Everypony had come up to Twilight’s room and found comfortable positions around the area to sit down and discuss the situation… that is, with the notable exceptions of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who’d seemed to be asleep in the guest bed. Applejack was fit snugly under the covers snoring lightly, but not Rainbow. I took note of how INSANELY attractive the blue pegasus mare was in her sleep; sprawled unceremoniously across the guest bed she shared with the orange farm pony, her raucous snoring akin to the sound of a growling tiger as she periodically gaped her mouth to the point where I was worried she’d dislocate her jaw to take in air, and then pucker her lips to gently blow the air out, making this strange whispery sound every time. I was going to mess with her SO hard for this… if only I’d have brought a camera… In any case, we had an important matter to discuss, and Twilight headed the discussion…

“Okay, first order of business: The letter,” the unicorn began quietly, considerate of her friends who weren’t awake to listen or give input. In addition, the room was lit only by the night’s moon. “There’s a very important reason I want you to hold off on that letter, Spike. And that reason is because Gillian plans on taking Zecora hostage.” At that, everyone gasped in shock.

“Then why don’t we send the letter to Celestia now?” asked Spike. “I mean, she would likely send guards out to her hut to protect her if they haven’t gotten to her already, wouldn’t she? And if they did, then they could search for her.”

“Yes, but that’s the thing… Gillian told me that he planned on taking her hostage, but not taking her anywhere. In fact, he said he would keep her holed up in her hut. The problem lies in that he wants me to go there tomorrow afternoon… alone.” That statement elicited another series of collectively appalled gasps.

“Twilight! You don’t seriously intend on embarking on such a… such a DANGEROUS quest on your own, do you?” asked Rarity, worried about her friend.

“I… I don’t know…”

“I don’t trust that sneaky snakey dragon-napping, zebra-burgling, human-jacking, forest-lurking, home-invading, pony-beating-upping, Celestia… againsty… conspiriatiring Gillian as far as I could throw him,” Pinkie ranted. “And given how big he is, I bet I couldn’t throw him very far at all. But then… I wouldn’t be able to throw any of you guys very far either… hmm… does that mean I can’t trust YOU guys? Hmm… Or maybe there’s some kind of exception…” she lost herself in her own train of thought, pondering her own ridiculous question.

“What I think Pinkie’s trying to say,” Fluttershy continued. “…is that Gillian might be setting a trap.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “I mean, we’ve been over this before, Twi. He’s after you. It honestly baffles me as t’ why he didn’t take you when he had the chance, now that I think of it…”

“Well… look at me,” she countered.

“Yea. It looks like you had a rough day. Which means you were right in the palms o’ his hooves…” I gritted my teeth and growled at the thought.

“Right. But for some reason, he wants me to be in what I assume is a presentable condition, which I’m currently unable to— Ooh! –maintain right now,” she rebutted with a sudden cringe, holding her abdomen.

“I assume that means you’re prolly outta magic t’ fix yaself up with then, no?”

“Mmph! C-correct…” she affirmed in a labored tone, still clutching her stomach.

“That stomach cramp botherin’ you?”

“Yes, but… I’ll manage. In any case, I feel… as though I need to follow his order without any risks… for Zecora’s safety.”

“What??” gasped everyone else, myself included.

“You can’t be serious!” I shot in a tone of appall. “You’re not seriously gonna jus’ walk right int’ his dirty trick, are you?”

“You know just as well as I do that I don’t want to. But he mentioned that if I don’t, then something bad’s going to happen to her. I will not have any unfortunate incidents involving a friend of mine on my conscience when I have the option to stop it... I won't be going in to surrender, though; I'll go in and with luck, negotiate with him and find out his motives.”

“I understand that, Twi. We all do. But come on. We all also know exactly wha’ss t’ come if you do that. He’s most likely gonna take you in exchange for her, which would bring him THAT much closer to Celestia, whether you 'discuss' it or not. We ARE dealin' with an escaped convict here.”

“So what? You’re saying I should just ABANDON Zecora? I’m sure THAT’S a great way to say thanks for saving you from the dangers of the Everfree Forest,” she indignantly remarked, her frustration showing.

“No! What I’m sayin’ is that you can’t trust him and you can't do this alone! You have seven friends here t’ back you up. Why in the world would you go in there without some kinda protection?”

“Because if even ONE of you comes along, he’s going to renege on his end of the perceived deal, where he and his accomplice will do something terrible to both me and Zecora, with the addition of those who followed me!”

“So hide us! I mean, I don’t wanna assume that you have spells that are convenient for the situation we’re dealin’ with, but there’s gotta be some other way.”

“Well I’m sorry, but there isn’t. Besides, I’m not going to gamble on the safety of Zecora like that. If he and his friend Comet even THINK there’s something fishy going on, who knows what they’ll do to her or even me!”

“Twi, I REFUSE t’ let you go an’ endanger yourself like that!” I forbade, my own frustration growing.

“What are you, my parents!?” the unicorn snapped, much to my surprise, as well as the surprise of our spectators. "I'm not asking for, nor do I need your permission to help Zecora out, Ty! If there's a way to keep her out of peril, then I'm going through with it!"

“…Seriously??” I asked with extreme contempt at her sarcasm. “You KNOW it’s a trap, you KNOW they’re gonna use you t’ get t’ Celestia, and you KNOW that even if you’re thinkin’ of tryin’ somethin’ heroic, they combined have you outmatched!”

“I know that! But I also know that I’m not going to sit back and wait for them to harm my friend before they improvise and execute another phase of their malicious plot! For all I know, they could come for Spike, they could come for Pinkie or Applejack or any of us, or they could even come for you!”

“Me?”

“Yes!" she nearly shouted. "You’re the reason this whole thing began in the first place!" the unicorn accused, pointing a hoof at me. "If you’d have just listened to me and stayed here like you were supposed to, you wouldn’t have been dragged into the forest where you could've been killed, and the series of unfortunate events that led to this hostage situation likely wouldn’t have transpired!” I was no less than appalled at her accusation. My frustration at her amplified as I began to feel the intensity of my headache increase with it.

“Oh, that is unbelievable… You’re really gonna blame ME for everything that went down today? SORRY for wantin’ t’ help out a friend in need!” I stated in offense. “How was I supposed t’ know that he was out there searchin’ for me? And more importantly, what was I supposed to say? ‘Oh sorry Fluttershy, I can’t help you, I’m supposed t’ sit here for no legitimate reason whatsoever?’”

“Of course not, but I REALLY needed you to stay here! I’m sorry if I didn’t iterate and illustrate that point strongly enough for you to understand the urgency of it, but I really wish you’d have listened to me! If you did, Gillian wouldn't have found you the way he did!”

“Well I'm sorry, but wha’ss done is done an’ now we got a situation on our hands an’ hooves regardin’ somebody’s plans t’ get at Celestia. An’ I COMPLETELY disagree with the way you’re tryin’ t’ go about it!”

“Well let’s see YOU come up with something better! Do you see any OTHER way I could get Zecora to safety? Hm?” I went completely silent; just like the others who watched in unified alarm at the verbal altercation Twi and I had engaged in.

"I don't know WHAT'S wrong with her right now! But I also don't have a way t' convince her t' go about a less risky method o' savin' Zecora... Dammit..." I had no idea how to go about another way to combat Gillian’s ultimatum. But I had the point that Twilight shouldn’t just give herself up to the opposition. This man has proven to be extremely cunning and sneaky. Who knew if he was even a pony of his word? Whatever he wanted Twilight to do, I wholeheartedly disagreed with it.

“…no,” I dejectedly responded. “But my point still stands that you CANNOT go in there alone if that’s the case! I mean come on: When’s the last time you actually AGREED to the demands of a crimin—?”

*knock knock knock* “Twilight Sparkle! Are you home? And please tell me that you’re not alone!” shouted a familiar, thickly-accented voice.

“Zecora?” the entire group murmured in unison. Twilight was quick to get up, despite wincing at the pain in her stomach and foreleg, and was about to trot out of the room before I stopped her by grasping and gently tugging on her tail. Of course, she glared at me in anger.

“Hold on. You don’t know if tha’ss really her or not. Why leave yaself open like that?” I whispered.

“He does have a point,” Rarity concurred. “I mean, we’ve seen how Gillian impersonated Spike… what if he’s casting the same spell, but taking on the form of Zecora to lure you out?”

*knock knock knock* “I hear somepony inside the abode! Am I in need of some kind of code?”

“Who else do any of us know that keeps up rhyming on a consistent basis?” Twilight asked. “I don’t think even Gillian could keep THAT up… But just to be safe, let’s ask her a few questions only SHE would know once one of us lets her in…”

“Sounds like a plan,” I concurred.

“Good. Now who’s going down there?”

“I’ll do it!” volunteered an enthusiastic Pinkie Pie.

“Really?” I asked, caught off-guard by Pinkie’s volunteerism.

“Yeah! I could easily tell a real pony— or zebra in this case— from a fake. I usually pick up on these sorts of things with my Pinkie sense.” At that moment, her tail shook wildly, prompting everyone to duck and cover their heads but me.

“What are y’all doi—!” *CRASH* “Ow…!” I exclaimed, grasping my aching head, which I found was covered in a mound of dirt with shards of ceramic in it. “Fuuu… cryin’ out loud…! What WAS that?”

“My Pinkie Sense. I can predict when certain things will happen JUST before they do!”

“Don’t even ask… Don’t. EVEN. Ask…”

“…Well rather than debate that, which I’m sure I’d lose anyway given what I’ve heard, why don’t you go an’ put that to the real test,” I suggested, wiping the remains of what I could guess was a potted plant off of my head.

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” with that, the excitable pink mare bounced her way out of the room and into the library to let in our suspicious guest.

“Pinkie Pie! How do you do? You haven’t seen Twilight Sparkle, have you?” we all heard as we sat in silence.

“Yes. She’s right upstairs with the others. Come on up!” with that, Pinkie led the zebra up into the room, entering the same way she exited: bouncing with glee. Zecora trotted in, seeming a bit confused.

“Why did you not answer the door?” she asked Twilight. “I’m sure this library is yours.”

“Sorry, Zecora,” Twilight apologized. “We were just a little nervous is all… we had a little run-in with a certain pair of unicorns, and one of them happens to know a shape-shifting spell. He used it to deceive us before we got into an altercation with him...” At that news, Zecora took on a look of worry.

“...Then I see my premonition was right. They DID come for Spike?”

“Yeah, but... *yawn* I’m okay now...” answered the dragon, seeming a bit weary as he crawled into his basket. The zebra nodded with a smile at his comfirmation of his condition.

“And I see that you are safe and sound,” she addressed me. “I noticed many townsfolk looking around. They make claims of an alien that crossed their sight, which gave everypony quite the fright.”

“Yea… he made SURE I’d be seen when he sent me t’ the middle o’ the town. I almost had no way outta there until I got picked up by Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. But I know we’re only beginning t’ deal with that problem. Especially since this one unicorn named Lyra took a particular interest in me.”

“Lyra?” asked Twilight. “Why would she take an interest in you?”

“We met while I was in pony form yesterday and got acquainted before A.J. found me. When Gillian sent me t’ Ponyville as I am now, she was the first to approach me, snoopin’ around an’ playin’ detective. Long story short, she MIGHT have an idea of who I am… but I don’t know if she’s told anypony or not in the case that she does…”

“Oh no…” Twilight murmured in worry. “I really hope she didn’t figure it out… we can’t afford to explain you to the rest of the town right now… we have to deal with Gillian first.”

“Speakin’ of which, we thought he came after you, Zecora.”

“After me? Why would that be?” she asked, perplexed.

“He said he was going to take you hostage in your own home after he was done here as a way to lure me out there,” the purple unicorn explained. “We’d thought he’d have gotten you by now. Which reminds me: not to sound rude or anything, but what made you come here?”

“He and Ty were in quite the scuffle. I knew there would be a great deal of trouble. After they disappeared, I ran from there to here, in hopes that a crisis in Ponyville wasn’t near.”

“It’s a good thing you did. We were in the middle of a debate on how to save you in the case that you WERE apprehended by them… Just to be absolutely sure though… would you mind staying here for the night?”

“A night spent here? What reason is there to fear?” she asked, apparently picking up the nervousness in Twilight’s tone of voice.

“While we don’t know where he and Comet are, I’d feel much safer if we all stayed together, thereby severely limiting his chances of taking one of us while separate.”

“*GASP* A slumber party!!” Pinkie Pie shouted in total ecstasy.

“Pinkie…!” Rarity scolded. “Applejack and Rainbow Dash are asleep…!”

“Oopsie… I mean… whoo-hoo! A slumber party…!” she cheered in a much more whispery volume, although she couldn’t hide her excitement. She reached into her mane and pulled out a giant roll, which she unfolded to reveal a giant pink sleeping bag.

“Okay, how in the hell did she fit THAT behind her head? Damn, jus’ thinkin’ about it makes my head hurt more…”

“What should we do? Tell ghost stories? Have a pillow fight? Play Truth Or Dare? Would You Rather? Maybe we could sit and share stories with each other about our day! Ooh! I know! We could—!”

“I think a little rest is something we all need…” Twilight suggested, which no one argued with as she trotted up onto her own bed. “Oh, before I forget: Spike, I think now would be a good time to send that letter…” she got no reply. “Spike?” the lavender unicorn turned toward the basket in which the dragon lay to see that he’d been long gone in his sleep. “*sigh* I guess we’ll wait then… can’t blame the little guy for being tuckered out after the day we’ve had…”

“Aww…” Pinkie sighed in dejection at her partying ideas being more-or-less shot down.

“I… *yawn* for one could certainly use a good night's sleep… There should be some extra blankets and pillows in that closet over there, everypony. Although…” she trailed off as she looked at me in worry.

“Don’t sweat it,” I assured. “I got these filthy clothes t’ keep me warm. All’s I need is an extra pillow.”

“A-are you sure? I mean… I don’t want you to be uncomfortable…”

“I’ll be fine. It won’t be quite as snug on the floor, but I can manage.”

“…alright then…” she uneasily agreed as she made herself more comfortable. “G’night, everypony...” Everyone still awake bid their nightly farewells after they (with the exception of Pinkie, who had come prepared) each took a blanket and a pillow for themselves to find a comfortable place on the floor to rest.

However, I still had something on my mind and I chose not to put it off with sleep. So I instead decided to get it out of the way as soon as I could.

“Hey… Fluttershy?”

“Hm?”

“Can you see me out on the balcony?”

“Oh… okay,” the mare humbly agreed. I made sure to tread carefully and quietly over the other sleeping ponies. She merely needed to fly over them. The yellow pegasus and I made our way to the balcony’s doors and stepped outside. We each took a position across from one another as I sat down. She followed suit by landing and sitting down on her haunches while folding her wings.

“*sigh* Okay… about earlier… um… I’m… really sorry…” I apologized, the guilt overtaking me.

“It’s okay…” she assured, giving me an adorably worried stare.

“No… no, i’ss not okay. I… Twilight let me know what happened with you after I ran off…”

“Oh…” Fluttershy answered in a tone of sudden discomfort. “Sh-she did…?”

“It’d prolly not be such a great idea t’ mention the whole ‘crush’ thing t’ her.”

“Yea… she told me you were cryin’ when she saw you today…”

“Oh. Well um… I was, but only a little. I’m okay now.”

“Well I’m glad t’ hear you’re good. But… tha’ss not the only reason I needed t’ talk t’ you. I… get the feel that you… um… how do I put this…?” I pondered. “I get the feel that you’re… I dunno, conflicted in a way.”

“O-oh! Wh-what makes you say that…?”

“The entire experience when I came t’ your house. Specifically, what happened in your dinin’ area… when I caught you… the way we locked eyes… I was jus’ gettin’ this vibe…”

“Oh…” she seemed to be getting increasingly uncomfortable as I beat around the bush. She lowered her head while still struggling to keep her gaze locked on me, blushing with what I perceived as guilt.

“Okay, this ain’t workin’. Jus’ get to the point.”

“Alright, I’mma jus’ be straightforward with this, Fluttershy…” I, feeling a tad uneasy myself, took a very deep breath before just blurting it out. “Do you like me?”

“What???” she practically jumped out of her fur, completely startled by the question. "O-of course I like you. Did you think I was mad at y--?"

“No, I mean do you like like me? Y’know… in a… romantic kind of way?”

“Oh… my…! Um… I-I… well… uh… *whimper*” she went from feeling slightly awkward to extremely uncomfortable in an instant. She’d totally lost the ability to look directly at me as she turned away and hunched over a little and began fidgeting with her mane.

“Well, she ain’t sayin’ no. But she ain’t sayin’ yes, either. No reason t’ pressure the poor girl into an answer...” After a moment of silently, patiently awaiting her response, I spoke with a newfound sense of emotional dissonance.

“I’ll… take your silence as a… Yes…? No...? Maybe so...?” she didn’t respond with words right away. She instead slowly, weakly nodded her head as a way to confirm her answer.

“Aww man…” I mentally face-palmed.

“Oh… um… well… I…” it was my turn to be at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry. I really am truly very sorry, Ty… I know you’re with Twilight,” the apologetic mare suddenly, hastily interrupted as she turned her full focus towards me, looking me dead in the eye with an expression of guilt that I was completely unprepared for. “I understand completely that you wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Neither would I. But it’s not every day somepony like you comes along…” her statement alarmed me.

“What do you mean…?” I warily asked, butterflies forming in my stomach.

“I mean somepony who I feel understands me for being as… as introverted as I am. Not many ponies here know what it’s like to not be able to express yourself normally. I don’t want to always be the scaredy-pony that everypony has to either make fun of or have to stand up for when I can’t do it myself. I don’t want to have to go through an entire dispute with my own self-esteem in order to go through with something as simple as helping out a friend in need…”

She began to tear up, her voice wavering as she explained herself, which served to make me feel even worse for her than I did before. “I… I’ve learned enough about myself to better handle myself in situations where I’m the one being depended on or where I need to assert myself or even when I’m just meeting a new pony. But it’s just so hard keeping it up… Sometimes, I fall right back into the same cowardly habits I’ve been trying to get rid of… I wish I could be more like you… “

“Really?” I asked in astonishment as butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach. I couldn't contain my anxiousness at Fluttershy's confession and began fidgeting with my moistening hands as my heartbeat sped up as if I were jogging.

“Yes… I still occasionally think about that conversation we had when we first met and a few of the conversations you and I have had afterwards… how you said you were able to overcome your own shyness and be able to talk to ponies without fear of making a bad impression or worrying about making a fool of yourself… not to mention all the stuff you’ve done for Twilight since we’ve known you. You’re so kind and sweet to everypony and when I do see you around, you and Twilight seem to get along so well… but at the same time, you seem like you’d be able to stand up for yourself when you need to. Then there’s the Hearth’s Warming party…”

“*sigh* I get the feel that none of us is gonna live THAT down…”

“When you were the only one to ask me what I was going to say when nopony else was listening to me… how you only got a little upset instead of really angry when Dashie tricked us… how, even though you didn’t have to for any reason, you still went through with… the um… the kiss… and then you, Twilight, and I managed to clear the air afterwards… That’s sort of when I started thinking of you… or at the very least… what it would be like to have somepony like you as a colt-friend… And then just today, when you volunteered to help me even though you were injured... I didn’t know somepony from a world so far away could be so… so kind and caring... so selfless... That’s why it hurt me so much to scare you off like I did... I felt so guilty about possibly ruining my friendship with you over this that I just fell into a fit of crying..." everything around us went eerily silent at that point, neither of us knowing what else to say.

"Uh... huh... *gulp* You couldn't slice THIS kind o' tension with a hot knife..."

"I… I guess what I’m trying to say is… is that I… I admire you,” the mare finally, yet sheepishly informed me. After venting her feelings out to me, she took a deep breath and cast her gaze away once again, blushing. “…even though you’re not a pony.”

“Oh… wow…” I was completely stunned beyond belief at her confession, my face feeling hotter than a habanero pepper that had been set on fire. “Um… I… I’m flattered, really. I… didn’t know you thought of me that way… But… I’m also really sorry…” I'd even begun trembling a little as the awkwardness took full swing.

“Sorry? For what? You didn’t do anything wrong…” she assured as she looked at me.

“I mean… for causin’ you trouble. I uh… I’d hate for you t’ feel some kinda negative way all because o’ somethin’ like this… I don’t know how t’ word it, but I guess I’ll say it kinda hurts t’ see or even hear about you of all ponies bein’ in an unhappy mood. It’s worse t’ know I’m the cause of it…”

“But that isn’t your fault. It’s mine… for even thinking of you that way when I know you’re with Twilight…”

"Wow... poor girl. She blames herself for her own feelin's..."

“You have nopony t’ blame. I understand where you come from. It’s perfectly alright to uh… to have an active imagination, for lack of a better term. The mind, in a way, is a… a sort o' safe haven, I guess… a place where you’re able t' do what you want, when you want, and how you want… a place where your thoughts and feelin's, unless physically or verbally conveyed t' someone else, are yours an' yours alone. So long as you don’t act out on those thoughts in the case that they’re in some way, shape, or form unacceptable, no one can control what runs through your mind but you. Simply put, you don’t hafta feel guilty for your thoughts so long as you don’t act on anything that may seem unacceptable… unless the thought is unacceptable even to you, that is. In that case… well in that case, jus’ don’t think bad thoughts, as hard as that may sound…” I stated with a short laugh, which Fluttershy joined me in.

“I understand…” she smiled a most heart-melting smile that would’ve probably made the Grinch’s heart grow ten times as compared to three.

“Good. Oh, and… um… two more things. One: I’m sure there’s a lotta good stallions out there willing to be your special somepony. I’ss up t’ you to find which one of ‘em is good enough for you… and Two: It’s part of your nature to be shy. Not t’ say you can’t change your nature to some extent, but old habits die hard. I know exactly where you’re comin’ from with the spontaneous recovery of repressed behaviors. Heck, I still have trouble talkin’ to others sometimes. Like if I was in a group with a buncha ponies I didn’t know... Would you expect me t’ be able t’ hit it off with every single one of ‘em or lead the conversation?”

“I… think so…?”

“Truth be told, Fluttershy… I wouldn’t.” At that, Fluttershy’s softly gazing turquoise eyes widened in surprise.

“You wouldn’t?”

“Well, i’ss more of an in-between kinda thing. I’m one o' those types that normally gets t’ know others one by one before I get comfortable. Tha’ss why I was able t’ get t’ know all o’ you so well. If Twilight was t’ jus’ introduce me t’ all o’ y’all at the same time, I woulda jus’ shut down… not in the sense that I’d panic an’ run away, but… it’d be more like… like I wouldn’t be able t’ give more than simple one or two-word responses t’ anything y’all had t’ ask me… MAYBE I’d speak a li’l bit more than that, but yea, I can still be shy sometimes, too...”

“Oh… I… I had no idea.”

“Yea, no one’s perfect. I got my quirks, you got your quirks, we all got quirks. What I figure we hafta do t’ become better individuals is learn ‘em an’ control ‘em to the best of our ability. Unless one feels like they really need t’ reevaluate his or herself, then all we gotta do is look at ourselves an’ ask, ‘do I like how I am?’ And if the answer is no, then you ask, ‘what can I change about myself t’ make me happy?’”

“I… I understand… you’re very insightful, Ty.”

“Thank you. But since we’re on the topic, I gotta ask: Do you like how you are?”

“Of course! I have wonderful friends, I take care of all the cutest, most wonderful animals I could ever ask for; big or small, I help protect Equestria from danger, and I’m nice to everypony. I’ll even stand up for my friends if there’s somepony giving them a hard time.”

“I see…” I commented, impressed by the qualities of herself she listed. “Impressive. But what about your quirks?”

“I um… I guess I’m too shy… and quiet… and… and I scare really easily to the point where it gets in other ponies’ way sometimes… and sometimes, when somepony isn’t listening to me or is giving me a hard time, I either lose my temper and scream at them, or I give them ‘The Stare.’”

“The Stare…?” I asked in aroused interest.

“It’s this really mean look I give to anypony who upsets me a lot. It scares anyone I aim it at really badly. Well… except Discord…”

“Discord…?” I asked in bewilderment. “Why does that sound familiar…?”

“You probably remember him as the statue you saw in the garden in Canterlot.” It took me a second, but I quickly remembered.

“You mean that freaky goat snake monster thing with all the different body parts that y’all said almost took over Equestria??” I almost shouted in shock and a sudden sense of apprehension. “He’s free again??”

“He’s not a freaky goat monster thing. He’s our friend. At least, now he is…”

“Really now? But… how? Where is he?”

“I don’t know where he is now, but it took a lot of time reforming him. Eventually, he came around when we gave him something he would never, ever want to give up…”

“What? Freedom?”

“No. Well, technically yes… but we gave him friendship.” At that, I dropped an eyebrow in skepticism.

“Really? Friendship?” I asked in disbelief. “Considerin’ what Twilight told me about this Discord, he was supposed t’ be the LORD of chaos and anything opposed t’ natural order and basic sense makin’… an' ALL y’all needed t’ do was become his friends t’ change ‘im?”

“Yes.”

“Now ain’t that about a ‘B’…?”

“Well now… I… actually hafta say that’s impressive… turnin’ a bad guy good jus’ like that…?”

“It’s possible. It just takes time, a lot of patience, and compassion.”

“So it is… I imagine it not bein’ so easy, though. He was prolly pissin’ you off the whole way through, wasn’t he?”

“He was… what?”

“Ix-nay on the Anguage-lay, man!”

“Oh! I mean, was he gettin’ on your nerves?”

“Oh. Yes. But only because he needed to make a change he originally didn’t want to make until he saw how that change could benefit him…”

“Interesting… That kinda plays along with what we’re discussin’… But now I’m curious. This ‘Stare’ of yours… what’s it like?”

“I could show you what it’s like, but… If it’s alright with you, I don’t want to do that…”

“Understandable. Any more quirks you can think of?”

“No… I… I think that’s all…”

“Oh. Well then yea, you could always work on betterin’ yourself. But in the end, are you happy with who you are?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Then don’t worry if you occasionally wind up lettin’ slip a bad habit. Jus’ focus on bein’ the gorgeous, good-natured pony you are. And who knows? Someone might take an interest in you…” I advised with a wink. She seemed to have taken that comment personally, as she gasped at the word 'gorgeous,' her cheeks turning pink.

"I-I'm... gorgeous?" she sweetly asked, her turquoise eyes glimmering in the moonlight as she fixed her attention directy at me.

"Of course you are, Fluttershy..." I assured as I reached over to pat my companion on the head and run my hand down her mane. She closed her eyes as she cooed in satisfaction.

“Oh my goodness, your hands… they feel so good…”

“So I’ve heard from Twi…” I joked.

“She must really like it when you do that then, hm?”

“More than you know, ‘Shy… More than you know…” I chortled before I'd gotten an idea on how to make it up to Fluttershy for hurting her. “Hey, would… you like a rubdown?”

“A-are you sure? I mean… if you want to, I’d like one. But… I don’t want to make it less special for Twilight if you do me…”

“The ‘specialty’ of my rubs on Twilight will not change for anything. I’m jus’ feelin’ generous enough t’ give you this one freebie. You deserve it after all I put you through…”

“Well… it DOES feel really nice… but for the record, you haven’t done anything bad to me.”

“Hm. If ya say so. Now c’mere an’ turn around.” Wordlessly, Fluttershy agreed in the form of standing up, trotting towards me as I sat, turning around so that her tail end was facing me, and sitting back down on her haunches.

“So… how do you usually begiii… mm… hmm…” she slurred as I gently ran one hand down the middle of her back.

“Jus’ relax an’ lie down…” I instructed. She obediently complied, folding her hooves and lying down as I gently, rhythmically rubbed her from her head down to her lower back. I even took the liberty of scratching behind her ear, which she seemed to enjoy as both of them lowered to mat over her head. This was very much the same as rubbing Twilight in almost every aspect except that I’d had to take into account the wings rather than a horn. At one point during the massage, however, her wings seemed to begin standing up involuntarily. Pretty soon, they were fully flexed out and stiffer than boards. I took that as a sign of her contentment with the friendly gesture.

“Jeez, her wings are as hard as a prosthetic leg! Or like how I was when Twilight was sittin’ on top of m—!”

“Shut the hell UP!”

I’d gotten a bit curious as to how she’d react if I’d tried rubbing her wings. So I very carefully ran the fingers of my left hand along the underside of her fully-flared left wing from the base to the tip.

“*GASP* Ahh…” she sighed with utmost pleasure as she arched her back ever so slightly.

“I… take it your wings are… sensitive?” I inquired.

“Mm-hmm… very… c-could you please um… do it again…?” Fluttershy innocently requested.

“Uhh… sure…” I obliged as I copied the motion using my right hand on her right wing. Again, she arched her back as she sighed with pleasure. “Uh huh…” I muttered as I put the pieces together. “Your wings… they’re… an erogenous zone… aren’t they?”

“Erogenous zone?” she innocently asked, craning her head to look back at me in wonder.

“It means um… well it means… how do I put this...? It's a place on your body where, if touched a… certain way, it gets you really… happy.”

“Happy? Try ‘Horny.’”

“Try shuttin' up.”

“What? I’m bored. I need somethin’ t’ do. Or SOMEONE, rather…”

“AAAAAAND this is the part where I start ignorin’ you.”

“Oh. Then yes…” Fluttershy sweetly answered, turning back around and resting her head in her forelegs.

“I see…” was all I said before continuing the rubdown. With the newfound information I’d acquired, I decided to utilize it, all the while being careful not to overdo it. I caressed her svelte, fuzzy, cuddly soft form in mostly the same way as I’d begun, but I focused just a little bit more of my attention on her wings. I’d brush past the base of each wing as I dragged my fingertips down her back, or occasionally take the liberty of softly trailing up her flight-enabling appendages after trailing my hands simultaneously down her sides. She was much quieter with the mesmerized moaning and cooing than Twilight was, but she did it more frequently. Fluttershy was out like a light in mere minutes, smiling cutely as she tucked herself in.

“Such a baby-like look of cuteness she has… just adorable…” I painstakingly picked myself up, ignoring the now-waning thresholds of physical torment I’d endured throughout the day. I carefully picked the pegasus up and cradled her in my arms in a way very much akin to how one would cradle an infant. I brought her back into Twilight’s room, where I’d seen that everypony else had been sound asleep, each of them making their own distinct onomatopoeic sounds of sawing logs. I very carefully set Fluttershy down in the area where she’d laid her pillow and blanket and tucked her in to make her extra comfy. I gave one last stroke of the gorgeous little mare’s mane before carefully stepping over Pinkie, Zecora, and Rarity in order to take my admittedly uncomfortable spot on Twi’s floor.

“Damn this is painful…” I thought as I twisted and turned about on the floor. “I almost think sleepin’ on the ground outside would be more fittin’… There is like NO room in here…” The area was already small for my size, seeing as I’d outsized everyone around me in this world… or at least, in this room. The most comfortable position I could find was when I scrunched up into the fetal position. Eventually (emphasis on EVENTUALLY), I’d gotten used my awkward position as I lay my head on the tiny pillow. JUST when I was about to go to sleep, however…

“Ty…? Are you awake?” called a dreary-sounding Twilight.

“DAMMIT! So close, too…!”

“Yea… what up, honeybun…?” I asked, masking my irritation as one of my eyes twitched.

“I… I can’t sleep… I need to talk to you…”

“Of course…”

“…Alright,” I agreed, not wanting to upset the unicorn further than she seemed. “Wha’ss on ya mind?”

“Can we go out to the balcony? It’s… kind of… personal.”

“Nooo, I don’t wanna go back out there…! Gnaaaaah…!!” I mentally whined like a spoiled child.

“Okay…” I sullenly agreed as I got back up to lethargically follow the drowsy unicorn mare back to the area in which I just talked to Fluttershy…