Book two of "Who We Become".
Being a princess means always worrying what everypony thinks about you. So when Twilight overhears a private conversation, she has to come to terms with how she feels about herself, love, and a certain somepony, all whil...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was well into the afternoon by the time Fluttershy was preparing lunch for herself. She had let herself get so caught up in feeding her animal friends that she forgot to feed herself, and her stomach was growling in complaint. She found herself doing that more often over the past month. It was always a comforting feeling, being around the animals, and ever since more of her friends had found out her secret she found that comfort more and more alluring.
Determined to not let her thoughts get the better of her, she hummed merrily while she worked in the kitchen. She had a quick taste of the sauce she'd been stirring and decided that it was perfect. It was perfect timing, as checking on her pasta revealed it was cooked just right. She strained the pasta, but before she could do anything else, there was a knock on the door. "One moment, please," she called as she set the pasta back in the pot.
She hadn't been expecting company, and felt guilty at the thought of not making enough food for whoever her guest was. When she opened the door, she found Twilight standing on the other side. She was wearing a yellow sundress and didn't seem to notice Fluttershy had answered the door, as she kept fussing with her mane. "Oh, hello, Twilight," Fluttershy said, prompting her to stop suddenly.
"Hello, Fluttershy!" Twilight held up a picnic basket and smiled hopefully. "I know it's a bit late for lunch, but I was wondering if you wanted to have a picnic?"
Fluttershy smiled. "That sounds lovely. I was just about to make lunch, actually. Uhm, give me just one moment to put everything away." She gestured for Twilight to sit in the living room while she walked back to the kitchen to put her would-be lunch in the refrigerator. She didn't want to let Twilight know that she had already made food, fearing she might decide there was no point in spending the afternoon together. Twilight hadn't been by to visit her as often ever since the whole incident with Rarity, and Fluttershy missed her company. So ignoring her stomach's complaints, she put the spices away in the cabinets and the pots in the sink.
When she returned to the living room, she found Twilight straightening her tail. Fluttershy cocked her head to the side, wondering if Twilight was planning on meeting somepony else as well. She was dressed up, after all, and was even wearing makeup. While Fluttershy was watching, Twilight glanced over and jumped to her hooves. Fluttershy quickly turned away and stared at the floor. "Oh, uhm, I'm ready to go if you are."
"Oh, yeah, me too!" Twilight levitated the picnic basket and made for the door, holding it open for Fluttershy.
Once they were both outside, Fluttershy fell in step behind Twilight, letting her pick the destination. 'Stupid!' she thought. 'Now she thinks I was staring at her. It's no wonder Twilight doesn't want to come around anymore. She probably hates being around me now.'
At least Twilight seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go, moving purposefully away from Ponyville. Although Twilight kept smiling, Fluttershy knew she already regretted suggesting the picnic. At least the walk was short. Twilight was far too nice to admit it, but there was no way she wanted to draw out their picnic, especially after catching Fluttershy staring at her.
