Don Mane De Polo and the centermare

Prologue: friendship is picnics

To say it was a beautiful day would be an understatement. The sky was a soft, powder blue and filled with clouds that bloomed and towered into the heavens like plumes of smoke or towers of ice-cream. The air was warm and filled with the scent of new spring flowers, and a cool breeze was blowing softly in from the North.

The weather Pegasi had done such a good job that morning, that they were given the afternoon off to enjoy the glorious weather. In response to this, Rainbow Dash had gathered her friends together for a picnic in the fields that bordered the everfree forest.

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It was late in the afternoon and the picnic was in full swing. Rarity was sunning herself on a velvet chaise-lounge with garlands of daisies round her neck and wrists and woven into her mane, while Spike lay on his scaly belly a few feet away from her, making another one. Twilight sparkle was reading a book on the courtship rituals of Zebras that Zecora had leant her; absent-mindedly nibbling an apple tart as she did so. Pinkie Pie had found herself in the possession of a battered old parasol and was using it to float on the warm evening breeze as she chased butterflies. She drifted through the air about tree-height as Rainbow peered up at her from the picnic blanket. She was not flying, like she usually was, as she was so worn out from her morning’s work that she had spent most of the afternoon dozing on her back, sipping apple cider next to a similarly prone Applejack. Fluttershy had not yet arrived.

“Well I have to say,” said Applejack dozily from under her hat. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time Rainbow.”

“Glorious day, darling!” agreed Rarity as she stretched on her chaise-lounge.

“Totally,” added Spike. “This is the best weather we’ve had since the start of the year!”

“Yeah; it’s a good one alright,” the blue Pegasus yawned. “But don’t expect every day to be like this you guys. Just doing this one really took it out of me.”

“Worth it,” chanted Pinkie Pie in a sing-song voice from somewhere above their heads. “Ooh: a tiger-stripe!” she added as she spotted another butterfly and blew into the parasol to propel herself after it.

Applejack noticed that Twilight hadn’t really said anything throughout all this. She lazily rolled over and peered up at the lilac unicorn who at that point was still absorbed in her book.

“Put down that book for a while, sugarcube. You’re going to hurt your eyes reading when the sun’s so bright.”

“But sunny days are the best kind of weather for reading,” Twilight asserted as she turned the page.

“You think every kind of weather is best for reading,” Rainbow Dash laughed, not unkindly. “Rainy days, snowy days, cloudy days, thunderstorm-y days…”

“Why courtship habits of Zebras?” Applejack interrupted, peering at the cover.

“Well; it is the start of spring,” said Twilight Sparkle. “The season of lurve.” She batted her eyelashes and held her hooves coyly under her chin to demonstrate.

Rainbow Dash snorted derisively.

“Horseapples,” she said. “You’re as likely to fall in love any other time of year than this one.”

“I agree with Rainbow,” said Applejack, plucking an apple from the picnic basket and taking a bite out of it. “Your feeling shouldn’t be determined by the time of year.”

“I agree,” said Spike, looking up from his daisy chain and staring moonily at the reclining Rarity. “You can never tell when you’re going to fall in love until it hits you like a ton of beautiful, beautiful bricks.”

Rarity scoffed, albeit in a very ladylike manner. “No romance in your souls, any of you! Except for you of course, Spikey Wikey,” she said blowing a kiss to the suddenly sheepish dragon. “The sun, the flowers in bloom, the promise of you beginnings. All of it spells romance in my book!” She suddenly sighed and looked up to the clouds with a dramatically hopeful, tender expression. “Oh I do hope that I find that very special somepony this year!”

“I don’t,” said Pinkie Pie as she landed softly on the ground next to the blanket and closed her parasol. “If I had a fella then I wouldn’t get to spend so much time with you guys.”

Upon saying this she beamed at her friends to all smiled fondly back. Then her expression turned to one despair.

“But wait! Fluttershy’s not here! How can I have the most-amazingly-awesome-summer-with-my-friends EVER, if she’s not here?!”

The smiles on her friends faces suddenly turned to looks of concern.

“Pinkie’s right,” said Twilight. “Fluttershy said she’s be here, but hours have gone by and she’s nowhere in sight!”

“I’ll go look for her,” said Rainbow Dash, lifting herself off the ground.

As if by magic, Fluttershy then appeared over the horizon holding a small wicker basket and looking worried. When she finally reached the blanket she was quite out of breath, so she sat herself down and tried catch it while Pinkie Pie plied her with apple cider and various confectionary.

“I’m fine thank you Pinkie,” she said, politely pushing the food and drink away. “I just need a minute.”

“Where were you?!” Pinkie cried. “We were waiting for you all day!”

“Did something happen dear?” said Rarity, sitting up with concern on her face.

“Oh; I’m alright,” Fluttershy assured her friends. “But Angel is sick. He’s got a terrible case of the whooping cough, so I’ve spent the day nursing the poor dear. I hope I didn’t worry anyone,” she added, looking abashed.

“Nah, you’re okay,” said Rainbow Dash. “But we did miss you.”

“Poor Angel,” said Twilight, closing her book. “But it’ll be good to take your mind off him and have some fun for a few hours!”

“Yeah; pull up a pew sugarcube!” offered Applejack, patting the space on the blanket next to her.

“Oh; I’m sorry,” said Fluttershy dejectedly. “But I have to get some ingredients to make this special tea for Angel, so I can’t stay.”

“Why; do the stores close in an hour, or something?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“No,” said Fluttershy, who started shaking noticeably. “See, the only place I can get the final ingredient I need is in…” Here she took a deep breath and said in a tiny voice; “the everfree forest.”

“You’re going to the everfree forest alone!?!?!? Exclaimed Rainbow Dash, leaping up from her place on the picnic blanket.

“Do you want one of us to go with you Shug?” inquired Applejack.

“Oh no,” said Fluttershy, trying to sound confident. “I’ll be fine by myself. I know where it is; I’m not scared or anything. I just feel really bad about missing out on this picnic.” Here she hung her head, letting her sugar-pink mane fall in front of her face to unsuccessfully hide her disappointment.

“Can’t you go tomorrow?” asked Pinkie Pie, as Rarity put her hand comfortingly on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“I would but…Angel is in such a bad way. I can stand the thought of the poor dear being in distress any longer. I really want to get this ingredient sooner rather than later.”

With this the group was silent for a moment. Then Pinkie Pie gasped at the simplicity of the solution.

“Well then: let’s just have another picnic tomorrow night!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in agreement. “I think it’s scheduled to be nice weather tomorrow too. We could totally do it tomorrow!”

“I could bring some special apple family reserve apple shnapps,” suggested Applejack.

“I have just the outfit for an evening party!” added Rarity, her eyes lighting up.

“The fireflies will be out,” added Twilight,, smiling at the thought. “And I could bring my grammaphone.”

They all looked expectantly at Fluttershy who smiled and rolled her eyes. “Okay; if you insist.”

“Yeah!” said Spike, punching the air excitedly. “Tommorow we’re gonna party like it’s…whatever date it is at the moment.”

“Pinkie; do you think you can get a good picnic party ready for tomorrow?” asked Twilight, already knowing the answer.

Pinkie Pie saluted solemnly and sat astride her party cannon, wearing an army helmet that she had managed to pull from somewhere. Fluttershy was touched that he friends were all so keen to throw a party just so she could hang out with them.

“Well; I have some little errands to do tomorrow, but I’m free in the evening,” she said, picking her basket back up. “I’ll see you all then.”

“I can’t wait!” cried Pinkie, hopping up and down.

“Looking forward to it,” said Applejack, tipping her hat at the retreating Fluttershy.

“I hope Angel gets better,” Spike called after her.

Fluttershy didn’t turn back, but smiled as she walked towards the everfree forest, feeling considerably braver despite the cold breeze that had picked up, and the fading light of evening.

The rest of the ponies started to pack up, chatting excitedly about the forthcoming picnic. Spike, however, stayed to watch Fluttershy walk into the forest, and couldn’t shake the feeling that she was heading into something…unfavorable.

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Somewhere deep in the everfree forest, a pair of eyes opened. They glowed a luminescent green in the pitch black darkness. Then they were closed again. Closed, but not gone.