Davenport’s Secret

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Miss-delivered Letter and a Misguided Pegasus
Chapter 2: A Shopkeeper, Two Spies, and an Animal Lover
Chapter 3: Insightful Diamonds, Wild Rainbows, and Timid Butterflies
Chapter 4: A Mark Explained and a Secret Revealed
Epilogue: A Second First Date

Chapter 1: A Miss-delivered Letter and a Misguided Pegasus

Davenport’s Secret

Chapter 1: A Miss-delivered Letter and a Misguided Pegasus

Davenport carefully wrapped the quills, and then placed them in Mayor’s saddlebags. “You could have just sent over Bookend for the quills. I would have sent an invoice to your office, as usual.”

Mayor shook her head. “No, I let him go early today. It was a slow day, and his brother has a birthday party tonight. Besides, I like to get out and around in Ponyville when I can. Not only does it let me know what is going on, it also keeps my face in ponies’ minds.”

He raised an eyebrow. “As if you need it, I can’t remember the last time that anypony ran against you.”

A sly smile crossed her face. “That’s one of the reasons that I get out and about. You take care, and thanks again for the quills.”

As she left, Davenport chuckled. Mayor was something, what exactly she was, he did not have a clue, but she was certainly something. He spent the last bit of business time doing small things around the shop: dusting the shelves, making sure his supplies were in order, and other little odds and ends that needed tending to. Nopony else came to the shop that evening. He happily hummed a tune, as he turned the sign on the shop door from ‘open’ to ‘closed’.

He drew the shop’s blinds shut, and made sure they were secured. He had been scared out his mind one night, when one of the blinds had gotten loose and retracted, making a horrible racket and causing him to fall out of his bed upstairs. After that incident, he made doubly sure than the blinds were fastened good and tight.

The blinds did something more than just help announce that the shop was closed, it hid his nighttime activities. Davenport had a secret. Ponies thought that his cutie mark stemmed from his selling of quills and sofas. His mark did represent his talent, but it had nothing to do with his quill or sofa selling prowess. Davenport gathered his needed supplies, selected a comfortable, supportive couch, and began to exercise his true talent. A talent, he felt, that nopony in Ponyville need know about.

*****

Twilight Sparkle staggered down the library stairs. She did not even attempt to stifle her yawn, as she made her way to the kitchen to get the morning’s pot of coffee started. After she set the pot on the stove, the aroma of the perking coffee helped her sleep fogged mind focus. She mentally began to go over her checklist for the day, as she waited for the dark ambrosia to brew, “Check returned books in, prepare late notices for overdue books, reshelf books, dust, study more of Star Swirl’s theories on trans planer teleportation and the possibility of time travel.” Her thoughts were interrupted, as Spike began putting out the bowls for breakfast.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” Twilight asked, noting her beloved assistant looked a little more ragged than usual for a typical morning.

“Nah, I had a dream about Peewee getting into trouble with those teenaged dragons. I know he is back with his parents, but I can’t help but feel worried for the little guy.”

Twilight gave Spike a gentle nuzzle. “Now you know how I feel sometimes, when I worry about you, especially when you’re off on your own.”

Spike wrinkled his nose in irritation, but smiled at the same time. “But I’m a dragon! I have tough scales, breath fire, and sharp claws. I’m the whole package. I don’t have to be afraid of anything.” Spike struck a pose, making a show of his putting his claws out and baring his teeth, in a failed attempt to look tough.

Twilight giggled, and quipped, “That would be a terrifying sight, for a sapphire cupcake. You’re not that fierce yet. You’re just a baby, and that gives me the right to worry about your safety, dragon or not.”

Spike rolled his eyes, and was about to respond, when a knock on the door interrupted him. He started towards the door, having a good guess as to who was on the other side. “That must be Derpy. She may be a roaming disaster at times, but she is always prompt with the morning mail. No wondered she and Turner are together, they’re both like clockwork.”

Twilight did not take the news quite so well. “Horse apples, I haven’t gotten the late notices ready yet. I guess I’ll just drop them in the mailbox this afternoon.”

Spike got the mail from Derpy, and thanked her for delivering it. She gave him a rub on the head, as if he was a dog, and then took off for her next stop. As Spike closed the door, he groused, “I know she is just being nice, but I’m not a pet. She doesn’t have to pat me on the head like I did a trick.”

“And yet, when she gives you a gem for being so nice, you all but beg, roll over, and sit for it.” Twilight mocked, as she prepared their morning salads.

“Oh, ha, ha, laugh it up. Sure, I may drool a little when a see a nice ruby or emerald, but I don’t do tricks for gems!” He began opening the mail, using his sharp claws as impromptu letter openers. “See Twilight, I have good, sharp claws. I don’t have to worry about much around here.”

Twilight did not even justify Spike’s comment with a response. She began to look over the mail as he put the opened letters on the table. The typical mix was present: bills, magazine renewal notices for the library, a copy of the Foal Free Press. Nothing seemed to require any special attention, and then something out of place caught her eye. There was a letter that was not addressed to her or the library. Before she could stop herself, she read the whole thing. Her eyes widened at what was revealed by the letter. She did not know whether to be embarrassed that she had learned something this personal about another pony, or excited at exclusively knowing such a fact.

Spike caught Twilight’s expression, and asked, “What’s the letter about? I can’t tell if you’re happy about whatever it is or mortified.”

Twilight looked at Spike, and blinked in an exaggerated manner as she came out of her turmoil of thought. “I’m a little of both, to tell the truth. I just had something added something to today’s checklist that I wasn’t expecting. Do you remember if we need quills or not?”

Spike shrugged. “We could always do with a couple more, as fast as we go through them. We really need some ink though. We’re down to our last bottle. Why do you ask?”

Twilight grinned, as she thought over the conversation she was going to have with the letter’s intended addressee. “I need to get this letter to the right pony, and thanks to who it’s addressed to, I think I will be able to knock a couple of items off the list at the same time.”

*****

Davenport’s morning had been uneventful. It was the typical routine for him: roll out of bed, eat breakfast, groom, open Quills and Sofa’s, and sell sofas and quills. Unfortunately, for the shop’s bottom line, quill sales were good but sofa sales were flagging. Perhaps he could advertise a sofa sale. He could see the flyer in his mind, printed in gold lettering with a bold red background, “Come, and treat your tail to the best seats available. Pay bottom dollar during Sofa and Quill’s huge sofa sale extravaganza!” He grunted at himself in annoyance, as he realized that flyers like that cost bits, something he could not justify on the store’s budget. Maybe, if he gave a little donation, he could get a little spot in the Foal Free Press. Most ponies in Ponyville read it more than the ‘professional’ newspapers anyway, particularly after the Gabby Gums fiasco.

The shop’s bell rang, and he smiled at the pony that came in. “Twilight Sparkle, it is always a pleasure to see you.” Seeing her walk into the shop guaranteed at least a set of quills would go out the door, often with some of his best ink accompanying the quills, which always made for a good sale. He had yet to get her to buy a sofa. However, it was not due to lack of trying. “What can I do for you today?”

To Davenport, Twilight seemed a little off, as she answered, “One of your writer’s dozen quill bundles, and two bottles of your best ink.” Her eyes lingered on him, as if seeing something in him for the first time.

Trying to keep the happiness out of his voice, he asked, “Would you like goose, swan, or pegasus quills?” Nopony ever asked where he got the Pegasus quills. What adult pegasi wanted to do with their feathers was their own business.

“Pegasus quills, please. They last quite a bit longer.”

He nodded sagely at her words. “They are a bit tougher, I will admit, well worth the price difference. I use them myself. Any particular colors you had in mind?”

Twilight winced slightly, before responding, “Any color but light blue or yellow, thank you.” Twilight had gotten a couple of blue and yellow quills from the shop before. As she used them, she had found herself wondering if they had come from a couple of ponies that she knew. The more she thought about the possibility, the more the idea distracted her from the work she was trying to accomplish.

Davenport pulled together the thirteen quills and two bottles of top shelf ink, and carefully packaged them. He felt he at least had to try, and asked, “Have you changed your mind about having a couple of sofas in the library? I have a couple that I think you will really like. I could give you a race pony deal, free delivery too, if you’re interested.”

Davenport tried to sell her a sofa every time she came in, and it had become almost a joke between the two. With a grin, Twilight waved off his sales pitch with a hoof. “Thanks for asking, but no. But, there is something I needed to talk to you about.”

Davenport’s eyebrow rose in curiosity. He wondered where the deviation in their typical dialog was heading. “Oh, how can I help you? Do you need a special order ink, or rarer quills? The griffons won’t be molting for a while, but I’ll see what I can do if you really need quills of that caliber.”

“No, that’s not it at all.” Twilight gave him a sheepish look, as she laid the miss-delivered letter on the counter. “I got this in the mail this morning by mistake, and read it before I realized what it was. I thought I would give it to you while I was picking up my supplies.”

Davenport’s eyes widened, as he recognized the letterhead. He rushed from behind the counter, ran to the shop’s entrance, quickly turned the sign to ‘closed,’ locked the door, and just caught himself before he closed all the blinds. After halting his manic actions, he took a moment to get a hold of himself. He calmly turned back to Twilight. “Have you talked to anyone about this letter?”

Twilight was stunned on a couple of levels. First, she did not know that Davenport could move that fast. Second, his reaction seemed completely out of proportion to what the letter revealed about the typically collected shop keep. “No, I haven’t told a soul.”

Davenport relaxed at her words. “Good, very good, forgive me; I’ve been trying to keep this part of my life a secret. It would change how ponies look at me too much. There is just so much baggage attached to this kind of thing.”

Twilight nodded and sympathetically replied, “I understand, something like this could bring you attention that you don’t want, especially living in a small community like Ponyville. I promise that I won’t tell anypony about this.”

“Really, you won’t say a word to anypony?”

Twilight vowed, “I promise never to reveal your secret.” She then went through the whole process of a Pinkie Promise. She even managed not to stick herself in the eye with the final motion.

Davenport sighed in relief, reassured by the inherent power of a Pinkie Promise. Twilight reached over, and patted him on the shoulder. “You shouldn’t worry about this getting out so much. It’s a part of who you are.”

He gave her a small smile. “I know, but I really don’t know how ponies would act around me if they knew. I just want to be seen as Davenport, the quills and sofas pony.”

*****

“Twilight, you there?” asked Rainbow Dash, as she stuck her head in the library door.

Spike answered her, from the second floor bookshelves, “She’s not here right now. She had a couple of errands that she wanted to do herself, so she left me in charge, again. Before you ask, I don’t know when she will be back.”

Rainbow flicked her tail in annoyance. “Typical, just when I need her here, she’s off running around town. Do you have any clue where she was off to?”

Spike walked over to the edge of the landing, feather duster still in hand. “Not really, though she said something about having to deliver a letter that got sent here by accident while she was going to get some quills and ink from Quills and Sofas. The funny thing is she seemed a little freaked out by whatever was in the letter. She wouldn’t even talk to me about it.”

Rainbow pawed the ground in frustration. Strange letter or not, she had to talk to Twilight. “I guess I’ll just see if I can catch her there then. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Now, I just have to catch an egghead on the move. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

Spike snorted, and reminded Rainbow, “She did beat you during the Running of the Leaves, so I wouldn’t get too full of myself if I were you.”

Rainbow gave Spike a glare that would have taken the scales off a lesser reptile. “That’s just because Applejack and I… You know what? I’m not even going to go there.”

Spike chuckled as Rainbow shut the door. He was going to pay for his remark later, probably by way of a prank from Rainbow, but it would be worth it. Twilight was an egghead, no argument, but she was his egghead.

*****

Twilight had started back to the library, her saddle bags filled with fresh writing supplies and groceries, when she saw Rainbow flying her direction. “Hey Rainbow Dash, are you through with the weather today?”

Dash zeroed in on Twilight’s voice, and made a perfect landing. She accented her decent with a tight loop, as she got close to the ground. “You know me. I took care of the sky in ten seconds flat. I still need to train some this afternoon, but I wanted to see if the library had gotten any news about when the next Daring Do novel was coming out yet.”

“Rainbow! I told you last week there hadn’t been any notices, and nothing has changed. Give it a little more time, these things can take months.” Twilight internally laughed, I’ve created a monster.

Rainbow did not take the news well, and pranced in place out of vexation. “Aw, but the last book left everything in such a lurch.” Rainbow began acting out scenes from the book, as she excitedly spoke:

“There was Daring, caught in a slowly sinking ship. The horrible pirate, Brine Mare, had sealed her only hope of escape from the outside. Daring pounded away at the cargo hold door, trying to get anypony’s attention.” Rainbow pounded the ground with a hoof, just as she envisioned Daring did against the wooden door. Ponies passing by started to stop and stare at Rainbow’s antics.

Rainbow continued, oblivious to the audience she was attracting, “Daring tried to buck her way out, fly and bash through, anything she could think of, but the water was getting too high, and she was running out of time.” Rainbow dramatically, slowly let herself sink to the ground. “Then her struggles slowed, and she began to black out as the need for air got too great.” For a moment, Rainbow lay motionless, feigning the same fate as Daring Do. She suddenly leapt to her hooves, causing some of the on looking ponies to draw back at the quick motion. She all but growled in frustration. “Then the book just stops, with a message ‘to be continued.’ What kind of horrible pony does that to their readers?”

Rainbow, after looking around for a moment, became aware of the small crowd that she had garnered. She tried to play the whole scene off, she boldly addressed the gathering, “Yeah, yeah, nothing to see here, keep hoofing it.” There were more than a couple of smiles in the crowd, at her expense, but they did break apart, going on about their day after the unexpected entertainment.

Twilight grinned at the whole scene. “I’m sure the author had a very good reason to do that. You’re just going to have to be patient.”

Rainbow sighed, and reluctantly agreed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but that ending doesn’t make waiting any easier.” Rainbow shifted the conversation, remembering why she had to find Twilight in town to start with. “Spike said you had to deliver some important letter to Davenport. What was in it?”

Twilight involuntarily stiffened. Rainbow would be exactly the kind of pony that Davenport would not want knowing his secret. She settled for telling a half-truth, and hoped it was enough. “It was just a business letter of his that got mixed in with some of my mail. It happens all the time. I’ve even gotten a couple of things that should have gone to Rarity.”

Rainbow could tell Twilight was being evasive, but she played along. “Having a cloud house cuts down on that kind of thing a lot.” Rainbow looked up towards her house, as she spoke, “An address that includes altitude makes things easier to sort for us pegasi.”

“Rainbow, I’m glad to see you, but I need to get back to the library. I know Spike can handle things on his own, for the most part, but I have to get a few things done before we close for the day.” Twilight hoped she had not sounded rude. She just wanted to get out of the conversation as quickly as she could.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ve got to get going myself. I can’t get the Buccaneer Blitz right by standing on the ground.”

Twilight wished Rainbow luck, and headed towards the library. She was glad that Rainbow had not pressed her about the letter. It would have been awkward, and she did not want to have to lie to her friend, even if was to keep her promise to Davenport.

Rainbow watched Twilight go with a calculating look on her face. She thought, Why was Twilight nervous about me asking about that letter? She certainly wanted to leave in a hurry. I wonder what’s going on with her. Or should I be wondering what’s up with Davenport?”

She took off, having formed a plan of action. “I’ll get a quick practice in, and then get Pinkie in on this. Between the two of us, we’ll find out what is going on in no time.”

Chapter 2: A Shopkeeper, Two Spies, and an Animal Lover

Davenport’s Secret

Chapter 2: A Shopkeeper, Two Spies, and an Animal Lover

What most earth bound ponies failed to appreciate about clouds was the variety of uses that they could be put to. They could be used as locations for naps, used to make floating houses, set up as safe in-air obstacle courses for training flight maneuvers, and even be utilized as a source of hydration.

Having completed her practice run, Rainbow Dash used a nearby cloud in another manner only available to pegasi, as a quick bath.

She flew into her chosen cloud at a leisurely pace, letting the moisture sink into her coat. The chill of the water droplets running along her body was invigorating. After a couple of more passes through the cloud she was completely clean, and the cloud was dispersed. Rainbow slicked back her wet mane, and looked down towards Ponyville. She tried to keep stray thoughts from entering her mind when she practiced. The mystery of Twilight’s cryptic response and the possibility of Davenport having some kind of secret had distracted her couple of times.

Rainbow grinned at herself, as she thought, Just another reason to see what is going on with Davenport. I can’t let something like this make me lose my focus; I just might injure myself while trying to pull off an awesome move. Besides, getting Pinkie involved in this is sure to be a blast.

She started towards Sugar Cube corner at a pace that ensured she would be dry by the time she reached the shop’s door.

*****

Pinkie bounced back and forth from the kitchen to the glass showcases of Sugar Cube Corner. Even with her hopping, she placed the various candies and baked goods into their respective spots without dropping a single goodie from the display platters she brought from the kitchen.

Her energetic stocking was interrupted by Rainbow stepping into the store. Pinkie finished placing a platter of confections in its proper place, rushed around the counter, and hugged Rainbow, all in one continuous and stunningly fast motion.

“Hey Dashie, I’m so happy you came! Do you need a snack, how about a muffin, cupcake, slice of cake, or pie? Or are you just here to see your favorite Pinkie?”

Making sure no other pony would see, Rainbow returned the hug. After a brief moment, long enough to not hurt Pinkie’s feelings and short enough to make sure her reputation was safe, Rainbow gently removed Pinkie’s forelegs from around her shoulders. “Would you believe I came here for a bit of both? I could use an after practice snack, and your certainly my favorite Pinkie.” Rainbow could not help but grin, as Pinkie’s smile widened even more. “I also wanted to see if you’re up to helping me with a little mystery.”

Pinkie jumped up and down in place, as her excitement built. “A combo and not a Pinkie sense combo either! I love combos! Hay fries and daisies, chocolate sundaes and cookies, cauliflower and cheese, everything is better in a combo! Wait, you said three things. Does that make it a super combo?” Pinkie gasped at the very idea. “A mystery combo too, this is going to be as great as my habanero cupcakes!”

Rainbow flinched. She hoped finding out about the letter would be nothing like those dreaded confections. Only the baked bads had topped the spicy cupcake incident. “I don’t think this will be that spectacular, but it should be fun.”

Rainbow explained about her talk with Twilight that morning, and the unicorn’s strange reaction to her question about the letter. “I want you to help me figure out what is going on with Davenport and that letter.”

Pinkie tilted her head, thought the idea over for a moment, and replied, “Nope.”

Rainbow Dash was stunned at the response. “What do you mean ‘nope’?”

“Silly Dashie, Twilight wouldn’t tell you because the letter should have been completely private for Davenport.” Pinkie explained, as she lightly bopped Rainbow’s nose with a hoof, “Ponies don’t like other ponies reading their mail, it’s rude, and telling about what is in somepony’s mail is almost as bad. If she felt like she should or Davenport needed help with what was in the letter, I’m sure she would have said something.”

Pinkie stepped back behind the counter, and began to wrap one of Rainbow’s favorite treats in a bag.

Rainbow felt a mixture of emotions. She was stunned that Pinkie’s explanation for Twilight’s behavior was so clear and rational. It stung her that Pinkie had chastised her, even if she did it without saying a harsh word. Yet, despite Pinkie’s words, she still yearned to know what was going on with Davenport.

“Here you go.” Pinkie handed Rainbow an after practice treat, her smile just a little bit less than what it had been. “I wish I could hang out with you this afternoon, but I still have cupcakes in the oven, and I have to foalsit the twins this afternoon.”

Rainbow paid for the cupcake, thanked her, and started to head out the door.

Just before Rainbow closed the door completely, Pinkie added, “Dashie, don’t worry about whatever Davenport’s letter was about. I’m sure it was just something like a sofa invoice that got sent to the wrong address. That sort of thing happens a lot around here. Just last week, the cakes got an order form that was supposed to go to Bon-Bon’s shop and I had to run it over to her.”

Rainbow gave her a subdued smile through the gap in the door. “Thanks Pinkie. You’re right, I should just let the whole thing go.”

*****

Rainbow sat on one of the town’s benches. As she ate her zap apple cupcake, she contemplated whom she could get to help her with her little mystery. Fluttershy was far too timid for something like espionage. Applejack would never leave Sweet Apple Acres to find out what was in a letter intended for another pony. Twilight had already indicated what her response would be, so Rainbow could not ask her. Rainbow even considered following Pinkie’s advice to let the whole thing drop. Rainbow’s curiosity proved too strong for that option. There was only one pony that could help her, Rarity.

After throwing away her trash, Rainbow started towards Rarity’s. If there was one pony that would never pass something like this up, it was the glamorous designer. Rainbow reasoned that the possibility of getting some juicy gossip would be enough to get Rarity to help. If not, she could always hint that the letter may have been personal for Davenport and Twilight for an entirely different reason. That would surely hook Rarity.

The bell to the boutique announced Rainbow’s entrance. Without even looking from the pinning she was completing on a mannequin, Rarity chimed, “Welcome to Rarity’s Boutique, where everything is sleek, chic, and magnifique.”

“I need your help.”

Rarity paused in her work, and slowly turned to Rainbow Dash. “Is the Rainbow Dash, fastest and coolest flier in all of Equestria, coming to me for an outfit?” After considering the almost impossibility of that happening, Rarity asked, “Has Discord gotten loose again?”

Rainbow snorted at the thought. “No, Rarity, I don’t need a dress, and Discord is still a statue. I just need you to help me with Davenport.”

Rarity carefully began putting her sewing materials away. “Davenport, the dear that sold me my lovely chase lounge, what kind of help could you need with him?”

Rainbow told Rarity about the morning’s events, carefully leaving out her talk with Pinkie.

Rarity’s eyebrows rose towards her mane, as she listened to Rainbow. “Rainbow, dear, I know that you want to find out about the letter, but as both a business owner and private pony, I have to agree with what Twilight did. What was in that letter was meant for Davenport alone. It wouldn’t be right for us to go nosing around just because Twilight was a little evasive.”

Rainbow decided to play her trump card. “What if there is a little more than just ‘business’ involved?”

Rarity looked at Rainbow in confusion. “I don’t follow you.”

Rainbow moved her hooves in the air, as if directing Rarity to look at a scene on a stage. “Picture this: a single librarian, who uses a lot of quills and ink, and a local store owner who just happens to sell the best of both. She comes to have feelings for the shopkeeper, after going to his store so many times, and he becomes attracted to her good looks and book smarts.” For emphasis, she quickly pointed at Rarity. “Why would Twilight take the time out of her all-important schedule to take him the letter herself? Why didn’t she just send Spike with it?”

While Rainbow’s logic was tenuous, it was enough for Rarity’s love of romance to overcome her misgivings. “So, you think there might be something between our dear Twilight and Davenport?”

Rainbow nodded, confident that she had just convinced Rarity to help.

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “It’s possible, but I really think we should approach this in a mature manner. We’ll just go ask Twilight.”

Rainbow slumped a little at Rarity’s words. The possibly that the story she told Rarity was true was almost non-existent. She knew that Twilight would probably give her a lecture about respecting other pony’s privacy after they asked about the letter and possible romance. She could not argue that she would not deserve it. To top it all off, she still wouldn’t get to know about what the letter had been about

Rarity led them out of the boutique, and locked the door behind her. “Maybe if Twilight is seeing Davenport, I could get a store discount on a new chase lounge.”

Rainbow sighed in defeat, and started walking with Rarity towards the library.

*****

Davenport stepped out of Quills and Sofas and made sure the lock was securely in place. He hated to leave the shop for any length of time during a business day, but a part of him looked forward to these trips. Since the errand was business related, his conscious did not bother him as much as if he were just taking hours off.

A less pragmatic voice in his head added, That, and you get to visit with an ex-supermodel.

He chided himself for the thought, and headed through town. What he did not know was that two pairs of curious eyes had taken notice of him. The fact that he was wearing a hefty set of saddlebags raised the pair’s curiosity, and a hasty plan was suggested by one to the other. As Davenport made his way through the Ponyville market, he was not aware that he was being followed.
Other ponies running their errands, however, did notice. The following mares paid no attention to the curious looks they received. Their thoughts about what Davenport could planning wilder as they realized that he was walking out of Ponyville and towards the Everfree Forest. They glanced at each other, even more puzzled, as Davenport turned off the path and headed towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

Despite the pair’s attempts at stealth, Davenport noticed them. He glanced over his shoulder, and the pair dashed behind a nearby bush. He rolled his eyes at the two’s attempt to disappear. Rainbow was known for her practical jokes, and he wondered what she had planned. He was surprised that Rarity would be involved in such antics, but decided not to confront them about it. He had an appointment to keep.

*****

Rainbow cautiously leaned around the bush she and Rarity had ducked behind, and watched as Davenport knocked on Fluttershy’s door. After a few moments, there was no response from within the cottage and Davenport headed towards Fluttershy’s chicken coup and animal houses.

“Rainbow, how in Equestria did I allow myself to be talked into this?” Rarity asked, as she brushed a couple offending leaves from her pristine coat. “We really shouldn’t be snooping on Davenport. He has done nothing to garner this kind of scrutiny. Let’s forget this nonsense and go see Twilight. I’m sure he has already seen us, and I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a disbelieving look. “We’ve come this far, and you want to back out now?!”

Rainbow motioned for Rarity to follow her, and they moved to a new hiding spot. Once there, they could see Davenport talking to Fluttershy. Fluttershy seemed completely at ease, she even held and patted a chocolate brown bunny as she and Davenport spoke.

Rarity’s interest in what was occurring increased, as she watched her pink maned friend. Surprisingly, to Rarity, Fluttershy was holding a perfectly normal conversation with the storeowner. She typical looked at the ground when speaking, but instead Fluttershy was making eye contact with the stallion. Rarity wondered what made Davenport so different from other ponies.

Fluttershy put down the bunny, and led Davenport towards her cottage. Both Rainbow and Rarity were surprised as Fluttershy let Davenport in to her home, followed him in, and closed the door. The spies looked at each other in amazement. An unspoken question hung between the two, What in the world is going on?

*****

Davenport pulled feathers from their respective plies one at a time, inspected them, and sorted them into new piles according to if they could be used for quills or not. He paused in his work, and asked the butter colored mare, “These are perfect, how do you manage to collect these in such pristine condition?”

Fluttershy brushed back a strand of pink mane from her face. “I just ask for them nicely.”

Davenport grinned, as he stated, “I’m sure they would do anything for you if you asked them to.” Davenport’s sorting of the feathers did not take long, thanks to his experience. With the feathers organized, and the rejects pushed aside, the next part of his process began. He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out his penknives, magnifying glass, and the cutting board that he would need. Carefully, he began trimming the ends of the selected feathers into fine writing tips. This process could have been done back at his shop, but Fluttershy seemed to like to watch him work, and it guiltlessly extended his time with her.

Fluttershy leaned in, watching as the process was repeated for each feather. “What makes you choose where to trim the shafts?” Davenport looked up from his examination of a particularly good goose feather, and Fluttershy bashfully pulled back a little. “That is, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Davenport patted beside himself, where he was sitting at her table, with a hoof. “Sit here and I’ll show you.” He turned the feather so that the shaft of the feather was easy for the now seated mare to see. “There is a section above the tip where the shaft begins to have more internal veins. That's the spot that I’m looking for. Without those veins being exposed correctly, the quill wouldn’t hold ink. The little tubes, I guess you could call them, hold the ink as you write.”

Fluttershy watched as Davenport completed another pair of quills. “Which kind of quill do you prefer to use?”

Davenport did not look up from his task, as he answered, “Pegasus feathers. They make better quills, in my opinion, than even griffon feathers.”

Fluttershy looked over where a trio of her own flight feathers lay on the table. “What makes them so much better?”

Davenport picked up his first choice of the three. He held the feather up, and slowly turned it. “Well, as a practical matter, pegasus feathers have to be structurally stronger to handle the stresses put on them in flight due to the mass of a pony being so much greater than a typical bird. They also seem to be imbued with the magic that allows pegasi to fly so smoothly and handle clouds. The magic seems help the ink flow properly.”

He stopped turning the quill, and looked into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I also think using a pegasus quill adds something unique to the creation process. A writer can use a quill from some pony they know to prepare a work, and it adds something that can’t be gotten any other way.”

The two ponies held the gaze for a couple of moments, before, both blushing, they looked away from each other. Davenport completed his work without another word being said between the two. He left a couple of quills and a pile of bits on the table.

Angel, Fluttershy’s pet rabbit, shook his head at the scene. In his opinion, the whole thing was ridiculous. He looked towards one of the cottage’s windows, and noticed a pair of ponies looking in. As he glared at the ponies, the blue one of the two saw him and stuck her tongue out. His eyes narrowed, and he began to think of a way to get even for the slight.

He carefully packed up his tools, and placed the quills into specially designed tubes for each type. He was particularly delicate with the three yellow quills, as he put them into their tube.

Davenport stopped as he secured the inner straps on his bags, as a concern formed in his mind. He looked up at Fluttershy and asked, “Does it bother you that others are using your feathers to write?”

Fluttershy gently shook her head. “No, I’ve never even really thought about it before. I used to just throw them away.” A light blush crept to her face. “Now that I’ve heard what you thought about pegasus feathers, I guess I’m flattered that someone would use my feathers when they wrote.”

Davenport hid his relief at her answer, and packed the last of his things. Fluttershy led him to the door, and as she opened it, Angel shot outside between their hooves.

Fluttershy called, softly but firmly, after him, “Angel! That was rude! You should have waited! You could have tripped somepony!” Fluttershy looked apologetically at Davenport. “Sorry about that. Angel is a good bunny, but he can be a real hoof-full at times.”

“No harm done, he must have just been a little cooped up.” He unconsciously adjusted his saddlebags, as her attention lingered on him. “Thanks again for doing this. I get much better quality feathers from you than any other supplier. I hope it’s not too big of a problem.”

Fluttershy gave him a soft smile. “It is not a problem at all. I would rather see the feathers get used rather than throw them away.”

Before thinking, Davenport replied, “I promise that your feathers will be used with the utmost care.” After realizing what he had said, he anxiously paused, waiting for her reaction. Thankfully, for him, Fluttershy did not catch the possible meaning to his words. He silently thanked his luck, and made a polite but quick exit.

*****

Rainbow and Rarity tried to become smaller, as they hid half-in a bush near the path leading away from Fluttershy’s. They had not made it far enough from the cottage to avoid being noticed had either of the other ponies looked down the path. What they had not counted on was the revenge seeking rabbit.

Angel had found their hiding place, and patiently waited for the right moment to make his move.

Davenport made his way from the cottage, muttering to himself about keeping his mouth shut. He stopped in mid stride, as Angel ran onto the path immediately ahead of him. Davenport’s eyebrows rose, as the rabbit began to signal for him to follow.

Davenport, due to past dealings with the diminutive terror, knew that Angel was deviously clever and protective of Fluttershy. He had misgivings about the rabbit, but decided to trust him this once. Davenport followed and it did not take long before Angel stopped, sat down, and then pointed at a bush.

Davenport’s ears perked, as he heard muttered curses directed at the rabbit coming from the bush. He looked down at his unlikely informant and extended his hoof. “Thank you very much. I believe this deserves a few carrots to find their way to you.”

Angel’s smug smile said all that needed to be said. He took Davenport’s hoof with his paw and shook. For the moment, the enemy of his enemy was his tool of vengeance. He turned and hopped back towards Fluttershy’s, completely satisfied with his act of revenge.

Davenport made a show of walking around the bush. He took a slow pace, and hummed as if nothing was amiss. There was a sigh from within the leaves, and Rarity stood up from her concealment. She took a moment, and brushed the worst of the dirt and leaves away from her coat and mane.

Rarity tossed her meticulously styled mane back to its proper place, and addressed Davenport, “I know how this looks, but I have a perfectly good explanation.”

Davenport feigned surprise. “Rarity, I would have never expected to see you out for a nature romp. What is so fascinating about this particular bit of vegetation that it warrants such close scrutiny?”

“Alright, you can stop. You don’t have to be sarcastic to her. I’m the one you need to talk to.” Rainbow flew over the bush from her hiding spot and landed between Rarity and Davenport, shielding her friend. “I talked her into this, so don’t be mad at her.”

Davenport gave Rainbow a reassuring look. “I’m not mad at either of you, I’m always up for a good prank, but right now I’m carrying some delicate inventory. My only concern is that it not be ruined.”

Rainbow’s clueless expression was not what he expected. He was further lost when she asked, “What prank? I just wanted to know if you were doing something to our friends. Twilight acted real strange this morning after seeing you, and then you came and spent hours with Fluttershy. What is going on?”

Rarity slowly closed her eyes, then face-hoofed herself at her friend’s actions. “Darling, this is not one of those action novels you read. There is no complex plot of blackmail and intrigue. That simply does not happen in real life.”

Davenport smiled at Rarity. “It seems like such things just might happen. Here I am, walking back to my shop, when I discover two mares spying on me.” He switched his smile to Rainbow. “Not that I mind having two lovely ladies paying me this much attention, but what is going on?”

Rainbow grumbled, but took it upon herself to explain what had happened. She started from her run in with Twilight, again left out her time with Pinkie, explained why Rarity was with her, and then ended with their following him to Fluttershy’s.

Davenport sighed. “All of this over one miss-delivered letter. The letter was strictly business related and has nothing to do with Twilight or Fluttershy. You can ask Twilight about that much, I don’t mind. My visit to Fluttershy’s had nothing to do with the letter either. Feel free to talk to her. Just, please, be nice about it. It’s not anything worth upsetting her over.”

Rarity noted the subtle change in Davenport’s voice when he spoke about Fluttershy, and the wheels in her mind began to turn. She sensed there was another puzzle here, but Rainbow was too focused on the letter to notice.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at him, before asking, “If it wasn’t that big of a deal, then why wouldn’t Twilight say anything about it at all? What are you hiding?”

Rarity stomped the ground with a hoof in exasperation. “Rainbow, have you no shame?! There has been enough trouble and embarrassment over that letter as it is. This stallion has done nothing wrong.”

Davenport did not know whether to be angry or strangely flattered. He never thought that he could be mistaken as a rouge of some sort, and it was almost a back-hooved complement. He remembered that Rainbow was the Element of Loyalty, and chalked the whole thing up to her trying to protect her friends.

Davenport tried to reason with Rainbow. “Look, I don’t want to tell you what was in the letter due to personal reasons that have nothing to do with you or your friends. I’m glad that you’re looking out for them, but this is getting a little annoying. When I first saw you two on the path to Fluttershy’s I thought you were up to one of your pranks, and would give up after a while. I have done nothing wrong, I don’t plan to, and I ask that you leave me alone.”

However, Rainbow would not let it go. She made one last attempt. “What would it take to get an answer?”

Rarity stared at her friend, open mouthed, astounded by Rainbow’s boldness.

Davenport shook his head in amazement. “Does it really mean that much to you?”

“Yes. This has been making my feathers itch all day. I dragged Rarity into this and embarrassed her, even though she told me I should leave things alone. I have to see this through.” Rainbow’s face made it clear that her determination would not waver.

Davenport threw his hooves in the air. “For the love of Celestia, there is nothing that you could do or give me that would make me tell you about what is in that letter! I know you, the instant you found out you would tell Pinkie, and then it would be all over Ponyville. Trust me; what was in the letter was not that important.”

Rainbow’s wings flared with impatience. “It has to be important, or you would just tell me.”

Davenport tried to form a civil response that would make Rainbow drop the whole thing. Before he could gather his thoughts, Rarity put a foreleg around Rainbow’s shoulder and started to pull her away.

“This has gone on long enough. Leave this stallion be. We are going back to my boutique, and we are going to have a chat,” Rarity chided Rainbow.

Rainbow allowed herself to be led off by Rarity. Her pulled back ears and aggravated body posture told she did not like leaving things as they were.

Davenport waited a couple of minutes after the pair was out of sight before heading back into town. One run in with Rainbow per afternoon was more than enough.

After returning to his shop, Davenport opened it back up and stored his tools. He put the majority of the newly made quills in their proper places on the store shelves. The three yellow pegasus quills were not transferred to the shelves.

The rest of the day was quite peaceful for Davenport. He even managed to sell a broken duchess set that had been on display for far too long. After closing up at the day’s end, he gathered his materials and selected a couch to settle down on. He looked over the yellow quill that he held in his hoof, and smiled to himself. “I’m sure I have not heard the last from Rainbow. I wish I had that kind of determination, or maybe just enough of her courage to take a risk going after something I want.”

Chapter 3: Insightful Diamonds, Wild Rainbows, and Timid Butterflies

Davenport’s Secret

Chapter 3: Insightful Diamonds, Wild Rainbows, and Timid Butterflies

Davenport lay on the floor, desperately trying to clean the bottom of the last of his sofas. He sneezed, as the dust managed to find its way to his nose. His was not a glamorous job on the best of days, and this part was certainly was not. The store bell chimed, and he greeted his customer.

“Could you say that again? I couldn’t hear you under there.”

Davenport recognized the voice, and hit his head in his rush to get out from under the sofa. As he rubbed the back of his head, Rarity looked at him with concern. “Are you alright, dear?”

Davenport nodded, and got back to his hooves. “I’m fine. I’m just dusty and slightly embarrassed. I hate to be rude, but could you give me a moment so I can clean myself off?”

Rarity understood completely. “Of course, being dirty is just dreadful, especially when you have to keep up appearances for your shop.”

After putting away his duster, Davenport stepped outside and did his best to knock the dirt off his coat. He was glad that Rarity had shown up instead of Rainbow. He didn’t know if he could deal with Rainbow’s antics so early in the day. When he stepped back in, closing the door behind, he found Rarity lounging on one of his best sofas.

Rarity poked the sofa’s cushion with a hoof. “I have to say, this is nice, but it just doesn’t match my chase lounge.”

“That was one of the finest pieces that I have ever had in this shop. I’m glad you still like it.” Davenport made his way behind the counter, and poured himself a strong cup of coffee. “Would you like some? I have another mug.”

She smiled at his offer. “No, thank you, I’ve already had a cup this morning, and I don’t plan to stay long. I just wanted to come by and tell you how sorry I am about my behavior yesterday.”

Davenport gently waved her words away with a hoof. “Don’t worry about it. I know you, and I know you meant nothing by it. Please, don’t give it another thought.”

She looked down and stroked the fabric of the sofa softly, before adding, “Well I’m not being completely honest. There is one thing I would like to ask you. Do you like…”

The shop’s chime rang again, halting the conversation. Rainbow stepped into the shop, and took note of their positions. She began to grin as she looked back and forth between Davenport and Rarity. “Am I interrupting something? I can come back later, if you two are busy.”

“Rainbow, you should have learned about jumping to conclusions after yesterday.” Rarity said with more than a little annoyance in her voice. “I came to apologize for my behavior, and decided to try this sofa, nothing else.”

Rainbow gave her a mischievous grin. “It looks to me like you were modeling for him like a mare in one of those old paintings.” Rainbow made a point to look at the bare countertop. “Where are your art supplies? You shouldn’t let such an opportunity go to waste. Maybe you could use her lying on your sofas as part of an advertisement? I’ve even got the catch phrase for it: Can you imagine such beauty in your home? You can have it every day, if you buy a sofa from Quills and Sofas.”

Rarity flushed in embarrassment. “Rainbow, I am not some advertising tart!”

Davenport had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He put his mug down, and grinned at Rainbow. “I don’t think the ads would attract the kind of ponies I would be hoping for, but thanks for the idea. What can I do for you today, Rainbow?”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, and looked at the floor. “I’m here to apologize too.” She pulled an envelope from the saddle bags she was wearing, and offered it to Davenport. “I not good at this kind of thing, so I hope these will make everything good between us.”

He opened the envelope, and sighed at what he saw. “You didn’t have to do this.” He up-ended the envelope and two of Rainbow’s feathers floated down to the counter. “I accept your apology, but I can’t take these as part of it. Let me pay you fair price, and we will call the whole thing over, alright?”

He began to inspect the feathers, and Rainbow watched intently. Rarity sat up on the sofa, and watched him work as well.

“How do my feathers compare to Fluttershy’s?”

Davenport slowly looked up at her. “You saw that?”

Rarity made a polite noise, getting his attention, and confessed, “We watched you two the whole time you were at Fluttershy’s. Rainbow has been looking out for her since they were both in flight school. Fluttershy is such a delicate thing; we were just concerned for her.”

Despite feeling irked at having his privacy so thoroughly invaded, he calmly stated, “It’s nice to know that she has such good friends. I promise I would never hurt a feather or hair on her.” Davenport reached under the counter, and retrieved his quill making tools. “To be honest, Rainbow, your feathers are stronger.” He trimmed down the two feathers, and placed the resulting quills on the shelf with the other pegasus quills. “I think you would be pleased to know that I would recommend your quills for somepony with good writing form. Stiffer quills can take a touch to use, but the results are typically sharper.”

Rainbow puffed herself up a bit at the perceived complement. “Did you hear that, Rarity? I’m so awesome, I even have great feathers.”

Rarity rolled her eyes in response. Davenport couldn’t help but laugh, as he paid Rainbow. “I’ll make sure they find their way to a writer who will appreciate them.”

“Thanks for the bits, and thanks for being cool about yesterday. Maybe I do read a little too much adventure stuff.” Rainbow waved, and then left the shop, leaving the door open behind her.

Rarity used her magic, and shut the door behind Rainbow. She made certain that Rainbow was away from the shop, before turning back to the shop’s proprietor. “She was genuine with her apology, but I think you’re in for some more trouble from her. Rainbow does not give up that easily.”

Davenport’s shoulders slumped at the idea. “I know. I just hope that whatever she tries next is not too disruptive. I have a business to run.”

Rarity examined one of her hooves, and looked self-satisfied. “I noticed something when you put Rainbow’s quills on the shelf. You don’t have any yellow pegasus quills for sale.”

Davenport slowly turned to look at the shelf. She was right, not one yellow quill was on display. He turned back to her, with a sheepish look.

Rarity arched an eyebrow at him. “I can only assume that Fluttershy’s quills went into your personal supplies. Am I right?”

Davenport croaked, “Yes.”

“After seeing you two together, hearing you talk about her yesterday, and the fact that you kept her quills for yourself, I assume you like her.” Rarity smiled, knowing her intuition was correct.

Davenport put his chin down on the counter, knowing it was pointless to protest. Rarity’s keen eye for detail had left his crush completely exposed, and any denial he would put forth would only make the matter worse. “Yes, I like her. Just, please, don’t tell anypony.”

“May I ask why you find her so alluring?” Rarity leaned towards him, eagerly awaiting his answer.

Davenport closed his eyes, as he listed, “She is such a gentle soul. I have never heard her say a harsh word to anypony. She has a loving heart, and it really shows when she is with her animals. Her singing voice is amazing. I could name dozens of other great qualities that she has.”

Rarity nodded in appreciation of his words. She was glad that he saw Fluttershy as an individual, and not just as a pretty mare. “Did your little arrangement with her, for the feathers, start due to your emotions, or because of business?”

“Strictly business, I thought that if I could get feathers from her they would be in better shape than the ones that I had been getting. I was surprised she agreed to the idea, to tell the truth.” He opened his eyes, and Rarity could tell he was being earnest. “After spending some time with her, she began to relax around me a little. I slowly began to see more and more of her personality, and I fell for her. I have never met another mare like her. She is simply beautiful through and through.”

Rarity regarded him with a new perspective. “But you haven’t moved on these feelings?”

He raised his head from the counter. “No, I’m scared she would push me away. I don’t want to endanger what I have with her. I could take the blow to my business well enough, but I will not risk my friendship with her.”

Rarity gracefully removed herself from the sofa, walked over to Davenport, and gently put her hoof on his shoulder. “She wouldn’t do that. I’ve known her for years, she may curl up into a ball and not talk for a few minutes, but she would never push you away. You should tell her how you feel. It would be good for both of your sakes.”

“Thank you. I think I will.”

*****

That weekend, Davenport once again headed down the path to Fluttershy’s. His saddle bags did not contain his customary tools, but held a bundle of carrots and a bouquet of flowers. The carrots were meant to fulfill his promise to Angel. The flowers were intended for Fluttershy.

As he came to the cottage’s door, he took a deep breath and steadied himself. He whispered as he knocked on the door, “Celestia, please don’t let this go poorly.” After an agonizing couple of moments, the door opened. He was greeted by an irritable white rabbit, not the kind yellow pony he had hoped to see. “Hello. Is Fluttershy at home?”

Angel shook his head.

“Horse apples, I wanted to talk to ask her about something. Well, at least I didn’t waste lugging these things around.” Davenport took off his saddle bags, and opened one of the side pouches. Angel leapt in the air with joy, as Davenport pulled out the large bundle of carrots. Davenport held the reward out to the rabbit. “I always make good on my business deals.” Angel took the carrots, their weight almost made him drop them. “Could you tell me where Fluttershy is?” Angel put the carrots down, and went through a complex pantomime of giving somepony a massage and then applying a mud mask. “She went to the spa then.” Angel nodded once again. Davenport sighed. “She could be gone for hours. I’d hate for the flowers to wilt before I can give them to her.”

Angel’s eyes widened, as he realized what Davenport’s intentions were. The carrots had paid off Davenport’s debt, but they did not buy the rabbit’s good will. Angel quickly moved the carrots out of the way, and slammed the door. “Well, I guess I know what he thinks about the idea.”

He began to put his saddle bags back on, when a soft voice called, “Hello, Davenport.”

He placed the bags back on the ground, and smiled as Fluttershy came up the path. “You have perfect timing. I wanted to talk to you, and Angel told me you were out. I thought I would miss you today.”

“Rarity and I just got finished at the spa.”

“I thought you looked particularly relaxed. I’m glad to see you enjoyed it.”

She ducked her face behind her hair, not expecting such kind words. “Thanks. Is there something I could help you with?”

“I wanted to ask you something.” Davenport opened another section of his saddle bags, and gently retrieved the flowers. He held the bouquet out to her. “Would you like to have dinner with me this evening?”

Fluttershy blushed crimson, and took the flowers. She barely whispered, “You mean like a date?”

Davenport’s fears began to resurface at her hesitation. “It doesn’t have to be a ‘date,’ if you don’t want it to be.”

She shook her head. “No, a date sounds nice, but…” Davenport’s heart all but stopped, as he waited for her to finish her sentence. “I promised Twilight that I would watch the sky with her tonight. She’s real excited about an alignment of stars that only happens once a year.”

Davenport’s heartbeat returned to normal. It was not the perfect scenario that he had hoped for, but at least she had not said no. “We can get together some other time then. When would be a good evening for you?”

Fluttershy would not look at him, but she had a small, bashful smile as she examined the flowers. “I’m leaving tomorrow to see my parents for a few days. I’m not sure how long I am going to stay, so I can’t tell you when a good time would be.” Davenport offered to keep an eye on her animals, but she politely refused. “Rainbow and Applejack are going to look after my animals for me, but thanks for offering.”

After thinking it over for moment, Davenport suggested, “Let’s not worry about a particular day till after you get back. Send me a note, or come by the shop, and we’ll make plans then. There’s no rush, so just write or swing by whenever you like.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I will.”

Davenport put back on his saddle bags, and gave her a warm smile. “I really look forward to spending an evening with you. Enjoy the stars tonight, and have a safe trip.”

As he headed back down the path, she added, “Thanks for the flowers, they’re my favorites.”

“You’re welcome. I had help in picking them out, so I can’t talk all the credit.” Davenport replied.

*****

Shortly after Fluttershy thanked him for the flowers, Davenport realized something. To make the date with Fluttershy as pleasant for her as possible he would need help. He gotten Rose Luck’s advice when he picked out the flowers, he would need even more help setting up a successful date. Sure, he could do the typical routine. But he wanted to make the evening special. For insight into how he should set things up, he had to get help from the one pony that had known Fluttershy the longest.

Davenport sat beside Rainbow’s mailbox, and fumed as he looked up at Rainbow’s house. “I should have remembered she was the only pony in Ponyville to live in a cloud house.” He had not been able to get Rainbow’s attention by yelling, he could not knock on her door, and he had no way of catching her in the air, if she was out. “Rainbow Dash, you need to open that door before my sanity returns!”

He suddenly felt the presence of another pony, and slowly turned. Davenport about jumped out of his saddle bags, as he came nose to nose with Pinkie. After taking a moment to get some air back into his lungs, he gasped, “By Celestia’s feathers, how do you do that?!”

“Do what? I’ve been sitting here for a couple of minutes. You’ve been just too busy yelling at Rainbow’s house to notice me.” Pinkie looked up at Rainbow’s house and tilted her head to the side. “Would it help if I yelled too? Though, I don’t think Rainbow is going to hear you. She’s at the library.”

Rainbow Dash, sitting in a library, Davenport almost dismissed the idea as another absurd Pinkie moment. But, as random as Pinkie could be, she was certainly reliable at knowing where ponies were around town. “Thanks Pinkie, you’re a life saver.”

“No, silly, I’m a pony. I was just curious why you were yelling at Rainbow’s house.” The look she gave him clearly conveyed that she was expecting an explanation.

Davenport tried to phrase his words carefully. “I need her help setting something up.”

Pinkie leapt to her feet. “Rainbow is great at helping with stuff. She’s helped me make deliveries for the Cakes a bunch of times. She’s so fast, it takes no time at all.” Pinkie motioned for him to follow her, and they set off towards the library.

“You don’t have to come to the library with me, I appreciate it though.”

The pink pony never stopped bouncing along the road. “I wanted to talk to her too, so we can go to the library together. It will be fun to have somepony to talk to.”

To his irritation and amazement, Pinkie did not stop talking the whole way to the library. She talked to him, to ponies they passed, even to birds that flew overhead, never once seeming to take a breath. Davenport had never been so happy to be in the quiet of a library as when he stepped into the Golden Oaks Library, and Pinkie finally ceased talking.

Pinkie had been right, Rainbow sat near Twilight. The pegasus was intently reading a book she had laid on the main table. The sight made putting up with Pinkie’s incessant chatter worth it.

Pinkie greeted the pair of readers, “Hey you two. Davenport needs some help.” The two looked up from their respective books with concern.

He waved his hooves in the air. “Nothing serious, I just need a little help from Rainbow.”

Rainbow smiled ear to ear. “You need help from the great Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer is Equestria?” Davenport began to feel that he had made a mistake, but still hesitantly nodded.

Twilight closed her book, with a skillful flick of magic. “Pinkie and I can help too. We’ve handled everything from dragons and hydras to manticores.”

“It’s nothing like that.” Davenport started to fidget. He had planned to talk to Rainbow alone. The conversation was going to be difficult enough without other ponies listening.

Pinkie hopped up and down. “Let us help too! Rainbow’s going to help you. We’re going to help Rainbow, because she’s our friend, so you might as well tell us what you need help with at the same time.”

Davenport internally sighed, Why does she have to make sense at the most inconvenient moments? He swallowed, before telling Rainbow. “I need your help with a date.”

Rainbow was perplexed by his words. “You came to me for date advice?”

Davenport shook his head. “Yes, no, sort of. It’s hard to explain. I need you to tell me a few things, so that I can set up a date.”

Twilight cut to the heart of the matter. “Who is the date with?”

As calmly as he could, he named, “Fluttershy.”

There were three very different reactions to his statement. Twilight’s eyes widened in curiosity at the notion, Pinkie made a high pitched squeal of excitement, and Rainbow’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“Please wait a moment, before you continue. Our friends need to be here for this.” With a flash of purple light, Twilight vanished.

Rainbow recovered her slack jaw, and asked Davenport, “You realize Fluttershy is leaving for a few days, right?”

Davenport rubbed a hoof between his eyes. His hopes of keeping things simple had vanished as thoroughly as Twilight. “I know, I asked her about the date this afternoon. We’re going to set a time later. I want to take the time to plan an evening she can enjoy.” Davenport sat down heavily. He had really hoped there would not be a scene like this, but life had conspired against him.

Twilight reappeared, with another burst of light, along with two others. Rarity and Applejack took a moment to orient themselves with their new location, before looking around at the gathered ponies.

Applejack adjusted her hat back to its proper position. “Now, what’s so important that ya’ll couldn’t hold off till I got my apples in the barn?”

Rarity looked over at Davenport, saw his expression, and gave him a knowing smile. “I take it you took my advice?”

Rarity’s question made Applejack look Davenport over. “What advice?”

Pinkie all but vibrated with excitement. She blurted out, “Fluttershy said yes to a date with Davenport! We’re going to have the biggest party ever!”

“No, we are not.” Rarity’s unyielding tone caused Pinkie to freeze in place. “This is a special and private occasion. No parties.” Pinkie all but deflated at the thought of not having a party to mark the event. Rarity added, “However, in due time, after he proposes, you can throw the biggest party that Ponyville has ever seen.” Rarity’s prediction renewed the pink pony’s vigor.

Unconvinced, Applejack looked over at Rarity. “Sugar cube, what makes you so certain he’s goin’ to do any proposin’?”

“This gentlecolt and I had a nice conversation about Fluttershy the other day.” Rarity put a hoof to her chest, as she looked over at Davenport. “I have never heard such a sincere and thoughtful admittance of affection for a lady in all my life. He cares deeply for our Fluttershy.” Her words embarrassed the stallion, and he looked towards the floor.

Rainbow asked about what Davenport had said about Fluttershy. Rarity repeated Davenport’s words about Fluttershy’s personality and her inner and outer beauty. The rest of the gathered ponies listened with rapt attention. Twilight, much to Davenport’s mortification, began taking notes.

The librarian’s quill stopped. She looked up from her writing, needing some clarification before she could continue. “Why were you two having this conversation in the first place?”

Rainbow tried to slink under the table, as Rarity described the events that led up to her going to apologize to Davenport. Rarity also explained how she came to realize Davenport’s affection for Fluttershy, due to his tone when talking about their friend and the absence of her quills from the store’s shelves. Pinkie filled in the gap in Rainbow’s story, by telling how Rainbow had come to her for help first.

Both Twilight and Rarity gave Rainbow a harsh look. Twilight sternly stated, “Rainbow, we’re going to have a talk about his later.”

Davenport gave the unhappy duo a lopsided grin. “The whole mess with the letter is why I started looking for Rainbow.” He looked over to where Rainbow was still half-hidden under the table. “You’ve known Fluttershy the longest of anypony in Ponyville, right?” Rainbow nodded. “I would like to make you a deal. You help me set up my date with Fluttershy, and I will tell you what was in the letter. Provided, of course, that you tell nopony else what the letter was about.”

Twilight tried to get his attention, but Rainbow spoke first, “If you’ll extend the deal to cover my friends, I accept.”

Davenport thought that Rainbow’s added term was reasonable. “Consider them included in the agreement as well. Since Twilight already knows what is in the letter, I will provide her with a set of my finest quills.”

Rarity smirked. “I’m sure quills from a certain pegasus won’t be included in that set.”

Davenport’s blush all but reached his ears. The group spent the next hour discussing ways to make the date go well. Twilight began making lists of accepted, workable, and rejected ideas. Davenport helped clear off the table to give Twilight more room to work. As he shelved the various books he had collected, his hoof paused midway to a shelf when he noticed the title of the book that Rainbow had been reading. He quietly laughed, as he placed the book back in its rightful place.

Chapter 4: A Mark Explained and a Secret Revealed

Davenport's Secret

Chapter 4: A Mark Explained and a Secret Revealed

Davenport struggled to get the key in the lock. No matter what he did, the key refused to enter the keyhole. The rain ran through his mane, and into his eyes. He couldn’t tell if the cold rain was what was causing his eyes to burn, or the effort of holding back his frustrated tears.

A yellow wing extended over his head, shielding him from the rain, and letting him finally get the lock undone.

“Thank you for the help.” He opened the door, bowed to her, and waved her into the shop. “I must insist the lady goes first.” After letting Fluttershy in, he picked up the sopping picnic basket, and stepped into the shop. He shut the door behind them, and led her to his upstairs apartment. The living space was neat, practical, and understated, much like its owner.

He pulled off his soggy vest and bowtie, and hung them on hooks mounted to the wall. “Let me get you some towels, I would hate to see you catch a cold.” He ran into the bathroom, and grabbed a couple of his best towels. He rushed back out, and gave them to her.

Fluttershy immediately began to dry herself off. After a moment, she looked over at him expectantly. “What about you, aren’t you going to dry off?”

Davenport blinked at the question, and then laughed at himself. “I guess I was too worried about you, I’ll be right back.” As he grabbed a few more towels for both of them, he looked at himself in the mirror. His mane was a wreck and his brown coat was a disaster, just like the date. He forlornly whispered to his reflection, “Well Davenport, I hope you enjoyed the evening, it’s most likely the last you will have with her.”

He stepped back out of the bathroom, and offered her more towels. She took one, and thanked him.

Davenport glanced into the kitchen, trying to think of something he could offer her. “Would you like some tea? It would help you get warm again.”

She nodded, and said what sounded like a yes from underneath a towel, as she dried the last of her mane. He put a kettle on to boil, and prepared a tea pot with the best tea he had. He went back to where he had put down the picnic basket in the entryway, and brought it into the kitchen. The basket’s contents were ruined. All of Pinkie’s desserts had turned into a lump of sugary goo and wrappings. He sighed, and dumped the mess into the trash can.

Fluttershy looked at him with concern. “Davenport, you still haven’t dried yourself.”

“You’re right, give me a moment.” He picked up a towel, and began to rub himself down. His emotions started to get the better of him, and he was glad he had the excuse to cover his face with the towel. He thought, How did I ever think this was going to turn out alright? I’ll be lucky if she even talks to me again.

A gentle hoof to the edge of the towel, and the side of his face, stopped him. He slowly lowered the cloth, and met her blue, questioning eyes. She tenderly asked, “Are you alright?”

His voice almost broke, as he answered, “I’m so sorry, Fluttershy.”

She seemed surprised by his statement. “Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He laughed mirthlessly. “Everything went wrong. The quiet restaurant with outdoor seating that I had been told was perfect had a grease fire, so we had to go get hay burgers. The lighting bug flight at the pond by Sweet Apple acres was overrun by fruit the bats flying around, thanks to Winona’s barking. Even when we moved to the park, that freak storm from the Everfree Forest all but froze and drowned us. The whole evening was a disaster. The only thing that went right was when we picked up the desserts from Sugar Cube Corner, and they were ruined by the rain.”

She giggled, and he looked at her in disbelief. “I had fun. It was like having an adventure, without ever leaving Ponyville.” The look of relief on his face made her smile a warm, soothing smile. “You talked to my friends about what I would like, didn’t you?”

He nodded, causing droplets from his still wet mane to fall to the floor. “I wanted tonight to be special, something you would remember. I guess you forgetting tonight won’t be a problem, but it still didn’t turn out at all like I had planned.” The kettle whistled, and he took a moment to take it off the stove and pour the hot water into the pot. “Well, at least we will have some nice, calming, chamomile tea to end the evening.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

They both finished drying off, Davenport poured the tea, and they made their way to the den. There were a couple of chairs, but it was the sofa that dominated the room, not due to its size, but due to its horrible eggplant purple upholstery. Upon seeing the couch, Fluttershy looked at him, waiting to hear his explanation for the monstrosity. He grinned, and gave her a theatrically exaggerated sigh. “I admit it, I couldn’t sell the thing. It may look ghastly, but it’s very comfortable. I couldn’t have it taking up room downstairs, so I brought it up here.”

After sitting down on the sofa, Fluttershy agreed that its appearance could be overlooked, since it seated so well. Davenport joined her on the couch, a respectful distance from her. She looked around the room, and noticed that he did not have anything out that showed what his interests were. A few books sat on a shelf. There was a single picture that showed Canterlot at night with a whimsically swirling sky and too bright stars from an artist she thought she recognized, but could not name. The rest of the room was almost bare. “What do you do when you’re not taking care of your shop?”

He followed her eyes around the room, and saw why she was having trouble picturing him doing anything besides work. “I don’t keep much of my hobby stuff up here. I typically go back down to the shop and set up on a sofa, so I keep my supplies down there.”

She looked over at him questioningly. “What kind of supplies?”

Well, you’re going to tell her friends, you should tell her too, he thought to himself. “I write as a hobby. I’ll show you, after we get through with the tea. I don’t trust myself going down stairs with beverages. The last time I tried, I ended up wearing my coffee.”

“I don’t want to be a bother. We could just stay up here.” Fluttershy started to duck her face behind her mane, as it came in front of her face she realized what a state it was in. “Oh my, I must look a mess.”

“I don’t think so. Your mane is in better shape than mine. Would you like a brush and comb?” She demurely nodded, and he retrieved a clean set for her.

She turned, putting her back to him, and started working the comb through her tail. She looked over her shoulder, blushed brightly, and asked, “Um, could you help me with my mane? That is, if you don’t mind?”

After a brief hesitation, he carefully began, making sure to be as gentle as possible with each stroke. After a couple of quiet minutes, she noted, “You must have brushed a long mane before.”

He smiled, at the back of her head. “My sister used to make me comb her mane when we were foals. She was the elder, and bigger, so I didn’t have much a choice. It wasn’t exactly torture, so I went along with it. I’m glad I haven’t lost the touch.” He finished with the back, she turned to face him, and he took the comb. He began by parting her bangs, revealing her face.

“I didn’t know you have a sister.”

His hooves continued their work, as he explained, “She lives in Fillydelphia, and helps run the family business. Dove Tail is a furniture maker, like my father.” He paused, feeling the soft texture of her mane. After a moment, he noticed the look she was giving him. He blushed, and let go of the strand of mane that he had been absentmindedly holding. Suppressing a smile, she put the strand behind her ear.

He put the comb down, and got off the couch. “Would you like to see what I work on in my spare time?” He extended a hoof, and helped her off the couch. They made their way back downstairs, and Davenport made a grand, sweeping gesture. “Take a seat, any sofa you want.”

She chose one of the smaller sofas, and settled down. He looked at her, and thought, Here’s the mare that I would have used for Rainbow’s advertisement idea. He ducked behind the counter, reached into a back corner under the cash register, and pulled out a key. He then went into his storage room, and unlocked a drawer on his filing cabinet. He picked up his work and supplies from their hiding space, and returned to the showroom.

Fluttershy scooted over, so that he could sit beside her. He joined her, cautiously noting how much closer to her he was than when they were upstairs, and gave her the draft. “As part of getting help from your friends, I was promised to tell them about this, and they swore not to tell another soul. I’m glad I could tell you first. You are the only pony that will see this draft, besides me and my editor.”

She looked at the title page, and then looked up at him in amazement. She paged through the draft, scanning passages at random, and couldn’t believe what she was holding. “You wrote this? The other’s too?”

“Yes, I’m proud of all my works. I put a lot of effort into them, but my editor swears that my writing has improved with the last couple of books. I like to think it had something to do with the special quills that I have been getting.” He held up one of the quills made from one of her feathers, and she blushed. “I hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head, the blush still lingering on her cheeks.

“Most ponies think my cutie mark has to do with my selling sofas and quills. It’s actually due to my ability to write stories. When I was a colt, a teacher of mine saw that I had some writing talent. She pushed me to enter a short story writing contest for school aged ponies. I decided to give it a try. I started writing, while curled up on one of dad’s sofas, back in the workshop. While I was writing one evening, my cutie mark appeared. I ended up placing in the contest.”

“I hate that you didn’t win.”

Davenport grinned, and leaned back on the sofa. “There wasn’t a standard awards setup in the contest. Each entry was judged on its theme. My story was an action, adventure story, and I won that category. I guess the organizers of the contest didn’t want to have direct competition between young writers, and came up with the theme prizes instead. I’ve been writing ever since. I have a couple of noms de plume, and thankfully nopony has figured out they are connected to me.”

“Rainbow Dash and Twilight are both going to so excited to find out.” Fluttershy grinned, imagining the looks on her friend’s faces.

“Twilight already knows.” Davenport explained about the miss-delivered letter, Rainbow’s quest to find out about its contents, and its resulting fallout.

By the end of Davenport’s telling, Fluttershy’s wings were spread and bristled in irritation. “Ooooo, that Rainbow Dash! She should know better than to go sneaking around and spying on ponies! Especially after the way she felt when she was featured by Gabby Gums!” Her eyes had taken on a fierce light, and she seemed posed to wrestle with a bear.

Davenport had never seen her in such a state, and he tried his best to calm the typically benign mare down. “She didn’t really do anything, other than get Rarity dirty. Think of it this way, had it not been for her, we wouldn’t have had our ‘adventure’.”

Fluttershy’s wings slowly folded back, and her calm demeanor returned. “I’m so embarrassed. I’m sorry I got angry like that. You’re right, she didn’t hurt anything or anypony, but it still wasn’t very nice.” She gave him the draft back, and he got up to put it back in its proper place. As he returned from the storage room, she glanced over his shoulder, and looked at the shop’s clock. Her wings snapped open, as she realized the time. “It’s already that late?! I should be going.”

Davenport winced at the thought of her trying to make it back to her cottage in the storm. “You shouldn’t go back out, with the weather this nasty. Stay here for the night, you can have my bed.”

“Where will you sleep?”

He gestured to the numerous sofas in the shop. “I have a variety of spots to choose from. I will be comfortable, I assure you.” He put the draft away, and led her back to his apartment. He changed the sheets for her, picked up his alarm clock, and started to head back down to the shop.

“Davenport, thank you for the wonderful evening, I know it didn’t happen the way you planned, but I really enjoyed it.”

“You’re more than welcome.” After gathering the towels they had used, and putting them in a hamper, he made his way back to the shop, and chose a comfortable méridienne to sleep on. He made sure his alarm was set for the morning, and lay his head down. He smiled to himself. It didn’t turn out the way I had planned, but the date wasn’t a complete disaster. I’ll just have to wait and see if there will be another any time in the future.”

*****

Davenport’s hoof reached for his ringing alarm clock, and met nothing but air. He slowly sat up, momentarily confused at the absence of his clock on the nightstand. As his clarity returned, he remembered where he was. He reached down, silenced the offending time piece, and rolled off the méridienne.

He quietly made his way back into his apartment, and slipped into the bathroom. He recoiled at his reflection. He had never combed his mane last night, and after spending the night in the shop, it showed. He looked like he had been on a three day salt binge, complete with waking up on the floor. After his shower, he managed to get his mane under control. “I wish I had noticed sooner, it’s about time to go see Snips.”

He started to prepare breakfast. As he was heating up some hay bacon, Fluttershy walked in. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

She sleepily nodded. “That smells wonderful.”

He set their places, poured some Sweet Apple Acres apple juice, and plated the food. The meal was quiet, both of the ponies comfortable with each other’s presence so conversation was not needed.

After they finished, Davenport gathered their dishes, and put them in the sink. “I don’t want to seem to be an ungracious host, but I have to open the shop. Feel free to use the shower. I should have the coffee ready, by the time you come down.”

“Thank you, but no coffee for me, it gives me the jitters.”

Davenport returned to the shop, and went through the morning routine: making sure the register was ready, checking to see if there were any messes he needed to address, and then opening the blinds and the door. The weather team must have been up early, the remnants of the storm had been cleared away, and Celestia’s sun shone brightly.

He had just poured his cup of coffee, when Fluttershy came down the stairs.

“Are you sure about not wanting a cup? It’s shipped from Donut Joe’s.”

“I’m sure. I have to get back to my animals. Angel is probably upset that I didn’t come home.”

Davenport came from behind the counter. “I hope he doesn’t give you too much of a hard time. I’m glad you stayed. If you had tried to go back during the storm I would have worried about you all night.”

Applejack’s voice sounded from the door, “Have you seen Fluttershy? The girls and I don’t know where… Whoa, nelly!” Applejack’s face turned as red as her namesake at the sight of Fluttershy standing there with the stallion. She slowly began to back out of the shop. “Pardon, I didn’t mean to interrupt nothin’.” Davenport and Fluttershy looked at each other, and then back to Applejack.

Fluttershy’s blush shamed Applejack’s, as she realized what her friend was thinking. She barely managed to raise her voice enough to tell Davenport, “Thank you again, it was a wonderful night.” She walked out the door, Applejack following close behind.

Davenport walked to the door, and watched the pair head towards Fluttershy’s cottage. I’m sure I will be hearing about this later.

*****

The next three days were uneventful for Davenport. None of the Elements had shown up at his shop. Customers came and went as normal. He even finished a chapter in his draft and got it off to his editor well before the deadline.

Having waited the polite amount of time, he once again put on his saddle bags and headed out towards Fluttershy’s cottage. For this trip, he carried sweets from Bon Bon’s shop for Fluttershy, and the set of quills he had promised to Twilight.

As he made his way, he felt the gnawing of trepidation. Had she really liked the evening they had spent together? She seemed to. Had he been too forward when he brushed her mane, or in offering her a place to stay? She had asked him to help with her mane, and her staying was only rational. Did revealing his secret put her off? She seemed to have been excited about it, not repulsed. He stopped, as he came in view of her cottage. His thoughts were a jumble of doubts, worries, and self-assurances that things would turn out just fine.

Davenport’s mental gymnastics kept him from noticing the aura of magic that surrounded his saddle bags. He turned, as they seemed to lift themselves from his back. “What the hay is going…” The next coherent thought he had was, Why is the sky under my hooves?

“Got the varmint with one try, I told y’all I could do it.” Davenport dizzily turned his head, and watched as Applejack finished tying off a rope to a nearby tree. As he looked around, he realized a couple of things. The first being, he was hanging upside down about a pony’s height from the ground, courtesy of Applejack’s rope skills. The second was that four of the five mares that he had made the Pinkie promise with a little over a week ago were looking at him as if deciding what to do with a wild animal they had caught. The last of the mares was frantically leafing through a book, and paid him no attention at all.

Rarity shook her head at the sight of the dangling stallion. “Is this really necessary? I’m sure Davenport will talk to us without all the theatrics.”

Twilight objected as well, but for a procedural reason, rather than civilities. “I have to agree, this may not be necessary. We haven’t established if he would be willing to talk without incentive yet. We seem to have skipped quite a few steps. Tying up the detainee, hanging them upside down, and then getting them to talk aren’t mentioned until chapter eleven.”

Davenport’s eyes widened, as her words sunk in. What kind of book does she have?!

To his surprise, Pinkie pointed towards him accusingly. “It’s totally necessary! He's a big meanie!”

Davenport took a deep, cleansing breath before assuring, “Pinkie, I would have told you about the letter at any time. All you had to do was come by my shop. In fact, I was planning on seeing all of you this afternoon. This is the first day off I’ve had, give me a little slack.”

Applejack leaned in close enough that he could tell her breakfast had consisted of apple flap jacks slathered with apple butter and apple juice to drink. He also could tell that she hadn’t brushed afterward. “We ain’t here about that.”

Rainbow broke in jokingly, “I don’t know about you guys, but that’s what I’m here for.”

After giving Rainbow a sharp look, Applejack continued, “We want to know what happened the other night.”

“You mean the events during our date, or after?”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed and her voice became chillingly serious. “There had better not have been any ‘events’ with Fluttershy after the date, or nopony will ever find what little there will be left of you.”

Davenport’s reply came quickly and sincerely, “I swear by Celestia’s immaculate coat, mane, and tail, I did nothing dishonorable to her at all!”

Applejack back away from him a little, convinced by his words, but she still wanted answers. “Then you shouldn’t have a problem tellin' us exactly what when on that evenin’.”

Despite literally not being in a position to bargain, Davenport vigorously shook his head. The action caused him to sway in the air, which made it very difficult for anypony to take him seriously. “I will do no such thing. If she hasn’t told you yet, then it’s not my place to. We only agreed that I would tell you what was in the letter, nothing more, nothing less.”

Rainbow smiled widely. “That's not going to fly. You're going to talk, right now. Fluttershy is involved, and we take care of our friends.”

Davenport understood where she was coming from, but still would not cave. “If you let me down, as a token of good faith, I'll consider it.”

Rainbow walked over, and stopped Davenport’s swinging. Before he could thank her, she began to poke on his side as if looking for something, freezing the words in his mouth. “Twilight, I think he isn’t going to talk willingly.” Rainbow poked near Davenport’s ribs, and wickedly smiled when he reacted with a twitch. “You’re going to talk now, tough guy.” She extended a wing, and began the torment.

Davenport’s laughing carried for some distance. Rainbow had obviously tickled another pony with her wings before, and it didn’t take long for Davenport’s eyes to water. “Alright, I’ll tell you!”

Rainbow smiled. “Good. Now, spill it.”

“What in the name of Celestia is going on,” Fluttershy shouted, as she flew down the path.

Rarity abashedly waved to her. “Hello darling, we were just having a little discussion with Davenport about how your date went.”

Applejack muttered, “Particularly the part where you stayed the whole night at his place.”

Fluttershy flew over to the tree where the rope had been tied, and began to undo the knot. “Rainbow, this is not how to treat a pony. Applejack, I told you that I stayed the night because of the storm. Twilight, I would have thought you would stop this kind of behavior.”

Twilight didn’t even bat an eye, as she clarified, “I did try to stop it, for a moment. Rainbow and Applejack did not follow the proper procedure for interrogations. I pointed out their errors so they could be more successful in extracting information from Davenport. We had to be certain to take the right steps to maximize the probability that the information he gave us about your well being was accurate.”

Fluttershy paused in her efforts with the knot, gave Twilight an incredulous look, and shook her head. She turned to Rarity next. “Rarity, you of all ponies should have treated Davenport better than this. He has never been anything but kind to you. He even special ordered your chase lounge all the way from Prance.”

“I know darling, it’s just that after hearing about you staying the night at his place I was concerned.”

Pinkie spontaneously confessed, not wanting to suffer Fluttershy’s disappointed stare, “I thought he might have done something mean to you! I'm sorry!” Pinkie started to cry.

Davenport exhaled sharply in disbelief at her emotional outburst. “Pinkie, everything is fine. Don’t get so worked up over this. Nopony has been hurt, unless you count my dignity.” Fluttershy finally got the knot undone, and Davenport braced to hit the ground at the feeling of the rope going slack. When the impact did not come, he opened his eyes, and found that he was being held up by Twilight’s magic. He was gently turned, and then placed back on his hooves. After getting the rope loose from his legs, Davenport promptly sat down, as he tried to overcome the feeling of dizziness from being upside-down for so long.

Fluttershy sat down beside him. “Are you alright?” Davenport nodded slowly, still disoriented. “Applejack, I asked you to tell the others I would talk all of you about what happened when we could all get together.”

Davenport waved an unsteady hoof in their direction. “Now is as good a time as any. I think I still need a minute or two for the blood to flow back where it’s supposed to.”

Fluttershy related the series of mishaps that occurred during the date. As she told how Davenport had offered her shelter for the night, the listening mares realized the gravity of their mistake.

Applejack took off her hat, and apologized. “Sorry. She wouldn’t tell me much more than she stayed the night at your shop. I couldn’t tell if she was just bein’ shy, waitin’ to tell our friends too, or somethin’ bad had happened. She’s like a sister to me, and the rest of us gals. We couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her.”

Having fully recovered, Davenport smiled. “I have a sister, so I understand. Now, it’s time I kept my end of our bargain.” He smiled over at Rainbow, letting her know he was intentionally going to draw things out. “First, Twilight, in the left, upper pouch of my saddle bags is the set of quills I promised you.”

Twilight opened the designated pouch, and made an adorable sound at seeing the package. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

Rainbow’s patience reached its limit. “Enough with the polite stuff, tell us!”

Davenport’s smile widened. “The letter was from my editor, telling me about a couple of points he thought I needed to refine in the story that I have been working on.” He paused there, catching Twilight’s eye. She had to work not to laugh, as Rainbow wound herself tighter.

Rainbow shook her hooves toward him pleadingly, the suspense proving to be too much for her. “Please, I can’t take it! What story?!”

“My next novel, ‘Daring Do and the Silver Trident,’ my editor thought I needed to add a little more detail when I described how Daring escaped from the trap I left her in from the previous story.”

Dash seemed frozen in time. She did not move. She did not make a sound; she did not even seem to breathe. Pinkie waved a hoof in front of her stunned friend’s eyes. “Hello, Equestria to Dash!”

Applejack started to get concerned. “I’m thinkin’ she’s in some kind of shock.”

Davenport found himself with his hooves towards the sky for the second time that afternoon, as Rainbow bowled him over with a lunging tackle. She stood above him, wide eyed with excitement. “You’re serious?!”

“I promised I would tell you, now you know. You can ask Twilight, she read the letter.”

Dash turned to Twilight, who affirmed, “It’s true.”

Davenport gave Rainbow a satisfied grin. “Was it really worth all the hassle you went through to know that?”

Rainbow half-lifted him off the ground, as she hugged him. “You have no idea! I love Daring Do! You’ve got to let me read the next book first!”

Fluttershy kindly asked, “Rainbow, would you let go of my coltfriend? He doesn’t look comfortable.”

Rainbow quickly did as Fluttershy asked, releasing him from her overly enthusiastic hold. Davenport didn’t even mind hitting the ground. His mind was completely focused on one thought. She called me her coltfriend!

Rainbow coolly strutted away from him. She glanced over her shoulder at Fluttershy, with a teasing grin. “Just so you know, if you and your coltfriend ever break up, he’s mine. Any pony awesome enough to write the Daring Do books is good enough for me.”

Still on his back, Davenport raised a defiant hoof in the air. “You’re going to have to wait a long time!”

Rarity politely cleared her throat, getting the mares’ attentions. “We should leave these two alone. I think we’ve detained them both long enough with our silliness.” After saying their farewells to the pair, the gathered mares headed back to Ponyville.

Fluttershy waved at their retreating forms, as she spoke to Davenport. “I’m so sorry about that. They look after me. They know I tend to get pushed into things. It’s gotten me into trouble a couple of times.”

“I would never pressure you to do anything you don’t want to.”

She nodded. “I know.”

Davenport made his way over to his saddle bags, and retrieved the box of sweets. “These are for you.” She smiled, and took them from him, with a softly whispered thank you. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof, his nerves beginning to return. “Speaking of not forcing you into something you don’t want to do, I would like to ask you something.”

Her eyes explored his, shyly expectant. “What is it?”

“Would you like to try our date again? This time, maybe we can do the things that we planned to.”

She smiled. “I would like that.”

Epilogue: A Second First Date

Davenport’s Secret

Epilogue: A Second First Date

Davenport watched the fireflies drift across the surface of the pond, their brief flashes reflected by the dark water. More accurately, he watched Fluttershy as she admired the nocturnal insect’s dance through the air.

Their second date had not proven to be nearly as exciting as the first, but he could not be happier. She had loved the restaurant. The outdoor seating and wonderful food there had been fantastic. Applejack had provided deserts to go in the now dry picnic basket, as an apology for her demonstration of her rope skills on Davenport. Of course, they were varieties of apple dishes. The pair nibbled on the tarts and cobbler, as they enjoyed the natural show. Winona was nowhere to be seen or heard, and he had his suspicions that Applejack had something to do with that as well. He smiled, glad that Fluttershy was so relaxed, and seemed to be enjoying the evening.

She felt his eyes on her, and turned towards him. She blushed at the attention, and he hastily took another bite of the cobbler. She pawed the blanket they he had put down for them, before saying, “Davenport, Rarity talked to me about you.” She smiled, as he slowly swallowed the mouthful of dessert.

He nervously managed to say, “I hope she said at least one pleasant thing about me.”

Fluttershy shifted, and lessened the space between them. He held still, not knowing how to react, and he didn’t want to startle her with an unexpected move. “She told me about what you said about me, when she apologized to you. Do you really feel that way about me?”

He nodded. “You are something special. I didn’t realize how special, till I started spending time with you.”

She took a deep breath. “I need to tell you how I feel about you. It’s only fair.” He silently, worriedly waited, as she took a moment to prepare herself. “You are one of the few ponies, other than the girls and my family that I can feel comfortable around. You have never been pushy or forceful, you have always been polite, and you have always made sure that I was comfortable. Even when I was having all that trouble, when I was a model, you didn’t treat me any differently.”

Davenport started to say something, but stopped when she shook her head. She continued, “I started to look forward you your visits. It made me feel safe and cared for, when you were around. When you asked me for a date, it was wonderful to know that you liked me.” She smiled, and rubbed one foreleg over the other, embarrassed by her confession. “When things didn’t go as planned the other night, you took care of me first. You didn’t dry off till I was through, you fixed tea so I wouldn’t get sick, you helped me with my mane, and you even gave up your bed to keep me out of the storm. Nopony has ever taken care of me like that before.” She leaned against him, and he went stock-still at the contact. He barely dared to breathe. “Do you know when I realized how much I enjoyed you being around?”

Davenport had taken up Fluttershy’s typical role in a conversation, and barely replied in an audible whisper, “No, I don’t.”

“It was right after Rainbow tackled you and hugged you. She made me feel jealous. I wanted to hug you for letting me stay the night, but Applejack showing up stopped me before I could. I wanted to hug you for being so nice, and Rainbow got to hug you first.”

Davenport grinned. “She also dropped me on the ground right after that, so I can assure you, it wasn’t all that pleasant for me.”

She began to blush, and her eyes sparked with a new light. “I want to make sure that I’m the first at something else though, if it’s alright with you.”

He understood. “It would be more than alright.”

They slowly leaned together, both nervous, and gently, tenderly kissed. The kiss lasted longer than either of them expected, and when they drew apart, it was with a shared smile and a soft intake of breath.

They leaned against each other, her head in the crook of her neck, and his gently placed on hers. The silence stretched on, as they watched the fireflies over the pond.

“That was it? That is all the stallion that wrote the Daring Do novels could do?!” A harshly whispering voice criticized, from a concealed spot behind them. “If they do break up, I’m going to really have to show him what having a marefriend is about.”

Both Davenport’s and Fluttershy’s ears perked up at the voice.

“But Dashie, I won’t be able to throw them a party if they break up!”

“Darlings, you need to be quiet, I think they might be able to hear you.”

“Rainbow, according to ‘Heart Warmer’s Guide to Relationships,’ they are about where they should be in the dating cycle. Kissing is well within the bounds of a second date, particularly after a long period of friendship.”

“Sugar cube, you need to quit readin’ those books and get a coltfriend of your own. Then you can take your own notes about what is appropriate for a second date.”

There was a lady-like humph, and a whispered, “This from the mare who threatened violence against that very stallion.”

“I was just lookin’ out for Shy!”

“Oh, so you wouldn’t look out for your other friends.”

“You prissy mare, you know that’s not at all what I meant.”

Davenport sighed at the conversation that he and Fluttershy were not supposed to be hearing. Fluttershy giggled, and whispered, “I’ll talk to them tomorrow. They can’t follow us around on every date we have.”

“Don’t be too harsh on them, they are just trying to take care of you for the same reason I try to.”

She looked up at him. “Why is that?”

He kissed her forehead, and told her, “Because I love you.”

Author's Note

Thank you for reading my story. Please, if you enjoyed it, take a moment and vote for it. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks to the group Authors Helping Authors for helping my writing improve, and for the wonderful mentoring. Thanks too, to the group Crack Shipping Inc., whose sometimes odd and wonderfully creative pairings inspired this story.

For those of you who have added this to your favorites, I cannot thank you enough. Please remember, a favorite does not count as a positive vote, so please vote for the story too!