Don Mane De Polo and the centermare

Chapter four: green-eyed monster

Once the shock had passed Fluttershy stood swaying woozily on the spot, her mane and tail singeing lightly. Surprisingly, she didn’t shriek or run, but she was very shaken. Don Mane was breathing heavily, and his legs quivered slightly while he tried to contain his shock. Neither of them were really hurt but the attack had been so sudden that they were both stunned into silence.

After a moment, husky laughter could be heard above them. Don Mane lowered the umbrella and glared up at the perpetrator, who turned out to be a slight blue mare with a rainbow mane who was, at that moment, kicking her hind quarters about in fits of mirth on a grey cloud hovering just over their heads. Don Mane recognized her as one of Fluttershy’s friends from the mantelpiece. The mare wiped the tears from her eyes and glanced down at her victims. In an instant her expression turned from one of impish delight to one of abject horror.

“Omigoshomigoshomigosh! Fluttershy; I’m so sorry! With the umbrella up I didn’t see it was you!” She rushed down to the limp Fluttershy and shook her vigorously.

“Fluttershy! Speak to me girl!” Fluttershy, somewhat punch-drunk and wall-eyed, gave a hesitant smile and patted the Pegasus’ nose.

“Rainbow Dash? Is that you?”

Her eyes came back into focus and she grinned shyly at Dash. “Oh; it is.”

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief and wiped her brow. She then turned angrily to Fluttershy’s companion.

“Hey! Who’s this guy? I haven‘t seen him before.” She punctuated this inquiry by putting her face half and inch from his and boggling an eye at him. Don Mane responded by promptly blowing into it. Dash flinched and fixed Don Mane with a glare that was readily returned.

“Oh, yes, where are my manners; Dash this is Don Mane De Polo. He’s staying with me for a little while. Don Mane-this is my friend Rainbow Dash.”

Seeming to realize that her initial reaction was a little rude, Rainbow Dash smiled at Don Mane and held her hoof out to him.

“Nice ta meet ya Donny,” she said perkily, but with the slightest edge to her voice. She didn’t much care for having her eye blown into. “Any friend of Fluttershy’s is a friend of mine.”

She held out a hoof to him, which he did not take. Don Mane instead smiled coldly at her. “Does it give you great amusement to prey on innocent ponies for your own childish amusement Donna Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow Dash flushed in anger and embarrassment.

“I told you,” she snapped, her voice breaking in frustration. “If I knew it was her I wouldn’t have shocked you two. Well…” She sneered at him. “I wouldn’t have shocked her.”

“Yes, but, as a matter of fact you did shock her. And now I must defend my lady’s honour.” Don Mane used his magic to take of his cape with a flourish and discarded it on the ground. He drew himself up to his full height, eyes flashing. Fluttershy was beside herself at this point, tugging at Don Mane’s wing, pleading with him to come away with her, that Rainbow Dash didn’t mean it, that she does this all time, that she’s sorry so please forget it. Rainbow Dash, however, had a different reaction.

“Ha…Ha…BWAHAHAHAHA!” The blue mare rolled onto her back on the floor and kicked her back hooves in the air, holding her sides as she guffawed.

“De…‘defend my lady’s honour?’ Seriously?” She burst into fresh peels of laughter, tears leaking from her fuchsia-colored eyes. She only stopped when a bolt of green lightning shot from Don Mane’s horn, launching her several feet into the air. She wasn’t hurt, just shaken, but once her senses returned to her, she fumed with rage and zoomed down towards Don Mane. She slammed her snout against his and stared daggers into his laconic face.

“Try that one more time; I dare you.” The two fumed at each other for a moment while Fluttershy trembled on the sidelines. After a brief silence Don Mane steadily said “I make it my policy to not fight mares.” Rainbow Dash scoffed at this.

“You mean you don’t have the horse-apples.”

“Well; with my magic it’s pretty clear that I could decimate you in a fair fight.”

“Well then.” Rainbow Dash pressed her body close to the ground and grinned up at Don Mane. In one swift movement she spread her wings and flapped them threateningly.

“Let’s settle this with something I have a fair shot at winning.”

In an instant she was up in the air, grinning down at a resolutely unimpressed Don Mane and a gently sobbing Fluttershy.

“First one to Sweet apple acres and back is the winner. We’ll see how your fancy talk’ll get you out of this one!”

The tempestuous Pegasus was about to set off for the farm when Don Mane shouted up at her “Wait!”

Rainbow Dash glared haughtily down at him. Don Mane ignored her and went over to Fluttershy who had tears streaming quietly down her face. He smiled fondly at her and used one strong and agonizingly gentle wing to wipe the tears from her face.

“Don’t worry Donna Fluttershy,” he said softly. “No-one will get hurt. She just needs to burn of some energy. Too much fire in the belly that one. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Fluttershy breathed a little easier after this. Then her brow furrowed in puzzlement. “But why are you racing her. You could just admit that you were wrong, Rainbow Dash would consider this it victory and leave us alone. Are you really so proud?”

Don Mane chuckled very sexily at that. Fluttershy flushed, wondering if she’s said something foolish.

“I’m not doing this out of pride Donna Fluttershy.” What Don Mane said next was said so quietly that Fluttershy had to lean forward and strain her ears to hear what he was saying. Then Don Mane put his mouth up to Fluttershy’s ear and said just quietly enough for only her to hear: “I want to show that I’m willing to fight for you.” He then blew into her ear and flapped his wings until he was in the sky next to Rainbow Dash.

“Even if I lose,” he called cheerily down to a peony-pink and saucer-eyed Fluttershy.

“Which you will,” said Rainbow Dash matter-of-factly to him. Don Mane grinned at her, his eyes blazing; a look which she readily returned.

“Says you,” he purred. He then flapped his powerful wings and shot away from her like a bullet across the skies of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash looked nonplussed for a moment and then a huge grin crossed her face.

“Finally: a challenge!” she squealed, and shot after him.

Several feet below them Fluttershy, who had not moved a millimeter since Don Mane had whispered in her ear, let out a little squeaking noise and swooned into the cobblestones.

****************

Rainbow had to admit, as she soared above the skyline of Ponyville, that the stallion had talent. He shot across the sky like a sleek indigo and violet missile-about ten feet away from her, but level-pegging her distance all the way. He was good! But she knew she was better. They were close to the edge of town now. Rainbow Dash had started to pull ahead slightly and was feeling decidedly cocky. Then Don Mane made his move.

He started to pull forward, inching the distance by a nose at first, but he kept raising his speed until he was a good couple of feet in front of her. Rainbow Dash realized with horror that he had been biding his time and that he really did have the speed to match his stamina.

‘Okay,’ she thought to herself. ‘If that’s the way you want it: no more Miss nice mare!’

Don Mane was fast, for sure, but Rainbow Dash was a pony who could break the light barrier if she wanted, and she soon found herself flank to flank with the troublesome stallion. She turned her head to smile smugly at him, and saw him laughing at her.

It was not a mocking laugh. It was a wild and untamed laugh, filled with joy and passion and lust for life. Don Mane’s eyes sparked like firecrackers and his tangled mane seemed to float for a moment-suspended in the warm mid-day sun. But it was the way he was looking at her that made Rainbow Dash’s heart stop in her chest. She knew those sparkling eyes and that wild laugh all too well. She saw that Don Mane knew what it was like to yearn for speed and danger; knew what it was like to want to go so fast that it burned and that he too wanted to grab life as had as he could before it slipped away into the darkness. And he was looking at her like she was the only person who could give it to him.

Rainbow Dash’s heart started pounding like a jack-hammer in her ears and she was so distracted that she didn’t see the roof on the sweet-apple acres barn until it was too late. She slammed into it, full-force, while Don Mane turned round sharply in mid-air and started heading back into town. The roof crumbled like gingerbread under Rainbow Dash and she found herself falling head first into a bale of hay.

After a split-second of silence, a blue flash emerged from the depths of the disheveled bale, as Rainbow Dash burst out of the roof of the barn and into the clouds above Ponyville.

The holes that had been left by Rainbow dash entering and exiting the barn roof coalesced, causing the roof to collapse in on itself and the barn walls to fall in four different directions. From the apple fields, Applejack sighed and walked up to the house to get her tools. “Raise this barn, raise this barn,” she sang wearily under her breath.

Don Mane was almost at the finishing point and Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found. He saw a little butter-yellow figure hovering next to the town fountain. He imagined tears in her eyes as she waited, hooves clasped, for his return. Grinning widely, he zoomed downwards to meet her. Suddenly; a blue flash appeared from out of the clouds and in an instant was next to Don Mane. Don Mane recognized the cone of light surrounding her as the beginning of a sonic rainboom. In a flash he propelled himself towards her with a discreet flash of green magic and grabbed her waist just as all the colours of the rainbow began to dance violently at the tip of the light cone.

They were three feet off the ground when the rainboom hit. The resulting force knocked everyone in the town centre, including Fluttershy, clean off their hooves. As for Don Mane and Rainbow Dash; they hit the ground with such force that they bounced down the street in a feathery jumble and ended up in a crumpled heap in a small back-alley.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment as she lay on top of her adversary. She was aching slightly-nothing she couldn’t shake off, of course. She felt the smooth, strong body of Don Mane rise and fall with under hers as he took in several deep breaths. Then it began to shake as it’s owner started to laugh uproariously. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help it; she started to laugh too. The two lay in a giggling heap, until the two sat up and face each other, still snickering.

“I underestimated you,” said Don Mane breathlessly.

“Darn straight you did,” giggled Rainbow Dash in return.

The two stared at each other while they both tried to get their respective breaths back. Don Mane’s mane was falling in front of his gleaming eyes as he panted happily. He was smiling at Rainbow Dash-softly, but with the same fire in his eyes she had seen when he was flying. Rainbow Dash blushed and tried not to look him in the eye.

“I’ll remember that race all my life Donna Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow looked at him when he said that. He was looking at her that same way as he did when they were flying; like she was the only one who could give him what he needed. As he looked deeply into her eyes, she began to wonder if her was the only one who could give her what she needed. He was so perfect. His eyes were so perfect: they were so green! They even seemed to glow slightly! She leaned in, her eyes soft and Don Mane moved his head forward too and Rainbow Dash could feel his warm breath on her cheek.

Without warning, there was a little cough emitting from the entrance to the alley, and the two flyers turned around to see Fluttershy standing behind them. She was smiling at them, but said smile was a little stretched and her right eye was twitching ever so slightly.

Without missing a beat, Don Mane pulled himself to his hooves, and extended a hoof to Rainbow, pulling her up too.

“Thank you for the race Donna Rainbow Dash,” he said, evenly. “It was quite an experience. I apologize for my earlier belligerence.”

“That’s okay,” said Rainbow Dash, dazedly. “I guess I was kinda rude too.”

“I forgive you. My hostess forgives you too, don’t you Donna Fluttershy?”

“Yes, I do,” Fluttershy replied, a little too calmly.

“Well; we must be on our way. I hope to run into you again sometime Donna Rainbow Dash.” With this he shook Rainbow’s hoof politely and, out of Fluttershy’s eye line, winked playfully at his new admirer. In return, rainbow grinned and blushed at him.

As Don Mane and Fluttershy walked away, Fluttershy said coldly “I suppose she was just being friendly too?”

“Like I said,” said Dona Mane off-handedly. “Too much fire in the belly.”

Fluttershy wanted to object to this, but she just couldn’t find the energy. As Don Mane pulled his wing round her, she rested wearily against his side and didn’t say anything else.

Behind them, back in town square, Rainbow Dash waved dreamily to their retreating forms as a little part of her wondered whether or not she had won the race, and why didn’t she really care?

****************

Fluttershy knew she was being silly. She thought that to herself as she perused the reels of ribbon in Rarity’s storeroom. She had returned Rarity’s umbrella and in return she had offered to let Fluttershy pick out some ribbon. Fluttershy had opted to pick some out for Angel, as the poor thing seemed to have become quite unsettled since Don Mane turned up. Fluttershy figured he was probably just unsettled about the fact that he was no longer the only man in Fluttershy’s life. Fluttershy shook her head and reminded herself that she was being foolish.

‘I’ve only known Don Mane for a day,’ she told herself. ‘He’ll probably move out soon, and then I’ll never see him again.’

This thought saddened Fluttershy so that she paused to wind a some red satin ribbon rough her hoof as she pondered further.

‘I’m acting like he’s mine, and he’s not. He doesn’t owe me a thing and yet I’m acting like he’s betraying me just because some of my friends might like him.’

This thought angered Fluttershy so that she started to pull on the ribbon in agitation. Feeling her anger rise up inside her she took some deep breaths and told herself to calm down.

‘So what if my friends do like him? There’s nothing wrong with that.’

‘Yes there is.’

A little voice was speaking to her from a corner of her mind. Fluttershy wasn’t alarmed. It seemed to her like the voice had always been there.

‘You know as well as I do that you’re the only mare for Don Mane.’

‘I don’t know. Maybe he’d be better off with someone brave like Rainbow Dash or fun like Pinkie Pie or…’

‘Nonsense. No one loves him as much as we do. We have more right to him than anypony.’

‘But what if he doesn’t love us?’

‘He will. He has to. We’ll just die if we can’t have him.

Fluttershy felt a pang in her chest as she realized it was true. She felt like she couldn’t go on if she couldn’t have Don Mane all to herself.

‘If our friends really loved us they would see how much we needed him and they would leave us alone.’

‘But if I tell my friends to get lost then they might hate me. They might never speak to me again.’

‘We don’t need them. We don’t need anyone but him.’

The ribbon snapping in her hooves is what brought Fluttershy back to reality. She was thinking so intently that she had pulled the ribbon apart without noticing. She also saw that she had unraveled the entire reel. She put the two halves of ribbon into a brown paper bag and started heading back to the shop part of the boutique.

‘She only sent you back here so she could have Don Mane all to herself,’ said the voice. Fluttershy didn’t reply.

As she walked back into the shop she saw that Rarity was rolling about on the floor, giggling so hard that she had turned bright red, as an utterly nonplussed looking Don Mane looked on.

“What’s going on Don?” asked Fluttershy.

“I…don’t really know,” was the perfectly honest reply. I just complimented her on the entrepreneurial spirit she must have to have opened up this boutique and then she started…doing that.”

“Rarity I’m taking this ribbon. How much,” said Fluttershy coldly.

Rarity let out huge gulping breaths as she tried to speak, but she would then look up and Don Mane and then squeal and start giggling uncontrollably again.

“I’m leaving three bits,” her customer said and left some coins on the table. “See you round. Let me know when you get over whatever mental disease you seem to have developed.”

With this Fluttershy sauntered out the door. Don Mane followed, pausing only to shoot another confused look at Rarity. Then he left, leaving a scarlet Rarity to hyperventilate on the floor of her boutique.

***********

The final stop was Twilight’s library. Fluttershy felt actually quite hopeful as she approached the red oak door. Through thick and thin she knew that she could always rely on Twilight. Faithful, just, clever, steadfast old Twilight Sparkle. She would never get a crush on Fluttershy’s soul mate and, even if she did, she would at least be honest about it.

Fluttershy knocked on the door of the library, feeling relatively cheerful.

“Come in,” Twilight called from inside and the two visitors entered.

“Oh hey Fluttershy!” said Twilight cheerfully, closing the rather large book that was resting on her haunches. “Have you come to pick up that book I told you about?”

“Yes please Twilight. It’s the next one in the series of…”

“Derring Do, right? Derring Do and the ruby shinbone to be precise.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

“That’s it!”

“It’s over here. I have it all wrapped up for you.”

Twilight ushered her friend over to her desk where said Derring do book was lying open in a nest of brown paper and string.

“Well,” Twilight blushed. “I did wrap it up for you, but the I figured I should read it again before I leant it to you, so we could talk about and...”

Her hasty explanation was cut off by Fluttershy’s fond giggling. Twilight smiled and began wrapping it back up for her.

While the two mares talked and fussed over the book, Don Mane inspected the shelves of books on the other side of the room, seemingly ignoring them. Suddenly, Spike walked into the room, nonchalantly eating an apple. He looked over at the two mares, who were now catching up about some festival that one of them had been to recently. He then turned to look at Don Mane, who had lifted a book on Unicorn history of one of the shelves and was idly flicking through it.

“You know,” Spike started, trying to be a good assistant. “If you’re new here you can get a card that…”

He stopped when Don Mane turned to glare at him. It was a look of utter loathing that chilled Spike deep in his bones. There was something about that look that frightened Spike on a level he didn’t know he had. It was a look that promised all the pain and cruelty in the world: that there would never be enough bones to break, never enough mountains to shatter and not a cry for help in the world he would answer. Spike felt a tinge of that dread that he had felt when he had watched Fluttershy walk towards the everfree forest the previous evening.

The baby dragon stood, shaking under the stallion’s gaze until Fluttershy’s voice snapped them both out of it.

“Well, Don Mane; we should be going. I have to get back in time to make the animals’ dinner.”

In an instant Don Mane was handsome and pleasant again.

“Coming Donna Fluttershy.”

Twilight Sparkle, who had been too polite to mention it before, enquired, “by the way Fluttershy; is this a friend of yours?” Don Mane smiled and nodded politely at her.

“Oh…sort of. Twilight, this is…”

Fluttershy was distracted from the introduction when Spike started pulling at her tail.

“What is it Spike?” asked Fluttershy, somewhat sharply.

“Fluttershy, I…need some advice….about animals,” said Spike falteringly, obviously making up the request on the spot.

“Can I give it to you later Spike?” asked Fluttershy impatiently.

“…no?”

“Well then tell it to me quickly then.”

“NO!” shouted Spike, who the looked embarrassed. “No…it’s too personal.”

“Personal? Personal how?”

“It’s about…um…the, erm….mating habits! Yeah, that’s right! The mating habits of…um…muskrats!”

He beamed triumphantly up at the three ponies who all stared back with various levels of confusion and disgust.

“Why muskrats?” asked Fluttershy, puzzling her brow. Spike buried his face in his talons and growled in frustration. He then grabbed Fluttershy’s wing and started pulling her towards a nearby door.

“Just come with me!”

Before she could object, Fluttershy was hurried through the door and into a small, dark room. Spike slammed the door shut.

“Spike, this is a broom closet.”

“There’s something wrong with that stallion!”

If Spike could see Fluttershy in the darkness of the closet, he would see that she looked quite shocked at the accusation.

“Something wrong? With Don Mane?”

“Yeah: serious bad vibes I’m getting from that guy!”

“What do you mean? What exactly is wrong with him?

“I can’t really put it into words, but he’s just…not right.”

“But he is right Spike,” said Fluttershy softly. “He’s right in every possible way.”

“No he isn’t! Look: sometime your gut just tells you stuff and you know it’s true, even if you can’t say why. And my gut is telling me that that guy is…evil.”

Fluttershy grabbed Spike by the shoulders (or at least what felt like shoulders) and shook him.

“He’s not evil! He’s the most wonderful stallion I’ve ever met! I never knew I could feel so complete, so…loved!”

Spike looked hurt, though Fluttershy couldn’t see that.

“But you are loved. Your friends…”

“Some friends they are,” hissed Fluttershy angrily. “All they’ve done since I met Don Mane is try and come between us. Well it’s not going to happen see? I’m going to be with Don Mane no matter what my so-called-friends have to say about it!”

With this she stormed out of the closet and back into the library.

Twilight and Don Mane were deep in a conversation about books. Don Mane was looking at the big, leather tome that Twilight had been reading. He looked utterly absorbed as he pointed to passages in the book and talked about what they meant, and what he had read elsewhere that reminded him of them, and many other perfectly fascinating things. His eyes were soft and he looked impassioned about the things he was talking about. He didn’t look at Twilight but she clearly couldn’t keep her eyes off him. ‘Finally,’ she was clearly thinking. ‘Someone who appreciates the realm of knowledge as much as I do.’ Fluttershy saw that Twilight clearly thought that Don Mane was what she had been missing all her life and didn’t know it, and that she was feeling a completeness that she never had before.

Tears suddenly sprung up in Fluttershy’s eyes as she sprinted for the door. “Come on Don Mane,” she choked as she passed him. When he didn’t join her instantly, she span round and shouted “Don Mane!” in a strangled voice.

Before she could make a fool of herself, Don Mane was by her side. “I’m here,” he said, softly. He put his strong wing around her and ushered her towards the door.

“So I’m assuming Angel’s better?” Twilight called after them cheerfully, as if nothing was wrong.

Fluttershy just grunted in reply but Don Mane smiled back at the librarian and said, “oh yes; he’s quite the little bundle of energy now.”

“Great,” said Twilight happily. “Then you can come to the party tonight!”

“Party?” said Fluttershy dazedly, her eyes still all blurry.

“Yes,” Don Mane replied in her stead. “She’ll be there.”

“You can come too if you want Don Mane,” cooed Twilight, batting her eyelashes, utterly unironically this time.

Before Fluttershy could react, Don Mane nodded and said, “I’ll be there,” and then promptly hurried Fluttershy out of the library, leaving behind a serenely smiling Twilight and a very worried-looking Spike.

***************

They were almost back at Fluttershy’s cottage. The sky was full of riotous colour as evening approached. Fluttershy was sobbing softly against Don Mane’s side, making his coat all damp where her head was rested. He hadn’t let go of her since they left the library. When they finally reached the door of Fluttershy’s cottage, she couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she buried her head in his shoulder and bawled as much as she wanted. Don Mane put his arms around her and held her, not saying a word as he did so. After she had cried her fill, Fluttershy looked up at Don Mane with eyes raw from crying.

“I feel like I don’t know who my friends are anymore,” she said quietly. Don Mane took her face gently in both his hooves and said gently, “I’m your friend.”

Fluttershy smiled up at him. “You really are, aren’t you?”

He only smiled gently back at her in reply. The two stood in the entreating starlight for a while, simply staring into each others eyes. Fluttershy wondered if she would ever feel this at peace ever again. After what felt like an eternity she scowled and said “I can’t go to that party. I just can’t”

“Then don’t,” said Don Mane, smiling rakishly. “Come to my party instead.”

“Your party?” asked Fluttershy, her eyes shining.

“Tonight,” said Don Mane, taking her hooves excitedly in his, “we’ll pack a picnic and I’ll take you a clearing I know in the everfree forest, down by a running stream, and we’ll have our own party. We’ll drink and laugh and talk, and I’ll make you forget about all you troubles.”

Tears had come to Fluttershy’s eyes once more, but they weren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of happiness that someone cared for her so much.

“I’d like that,” she said softly, and Don Mane beamed and threw his arms round her. She sank into the warmth of his embrace and closed her eyes in ecstasy.

“Oh Fluttershy, you’ve made me so happy,” he laughed with her face buried in his chest. His voice was full of love and mirth but his face was as cold and expressionless as a mask as he stared off into the warm evening sky. Then his face broke into an evil smile that showed his fangs to the silent sunset.

“I’m sure it’ll be a night to remember.”

He was the first to break the hug.

“Come Donna Fluttershy,” said cheerfully. “We must prepare for this evening.”

He was about to go inside when Fluttershy took his hoof in hers and gently pulled him back. He looked surprised, obviously not used to romantic situations he was not in control of, but he went along with it nonetheless.

“Ah-ha, Donna Fluttershy, I…”

“It feels like I’ve been waiting for you,” she said softly, encircling her arms around Don Mane’s neck. “Waiting for this.”

She gazed up at an utterly bewildered Don Mane with a look of utter and complete love. She then reached up and pressed her lips gently against his. She was so lost in his kiss that she couldn’t see that his eyes were wide open with shock. But after a moment, he closed his eyes and kissed her back, and the two of them stayed locked in that embrace as the sun sank slowly down in the west.