Corner to mention the situation to Pinkie Pie. I knew if anypony would be able to keep our conversation a secret, it would be her. And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pinkie would be able to shed some light on the subject. In fact, I wouldn't have put it past her to know about Dash and Fluttershy already....

Despite the previous night's festivities, Sugarcube Corner was already tidied up and back in working order. The soft, welcoming aroma of freshly baked pastries had already waged war against and overthrown the thick, sugary scent of punch and candy that one expected to still lurk in the air.

Ringing the bell at the counter, I glanced around. Right on cue, Pinkie Pie came bouncing out of the kitchen and up to the counter. With a goofy grin and the typical squeak in her voice she greeted me.

"Something wrong, Twilight? You look all topsy-turvy!"

"Pinkie...there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh, it's about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, isn't it?"

For the record, I so called that one.

"Yeah."

"You figured it out at the party, yesterday? When they left to go have some fun on their own?"

"Um...yeah. But how did you...?"

"Well I thought it was kind of obvious. You went looking for them after they left, so you couldn't have known then. But you know now, so that must have been when you found out. I was right, then?"

"Er...yeah," I felt rather stupid. But that wasn't Pinkie's fault, I was actually being a bit stupid, "anyway, I was wondering what your thoughts were on all of this."

"My thoughts? I think it's super-duper spectacular! Come on, Twilight, the only thought that wants to be thoughted...wait, thoughted...thinked? Anyway - all you need to think about is how happy you are for them! They're able to admit their feelings, and that's something that deserves to be felt happy about!"

Pinkie's way with words never failed to amuse me. I mulled over the statement and tried to make sense of it; the end result was half of my brain understanding completely, and the other half giving up completely. I decided to just respond.

"I do feel happy for them, but...you know me. I don't quite understand, and that bothers me."

"I don't get it either, Twilight, but there are some things that just can't be explained."

Well I know that, was a thought that remained unsaid.

"Just...something about what they told me has me thinking. Dash said that until a week ago neither of them had had any feelings towards each other. Yet something happened a week ago, something that must have made both of them think about it, because they both started having the feelings even though neither of them knew the other was thinking the same thing. Something must have happened to trigger the thoughts for both of them."

"Isn't it obvious, Twilight?"

"What?"

"Twilight, they got it from each other!"

I stared at Pinkie, dumbfounded.

"You remember the spark? The one that gave you the Element of Magic?"

"Yeah."

"Love has one, too, I've heard! It's like, you see a pony, and you know it's them, they're the one! Like, love at first sight, sort of? I'm not entirely sure how it works, but anyway, sometimes two ponies can get that spark for each other at the same time. Or something like that."

I suspected Pinkie had something genuine to say, but I was barely able to follow.

"So...you're saying...?"

"I'm saying there's nothing weird about them getting the feeling at the same time! It may be a bit uncommon, but stranger things than this have turned out to be commonplace!"

I still wasn't completely following, but I thought I got the gist.

"I have some thinking to do. Thanks for your help, I appreciate the input."

I returned home. When the door to the library had closed completely, I sank to my front knees and let out a yell of frustration.

"You too, huh?" came a familiar voice from the other side of the room.

Spike, my assistant and good friend, sat at the table moping, or rather brooding, over something which, it seemed, greatly upset him.

And so, for the first time that day, I was able to cast aside my own worries and show compassion towards another.