Fluttershy's Shadow

Chapters

A Doubt of a Shadow - Part Two
Happiness Over One's Shadow -Part One
A Doubt of a Shadow - Part One

A Doubt of a Shadow - Part Two

Fluttershy’s Shadow

Written by Broken Logic

Chapter Two - A Doubt Of a Shadow - Part Two

Shadow’s desk was littered with inadmissible letters and orange peels, remnants of his past few hours of sorting mail. A clock on the wall, its face reading half past two, ticked a quiet beat that sent a faint, monotonous echo through the office room. The post wasn't usually dispatched until after three, when all the mail had been ordered to ensure maximum efficiency of travel to delivery ratios in accordance with the travelling postmare algorithm.

The silence was broken by a sharp snort, given by an amused Shadow. He had just deciphered a particularly illegible note that was finally determined to be addressed to Miss Cheerilee, the teacher of Ponyville Elementary School. Shadow guessed it was from the little foal, Apple Bloom, judging from the terrible handwriting and the fact that the returnee’s name read “Applejack (really).” The destination scrawled on the front of the letter was simply “school.” He let the image of the little yellow filly frolic inside his head for a while until the foal ran into a mailbox, breaking its post in half. Jolted out of his daydreaming, he reached inside his current bag of unsorted mail.

The next message he drew out was addressed to Derpy.

“Miss Derpy, letter for you,” he said. Sliding out of his chair, he trotted around his desk and passed the letter to the mailmare. Derpy was also occupied with the task of categorising mail, and she first filed the letter in her hooves before she reached out to take Shadow’s delivery.

“Thank you, Shadow,” she said. He bobbed his head in response and headed back to his desk. He stopped midway, however, when he heard Derpy give a small gasp. Quickly looking back, Shadow saw that her eyes were fixed on the back of the note, where the sender details were printed.

“What's wrong?” he asked, his forehead scrunching.

“It's from Compass,” she replied, hugging the note to her chest. Although tears welled in the corners of her shut eyelids, she let out a long, relieved sigh, and a tension that Shadow hadn’t notice before melted off her shoulders.

“Oh, good.” Shadow relaxed, letting out a breath. He gave Derpy an understanding smile. “I was starting to get worried, too. We haven't received a letter from him in a while.” Shadow watched her cradle the letter for a time, and then asked, “Are you going to read it?”

“You know I never do,” she answered softly. “I miss him so much that it would hurt, trying to glean what little I can from these few words. I'll wait until he comes back, so I can hear it from his own mouth, in his warm hooves. Just knowing he is alive is enough for now.” Shadow nodded in assent.

Still, it was good to know that his friend hadn't been eaten by an ursa, or worse, on his trip to explore the lands outside Equestria. Even more so, Shadow hoped the stallion would return soon. While he understood the necessity of Compass's journey, the consequences of otherwise resulting in Compass succumbing to the highly dangerous Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome, Shadow couldn't help but worry for Derpy. She was raising two children alone, and while he helped out as much as he could, nothing would replace a real father and husband.

“Back to wizard, Shadow. We have llama more witch to do.” Derpy had composed herself and was already rummaging a post bag for another letter. Shadow hummed in response, and sat back down at his desk. He swept his orange peels into the wastebin next to his desk and picked another bag to sort. As he pulled out the first letter, he wondered what his friend would think of his bumbling attempts that morning. Knowing him, he'd probably suggest something as outrageous as publicly challenging Fluttershy's shadow for her honor.

Pinkie Pie waved good-bye to Rainbow Dash as the pegasus left to perform her weather control duties. Good ol’ Dashie, Pinkie thought, thankful that her friend had piggybacked her all the way to the ground after her ride up had crashed on her, and watched the speedster zooming off until she was obscured by the clouds. Back to work, I guess, she thought with a guilty smile, realising how much time she had taken off for a personal errand.Pinkie Pie was still flushed from the exhilaration of the ride and she bounced it off through the park where she had been dropped off. The sound of talk and laughter filled the air as groups of ponies enjoyed a nice picnic in the rare warm afternoon weather of that autumn day. As she waved to Lyra and Bon Bon, who were habitually hanging out on a park bench, Pinkie’s heart filled with joy at seeing the smiles of the happy picnickers. The infectious white, uncontainable grins of a pack of little foals playing tag were too potent on her, and she could not help but beam as she continued on her way.

As Pinkie was hopped past a family with a tantalisingly sweet-smelling apple pie lunch, she espied a familiar trio of respectively yellow, white and orange fillies huddled off in the distance. They were gesturing and conversing industriously around a diagram scratched on the ground with a stick.

“So the plan is t’pull the rope as it comes down the hill and catch it as it bounces back,” Apple Bloom said, summing up her scenario to the nods of three other ponies. Apple Bloom’s eyebrows furrowed as she felt a moment of puzzlement, but she couldn’t quite put a hoof on why. The reason reared itself as a frizzy pink head, which hadn’t been there when she had started talking, loudly introduced itself.

“Hey, girls! Watcha doin’?” Pinkie asked, a spring even in her voice.

“Aaah!” they cried in unison, startled by her seemingly sudden appearance and falling on their rumps. Pinkie had popped into the huddle a while before, but only now the three fillies noticed her, and they looked up into her hugely grinning face.

“Oh, it’s just Pinkie Pie. Hi, Pinkie Pie,” Apple Bloom said, first to recover. “We were just tryin’ t’get our cutie marks! We heard that there was this bear rampagin’ across the park, stealin’ ponies’ picnic baskets. So we thought we could try bein’—”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Park Rangers!” the trio exclaimed in unison, clopping their right hooves together.

“But,” Sweetie Belle spoke hesitatingly, “we’ve been at it all day and haven’t made any progress.” The filly deflated visibly as she let out a sigh. “Who knew bears could ski so well?” With a dispirited frown, Sweetie Belle’s head swivelled a slow, dejected circuit towards some zig-zagging trails leaving furrows in the leaf-blanketed ground, a testament showing that piles of fallen autumn leaves made a perfect substitute for snow to inventive bears.

“Come on, Sweetie Belle. Don’t give up!” Scootaloo encouraged her white filly friend. “We’ve had loads of close misses. He was just lucky, is all.” Apple Bloom nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, we’ll get him yet!” Apple Bloom told Sweetie Belle, patting her on the back reassuringly, then turned to face Pinkie Pie. “So, what are you doin’ here, Pinkie? I thought you’d be at Sugarcube Corner around this time o’ day?”

“I was just visiting Rainbow Dash to tell her the news,” Pinkie told them, flipping her hoof indifferently. Her eyes then lit up. “Oh, do you know about the news?”

“Rainbow Dash? What news?” asked Scootaloo, interested by Pinkie’s zeal, but unable to ignore her fan inclinations.

“Ninjas, and Fluttershy got flowers from some pony!” Pinkie answered both questions.

“What?” The three fillies exclaimed in unison.

“Who?”

“Where?”

“Ninjas?”

“When?” they fired in rapid succession, eager to hear the details.

“You know,” Pinkie Pie speculated, “Rainbow Dash asked me those exact same questions, except about the ninjas. Too bad I don’t know, huh? Why? Are they important?”

The trio looked at her sincere, inquiring face and shared a look.

“Well, yeah, Pinkie,” Scootaloo told her, sporting a wry grimace. “They’re the first things you’d normally ask.”

“Oooh,” Pinkie exhaled, as if she’d learnt a very important lesson. “Well,” she continued, hoofing her chin, “if you want to know more, you’ll probably have to ask Twilight or Fluttershy.”

“Come on, girls. Let’s go find Fluttershy and see if we can be—” Apple Bloom paused as the three fillies got into their positions.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers!” they cried, all rearing back into a heroic pose and then dashing off, completely forgetting their park ranger duties in their rush to find Fluttershy.

Pinkie waved them off and continued her trek back to Sugarcube Corner, happily bouncing and humming. In the midst of an arc, she was struck by inspiration.

A party rocket! she thought with a twinkle in her eyes. Pure genius.

Then she was struck by two separate combinations of Pinkie Senses. The first: double twitchy ears, itchy nose, twitchy flank and a spontaneous expansion, a new one there, and the other: a simple twitchy tail.

At the bottom of the arc, she was struck by a bear. The woodland creature had skied out of nowhere and crashed into her, sending it, and the stack of picnic baskets it was precariously balancing, flying. Pinkie hopped on, oblivious to the assault, not to mention miraculously impervious, as her mind was filled to the brim with thoughts of drawing up a blueprint for complex machinery constructed with scrap materials and confectionery.

That girl, Rainbow Dash thought dryly. Even when something as significant as Fluttershy getting flowers happens, she still doesn’t wait for all the details. Though that's just Pinkie Pie, I guess. It wouldn't be like her to play with a full deck of cards. Not when she already has five aces...

Rainbow Dash pulled out the parchment she had collected from the weather bureau in town. It was a rota stating her duties, and it told her that her first stop was Sweet Apple Acres. Her orders called for a small shower on the west fields, provided by some passing clouds.

So, Rainbow mused, turning over a different subject as she flew towards her destination, Fluttershy's found herself a colt, has she? Well, good for her. Maybe she'll dare to be more assertive now. Thinking about Fluttershy's weakness brought up another issue, causing her loyalty to light a fervid fire in her stomach, fueled by her protective instincts. As soon as I find out who the pony is, I'm going have to make sure he knows not to hurt her. Or I will Sonic Rainboom his flank!

She slowed the rhythmic beating of her wings once she reached Sweet Apple Acres, waving friendly to a large, red colt that she passed on her way to the west fields. When she arrived, she was happy to see that there were a few rain clouds meandering about already. Good to know the bureau has accurate predictions once in a while, she thought with a chuckle.

The pegasus picked a plump nimbus cloud that looked ripe to bursting and positioned it over the middle of the field. Using it as a foundation, she pushed the other errant clouds together to form one large stratus rain cloud. Pleased with her creation, Rainbow Dash wore a smirk as she flew to the centre most point on the top of the cloud and made a light landing upon her work. It sloshed heavily like an oversized waterbed, producing another grin on her face.

As Rainbow Dash bounced a jaunty rhythm on the cloud, careful not to kick up unexpected thunderstorms, her mind drifted to planning pranks she could perform on Nightmare Night. There was the old favourite roaming thunder cloud, a chilly hail cloud for dropping ice down the neckline of ponies' costumes, and the new cotton-candy cloud with which she’d bait Pinkie Pie. She was also planning on hiding behind the Nightmare Moon statue and scaring fillies with a bloodcurdling voice. She had been practicing her accent for weeks.

Thinking of statues...

Abruptly, the image of a particular royal guard imposed itself on her thoughts.

Ugh, not again. She moaned and raised her eyes skyward in annoyance. That pony always comes up when I think about pranks now. The white-coated guard didn't even crack a smile when she went all out with the googly eyes and wagging tongue, and thinking about it now caused her galled grimace to grow.

She forcefully turned her mind to other things, but the only other detail that stood out in her mind was Pinkie's new flying machine. However, it was then that she was hit with an idea. Remembering the absurd invention Pinkie had come up with had suddenly inspired in her a new trick.

“It’s gonna be sooo awesome," she squealed to herself.

Having dispensed a great deal of its contents, the raincloud under Rainbow Dash was markedly whiter. While her initial bounces had caused torrents of water to dump out of the rain cloud with each impact, her last few collisions had only squeezed out a few drops at a time. She halted her springing and watched the deflated steam puff wobble. Then, taking off from the cloud with a sprightly leap, she looked at her handiwork below. The entire field was damp and the apple trees glistened pleasingly. A smug grin plastered itself on her face for a job awesomely done.

Her task here completed, Rainbow Dash rushed off, flapping her wings with extra zeal. She was eager to reach her next job so she could finish her duties early and head back to her cloud-home and clear, stunt-worthy skies. When she had a new move she wanted to perfect, nothing could slow her down.

And so, when she almost collided with a grey pegasus near edge of Sweet Apple Acres airspace, she was in too much of a hurry to do more than shout back an apology.

"Sorry!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the dazed victim, who had been spun around violently by the speed of Rainbow’s passing.

Despite managing to avoiding a head-on collision, the close encounter caused the other pegasus to fumble a small brown object that dropped towards the farm. However, Rainbow Dash had her head up too far in the clouds to notice.

Big Macintosh looked up from his ploughing towards his farm hand. Caramel was bucking an apple tree with a slow rhythm of lethargic kicks, and the only response the stallion gave when an apple dropped onto his head, issuing a solid bonk, was to give it a bemused stare. Big Mac shook his head, tousling his orange mane, and wondered what was bothering his old friend.

Caramel had been acting odd of late, at least more so than usual. He bucked apple trees without bringing buckets to catch the fruit, he watered fields with empty sprinkling cans, and weeded the onion patch of onions. He had even tried to shear the sheep with a toothbrush. Something needed to be done before he set something on fire. Again. Today.

Big Mac unhitched his plough and wandered over to where Caramel had taken up professional sighing, a few fallen apples cheering him on. As the larger farmer tried to pick the right words to say, Caramel noticed his presence and greeted him first.

“Hey, Big Mac. Already done with the ploughing?”

“Eeyup,” he replied, noticing by the increasingly faraway look in his eyes that Caramel’s focus was already quickly departing. He decided to say it plainly while he still had some of his assistant's attention. “Caramel, is there anythin’ wrong? You’ve been distracted lately, and it's makin’ me worried.”

“What?” Caramel asked, giving a tilt of his head. “No, there’s nothing wrong. Although, I guess I have been messing up more than usual lately. My leg still smarts where Scootaloo bucked me in the shin. You think I'd know the difference between a her and chicken. Though, there was the time I tried to find eggs under Derpy. To this day, I don’t know why she was in the chicken shed.” He gave a resigned sigh. “Maybe I am just a little tired from preparing for Nightmare Night. I’ve been working on a costume all month, and it's been eating into my nap times.” A large yawn escaped him, as if to reinforce the point.

Big Mac stared at him with a skeptical skew of his jaw. Big Mac knew Caramel’s current state was more than just case of late nights. But he didn’t want to press it and accepted the answer for the moment.

“If yer sure. Just remember. You can always talk to a friend.” Big Mac took a look over Caramel’s progress. Despite his languid approach, the stallion was almost done harvesting the batch. Big Mac decided that maybe a little more rest couldn’t hurt the problem. “Take the day off early. Catch up on your sleep. I’ll finish up here.”

“Thanks, Big Mac,” Caramel responded, smiling appreciatively. “See you tomorrow, then.” The red stallion watched him walk down the road towards Ponyville, cringing as Caramel collided with a fence. And again as he was hit by a falling muffin. Big Mac took a brief stint himself in professional sighing.

Pinkie was greeted by a friendly, high-class voice as she entered her home and workplace. Luckily, Mrs. Cake had taken the finished muffins out of the oven in her absence and the place wasn’t on fire. Again. Today.

“Welcome back, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity called as Pinkie came through the door. She was lounging next to Applejack at a table set up for eat-in customers. In front of them, two mugs filled with hot chocolate gave off a gentle steam. Applejack tipped her hat at Pinkie’s arrival.

“Afternoon, sugarcube.”

“Hey guys!” Pinkie bounced over to them with a grin. “What brings you to Sugarcube Corner?”

Applejack inclined her head politely to Rarity.

“I wanted to buy an apple pie as a gift to make up with Sweetie Belle,” explained Rarity, acknowledging Applejack with a grateful smile and taking her turn first. “We got into another argument today, and I feel just awful. I hope she’s not still angry. You haven’t seen her around town, have you?” she asked, jutting her bottom lip out and frowning her eyes imploringly.

“Yeah, I met her over at the park with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom,” Pinkie informed her. “She seemed pretty happy when I saw her.”

“Oh,” Rarity said, her face torn between relief and indignation. “That’s good. I guess...”

Seeing Rarity had finished her explanation, Applejack took a swig of her drink and began her own elucidating.

“I’m just here to pick up a couple o’ treats for dessert t’night. While I could bake ‘em m’self, I know you make the best apple surprises, Pinkie Pie.”

“Awww, thanks, Applejack,” said Pinkie with a warm smile, gratified by the praise. In the background, Rarity’s indignation won out.

“I can’t believe she forgot about it. Here I am, all worried about her, even getting her a present to make up, and she’s off having fun with her friends,” Rarity said crossly, more to herself than to Pinkie and Applejack. “I feel betrayed, nay, heartbroken. Does my sister do this to wound me?”

Ignoring Rarity’s lamentations, Applejack moved on to the next item of conversation, dodging the odd flourish of a hammed-up hoof as the unicorn’s monologue continued to get increasingly passionate.

“Twilight said she was visitin’ you today, Pinkie. So I guess you already know about Fluttershy’s new admirer?” Applejack asked over Rarity’s elegy.

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “So,” she paused pregnantly. “Who is it?”

“What?” Applejack gave her a puzzled look. “Didn’t Twi tell you we don’t know?”

“No, but it was probably because I dashed off to tell Rainbow Dash about it as soon as she told me Fluttershy was given flowers.”

Applejack gave her a knowing look, her lips compressing into a wry line.

“Well, we’re not sure who it is,” Applejack continued, a hoof on her Stetson as she ducked another melodramatic, swooning gesture, “and all we have to go on is a note that don’t tell us nothin’ much. Fluttershy thinks it was from her shadow, seeing as she found it with no pony around except for it.”

“Oooo, her shadow,” drawled Pinkie, as if she thought it was a great unforeseen plot twist. Meanwhile, Rarity had pushed the mugs of chocolate to the side and mounted the table, doing her best to recreate the penultimate scene of Rodeo and Jubilee.

“Which is probably nonsense,” Applejack appended, seeing the look in Pinkie’s eyes. “After meetin’ Rarity, here, we got t’ talking and decided that if Twilight’s been doin’ some investigatin’, we should do somethin’ about the situation ourselves.” She nudged Rarity out of her self-pity and fake suicide.

“What? Oh! Yes,” Rarity agreed, discarding her dramatic wailing and gnashing of teeth for the chance to share her thoughts, as generous as she was. She climbed off the table and back into her chair. “I know you’ll like this idea, Pinkie. The plan was to throw a party.”

“A party?”

“Yes, Pinkie. A party,” Rarity repeated, sedately waving her hooves at the baker. “Now, calm down and listen to the rest of the plan. With Nightmare Night only two nights away, I suggest we host a ‘Nightmare Night Eve Party’ and invite all of Ponyville. But in actual fact, it will be the ‘Find Whoever Is In Love With Fluttershy Party’ in disguise. We’ll get Fluttershy to talk to everypony there and watch to see if they act suspiciously. Then, we’ll corner the questionable colt and make him confess!” she exclaimed, slamming a ruthless hoof onto the table and causing Applejack to recoil instinctively. Leaning back and regaining her composure, she finished, “It’s inspired, if I do say so myself.”

“Right,” Applejack agreed hesitantly, forcing herself to relax. “And since you’re Ponyville’s premier party pony, we wanted you t’ help set it up. The party’s gonna be t’morrow night, so we also need to find a way t’ invite everypony in town before then, and you know every pony in Ponyville. You in, Pinkie?” asked Applejack, cautiously reaching to reclaim her mug while keeping one eye on the tailor.

“Okie dokie lokie! I would have just gone around asking everypony to Pinkie promise to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me Celestia, and then ask them if they liked Fluttershy, but yours is a much better idea.” Pinkie beamed out an enormous, sincere grin.

“Wonderful,” Rarity proclaimed, after a brief pause spent reminding herself that it was Pinkie Pie they were dealing with. “Now, while Applejack can’t make it in the morning—”

“On account of mah farm duties,” Applejack supplied with a nod. “Big Mac an’ I need to get the apples bucked t’morrow mornin’ for the apple bobbin’ game.”

“I need you to meet me here tomorrow morning, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity continued. “I’ve got an idea on how we’ll manage to send the invitations out to all the ponies in town. And I assure you, it will be done with flying colors.” An artful smile danced on her mouth. Rarity took a deep but elegant drink of her lukewarm chocolate and began to explain her scheme in full.

Fluttershy wore a contented smile as she ambled home, almost whinnying from the satisfying weight in her stomach resulting from the delicious lunch Spike had cooked up. Even now, she could still taste the lingering sweetness of the garden salad, and the pleasing warmth of hot lemon pie made her feel giddy. Idly, she hummed a happy refrain, thinking of how wonderful this place was.

So, it was once again in her complacent state that she espied a shifting movement to her side. Turning to look, she was met with a dark silhouette merely a foot in front of her face.

Her body automatically kicked into high gear and soon she was tearing down the road, leaving the shadow to slide off the boulder upon which it had been cast.

It was only after Fluttershy had slammed her door shut and bolted the locks that her mind finally managed to pull in the reins. Breathing large calming breaths, she slumped down to the ground, resting her back against her bulwark to the outside. The hardwood door was little comfort to her, though.

Not again, she thought miserably, letting out a sigh.

However, her respite was quickly interrupted when a knock rang out on the door, the vibrations adding to her sudden, violent, alarmed trembling.

“Hello?” called a young voice. “Anypony home?”

“Sorry. Nopony’s home. Come back later,” Fluttershy said, almost shouting, leaving no pause between the sentences.

“Alright,” the voice responded, and the visitor seemed to move away. Fluttershy heard the receding caller say, “They said nopony was home and we should come back later.”

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt that all the shocks she had had today could possibly kill her. And the next one came close. She almost hit the roof when something tapped her leg. From her perch on the ceiling lamp, as order reasserted itself over her, she realised it was Angel Bunny. The rabbit wore a disapproving grimace as he looked up at the unsettled pegasus, his tapping foot adding to his reprimanding countenance. She descended from her roost with a sheepish stoop of her head, and smiled a winsome smile at her pet. Angel was not amused and merely pointed to the kitchen. Obediently, Fluttershy went to make him a sandwich.

It was only later, as she was chopping carrots and sneaking pieces of mushroom into a sandwich, that she recognized the voice outside her door as belonging to Apple Bloom, and the filly most likely had the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders with her. Fluttershy also realised it was probably a blessing that she sent them away by mistake. While she loved the three little fillies, don’t get that wrong, sometimes they could get a little out of hoof, and she wasn’t in the right mood to handle them with the kindness they deserved, or unintentionally demanded. Nor for any more surprises, which they were bound to cause.

Shadow stretched himself out, a crick in his neck giving a satisfying pop as he arched it to one side. He had been sitting for an age as time crawled past, unnoticed in his attention on routine work, and his body complained about his lengthy inactivity. So he decided to take a short break. Stifling a yawn with a hoof, he proceeded to flex his muscles in a systematic manner.

Hoof, forearm, bicep, shoulder. He restrained another yawn and continued, Neck, back, tail.

He continued in his methodical testing of his body, enjoying the mild therapeutic pain unfolding his back caused. He nodded in satisfaction when he had finished and leaned back into his chair, inhaling deep, relaxing breaths.

Everything seems fine, even though this easy life is taking its toll. Not that I mind,Shadow mused.

I can never thank Compass and Derpy for all they have done for me, he thought
solemnly, but an affectionate smile played on the edge of his lips. I wouldn’t be here today if he had never stumbled upon me. They accepted me, a stranger, into their homes willingly. And fought to help me survive.

It had been six years since Shadow was discovered collapsed at the edge of the Everfree Forest, bruised, exhausted and under the power of an unidentifiable spell. He had been found by none other than Compass, his first and fast friend. Though he never told them, or anypony, of his past previous to Ponyville, Compass and Derpy withheld nothing in their kindness, their efforts made more amazing considering the fact that Derpy was newly pregnant with Dinky at the time. Even their first-born daughter, Amethyst Star, who was only a little filly then, shyly tried to make him feel welcome, when she wasn’t hidden behind her father’s legs. He had become accustomed to other ponies paying little attention to him. It still surprised him now that their family took him in as one of their own.

Their aid and companionship was all I had to overcome this wretched curse. And all I needed. As he returned to his work, the corners of Shadow’s mouth were turned up in a soft, content smile.

A short time later, a creaking was heard from the front door.

“Hello? Anyone around?” queried a voice.

Ah, that sounds like Post Haste, Shadow thought. Must be back from the Canterlot Main Branch with more letters.

Shadow waved as a light-brown colt walked into the back office, but the pony didn’t seem to notice.

“Everyone’s out, I suppose,” said Post Haste. Rolling his eyes, Shadow coughed into his hoof as the courier walked by. Post Haste jumped in shock before finally distinguishing Shadow, who looked back with an amused smile playing on his lips.

“Every time, Shadow,” the colt said, taking off his cap and fanning himself. “Every time. Would it kill you not to sneak up on a pony?”

The CMC had an unfortunate habit of getting distracted rather easily. While asking around town about Fluttershy’s whereabouts, they had wound up trying to help a pharmacist deliver medicine, finding an abnormal mirror after falling down a well, attempting to learn a strange song from a pony in a windmill and collecting several bottles with which they planned to catch fairies.

Eventually, after experimenting with sorting couches and calami to get their Store Keeper Cutie Marks, the crusaders found themselves at the Twilight's library. Davenport, the unfortunate owner of the “Quills And Sofas” store, had given them a tip, or yelled desperately, depending on if you were there, that Fluttershy had been seen entering Twilight Sparkle’s home earlier that day. And so, there they were, knocking on the library’s door, waiting for it to open.

“Who is it, Spike?” they heard as the door swung open, revealing a small dragon.

“It's Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo,” Spike yelled over his shoulder. He turned back to address the fillies. “Hey, guys, what’s up?”

“We’re looking for Fluttershy,” Scootaloo declared, giving Spike a hopeful smile.

“If you want Fluttershy, she’s gone back to her cottage,” Twilight said, appearing at the door. The fillies shared an annoyed glance. “What do you girls need her for?”

“We heard she was given flowers from somepony,” Sweetie Belle answered, sighing as she smiled and clasped her hooves dreamily.

“Yeah, and so we’ve decided t’ become—” Apple Bloom initiated.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers!” they finished, their booming voices startling a sleeping Owlowiscious into taking wing.

Spike exhaled, eyes wide in surprise.

“Whoa. I can’t see this ending well,” he stated matter-of-factly,

Twilight adjusted her misshapen mane and told them, “I don’t think you should visit Fluttershy today. It’s getting late, and I wouldn’t want you girls wandering anywhere near the Everfree forest after dark. You remember what happened last time, don’t you?” She put on an entreating grin, hoping to save Fluttershy a little bit of trouble, at least for that night.

“Okay, Twilight,” the trio acceded, hanging their heads. Apple Bloom looked up suddenly, the light of an idea shining in her eyes.

“Then, can we ask you some questions?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah, Pinkie Pie said you knew about Fluttershy’s new coltfriend,” said Scootaloo, an impish grin returning to her face.

“Actually, it’s pretty complicated, girls,” Twilight admitted. “The fact is, we’re not sure who it is. All we know is that Fluttershy was given a bouquet of pink roses early in the morning while she was taking a walk, and that the card with it was signed ‘Sincerely, Shadow.’” She gave them an apologetic smile. “Honestly, we haven’t got a clue who the pony is at this point,” she concluded wearily.

“Y’know any Shadows?" Apple Bloom asked her friends, repeating the same question her sister had asked earlier that day. They shook their heads in denial.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed into an affectionate gaze as she smirked at their antics. “Now head home for today,” she told them firmly, letting her sterner instincts take over. “You can ask Fluttershy the details tomorrow.”

“Yes, Twilight,” the trio promised despondently. Scootaloo was the first to break out of her gloom.

“I guess this means tomorrow we can be Cutie Mark Crusader Detectives!” she suggested with a lively grin.

The idea uplifted the spirits of her two friends and they they cried in accord, “Cutie Mark Crusader Detectives, go!”

Twilight shook her head as she watched the three fillies gallop off, and then plodded back to finish her organising. I’ll do some more investigating of my own tomorrow, she thought as Spike closed the door behind them.

The library had just received a delivery of books, courtesy of a grey mail-mare, and the shipment included copies of How To Lose A Colt In Ten Days, The Hoofhiker’s Guide To Equestria, Thunderclouds And How Not To Kick Them, Alicorns: A Disputably Endangered Species, and a new novel from the rare Pinkwall series, set in world full of strange fantastical “human” creatures both good and bad. She had been at hard at work cataloging the new shipment when the Crusaders had shown up. Now as she returned to the the crate of novels and textbooks, a different sort of box called to her: a small, alluring black box. Her self-control waged a losing battle and she trotted over to pick it up, her shelving postponed.

I guess I can spare some time to do some more investigating today as well, Twilight thought mirthfully, flipping the box open and revealing two screens and a set of controls. She pushed a switch on the side of the box and waited as the screens lit up. Eventually, a court room appeared and the sound of a gavel being struck echoed in the library.

As Twilight hunkered down on a large purple cushion near her fireplace and made herself comfortable for a lengthy bout of “investigation,” she thought once more about Fluttershy’s particularly puzzling predicament. Despite her serious attitude towards Fluttershy’s curious situation, she couldn’t stop a wry smirk from spreading across her face. This could turn out to be a pretty interesting letter to Celestia.

Those thoughts were soon derailed as a dashing, black-maned, red-attired colt burst onto the screen, shouting in a smooth, cultured voice, “Objection!”

Oh, Furlong Edgeworth, you are such a sophisticated colt.

The front door of the post office creaked with old age as Derpy shouldered inside, her head hanging low, too tired to lift her hooves to the door. Her coat shone with a light sheen of sweat from the exertion of her mail run through Ponyville.

“Welcome back,” Shadow said with a salute as she dropped her empty mail bag on her desk. The pile of unsorted mail on his own desk had been reduced to a single bag, and he was already halfway through it.

Derpy returned the salute with a yawn. The day was catching up to her and she had dropped her motivational mid-route muffin somewhere over Sweet Apple Acres. Shuffling around her desk, she slumped blissfully into her chair, which turned in a slow swivel from the force of her entry.

Shadow propped his head on a hoof and observed Derpy.

“Why don’t you head home for today, Derpy,” he said after a bit of consideration. “We can close up. Right, Post Haste?”

“Yeah, Missus H,” Post Haste agreed. “You look like you can barely keep your eyes open.”

Derpy opened her mouth to refuse, but thought better of it.

“Thanks, guys,” she said instead. Despite her reluctance to leave her seductive roost, Derpy gathered her strength and pushed her body out of her chair. Remembering her recently received letter, she reached for it across the desk and slipped it into a pouch on her saddle bag. She then threw the bag back over her shoulders, and after clipping the straps around her waist, she thanked them again, moving in to give Shadow and Post Haste a quick hug.

“I really appreciate it. If you want, you should come over for dinner tonight. Carrot Top is over looking after the kids. So she’s probably whipped up something nice for dinner, and I’m sure there’s enough for a few more.”

“Thanks for the offer, Derpy,” Shadow said, refusing her with an appreciative smile, “but I’ve got a bit of work left to do for that Nightmare Night exhibit I’m making.”

“Same here, Missus H,” answered Post Haste. “I’m still not done with my costume. Have a nice night, Missus H.”

“Say ‘hi’ to Dinky and Amethyst for us. And don’t forget to thank Golden Harvest,” Shadow added as an afterthought. “You take her, and her fridge, for granted sometimes.”

Derpy had the grace to look abashed. Shadow sighed as she nodded accedence with a disreputable smile, and waved her off. He busied himself deciphering a difficult postcard that had impeccably beautiful horn-writing whirled across it. Unfortunately, it also looked like it was written in a different language, and he was scratching his head in puzzlement as Derpy left.

Outside, Derpy flapped her wings a few times experimentally. Confident they would last the flight home, she took off with a bound. The setting sun was dipping into the horizon, painting Ponyville in washed-out orange tones. As the evening shone in her eyes, it reminded her of Compass’s nickname for her and she thought back to her treasured meeting with the spirited colt.

It had been nearly fourteen years ago, Derpy just a filly turned fifteen and only new to Ponyville. Having been fired from her job at the Cloudsdale Weather Bureau for causing one too many unscheduled tornadoes, she had moved to the village for a change of pace. However, the Ponyville bureau had no vacant positions, so she was forced to find work in a different field. That day, Derpy had been in town applying for a job at the post office. Uncertain whether she had passed the interview, the mare was walking through town with an embarrassing response she had given replaying itself unmercifully in her head, causing it to hang low.

“'I know how to read,'” she muttered to herself. “Way to sell yourself, you ditz.” To add insult to injury, she had also reversed her steel rump into a desk and knocked over Postmaster Penny Stamp’s inkwell, splattering his cap of rank with specks of black. The old stallion was kind enough not to be angry, but she could see the tears welling in his eyes.

She was still agonizing over the memory when she bumped into something and found herself flat on her haunches. Mind reeling in addlement, her eyes had locked dizzily onto a pair of purple eyes belonging to a pink unicorn colt, a little taller and older than she.

After collapsing onto his own rear from the collision, the colt looked towards the other colliding body and was swiftly entranced by Derpy’s independent eyes. He tried in wonder to follow both simultaneously, likening them to a pair of fireflies drawing slowly fading golden trails in his sight.

“Sorry there, bright eyes,” the unicorn said as they broke their gaze, using the moniker at random, and the nickname deepened the blush in her cheeks initially incited by embarrassment. Derpy tried to apologize at the same time the unicorn did, rather profusely because she was used to being at fault, but her thoughts were muddled by an overheating brain.

“Sorry, mistrial,” she sputtered, hiding exasperation at herself. Her little tic came up when she was acutely flustered, which was often at the least convenient of times.

“Nah, nah. It was my fault,” the colt claimed in response, probably mishearing Derpy correctly as their apologies clashed. He picked himself up and then offered Derpy a helping hoof. She looked intently at the proffered limb for a few moments before realizing she should take it. Gingerly, Derpy placed her hoof in his and was promptly lifted to her feet as if she weighed less than a feather. With the momentum, and an abnormal weakness in her knees, she stumbled forwards into his chest.

Hurriedly stepping back, Derpy was too abashed to speak. The disarming smile he gave didn't help the matter. In an effort to calm herself, she fixed her eyes upon a pile of rocks on the ground, which was oddly wearing a party hat.

The unicorn picked up a wide-brimmed hat that had dropped next to him, pushed his wavy purple hair, streaked with a line of pink, out of his eyes, and looked around. After spotting a parchment nearby, he levitated it off the ground and towards him. “I really am sorry. I was too focused on reading this, that I wasn’t watching where I was goin’,” he explained, pointing at what was actually a map, specifically of the Canterlot region. As he dusted off his akubra, he continued with a question. “I, uh, I don’t suppose you know where I am? Like, what village is this?”

“This is Ponyville, mister,” she had answered, pawing the stone road idly.

“Ah, great. Thanks, miss.” Then realising himself, he exclaimed, "Oh, I haven’t introduced myself." The colt dropped into a flourishing bow, tipping the hat he had put on seconds ago, and seemed to posh up his accent. “My name is Compass. Compass Hooves. And who might you be, if I may be so bold as to ask?”

The display returned a blush to her cheeks, and she managed to stammer out, “D-Derpy, mister,” still unable to look him in the face.

“Come now. No need to call me ‘mister.’ Or is Compass too strange a name in these parts?”

She refuted him hastily.

“No, Compass,” Derpy said, promptly looking up and once again meeting his amethyst-like eyes, which peered back inquisitively with a glint of playfulness. Just as quickly, she returned her gaze to the ground, her blush steadily growing a darker red. The heat in her head was making her feel dizzy again.

“That’s better.” Derpy was sure that the colt had a sly grin on his face, even though she had her eyes glued to the ground. “Now, please allow me to treat you to lunch for ruining your day with my abrupt intrusion.”

She was swept up by his invitation before she knew what happened, her weak refusals steamrolled by his ardent insistence. She found herself being served by a genteel waiter at a table in a fancy Prench cafe. Resigning herself, she let Compass order for her as she couldn't understand the meaning behind any of the ostentatious dish names, and used the respite to curb her nervousness. Soon, Compass had made their choices and the waiter returned to the kitchen.

“So, Miss Derpy. Please tell me about yourself.” Compass’s accent had returned to its initial semi-informal nature, a mix between a Canterlot and a Southern dialect, but with an audibly laid-back and slightly gravelly feel to it. The pegasus had never heard anypony speak like it before.

With a tentative hold on her self control, Derpy replied, "Not much to tell. Just your average pegasus, really. I don't know what you might want to know."

"How about you start with your cutie mark?"

The question almost put her off balance. She expected him to ask about her eyes, as many other ponies had done when given the chance. Still, it wasn’t a much better topic.

"Oh, this old thing? Yeah, a lot of ponies can't really tell what it means by looking at it," she diverged with a wry smile. "My special talent is having a large lung capacity. Now while it doesn't seem much of a talent, I'm still very proud of it, and it does come in handy sometimes. For example, I can stay up longer than the average pony during high atmosphere flying, and it's really great for when I go swimming. And for blowing bubbles, hence the bubbles of my mark."

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, expecting some kind of smug amusement. But she found none of the usual signs of it on Compass's face. In fact, he retained the appearance of the sincerely interested, and she was a little unsettled by his unwavering attention.

“Hey, now that I've told you mine, it's only fair you tell me yours,” she insisted, trying to hide her fluster.

“Sure thing, Miss Derpy. My talent is adventuring, as indicated by the map and compasses on my cutie mark,” he said, indicating to his flank. The depiction displayed an example of both types of compass instruments strewn over a map of the world. “I've an innate sense of direction, preventin’ me from ever being lost, and merely just not knowing where I am.”

“And adventurin’ is what I do. I left home at a tender age of eleven, and I’ve been travellin’ ever since. Seen half the world during those six years, but every day still brings a new surprise. Why, just a while ago, I unexpectedly stumbled upon a marvellous treasure."

“Oh? Can I see it?” Derpy asked, intrigue showing in her eyes.

“All you need do is look in a mirror,” he replied with a grin.

Once again, she couldn't tell whether she was being made fun of or not. She was becoming accustomed to handling the sudden compliments, however, and managed to dispel the flutter in her stomach with a cough.

Continuing, Compass spun tales of his journeys through strange lands full of pandas, forgotten cities laden with treasure and danger, and beautiful savannas populated by equally majestic wildlife. In return, Derpy grudgingly divulged her own stories of meteorological mishaps at the weather bureau, leading up to her forced resignation, and tidbits of her childhood. Before they knew it, the day had already turned to dusk. Noticing the lateness, Compass offered to accompany her home, and she happily agreed.

“Thanks for walking me home,” Derpy said as they reached her house.

“No, thank you for your company. It was a pleasure having lunch with you.” Compass paused for a short moment before asking, “Would you be free sometime tomorrow? I was hoping you could show me around the village, seeing as you live here.”

“Sure,” she answered. “But I haven’t been living here very long, so we might just end up wandering aimlessly.” She saw her mailbox had a letter inside, and opened the box to retrieve it.

“I’m fine with that. So long as you’re there.”

“You are quite the flirt, you know that?” she said, shaking her head.

“Only on special occasions,” he replied with a shrug. “So, tomorrow then?”

Smiling, she concurred.

“Tomorrow it is.”

Derpy tore the letter in her hoof open as Compass turned to head off. He had only taken a few steps before a high-pitched squealing caught his attention. He turned back and saw Derpy galloping towards him.

“I got the job!” she shouted at him, unable to contain herself as she ran over. “I start at the beginning of next week.”

"At the post office?” he asked, to which she nodded. “Congratulations, I'm sure you'll do great."

In her exultation, Derpy impulsively hugged Compass. Realising herself a second later, she awkwardly unwrapped herself from him.

"Eh, heh. Sorry," she said, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Don’t worry about it," he said, shaking the apology off. Then, with a scampish grin, he added. "In fact, I wouldn't mind if you were to do it again. Ah, but we can save that for later. G’night, Derpy,” he said, tipping his hat to her as a farewell. “See you tomorrow."

For the following several days, Compass lodged at Ponyville’s premier resting house, the Vetinari Inn, which overlooked the village marketplace. He had planned to stay the week in order to watch an upcoming centennial meteor shower, the main reason for his visit to Ponyville; the clean country air provided a famous clear view for Lunarial events. But he was not the type of pony to sit idly. Every day of his sojourn, he managed to rope Derpy into participating in some haphazard activity invariably full of confusion, laughter and delight. Despite her living in Ponyville for a brief time, Compass showed her sights that she would have never discovered herself, his traveller’s intuition leading him to find beautiful, quiet meadows and shops filled with nothing but quills and sofas or thousands of clocks of all sizes. One day, it had led them to a cottage on a small carrot farm, in which a mare named Golden Harvest had been baking carrot muffins, sparking what would become Derpy's closest friendship. The orange-hued mare sometimes joked when Derpy brought it up that it was between the pegasus and her fridge.

On the final day of his planned stay, Compass had shown up unexpectedly at her house, dressed smartly in formal attire consisting of a white tuxedo and bow tie. She had been baking in the kitchen, trying her latest in a string of experimental recipes, when she heard him rapping on her door. Wondering who it was, she took off her apron and went to open the door. Ignoring her ash-smudged face, Compass greeted her with his usual display of flair, but his unsteady smile spoke an uncharacteristic wavering of confidence.

“Good evening, Madame Derpy. Perchance might I have the honour of accompanying you during tonight’s stargazing gathering on Moonwatch Hill?” He bowed low but his eyes turned up hopefully.

She stood stunned. Compass looked so handsome that she zoned out for a while.

After several minutes of receiving a wide-eyed stare, Compass’s nose caught the scent of a faint wisp of smoke. He peeked over Derpy’s shoulder and into the house.

“Derpy, were you in the middle of cooking something?” he asked.

His question brought her right out of her stupor, causing her to cry out.

“Muffins!” she exclaimed.

She rushed through her house and swiftly pulled out the tray of burnt muffins with her mouth.

"Hod! Hod! Hod!" she yowled, as the heat shot up through her teeth.

“Careful, Derpy! Don’t burn yourself,” Compass said, quickly taking the tray from her and depositing it on the benchtop. Unfortunately, they were unsalvageable.

“Shame about the muffins. But don’t worry. I’ve cooked up somethin’ for this evenin’,” Compass announced, then remembered he hadn’t received a response to the invitation. He finished meekly, “That is, if you do agree to join me.”

The question had once again caught her unprepared. Jumbled-up thoughts raced through her head, and she wondered not for the first time why this stallion would choose to spend time in her company.

“Y-yes,” she blurted out, panicking inside with nervousness. “Please let me jail you.”

“Great,” Compass replied, letting out a breath he had been holding in unconsciously, and lapsed into silence. For once, the colt seemed lost for words. But the state didn’t last very long, for soon he revealed, “I have a picnic rug set up over at the hill, and a basket filled with your favourite dish, courtesy of Miss Harvest.”

But even the allure of carrot muffins couldn’t break her out of her shock at accepting the invitation, so completely overwhelmed was she by her circumstances. Seeing this, Compass smiled and closed the oven, cleaned the kitchen, and her cheeks, and then whisked her out of the house. Pausing only to close the door behind them, he led her off to their destination.

The cold bite of the approaching winter nibbled on Derpy’s flank, causing her to shiver mildly. Noticing her discomfort, Compass moved nearer in an endeavour to share his warmth. In a short time, they were ambling close together, and without thinking, Derpy had leaned gently onto his shoulder, instinctively seeking heat.

Compass tried not to draw attention to their contact, though he couldn’t help but watch her from the corner of his eye. Never had a mare evoked such strong feelings in him as the one right next to him. Whispering resolvedly under his breath, he said, “Soon, you’ll see how much you mean to me.”

Side by side, they continued this way until they reached Moonwatch Hill.

After finding their picnic rug amongst the other celebrators, they sat on the down and enjoyed a nice, cordial dinner while Compass shared his Horsetrailian background. Derpy marvelled at the apparently deadly nature of the island-country off the east coast of Equestria.

“How could anypony live there?” she wondered out loud, as she polished off her third carrot cake dessert, and the stallion laughed.

“Well, there’s no greater teacher than death,” he told her with a grin full of audacity, “and our boys are the smartest around. Girls, too.” He was then distracted as a point of light burst on the horizon. “Look, it’s starting.”

Compass moved closer to point out the first few meteors that blazed across the night sky. Engrossed in watching the spectacle, Derpy unconsciously reclined against him. In the next few minutes, the stallion sat frozen still so as not to startle the soft, warm weight resting against him.

Faintly aware of small sporadic twitches beside her, Derpy turned to look at Compass, who had been stealing a few fleeting glances towards her, and, suddenly, their eyes met. But instead of breaking the contact between them, she held their connection. She felt as if she were falling into the pools of his eyes. But that was okay. She knew he would catch her.

Eventually, Compass broke the silence.

“Hey there, bright eyes,” he said softly with a tender smile, deepening the flush on Derpy’s face that was growing by the second. His eyes flickered uncertainly for a second, but he reached a decision briskly. “I'll be leaving tomorrow, but this time I've spent with you has been magical. You're an amazin’ mare and I hope you won't mind seeing this rogue's face some time again in the future?”

"Of course not. You're welcome anytime," she told him with pleasure. Although Derpy was embarrassed by the compliments, she was unwilling to break their gaze. However, a question intruded upon her happiness. She tried to ignore it, but another part cried for it to be answered.

"Why me?" she asked. As soon as the question was out of her mouth, fear washed over her and she recoiled back, covering her mouth with her hooves. She wanted to act like she had never said it, to pretend that it never happened. But she needed to know. Gathering her courage, she let her arms fall. "I'm nothing special. Why are you so good to me?" The sincere question shone in her pleading eyes.

Compass must have realised that Derpy was battling her lack of self assurance, as he moved to close the space between them once again and, with a hoof, lifted her face so that she looked directly at his.

"Don't say that. You are special," he assured her, caressing her cheek gently. "But that's not why I'm captivated by you. I'm an adventurer by schooling and experience. But above all, I'm adventurer by instinct, and I trust my adventurer's instincts to navigate through winding paths, to find good campin’ grounds, to avoid danger, and to keep me safe. What I felt the first moment I met you was if as if my whole soul were sayin’, 'That. That right there. That is the right direction. You should go that way.' And I just know my instincts were right. You, Derpy, are my safe harbours that I know I will find peace in, the home for which I will yearn for."

He paused for a second, and his eyes burrowed into hers. His lips were creased into a line and his eyebrows declined as he gave serious consideration to a thought that would be left unsaid. "I want you to have this," he said instead, pulling out a round, golden object dangling on a linked chain. It looked like a pocket watch, but when he opened it, the pegasus saw on its face letters instead of numbers.

"It's my first compass, given to me by my father when I first stepped out the door on my travels,” Compass explained. “It means a lot to me, and I hope you'll cherish it, too. Bein’ a mail pony is no easy job, and you might be asked to travel to distant places you've never been before. I would like it if you'd kept this with you, so a part of me can always protect you and bring you safely home." Closing the lid, he slowly offered it to Derpy, showing care in handling the item precious to him.

Her eyes grew wide and one eye focused intensely on his, the other fixed on the beautiful, gilded ornament. To her, the world stopped for a second, as if it had suddenly run into a mailbox.

“Thank you, Compass,” she managed to breathe out after the moment, kindling a warm smile that spread across Compass’s face. "I'll keep it with me always." As she accepted the gift, she leaned into him, and their silhouettes merged as the forgotten meteor shower lit the sky.

And the next time Compass visited, to Derpy’s joy, he stayed for a much longer time.

“Mommy!” clamoured Dinky, who rushed over to give her mother a big cuddle. Her older sister trotted over at a more sedate pace, attempting to mask the same breadth of happiness she felt about her mother’s early return.

“Welcome back, mother,” Amethyst Star said, giving Derpy a small nuzzle.

“Hello, you two. I hope you’ve been behaving for Carrot Top. Have you had dinosaurs yet?” Derpy stumbled over her speech as the smell of freshly-baked muffins overwhelmed her.

Dinky giggled at her mother’s typical reaction.

“No, mommy, we were just about to.”

“The table is set, mother. Let’s go eat,” suggested Amethyst Star. Tightly escorted between her two daughters, her wings enfolding them in an affectionate hug, Derpy made her way to the dining room, where Carrot Top sat at the table with an agricultural newspaper in front of her. She was watching patiently for their return, her head propped up by a hoof, and gave Derpy a friendly smile and wave as they entered.

“Hey, Derpy. How was your day?” Carrot Top asked, pushing back a chair next to her and indicating for the pegasus to take a seat.

“It was ginger,” Derpy replied, anxiously dropping her bag and taking the offered chair. Dinky and Amethyst Star sat down opposite her. One eye hovered over the tray of muffins on the table, the other politely giving Carrot Top some attention.

“Thanks for looking after the kids,” Derpy said, trying not to drool while she showed her friend some appreciation.

“No problem at all,” Carrot Top replied, chuckling a little at her friend’s sincere attempts at gratitude. “They were angels, as usual. Makes me want a filly of my own,” she told Derpy, feigning a wistful, faraway stare. The effect was soon broken with a snort and a smirk. “Now go ahead and eat up. I bet you’re famished, as usual.”

Derpy didn’t need a second invitation.

Shadow made it home after his long day at the post office. Mail was flying in faster than usual, due to the Nightmare Night rush, and there were still several untouched mail-bags’ worth of unsorted letters, courtesy of Post Haste’s trip to the city. Despite its only being the evening, the day had already turned dark. Celestia set the sun earlier each day during this time of the year, and Luna had already raised the moon a span above the horizon.

In the gloom, he pushed opened the door to his little home by the Quills and Sofas store, wondering why the neighbouring shop looked like parasprites had gone through it again. Locking the door quietly behind him, he picked his way through the familiar darkness and ignited an oil lamp in a room further back. It revealed a small workshop, filled with various hoof-tools and craft materials. With the Nightmare Night rush hitting harder than usual, he had fallen behind on his project for the actual Nightmare Night Festival.

As he fell into a rhythm with his incisions, he indulged his thoughts on that morning's near meeting with the catalyst of his moonstruck mannerisms, the flawless filly, Fluttershy. He envisioned how soft her fur looked, made further still by the gentle rays of the dawning sun. He fantasised how sweet she smelled, sweeter than the flowers vainly competing against her beauty. He imagined hearing her talk, catching the marvellous dulcet tones of her meek but benevolent voice as she expressed thanks to his unexpected rival — how dare he take the credit. Ah, but she looked so happy to receive the token. If only he could have been the recipient of her appreciation. Although, he felt like some small detail was slipping his mind.

Mechanically, his hooves embroidered locks of hair, fashioned a frilly lace dress and carved out a glittering tiara, and, before long, his task was complete. Returning his focus to his work, he inspected the sheets that had been reduced to the form of a slender pony in an intricate flowing gown, joined by thin threaded strings.

He held it up to the light in the night, and, with grin and a certain amount of professional pride, found the moon lacking in brilliance.

Fluttershy lay awake in her bed, tossing and turning. Though Angel slept peacefully in his cot, his normally irritated face the picture of his name, Fluttershy couldn't find the solace of slumber. Despite the cold, she had thrown her covers back in agitation caused by her thoughts, which gave her no quiet as they bounced, cried, argued and apologized inside her head.

Her mind replayed her afternoon encounter with her shadow over and over again, each time deeply regretting her actions. Ever since this morning, she had been hoping for another chance to speak to it, but its ominous figure had once again intimidated her, and she had run off without being able to utter a word. Well, besides, “Eep.”

Fluttershy had dreamed about making friends with her shadow for a long time. It had been around since before she could remember. She was often scared by it, as it took wild and unnerving shapes. But other times, its form was simply that of a pony, just like her. And while it often hung around crowds, nopony ever talked to it, and most usually ignored it. Fluttershy knew how cruel loneliness could be, and the kindness in her drove her towards it. However, every time she tried to talk to it, its eerily shifting figure made her lose her nerve. In fact, just the sight of it was usually enough to make her run for the hills, just as she had that afternoon. She let out a forlorn sigh.

A whimper downstairs broke into her reflections.

She rolled out of bed and shuffled her way downstairs to check up on her charges. Her mind filling with purpose, partly in an attempt to dislodge her anxieties, she trotted over to the source of the whimpers, staying light on her hooves to minimise the sound of her movement.

“There, there,” she soothed, adjusting the animal’s cast-up leg. “Just try to get some rest and you’ll be all better soon, Yogi.”

The bear had knocked on the door that afternoon while she had been making Angel a carrot sandwich. Covered in numerous grazes and bruises, it had fallen flat on its face into her home as soon as she had opened the door. She had quickly, and perhaps a bit overzealously, dressed it up until it was more bandage than bear. Now, it lay stiffly in a cot barely big enough to hold it, and whimpered acquiescence.

Fluttershy gave the bear a gentle pat and nuzzled it under its head, humming softly, “Hush now, quiet now,” until the bear drifted off to sleep. Afterwards, she moved to review her other patients.

An owl with a sprained neck, a raccoon with a chipped claw, a butterfly with a bent antenna — all now wrapped in peaceful slumber, their injuries patched up without much fuss.

Now that her mind was satisfied that her patients were getting their rest, her unpleasant thoughts finally intruded again. Emotional wounds were much harder to deal with, often hurting far deeper, and it was the guilt that she might have caused some that riddled her kind nature. She was no stranger to this type of pain, as she regularly battled feelings of inadequacy and had doubts over her worthiness to be marked the Element of Kindness. She remembered her first meeting with Twilight Sparkle, and winced at how callous she had acted with the newly arrived mare. Though time had healed this wound, she still had little idea on how to heal a potential psychological scar.

What if I’ve lost the only chance to befriend my shadow? she wondered worriedly. What if she hates me now? How can I get her to like me? Do I only care about getting ponies to like me? Am I just a selfish foal that solely craves praise? What if I’ve been blinded by that? What if I’ve hurt her, and now I can’t do anything to make up for it? What if I try, and it only makes it worse?

After what seemed like hours of being mentally wracked by her fears and failures, Fluttershy had had enough. It was a flash of white, pink, blue, orange and purple that broke their grip, and Twilight’s words from that morning ardently repeated themselves.

I am the Element of Kindness, and I didn’t get it by being half-flanked about it. And if I’m not strong enough, my friends will be there for me, she thought with vehemence, feelings of pride for her friends overwriting those of her own weakness. I just have to give it my best. That’s all I could ask of myself, and all they would ask of me.

Steeling herself, Fluttershy moved in front of a mirror on a wall. The reflective glass was trimmed with a simple affair of faded gold paint and large enough to view the entirety of a pony. She normally used the mirror to give her an extra angle when treating animals, but tonight she’d use it to give her an extra angle on herself. Standing straight in front of it, she closed her eyes and evened her breath, composing herself and subduing her thoughts as best she could.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself exposed her own intent, scrutinizing Stare.

“I will be more polite to my shadow. I will not fear her irrationally and I will not run away. I will try my best to become friends — Real, sincere friends,” she murmured, glaring at herself. The words seemed to flow out of a deep, innermost part of herself. But these were promises she had made to herself before, and she felt strongly that she needed something more practical. So, with an afterthought, her subconscious added, “And I will invite her to tea tomorrow.” Though a large part of her balked at her sudden demand, it was quelled by her hard gaze. She nodded in submission to herself.

Satisfied with her resolution, Fluttershy broke eye contact with the mirror and moved back to the stairwell to find Angel tapping a foot on the bottom step in disapproval. Arms crossed, his look said that she should get her sleep and that she really should know better than to overexert herself. Fluttershy sheepishly trotted up the stairs, eyed by an unamused Angel.

After Fluttershy had moved out of view, Angel swept his perceptive gaze over the makeshift hospital. All the animals dozed comfortably and quietly, even the beaver that usually snored like a chainsaw. Tonight, the beaver slept like a log, courtesy of Angel’s clipping a clothespin over its nose. Finding the scene to his approval, he gave a satisfied nod and hopped up after the filly, intent on making sure she was tucked in tightly and then returning to his own carrot patch of dreams.

“Fetlock, remind me why we’re hiding in the kitchen of a bakery.”

Fetlock sighed at his recalcitrant partner.

“Because I found that pink mare to be far more suspicious than anything I’ve ever seen,” he whispered back. “Judging by the way she intimidated that grey stallion we were following with just a look, she must be a lot higher up on the ladder. The glint in her eyes, the grin on her face, the gait of her... bounce. They all scream, Watson! I’m just not quite sure what they’re screaming.”

“Well, that’s new. Who would have believed that the great Fetlock Holmes might not be sure about something?”

“Laugh it up, Watson, but we’ll soon be witness to whatever devious schemes are occurring under the ruse of a simple cupcakes confectionery.”

“How did you know that I was going to throw a Pre-Nightmare Night party?” whispered a soprano voice in astonishment from behind them.

Watson and Fetlock yelled in surprise at their unnoticed companion and, tangled in their haste to exit, tumbled heavily out of the pantry.

“Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake’s voice drifted down into the kitchen. “What was that? Is everything alright, dear?”

“Yes, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie answered without hesitation. "Just some visitors who know about my party tomorrow.”

“Okay, dear,” Mrs. Cake replied, deciding to chalk it up to Pinkie’s usual antics and go back to sleep. “Just don’t stay up too late.”

Watson and Fetlock looked up from their pile on the floor. Pinkie smiled back openly. After a minute of hesitant silence, Fetlock cleared his throat and spoke up.

“I suppose you’re wondering what we are doing here?”

“Nope,” Pinkie replied with complete frankness, but continued invitingly, “but you can tell me if you want.”

Fetlock had never been this far lost for words. He felt as if he would need a map to figure out how he got into his situation.

Thankfully, Watson came to his rescue. Or at least tried to.

“Um,” Watson said dumbly, finding that his metaphorical rescue copter was leaking gas. “Yeah, I got nothing, Fetlock.”

“Fetlock?” Pinkie exclaimed, her voice loud with excitement. “As in Fetlock Holmes? I’ve read all about you!” She bounced up and down wildly, her grin becoming a gigantic pearly chasm.

“Watson, I’m beginning to think that, impossible as it might be to believe, I might have been wrong.”

A single wavering pinprick of light shone through a window in the uppermost chamber of Canterlot’s royal castle, late in the night. Under the flickering of burning candlelight, Princess Celestia sat at a pearwood desk, intently drafting a letter in response to a report that lay discarded on the corner of the desk. The report disclosed the compromising of a field, or as it happened, branch, agent. The response read:

Agents Chip and Dale,

Abandon your task. Do not risk leading the trail back to me. I will find other uses for you. For now, relay all the entries you have transcribed since our last communication and await further orders.

Signed,
C.

Rolling up the parchment, the princess incinerated it in a flash of magic. However, the burnt remains flared green with arcane power and whisked purposefully out the window, the cloud of ashes floating off into the night towards whatever destination awaited it.

Celestia shifted on her plush cotton cushion and turned towards a shelf laden with various textbooks and governmental forms. A seemingly random scroll, from the midst of a large stack of them teetering upon the shelf, left its perch in a glow of yellow and hovered towards the princess until it was held in front of her. Making herself comfortable, she read the scribbled note with an amused smirk.

The 27th of the month of Ceilidh, Year 1001 Anno Luna.

Dear Diary,

I KNOW YOU SQUIRRELS HAVE BEEN READING THIS, AND IF YOU DON'T STOP, I SHALL BE VERY ANGRY.

On another note, Pinkie Pie has once again been exhibiting random bouts of Pinkie Sense twitching. It seems a “doozy” is about to happen one of these days, and since it’s new, she doesn't know what exactly to expect. She's been bouncing around the library for about half an hour most days. Well, more violently than usual. Interestingly, it usually occurs around the same time each day. Pinkie thinks it has something to do with Fluttershy, and it correlates with the times Fluttershy has her regular spa meets with Rarity. I'll conduct some more research, but for now, I haven't got a clue about what it could mean.

AND JUST IN CASE ANYPONY WHO SHOULDN'T BE READING THIS IS READING THIS, STOP HERE OR FACE MY WRATH!

Lately, I've been getting a weird, uncomfortable feeling every time I see Caramel. And sometimes I catch him looking at me from the corner of my eye. But when I turn to face him, he averts his gaze. I find this very suspicious. More on this as I find out what's going on.

Lastly, I finished my next chapter of "The Magical Adventures of Young Starswirl the Newly Bearded". I think it really pushes the envelope for action while still remaining scientifically faithful and educational. I'm rather proud of the scene where Starswirl uses a pony-sized monument compass to determine the geometrical result of launching a statue of Princess Celestia over a castle wall, with him on it, while using said compass to fight off a horde of attacking Germane Nazi Ponies. You might say, they did Nazi that coming, hahah.

Ahem.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, I can find a way to keep you safe. Bye until next time.

-Twilight Sparkle.

Suppressing her laughter to a chuckle, a shaky hoof covering her mouth, Celestia was glad she had more free time on her hooves. Now that Luna was back to take her duties in raising the moon and because she herself lowered the sun earlier in the coming season, Celestia could relax a little and have some fun. The alicorn yawned and put down the scroll. Even though she technically didn’t need sleep, Princess Celestia loved the idea of catching up on a thousand years of late nights. She happily headed off to her large, luxurious bed, thinking of the scolding she had given Luna for not enjoying her own rest time. Sprawling expansively under the cool silk covers, it was only moments before Celestia fell asleep, dreaming whatever it is a benevolent tyrant alicorn dreams, a mischievous grin plastered on her face to last until morning.

End of Chapter Two.

Next Chapter.

Happiness Over One’s Shadow - Part One.

Author's Note

1/1/2013: Alright, it's been about a year (seriously), and I've been just trying to improve my writing and fix up these chapters before moving on. I'm happy to say that I've made enough improvements (at least from my perspective) that I'm finally ready to tackle the next chapter. Sorry to keep anyone who actually read this waiting. Really. I am. Forgive me XD. Though, at this rate, I'll have to apologize again next year when the third chapter finally comes out...
New Years Resolution! Let's try and have a chapter out sometime this year, huh?

9/2/2013: Progress. You might say it's been made. Alternatively you might not. Let this distract you for a bit. What do you mean I'm procrastinating?

Are ya ready kiddies?

Aye, Aye Pinkie!

I can't heeeaaar yooouuu!

AYE, AYE PINKIE!

Whooooo
lives in a library inside a tree?
Twilight Sparkle!
Observant, and purple, a pony is she.
Twilight Sparkle!
If the magic of friendship be something ya wish
Twilight Sparkle!
Then pop down to ponyville and give it a swish.
Twilight Sparkle!

Ready?
Twilight Sparkle!
Twilight Sparkle!
Twilight Sparkle!
Twiliiight Sparkllle!

Heh hehe hehe snrk haha haha hehe snort.

Happiness Over One's Shadow -Part One

Fluttershy’s Shadow

Written by Broken Logic

Chapter Three - Happiness Over One's Shadow - Part One

“Now remember, humph! Only the finest apples will do. We need 'em, hah! Big and juicy for t'morrow's, yah! Apple bobbin' game,” Applejack declared between grunts. The Apple family started the day's work along with Celestia's vigil, so the air was nice and cool while having a few rays of sunbeams provide soft, adequate lighting.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded with a nod. He could hardly forget. Applejack had been going on all week about tomorrow's competition, completely fired up to beat her self-proclaimed rival's Carrot Shooting Range. Seeing as all the Nightmare Night games and activities were free, he wasn't quite sure how she planned to determine a win. Oh,well, he thought, twirling the blade of wheat in his mouth. So long as everyone has fun.

The rhythmic thuds of striking hooves set a steady work beat as Applejack and Big Macintosh bucked trees in the orchard. A sweet scent of baking pastries and a peppy tune, both originating from the kitchen, invigorated the siblings in their chores. While Granny Smith whipped up her apple pies, she sang an old ditty about a swag-pony being caught in the act of stealing sheep by the side of a lake. The pantry was quickly filling up with baked goods to be sold tomorrow on Nightmare Night.

Out of the reach of the dawn light, Apple Bloom let out a huge yawn in the shade provided by the barn. She had been tasked with picking the best apples to save for the game, but it being so early, she could hardly tell the difference between her own hoof and an apple. Every so often she wobbled drowsily as she fought against nodding off. Big Mac dragged his brimming basket over to the sleepy filly and gave her a fond nuzzle, causing her to stir.

“Huh, wha—?” stammered Apple Bloom, swinging her head from side to side in confusion. Feigning awareness, she quickly insisted, “I wasn't sleepin'! Honest...” but her head drooped soon afterwards.

“No slackin' off, hmf! Big brother,” Applejack continued. “I plan to be usin', hah! A whole lot of apples!”

Big Mac nodded indulgently. He collected a new basket and moved to the next tree.

"Breakfast time, everypony!" Granny Smith hollered out a short time later. Applejack bobbed her head to her siblings and they retired to a table laden with fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pies. Big Mac sat down with an appreciative groan, and helped himself to a generous slice. He spat out his wheat stalk and tried a nibble of the pie, careful not to burn his tongue on the fresh out-of-the-oven vittle. A large smile broke out on his face.

Granny Smith still has it in her, Big Mac thought, savouring the gooey, sweet juiciness that came not just from the use of fresh apples. This would not be the first time for such an appraisal, as his pride in his granny's cooking was second to none.

While gently maneuvering Apple Bloom's face out of its resting place in the middle of a pastry, he looked over the table to Applejack, whose mind seemed to have wandered now that she had a moment to rest. Probably has something to do with her friends, he surmised. She always had that thoughtful and semi-worried look when there were strange going-ons concerning that group.

“Hey, Big Mac,” Applejack tentatively spoke up as Big Mac took another bite of breakfast. “Would you happen to know if one of your friends might be attracted to Fluttershy?”

Bits of apple pie sprayed across the air in front of Big Mac.

Regaining his composure, and wiping a few crumbs off himself, Big Mac considered the question for a few seconds and then answered, “Nnnope.”

“Ah, horse feathers. Oh well, worth a shot.” Applejack got up quickly, the grimace on her blushing face showing her obvious discomfort at asking her brother such a question.

“Now wait a second. What did you ask that for?” Big Mac tried to ask, but was interrupted when Caramel called out to them as he came striding up the road.

"Morning, Apples!” the dun colt hollered enthusiastically. “Great day, isn't it?" The Apple family, sans Apple Bloom, looked into the sky. It was fairly overcast.

Disregarding Caramel's depiction of the weather, Big Mac greeted him back.

"Mornin', Caramel. You certainly look much better than yesterday. Maybe that night's sleep really did do the trick."

"Yea," Caramel agreed. "I feel like a million bucks. In a good way," he assured.

Fluttershy had just left her front yard on her routine early walk when a familiar shape in the corner of her eye cast feelings of dread over her.

Once again, she had been unknowingly beset by her shadow.

Her first instinct was to bolt back to the safety of her house, but her late-night self-hypnosis abruptly kicked in. She sat rigid as her fear and will waged a sugary, non-lethal, dessert-flinging war in her mind. Fluttershy's will of iron spatula eventually pancaked her fear and utilised the control point to launch an offensive strike. She soon heard herself stutter a few words to her shadow.

“G-g-good M-morning, shadow. H-how are you today?” Her commanding will pressed on doggedly when she did not receive a reply. “You look well. I was just wondering if you'll perhaps, maybe, if you don't mind...” You'll be at this all day if you don't mare up! she thought, berating herself. Just blurt it out! “Have breakfast with me?”

She was almost about to give up when a gust of wind rushed over her, tousling her mane and causing her to shield her face against the gale. As she did, the shadow made a fortuitous bobbing motion similar to a nod, and this sent Fluttershy into ecstatics.

“Oh, that's simply wonderful. I'm sure we'll have all sorts of fun together. I know a great place in Ponyville, so if you'll please follow me.” Fluttershy practically pranced in joy, barely keeping her hooves on the ground. “Oh, I'm just so excited.” She looked back to make sure the shadow was accompanying her and was satisfied to see that it was compliantly following her hoofsteps.

“Rainbow Dash is in the lead! She's coming around the final corner boasting an incredible gap over her competition,” the announcer broadcast with tongue-twisting speed, frenzied excitement dripping from his every word. “Never have we seen a more amazing pony, if only we could all be as cool as her. Now she's coming up to the finishing line, blazing down the home stretch. This is sure to be a new track record, folks. No doubt about it.”

Rainbow Dash puffed with elation, the sweet taste of victory already tangible in her mouth. She risked a quick glance towards the stands and saw her idols, the wonderbolts, looking on in total awe.

“This is sooo awesome!” she squealed, and mustered up a final spurt of speed as she neared the end of the race.

Then she noticed something odd.

A black figure had wedged itself a cumulus above the cloud race track, obviously trying to hide, but failing as it was completely surrounded by white. As Rainbow Dash approached its location, the figure moved enough to reveal that it was a masked pony armed with a pair of sais. The sight sent streaks of terror running up Rainbow Dash’s spine. The masked pony then dived purposefully from the cloud, its trailing headband rippling in the wind, and angled its descent for a collision course with Rainbow.

"Ahhh!" Rainbow Dash screamed, desperately backstroking her wings and forearms to brake. But she couldn't help but crash-

Onto the floor, entangled by her blankets.

She lay frozen in her awkward position for a few brief moments, panting heavily into her cloud carpet, before pulling herself together and righting herself.

"I gotta consider cutting back during the weekly apple pie night with AJ and Pinkie..." she mumbled to herself, rubbing sleep out of her magenta eyes.

"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie's voice rang out from below, causing Rainbow Dash to stiffen for a second, and then sigh.

What is it this time? Rainbow Dash wondered with a look towards the heavens. She hopped back into bed, deciding to just ignore Pinkie Pie and go back to sleep, hoping for it to be dreamless this time around.

This proved to be a terrible decision, as only a short time later, Pinkie Pie crashed yet another flying contraption into her house, this one a large pink rocket that burst through the wall just to the left of the previous breach.

Speechless, Rainbow Dash could only watch as the enthusiastic, pink stuntmare righted herself and started tugging at a large, purple ribbon wedged into Rainbow’s carpet. Strangely, the pegasus found it somewhat familiar. Her brain jolted into motion the same moment Pinkie Pie managed to wrench out the silky streamer to reveal a less-pristine-than-usual, white pony attached to it.

"Heavens, Pinkie!” exclaimed Rarity, after dragging a deep, desperate breath. “When you said you had an elegant solution to the problem, I expected you to mean it!"

"Pinkie Pie? Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked hysterically, regaining control of her dropped jaw. “What are you guys doing here?"

“While was nice of Twilight to teach you the cloud walking spell, it’s probably for the best that you don’t always have your head in the clouds,” Pinkie said with a giggle before finally turning to gleefully greet the pegasus. “Hey, Dashie!”

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” also greeted Rarity, but in a much more composed manner despite her preceding hardships, even holding back the groan from hearing Pinkie’s joke. She continued quickly so as not to give Pinkie time to rev her minigun chatter. “We've just popped in to see if you'd be interested in helping us with a few errands. I assume you know from Pinkie about Fluttershy's... delicate situation?”

Popped in? Rainbow Dash thought dryly, calm enough now to have accepted the situation as just being Pinkie Pie. “Kind of,” she replied out loud, “Pinkie wasn't very helpful in filling in the details. Girl never sits around long enough to hear the important things.”

Rarity suppressed a smile at the irony of Rainbow's statement.

“Well, in that case, let me bring you up to speed,” Rarity suggested, and launched into the story with characteristic fervour, dramatizing details as only the fashionista could. Regardless of her showmare’s flair, she found she was losing the attention of part of her audience near the end of her telling. “And that's how Equestria was made,” she ended, breaking Rainbow out of her listlessness. Pinkie Pie, in comparison, was engrossed by the narration and clopped her hooves together in applause of the telling.

“Huh, what?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head confusedly.

“Nevermind,” advised Rarity, her calm tone laden with generous patience. “So long as you know your place in the plan, you'll do just fine, dear. Seeing as we don't know who Fluttershy's secret admirer, I've concocted a foalproof plan to sieve out our colt in question. We all have our part to play, so I hope you'll agree to help out?”

“Of course I will!” Rainbow Dash declared hotly. “Fluttershy is my friend. I've got to make sure this colt is good enough before he even thinks about looking at her.” Her chest made a resounding thump as she smacked her it with a hoof for good measure.

“Great!” exclaimed Pinkie excitedly, unable to stay quiet any longer. “Our plan is to throw a party, and while I'd normally be able to handle that myself, we're doing it today with almost no notice, and that's why we need you to help spread the word, so that everypony knows that we're hosting a nice, nifty, not-totally-a-trap-to-find-fluttershy's-admirer, nearly Nightmare Night N-” Pinkie halted, a contemplative frown working its way onto her face when she was unable to find a word suitable to end the alliteration.

Rarity took the chance to wrest back control of the conversation.

“A party, yes," the unicorn agreed. "And as Pinkie succinctly put, we need you to spread the word. You'll be flying around town distributing flyers to everypony.” At this she levitated a bundle of leaflets out of her satchel and hoofed them to Rainbow Dash. She then directed a hoof towards Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie will be doing the same in Sugarcube Corner, while also setting up for the night.”

Pinkie, meanwhile, was still struggling to find the perfect word.

“Nativity?” she mumbled to herself. “No. Nepotism? No. Namibia? No. Neurological? No, no, no!”

She didn't appear to be finishing any time soon.

“And finally,” Rarity flourished, putting Pinkie's literal crisis out of mind and returning once more to her plan, “I will be fabricating a stunning new dress that's certain to catch, and hold, the eye of our mysterious admirer." Rarity clapped her hooves together happily, her eyes growing into large shining pools. "Oh, I can't wait to show it off! It's sure to make Fluttershy shine.”

Rainbow Dash looked down to the flyers in her hoof and read the headline out loud, “'Pinkie's Pre-Nightmare Night Party. Tonight at Sugarcube Corner. Be there or be some other shape that may or may not have more than three sides.'” She looked at her two friends and broke into a grin. “So, all I got to do is be awesome and make sure everypony knows about the party, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, summing up the situation, if somewhat brazenly.

“That's exactly right, Rainbow,” Rarity agreed, nodding affably. “Now that that is settled, I really must get back to my boutique. Today's the deadline for the batch of Nightmare Night costume orders I've taken on, and I've still so much to do.” She moved to head out, but suddenly realised one important detail, proof of her eye as a designer. She turned back and asked with a demure smile, “Do you think you could give me a lift down?”

In his quiet abode next to the Quills and Couches store, Shadow, himself, was having a vivid dream; a memory from his past choosing to surface at this time after several years of dormancy. He tossed and turned in his blankets, chased by invisible wraiths. Then abruptly, his face relaxed into tranquil state, and he settled down into a peaceful slumber.

“Wait!” he called out. His hooves made a dull percussion over the sound of heavy breathing and crunching leaves as he ran through a forest barely lit by a sun beginning to peek over the horizon.

Yang burn this curse, he thought furiously. His bones felt as weak as straws every time he put a hoof down, his muscles like mud when he lifted them.

“Go back, my friend,” a dim voice called back to him, its sound familiar, but lacking it's usual boisterousness. “Ponyville is where you belong now.”

“Take me with you!” He scrambled up a hill towards the voice, brushing aside countless branches and ignoring the cuts and scratches they were tolling. His fur was soaked by bushes laden with morning dew.

“You know I cannot.” The voice was weighted with a touch of sadness. “This journey is my own, selfish and fraught with danger. I could not ask you to.”

“You don't have to, I'm offering. I can handle myself,” he told the voice, anger and desperation in his own.

“I know you can,” the voice chuckled, “but a wanderer's life is behind you, now. Go back, regain your health and look after bright eyes for me.”

“Compass!” he screamed, but his friend had moved on. He could hardly focus through the haze of pain and weakness that threatened to overwhelm him. What was once a small exertion to him felt like a marathon. With a guttural growl, he pushed his body harder, regardless of the cost.

His efforts were soon rewarded when he broke free of the trees into a small clearing. At the other side of the glade, a figure stood, reduced to a silhouette by the awaking sun shining behind it. However, he could never mistake that shape.

“Compass!” he called out once more, and galloped towards the unicorn.

“Please. Go back-” Compass started, but was interrupted when a heavy blast of wind threatened to bowl them both over.

The ground around him darkened as it was engulfed by a large shadow.

He skidded to a halt and looked up. He dropped his mouth open in shock of what he saw. His vision was filled with the sight of largest avian he had ever seen, much less thought existed. Its open wingspan almost covered half the glade like a feathery roof.

“B'Luna, that's a roc!” Compass exclaimed, and then all sound was deafened by the ensuing screech, which sounded more akin to a roar than any other bird’s call.

The bird crashed into the clearing, keeping its wings outspread threateningly. And then quick as a snake, its head struck out towards him.

“Shadow!” his friend cried out fearfully.

However, in this case, Compass's dismay was unnecessary. He had managed to avoid the beak of the bird, and was currently trying to enter a blind spot under it. Overhead, the roc danced in a frenzy, attempting to peck and scratch at him as if he were a worm, and managed to score a searing gash along his ribs with a talon. He gasped in pain, but ground his teeth together and tried to ignore it. Still dodging beak and claw, he kicked back, striking the colossus on the under-beak and stunning it momentarily, agony running up his own side at the impact. He spent a few precious seconds scanning up and down the closest leg. Choosing the most likely point, he gritted his teeth again and bucked out. He then scrambled madly out of the way as the roc faltered in its balance and crashed clumsily, its numbed leg refusing to support its massive weight.

Taking his chance, he pelted towards Compass, who had been galloping to his aid. He felt a moment of relief, as he felt his energy was beginning to give out.

However, it was then that a second beast descended into the dale, flapping its wings menacingly and repeating the terrifying scream of the first. The buffeted winds knocked him off his hooves.

Dazed on the ground, he looked despairingly as he was once again cut off from his friend. Then, over the sound of beating wings, he heard Compass shouting.

“Hey! Buzzard! Yeah, you, ya lousy ostrich!” Compass yelled disparagingly. The bird turned its attention towards him, squawking angrily. The stallion dived out of the way of snapping beak.

Behind him, the ground rumbled. He looked back and saw the first roc had stood up. It had regained some control over its leg, and was beginning to limp over towards them, its feathers bristling in rage.

He stared at it tiredly, and then at his friend confronting the other monstrous avian. His side complained loudly, his muscles now had the consistency of water, and his friend would soon be bird food. A breaker inside him flipped, and a deep-seated calm washed over him. Though his mind was still hazed, it felt a little clearer. The felt the familiar sensation of his cutie mark changing, feeling rather than seeing the shade on his flank grow to encompass the whole wall as he drew on the final dregs of his stamina, and the few drops of earth pony magic that it was infused with.

The shadows of the rocs flickered, and begun to move independently of their sources, as if they suddenly had a life of their own. The shadowy outlines grabbed the attention of the birds, their avian intellects unable to understand the disconnected motions. Instincts told them that if something moved, it was either food or a possible threat.

Immediately as they were distracted, he bolted off the ground, around the bird in front of him, and, in a ragged voice, yelled desperately at his friend, “Head for the trees!”

They galloped as fast as they could to the edge of the glade, but the avians soon returned their thoughts to them.

Screeching, the rocs dove after them, and Compass and he barely made it into the thicket before the avians careened into the forest wall. They dodged the trees sent flying in dirt-scattering clumps by the thrashing of the monstrous birds, and galloped on for dear life.

However, he soon felt his calm serenity of mind cracking, and he faltered in his stride. His legs fell from under him, and he tumbled heavily. He heard his friend slide to a halt and turn back for him.

His strength expended, he lay on the ground, taking quick pants of air. His chest burned with a need for oxygen, but he didn’t dare to take the deep breaths his body demanded. His whole side screamed in pain, and, judging by how light headed he was, he had most likely lost a lot of blood. The lacerations must have been deeper than he originally thought, and he felt abnormally cold, but the simple act of shivering caused too much agony. He looked down at his cutie mark and saw that it had returned to a simple shadow on a wall. I guess this is it, he supposed as the frenzied cawing of the birds grew closer.

“Go, Compass,” he said, asking his friend to leave him. “You were right, the world is fraught with danger.” He coughed raggedly in an attempt at to laugh, regretting it immediately because the movements made his cuts sting harder.

“Don't be a drongo. What kind of stallion would I be if I left a mate hangin'?” Compass replied, leaning his face down close to his.

“Save yourself,” he pleaded weakly, his vision slowly darkening.

Silence was his only response.

“Come on then, I've had worse than you fer dinner,” he finally heard. The voice was full of cocky bravado, fuelled by the boldness that comes only during a last stand. He realised he had closed his eyes inadvertently, and opened them to see Compass standing in front of him protectively, the unicorn's stance wide and unyielding.

“No...” he cried faintly once more, hearing the loud wrenching of uprooted trees and angry cries that signalled that the rocs almost upon them. Seconds later, they burst into view, immediately twisting their heads towards Compass and himself.

Before the sounds of chaos refilled the air, a beautiful voice sang down from the heavens. The birds' predatory heads turned to track some figure as it descended through the forest canopy. Framed by the light of the sun, it landed itself between Compass and the pair of rocs.

Seconds passed, and then he heard the sound of the rocs bursting into flight. With safety now a serious possibility, he couldn’t help but relax his frail grip on consciousness. He saw an angelic yellow blur entered his vision moments before he blacked out. However, a soothing, tender melody continued to sing to him as he slept.

Fetlock and Watson considered their peculiar situation at the Ponyville Cafe. While they had eventually managed to extricate themselves from Sugarcube Corner, and Pinkie's conquest of personal space, they found themselves with two invitations to the pink mare's Pre-Nightmare Night Party and zero leads on their investigations.

“So,” began Watson, to break the silence, “are we going to accept the invitations?”

“We're not here to party, Watson,” Fetlock shot back, a little short of temper after their dismal night. After being discovered, they were made to do unspeakable things like bake cupcakes, decorate party invitations and sing. Fetlock shuddered at remembering Watson's rendition of “Somewhere over the rainboom”. He himself had been tormented with a sonnet completely devoted to chocolate mousse.

And then there was that strange little alligator that never took its eyes off Fetlock. Despite all his knowledge and experience, he couldn't get a read off the creatures passive face. Not that he had any better luck with the incredibly energetic mare's expressive face. He surmised that one could possibly fit an entire nightmare story in her grin, not to mention the audience.

Moving on in an effort to place the memories behind him, Fetlock explained, “We are here to follow the lead I picked up from Canterlot, that great waterhole to which all the loungers and idlers of the Solar Empire are irresistibly led to. A slue of suspicious events have originated from Ponyville recently, many of them being quickly hushed up. Though it's faint, I can tell the Princess's hoof has been in the matter. It can't be a coincidence, Watson. Something strange is conspiring in Ponyville, and I will not rest until I have discovered why this town commands so much of Celestia’s attention.”

“Aren't you over thinking things, Fetlock? The Princess, herself, said there was nothing to worry about.” Watson picked up a cup from their table, and held it up to his snout, breathing deeply. He let the light smell of camomile relax him, and then took a sip, savouring the almost burning warmth as it slid down his throat and into his belly. Fetlock, himself, had a cup of langsang souchong sitting front of him, releasing a wavy stream of gentle steam.

“That she did, Watson,” Fetlock admitted, and then leaned forward. “But I can tell when somepony is hiding something from me, and by Faust, she must have been trying to conceal an ursa major.” He slammed his hoof down, causing tremors to upset some of his tea. The bang on the table also startled Watson, who, in his alarm, almost spilled his own cuppa.

“I'm sure the Princess would have told you if anything was wrong,” Watson said, setting down his tea while making placating motions with his other hoof. “What reason does she have to hide things from you?”

“I intend to uncover that very mystery, my dear friend, if its the last thing I do.” Fetlock sat back with a snort, and then indicated around him. “It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in Canterlot do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside."

"That's horrible!" Watson said, with his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised.

"Ah, but the reason is very obvious,” Fetlock declared, shaking his hoof knowingly. “The pressure of public opinion can do in the city what the law cannot accomplish. There is no lane so vile that the scream of a tortured foal, or the thud of a salt licker's blow, does not beget sympathy and indignation among the neighbours, and then the whole machinery of justice is ever so close that a word of complaint can set it going, and there is but a step between the crime and the stocks. But look at these quaint houses, filled for the most part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and nopony know the wiser. For that very reason, we must keep an even greater vigilance in a quiet town like Ponyville, for our safety and theirs," he stated with finality, letting quiet settle once again over their table.

Minutes passed as ignorant, but happy, townsfolk walked by the eatery, an assortment of vendors carting their wares towards the marketplace, small laughing foals hefting school-saddlebags as they galloped off to learn and old veterans off for a brisk stroll through the park. In those quiet moments, birds gathered to perch on Watson's bowler hat. Fetlock tried not to let his partner’s skeptical glances get to him.

“So,” piped up Watson, again breaking the silence and scattering the fowls into flight. “Are we going to accept the invitations? I'd really like to try that cake I baked. I thought it turned out rather well, considering it was my first endeavor of the act.”

Fetlock face-hoofed himself.

“We'll see, Watson. We'll see. If every other avenue, and I'm mean every other avenue, has been exhausted, I'll consider us attending that peremptory pony's party.”

Watson smiled as if it were already decided.

“Thus,” Fetlock continued after seeing Watson's smug face, “in order to avoid such a conclusion, let us search out the library.” The sleuth stood up with renewed purpose, leaving the rest of his still barely-touched, and now lukewarm, tea. “Perhaps we can find direction from the local distillery of knowledge.”

A loud blast outside drew Pinkie to the entrance of Sugarcube Corner. Having returned from her friendly visitation of Rainbow Dash’s abode, she had taken up storefront duties for the bakery, though she hadn't had many customers as it was so early in the morning. The sharp burst of noise easily caught her attention as it filled the empty shop.

Opening the door to the eatery, she found a tall stallion in a grey trench coat and fedora smiling down at her. In the corner of her eye, a smoking trash can on four hooves staggered away down the road. She quickly matched the face of the stallion in front of her to one in her internal database of names, and broke into a mile-wide smile.

“Oh, hi, Uncle Gadget! It's so good to see you! How have you been?” Pinkie asked, giving him a spine crushing hug. The stallion fondly stroked her head as if he wasn't currently in a death vice. At their hooves, a dog yipped happily and brushed its head against the side of Pinkie leg.

“And hello to you, too, Brain,” Pinkie said, crouching down to pat the dog. The dog woofed again, as if in response. “What are you two doing here in Ponyville?” Pinkie asked as the dog licked at her face.

“Can't talk about it, Pinkie,” said Gadget, “but I'm on the case of something big. Being so confidential, I can't tell you that I'm following the trail of the devious mastermind Doctor Claw, Marine Biology.”

“You mean the silly old gryphon that lives in the mansion at the far edge of town and was always trying to take over Ponyville?” Pinkie asked without missing a beat. “He was Dashie's biggest nemesis, you know. Back when she was doing all that superhero stuff.”

“Yes, well, Pinkie, he is still at large and thus presents an imminent danger.”

“It's true that he was a rather big gryphon, I guess, but that doesn't mean he's all bad. If you want, I can take you to go see him later,” Pinkie offered enthusiastically, eager to be of assistance. “I’m sure he’d love visitors.”

“That would be helpful indeed, Pinkie,” Gadget said, patting her on the head. Pinkie leaned into it with a happy grin. “But let's put that aside for now,” Gadget continued. “Tell me, how was the toolbox I got you last Hearth's Warming?”

Shadow sat up reluctantly, awoken by the discomfort of sunlight shining into his apartment through a small window and onto his face with the all the precision a large ball of gas thousands of kilometres away that was guided by an all powerful deity can have. He rubbed his eyes, looked at his clock and cried out in dismay.

“Great Yang, I'm late!”

Shadow fell more than rolled out of bed and dashed out of his house, slowing only to grab a cold muffin out of a basket as he passed the kitchen and his postbag off the stand as he went out the door.

Fluttershy tentatively sipped at her tea and was overjoyed to see her shadow do the same. She sat at a table near the wall of the Ponyville Cafe, under the shade of an umbrella. A stray reflection of light, from a discarded tray on another table, projected her shadow onto the wall across from her, making it seem like it sat in the chair opposite her.

"How is it?” Fluttershy asked. “The tea, that is? I hope its not too hot. Is it too hot? It's too hot isn't it. I can blow on it for you, if you want," she insisted, her anxiety accelerating at a lightning pace before she reigned it under control. When she didn't get a reply, she took another sip to calm herself. Her nerves had quickly crept back now that they had arrived at the cafe. The compulsion of her Stare had been limited only to inviting the shadow to tea, and now that had been accomplished, she was left to rely only on her determination.

Grasping together the straws of her courage, she spoke up as if her life depended upon it.

“Wonderful weather we're having, isn't it?” she asked lamely.Way to go, Fluttershy, she thought, berating herself for asking such a boring question.

A passing waiter bumped the table with the light casting tray, wobbling it and bobbing the shadow.

“Oh, I'm glad you agree,” Fluttershy said, inordinately relieved and happy that her shade would deign to respond. She sat pensively for a while, once again attempting to pull together the strands of her mettle, the effort bolstered by her small victory. She pulled a long breath, and then spoke candidly to her shadow. “You know, I've always wanted to spend time with you, but I've always been afraid before. It's a failing of mine. I have illogical fears of a number of things. Like dragons, for example. I know they're sentient, and a dragon hasn't eaten a pony since Princess Celestia signed a treaty between ponies and dragons over two centuries ago. But just thinking about a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown up dragon reduces me to a quivering pile of horse feathers!”

She paused to take a much needed breather. “And even now, after I’ve faced down a dragon, I still shake in my saddle thinking about them. And this is after meeting Spike. In fact, I love Spike like a little brother, now. Oh, do you know Spike?” she asked, realising her shadow might not have met Spike. “Spike is the baby dragon living with Twilight,” she explained, then wondered whether her shade might not know about Twilight either. “And Twilight a wonderful friend I met only two years ago. She lives at the library and teaches me all sorts of things about animals, even ones I've never seen.” She came to another realisation, which brought up an enthusiastic smile. “Actually, why don't I tell you all about my other friends?”

“Ah-hah! I always suspected you. Momma was right; never trust a clown!” Twilight exclaimed at the screen. “And now it is I who mustache you to leave.”

She was forced to pause in her smug tirade when a rapping sound echoed into the room. The unicorn lifted her head over the barricade of books that had grown around her. While the majority of the covers were titled with some reference to arcane measurement, the stack was peppered with the occasional romance novel or comic adorned with masked ponies posing in bright complementary-coloured full-body suits.

“Spike? Is that you?” Twilight called out, looking through archway towards the front door. “You just left a second ago. Did you forget something?”

Letting out an annoyed sigh, she put down her Nintendoe Gamecolt and got up on all fours. She then scooted out of her book fort and proceeded answer whoever was knocking.

The doorway lit with a purple glow, and swung open to reveal two stallions, a slightly taller one wearing a top hat and glasses, and the other hatless and smoking an ornate deerschaum pipe.

“Oh! Hello,” Twilight said, mildly surprised she had guests. “How can I help you sirs?”

“Excuse us ma'am,” the shorter one started, taking the pipe out of his mouth and dousing it. “But is this the Ponyville Library?”

“Yes. Indeed it is.”

“Fascinating, and a little bit morbid. Housing the shredded fabric of dead trees inside the astonishingly live remains of a hollowed-out hardwood.”

“Wow,” Twilight replied, raising an eyebrow. “I've never heard it described like that before.”

“That's not to say that your establishment isn't a fine specimen of environmentally-friendly urban planning,” the stallion redacted, realising his faux pas. “And forgive us for not introducing ourselves earlier. My name is Fetlock, and this is my associate, Watson.”

“A pleasure to meet you, miss?” Watson said, leaving the question hanging as he tipped his hat in a polite bow.

“T-Twilight. Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight replied, somewhat taken aback at how courteous they were being. She quickly revised her first impressions. “And the pleasure is all mine. The Ponyville Library welcomes all visitors. Please come in and peruse at your leisure.” She ushered them into the library and showed them to the central hall. “If I can help you in your search, I would be delighted to. Otherwise, I'll be in my, uh... studies.” She grinned and tried not to look guilty as she sent a brief glance towards her citadel of compendiums, and the enthralling invention within. What could she say. Work had started to pile up around her.

“Thank you, Miss Sparkle,” Fetlock responded. But he was intrigued by her odd hesitation. “If I might ask, what are you researching?”

“I don't mind at all,” Twilight replied, putting her procrastination out of mind. “I'm exploring the correlation of magical power with the stimulus of friendship,” she confided, giving him an enthusiastic smile brought about by a chance to share her learnings. “It's part of an ongoing study I'm performing on the greater topic, 'The Science of Friendship.'”

“Hmmm, that study name rings a bell,” Fetlock asserted. “I'm sure I've read of it somewhere.” He crooked his mouth in thought until a light flicked on in his head. “You wouldn't happen to be the Twilight Sparkle who was taken under Celestia's wing as her personal protégé. Hmm. I really should have noticed it before.”

“Yes,” replied Twilight, blushing. “That's me, heheh,” she giggled modestly, down playing the esteemed distinction of the Princess’s chosen.

“Than that must mean,” Fetlock continued, “that you are also the Twilight Sparkle who submitted the article 'On the study of Friendship: The psychological effects of friendship and its relationship with a ponies perception of events’. I found your analysis on Nightmare Moon very enlightening.”

“You've read my work?” Twilight asked, smiling delightedly.

“Yes. A few of your papers, in fact. They've been quite helpful in my investigations. Understanding a pony is very important in my line of work.”

“Oh, is that so? What is it you do, if you don't mind me asking?”

“I-”

Suddenly, the front door to the library slammed open, and a purple baby dragon shuffled in backwards, toting a paper bag larger than itself in its arms. Spike reversed slowly, taking each step cautiously while trying to keep a tenuous balance hefting the bag, which was almost overflowing with donuts.

He almost lost his hold when Watson gave a high-pitched scream and latched onto Holmes's head like a terrified school-filly.

The startled dragonling stopped and his head turned around towards them.

“Oh, hey Holme-boy. Watcha been up to?”

“Good day, Spike. Nice to see you're still looking healthy. Watson, I don't believe you've met Spike before.”

“N-n-nice to meet you,” Watson stuttered from his perch. Fetlock shook his head, dislodging the undesired fixture.

“Hi, there!” Spike greeted him back affably. He turned around and proffered the bag towards the stallion as much as he could without upsetting the load. “Want a donut?”
Watson replied with a vigorous shake of his head.

“You know Fetlock, Spike?” Twilight asked, looking at the dragon with her eyes wide in surprise.

Spike nodded back an affirmation.

“Yeah.” He padded carefully over to a free table and dropped his haul on it. He then gave a relieved sigh and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “He was a regular up at the castle. Celestia was always calling for him when some mysterious crime happened.” He smirked, and waved an admonishing finger at Twilight. “You'd have known that if you ever left your room.” He looked back Fetlock. “Pinkie told me she met you. Said you were a swell guy. Seems she's a fan of you, Mister Feltock Holmes.”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted. “Fetlock Holmes? Why does that name sound familiar?”

“I'd expect you of all ponies to know, Twilight,” said Spike, crossing his arms. “After all, you've read almost every book in this library, and he's got a shelf all to himself.”

“Oh!” gasped Twilight, covering her mouth with a hoof. “You don't mean the famous ace detective who foiled Professor Moliati's plan to bury Canterlot?” She looked towards Fetlock questioningly.

“Well, yes. But I wouldn't believe everything they put down in those books. More fiction than fact, truly.”

“I heard Princess Celestia tried to knight you, once,” Spike mentioned.

“It's true,” Watson revealed. He gave his partner a wry grin. “But you wouldn't have any of that, would you, Holmes? No, you had to go and jump out a window, instead.”

“You'd consider it too if you had a giant, looming goddess brandishing a sharp, yard-long, inherently-magical spearing implement at you,” Fetlock replied, scowling. “She uses that thing to move the sun, for heaven's sake.”

“You really did that?” Twilight said, eyes wide in surprise. “I thought Watson was joking.”

“Well, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction, I suppose," Fetlock postulated, shrugging as if that was all the explanation it needed. It wasn't, and he spent the next few hours answering the eager bookworm's questions.

“You all right there, Shadow?” Derpy asked with a smile of mild amusement.

The pony in question lay stretched in his chair, panting and gasping, trying to catch his breath. He simply lolled his head towards Derpy, not having any expandable air to use for a reply.

“You know I’m not that strict with being on time,” Derpy mentioned, returning her eyes to her work. “If I did, I’d have to fire myself,” she joked with a laugh.

“That’s not the same, Miss Derpy,” Shadow argued, finally having tackled his wind. “Your task as a mother is as important as your work here at the Post Office, if not more so. Occasionally spending a little extra time taking your children to school is no wrongdoing. My error lies purely my own ineptitude. Having my responsibilities solely tied to the Post Office, I should take more care in my duties.”

“You’re too stuck up on duty, Shadow,” Derpy told him, exasperatedly shaking her head. “I appreciate you taking the job seriously, but lighten up a bit, would you? And while we’re at it, cut it with the ‘miss’. You’re still too formal after all these years.”

“Yes, Miss Derpy,” Shadow replied with a straight face. The mare rolled her eyes up and around in opposite directions. He tried to keep a smile from creeping onto his face. He grabbed an envelope from his stack of letters. The address read “7 Grizelda Crescent, Highrule, Gryphon Kingdoms”. Long distance correspondence required the official seal of the Equestrian Postage Service to mark the mail with approval of payment and authorization for delivery. Shadow reached into his mailbag for the necessary piece of equipment. He ruffled around for a bit with a hoof, before picking up the bag for a more thorough search. Eventually, he turned to his coworker and enquired, “Hey, Miss Derpy? Have you seen my stamp?”

Now that the floodgates had open, Fluttershy gushed, telling her simulacrum all about her amazing friends and their adventures. By the time she finished, it was nearly noon. The shadow had grown in the time she had started talking, and was now twenty percent bigger. However, when Fluttershy noticed this, she didn't instinctively react in fright as she might have before. She held it and managed to suppress it to merely a minor twitch.

Have I finally overcome my fear of my shadow? she wondered, smiling with pride. “I would love for you to meet them some time,” she told it. Looking around, she finally noticing how much time had passed.

“Oh dear, it looks like I've taken up your entire morning. I'm sorry,” she apologized, but not in a panic-stricken fashion as might have before. “I was having so much fun, I lost track of time. Thank you so much for having tea with me. If you need to leave, I’ll understand.”

Behind her a waiter bumped the table holding the light casting tray, causing the platter to drop and changing the tangent of its reflection away from Fluttershy. The shadow's sudden disappearance gave the pegasus goosebumps.

“Maybe, I'm not completely over my fear yet,” she said a little gloomily to herself. But she soon perked up. “But I’ll do better next time. Maybe.”

In the middle of her day dreaming, she was startled by a loud voice.

“Look! It’s Fluttershy!” it exclaimed.

As she turned to see who had spoken her name, she was assailed by three little ponies.

“Hey, Fluttershy! We heard you received some flowers,” said Scootaloo excitedly.

“Yeah, and that ya don’t know who they were from,” added Applebloom, without missing a beat.

“And isn’t it awfully romantic?” Sweetie Belle commented, right on the pegasus’s tail.

Fluttershy shook her head after the verbal assault to clear her mind.

“H-hello, girls. Shouldn’t you be at school?” she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

“It’s the weekend,” proclaimed Scootaloo.

“Oh. Right.” Fluttershy said, the hope fading. She resigned herself to their inquisition, thinking those perilous few words, How bad could it be.

“So, tell us about these flowers, Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah, tell us!” the other two chimed.

“Well, I received them yesterday morning, when I was out for an early walk,” she recounted. “The flowers were bright pink roses that matched my hair. They smelled so sweet and fresh. And I know who gave them to me. It was my shadow.”

“Oh, it was her shadow. Not a pony named Shadow, but her actually shadow,” Applebloom reviewed, slowly nodding her head. The enlightened nodding soon came to a halt. “Wait, what?”

“How can your shadow give you flowers?” demanded Scootaloo, tilting her head.

“Yeah, they don’t even have real hooves.” Sweetie Belle reinforced.

“Yeah! What?” Applebloom said, reversing the conversation. “Now, hold on a minute. Jes hold on. There’s gotta be a logical explanation for this,” she asserted. “What makes you think that your shadow gave them to you?”

“Well, it was the only pony there when I found them, so who else could it be?” Fluttershy told them.

“There’s also the letter that said ‘Shadow’,” reminded Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom didn’t looked convinced. She screwed her eyes closed as she tried to think.

“Where exactly did this happen, Fluttershy?” the red-headed filly finally asked, digging for more details.

“On the path to Sweet Apple Acres,” Fluttershy answered. “If I recall correctly, it was near an old oak tree.”

“Come on, girls,” Apple Bloom declared to her fellow crusaders. “Maybe there’s some clues there we can find.”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Detectives, go!” they cried, and raced off.

Before she left, Sweetie Belle turned back and said, “If you get married, I hope I can be one of your flower girls.” She then ran off after her friends, leaving Fluttershy as she tried to hide her steaming face under her hooves.

After Fluttershy had composed herself enough to face another pony, she called to a waiter to pay her bill. She handed the stallion a few bits, and set off to her next engagement.

While cleaning the table, the waiter pondered the strange mare that just spent three hours talking to herself. Not only that, but she had paid for two cups, but only drank one in the end.

Mares, the waiter thought, shaking his head and dismissing the subject. He grabbed a discarded tray on the table over, stacked the cups on it and brought them back to the kitchen, smiling as the sun crept back out of the clouds.

“Whooooeeee,” Applejack exhaled while running her head under a hose, letting the pleasant coolness wash away her fatigue. When she was sated, she shook the water off her head and took in the view of the farm. As she looked over their work in their fields, she felt the stirrings of pride; for herself, and for her family. Hay, even Caramel pulled his weight today, she thought with a chuckle. The farm hand was still out there, trying to make up for his less-than-stellar efforts over the past week. He seemed pretty chipper compared to just yesterday. Wonder what picked him up.

Turning her thoughts from the calamitous colt, she considered her game plan for tomorrow.
We've rustled up a fine crop of apples for the bobbin'. Big Mac's working on fixing up the pie catapult. Granny Smith’s workin’ on the ammunition and confections. And all the buckets have been patched up. Just one last thing to take care of.

After shutting off the tap, she squared her jaw with a look of resolve and made her way to the storage barn. She climbed up the step ladder and peered around into the unkempt loft, full of boxes and old equipment. Not immediately finding what she was looking for, Applejack walked deeper into the bowels of the attic, past rusty floor lamps and crates holding nostalgic toys from Apple Bloom's infant days. Finally, her eyes swept across the target of her search, a cardboard box in a corner that was wrapped up in more tape than seemed necessary and weathered with age. She swiped a hoof-full of dust off the top and gave a wry smile as she read the label that was revealed.

"Heh heh. Frou frou.”

“And then I built a party wagon that was supposed to shoot confetti and bake cake. Only when I first used it, I put the cake mix in the cannon and the confetti in the oven, so poor old Cranky Doodle, a new donkey in our town, got a face full of batter and plateful of baked confetti. Cranky still hasn't totally forgiven me for it, but Matilda gets a laugh out of it every time I tell the story.”

“Ha ha, I can see why,” Gadget agreed, wiping a tear from his eyes. Pinkie and Gadget sat next to each other at one of the tables in the shop front. By their legs, Brain played with Gummy, barking happily and running circles around the reptile while the toothless gator took snaps at his tail. “Glad to see my lessons have been paying off. You've become quite the tinkerer, Pinkie.”

“One day I hope to be as good as you, Uncle Gadget,” replied Pinkie with earnest adoration shining in her eyes. A sudden remembrance set off a wide, eager grin, and she pushed her beaming face up close to his. “You've gotta tell me how you made that portal cannon you keep at home,” she demanded, excitement dripping from her words.

“Now, now, Pinkie,“ interrupted Gadget. He looked at her with his eyebrows bent down in a serious fashion. “That thing is dangerous. You’d have to really understand the responsibilities a lot more before I'd even consider it.”

“Hey, I can be responsible!” replied Pinkie. “Responsibility is my middle name!”

“I thought it was Glados, after your aunt?” claimed Gadget, scratching his head.

“Uh, my second middle name,” Pinkie backpedalled.

“I thought that was Diane?”

“It's in there somewhere,” she insisted flatly, emphasising her words with an definitive nod.

“Well, the point is that this time, you can't just laugh it off if it explodes. You have to be responsible.”

“Yes. I know. I will. I am!”

Her attempts to glean the plans for an item of potential further-universal-distortion was cut short as the door to the bakery opened.

“Hello?” asked a male voice hesitantly, its head poking through the space.

“Shadow? Is that you?” Pinkie queried to the voice, squinting at the door way. The owner shuffled in.

“Good morning, Miss Pinkie Pie,” Shadow greeted her with a polite bob of his head.

“Oh, wow, good morning! Did you come to take me up on my offer to show you how to bake an orange cupcake?” Pinkie asked pleasantly.

“Well, I'm really only here for a lunch,” Shadow confessed, “but I guess I can spare a half an hour...” It was then that Shadow noticed Pinkie had another guest. His eyes widened in surprise and blurted out quickly, “Actually maybe another time, Miss Pinkie Pie-”

“Great,” said Pinkie over his attempt to decline, and she pushed him inside. Remembering she hadn't introduced her uncle, she proffered her hooves towards Gadget. “This here is my uncle, Gadget Pie. He's here in town on business. This is Shadow, uncle. A friend of mine.”

Who in this town isn’t? Gadget thought, giving his niece an indulgent smile. He turned his head to appraise the newcomer. “Hello, Shadow,” Gadget said affably, grabbing Shadow's hoof and giving it a hearty shake. “Nice to meet you. I hope Pinkie hasn't been troubling you too much. I know the girl can be quite a hoof-ful sometimes.”

“Uncle!” Pinkie said embarrassedly.

“Ha ha,” her uncle laughed out at her chagrin.

“Eh heh...” Shadow chuckled weakly, eyes frantically darting between Gadget and the door. He had looked nervous before, but now he was overflowing with it. He wiped sweat from his brow and mentally counted to ten to calm himself. He stopped when he reached 43.

As his laughter died down, Gadget took a closer look at this Shadow fellow. Strangely enough to the older stallion, he seemed somewhat familiar, perhaps a face he had seen in a picture somewhere before.

“Hey, have we met before?” he asked uncertainly, squinting his eyes at Shadow.

“Sorry, Pinkie!” Shadow exclaimed, his voice almost breaking as he spoke in a volume louder than what might be considered normal. “I've just remembered I've got something I need to do somewhere, involving somepony! Goodbye!” He ran for the door.

Pinkie Pie suddenly blocked his path.

“Wait, Shadow!” she yelled in his face, stunning him in his panicked state. “There's a party here tonight, so make sure to come, okay?” she told him casually, filling his open jaw with one of her invitations and a bag filled with muffins. Pinkie closed his mouth and moved out of the way of the door. With the exit now clear, Shadow's legs instinctively propelled him out the door.

“Strange fellow,” Gadget said to his niece as she waved the colt off. “But he seems nice.”

Realising it was almost noon, Fluttershy made her way to the Day Spa, a salon and spa run by the triplets: Aloe, Lotus and Vera. Now was the time for her regular spa meet with Rarity, and she was looking forward to telling the tailor all about her tea with her shadow. A pink mare at the reception counter greeted her as she entered the building.

“Welcome, Miss Fluttershy,” greeted the mare. Her blue hair, tied back by a white headband, bobbed as she inclined her head politely. “Please go right in. Miss Rarity is already being seen to by Lotus. I do hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you, Aloe. I'm certain I will,” Fluttershy replied, dropping her belongings by the counter and heading through the door to the spa room.

Inside, she found Rarity in the middle of a massage. The unicorn appeared to be in a field of bliss, eyes closed and happily groaning as Lotus kneaded her back in slow, graceful motions.

“Oh, Lotus, I know I tell you every time, but that feels wonderful!” Rarity crooned, eliciting a smile of a job done well from the spa mare.

“Hello, Rarity,” Fluttershy spoke up in greeting, “It sounds like you're enjoying yourself.”

“Hello, da~rling, I'm in heaven. But now, I think it’s time for a soak,” she said, dismissing her masseuse with a thankful nod. Lotus bowed respectfully in response, and left the two friends to themselves.

Fluttershy lowered herself slowly into the steaming tub, repositioning herself as Rarity's slid in next to her. The two friends sighed contentedly as they prepared themselves for an hour of relaxation and good company.

Unfortunately for Fluttershy's muscles, she was about to tense up quite tightly.

“So, how has your week been? Anything interesting happen?” Rarity asked nonchalantly, popping a lazy eye open towards her friend and, with a waggle of her eyebrows, made it obvious that the question had meaningful undertones.

“Uh, well, it's been... nice,” Fluttershy replied evadingly, looking anywhere but at her friend.

“Don't make me drag it out of you, Fluttershy, dear,” Rarity told her, unable to suppress the large excited grin growing on her face. She closed her eyes again and waited for Fluttershy to spill her delicious news. Gossip always tasted best from the source.

“Well, there might have been one thing, or two, that I guess could be interesting,” Fluttershy started hesitantly, but continued on. If there was anypony she'd share her day with, it would be Rarity. “Yesterday, I received a bouquet of roses.”

“That's wonderful!” Rarity exclaimed, hiding prior knowledge of the fact. “Who were they from?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

“Well, they were from my Shadow,” Fluttershy answered, demurely splashing a hoof in the water, causing it to make a small plop sound.

“Oh, come now? You can't really believe that?”

“Oh, but I do. In fact, I even returned the favour by asking her to tea.”

“You what?”

“I invited her out to tea, and we had a wonderful time talking. Well, mostly I talked, but she was a great listener.” Seconds passed as Rarity tried to make sense of the news. All the while, Fluttershy swirled her hoof through the water, quietly gathering up enough courage to confess what followed.

“Rarity,” Fluttershy begun. “I want to tell you something.”

“W-What is it, dear?” Rarity asked, still reeling from the previous news.

After another suspenseful moment of silence, she blurted out, “I think I might be in love with my shadow.”

Rarity's jaw hit the tub bottom, and her mouth quickly filled with warm water. Spluttering, she gibbered, “What, why, how? WHA-?” and promptly fainted.

Eyes wide in alarm, Fluttershy frantically splashed to the assistance of her friend.

She dragged the floating, marshmallow pony out of the spa and manoeuvred around to begin CPR. Just as she was inches away from Rarity’s lips, the tailor’s eyes snapped opened, and the unicorn shrilled, “Stop! I’m saving myself for my special somepony!”

“I'm so glad you're fine, Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaimed, gathering up her friend in a tight hug.

“Yes, yes, dear,” Rarity said, patting her friend on the back. She pushed the pegasus away gently. “ I'm fine, so you can calm down.” She pressed her hooves against her temples. “Now, tell me how you let this strange little notion enter your head. In love with your shadow, indeed.”

“Honestly,” Fluttershy confessed, “the flowers weren't the first time I've received a gift mysteriously. It all started about a year ago, the night after the Grand Galloping Gala. You remember how terrible it turned out to be? Well, that night, outside my cottage, I found a tape recording of the cries of crocodiles in the rain. The soothing sounds helped me get to sleep even after all that stress. Since then, every so often, I find a present just sitting outside my door. It's always very considerate. Once it was a nest for my chicken coop, only a day after Elizabeak broke hers. I've always wondered who they were from, and since I received the flowers, I'm starting to believe it was my shadow. Who else would know so much about little, old me? And after talking to my shadow over tea, I think it really cares about me.”

Rarity was dumbfounded, but she soon managed to close her gaping mouth. I shall have to consider fly-netting if this is to become a regular thing, she thought. Pressing her lips together, she decided to make a tactical retreat.

“That does sound wonderful, darling,” she said out loud. “But I don't think we should make any assumptions too soon. After all, it might know about you, but what do you know of it?”

“Not much, I suppose, Fluttershy confessed. “I spent most of our time talking about myself; I didn't really give it a chance to talk about itself. You don't think that was rude, do you?”

Rarity ignored her friend's fit of distress and sprang her ambush.

“See? What you need is another chance to find out about it, or whoever gave you the presents. And it just so happens that Pinkie Pie is throwing one of her splendid parties. Tonight's little bash will surely give you that chance. After all, everypony in Ponyville will be there,” Rarity informed her. “Including your shadow.”

“Really? Oh, well, that does sound nice. And I can never say no to one of Pinkie's parties.”

“Then, I'll see you at my boutique at 5 o'clock, and I won't take no for an answer. I've got dress all set out for you, and you deserve to look completely fabulous. IDE~A!” Rarity exclaimed suddenly. “Why don't you model it for me? It's part of a new line I'm making, and I would be so ever thankful if you trotted it out a bit.”

“I don't know, Rarity,” responded Fluttershy, frowning dubiously. “You know how I am in front of everypony.”

“It'll only be for a minute,” Rarity pleaded.

“I don't think I –”

“And it'll catch the eye of your admirer.” Rarity laid her puppy dog eyes onto the pegasus, and soon the defenceless Fluttershy caved in with a sigh.

“If you say so, Rarity,” the pegasus tentatively agreed, unable to say no to her friend, but her shoulders tensed with unaccountable trepidation. Despite this, she let herself be dragged into an embrace by the unicorn, and smiled at her friend’s happiness.

A while later, they slid back into the spa, and Fluttershy was able to find a measure of relaxation as she let Rarity’s prattling about future Fluttershy’s dress wash over her. She wondered if her shadow would agree to a dance.

Scootaloo's scooter screeched to a halt in front of the old oak tree along the road to Sweet Apple Acres. The fauna around them slowly swayed under a soft, but frequent, breeze. Giving each other a nod, the three occupants disembarked the vehicle and spread out to look for clues.

It wasn't long before Sweetie Belle was drawn near to the oak tree by a strange scuffing on the ground that looked like they were made by hooves. As she moved towards the disturbed patch of dirt under the tree, she stepped on something hard.

“Ow!” she exclaimed, sitting down hard and rubbing her hoof.

“What's up Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked from the other side of the road after hearing her companion’s cry.

“Did you find anything incriminatin'?” Applebloom's head popped out of a bush and looked down to see the unicorn nursing her foot, and a small square object half buried in the ground. Scootaloo appeared next to earth pony a moment later.

“What's that?” Scootaloo inquired, following the line of Applebloom's interest. Sweetie Belle reached down and plucked the item out of the ground.

Turning it in her hooves she told them, “I think it's a stamp.” She proffered it to the other two. Applebloom took it and flipped it over to look at the insignia mold.

“This might be from the Post Office, girls. Look, it has their emblem,” she said, showing them the rubber pattern on the bottom of the stamp.

“Hey, yeah!” agreed Scootaloo. “Do you think this is a clue?”

“Maybe,” said Sweetie Belle. “I found it because I saw some suspicious looking tracks over there.” She pointed her hoof towards the oak tree, and Applebloom and Scootaloo swung their heads around to the area of interest.

“Nice work, Sweets,” Scootaloo praised, smacking the unicorn on the back cheerfully.

“Oh, it was nothing special,” Sweetie Belle dismissed humbly, rubbing her back with a wince.

They crowded around the hoofmarks and looked about.

“The tree's been scuffed as well,” Applebloom pointed out, indicating to a patch of bark that had been partially scraped off. “I wonder if somepony was hiding up there in the trees?”

“I'll take a look,” volunteered Scootaloo, flapping her wings and bracing herself. She then jumped at the tree, flattening herself against it, and shimmied up the trunk.

“See anythin' up there, Scootaloo?” Applebloom asked, intently watching the progress of the pegasus’s climb with interest.

“Hold on, I think I see a string or somethi—” Scootaloo's sentence was cut off by the crunching of a branch snapping. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom waved their arms above their heads, partly in an attempt to catch their friend, but also to protect their heads.

With a resounding, “Oof,” the three crusaders found themselves in a heap on the ground. Scootaloo lifted a wobbly hoof triumphantly, sticking it out like a flag. In it, she held a few strands of long grey hair.

“I think I found a clue.”

“Welcome,” Rarity trilled as she turned around at hearing the sound of her shop's entry bell jingling, “to Carousel... boutique?” Her greeting sputtered out when she saw the shop was still empty.

“Hmmm, strange,” she commented, but turned back to her designing, levitating up a bolt of silk and a pin she had put down when she had heard the door.

“Good Afternoon,” said a voice by her shoulder, shocking her into driving the pin straight through the manikin. Wide eyed, she swung around and saw Shadow looking at the dummy with a grimace of consternation. The shopkeeper blushed when he turned his eyes towards her.

“I'm sorry for startling you,” he apologised, folding his forelegs into a bow. “My name is Shadow; I'm here to pick up a kimono I dropped off for repair.”

“Shadow?” Rarity thought out loud. After a moment, Shadow saw a frown flash across her face, though she was quick hide it. “Oh, yes. Mister Shadow. I remember now,” she said carefully. “I've even added a few improvements, if I do say so myself. Free of charge.” The tailor directed a winsome smile towards the stallion.

“Oh, you didn't have to go that far, so thank you very much,” Shadow told her, returning a grin, but wondering what was worrying the mare. “I'm sure it will look great for Nightmare Night.

“No problem at all,” Rarity told him. “Anything for a customer, heheh.” She chuckled nervously, and moved off to retrieve the item. “Is it for a marefriend of yours?” she asked idly while rummaging through a closet.

“What?” Shadow asked in confusion. “No. It's for me.”

“Pardon?” Rarity asked back. “Why would you want to wear mares' clothing? Ah, here it is.” She brought the kimono out and brandished it for Shadow to see.

Shadow's mouth hung open in shock for the third time that day. He had to admit it would look good.

On a mare.

His father's old kimono had been redesigned to be slightly longer and a whole lot brighter and more vivid in colour, not to mention a tad more slender in nature. To top it off, there was quite the drooping chest line added. Shadow blushed to think of it displayed by a mare. Even though they normally didn't wear clothes.

“Miss Rarity,” he said plainly, holding in his discomfort, “it was supposed to be fitted for a stallion.”

“What? But isn't a kimono just a Japonyse dress?” Rarity asked in bewilderment. Shadow guessed that she hadn’t come across much far eastern fashion, as the worrying lines on her face showed she was more than a little unsure.

“Sort of, but they come in mare and stallion categories,” Shadow explained. “Stallion kimonos are usually more masculine in colour and more simple in design.”

Rarity shoulders drooped and her beautiful, once-smiling face appeared crestfallen.

“I am so sorry,” she apologised earnestly. “We had a little mishap in the workshop and your kimono was an unlucky victim. I had to sew it back together with second guesses and odd rumours. I admit I haven't had much experience with them, you see. I didn't even know they came in stallionswear.”

Shadow sat down heavily and dropped his bag of muffins, the muddled situation taking its toll on him. He looked at the remains of his family heirloom, not to mention nightmare night costume, and sighed in acceptance.

“Don't worry about it, Miss Rarity. I'll find something else to wear this year,” he said stoically. “Besides, I'm not really attached to it anyway. I've only worn it only twice. Both on sombre occasions.” He said the last quietly as if to himself.

“Let me make it up to you somehow?” Rarity pleaded, upset for her customer. “A refund? A new costume, maybe?”

“No, no, it's fine,” he told her honestly, looking her in the eyes. “You've made a beautiful kimono, Miss Rarity. It shall truly be a fine present for somepony,” he said, thinking that maybe Derpy would appreciate the foreign dress as a birthday present. Although, the new colours didn’t really match her coat.

Seeing the resoluteness in his eyes, Rarity acceded. She looked around absently, trying to think of another way to make amends. Her eyes halted on a pink card amongst the bag of muffins that Shadow had dropped.

“Is that one of Pinkie's invitations to the party tonight?” she asked, changing the topic to lighter things. “The darling pony is hosting another soiree. I'll also be taking the chance to show off some of my more marvellous dresses there. And I managed to convince Fluttershy to model a piece from my new range, the dear. I'm sure she'll look spectacular. I hope you can make it. I expect we'll all have a lot of fun,” she predicted, but Shadow had stopped listening and was staring fixedly at a wall. The thought of Fluttershy modelling again had overheated his brain.

“Something wrong?” Rarity asked with concern in her voice, seeing the stallion's state.

“Ah, ahem,” Shadow coughed, breaking out of his trance. “Yes, I'll be sure to make it,” he said weakly. He draped the kimono over his back and grabbed his lunch bag and invitation. “I'll be going, now. Thanks for your hard work, Miss Rarity. Please, don't worry about it.”

“You're far too kind. I'll see you tonight, then. And sorry again about the kimono. Please do tell me if there is ever anything I can do to return your consideration.”

Shadow nodded in acquiescence and headed out the door.

Rarity had a sudden thought shortly after Shadow left. A flash of hindsight that sparked a whole blaze of speculation.

"Shadow? No... It couldn't possibly be... Could it?" she wondered quietly. “I must keep a close eye on him during the party tonight,” she decided with a musing chin stroke. A grin grew on her face, followed by a delighted chuckle. Things were getting more interesting by the hour.

“Hey! Hey Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie called up towards the sky. Seconds later, a multi-hued mane poked out from a corner of a cloud, and then, suddenly, a blue pegasus burst off from the top of the nimbus. After doing a series of somersaults, the high-flier landing gently in front of the two earth ponies and crossed her legs nonchalantly.

“Hiya, Pinkie Pie,” she said, giving her friend a nod in greeting. “What’s up?”

“I just thought I’d introduce you to my Uncle Gadget,” replied Pinkie, indicating to her uncle. “He’s an inspector for the CPD, the Canterlot Police Department.” She then look at her uncle with an encouraging smile. “Uncle Gadget, this is Rainbow Dash, but I call her ‘Dashie’. She’s the one who pulled off the sonic rainboom.”

“Ah, the famous Rainbow Dash, huh?” the stallion blandished. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dash.” He offered her a hoof, which Rainbow shook heartily.

“You bet it is,” agreed the pegasus with a brash smile. “One day, you can tell your grandkids you met the one and only Rainbow Dash, the future face of the wonderbolts.” Pulling her head back out of the clouds, she asked, “Where are you two going?”

“We're off to visit old Geoff,” Pinkie supplied. Rainbow Dash gave Pinkie a questioning frown.

“Huh? What do you want to see Dr Craw for?”

Dr Craw? thought Gadget. Maybe I was pronouncing it wrong.

“My Uncle Gadget wants to meet him since he was a big shot villain back a while ago.”

“Oh, yeah. Fun times,” she said with a reminiscent smile. After a brief moment, she waved a hoof dismissively. “But we've both given up that gig. Too much saving the day, not enough naps.”
She gave a yawn to illustrate the point. “Later, Pinkie Pie. I’ve got some sleep to catch up on after all that delivery work. See ya tonight. And it was nice to meet you, Inspector.”

With that, the pegasus took off, and it was only seconds before she was out of view.

Derpy idly played with a set of Newton’s cradle, watching the swinging metal balls click back and forth. She was the only one left the Post Office and was thus mare-ing the service counter. But it had been a fairly quiet afternoon, and they’d finally sorted all their current letters. She was waiting for one final shipment from the main branch before performing the last round of deliveries. But that wasn’t for another hour, so when the door of the Post Office flew opened, it easily drew her attention.

When the dust settled, there were three little fillies standing in front of the counter.

“Hi Misses Hooves,” they shrieked happily.

“Why, hello there, Applebloom. Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo,” she said, greeting each of the three fillies in turn. She uncrossed her eyes, as they stuck to different targets, and examined the trio together. “What brings you to the post office today?”

“We’re on an investigation!” Sweetie Belle told her.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo piped up. “We’re following a lead we picked up.”

“Oh?” Derpy responded. This sounds interesting, she thought while hiding a grin. “What exactly are you investigating.”

“Fluttershy received a bouquet of flowers, and we’re trying to find who done did it!” explained Applebloom.

Yup, definitely interesting. Straining to keep a straight face, she asked them, “So, what do you have so far?”

The fillies looked at each other and nodded. Scootaloo stepped forward and begun to elucidate their findings.

“Well, we were told that Fluttershy received a bouquet early last morning, along the road to Sweet Apple Acres. Included with the flowers was a card addressed from Shadow. Sources informed us that Fluttershy believed the gifter was her shadow, this belief confirmed by Fluttershy herself. When investigating the scene of the crime, however, we found two pieces of crucial evidence.” With this, Sweetie Belle brought out two items and placed them on the counter. Scootaloo then propped herself up on the desk and continued. “Exhibit A,” she said, pointing at the strands of hair, “appears to be four grey hairs, possibly from a mane or tail. Our hypothesis is that they belong to the mystery admirer, seeing as it was found in the branches of a tree close to the site of the occurrence.” She pointed towards the other item. “Exhibit B is a stamp also found at the scene, perhaps dropped by the admirer. We believe it to be a stamp from the Post Office. Could you confirm our theory?”

“Why, yes,” Derpy agreed, picking up the stamp. “I do believe that is one of ours. Thank you so much for bringing it back. Hmmm.” She put on a look of strained concentration, so well done her eyes began to drift in different directions. “So, you think it might be somepony that may have been hiding in an oak tree,” she begun.

“Yes.” Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom concurred.

“Who works at the Post Office, lost their postage stamper, has grey hair, is probably male, and, if I had to guess, is about 4.28 feet tall exactly?” Derpy continued, stringing them along.

“Yes, yes, yes!” the fillies hollered, beaming with excited expectation.

She tapped her chin with a hoof, leaving the trio in painful suspense. “Nope, doesn't bring anypony to mind.”

“Awww...” they all deflated.

“Sorry girls, seems I can’t help you. But I do have a suggestion. Twilight Sparkle is a talented pony. Maybe if you show her the hairs, she could whip up a spell to identify the pony who grew it?”

“Why that’s a great idea!” Applebloom asserted, a large grin stretching across her face. “Come on girls, time’s a wastin’!”

They thanked Derpy and dashed towards the door, which swung out before they reached it. Without even slowing, the fillies rushed right past a grey stallion, who stepped aside hastily as he opened it to let them through.

“What was that about?” Shadow asked Derpy, closing the door behind him. Surprise and confusion marked his face.

“Oh, nothing,” assured Derpy. “Nothing at all.”

A glowering servant answered the door when Pinkie and Gadget rapped their hooves against the large gate-like entrance. The retainer, a short, yellow pony in a black tuxedo, glanced back in briefly and then pulled the door open fully to admit them into the mansion. Shortly after ushering the two visitors in, he vanished off down one of the many corridors leading out of the foyer, leaving Pinkie and Gadget alone at the bottom of a staircase descending into the room. The room also boasted a plush red rug that ran between two towering marble pillars towards what appeared to be a dining room. A voice soon greeted them from the top of the steps.

“Wercome to my humbre abode. I am Doctor Craw, marine biorogy.”

Their greeter was a large grey bald-griffon, whose wings, the colour of obsidian, were extended majestically as he made his introduction. Soft chandelier-light shone dazzlingly off his golden flower-embroidered vest as he descended the stairs. Reaching the bottom, he bowed respectfully to his visitors.

I guess I was pronouncing it wrong, Gadget thought. To his host, he said, “Great to meet you, Dr Craw. My name is Gadget.”

Turning to the inspector, the griffon coughed tensely.

“I-It’s Craw. Not Craw.”

“Oh, sorry about that, Dr Craw.” Before the griffon could repeat himself, Pinkie Pie wedge herself between them.

“Hi Geoff!” she said, snout to beak with the buzzard.

“Greetings, Pinkie Pie,” said the doctor, craning his neck back as far as it would go. When it could go no further, he took a step back as well. “Must I keep reminding you to use my titre?”

“Why Geoff?”

“Becraws,” he said, brandishing his talons menacingly at the filly.

“Haha! That was terrible!” Pinkie abruptly stopped laughing and sniffed at the air, and, just as suddenly, she began trotting off down the corridor to the dining room. “What's for lunch?” she asked without looking back.

Dr Claw deflated, and looked towards Gadget. “It’s hard being taken seriousry as a virrain these days. What, with the biggest evir since screw on bottre tops was defeated by friendship.”

Gadget patted the griffon on the back, and saw Dr Claw was misting up in the eyes.

“Go go gadget handkerchief,” he said, inclining his head towards the avian. The hat on Gadget's head suddenly opened its top, and a robotic arm unfolded out, holding onto a bolt of cloth.

However, the cloth was no lace napkin. Instead, Dr Claw found himself being strangled by a beach towel, as the robot hand tried to wrap it around his head. Luckily, the doctor's talons were able to rip through the material in short order.

“Ooo...” Gadget exhaled gingerly at the gasping griffon. "Sorry about that, chief.”

“Did my book come in yet, Twilight? I need it to double check a few last details on my costume for tomorrow.”

“Yes, in fact, just today,” Twilight said, answering the question posed by the aquamarine pony across the counter from her. She nodded to Spike, who hurried off into the back room. The dragon returned quickly and passed her a yellow comic book. She took it with her magic, and after looking over the item, she gave Spike a pat. “Thanks, Spike. Here you go, Lyra. You’re pretty lucky. They’ve only got a few copies of this in circulation.” She floated the book to her ecstatic patron, who was jumping with joy.

“Thanks, Twilight!” Lyra said, grinning happily as she held the book up in front of her face. She levitated the item into her saddle bag and shook Twilight’s hoof. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, Lyra,” Twilight replied, abashed at Lyra’s emphatic appreciation. “That’s what a library is for. I hope it’s what you were after.”

“Oh, definitely,” Lyra claimed, nodding her head. “I can’t wait to read it. I’ve been waiting ages for the conclusion of the Riddler arc. Thanks again, Twilight,” she said, waving as she trotted out the library door.

Twilight waved back, a pleased smile on her face. She then turned back to her other visitors.

“Anything else, I can get you, Watson, Fetlock?” she asked the ponies lounging on a rug surrounded by piles of newspapers.

“No, thank you, Miss Sparkle,” Watson replied for the both of them, with Fetlock grunting in affirmation. “Unfortunately, I think we’ve almost exhausted our possibilities. There’s just this last stack to go through, containing the editions from September to December last year. It seems that other than the incident with Nightmare Moon, Ponyville has had quite a peaceful stretch.”

“Oh, it is for the most part,” Twilight agreed. “We’re quite fortunate to have such a quiet town. But, I wouldn’t overlook that last stack of papers, if your looking into strange occurrences. A lot happened that Winter.” Watson gave Twilight a surprised look when a frown dropped onto her face. “A lot.”

Fetlock frowned himself, noticing her displeasure and Spike’s expectant grin, but went on to pick up the first item on the final pile. His eyebrows rose when he saw the headline bolded on the front page.

“Discord Defeated, Ponyville Saved From All Powerful Destroyer of Harmony,” Fetlock read in in a monotone voice. Picking up the next paper, he spoke, “Three Cheers For Rainbow Dash: Super Mare Saves The Day, Again.” Digging deeper into the pile, he pulled one more out. “Ponyville Survives Visitor From Hell: Cerberus Returned to Guarding Gate of Tartarus.” Fetlock looked up at Twilight with an impressed quirk of his jaw. “Quite an exciting couple of months you had there, Miss Sparkle.”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Twilight responded, placing important emphasis on the we. “The elements of harmony, that is.”

“Yeah, these girls can do pretty much anything when they’re together,” Spike declared, puffing his chest proudly.

“I see,” Fetlock announced, taking in the assertion as Twilight bashfully told Spike not to over exaggerate. He went back to skimming through the newspapers, and halted on an edition on whose cover was printed the image of a blue pegasus facing a black-feathered griffon. “Watson, I believe we may have a lead.” The unicorn stood to his feet. “Come, we must be off before it starts getting dark.” He turned to the librarian. “Would you be able to give us the directions to this residence, Miss Sparkle?” He pointed to a line in the tabloid.

“Sure thing, Fetlock,” Twilight assented, moving around to look at the address. She gave Watson and Fetlock a wry smile. “And please, just call me Twilight. It’s getting a little embarrassing, you two calling me ‘miss’ all the time.”

Derpy waved good-bye to the departing Canterlot-branch postal worker and closed the door. Their visitor had dropped off the last bundle of postage for the day, which had been unloaded next to Derpy’s desk. The pile consisted mostly of letters and one single piece of shipping, a large bag of assorted seed for animal feed. Shadow had already taken and unraveled one stack, and was dividing them into alphabetized batches.

She dropped her head to the level of the address stamp, and a large grin spread across her snout.

“Hey, Shadow,” she called to her coworker. “We’ve got one final package to deliver, and Post Haste has already gone home for today. Why don’t you take care of it, and then head off as well. I’ll sort out the last few letters and clean up. Think of it as thanks for yesterday.”

Shadow looked over and answered from his desk.

“Are you sure, Miss Derpy? I don’t mind staying a little longer.”

“No, go ahead. I insist. Nay, I demand that you leave work,” she commanded with mock seriousness.

“I live to serve,” he replied in kind, and then gave her a thankful smile.

He left his seat and walked over. He picked up the package and read the postage label.

“Excuse me, but this address seems familiar,” he started, frowning apprehensively.

“Good. Hope to see your tomorrow!” Derpy said hastily, placing two hooves on his rump and propelling him to and out the doorway. “Bye!”

He turned back, but she had already closed the entrance. A few seconds later the door opened, and his mail bag was thrown into his arms. He couldn’t even slip a word in before the opening closed again.

Scrunching his together eyebrows, he gave the package sticker another read, and finally noticed the name attached to it. He spent a minute warring with himself, before accepting defeat. With a sigh, he slipped into the strap of his postal bag and hefted the feed sack onto his back. Then, contemplating his words every step of the way, he started making a slow journey towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Mrphm, wow, Geoff,” Pinkie managed to mumbled after swallowing a large mouthful of food. “The Cake’s make the best desserts, but I’m always impressed by the main dishes you dish out.” The mess surrounding Pinkie’s plate was contrasted by Gadget’s neat setup. Unlike the filly, he was employing a pair of utensils, a knife and fork being held by mechanical arms reaching out of his hat that methodically cut and proffered food right to the inspector’s maw.

“Werr, I wouldn’t be a very good host if I couldn’t provide a hearty mear. Even for... unexpected visitors.” The griffon said all this while casually stroking a snow-coloured pussy cat lounging upon his lap. Dr Claw’s poised acceptance of Pinkie’s manners suggested that it had become somewhat commonplace for him.

“I bet it’s all the training your cooks received from your cousin Gustave, huh?” Pinkie said, piling more helpings onto her plate, the empty dishes quickly being replaced with new meals by speedy servants, whose cool composure was underlined by a steadily growing worry.

“Yes, we have been bressed with a shred of his mastery,” Dr Claw agreed.

“I must add that these hayseed pies are quite delectable,” Gadget said, before taking another bite. “They have such a satisfying crunch.”

“Part of the reason I keep it on my menu,” Claw mentioned. Further talk was interrupted when a large creature landed on the table in front of them with a remarkably soft thump. Standing proudly in the middle of the dining room, on of its four paws in a bowl of mashed potatoes, the dark-furred monstrosity of lean muscle held a thin, white rectangular object in between its shiny, razor-sharp jaws.

Apart from the sound of Pinkie’s chewing, silence reigned for a few seconds while the wild animal shared a look of recognition with Dr Claw's cat that was almost warm. The connection was severed when Gadget stood up, prompting the beast to leap off the table.

“That's the second biggest leopard I've ever seen,” the stallion exclaimed. “Don't worry, I'll get it. Come back here, you fraidy cat! Go go gadget cast net.”

Gadget tilted his head forward as the top of his hat opened up. A gun, far too large to have physically fit inside, popped out from the hatch, and a spear blasted out of its muzzle. The projectile passed just to the left of the jungle cat and impaled itself into an unfortunate portrait of Dr Claw.

“Missed it by that much,” Gadget announced, surveying his handiwork. When he turned his attention back to the massive feline, it was gone. However, a low growling soon revealed its new location.

“Ah,” exclaimed the inspector, looking up. “The old-defy-gravity-and-walk-upside-down-on-the-ceiling trick.” Seeing the cat begin to tense on the roof as if to jump, Gadget quickly said,“Go go gadget shark cage!” A large rectangular plate of metal pushed it's way out of his hat, and steel rods dropped down from its edges into the floor. The cat pounced and landed heavily on the constructed enclosure, making the bars creak worryingly, but the cage held up. Gadget found himself looking closely at a maw full of sharp teeth hanging from the edge of his shelter's roof.

“Listen, Fluffy. I, uh, hope I wasn't out of line with that crack about you being a fraidy cat — YOWZERS!” Gadget exclaimed as the cat swung a large grasping paw through an opening between the bars, succeeding only in separating a few strands of the stallion's hair. The reason for the inspectors lucky escape was Brain’s courageous attack on the leopard. Grasping the feline’s tail in his teeth, he had jerked the cat’s balance off its perch on the cage the moment of its assault on the inspector. The beast roared, turning around and swinging a paw at the canine, but Brain let go of his hold and ducked his head to evade the swipe. Barking a taunt, he turned and retreated out of the room, luring the jungle cat away.

“Ha. Cats and dogs, huh?” Gadget commented, adjusting his hat, not even the least bit concerned that his pet was being pursued by an apex predator. He sat back down next to his niece and returned to his lunch. Pinkie, herself, had huddle over her plate during the encounter with a look in her eyes that threatened things if her meal was interrupted. A low growl still spilled from her snout.

Dr Claw sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils, and struggled to keep composed as the chaotic events slowly trundled further into the past. Petting his house cat helped him regain his inner calm. He tried not to let it shatter when Gadget piped up with a new question, but his wings popped out bristling nonetheless.

“So, where’s that accent from, huh? Doesn’t sound like you're from Prance like your cousin.”

“Werr, in fact I am,” Claw responded through his grinding beak. He furled his wings slowly in, though a few feathers continued to stick out awry. “If you are referring to my rhotacism, then it was an unfortunate accident during my chirdhood. I was bitten on the tongue by a crustacean during a… science experiment.”

Before Gadget could ask for the entirety of the tragic tale, his foreleg began to ring.

“Oh,” he exclaimed, bringing the chiming hoof up. “Pardon me while I get my horse-shoe phone.” Out of the horseshoe at the end of his limb, he pulled out an extendable antenna, and begun talking to the hoof. “Hi Chief. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Oh? I thought you said that was tomorrow? That was yesterday, huh? Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.” He put down his hoof with a click and turned back to the griffon.

“Sorry, Dr Craw. I've thoroughly enjoyed your welcome, but I really must go. It's come to my attention that I have an important appointment this evening in Canterlot, so if you'll excuse me, thank you and goodbye. We shall have to do this again, sometime. Come along, Pinkie.” Gadget stood up and ushered for her to exit her seat.

The pink mare pouted sadly, but stopped stuffing her face and left her chair. Gadget walked around the table to grab Dr Claw's hand and give it a hefty shake, before trotting out of the dining room. Pinkie followed behind and firmly gripped the griffon’s claw before it had stopped shaking, transferring the oscillations all the way up the doctor’s arm. The cat in his lap hopped off with a meowl as its perch experienced a localised tremor. Pinkie reached into her hair and drew out a square card.

“We’re having a Pre-Nightmare Night Party at Sugarcube Corner tonight,” Pinkie told him, placing the letter in his hand. “Hope you can make it. Thanks again for lunch.”

As the vibrations dampened out, Dr Claw felt aging coals rekindle inside. He had no words; instead the feelings were fed to the small, growing embers.

As they entered the foyer, Gadget and Pinkie were met by the same servant that met them at the mansion’s door. The aide bowed and flourished an arm towards the exit.

“Thank you for your kind service,” Gadget said to the attendant and continued on. But before they had made it all the way to the egress, Brain darted out from behind one of the foyer’s pillars to hide underneath the inspector’s legs, his whole body vibrating in fear. A menacing growl followed in the dog’s wake.

“Oh, come back to play, huh, kitty?” the inspector said as the leopard slunk around the column, rubbing its back against the cool marble. “Least I could do for the doctor is to take you outside,” Gadget told it. “Go Go Gadget Butterfly Net!”

Out of his hat protruded a mallet, which took a swing at the big cat. The feline casually leaped out of the way of the hammer, leaving the implement to slam its full weight into the pillar. Small cracks quickly spread across the circumference of the support.

“Ah, well,” Gadget exhaled in displeasure as the leopard bounded out of the room. “It’s unfortunate, but I’m already late. I’m sure the servants can catch Fluffy in no time at all, anyway.” He turned his thoughts to lighter things. “You were right, Pinkie, Dr Craw does seem like a nice fellow,” he remarked as they continued their departure along the crimson foyer carpet. “A little flighty, though. But that's to be expected, I guess.” he remarked, raising a hoof to his chin speculatively. And with that, Pinkie, Gadget and Brain, still clinging tightly to the inspector’s leg, left the mansion as the shattering marble pillar gave way.

“Eat your salad, now, Angel-bunny,” Fluttershy implored to her little pet. “You need the vitamins if you want to grow up big and strong.” The rabbit crossed its paws and turned away from the bowl of greenery. “Oh, come on, Angel. Please, for me?” She circled around in front of him and knelt down to the rabbit’s level to give him her most pleading frown. The gaze was obviously taking effect, as the critter began to sweat. Lamentably for Fluttershy, the bunny was granted escape when a knocking on her front door drew away the mare’s attention. Not letting the chance go, the rabbit scurried off out of the room. Fluttershy pouted at his vanishing cottontail until another round of knocks brought her attention back to the door.

“Coming!” she notified her visitor. The pegasus lifted herself from the floor and trotted over to answer the door. “Hello?” she queried shyly as she opened the door a crack. However, she was greeted with the sight of nopony. She swung the door open and took one step out, sweeping her head back and forth to see if anypony was around. She was wrinkling her eyebrows in questioning confusion when a polite cough drew her scrutiny directly in front of her. After a few seconds of investigating squinting her eyes made a discovery of a beige-coloured bag. Thereupon, her mind linked the connection to the stallion that was wearing it.

“Eep!” she squeaked, causing her caller to recoil. “Oh, sorry!” she apologized quickly, seeing the distress she provoked. “You startled me.”

“No, it was my fault, miss,” Shadow replied, hurrying to take the blame. “I’m sorry for startling you. It happens a lot.” They shared a moment of eye contact, before spending a few more avoiding it in silence. Eventually, Shadow swallowed his anxiety and spoke up.

“I’ve a mail package for you, miss,” he said, wheeling around to show her the animal food he had brought. “Twenty kilograms of assorted seeds for one Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy turned her eyes towards it, glad to have something to focus on. She recognised the item as her usual order.

“Oh, yes. That- that’s me,” she affirmed, exhausting her side of the dialogue.

Shadow’s postage worker instincts kicked in at the response, and he immediately reached for his mailbag. When he drew his snout out of the satchel, his teeth he held a clipboard with a pen, which he proffered to Fluttershy.

“Preaz sigh here,” he mumbled out the side of his mouth.

He felt a moment of lightheadedness when a delicate fragrance of lilac drifted over him as the pegasus moved closer. Wordlessly, Fluttershy unclipped the pen and signed the statement.

“Thank you, miss,” he said. Shadow checked the paperwork briefly and returned the items to his bag. He then placed his cargo down on the porch. Having done his duty, and sadly having no other reason to stay, he tipped his head in a polite nod.

“Have a nice afternoon, miss.”

A few steps down the path out of the yard, he took a wistful look back. He expected to see the closed front door of a quiet cottage. What he saw instead was a determined mare grunting through her teeth as she attempted to drag a sack of bird feed, the pegasus gripping the package in her snout by a corner. His heart went out to her as he watched her struggle to find purchase, her hooves scraping across the floor without achieving a fraction of motion.

Though they would have been in agreement, his body mindlessly drew him back towards the scene. Before he knew it, he had asked her a hopeful question.

“Would you mind if I helped you, miss?”

Fluttershy was only a little startled this time around, having spent a great deal of energy in her fruitless endeavour. She looked up to see the mail pony from before.

“Oh, yes,” she said thankfully, between breaths. “I don’t mind. That is, if you don’t mind.”

“If you do not mind, and I do not mind, then I guess nobody minds at all. Thus, it would be my pleasure to help you, miss.” The stallion smiled appealingly as he hefted the package back up. Though Fluttershy thought he was a little strange, she smiled back. While the gesture was held back by her normal timid restraint, to Shadow, it was like the twinkling of stars after a cloudy night. Elated, he simply stared, soaking in the radiance.

After a while, Fluttershy began to worry, her smile tinted with a hint of nervousness. Her eyes darted to-and-fro, wondering why the stallion was staring so.

“Is there something on my face? Have I got something stuck in between my teeth. Oh, no! I do, don’t I?” She folded up onto the ground, and threw her hooves over her face. “Please don’t look!”

“No, it's not that," Shadow refuted, "There’s nothing in your teeth. I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Oh, please don't hate me," he blurted out. "I mean, where would you like this bird feed placed?"

Fluttershy drew her hooves apart enough to look at Shadow.

“Um. I’d really like it if you would bring it to the chicken shed. It’s around the back of my cottage.”

“Your wish is my command.” Shadow pushed down his uncertainty and extended a hoof towards Fluttershy. Through the gap between the pegasus’s forelegs, he caught her eyes and smiled again.

Wordlessly, Fluttershy placed her hoof into that of the stallion’s, and he lifted her to her feet. Shadow turned around so quickly that he missed the blush that had formed along the mare’s snout. He needed to hide the blush that was quickly spreading over his own.

“Around the back, is it, miss?” he said to fill the lull. “No problem.”

Fluttershy hid her face behind her hair and hurried in front to lead the way. Shadow followed, trying not to admire the mesmerising swish of her flank. Instead he swallowed, and turned his head towards the Everfree forest. At the sight of the browning sea of leaves, he was reminded of his dreams this morning. He turned his eyes back to Fluttershy and hummed contentedly.

Fluttershy turned around almost immediately, a surprised look on her face.

“Um, excuse me for asking, but where did you learn that song?”

“What?” Shadow replied, and realised he had been humming to the tune of the song he heard that fateful day, the day he first met Fluttershy. He decided to offer a half truth. “Oh, I’ve heard you singing this from time to time as I passed your cottage, and the melody really caught me. It’s quite lovely.”

“Th-thank you very much.” She returned her face to the front. “My mother taught me that song,” she explained, and lapsed back into silence. Soon they arrived at the entrance to the chicken coop, a gate placed along the fence walling the enclosure. Fluttershy lifted the latch on the gate, and pushed it open, allowing Shadow to step through. “That’s the chicken shed,” Fluttershy said, pointing to the wooden construction at the back of the coop. “I would be so grateful if you could place it inside the doorway, just to the left.”

Shadow nodded and headed to the ramp leading into the shed. He poked his head inside and found he was under the scrutiny of a dozen pairs of eyes, although one pair stood out strangely. When his own adjusted, he saw almost a dozen chickens as he expected, all clucking curiously. What was unexpected was the grinning grey mare that had taken residence in a roost near the back.

“Hey, Shadow!” she whispered, flapping her wings excitedly. “How’s the seduction going?”

“Miss Derpy?!” he whispered back, confounded by her presence. He stepped into the shed. “What under Ying’s claw are you doing here?”

“Nothing,” she replied with a smile.

“Nothing my flank.”

Derpy’s smile just continued to widened.

“You, however, seem to be doing a lot here. ‘Oh Fluttershy, what more can I do to help one so lovely as you?’” The pegasus snorted in an attempt to restrain her laughter. Shadow assumed a blank expression in an attempt to look composed as he placed his cargo down in the corner.

“Shush, you. I never said anything of the sort.”

“Ah, but I bet you’d like to.”

Shadow huffed in response.

“I am just offering my assistance to a customer. When did you even get in he—”

Fluttershy’s voice came up from behind him, sending spikes of panic shooting up his spine.

“Are you talking with somepony?”

He turned around sharply and threw his fore legs wide, blocking the doorway.

“No! Nopony at all,” Shadow immediately refuted. He twisted his head back and saw no sign of his pegasus employer.

“Oh. I thought you might be speaking with Elizabeak. She’s often quite the chatterbox.”

“O-oh, yes. Elizabeak has been very kind.” Realising he was still strewn across the opening, he dropped back onto four legs and moved to the side to allow Fluttershy access to the shed. “Is this where you wanted your seeds?”

“Yes, that will do perfectly,” the mare replied. Fluttershy led him back to the gate and let them both out. “Thank you so much for your kindness. It usually takes me an hour to get it over here.”

“Really, it was no trouble at all,” Shadow responded modestly.

They stood there for a few quiet moments, simply swishing their tails, not quite looking at each other. Shadow once again broke the silence.

“Well, I guess I should get going. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, I will,” Fluttershy answered. “And thank you again for helping today. Please take care on your way back.”

Shadow bowed his head and trotted off, this time having no courage left to steal a look back. Instead he gave his attention to the pegasus’s cottage as he sought to cool his head off. But there, in the window, he was dragged into the unrelenting stare of a rabbit. Thumping its feet against the window sill in rapid repetitions, the critter’s arms were crossed and its mouth turned down in a disapproving grimace. Shadow quickly swiveled his eyes back to the fore, continuing on at a slightly faster pace. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of something boring into the back of his head.

A fair distance down the path back to Ponyville, the sound of flapping wings and a light descent occurred next to him. With his recent mental foray, it was almost enough to startle him. But he kept his composure by the string of his teeth.

“I thought you were closing up shop today?” Shadow said without turning his head.

“All done. All remaining letters sorted and sent. So, I thought I’d check up on my precious little underling.” The same mischievous grin from before made a return upon Derpy’s snout, and she gave Shadow a flank bump, which unintentionally threatened to upend him. “You did good.”

The stallion looked away embarrassedly, which only caused the older mare to laugh delightedly.

Amidst the piles of ruins that was only minutes ago Dr Claw’s mansion, a solitary head poked out from a mound of rubble. Occasionally, the sound of another wall collapsing washed over it.

Strangely enough, despite the situation, Dr Claw felt more alive than he had in a long time. The villain in him was finally awakening again, and, drawing from the bottom of his diaphram, he roared at the world.

“I'rr get you Gadget, if it's the rast thing I do!”

As if called by the oath, the leopard who had interrupted his lunch strutted up to him from beyond the wreckage, and dropped a letter by his head. The doctor wrested a claw out of the debris and tore the missive open with his beak. Shaking out a card, he flipped it open and read the message silently.

“Hahaha,” the griffon rumbled sinisterly. He tighten the grip of his other buried claw, which still held the invitation handed to him by Pinkie Pie. “What timing. But even so, it is not soon enough! Minions,” he called loudly. “To me!”

Across the street, Holmes and Watson surveyed the scene where a crazy old griffon laughed insanely, half buried in a pile of rubble, while his help scuttled about industriously.

Fetlock’s keen eyes noticed a strand of long, curly hair being pulled across the ground by the wind. He stomped down, trapping beneath a hoof. He lifted it up and took a sniff, before letting the breeze retake its hold.

“Pink, with a hint of fairy floss fragrance. It seems our Pinkie Pie is a force of law unto herself, Watson. One might call her, unofficially, the Baker Street irregular."

A large, dusty, pink stallion sighed to himself while nursing a nearly empty sundae alone at a cafe table. His weary eyes scanned the crowd despondently, not expecting to find the individual of his investigations. While he never did spot his intended pony that day, he did notice a dear friend of his appear on the street.

“Shadow! Hey, Shadow!” the travel-hardy unicorn called out, snatching his wide-brimmed hat off the table.

The earth pony of interest looked around, partly at the call of his name, but more so for the voice behind it.

“Compass…” Shadow breathed in amazement as the grinning stallion trotted over.

A familiar, but age-worn, castle room lay before her, the tattered remains of a banner making slow jolted motions, as if blown by a wind changing in quantized steps. While her mind initially tried to zone out the pixelated nature of the setting, through her vast experience as the Princess of the Night, she pieced together that she was, in fact, in her own dreams. In front of her stood 6 pixel ponies purple, orange, white, pink, yellow and blue in color. She smiled wryly as she surmised that she was witnessing a rerun of the banishment of Nightmare Moon, and also her redemption. She felt herself stamp her hooves and open her mouth. But no sound came out. Instead, words appeared in the air in front of her, printed backwards from her point of view, stating the lack of a sixth element.

How droll, she thought. I seem to be dreaming in 16-bit. Well, I might as well enjoy the ride.

She watched as the memorable heated debate was played out in text. She couldn’t help a cheer bubble up from her soul as Twilight Sparkle’s message box declared boldly the magic of friendship.

And then she heard an instantly recognisable tune begin to play.

Ah, of course. A boss battle.

A choice box popped up in front of Applejack, labelled “Attack”, “Elements”, “Blitz”.

I see where this is going, she speculated with a nod. Thus, she was a little surprised when the pointer blipped past “Elements” and settled on “Blitz”.

Hm?

Her eyes went wide when next a tag appeared above the earth pony’s head, reading “Suplex”.

Wait! she thought frantically as Applejack phased out of view. Stop! She felt a pair of hooves encircle her stomach. Twisting her head around, she saw the tell-tale stetson of the cowpony, and felt her forehooves leave the ground.

No, no, NOOO! she exclaimed to no avail. With an intense feeling of vertigo, her whole world turned upside down as she crashed...

Onto the floor. Not feeling the subsequent pain of being on the wrong end of a professional wrestling move, she opened an eye, and found herself back in her own chambers after having fallen backwards out of bed. Looking up at the ceiling in concentration, she tried to move her legs, only to determine that they’d been trapped in her blankets. She swivelled her gaze over to the window to see the sun still had a good few hours before it’s setting.

Using levitation to untangle the sheets off her body, Luna wriggled the full way out of her pallet and pushed herself onto her hooves. Yawning into a foreleg, she floated her royal bunny slippers on and made her way out of the room, not pausing to watch her magic set the bed. The two bat-pony guards on duty hid their surprise as the chamber doors opened and the Princess of the Night stepped outside. Though they hadn’t expected her anytime soon, they promptly fell into step a few paces behind on either side of the princess, keeping their questions to themselves, as was the way of the royal guard. They did, however, catch snippets of their princess vowing to cut back on her game time.

The entourage soon arrived at the dining hall, where Celestia was about to begin afternoon tea. The room was lined with the customary squadron of guards, and the floor was littered with waiters ferrying small sandwiches, cakes and slices. Celestia had a pained look on her face as her attendants continued to bring more and more food out of the kitchen. And an equal look of relief when Luna entered the room.

“Good evening, dear sister. You’re up early. Come sit by me.”

Luna happily obliged. When she had taken a seat, Celestia leaned closer and whispered, “I was worried I’d have to eat this all on my own. If I’m not careful, the sun on my flank will rival the one in the sky. However, I could not bare the ponies who’ve worked so hard for my sake see their efforts go to waste. I’ve taken to hiding food under my crown, it’s become that much of a problem.”

Luna attempted to stifle a laugh, causing a few eyebrows to be raised in the room. She took a calming breath, and spoke in reply.

“Thank you, dear sister. We are delighted that we can dine together this day. The fare looks simply divine.”

The pair of princesses caught the echo of some thrilled giggles flowing through the kitchen doorway, and Celestia sighed. Her face was crooked in a wry smile, but her eyes shone with real happiness.

Then, Luna watched as Celestia quickly stowed a bun beneath her crown without missing a beat. The moon princess felt her jaw drop.

“What, you thought I was joking?”

Before the younger alicorn could reply, a creature whisked in through an open window. It dived towards the alicorns, and then righted itself dextrously into a hover a few feet in front of them.

“Who,” the brown owl hooted at Luna.

“Good evening, Owlowiscious,” replied the Princess of the Night. “You’re looking well.”

"Who?"

"You."

"Who?"

"You!" Luna yelled with laughter.

Even after a few thousand years, she loved that joke. So much that it had become a habit of Owlowiscious to just speak in hoots. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, the dark-feathered princess noticed a small message tube was tied around the avian’s leg. “Oh, is that for Us?” she asked, reaching out to take it. And so, she was surprised when the owl shook his head, hooted a negative and pulled in its neck in a guiltily fashion. Having transferred its message, the owl then flew over to take a space on the royal bird stand next to Philomena. They shared a salutary chirp.

Luna raised an eyebrow of confused inquiry, and took a closer look at the scroll in her hooves. The seal securing it belonged to the Royal Princesses.

If that letter was not meant for me, then that would suggest...

"Tia?” Luna turned to addressed her sister. “We believe Our owl has a message for you."

"Oh, how dependable!” Celestia exclaimed, her unrestrained grin telling that was she extremely pleased by the news. “I hope it's- I mean, I wonder what it could be."

Luna dropped her eyebrows into a suspicious frown as her sister affected a comically bad poker face.

"We hope you're not involving him in anything disreputable," she announced.

"Me? Involving somepony in disreputable things? Nonsense," stated the Princess of the Day, putting on the airs of a sinless god. Which only lasted a brief second, as she quickly broke into a childish grin and beckoned scampishly. "Now gimme."

Luna held the letter back out of her sister’s reach, remembering another matter that was concerning her.

"One other thing. Are you aware that Canterlot's ace detective has been snooping around in Ponyville? We hope you haven’t sent him on another wild goose chase."

"Luna, how could you accuse me, your own sister, of insinuating to him that terrible things have certainly not been happening in Ponyville?" Celestia put on a face of mock hurt.

"We see..." Luna expelled through her nose and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You know, one day we're going to have a serious situation in dire need of his expertise, and Equestria pray that Fetlock isn't chasing notional narcotic nimulus in Cloudsdale or, Mother forbid, Draconecous-worshipping pony cults in Trottingham. We know We needn’t have to say this, but, please don't abuse your power."

"Yes, sister," the solar princess responded, looking suitably chastened. "Now can I have the letter?" she pleaded, once again assuming her look of innocence, completely hiding her impish nature behind a pair of batting her eyes imitating that of childlike innocence.

"Oh, fine. Here." Luna handed over the letter and readjusted her seating to be closer. "So what's in the letter?"

"Nothing," Celestia answered, a little too abruptly for Luna's suspicions, even without the obvious give away of pulling the letter tightly to her chest

"Tia, you know that you can share anything with us." A brief look of mischief ran across the younger alicorn’s face, but she quickly turned it into a drooping depression. "Or do you not trust us anymore," she asked, blinking puppy eyes.

"No! That's not it at all," Celestia quickly assured her. "I'd trust you with my life, little sister." But it was all unnecessary. She realised as soon as she saw the grin on Luna's face that she had just been returned the wounded sister card.

“Alright, fine. Here you go.” The elder princess surrendered the letter back over to her sister, trying not to look too peeved.

Luna spent a minute reading before inquiring softly in a sweet tone, “Sister, would this happen to be a page out of a diary?”

“Simply a copy.”

“And would this diary happen to belong to your esteemed protege, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked, her voice losing some of its sugar.

“Would you be angry if I said ‘yes’?”

“Angry? We are mortified!” answered Luna, whispering a shout and waving the letter at her co-ruler. To the professionalism of the guards-ponies and waiters, each only glanced at the scene twice while feigning disinterest. “We cannot believe that you would intrude upon the privacy of thine own precious student, no matter how rivetting,” she mumbled the last to herself.

“Oh, but Luna~” whined Celestia. “It’s for her own good. I’m not omnipotent, and that filly’s mind is no open book. Sometimes I wonder if its even written in Equestrian. How can I hope to anticipate how she thinks without knowing every deep, dark secret of hers?”

“The grin you display when discussing your student’s dark secrets alarms Us,” Luna stated dryly. “We do hope you’ll at least endeavour to keep your inquisitive nature in check to a certain degree.”

“Yes, Luna,” the sun princess replied, once again suitably chastened.

They finished their meal in silence. Dabbing a napkin to her mouth, Luna spoke up tentatively to her sister.

“We don’t suppose, you would have any more examples of your student’s mind?”

“Follow me!” the Princess of the Sun answered conspiratorially, and the two sister’s left the dining chambers at a brisk pace, hastily followed by two pairs of matching guards.

Seconds later, Celestia’s secretary burst into the room, waving a handful of important documents and asking after the whereabouts of the monarchs (“ANY WILL DO!”). He was promptly ignored.

End of Chapter Three.
Next Chapter.
Happiness Over One’s Shadow - Part Two.

Author's Note

So... Turns out it take me another year to get this chapter done. What do you know. Writing fanfictions is haaard, and it got too big. So, I've decided not to worry so much about the quality and just write whatever I want (no matter how dumb it gets). Trying to keep up a level of quality kinda takes way too much effort, and if anything, I'm the element of laziness. Thus, more randomness, because I like silliness. I do what I want! Have a song.

Word by word, putting it to paper.
M L P.
Drawing up a concept piece by piece,
making sure the story flows nicely.
It's a perfect OC, and so hip.
Always gotta keep in mind the pacing,
Making sure the spellings not disgracing.
I'm writing a fanfiction.

Hour by hour, fussing on the details.
Type the plotline, don't you know it's now all done online.
Make it something flawed but still inspire
fundamental human nature's fire.
Gotta mind those intimate details,
even if the plot might go off rails.
It's everyone's ne~w chapter.

Fan fic writings easy.
For bronies something bold,
pegasisters, not too sleezy.
Blend cast with the world.
Do you think it sounds cheesy?

Something rash, perhaps quite vexing.
Pen and pencil.
Couldn't you just simply strive,
for a little something that's your best.
Don't let your grammar cause distress.
Checking that my tenses are all right.
Gonna get it uploaded tonight.
I'm finally done with this...

Stroke by stroke.
Bits by bits.
Persona's donned.
last edits.
Line by line.
Confidence stressed.
Nervous that
it's under dressed.
But that's the heart of fa~nfics.

...
See you next year.

A Doubt of a Shadow - Part One

Fluttershy’s Shadow

Written by Broken Logic

Chapter One - A Doubt Of A Shadow - Part One

Two days before the annual Nightmare Night Festival, Fluttershy was out on a relaxing morning walk. Princess Celestia had only just raised the sun, and its rays shone lazily upon the little path that Fluttershy had taken. Only a few splashes of bright sunlight slipped through the boughs of the trees lining the path, illuminating patches of Fluttershy’s yellow coat. She took long, peaceful breaths as she swept her head from side to side, hoping to catch glimpses of the cute little animals as they were waking up. With winter approaching, she wouldn't get many more chances to see some of them until Winter Wrap Up brought them out of hibernation. She raised a tiny ripple in the tranquility when she sighed, contentedly basking in the calm colours of autumn; much of the flora had toned down to a mellow amber and brown that complemented her pelt and personality.

However, something intruded on the outskirts of her attention. A little nagging feeling that something was wrong. The back of her neck prickled as she gingerly slowed to inspect her surroundings with a more thorough eye. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Fluttershy suppressed her disconcert, chalking it up as fancy as she was often worrying about mundane things. She stepped up her pace again and forced a brave smile on her face, her once even breathing just a little quicker.

She soon entered a break in the trees dotting the trail, and a flood of light shone dazzlingly on the foliage around her. She had stopped to admire the vista of flowers veiled in glistening dew when, once again, she felt an uneasiness creep upon her. An apprehension that she was being watched. Her heartbeat spurred unbidden. She shook her head to rid the sensation, deciding not to let it disturb her quiet time and focused her mind back onto the autumn bounty.

But a dark presence had slipped quietly behind the pony, and even now stood right at her heels.

And when Fluttershy finally turned to trot on, she saw it: her greatest nemesis, the unknown stalker, the silent terror.

Her own shadow.

“Eep!” Fluttershy squealed in fright, dancing wildly on the spot in an effort to get away. But before fear completely overtook her, she noticed a bouquet of light pink roses lying next to her umbrage. The panic in her eyes quickly turned to interest at the bundle of flowers. Her pink mane swayed gently as she took a quick glance around. Seeing no other pony, Fluttershy assumed they were for her.

A strange, foreign feeling wriggled inside her chest and her heart beat faster instead of slowing.

"Oh, are these for me?” she asked meekly, a blush forming upon her cheeks. “Thank you very much. You really shouldn't have." She bent down to collect the bouquet and nestled it gently between her wings. The weight felt right.

Hiding behind her curtain of long, willowy hair, Fluttershy continued bashfully, “I've always hoped we could become friends one day. That is, if that's what you want. If you don't mind." She was greeted by a heavy silence. The fear that had lost its grip on Fluttershy adjusted its hold and gave a tug. "I'll take that as a maybe," she said eventually, to fill the growing lull, and proceeded to back away anxiously. The shadow mimicked each step towards her, causing the culmination of Fluttershy's panic and prompting her to dash off, her projection close behind.

Little did Fluttershy know that she had yet another shadow. It sat perched in an oak tree just to the side of the road, surrounded by rust-hued changing leaves. The concealed figure’s head slumped as it looked longingly down the path that Fluttershy had gracefully bolted, the ground gently marked by a light set of hoof prints and a few scattered rose petals.

A sigh escaped the adumbration.

Shaking a few leaves loose as it lithely bounced off the tree's trunk on the way down, the unseen shade descended from its roost and landed in a patch of sunlight, revealing a dark-coated earth pony. It cast one last pining stare down the trail on which Fluttershy had beat a hasty retreat, a blowing wind ruffling the its mane and shifting the trees along the path until they seemed like a coursing amber river. After a moment's indecision, the pony turned and dragged its hooves towards Ponyville, hidden in the shadows.

Fluttershy had almost galloped the entire way home before she calmed down enough to consider that she may have outrun her pursuer. Hearing no hoofsteps behind her, she risked a careful glance. As luck would have it, she had entered the shade of a large outcropping, thus hiding her shadow.

“Oh, thank Celestia.” Fluttershy let out a huge sigh of relief and slowed her frantic pace to a trot. Despite the respite, she quickly wondered if she might have hurt her possible new friend's feelings by running off like that. As relief and guilt battled for control over her emotions and eyebrows, Fluttershy stumbled into Twilight Sparkle, who had been standing in the middle of the road.

"Heh, heh." With a claw, Spike suppressed a chuckle at Fluttershy's little crash. From his seat upon Twilight's back, he gave the pegasus a wave. "Hey, Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy!” exclaimed Twilight with a delighted smile, ignoring their minor collision. ”Just the pony I was looking for.”

Regaining her bearings, Fluttershy greeted the purple pair of pony and dragon.

"Oh! Hello, Twilight. Hello, Spike. What brings you out here to see me so early?”

“I was wondering if you could help me with a squirrel problem. You see, there's a bunch of them-” Twilight paused as she noticed the bouquet upon Fluttershy's back. She sent Fluttershy a questioning look. “Whoa, whom are the flowers for?" Twilight asked, craning her head around Fluttershy to get a better look. Fluttershy turned accommodatingly to show her the flowers between her withers. Despite her little scramble, they seemed to be unharmed.

"Aren't they just lovely? My shadow gave them to me," gushed Fluttershy as they admired the roses.

"Your what?" inquired Twilight, nonplussed. She raised an eyebrow emphatically.

“My shadow,” Fluttershy repeated, her face shining with optimism. “I was always hoping we could become friends, even though she is a little scary."

"Hold on a minute; how can your shadow give you flowers? It’s just an image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. Here, let me see those..." Twilight poked her nose into the bouquet of roses. "Aha!” she exclaimed, pulling a small card out from the bouquet. She unfolded it in front of them with the help of her unicorn magic. "Let's see who really got you those flowers... Ahem... 'Dear Fluttershy, I just wanted to say that you're the kindest pony I ever met and that I think you look beautiful. If you don't mind, I was hoping we might get to know one another sometime. Sincerely, Shadow'..." Twilight finished, her mouth left slightly agape at the note's message, which appeared as if it were written by a slightly shaky hoof.

“Oh, wow, she thinks I'm kind and beautiful, but she's probably just being nice. And she wants to get to know me better. This rocks, woohoo!” whooped Fluttershy with characteristic restrain, rearing delicately onto her hind hooves in elation.

"Huh, well I guess that's Fluttershy for you," declared Spike with a shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head. "Only she could make friends with her shadow. Although I guess Pinkie might have a good chance."

"Oh, we're not friends yet. I mean I'd like to be, but I wouldn't say it without asking her first. Oh, I hope we are," Fluttershy started to ramble, the optimist and pessimist in her almost coming to blows. Petite, ineffective, apologetic blows.

"Yes, yes," interrupted Twilight, shaking her head to clear her mind. She cast Fluttershy a determined look as she passed back the card. "However, I still don't believe that your shadow got you those flowers. I'll get to the bottom of this. But first, about that squirrel problem..."

Dry, fallen leaves crunched softly underneath Twilight Sparkle's and Fluttershy’s hooves as they headed down a well-worn dirt path. Twilight had offered to help Fluttershy with her morning rounds of animal care while she explained her situation.

Their first stop was Fluttershy's cottage. Rays of sunlight shone through the assorted windows of the small dwelling, touching gently upon the sleeping animals inside. Fluttershy’s home also doubled as an infirmary for a menagerie of injured animals, so at any time she might have half a dozen recuperating creatures staying on the first floor, as well as her warden and friend, Angel Bunny. Angel snoozed upon a window sill, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun and giving the odd frantic twitch of a leg. He stirred slightly as they entered the cottage, but otherwise kept to his hair-raising dreams. Spike was tempted to spook the rabbit as a prank, however, being mindful of the other dozing inhabitants, thought better of it.

Twilight paused her story to keep the silence and quietly crept around the sleeping patients and warden as they moved through the house, collecting supplies. They placed the gear into a saddlebag Fluttershy had strapped on her back. Fluttershy decided to keep her bouquet in its perch between her shoulders, as she was unwilling to part with it.

"They make me feel special," Fluttershy whispered bashfully in confession when Twilight raised an inquiring eyebrow. Indulging Fluttershy’s whim, Twilight smiled back.

Equipped and ready, they crept back out the door of the cottage and continued towards their next destination. Twilight picked up her story where she left off and talked until they they arrived at the den of their first beneficiaries.

"And so I can't sleep because I keep worrying the squirrels are sneaking peeks," Twilight confided, wrapping up her recounting.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy remarked, as they slowed their canter to a stop just short of a knoll topped by a rug of grass persistently trying to ignore the onset of winter. A small burrow had been bored into the side of the hill and small footprints were scuffed about its entrance.

“Yea, those little critters just won't stop. I've tried locking the doors, hiding it, even setting magical traps around it. But they always manage to squeeze through and find it. I can't think of anything else to do,” Twilight finished with a resigned sigh.

“And she's tried everything!” Spike contributed as he climbed down, seeing they had reached their destination. “Stuff that usually works on me doesn't even faze them. And talk about highly coordinated; I think I saw them using walkie-talkies and rappelling gear.”

“I'm sure we'll figure something out,” Fluttershy said in consolation and gave Twilight a reassuring smile. “You just leave the problem to me. I'm good with animals. It's my special gift, after all.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, returning her smile with one of gratitude. She felt as if a weight had just been lifted off her back, and as a sudden gust of late autumn wind ran chilly fingers through her coat, her spirit was revitalised. “Alright!” Twilight declared energetically, taking a deep breath of sweet, cool morning air and standing up taller. “Let's get to helping these little creatures! Where do we start?”

“Well, Twilight, seeing as it’s almost the season for hibernation, I thought we could help the animals gather their food and make sure they're getting ready for winter.” Fluttershy pointed to the burrow in front of them. “This is the home of a family of ferrets. Because ferrets don't hibernate, we need to make sure they store enough food to last the winter and have enough bedding to keep warm during the nights.”

Fluttershy poked her head inside and called out in a lilting voice, “Rise and shine, little ones; time to start your day's work,” and pulled her head out. She smiled warmly as the family emerged one by one, yawning and stretching. Turning to Twilight, Fluttershy continued her explanation. “Whether or not creatures hibernate, they all need to prepare for winter. But the cold drives them to sleep longer, which means some of them might become too lazy to forage.” Fluttershy probed her saddle bag and retrieved a bell which she passed to Twilight. “Just like Winter Wrap Up, we need to make sure all these animals wake up and don't sleep in. I'll be sure to indicate which burrows are the snakes so we don't have the same accident as last time.” Fluttershy passed another bell to Spike, in case he wanted to help, too. “And the bats- oh, and the skunks, too.”

“Thanks,” Twilight replied dryly, shuddering as she remembered the painful misadventure she had quite some time ago. “I'll try not to freak out so badly this time.”

Twilight and Spike began their work, tolling their bells at the entrances to caves and burrows and calling for the critters to come out, while Fluttershy used her wings to wake the birds in their nests.

Spike first took on the task of waking the snakes, as he had an affinity with other reptiles. The serpents yawned, wholly stretching their elastic jaws, and meandered sluggishly out of the cave. Spike laughed mischievously at Twilight's discomfort as they slithered past her, an uncontrollable shiver starting at her flank and sweeping up her spine, and she shot him a menacing look. Spike hurriedly dashed off to wake a family of badgers, a daunted look splayed on his face.

Twilight kept mostly to the caves Fluttershy had told her were full of cute and not-in-any-way-threatening creatures. She had just finished stirring a particularly stubborn sleeping tortoise with a tendency to snap when she returned to the subject of the mysterious bouquet.

“So, Fluttershy," Twilight started casually, "let's assume, hypothetically for a second, that your shadow might not be the bona fide bestower of the bouquet. Can you think of anyone else who might want to give you flowers?”

“I don't think so,” Fluttershy responded, looking at Twilight in surprise. “I can't imagine a reason why anypony would want to give meflowers. I'm not very special,” she ended humbly with a demure droop of her head.

“Nonsense, Fluttershy,” Twilight rebuked her, sternly catching her eyes, “everything in that card is true, and so much more. You are the element of kindness, and you don't get that by being half-flanked about it.” Her gaze softened as she saw Fluttershy smile modestly in embarrassment over the praise. “Now think harder. How about during your fashion model days? You sure had a lot of admirers then, so you might have a few hangers-on.”

“Well, that’s true, maybe,” Fluttershy admitted. “I never really paid attention to the crowds. I could barely give enough attention to my hooves. I was so nervous,” she confessed, the edges of her mouth bending sourly in remembrance of her modelling days. She gave a thoughtful pause. “It’s been quite a long time since I received any presents or letters regarding my modelling, I think maybe half a year by now.”

“Hmmm, I guess even if your well-wisher was a fan, we still wouldn't be able to connect their interest in fashion to the bouquet. Anypony can buy flowers. What we need is a witness or some kind of hard evidence. Then, I'll hit them during the cross examination!” exclaimed Twilight, startling Fluttershy with her outburst.

“E-Excuse me, Twilight?” Fluttershy scrunched her eyebrows together in consternation.

“Oh. Eheh. Sorry,” Twilight apologized, scratching her head in embarrassment with a hoof. “Got a little too excited. Must have been playing too much Dark Horse Attorney lately.” Fluttershy responded with a tilt of her head, no less confused by the explanation. While Spike tried to describe to Fluttershy the concept of a crime-solving lawyer that nayed his opposition into submission, Twilight Sparkle moved on to the next cave on the route, one she hadn't yet asked Fluttershy about. She didn't think anything of its larger size as she shook her bell. “Hello in there? Anybody home? Time to start the day!” She waited expectantly, hearing some grumbling from deep within the cave.

A shadow became visible to her, but its shape was hard to distinguish in the lack of light. It came closer and closer, and as it did, Twilight saw the shape become larger and larger, until it was standing nearly three ponies high in front of her.

She had been first confused and then petrified, but as the light finally shone upon the bear, revealing its elongated sharp teeth and age-worn claws, she finally managed some modicum of movement. She tipped over in shock, ending up rigid on the ground like a fallen statue, her mouth open in a soundless scream. The bear's gaze moved from Twilight towards Fluttershy and recognition lit its eyes. It roared loudly and charged Fluttershy, ignoring the prostrate unicorn. While fear of personal danger had immobilised Twilight, fear for her friend ignited her courage, and her horn quickly shone with charging energy.

Wobbly, she picked herself up, using her fear as a focus. On relentlessly trembling legs, Twilight shouted in a threatening tone, “Don't you dare hurt my friend!”

However, it proved to be for naught as the large rampaging bear snatched up Fluttershy and gave her a big, warm bear hug.

Twilight watched, speechless.

“Don't worry Twilight, Yogi is a nice old bear. Yes, you are! Very smart, too,” Fluttershy reassured the flabbergasted unicorn, switching to a cooing voice when she praised the giant bear. It continued to stroke its head against the pegasus’s. “He just loves the massages I give him. He's also vegetarian, just in case you're still worried. Yogi is a bit lazy, though; I have to give him regular picnic baskets just to keep him happy. Don't I? Yes, I do,” she wheedled, bopping the bear on the nose.

As Twilight stared in bafflement, the glow surrounding her horn dissipating, another smaller bear came out of the cave, yawning at the fuss occurring outside its den. Twilight looked down at the cub, briefly sharing a glance, and then performed a double take after she had digested the sight. After rapidly tensing to freak out, she suddenly relaxed and slumped her head, all the fight going out of her. Her eyes had narrowed down from being pools of fright into squints of irritation, and one eye twitched occasionally.

“Forget it,” Twilight exhaled forbearingly. A purple glow enveloped Fluttershy’s tail, and she was yanked out of the bear's embrace as if by an invisible pair of hooves. “Come on, Fluttershy. I'm sure we have many more animals to wake today,” Twilight muttered, telekinetically dragging her friend, hind first, down the path towards the next group of burrows. Spike trailed behind, throwing a final glance at the odd pair of bears before hurrying to catch up.

After they had left, the smaller bear watched the larger one head back into the cave and return having donned a green hat and tie, and carrying a pair of skis under an arm.

“But Yogi, Miss Fluttershy isn't gonna like this.”

“Nonsense, this plan is foolproof, or foalproof as the situation calls for. After all, I am smarter than the average bear-ony!”

Let us consider this inconspicuous pony that without further explanation may otherwise be labelled under such titles as shadow, stalker or tree enthusiast. It was an earth pony stallion whose name was, totally coincidentally, Shadow. Although, one could be forgiven for mistaking Shadow for a shadow, as his dusky grey coat often blended him into the background, especially during the night. His black mane and tail and sharp brown eyes didn't help to distinguish him in the dark, either. But this didn't bother him, as he had a penchant for shadows, which was physically indicated by his cutie mark that depicted a pony shadow cast on a wall.

He had decided yesterday, after wearing a rut into the floor of his house with apprehensive pacing, to confess his feelings to Fluttershy. It had taken all of his nerves just to buy a bouquet of roses, choosing them for how they matched Fluttershy's mane, as well as not to seem too forward. He had been on his way to Fluttershy's cottage that morning to follow through in his decision when he caught a glimpse of a pink mane bobbing up the path. Seeing the engrossed pegasus trotting delicately towards him, Shadow had pulled together his courage in order to present her the flowers. Unfortunately, it proved insufficient, and he quickly gave in to panic. Abandoning the roses in his attempt to hide, Shadow had skedaddled up the nearest tree with a powerful bound of his back legs and swung himself onto a branch, hoping she didn’t see him. From his vantage point, he then watched in envy as Fluttershy spoke to her shadow, which had the nerve to take credit for his gift.

Now, as he walked through the town, he fantasised about succeeding in offering Fluttershy the bouquet, and a hopeful scenario in which she accepted them wholeheartedly. He blushed, a searing warmth spreading over his body, but it barely registered on his dark grey face. Well, at least she got the roses, he thought, breaking out of his consoling musings as a sweet savoury scent invaded his snout.

The sensational aroma originated from Ponyville's chic little corner cafe, and it amplified Shadow's emotional hunger with a physical one until his stomach rumbled loudly. Thus, he quickly decided to have breakfast at the cafe to fill the empty feeling inside.

Since it was still rather early, there were plenty of free tables available. Shadow chose one near the entrance and picked up a gold-bordered, red menu lying on the table. He decided on a sandwich and waited for somepony to come serve him. After being ignored for a while, he decided he would have to take the initiative.

“Waiter!” he called to a snappily-dressed pony with a slick marine-blue mane and moustache. “One violet petal sandwich, please,” he asked politely, indicating a picture printed on the fancily written menu, its florid cursive style evoked an image of Prance.

The waiter looked at him in surprise. He had walked past that table several times in the last few minutes and hadn’t previously noticed a pony sitting there.

“Of course, sir,” the waiter replied, collecting himself and Shadow’s menu, and then weaving through the tables towards the kitchen. Shadow indulged in a wry smile at the waiter’s fluster. He had long since gotten used to other ponies not noticing his presence. Shadow’s natural aura seemed to scream, or, more accurately, whisper persistently, “Ignore me.” Though, there was a time in his life where it had been very useful for his profession.

As he waited for his sandwich, Shadow’s thoughts turned to what had first made him fall for the kind, elegant mare that had captivated his attentions.

It had begun in the Everfree Forest, when a pair of irate rocs had attacked him for straying too close to their nest. He had almost given up hope when Fluttershy had descended through a hole in the forest canopy, like an angel in a shower of light, and placed herself between him and the giant birds, with no thought for her personal safety. Her soothing voice had calmed the rocs and saved him from becoming lunch for their hatchlings. Ever since, his dreams had been filled with the entrancing singing of a pegasus pony bathed in shifting sunbeams.

While it might have well have been love at first sight, it wasn’t only this meeting that had captured his heart. His fondness for Fluttershy had grown over the years as he witnessed her personality shine time and time again. It seemed that every occasion he had caught a glimpse of her, she was doing something altruistic, or at least adorable. He remembered seeing her escorting a family of ducks into town one day while he was delivering letters as part of his current job as a mail pony. Another time, she had been helping her friend train for the Cloudsdale Best Young Flyer Competition. He had been passing by on his way back to the Post Office after dropping off a package at one of Ponyville’s numerous farms, when he overheard the pegasus he remembered as Rainbow Dash shouting, “Louder!” Fluttershy had then taken a deep breath and then screamed with all her might in a dainty little voice, “Yay!” His heart had spasmed dangerously at witnessing her adorable endeavor.

A sudden recollection heated Shadow's cheeks, reddening enough to show through his dark coat. It was that of a beautiful filly dressed in an ethereal green garment strutting gracefully down a hushed stage, a shy blush causing her face to glow. Despite her time in the limelight, her personality never changed during or after performing in front of thousands of adoring fans, one of whom may have been him. He had heard in the end that she was only modelling at the supposed behest of a friend, and that she actually hated it herself. The aftermath of her brief stint as a fashion model had revealed to Shadow that the extent of her kindness didn’t stop at necessity or convenience. It was pure, and it was beautiful.

The arrival of his sandwich interrupted any further contemplation, and he took to his breakfast with relish. He expected a hard day of work ahead of him, and needed all the energy he could get.

After making sure the animals were correctly readying themselves for winter, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Spike proceeded to the Ponyville Library to negotiate with the squirrels causing Twilight anguish.

As they entered the library, they immediately heard tiny chittering noises. With a beleaguered grimace on her face, Twilight quickly rushed up the stairs to her bedroom, followed closely behind by Spike and Fluttershy.

“Those are the culprits!” Twilight pointed angrily at a pair of chipmunks reading a book upon her bed. She charged at them, causing them to drop the leather-bound tome and flee. As the striped squirrels hastily escaped through an open window, Twilight thought she imagined that one of them wore a tiny fedora and a flight jacket while the other was clothed in a red Hawaiian shirt. Puzzled, she put it down to her stress and, while huffing angry bursts of air, she slowly regained her composure. Fluttershy, in the meantime, had moved up to the bed and slowly read the title of the book which had interested the little critters so much, and conveniently fallen closed face-up.

“Twilight's Sparkle's Super Secret Research Revelations,” Fluttershy enunciated.

“Ah, don't read that!” Twilight cried, frantically snatching the book off the bed and hiding it behind her. Startled, Fluttershy looked questioningly at Spike, who shrugged back noncommittally. “Sorry, Fluttershy,” Twilight apologized, blushing abashedly. “I guess I can get a little overprotective of it. These squirrels just put me on edge.”

“It's quite alright, Twilight,” accepted Fluttershy sympathetically, “Almost everypony has a special something they don't want other ponies to touch.”

“Must be a filly thing,” snorted Spike .

“Hush, now, Spike,“ Fluttershy gently scolded. “Can't you see Twilight is distraught?”

“Yea, yea,” he grumbled as he moved to shut the window. “I told her we need to get rid of them if she wants any peace. But she's too nice to make them move.”

“No, Spike, it wouldn't be fair,” Twilight said sternly, composing herself. “The squirrels were here first, and it’s really only my discomfort they’re intruding upon; the only thing they’ve damaged is my pride. No, I'm sure Fluttershy will be able to straighten them out.” She gave Fluttershy a hopeful look.

“You can count on me Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her encouragingly. She reared back into what she thought was a striking pose, fore-hooves pawing the air. “Those cute, furry, adorable little creatures with their puffy little cheeks won't know what lightly tapped them.”

“Great,” Twilight applauded, clopping her hooves together. Fluttershy's boast was about as close to a battle cry as Twilight could expect from her. “The squirrels don't really trust me not to throw anything at them anymore, so I think it'd be best if you talk to them by yourself. With your affinity with animals, I'm sure it'll be a snap. Meanwhile,” Twilight continued, “I'll head over to Rarity's to see if she can give me a lead on your new admirer.”

“I'll come!” piped up Spike, always looking for a legitimate opportunity to visit Rarity.

“No!” Twilight exclaimed quickly, then revised herself. “I mean, I need you to look after the library in my absence. It'd be bad if someone came along needing a copy of Ancient Equiptian Irrigation Methods and no one was home.” Spike looked disappointed, but nodded in understanding. “That's my number one assistant,” praised Twilight, hoping to lift the dragon's spirits. It had the intended effect as Spike put on a purposeful look and headed to sort the stacks of unshelved books littering the library. Twilight was worried that all this talk about admirers might inspire Spike to do something drastic.

Twilight’s horn glowed as she magically filled a saddlebag with a writing pad, a quill, a blank checklist and some other writing apparatus, and then fastened the saddlebag onto her back. Turning to Fluttershy, she asked, “Do you think I could take the card that came in the bouquet with me? It might be useful in explaining the situation to Rarity.”

“Of course, if you think it will help,” Fluttershy agreed obligingly, removing it from the bouquet and presenting it to her.

“Thanks,” Twilight replied, accepting the card and placing it inside her bag. “Maybe she’ll notice something we missed.” She looked thoughtfully at Fluttershy. “I suggest you leave your saddlebags here. I think you’ll have to do a bit of flying.”

Fluttershy nodded in response and shrugged off her bags, and after a second’s thought, placed her bouquet with them, as she worried they might be harmed if she took them flying.

Twilight led Fluttershy outside and indicated upwards, saying, “The squirrels live in the uppermost branches of the library. I'd be grateful if you gave them a good talking to. They need to learn to accept the boundaries of the library. Otherwise there will be consequences. Consequences that may in fact be dire.” Twilight emphasised her words with a stern grimace, however, it was with feigned conviction. She wasn't genuinely cold-hearted enough to mete out any real punishment, but she was at the end of her rope. Any more and she'd have to hire Pinkie for some shock tactics, something involving balloons, maybe.

“Okay, Twilight. Leave it to me. I'm sure we can find a solution if we talk. Maybe it's all just a big misunderstanding.”

“I hope so, Fluttershy.” Twilight watched the pegasus position herself to launch. “Good luck, I leave it in your capable hooves.”

“Good bye, Twilight. Tell Rarity I said, 'Hello.'” Fluttershy leaped gracefully off the ground and flapped her wings quickly to gain height. Twilight stayed to watch her ascend into the leafy umbrella of the library and then trotted off on her investigations.

Shadow was passing by the library shortly after Twilight left. He had finished breakfast and was heading to work when he saw a dazzling flash of pink and yellow. Quickly hiding behind a merchant's cart, he took a tentative look over towards the library and saw Fluttershy floating among its gently waving boughs.

What graceful form, Shadow wondered. How angelic her mane. See her coat glint in the sunlight. What acts of kindness could she-

"'Scuse me, sir? You gonna buy that?" asked the merchant earth pony in charge of the wagon, a white and brown stallion with a cockney accent, breaking Shadow from his reverie. He looked down and saw he was tightly squeezing an orange between his two hooves. Loosening his grip quickly, he paid the vendor sheepishly and then snuck closer to the library.

Behind the merchant, another stallion lowered a levitating stack of crates full of apples and wiped his brow with a hoof. A notebook and quill adorned his flank.

“I’m surprised you managed to sell something, Fetlock, even though it’s just a cover job,” the unicorn said to his companion, between breaths.

“You know my methods, Watson,” Fetlock said, dropping the cockney accent for a dialect more familiar to Canterlot. “There was not one of them which I did not apply to the inquiry. I was bound to find a buyer eventually.” He waved dismissively as he struggled to catch a glimpse of his customer. In his distraction he had lost sight of Shadow. “More surprising, I find, is the pony who bought it. He was acting quite... oddly.”

“A lead, Fetlock?” Watson asked, leaning casually on the stack of boxes.

“Perhaps. It's not often that a pony avoids my notice until he was so near. He was definitely no normal stallion.”

Meanwhile, moving from a well to behind a horse-drawn cart and then over to a barrel, Shadow had finally edged close enough to catch the lilting melody of Fluttershy’s divine voice as she addressed an assortment of squirrels in the boughs of the tree. Oddly enough, two mice also numbered in her audience.

Fluttershy had been trying in vain for some time to convince the rodents to change their minds. She knew for a fact that the animals residing in the library’s branches were rather intelligent for their respective species, having cared for their sick and injured a few times. But ever since Twilight Sparkle had moved in, the squirrels had picked up a few peculiar reading habits.

"Now, I know that sometimes Twilight Sparkle may write very interesting things down, maybe even things you find very funny, but it is not nice to read her things without permission. Don't you think you should respect her privacy?" The creatures looked not the least bit repentant. A few of them, including a pair of strangely dressed chipmunks, even looked away defiantly.

Exasperated, Fluttershy thought, whatever they read must have been very, very interesting. Regardless, she was on a mission to help her friend, and she wouldn’t let her down now.

She landed on a branch and closed her eyes, feeling inside herself for the rare steely sternness she required when she needed to put an animal’s well being above their happiness. Because true kindness isn’t about being nice. It’s about doing what’s right.

The instant she opened her eyes, a wave of pressure washed over the group of squirrels, rendering them squeakless.

"I said, don’t you think you should respect her privacy?" Fluttershy repeated, all seriousness in her normally timid voice. Her stance was unyielding, her gaze, unbreakable. The squirrels, cowed by the might of Fluttershy’s intimidating Stare, suddenly all nodded so strongly that they shook the branch on which they were standing.

Fluttershy looked pleased at their response. "I'm sure Twilight doesn't mind your living in the branches of the library, but she definitely doesn't appreciate your invasion of her privacy. Nopony likes having her secret diaries read. That's the point of a secret diary, you see. They're secret. Now what do you have to say for yourselves?" The pack of squirrels tittered repentantly, chastened by Fluttershy's lecturing, and more considerably by her Stare. "Good. Now run along, and no more looking at Twilight's diary."

The rodents nodded quickly and darted off. Fluttershy glided back to the ground and trotted into the library to wait for Twilight Sparkle to return. Shadow, having watched the encounter with rapt attention, sat astonished. He had only been glanced with the Stare, not receiving the full blast as its targets had, but he was still left with a powerfully compelling need to apologize.

"Such a strong mare...” Shadow whispered. “That's just so incredibly wonderful."

Rarity was feeling a little put off as she fed cloth through her sewing machine. Sweetie Belle had ruined a beautiful dark-blue kimono belonging to a client, and they had had a heated argument. The exchange had ended when Sweetie Belle stormed out of the shop, slamming the door behind her while Rarity yelled, “Don’t get too dirty!”

The stress must have been getting to her. She looked over to her wardrobe, full to bursting with half-finished costumes. Rarity knew Sweetie Belle was just trying to help as usual, but with her large workload of dresses for the upcoming Nightmare Night, she didn’t need extra distractions. Even so, Rarity felt she had been a little harsh with her sister. A regretful sigh escaped her lips and she decided she’d make it up to Sweetie Belle later with a nice apple pie.

She was sewing a felt bat to the hem of a witch’s robe when a ringing sound caught her attention. It was her doorbell, signaling that someone had just entered her shop. Though she cringed inside at the possibility of more work, she put on an outward look of graceful invitation and turned to face the caller.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how may I help- Oh, it’s you, Twilight! How good to see you, dear.” She dropped her feigned hospitality for the real deal and ushered Twilight into the shop. “Is there anything you need? Or did you come for a dress?"

"Hello, Rarity. No, I'm just here to ask you something. If you're not busy right now. Also, Fluttershy says, ‘Hello.’"

"Oh, it’s always nice to hear from her. And go ahead, darling. It’s about the same as usual, honestly." Twilight nodded in understanding, a knowing smile spreading on her face. Rarity often worked hard, but she always had time for her friends.

"This morning I went out to ask Fluttershy if she could help with my squirrel problem, and it seems she had just received a bouquet of roses and—" Twilight began.

"What?! How exciting!” Rarity exclaimed, interrupting her. The white unicorn clapped her fore-hooves together eagerly. “Who was the daring colt?"

"Well, that's just it. We're not sure who it was,” Twilight admitted, “but Fluttershy was convinced it was her shadow, of all things." Twilight wore a skeptical look; Rarity mirrored it.

"But isn't Fluttershy scared of her shadow?"

"Yes, but there was a card in the bouquet saying it was from her shadow." Twilight levitated the card from her saddlebag and floated it to Rarity, who then held it with her own magic and began reading. "Maybe it meant in a metaphorical sense?"

"How intriguing," Rarity said as her eyes reached the end of the note. "Fluttershy is so in need of a colt in her life. Somepony to hold her in strong but gentle and warm hooves, while a storm rages outside, and the world stands against them!" The fashionista's mind seemed to drift off for a second, before snapping back to reality. "Ahem. So, what is it that you have to ask me?" she continued, suppressing a small blush.

Giving a playful, amused smirk, Twilight replied, "I was hoping that you might know of any colt that may have shown interest in our Fluttershy, seeing as you two spend a lot of time together when she comes into town for your regular spa meets."

"Hmmm, nopony comes to mind right now." She floated the note back to Twilight, who then returned it to her bag. "But I'll take extra care to keep an eye out next time Fluttershy and I get together. Oh, this situation sounds sooo romantic. A mysterious colt falls for the beautiful and kind, but shy, filly. It was love at first sight for him, but the object of his infatuation doesn't know he exists. He sends her flowers, but she believes them to be from another pony." Rarity swooned dramatically, and then shot up close to Twilight Sparkle. She grasped one of Twilight’s hooves tightly in her own. "Please, Twilight, darling. You must keep me informed of everything!" she begged, putting on her trademark pout, her eyes as beseeching as a lonely puppy dog’s.

"I will, Rarity,” Twilight assured her, jockeying to regain some breathing space. “You know I value your opinion on these matters, and I'm sure Fluttershy does, too. And besides, we're all friends aren't we? Speaking of which, I think I'll give Pinkie Pie a visit,” she said, gently disentangling herself from Rarity and turning to head out. “While she might get overexcited, she does know everypony in the village, so maybe she'll have some idea of who Fluttershy's secret admirer might be. See you later."

"Okay, dear. Thank you and good luck,” Rarity said, accompanying her to the door. Suddenly remembering something, she added, “And please tell Pinkie Pie her alligator costume is ready, but I'm still working on Gummy's Pinkie Pie suit. That hair is a nightmare to replicate!"

Shadow was plodding his way to work with a bemused look on his face. He was so lost in thought about a certain yellow pegasus that he didn't notice when a certain little alligator decided to chase a certain occupied Shadow.

“Oh, Gummy! That isn't licorice!" a voice giggled, breaking Shadow out of his reverie. A particular pink party pony, burdened with a bulging bag of cooking contents, was watching his backside with glee. Taking a look himself, he found he'd obtained a green passenger chomping toothless gums into his black tail. As he stared into the alligator’s deep emerald eyes, he found himself unable to look away. Gummy's slowly blinking, seemingly absentminded eyes had somehow locked with his. Somehow, he knew it knew. It was only when Pinkie Pie gave Shadow a big whomping pat on the back that he was able to break free of the peer-to-peer connection, the manoeuvre simultaneously causing various tins to clatter together in Pinkie's panniers.

"Shadow! How are you doing? How's the show coming along? I barely see you at parties anymore. You should come more often!" Pinkie greeted, asked and stated all in one breath, barely finding room to add punctuation.

"Hello, Miss Pinkie Pie. Actually, I usually try to make every party you invite me to," replied Shadow to her last question, trying futilely to keep up with the words flowing out of the blurring pink snout.

"Really? I'll have to keep a better eye out for you, then." She affirmed her decision with a nod, and then lifted a thoughtful hoof to her chin in a rare moment of silence. "So, what's the orange for?"

"Huh?" said Shadow, and Pinkie pointed to the orange he was holding in a forehoof. He'd completely forgotten about it.

"Oh, uh, just buying groceries," he lied, putting on a fake grin.

"So you bought one orange?" Pinkie wore a dubious look, squinting one eye and glaring widely with the other.

"Uh, yep?" he said uncertainly, stretching his grin to compensate.

"Hmmm..." Pinkie hemmed, leaning closer and continuing her piercing look. Her lips were pressed thinly across her face. Shadow started sweating bullets. "Okie, dokie, lokie!" she exclaimed suddenly, breaking into a huge grin. "You should visit the bakery sometime. I know a great recipe for orange cupcakes! I've got to go now, lots of preparation for Nightmare Night to do. Come on, Gummy, cupcakes wait for no pony! And there's a huge muffin shortage to fix. Make sure you come by soon, Shadow, okay?"

Pinkie grabbed Gummy by the tail and bounced off, making smooth large arcs despite being laden with heavy bags. Shadow was left once again on his own with a bemused look on his face. There may or may not have been a chunk of "licorice" missing from his tail.

"Howdy there, Twilight!" an orange pony called out in a Southern accent as Twilight Sparkle was making her way across the marketplace. Ponyville had just begun the setup for the Nightmare Night Festival, so there were only a few odd bits of decoration on the buildings surrounding the marketplace. However, the individual shops and carts had signs all over them advertising near Nightmare Night special deals and offers.

"Hey, Applejack. How's business?" Twilight asked, having trotted over to greet her friend behind an apple stand showing the spirit of Nightmare Night. Applejack was wearing a pair of red devil horns over her Stetson, and her applecart was painted with bats, skeletal anatomy and the slogan “Get your red devil delicious here! Perfect for caramel apples, apple bobbing and carved apples!”

"Can't complain. Though, a lot o’ ponies seem ta be preferrin' oranges lately. Can't understand why m’self. Probably just a phase. Why, I remember when they went bananas over, well, bananas. They sure went over the mo—"

"Ugh, please don't remind me,” Twilight stopped her, squeezing her eyes shut in discomfort and scrunching her forehead. “Princess Celestia was just a little feverish that day. And she did end up replacing that poor pony's burnt house."

"Beg pardon?" inquired Applejack, a quizzical look on her face.

"Uh, never mind,” Twilight said quickly, widely opening her eyes in realization of her words. Seeking to change the subject, she exclaimed, “Oh, I haven't told you the news!"

"Hmmm? What news?” asked Applejack, her interest aroused by Twilight’s enthusiasm. “New apple breed bin developed in Canterlot? Princess Luna makin' another appearance for Nightmare Night? Pinkie lost Gummy again?" Applejack gave a vexed look with the last.

"No, none of that,” Twilight informed her. “Fluttershy received a bouquet of flowers today."

Applejack gave an impressed whistle.

"Well, don't that beat all? Who's the brave cowpony?" she asked with a conspiratorial waggle of her eyebrows.

"We're kind of having a small problem with that." Twilight glanced away and fidgeted with her hooves.

"What kinda problem?" Applejack queried suspiciously.

"We don't know who the flowers are from," confessed Twilight with a wry smile.

"... I reckon that's a mite bigger than a small problem, Twi," pointed out Applejack. She quickly turned to assist a customer, and then turned back to Twilight, urging her to continue.

"Yea... The good news is that she received a note with the bouquet," she said, taking the card out and levitating it so the earth pony could read it. "The bad news is that it doesn't really give us much to work with." Twilight told Applejack all she knew of the situation as Applejack read the card. She snorted about Fluttershy's ambition to befriend her shadow, but otherwise looked thoughtful.

"'Sincerely, Shadow,' huh? Y’know any Shadows?" Applejack asked.

"I don't think so, although you've been in Ponyville longer than I have,” admitted Twilight. “Actually, I was thinking that it might be metaphorical."

"Ah, like 'does a pony exist?'"

"That's metaphysical," corrected Twilight.

"Leave it to fancy mathematics to muddy the issue,” said Applejack with a grimace.

"Uh, well anyway," Twilight continued, choosing to brush aside the comment, "I meant that I think there's a pony watching over Fluttershy like a shadow."

"Oh, why didn’t y’say so?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and moved on, stashing the card.

"I was wondering if you might know of any pony that might have an interest in Fluttershy."

"Can't think of anypony right now. I'll keep thinkin’ on it.” She tapped her chin contemplatively. “Y’know, maybe I'll ask Big Mac if he knows if any colt's taken a shine to our filly. Or at least, maybe one of his friends does."

"Thanks, that'd be great." Twilight saw that she was holding up traffic, and made her goodbyes. "See ya, A.J. I'm off to see Pinkie. Don't work too hard."

"Later, Twi. Don't study too hard y’self," Applejack replied and turned to address her waiting customers. Twilight continued on her way to Sugarcube Corner, wondering if she was on the right track for her investigation.

Shadow finally arrived for work at the Post Office at about ten o'clock. He slipped through the crack between the building's large, ornate double doors to get in. As he entered the back room, he saw his senior, and the only other employee of the post office, already at work sorting the letters.

"Morning, Miss Derpy," greeted Shadow. “Sorry I’m late.”

"Muffins, Shadow," replied Derpy, causing Shadow to smile. “It’s ocher.” The grey mare was working at a blistering pace, as usual. Shadow was always impressed by her agility, at least in certain matters. Half her mind was always on muffins and this meant she had to sacrifice some processing power in the area of words when she filled the other half with work. She looked up for a second, halting her sorting briefly. Eyes snapping together to focus on Shadow for a second, she asked, "So, how did it go?" and resumed her work. Shadow froze in the process of taking a seat at his desk.

Forcing himself to relax and finish settling down, he answered nonchalantly, "How did what go?"

"Gordon the raisins to Fluttershy." He didn't know how Derpy knew about the roses, but he could never keep secrets from her anyway.

"Not so well," he told her, sighing. Derpy raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue. Her eyes and hooves didn’t leave her work, however. Shadow put down his orange and picked a bag of his own to sort through. "In the end, I couldn't manage to give them to her. I got pretty close, though."

Derpy nodded in response.

"I'm post of you,” she consoled Shadow and gave him an encouraging smile. “Melon next time, you'll massage to give her the flounders.”

"Well, at least, she did get the flowers," Shadow revealed, causing Derpy to halt her work and look up in surprise. "You see, I dropped them in a panic and—"

"Ran up a tree? You've still got a leaf in your mane. Oak, judging by its shape."

"Yes," acknowledged Shadow, reaching up to dislodge the leaf. "From the tree, I saw Fluttershy pick up the bouquet. But I think she got the wrong idea. She seemed to think her shadow gave it to her."

"Really? Her shadow? That's rich," said Derpy, giving a giggle, and once again resumed sorting. "Well, hopscotch this will sock itself out eventide. If not, just tire again."

Taking the words of wisdom, and mentally correcting them, Shadow nodded and got up to make them some coffee. He felt like he needed the pick-me-up.

"By the watch,” Derpy began tentatively, again without looking up, “whale's with the orphan?"

In response, Shadow just grimaced at the orange.

Pinkie had just put a batch of muffins into an oven when Mrs. Cake called out to her.

"Pinkie, dear? Twilight Sparkle is here to see you."

"Oh, sweet! I'll be out in a second!" There was the sound of a few bowls clattering in a sink and the splashing of water, and then the pink pony came bouncing out, a light dusting of flour covering her. "Thanks, Mrs. Cake. Hey, Twi! You're here to see me?" Pinkie beamed out a sugary smile.

"Yes, Pinkie Pie. But before I tell you why, I need you to remain calm, or as calm as is Pinkie possible. In fact, I'd like you to Pinkie swear it." The lack of a smile on Twilight’s face showed Pinkie how serious this was. Not much more than usual.

"Okie, dokie, lokie!” she exclaimed, ready to humor her friend. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie recited and then gave a solemn salute.

Twilight nodded and thought, well, here goes... "This morning, Fluttershy received a bouquet of flowers from somepony," Twilight spat out and braced herself, squeezing her eyes shut and shielding her face.

When the silence continued, she opened an eye and took a peek between raised hooves. Pinkie Pie sat almost still, but from her subdued bodily shaking and overly tense face, Twilight could tell she was under an enormous strain. Sighing, Twilight took pity on the pony and said, "Okay, Pinkie. You can let it out."

"Whaaaaaaa?!” Pinkie exploded, twice. “Twilight, you know what this means? This means we need to have a party! And a picnic! And a picnic party! And a one-week anniversary party! Unless they don’t make it that far. But that's okay, because we can have a break-up party instead! Oh, we need to tell everyone!"

"I've already told Rarity and Applejack on the way here,” Twilight supplied. “So I guess Rainbow Dash is the only one who doesn't know yet."

"I'll tell her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed loudly, and like an unstoppable pink blur, she zipped out of the store. Twilight stared at the pony-shaped white dust cloud as it dissipated.

"...Aren't you going to ask who gave them to her?" Twilight said to nopony in particular. In the back, an oven timer dinged.

Rainbow Dash sat silently in a musty changing room, waiting for her turn at the tryouts for the Wonderbolts. A single weak roof lamp light provided illumination, casting long shadows around the dim room. Being the last one left, she waited nervously in isolation for her name to be called.

Rainbow restlessly tugged at her flyer's uniform, as she felt unusually constricted and uncomfortable. Suddenly, her ears picked up a faint creak in a far corner of the room. Her nerves already frayed by waiting so long, she stared apprehensively at the dark corner, her head weaving in search of the source of the distraction. Just as she was about to dismiss it, she heard her name faintly called.

She stood up shakily and was about to trot towards the door when she heard another creak, this time closer, and behind her. Slowly turning around, she saw a black pony-shaped shadow move menacingly towards her. She suppressed the fear taking root in her stomach, but some still gleamed in her eyes. She backed away and turned to gallop for the door. However, she was faced with yet another figure of darkness, its body blocking escape. She heard the faint calling of her name again. Frantically, she looked around for an escape, but only found one more shade soundlessly detaching itself from the walls. She tried desperately to dodge her way through them; but she found her every step thwarted, her every twist countered.

The three dark shadows quickly cornered her.

She heard her named called once more, this time a little louder. Her breath heavy and ragged, Rainbow Dash ignored the voice as she was overcome with terror. As the shadowy forms finally tensed to jump at her, she screamed "Ninjas!"

And fell out of bed. Dazed and a little sweaty, Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes quickly and looked around to find herself back in her bedroom.

"That's the last time I let Pinkie Pie convince me to eat ten cupcakes before bed," she groaned, untangling herself from her blanket and letting out a breath of relief. Only to breath it back.

She stiffened upon hearing her name called softly in a voice familiar from her dream.

"Rainbow Dash!" it sounded out again, this time much closer. She started shivering uncontrollably.

"Rainbow Dash!" it shouted once more, sending the alarmed pegasus bolting up onto a chandelier as a flying contraption suddenly burst through a wall.

"Oh, hi, Dashie! Are you awake? Why are you hiding up there? Are you playing hide and seek? Can I join?" said a pink bubbly form poking its head through the wreckage, the words spewing forth in rapid sequence. Rainbow Dash let her breath of relief gain freedom once again.

"Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said coolly. She glided down to help her friend out of the rubble. “No reason, and how couldn't I be awake after you came crashing into my house. Again."

"Oh, yea. Sorry about that,” Pinkie apologized as she was pulled out of the debris. “I was just so excited; I couldn't wait to tell you! You'll be excited too! Everyone’s excited! It’s so exciting! This exciting, exciting... thing!" Pinkie exclaimed, flailing her fore hooves wildly in her efforts to express her excitement and almost losing her balance.

"Whoa, slow down there, Pinkie Pie. What's going on?" said Rainbow Dash, hoof held ready to stop Pinkie's talking.

"Oh, it’s so exciting!"

"Yeah, I got that."

"Fluttershy got some flowers from somepony!"

"What?! Our Fluttershy got flowers? From somepony?!"

"Yeah! Isn't this exciting? Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited in my life! Oh, except for that one time, when I first met Twilight, and I was like, ‘Whaaaaa!’ But this comes close! Maybe even more! You know what we should do? We should throw a party! I'll get the mariachi band, and we need an inflatable pool!" Rainbow Dash extended her waiting hoof.

"Pinkie?"

"Yez, Raimbow Daz?" mumbled Pinkie Pie around the hoof in her mouth.

"You are so random."

Twilight Sparkle trudged her way home to the library, grateful to the weather team for the fine afternoon. She decided she’d ask Pinkie Pie if she knew anything tomorrow. She had too large a stack of unfinished checklists left to prepare for the Nightmare Night Festival, not to mention her own costume, to be squandering time chasing the energetic filly. Besides, after walking around town the whole morning, she was looking forward to lunch.

As she pushed open the door, a familiar gentle humming greeted her. Fluttershy was gliding around the library, brushing shelves with a featherduster while singing a charming foalhood tune. Enjoying Fluttershy’s warm company, Owlowiscious hooted along on his perch near an open window and a pleasant breeze ruffled his feathers. A sweet smell wafted towards Twilight from the kitchen.

It’s good to be home, Twilight thought. I haven’t found any leads, but I’m confident something will turn up. Probably.

"Welcome back, Twilight," greeted Fluttershy, noticing the purple pony’s arrival. Owlowiscious cooed his own welcome. Twilight waved an acknowledging hoof in response. "I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't just sit here without doing anything to help."

"No. Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight replied sincerely. "You really didn't have to do anything. And I'm already in your debt for helping me with the squirrels."

"What are friends for?" Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Indeed,” Twilight returned the smile warmly. “Did you manage to get them to listen in the end?"

“Oh, yes. It took some persuading, but your ‘research notes’ are now squirrel-safe.” Fluttershy answered, throwing her head back ever so slightly and smiling a little proudly.

"Lunch is served!" Spike announced before Twilight could thank Fluttershy. The dragon backed carefully through the kitchen door with a platter of salad balanced on a hand and deposited the meal on their dinner table, which was already laid out for lunch.

"Great, I'm starved," Twilight declared, sitting down at the table. She noticed that Fluttershy’s bouquet sat at the center of the oak table, the yellow roses adorning a blue vase.

"I offered to let her keep her flowers in one of the old vases in the basement," Spike explained. "Is that okay?"

"It's perfect, Spike," Twilight praised the dragon. "Go ahead and keep it, Fluttershy. And I hope you’re staying for lunch. It’s the least I could do."

"Ahem," Spike interrupted crossing his claws over a “kiss the cook” apron.

"The least we could do," Twilight corrected with a smile for her number one assistant.

"I'd love to," Fluttershy answered, taking a seat at their table.

"Wonderful,” Twilight said, scooping some salad into her bowl. “I'll tell you all about what happened today."

The room was dark, despite the hour being in the middle of the afternoon. Thick black curtains barred the windows of the chamber, shutting out the pleasant day. In the dusk, a pair of bloodshot eyes gleamed in the room’s only source of light, also on which the eyes were fixed intensely. The screen flashed vividly, entrancing its witness with bright colours and moving images.

Luna had been enthralled with this amazing discovery. Television itself was astounding, showing various places and ponies in all sorts of situations. Tuning in to watch Hard Back write his new book, Return of the Buffalo, was a fascinating experience, though she was a little puzzled at the popularity of novel writing as a spectator sport. However, she felt that just watching the shows, interesting as they were, wasn't much different than reading a book. And to be honest, she cherished more the freedom of imagination that a book provided.

Now, video games were an entirely different matter.

Ever since she had been introduced to a charming little game called “Pong,” she had been smitten with them. She liked Pong because it was reminiscent of a game she played on the moon to help stave off boredom. It was certainly more enjoyable with two players.

But upon further discovery of the medium, she also found that they invited her personally to partake in the strange and mesmerising journeys they told. And they didn't sleep when the moon came up.

Right now, Luna's attention was transfixed upon a quest to save the Friendship Tree, the source of friendship for the whole world, her ears riveted on an enchanting melody evoking a feeling of hidden grandeur. A small box lay discarded to the side, displaying, between some cover art of five ponies dwarfed by a large, yellow tree with pink leaves, the words, "Secret of Magic, Made by Square Phoenix, Only for Super Pony Station." The game advertised that it was based on a true story. She had a sneaking suspicion it was hers.

A strong gust of wind blew in through the window, buffeting the curtains back and sending bright beams of light cascading into the bedroom, blinding the lunar princess. The illumination revealed shadowy bags under her eyes.

"Uuugh," she moaned, taking those teal eyes off the screen long enough to squint out through the window. "What time is it?" she asked out loud to herself.

Suddenly a loud crashing sound echoed in the room as Celestia kicked in the door and announced in an upbeat voice, "Time for you to sleep!" She marched her way into the room, dodging around discarded game manuals and plastic covers, and found her sister enfolded in a large, high-backed La-Z-Colt armchair.

"Nggggh," Luna moaned again, this time in mild annoyance. "Just one more hour."

"You have been awake for a week straight, playing these games," entreated Celestia, pointing to a stack of boxes five hoofs high. "Maybe you should take a break from them?"

"Yeah, sure," Luna agreed absentmindedly, beginning to zone out reality again. "After We finish this."

Celestia looked skeptically at her sister and rolled her eyes.

She might as well have stayed on the moon at this rate, thought Celestia, a grimace upon her regal snout.

"Luna?" she began, deciding to go for a different tactic. "You have received a letter from our subject, Pinkie Pie, asking if you'd like to visit Ponyville for Nightmare Night again this year?" Luna's left ear flicked interestedly towards her sister, drawing a smile from Celestia. She held up a large bright pink card bordered with lace and covered in glitter that somehow didn't manage to fit in with the whole Nightmare Night motif. "Would you like to go? I think it'd be good for public relations for you to make an appearance again."

The idea was certainly appealing to Luna, as she quickly replied in a considering tone, "Public relations are important."

"You see? Now turn off that game and get some rest so you'll be able to enjoy the party." Celestia trotted over to nudge her sister. When Luna refused to move, she added slyly, "Unless you'd like me to raise the moon for you tonight."

The Princess of the Night leapt into action. She quickly saved the game and dived into her bed, pulling the covers over her and looking innocently at Celestia.

"Good day, sister," she said promptly.

"Sleep well, Luna," Celestia replied with a smile, not troubling to hide her amusement. She switched off the television and gave her sister an affectionate nuzzle. "Sweet dreams."

As Celestia left the room, she saw from the corner of her eye an abacus enshrouded in blue floating towards the bed. She chuckled quietly as she trotted back to her royal duties.

End of Chapter One.

Next Chapter.

A Doubt of a Shadow - Part Two.

Author's Note

Much thanks to JohnPerry and TheDescendant for reviewing this and giving me advice. Even moreso to Pascoite for bothering to go over this fic with a fine comb, let alone twice. I make a lot of grammar, writing and just plain lazy or forgetful mistakes, so there were inevitably dozens of them to pick out. Please don’t proof-read this part, though >_>.