Heart of Gold, Heart of Stone

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Broken Wings
Chapter 2 - An Unexpected Tea Party
Chapter 3 - A New Friendship
Chapter 4, Part I - Ponyville's New Arrival
Chapter 4, Part II - Ponyville's New Arrival
Chapter 5, Rumblings and Suspicions

Chapter 1 - Broken Wings

Fluttershy hummed to herself sweetly as she worked the garden aside her cottage. A serene smile played across her mouth as she paused and assessed the surrounding scene. It was a wonderfully bright and sunny day, and all her small animal friends were out enjoying the sunshine. Numerous birds were out chirping and singing to each other, all the while preparing their nests for the spring. Young squirrels and mice were playing in the grass whilst their parents were busy hollowing out homes for the family in the ground or in trees.

Fluttershy's ever present companion Angel was sitting at the edge of the garden, not so much expediting her efforts as enjoying their fruits. Fluttershy turned to watch him, to make sure he was still within sight and out of mischief. A few unwanted carrot stems lay tossed to the side nearby, and Angel had just begun a fresh carrot when Fluttershy chided him with a smile.

“Now, Angel, you know you shouldn't be eating so many carrots. You need a balanced diet to grow up big and strong. Besides, you'll spoil your supper.”

Angel gave Fluttershy a rebellious look, then took a slow, deliberate bite, after which making sure to chew as loudly as he possibly could. Fluttershy creased her eyebrows and frowned, not in reprimand but rather in sadness.

“Angel, that wasn't very nice.” Angel's expression softened. He put the carrot down and went to pick up the discarded stalks, presumably to throw them away. Her smile rejuvenated, Fluttershy called after him, “Thank you Angel bunny.” Angel did not stop or turn around, but Fluttershy knew instinctively that he in turn smiled, if only a bit.

The pastel yellow pony let out a sigh of contentment and rested on her haunches. She lifted her head toward the sun and closed her eyes, letting the light filter through her eyelids to cast a pleasant rosy red over her sight. The sounds from the animals flooded her thoughts, and the hazy, quasi-formed notion sank in that all was right with the world. As she sat and reflected, Fluttershy became aware of distant rumblings coming from somewhere. She opened her eyes and looked in the direction from which they came, wincing slightly at the adjustment of her pupils.

The rumblings were coming from the direction of the Everfree forest, a mysterious and dangerous place. Deadly monsters were known to roam freely throughout the forest, such as manticores and hydras. Any young pony was taught from a very early age to never go near the forest, for whatever reason. Fluttershy's cottage was situated at the edge of the forest itself, but she never had to worry about encounters with its more dangerous inhabitants. Those denizens made their homes in the deepest parts of the forest, far from its borders.

Fluttershy scanned the horizon as the tops of trees continued to retreat back into the forest and up a large mountain. She squinted as hard as she could, peering through the light mist that hovered in the atmosphere midway up the distant peak. There appeared to be a disturbance in the mist, as if from a sudden puff of air. There was a few seconds of silence, then another dull rumble. Fluttershy thought for a moment.

'Whatever it is, it's probably really mean and really strong. But, if it took that long for the sound to get here, it must be really far away. Nothing's ever come as far as Ponyville anyway, unless it was provoked... I suppose it'll be ok.'

Fluttershy cautiously decided to move on and continue with her daily routine, but she kept the noise in the back of her mind just to be safe. Once the garden was tended she put out feed for the chickens, checked on the progress of all the bird nests, checked the dens of the land creatures, and made her rounds finishing up with any animal patients she kept in her cottage. Such was a normal day for her, making sure every creature was cared for, and helping those who needed it the most. It was tiring work, taking up most of her time, but she usually found a couple of hours each evening to herself when she could stretch out and relax.

The sun was setting now. It cast a warm orange and pink tinge on the few clouds in the sky, both a requiem of its time hanging in that wide blue expansion covering the earth, and a heralding of the glossy pearl of the night that was Luna's moon. As the night crept in, it was as if a sheet was pulled over the earth, bringing with it innumerable miniscule jewels, each with luster beyond compare, shining in the sky.

The moon glinted with a pale milky light that shone through the windows of Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy had taken a comfortable position on the sofa underneath the front window of her living room. She was curled up against the left arm, her slight frame fitting snugly in the crook of arm and back. Her pink tale was curled about her, the tip folded between her head and the couch upholstery. The light of the moon and stars shone down on her coat and pink mane, and were in turn somewhat reflected, creating an ethereal, almost other-worldly radiance about the pony.

As she lay on the sofa her mind wandered back to those rumblings deep in the forest. She was curious as to what kind of creature could have made such noises, and if it could be a potential threat at some point. Her first thought was a monstrous dragon, her mind's eye flashing to a scene of a great winged beast circling the sky, with Ponyville a heap of smoldering ash beneath. Fluttershy shook her head. It couldn't be a dragon. Their snoring alone can produce massive plumes of smoke, and whatever it was sounded like it was putting up a fight. There wasn't any smoke, and definitely no fire. But if not a dragon, then what?

Fluttershy lay there searching the depths of her knowledge, trying to match a creature of which she knew with what she had seen and heard, when Angel hopped in. He was moving faster than Fluttershy had ever seen him move before, and gesturing frantically as he went. Fluttershy sat up in alarm, her tail flicking in panic.

“Angel? What's the matter? What's happened?!”

Angel was hopping in place, pointing madly at the back door and chattering incoherently. Fluttershy suddenly became uncharacteristically stern. She hopped down from the sofa and placed her hoof on Angel's head to ground him and get his attention.

“Angel, listen to me. You have to calm down and tell me what's wrong. Now what's happened?”

Angel could only point toward the back door of the cottage and alternate between his panicked expression and what looked like a forced attempt at a scary face. Fluttershy believed she understood. Her heart flew up into her mouth. It seemed her fears had been realized. Whatever had been going on in the forest had come this way, and it was right outside.

Fluttershy was terrified, there was no denying it. Her legs trembled violently, her wing muscles involuntarily contracted to her side, unyielding. Beads of sweat began to form across her body, her temperature rising in panic. She quickly looked around her living room at the smaller inhabitants. Some had come out of their small homes. Some were peering out from holes or miniature entrances to their dens. Some had looks of fear, some of apprehension, and all were looking to Fluttershy to know what they should do.

At the realization that her small charges were looking to her for guidance, Fluttershy steeled herself. A previously unknown reserve of strength welled up inside her, her legs steadying and panic receding. It was her responsibility to protect these animals, and nothing was going to harm them, no matter how ferocious the monster or the personal cost to herself. She lifted her hoof from Angel’s head and began to give him instructions in a quiet but purposeful voice.

“Alright Angel, I think I understand. We don't have time for a plan, so I want you to stay here and listen after me. I'll go outside, and if you hear me yell for you to run I want you to take all our friends here and make sure they get out of the house and to safety. Don’t worry about me, I’m not important. If it comes to it, I’ll make a distraction so you have time to get away.”

Angel shook his head violently, pointing to Fluttershy and then gesturing toward the front door. Fluttershy cut him off. It was incredible how soft yet stern she could be. “Angel, don’t argue. I already told you we don’t have time. Now stay here and listen. If I say so, you take everyone and move as fast as you can, and don’t you dare look back. Understand?”

Angel stood still, looking up into the lustrous blue eyes of his caretaker, his friend. Fear wracked his brain at what he had seen, but he knew Fluttershy was right, that he must obey. “Do you understand?” Fluttershy repeated more sternly and hastily. At the second inquiry Angel gave a solemn nod, resigning himself to follow his instructions, even to the end if need be.

“Good.” With that Fluttershy lifted her head high, posturing herself with a determined stance. She swallowed the unintelligible fear roiling inside her, reminding herself that she was the steward of these animals. She trotted brusquely to the back door, nudged it open, and quickly stepped out so as to not be paralyzed by her mounting fear. Once she was out in the night air she inhaled sharply and held it, another involuntary action.

Her eyes darted around; left, right, then up circling the skyline. Her heart was pounding in her chest, so much so that it hurt. Fluttershy didn’t see anything immediately, which gave her some small amount of comfort. She vaguely reasoned that she would have seen if right off had it been a dragon. She relaxed a little and exhaled unsteadily. Her delicate breath hung in the cool night air. ‘Perhaps the monster was out beyond the gate’ she thought.

Fluttershy moved slowly toward the back fence gate, beyond which lay the Everfree forest. She had to fight her own body with each step, her trepidation constantly threatening to immobilize her. As she moved, her mind raced as to what monster it was; perhaps a chimera, or a sphinx, or even an Ursa Minor. In the end it didn’t matter, if she could save her animal friends. Step. Breath. Step. Breath. Such was the cadence of her gait as she neared the dark forest, the harbinger of something Fluttershy knew had to be dangerous and horrifying.

It seemed to take ages, but she finally came to the opening in the fence facing the forest. Fluttershy was truly shaking now, her determination slowly succumbing to the pure terror of anticipation. She almost wished the threat would show itself, if only to know what she was against. The trembling pony stopped just short of crossing the fence line. There was some comfort in staying within the boundaries of her home, though she knew a fence would not do much, if anything, against a wild beast. Fluttershy peered intently into the darkness that cloaked the land, her gaze unsteady from the tremors in her body. At first nothing registered in her vision; there was no movement, no noise, nothing. Her eyes roved the tree line, expecting to stumble upon some vicious creature ready to pounce.

Then she saw it. Fluttershy did not immediately register the shape, but there was something moving just inside the treeline, a figure shrouded in the embrace of the shadows. There was just enough moonlight cutting through the foliage to make out a head. It was large and rounded, and the moonlight glinted off what seemed to be scales.

Fluttershy locked up completely. Even if she wanted to scream for Angel and the others to run she could not. She could only watch in utter terror as the figure stared silently from the trees. Moments passed, and the dark figure did not make a move. The hair on her mane stood on end, alternating hot and cold pulses of panic shot up and down her spine, and her jaw was so taught her teeth were beginning to hurt. Fluttershy's thoughts were disconcerted, hazy, and impulsive. 'What is it? What's it after? What's it going to do? How do I warn the others? Does it see me?' Indeed, the creature had made no indication it had seen Fluttershy, or at least made no attempt at attack. The pony wondered if it had noticed her at all, if it was not too late to retreat and escape. Any moment now, her palpitating heart was going to give her away, she just knew.

At this thought, the creature tossed its head, and the outline seemed to fix upon Fluttershy, seeing her at last. Her eyes somehow found those of the creature in the shadows and they locked with each other. Shockingly pale gray irises surrounded large black pupils; this was all Fluttershy could make out. The creature began to move, stepping slowly out of the cover of darkness and into the faint light from the sky. Its steps were off kilter, its legs looked as though they had trouble supporting the creature's body weight. The noise of its labored breathing pierced the otherwise silent night, and its balance was dangerously uneven, but all the while it never broke gaze with the fearful pony before it.

Whatever it was, it was wounded badly. As it stepped ever closer it sounded a chilling cry; not a cry of anger or wrath, but of intense pain. A spark of curiosity and even sadness lit in the back of Fluttershy's mind, but was still overwhelmed by fear. As she stood rooted to the ground the creature continued to approach, until it stood a mere few feet away. The creature stopped, eyes still fixed to Fluttershy's, those gray rings almost threatening to envelop the frozen pony. It exhaled a drawn and harsh breath. The cool air produced a look of smoke billowing out. Suddenly it reared with tremendous ferocity. It did not lunge, but rather took a step back, its two forelegs scraping at the air. Large, almost ill-proportioned wings jutted from either side of its body, flapping with apparently faded strength. It gave one final cry of pain, tossing its head and billowing more of its foggy breath into the air.

At that, all life seemed to drain instantaneously from it. The creature's head went limp, its wings fluttered clumsily to its side and drug upon the ground. It swayed for a moment, as if supported by a strong wind, then collapsed completely. It fell forward toward Fluttershy, turning slightly and falling on its side. Its body hit the ground with several metallic clangs. The wings twitched momentarily, but soon went still. Fluttershy could no longer withstand the stress. Her trembling legs gave out immediately, and she slumped to the ground next to the unconscious creature, head next to head. She could not move or speak, but she remained conscious and coherent. She kept her eyes closed, still fearful of the creature.

Hours seemed to pass. Calm began to creep into the recesses of Fluttershy’s mind, slowly replacing the paralyzing fear. As she regained some of her strength, she began listening to the breath of the body beside her. It was calm, but much more shallow than was warranted by something of that size. The steadiness of breath was soothing. The resultant breeze cooled her face, and her mane was brushed back and forth across her left shoulder, oddly massaging away some of her fear.

Finally, after time immeasurable, Fluttershy plucked up the courage to open her eyes. She winced as the veil of her eyelids was removed, exposing her potentially to a frightful vision. Through the dark of the night she could make out a large form splayed out on the ground. The creature had fallen on its right side, its four legs at odd angles and wings flopping perpendicular to its body. Fluttershy noticed the wings in particular. They were very large, each beginning at a main joint just behind the respective shoulder. Parts of each had large expanses that were reflective, taking the perfect moonlight from above and casting it right back at the sky. As best she could judge, the wings were long enough to stretch to the the tip of the creature's outstretched tail.

'Tail...' Fluttershy thought. She looked again. 'Four legs, two wings joined at the back, a tail...' Fluttershy was hesitant to move her head up until this point, for fear of some creaking in her neck that may stir the figure before her, but her curiosity was piqued now. She turned her face ever so slowly to her left. In doing so she could see the topmost part of the animal. A thick muscular neck branched from its body, with copious amounts of long flowing hair protruding from the back, like a mane. As she continued to turn her view her eyes set upon the odd rounded head she had seen before, as it glinted slightly in the moonlight.

Upon closer inspection Fluttershy could see it was only round as seen from the front. The side view showed an oblong shape with a flat end facing down the neck, not unlike a half-loaf of bread. She looked even closer and saw a distinct disconnect between shiny and opaque surfaces. As the creature inhaled and exhaled, the shiny surface rocked back and forth. Fluttershy observed this and pondered for a moment. Then an idea struck her. Her forelegs were severely weakened from the distress of her encounter, but she managed to lift herself up just enough to reach out and nudge the edge of the shiny surface as much as she dared. It moved. Fluttershy paused, making doubly sure the creature was still incapacitated. When she decided it was safe she nudged again, harder this time.

The shiny surface curled away from the head of the creature, scraping lightly on the ground. It made a half roll and came to a stop a short distance away. It was a helmet. At this realization Fluttershy became sure of herself again. She staggered to a shaky upright position. As she stood, she analyzed the sight laying upon the ground before her. “This isn't a monster. It's a pegasus. A pegasus in some kind of armor,” she whispered, as if to solidify her epiphany. Indeed, what she had originally taken to be scales of some kind was actually the reflective surface of metal. The pegasus was clad in armor from head to hoof. Even the wings were armored.

Her first reaction was that of unbelievable relief, then almost immediately shifted to that of worry and a sense of duty. Almost as if sensing Fluttershy's feelings, Angel came sprinting out from the back door of the cottage. Fluttershy heard him approach and turned to see who was coming. “Oh Angel, I'm so relieved. There's nothing to worry about. It's not a monster, just a very wounded pegasus. Everything is going to be fine, but I need your help. Did you tell everyone to get away?” Angel shook his head. “Good. Please, go get some of the strongest deer from the meadow and bring them back here. Four should do nicely. Tell them I'm sorry for disturbing them, and I don't want to impose, but if they would be so kind it's of the utmost importance. If they want to come.” Angel nodded, knowing now was not the time to trifle over things such as consideration. He hurried off into the darkness toward the meadow.

Fluttershy quickly trotted back to her cottage. She entered the living room, taking care to light a fire in the fireplace with a nearby candle from the mantle. She was momentarily grateful she had managed to keep a small stock of wood leftover from winter. Once a fire was going, she took her candle and placed it in an empty lantern hanging on a hook at the back door. She was going to need to see more clearly if she was going to be of use.

As she made her way back to the collapsed pegasus, Fluttershy saw that Angel had arrived with the deer. “Oh wonderful. Thank you all so much for helping,” she said with a soft voice. “I mean, I would do it myself if I could. I don't like asking others for things, and I never like to be a bother-” Angel jumped up onto Fluttershy's back, then onto her head. He tugged at her ear gently. He knew that sometimes Fluttershy just needed someone to keep her on track. She stopped, and nodded curtly.

“Right, s-sorry about that. Well, what I need you deer to do, if you would, is to lift up and carry this poor pony into my cottage.” Angel grabbed both Fluttershy's ears and bent over to lower his head in front of her face. He gave a severe look of foreboding, then arched his brow as if to inquire what exactly she was thinking. Fluttershy tossed her head so that Angel was seated again on top.. “I knew you wouldn't like it Angel, and I'm very sorry, but this pony needs our help badly. You can argue if you want, but right now this pegasus is a patient, same as any other animal. I'm sorry.” Angel blinked, not really sure of what do. Rarely was Fluttershy as resolute as she had been this evening.

“Now, if you please,” Fluttershy instructed the deer, “I think one of you per wing, and the other two supporting his neck and haunches should do fine. I'll hold the light so you can see. Please, remember to be gentle. I don't know how bad his wounds are. The two taking the wings get on either side of him first...” With the the strength of the deer and Fluttershy's direction the team was able roll the large pegasus off his side and into a supported position in the air. It was decided the pegasus would not fit through the back door, so the team carried their load to the front.

The front door was indeed larger, but not by much. It took some time for the solution as to how to fit the pegasus through the door. Finally, against Fluttershy's better judgment, the wings were taken and folded into the body, allowing two deer to gingerly carry the crumpled pegasus into the small cottage. Fluttershy began pushing furniture out of the way in order to make a clearing in the center of the room. “Ok, if you deer would be so kind, please lay the patient down right here,” she said, gesturing at the very center of the room. “Facing toward the fire please, but not too close. Stretch the wings out on either side, as much and as evenly as you can. I need to be able to see in order to work.” The deer acquiesced, though by now they were visibly straining under the weight of the pegasus; most likely a result of the armor.

Fluttershy could see this and stopped the deer after they had set down the crumpled body squarely on its stomach. “Please, you can stop now. Thank you ever so much. I'm so grateful for your help, but I believe I can manage from here. Th-Thank you again,” she said in a tired but sweet tone. Each of the deer bowed in turn and left the cottage, fading into the night heading back to their meadow. With that Fluttershy set to work arranging the limbs for treatment. She worked the right wing, then the left, dragging them by the tips as she held them in her mouth as delicately as she could. Merely dragging the wings was a task in and of itself. She took the legs one by one, taking care to spread them out evenly, but not in a manner that would cause discomfort.

Once Fluttershy had finished, she sat next to the pony and looked over the body. The light from the fire cast a warm glow across the floor, but the room remained rather dimly lit. The elongated silhouette of the sprawled body was cast down the floor and up halfway the opposite wall. It suddenly occurred to Fluttershy that she never had taken the time to examine the face of the pegasus. She was sure it wasn't somepony she knew, but perhaps she could identify some kinship by facial similarity. She sat down near the fire and, with great care, took the head in her hooves and turned it to one side, to better see the face. 'Oh my' she thought.

The pegasus was most certainly male. A strong brow arched over a pair of large deep-set eyes. A strong masculine jawline, reinforced with bristling neck muscles, underscored a shapely muzzle. His coat was a dark gray, like iron. A long mane of stark white fell gracefully to one side, its length falling past the neck and onto the floor. Fluttershy pondered the sight for a brief time. She definitely did not know him.

'I would most certainly remember somepony like this. I've never seen him before, in Ponyville or even in Cloudsdale. Maybe he's from one of the other pegasus cities, like Nimbus or Straton?' Fluttershy passively continued to analyze the face as her mind drifted. 'Those eyes... Back there, they were so scary, but now...' She recalled staring into those large eyes, the gray irises around what she was sure were simply dilated pupils. They were hidden now behind the pony's eyelids, a shadow cast across them by his brow blocking the firelight.

Without warning, an impulsive thought shot through her concentration. 'He is quite handsome, isn't he?'

Fluttershy immediately reproached herself. 'Oh, Fluttershy, what are you thinking?' she scolded, shaking her head.

Suddenly the pegasus began to shift his body unsteadily. Fluttershy, still holding his head in her hooves, froze with indecision as to what to do. The wings on either side of her jerked somewhat, stirring the fire behind her. The armor girding them scraped the floor of her cottage heavily. It was a wonder there was strength left in those wings to move at all. A few guttural sounds emanated from the pegasus' throat, his neck tensed to support his head, and the lids receded partially from his eyes.

For the second time Fluttershy locked eyes with this mysterious figure. The eyes were like small inset stone basins of the purest marble, filled with an unimaginably viscous black liquid that both absorbed and reflected light all at once. They were like portals into some strange world, both wonderful and terrible to behold. Now they were unreadable, a product of confusion and fatigue, but there was an undeniable strength behind them. For a span of no more than a few seconds each looked upon the other, an almost intimate connection between two minds. Fluttershy could feel her heart skip. A rush of adrenaline could be felt creeping up her spine. Then the pegasus fell sway to his condition once more, and slipped back into unconsciousness. His eyes shut and his head slumped in Fluttershy's embrace.

Fluttershy was still frozen, even as she continued to hold his head. She breathed in and out as softly as she could, not willing to chance another happening like that. Cautiously she watched and waited, wanting to make sure the pegasus was again unconscious before laying his head down. She tenderly set him down at a comfortable angle, with his mane folded underneath to provide some cushioning.

Sighing lightly as she felt the adrenaline dissipating in her body, Fluttershy got to her hooves and began her examination in earnest. She whispered quietly to herself as she thought, the extra idea reinforcement helping her think.

“Let's see, what to do first? I know he's injured; badly injured. But how to tell where?” She circled his body slowly, pensively, taking care not to step on any of his limbs. She had made her way from his front, around his right side, and then to his tail end which lay near the rounded archway leading to the rest of the cottage. Fluttershy saw out of the corner of her eye a shadow being cast across the floor by the light of the hallway. She looked down to see Angel standing watchfully.

Fluttershy smiled at him. “Angel bunny, would you please help me with something? Could you please light the rest of the candles in the room? I need to be able to see better.”

Angel did not move immediately. His eyes shifted knowingly from Fluttershy to the pegasus, then back to Fluttershy, and he frowned a bit. He pointed to the pegasus, then raised his forearms up over his head and contorted his face into a scowl.

Fluttershy stifled a small laugh. She knelt down, her face in front of Angel's. She mustered the softest, most honeyed voice she could. “Angel, I know he scared you when you first saw him. He scared me too. But you have to trust me when I say that he's not going to hurt anyone now. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. So please, will you help me?”

Angel thought for a bit, then squeaked in exasperation. He placed a paw on Fluttershy's nose and nodded. “Oh, thank you Angel. You're such a good helper.” She nudged his body affectionately. Angel shrugged it away with a small grunt. He proceeded to the woodpile next to the mantlepiece, where he snapped a twig from a resting log. He held it in the fire until it caught, then began to move around the room, lighting candles as he went.

As the level of light began to increase, a full picture of the mystery pegasus's body emerged. Fluttershy became increasingly horrified as visual details concerning his condition were more and more apparent. He was very dirty, as if he had been dragged through a freshly plowed field. His back- and front-right legs were caked with dried blood, open gashes in his flesh clearly visible. The gaps of flesh that could be seen under the armor looked burned, though the armor itself gave no indication of suffering such damage. His mane, now exposed by the candle light, was filthy and tangled with twigs and leaves. A myriad of smaller cuts and bruises could be seen all over.

The wings were in similar shape. Both were bloodied and haggard-looking, the parts outside the cover of armor. A few large feathers had fallen on the floor since the wings were lain down; the feathers that remained and could be seen on either wing were crusted with dried blood, and some even looked singed. Fluttershy noticed that the left slumped away from the body at the main join, suggesting wrenching. The ribs beneath were likely cracked, or worse. The right seemed sturdier near the base, but there was clear discontinuity in the bone past the end of the covering armor piece; this one was broken.

Fluttershy marveled at the injuries this pony had sustained. It was a miracle he was still alive, let alone able to move. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of another living creature suffering such cruelty. “What in Equestria could have done something so awful?,” she asked herself. “I can't imagine the pain he must have endured. What happened to him?” This personal question sparked remembrance of the rumblings coming from the Everfree forest. “Could that be it? Did he fight something in the forest?”

She looked again at the gashes in the legs, the patches of burnt flesh and wing, the physical trauma. “It must have been something from the forest. But what was it? What was he doing there? How did he manage to make it all the way here on his own?” These questions and others buzzed in Fluttershy's mind. She came to no immediate answer, instead asserting that it was much more important that the pegasus be cared for than her curiosity be satiated. She blinked away her forming tears.

“I need to get this armor off of him. I can't work around it. There may even be other injuries beneath it. But how do I get it off?” Fluttershy looked the pieces of metal up and down trying to find a way to remove them.

A large breastplate was across his front, comprised of what looked like staggered sheets of silvery metal. Interlocking sheets of the same glittering metal curved up and around the shoulders, then ran down the back to the flank. The sheets reminded Fluttershy of the shell of an armadillo; they were cascaded in such a way, she guessed, to provide flexibility. Each sheet of the back set expanded out to cover the sides of the body. On every foreleg there was a similar assembly; a thick metal semicircle with plates expanding out on either side to provide cover from knee to ankle, forming a bracer.

Each wing was armored with what looked like two connected cascade assemblies interlocking above the wing bend with a ball-and-socket, the front profiles curved and form-fitted around the contour of the bone. The inner cascades stretched from the ball-and-socket to about midway to the shoulders. The outer cascades spanned the ball-and-socket midway to the wingtips. The armor covered only the tops of the wings, and as to how it stayed attached could not be seen.

Fluttershy let out a sigh of defeat. “I don't have any idea where to start. Oh, what am I going to do? I can't leave him in this state.” She looked around aimlessly, as if awaiting an answer that had yet to come. After a moment she heard a soft metallic knocking coming from in front of the body. She looked to she Angel knocking on the breast plate, trying to get her attention. “Oh, Angel,” she whispered, “Please, no. You may wake him.”

Angel stopped knocking, but waved for her to approach. Fluttershy stepped carefully around to see what Angel was indicating. The breastplate was situated awkwardly under the neck, its rounded shape unwilling to lay flat. It was attached to the armor on the back with two large button clasps, one on each side of the neck. It was a good start. Angel and Fluttershy each tripped a clasp, she on the left, he on the right. The clasps sounded small metallic clicks, and the heavy plate was free.

Fluttershy carefully supported the pegasus's neck as she pawed at the plate, attempting to drag it out. Once the plate was safely away, she slowly laid the pegasus back down. She tried to pick the plate up and move it out of the way, but it did not budge. She tried again, forcing all the strength she had, but it was simply far too heavy. She puffed lightly at the strain, then decided to take it in her mouth and drag it out. It was slow work, but she finally managed to move it into the other room. The bracers were next, and the easiest. These were secured about the forelegs with simple straps at the center semicircle.

“Alright,” she breathed, “One piece down. Now let's try the rest.” Fluttershy took the back plate assembly and pulled up on the left side so that the right edge pivoted on the floor. It took all her might, but she was able to lift it up and over, until it tipped and rolled off. It kept rolling, coming to a stop as both flat edges connected with the floor. This produced a loud scraping and an echoing clank that made Fluttershy jump. She shot an apprehensive look at the pegasus, but it was clear he was too far gone to be woken by such noise. She relaxed and set to freeing the wings.

The wings were the most difficult to undo. Angel had to wriggle up under the wing itself to understand how the armor was attached. The armor assemblies stayed secure to the wings by half-circle clamps seated on the bone, squeezing it. Two strips of thick canvas, joined by a buckle in the middle and slung under the wing, formed a belt at the plate nearest the ball-and-socket for each assembly, holding fast the metal to sinew. The rabbit assumed a prone position and crawled up under the front of the right wing. He examined a clamp, looking for a way to release it.

He found it, a small spring-loaded rod keeping the hinge of the clamp firmly in place. He pulled it out, and the clamp gave way. Each belt was simple enough; the buckles were undone and the canvas strips fell slack on the floor. The other armor sheets were identical, and Angel went methodically from one to the next, removing all engagement to the wings. Once he was done, the rabbit crawled out from under the mass of feathers and muscle. He stood on his hind legs and took a bow, signifying he was finished.

“Oh wonderful work Angel. You're so smart. What would I do without you?,” Fluttershy praised the rabbit lavishly. Angel shrugged at the praise, a very smug expression on his face. “Now, let's get this off of him so I can treat him properly. Angel, I'll try and lift while you drag his wings back. You don't have to go far, just far enough so I can set the front edge down on the floor. Once his wings are free and under the plates, I'll push the plates away toward the wall. ”

She took the left armor piece in her mouth at the ball-and-socket and lifted. It was heavy, but she was able as Angel struggled to pull the mighty wing back from its metal burden. Once Angel had successfully moved the wing back an acceptable distance Fluttershy let the armor down to rest on the clamps. The same was done with the right side in turn. After this she circled around to the back of the wings. The connection between the sheets in each armor piece made them awkward to push. One sheet had to be moved a little, then the other had to be moved in kind to make both pieces lay flush to the wall. It was heavy work, but a when she was finally finished she sat down in front of the fire to collect her thoughts.

“Alright, now all the armor is off. As heavy as it was, it certainly did it's job. I can't see any injury from the protected parts of his body. Oh, ok, injuries; what do I need to do? Right wing is broken, likely rib damage, left wing is wrenched, both right legs gashed, multiple burns...” Fluttershy exhaled slowly to calm herself. “My, that's a lot to do. I'll have to work fast so he can start healing as soon as possible. Angel?,” she called. Angel came up beside her and tapped her on the leg to make his presence known. “Angel, do you know where the jar of aloe leaves is in the herbs closet?” Angel nodded. “Good. Please go and get it. I want you to prepare to treat his burns. I'm going to go get a bowl of water. His wounds need to be washed straight away.”

Angel headed up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the cottage where the medicine was located. Fluttershy entered the kitchen, took a large bowl from under the counter into her mouth, and exited out the back door. A short distance away from the cottage was her well that she used for drinking water. Water from the stream in front of her home would not do for cleaning. She cantered over and took hold of the crank in her front hooves. The crank turned with a slow, almost aching groan as the bucket ascended from the bottom. Once the bucket reached the top the crank locked into place. Fluttershy held the bowl steady in her mouth and tipped the bucket to pour in the water. The bowl now full, she stepped carefully as she returned inside.

Angel was already back with the jar of aloe. “Thank you Angel. Now please go and get all the bandages that are left in the cupboard. Also, take the two clean bedsheets that are folded at the top of the stairs. We can rip them into strips for a sling and splint.”Angel cocked his head in mild confusion. “Trust me,” Fluttershy soothed. “Oh, also, please remember the jar of tree sap for adhesive. Oh, and some mint leaves for infection... And that's all,” she said bashfully, as Angel gave a look as if to inquiring if there was anything else. Nodding, Angel set to finding the requested materials.

Fluttershy returned to the kitchen briefly to retrieve several washcloths. She set them down in a pile next to the bowl of water and took one, laying it out as flat as she could. She picked several mouthfuls of aloe leaves from the jar and placed them in the middle of the lain out cloth. With another cloth that she dipped in water, Fluttershy pointedly washed her hooves. The water was warm and clean as it ran down her forelegs; perfect for treatment. Her hooves clean, she began to crush the aloe leaves thoroughly, breaking their slick exterior to expose the inner juices. She finished and set this aside for Angel when he came back with the bandages.

Casting away the cloth she used to wash her hooves, Fluttershy took another clean one and dipped it in the water bowl. She rung it out and looked from burn to burn, deciding which to clean first. “It doesn't matter I suppose. I need to be quick though. Angel can tend these while I close up those awful wounds in his legs.” Cleaning the burns was relatively quick and simple, but as she worked Fluttershy took notice of how muscular the pegasus's body was. Under the coat she could feel the ripple of sinew on bone; each muscle was articulated almost elegantly. The fire, crackling softly, cast inviting shadows over the irregularities in his coat contour resulting from the muscle profiles.

She understood how he could wear such armor, and wondered vaguely at the condition of whatever it was that he had encountered. Angel appeared as the last burn was being finished. “Did you get everything I needed, Angel bunny?,” Fluttershy asked as she rinsed out her washcloth. Angel nodded as he pointed to the pile he had drug in. A substantial number of bandages and the jars of sap and mint leaves were lumped onto the two folded bedsheets.

“Thank you so much,” Fluttershy said with a smile of gratitude. “Here, take this.” She nosed the cloth with the crushed aloe toward Angel. “I want you to take this and apply it to all the burned areas. There are four on his body, and patches on both wings. Don't be stingy with it, there should be plenty. On the wings, if the skin underneath is burned, then doctor it. If just the feathers are singed, pull the feathers out and that will be enough. It looks like the wings were bleeding once, but we can leave those injuries to heal on their own since they're protected by the cover of the feathers. Can you do that for me?” Angel took the corner of the aloe laden cloth and pulled it over next to the pegasus's flank, an unspoken affirmative.

It was now time for Fluttershy to take care of the gaping wounds in the right legs. She tenderly washed away the dirt and caked blood. As the grime was removed, the wounds showed themselves to not be nearly as severe as Fluttershy at first anticipated. She thought at first she may have to use stitches, but she decided bandages would do just fine. After the woulds were cleaned thoroughly, she crumbled mint leaves into them to prevent infection. She then wrapped them firmly with the bandages Angel had brought, and secured the wrappings with the tree sap.

Satisfied with her work to this point, Fluttershy stepped back for a brief rest. “Those bandages should hold until he's healed completely. I think things are going better than expected, all things considered. How are you doing Angel?” Angel pulled himself out from under a layer of feathers. His ears flopped as he shook his head to loosen the stray down clinging to his fur. He took up the now empty aloe washcloth and presented it to Fluttershy as proof he had finished. “You're the best helper a pony could ask for Angel bunny. You really are.” Angel gave a curt nod of agreement. “Just two more operations to go and we'll be done. Here, we'll set the left wing first.”

Fluttershy took one of the bedsheets and began to rip it into thick, even strips with her teeth. She took two strips and wrapped them side by side around the left wing, close to the shoulder. Two more strips were taken and, side by side, looped through the wing wrappings. These strips were taken at the ends and pulled taught about the pegasus's neck. Angel tied them together, creating an effective sling to provide support for the wrenched wing. This would also serve to remove unnecessary bearing force from the ribs so they could set and heal properly.

The break in the right wing was the final point of attention. Fluttershy directed Angel to pull the three straightest sticks of reasonable thickness from the wood pile while she laid the wing out properly. With the utmost caution Fluttershy maneuvered the wing until the break was lined up correctly. She took a moment to feel the bone, judging how serious it was. She determined it was not a clean break; there was a small sliver of bone still bridging the gap. It was by no means good news, but a better alternative.

Angel produced three sticks of acceptable straightness and thickness. Fluttershy took the remaining strips she had torn and formed the base of the splint, wrapping the entire wing as the sticks held against the bone. She then took the remaining whole bed sheet, folded it in half longways, and wrapped the wing again. Tree sap was applied to the final wrapping to hold it fast.

Fluttershy heaved a sigh of immense relief after having finally finished treating the pegasus. She sat back for a moment to assess the work. “I have to say, that was probably the hardest work I've ever had to do. I feel so much better though, knowing he's taken care of. What about you Angel?” She looked down expectantly for Angel, but he wasn't there. “Angel?,” she called. The rabbit had moved away from her side. She looked around for him curiously, finally finding his small furry body collapsed on the couch. He had fallen asleep on the spot, his body rising and falling with each breath. “You poor thing. You worked really hard tonight too, didn't you?” Fluttershy lovingly scooped up the small creature in the crook of her wing. She carried him to his bed at the foot of the stairs and laid him down gingerly, smiling like a doting mother. Angel had his flaws, there was no denying; but at heart, he was a very good bunny.

A wide yawn escaped Fluttershy's mouth. She was all of a sudden very aware of how tired she was. She turned to look out her window, trying to gauge the time. The night was beginning its retreat, and Celestia's brilliant sun was nearing the tops of the trees, its faint light foreshadowing its grand entrance that was the dawn. “Oh no, it can't be almost morning. Aw, I need to get some sleep so I can do my chores tomorrow.” Her eyes bleary, her legs slightly aching with fatigue, she winged her way around the room to extinguish the low-burning candles. She stopped to a hover over the couch and descended slowly.

Taking her original position before the excitement of the night, her frame curled up in the crook of the couch arm and back, Fluttershy nestled down for a few hours of sleep. She opened her eyes just enough to steal a quick glance of the pegasus. His breathing had become deeper and less labored. The expression on his face had changed to a mild calm. Fluttershy felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Before she drifted into darkness she had one final thought, with no the energy to stop herself.

'He is quite handsome, isn't he?'

Chapter 1 Fin

Chapter 2 - An Unexpected Tea Party

Fluttershy found herself lying on her back outside. She could hear the wind sweeping through tall grass all around her. A faint chirping from what she knew to be a lark was coming from somewhere off in the distance. The sun was bright and strong, the light fighting its way through her closed eyelids. She had the strange feeling that someone else was there with her. They were not directly beside her, but rather standing away, just out of wings' reach.

Fluttershy spoke; not to anyone in particular, perhaps not even to herself. “I've never really known companionship to be honest. With somepony else I mean. I have all of my animal friends of course, and I have so many, and they're all so adorable and wonderful. And there's Angel who is always with me. And he's such a good helper. But at the end of the day, when I lie in bed waiting to fall asleep, there's no one there to talk to, to share things with.

“I have friends though. There's Rarity and Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. And They really are the best friends anypony could ask for, really. They would do anything for me, and I would do the same for them. But it's still just...not...” Fluttershy paused for a moment. Her next words trembled on the tip of her tongue.

A longstanding feeling of loneliness was threatening to burst forth in her heart. If she put this into words, it would only make it that much more of a reality. She rolled over onto her stomach and sat up, using her wings to brush herself off so that she may bide the time as the feeling of personal isolation faded.

“Well, I'm not that interesting anyway.” Fluttershy let slip a small sigh, looking off across the wide expanse of field in which she found herself. The wind brushed her mane across her shoulder, back and forth. Still gazing across the monotonous landscape, she asked the semi-corporeal presence, “What about you? Have you ever had something more than just, you know, friendship? Companionship, I mean.” She listened for the response, hearing no intelligible words, but somehow clearly understanding the message being conveyed to her. Images of her life without her friends flashed through her mind, and Fluttershy could feel sadness creeping up from the depths of her stomach again.

“Oh...I'm so sorry. That doesn't sound very nice at all. Actually, that sounds...” It was too much for her. Fluttershy's eyes welled up. Large tear drops were beginning to form in their ducts. She began to cry softly, her heart aching for this other presence. Suddenly she felt the brush of feathers across her face, gently wiping her tears away. The caress of the wingtip was comforting, soothing, even, dare she think it, loving. Weather it was her wing, or the wing of another, she could not seem to discern. She turned her head to see...

Fluttershy awoke with a jerk of her head. A slight dizziness muddied her mind, and her vision was blurred from sleep. She blinked her eyes, the pupils adjusting to the light in the room. She was hazily aware that the sun was out and shining through her window. With a small yawn she laid her head back down to arrange her thoughts and burn away the after effects of slumber, the dream already slipping into the confines of her subconscious mind. A smile formed across her face as her head met something warm and very soft. 'I do so love this sofa,' the sleepy pony thought.

A bird was chirping outside, and as Fluttershy listened she realized it was somehow recently familiar; it was a lark. She turned her head up in the direction of the sunlight, attempting to look through the window to find the precious little bird. As she opened her eyes she dimly thought 'The window seems much further away than what it should. What...?' Her vision then lit upon her familiar sofa under the window. Fluttershy's mind slowly closed itself around the fact that she was not on her favorite sofa, but rather on the floor. 'How did I get down here?,' she tried to reason. 'And what am I lying on?'

Fluttershy lifted her head to see her new found pillow. 'Feathers?,' she thought, mystified. 'But what...?' She froze as all of the memories from the night before came rushing back to her consciousness; the encounter outside, the pegasus's collapse, taking him in, washing his wounds, bandaging him. She squeaked and jerked her wings to thrust herself into the air. A hanging birdhouse struck her in the back of the head and she faltered a bit. Coming to a low hover over the pegasus still lying on her floor, she examined the spot where she had been resting. The feathers in the crook of the right wing shoulder joint were lain to the side, the depression just large enough for a pony's head. There was no telling as to how long she had been like that. 'Oh Fluttershy, what is the matter with you? Don't you have any decency at all?'

She had begun her descent to the floor so that she may take stock of the pegasus's condition when a loud knock came from the front door. A pulse of panic shot through her entire body, and her wings immediately locked in place at her sides. She fell onto the sofa below, then bounced onto the floor with a thud. She struggled momentarily to situate her legs to stand. Fluttershy's thoughts raced as she picked herself up and braced herself to open the door. 'Who could it be, and what are they going to think if they see me like this? They have to know I'm home after that. Maybe not. Maybe I can just not answer. No, I can't do that. Oh, what to do?'

Fluttershy edged ever closer to the door, hoping the unexpected visitor would make themselves known before she opened it. 'What if they see him on the floor like that? How do I explain something like this without looking just awful? I can tell the truth, but will they believe it? I'm not sure if I believe it.' Another knock sounded, making Fluttershy blanch. Her fear was plateauing, her hoof rising to meet the door handle, when a voice came from outside. It was a familiar voice; very hearty with a strong drawling accent.

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy? You home? I didn't see you outside tendin' things so I figured I'd come a knockin'.” Fluttershy's apprehension decreased significantly. It was Applejack, her longtime friend and strongest of the Apple family daughters. Of any possible visitor in Ponyville, she was by far the most desirable, being known for her calm temperament and levelheaded outlook on things.

Fluttershy opened the door, the sunlight from outside surging through the entryway. The caramel colored farm pony was standing on the doorstep; her sun blonde mane and tail were bound in a practical manner at the ends with red rings, and her signature hat was poised atop her head. “Oh, Applejack, good morning,” Fluttershy said quietly with a wan smile. “How are you today?”

Applejack gave a broad smile in turn, but this faded as she briefly assessed the appearance of her friend. Fluttershy's mane, usually brushed into a prim, elegant curve around her face, was now almost messy. Her voice was even softer than usual, and her eyes looked very tired. “I could ask you the same question, sugar cube,” Applejack responded with concern. “It's not mornin', just so you know. Um, beggin' yer pardon but, what overturned yer applecart?”

“Huh? N-no one,” Fluttershy spluttered hastily, her voice raised a little. “I mean nothing. I...uh...I just had a long night...is all. I-I had trouble sleeping.” A pang of guilt could be felt deep in her chest. Lying was not going to accomplish anything. “Wait, did you say it's not morning? What time is it?”

Applejack looked toward the sun to gauge the time. “Oh, I'd say 'bout two o'clock or so. You didn't just wake up did you?”

Fluttershy internally scolded herself. How could she sleep so late in the day when she had so much to do? It was all just too much. “Oh, yes. Yes I did. Like I said, long night.” The conversation lapsed into a short silence, with Applejack looking somewhat awkwardly at Fluttershy. “Oh, I'm so sorry, is there something you needed from me?,” Fluttershy asked as she remembered her manners.

Applejack's smile returned at this. “Nothin' fer me, thanks. But I brought ya'll a bit of a surprise.” She turned her head and nodded to indicate a wooden cart behind her, hitched about her middle. There were juicy looking apples piled high in the cart, up over the edges. “We got a pretty good haul last year, an' we put back more 'n what we needed fer the winter. They'll go bad soon if they don't get eaten, and t'ain't nothin' worse in this world 'n a wasted apple. I closed the market stall early today, seein' as how the pegasus ponies are plannin' a right downpour this afternoon, and came here. The whole family's been givin' the extras away to friends, and you were my first thought since you got all these critters to feed. So, y'all want some apples?”

Fluttershy's spirits soared. Sometimes it was a mere act of kindness, the knowledge that someone else was thinking of her, to make everything better. Her eyes brightened instantly. “Oh Applejack, that would be wonderful!,” she exclaimed with a radiant smile. “But, are you sure you want to give them to me? There isn't somepony else who could use them more maybe?”

“Now don't go spoutn' talk like that. I couldn't think o' nopony who could use 'em more. They're yours sugar cube. I'm sure yer critter friends'll appreciate 'em too. Speakin' of, aren't you normally out 'n about by now makin' yer rounds?”

Fluttershy blinked. She had forgotten about the animals until now. It was relatively late in the day, and if what Applejack had said was true she did not have much time left to do her chores. The moment of happiness at Applejack's kind gesture was replaced with worry. “Oh my goodness, you're right. Did you say the pegasi are planning a rainstorm today?”

“Yeah,” Applejack reaffirmed. “I'm guessin' Rainbow didn't come by n' tell you then? Sure is lazy, that one.”

“Oh my. What am I going to do about my chores? Because of the rain I can skip some things, but I still have to feed everyone at least. The chickens, the forest creatures, the birds, and...” She trailed off. She realized that she had never tried to feed the pegasus; understandable in the effort to treat his wounds. He could not feed himself if he was unconscious, and he most definitely needed to eat.

“Calm down 'Shy. There's no need to worry. I'll do whatever I can to help. Here.” Applejack unhitched herself from the cart and set the wooden slats down on the ground. “Tell me what to do.”

“Oh no, I couldn't ask you to help with my responsibilities,” Fluttershy said weakly. Her mind was working furiously. She truly did need the help, but did she want to risk exposing her secret? It was almost irrational she thought, wishing to keep such a thing secret. Somehow though, it just didn't seem proper, what she had done. And she did not know how her friends would react. “I mean-”

Applejack cut her off, resolute in her speech. “Nonsense. You need help, and I'm willin', able-bodied, and present. I won't take no fer an answer.”

Fluttershy conceded. Despite her wishes, she could appreciate Applejack's determination to help. Besides, Applejack didn't have to go inside to help, so the pegasus would still go undiscovered. “Alright, if you insist. I need to do some work inside, so would it be alright if you took care of things outside?”

“You got it,” Applejack assured. “What all needs doin'?”

“Well, each group of animals has to be fed. I usually take the food to their individual homes, but I can't ask you to do that. I think leaving it where they can get to it should be fine. Have you ever fed animals before?”

“Are you kiddn' me? I run the biggest farm fer miles around, remember? I've spread a bit o' feed in my day,” Applejack said proudly.

“Oh, yes, of course. In that case, there are three types of food in big wooden boxes on the right side of the house. One has chicken feed, one has bird seed, and the last has a special mixture of nuts and berries for the forest animals.” Fluttershy's speech was getting faster at her enthusiasm for animal care.

“The chickens are easy; each hen house has a trough for water and a trough for feed. I filled all their water troughs yesterday, so they'll just need feed today. There are two places the birds like to live. One is the tree with all the bird houses next to the stream. The other is the tree with all the nests up the path there.” She continued, speaking faster still.

“I would say take one of the empty feed sacks near the boxes and fill it halfway. Take that to both trees and empty half the bag at the base of each. The birds can collect what they need from that. Do something similar for the forest animals. Fill a sack completely full, and go around to each tree at the forest line and empty a small pile at the base. You don't have worry about using too much. I can always make more, and I'd rather the creatures had an abundance than go wanting. Oh, and please make sure they know you put the food out. They probably won't come out until you leave, but they need to know at least it's available. But don't scare them by bucking the trees or anything please. Speaking out loud should do... And that's all,” Fluttershy ended sheepishly.

Applejack was somewhat taken aback. She had never really put much thought into how much time and care her friend devoted to the animals. Fluttershy was looking at her, timidly awaiting her response. Applejack assumed a confident tone. “That's all huh? Sounds good to me. Don't you worry 'Shy, I'll take care of all this out here. You go do what you need to do.”

Fluttershy's face lifted once more into a smile. “You're a wonderful friend Applejack. Thank you so much.”

“Any time sugar cube.” Applejack turned and set about the task she was given. Fluttershy watched her briefly as she went. She truly was grateful that Applejack was going to help her, but this only compounded the guilt she felt deep down about not telling the truth. She hesitated momentarily, as if wanting to call her back, to confess her guilt; then she stopped herself. For whatever reason she was afraid of what Applejack, and in turn her other friends, would say upon such a discovery. It was best, she thought, that for now her secret was kept.

Fluttershy eyed the cart of apples before closing the door to the outside. 'These would actually be perfect' she thought. She checked to make sure Applejack had turned the corner around the cottage before grabbing up a few in her hooves and retreating inside. She quietly flew into the kitchen and set the apples down on the table. She landed and went to the cupboard, nosing through different pieces of tableware until finding a plate she could use. 'This should work fine' Fluttershy decided. She took the plate and placed it on the table next to the apples, the red orbs shining brightly in the warm sunlight of the quaint room.

'Let's see. The best thing would probably be to crush the apples. Maybe just one for now, to see if I can get him to swallow. If he takes it then I can give him more. The juice should keep him hydrated too.' Fluttershy took one of the apples and set it in the middle of the plate. She took her hoof and placed it on the apple, gently applying force until the tension of the skin gave way. There was a soft crunch, and the gooey contents spilled out. Fluttershy mashed a few more times to make the paste more fine and expose more of the juice.

Once she was satisfied, she carried the plate into the living room and set it down next to the pegasus still occupying the floor. She looked over the body before her, going over the work she had done the previous night. Everything seemed in order, and nothing had been missed. There wouldn't be any progress in such a short time, but the healing process had begun as soon as possible, and that was the most important part.

Fluttershy looked down near her hooves to see the face of the pegasus. His head lay there on the floor much as she had left it; the mane tucked underneath for some cushioning, the nostrils flaring ever so slightly with each breath. She remembered those captivating eyes, and the wonderful and terrible world they seemed to hold within. They were safely hidden now, stalwartly sealed behind their heavy lids.

Her heart seemed to rise into her throat a little as she pondered those eyes. Her breathing quickened just so, and her tail flicked in preoccupation. Suddenly a faint voice from outside pierced the quiet, pensive atmosphere inside.

“Consarn it, you little feather brain. You get back here now! Don't make me lasso you.”

Fluttershy snapped from her thoughts. “Applejack must be having trouble with the chickens,” she whispered to herself. “Maybe I should go check on her?” She looked back to the pegasus, and decided against it. “No. No she'll be fine. I need to hurry and finish with this. Oh, how should I do this? Maybe...”

The pastel pony took the head of the pegasus and slowly turned it to one side. She knew of a way to get smaller creatures to eat when they were too tired or ill, and she didn't see why it couldn't work for a pony. She took the pegasus's jaw in one hoof, and with the other scooped up a small mound of crushed apple. She opened the pegasus's mouth as wide as she dared, pulling down on the jaw. Awkwardly, Fluttershy placed the scoop of apple into his tongue. With the food secured in the mouth, she closed it.

Taking her now spare hoof and placing it on the throat just under the jaw hinge, she began to rub while simultaneously moving the jaw up and down in a chewing motion. If she was correct, the sensation would instigate a muscle reaction in the pegasus's body, causing him to swallow. She watched carefully as she worked, looking for muscle contractions in the throat. It did not take long for the body to react, and the food to successfully travel down the gullet.

Fluttershy heaved a sigh of relief at her success, and privately congratulated herself on a job well done. She tried again and again, each scoop being swallowed until the pegasus had in effect eaten an entire apple. “That went much better than expected,” she said, almost pridefully. “He could probably stand to eat another one though.” She rose to all hooves, ready to make her way back to the kitchen when a knock came from the front door once again. Fluttershy's legs nearly buckled in shock, but she recovered quickly, this time knowing what to do.

She trotted to the door nervously and opened it. Applejack was waiting on the other side expectantly. “All finished,” she said with a poke to her hat. “I will say, one of your chickens had a bit more fight 'n what I expected. Plum got away from me. I wrangled her though. Not rough mind you, just got her back where she belonged.”

“Oh thank you so much, Applejack,” said Fluttershy, true gratitude glowing warmly inside her. “That was a big help.” At this Fluttershy thought she was almost home free. She just had to talk to Applejack a little longer, then she would go back to her farm and everything would be alright. “Did you find everything alright to feed the animals?”

“Oh yeah,” Applejack nodded. “Since you mention findin' things though, I found this out by yer back gate.” She bent down, picked up a large rounded metallic object in her mouth, and presented it to Fluttershy. Fluttershy took it, at first completely baffled as to what it could be. As she turned it in her hooves a sharp pulse of realization and horror streaked through her body. It was his helmet. “I had no clue what it was, but supposed it belonged to you. Does it?”

Fluttershy struggled to find words to respond to the question. She stumbled over what few syllables she could string together. “I...I don't...don't...”

“Alright, that's it,” said Applejack, sternly cutting Fluttershy off mid stutter. “Fluttershy, I could tell before that somethin' had you all bothered, but I respected you not wantn' to talk about it. But I can't stand by seein' you like this. I'm puttn' my hoof down on this one. Now what in the world has got you so flustered you can't even speak?”

Fluttershy shrank away from Applejack. She had been found out. She wasn't afraid of Applejack; she knew her friend was not mad, merely concerned and fearful of her well being. More than anything she was ashamed of herself, like a child who had disobeyed and attempted to hide the evidence.

“I'm so sorry Applejack,” Fluttershy uttered meekly. “I didn't mean...I didn't want...well, please, come in and see for yourself. I'll explain everything.” She stepped back from the door to allow Applejack to pass. Applejack stepped through the entryway. The room was dim compared to outside, but her eyes quickly adjusted. Fluttershy closed the door and stepped ahead of the earth pony. “There,” she whispered simply.

Applejack followed the direction of Fluttershy's gaze. She had not noticed it at first due to the adjustment of her eyes, but it was very clear now what Fluttershy had meant to show her. The entire figure came into view; a large pegasus with his wings spread out on either side. His body looked to be in very poor condition, and much of him was bandaged in some manner. “Fluttershy,” Applejack asked in apparent awe, “what...is this?”

Fluttershy burst into monologue, her speech alacritous in her need to explain herself and her predisposition to panic. “It's not what it looks like. I mean, I don't know what you think it looks like, but whatever that is, it's not it. He came here last night, from the forest. I went out to go see what it was, and he scared me really badly, and then he collapsed from his injuries. I figured out that he was a pegasus and not a monster, so I just had to take him in to treat him. I don't know what hurt him so badly, but he was in really bad shape. I set his wings so they could heal, and put aloe on his burns, and bandaged his legs, and just now I fed him one of your apples. I'm sure it was really good, but he's been unconscious since last night, so I don't know. And I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before, honest. I wanted to so badly, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't know what you would think, and I didn't know what our friends would think when you told them, and I'm so, so sorry and...oh.” Fluttershy ended her outpouring with a squeak, then fell quiet.

Applejack was still looking over the body of the pegasus. Fluttershy tried to discern what she was thinking, but her face was unreadable. Finally, Applejack broke gaze and turned to look at Fluttershy. She spoke slowly and deliberately. “So you found him wounded outside, an' you took him in an' patched him up. That right?”

Fluttershy gave the weakest of nods. Applejack cast another glance at the pegasus, then turned back to Fluttershy. Her look of awe shifted to that of soft approval. She spoke soothingly, trying to calm her friend. “Now 'Shy, why would you get so worked up about somethin' like that? You helped somepony, that's all. What's to hide or be ashamed of?”

“I don't know,” Fluttershy replied shakily. “I just thought...I don't know what I thought.”

“Well, whatever it was, you best put it out that pretty little head o' yours. T'ain't nothin' to worry about now. If there's anythin' I feel right now it's pride; pride that I have such an amazin' friend who would go out of her way to help somepony, no matter the circumstance.”

All of Fluttershy's trepidation, the feelings of panic and guilt, and even her embarrassment were all eroded away instantly. “Oh Applejack, I don't know what to say. I'm just so glad. About- about everything.”

“Ain't nothin' to say, sugar cube. It's in the past now.” Applejack edged closer to the pegasus, bending down to get a better look at the wrappings. “You did all this by yerself then?”

“Oh yes. Well, no, actually. I had Angel bunny help me.” Fluttershy looked over at Angel's bed. He was still fast asleep. “He's such a good bunny.”

“I see. And you don't know who he is, do you?” Fluttershy shook her head. “Did he have anythin' with him, maybe to help identify him?”

Fluttershy shook her head again. “No, not that I found. He was covered in armor though. That's what this is.” She held up the helmet. It was made of the same metal as the other pieces of armor, it's glossy silver finish almost shimmering in the sunlit room. “This was the helmet he had on. There's the armor for his wings.” She pointed to floor at the far wall where the heavy plates still rested on either side of the fireplace. “And there,” she continued, pointing into the other room at a collection of metal, “is where I put the armor for his chest, back, and legs.

“Land sakes,” Applejack wondered aloud. “It doe'n't look like he had any business in these parts. Not with a getup like that. So we don't know his name, where he comes from, what he was doin' here, or what happened to him. That's a big heap o' nothin' to go on. I wonder if anyone in Ponyville-”

Applejack's query was interrupted by a knock at the front door, the third that day. Both ponies turned, wondering who it could be. A voice called out excitedly.

“Fluttershy? Hey, Fluttershy, are ya home? You've got visitoooooors!”

A second voice came directly after the first, assuming a slight tone of reprimand. “Oh, Pinkie Pie, please. You must exercise some restraint. The poor thing hasn't even had time to get to the door.”

“Sorry, Rarity. I was just so excited to see my friend is all. I love seeing friends!”

A third voice piped up after this, more calm and matter-of-fact than the other two. “Well I think that's a very good sentiment Pinkie. It would be nice if everyone was always so excited to see their friends.”

“Don't encourage her Twilight,” came Rarity's voice.

“Fluttershy. Where are you?” Pinkie Pie knocked again. Fluttershy looked nervously to Applejack. Applejack nodded, then winked in encouragement. Fluttershy went to the door, braced herself, and opened. Before her stood an earth pony and two unicorns, three more of her best friends. “There you are! Hey Fluttershy, what's up?!,” Pinkie Pie said with almost tiring enthusiasm.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow at Pinkie's greeting, then cleared her throat pointedly and smiled. “Good afternoon, Fluttershy dear. How have you been?”

Twilight was the last, simply smiling and saying, “Hey Fluttershy. How are you?”

“Oh, hi girls,” Fluttershy said in greeting to her friends. “I'm ok. How are you?”

“Fine,” Twilight and Rarity responded in unison.

“Great!,” Pinkie said with her large trademark smile.

Fluttershy smiled back. “Oh, that's good. Um, did you all need something?”

“I brought you some leftover cake from Sugarcube Corner!,” Pinkie volunteered first, wiggling her body to indicate the cake plate perched precariously on her back. “By leftover, I mean Mr. and Mrs. Cake left it out, so I figured they didn't need it anymore. And I haven't seen you since the day before last, so I just had to drop by and see you. And what kind of guest would I be if I didn't bring presents?”

Twilight held her hoof to her forehead in exasperation. “Somewhere, Pinkie, there's a panicking baker and his wife wondering what's going on.”

“Why would a baker panic? He gets to make tasty treats all day long,” Pinkie wondered aloud. “Unless he burns them or something. Ooh, did I turn the oven off before I left?”

Rarity cut across Pinkie's ranting. “Well, I came because I had some marvelous ideas for new pieces, and I wanted your opinion on some of them. They're nature themed you know, and who better to advise than you?”

“And I met these two on the way back from Zecora's for some tea, and came along,” Twilight finished. “By the way, is Applejack here? There's one of her carts here full of apples.”

“Howdy gals,” said Applejack, taking her cue to make herself known. She sidled over to the door next Fluttershy. “Everyone's doin' fine so I hear?” The three other ponies greeted Applejack in turn.

“Wow, Fluttershy. You sure are popular today,” Pinkie observed.

Fluttershy blushed mildly. “I guess I am, aren't I?,” she agreed, unsure of whether she wanted all this company or not.

Rarity cleared her throat again after a short lull. “Well dear, are you going to let us keep standing out here, or are you going to invite us in?” At this Fluttershy looked meaningfully to Applejack. Applejack took her signal, knowing Fluttershy couldn't explain herself a second time.

“Alright gals, come on in. There's somethin' ya'll have to see. Don't worry, I'll explain what's goin' on.” Fluttershy and Applejack stepped back, allowing the three now slightly confused ponies inside. Applejack waved them through into the living room. It took a few moments, then each gasped at the sight on the floor. Before they could let fly their veritable slew of questions Applejack held up her hooves to take control of the situation. “Now just hang on you three. I know this looks bad, but let me tell ya'll the story first.”

“Ooh, wait. Lemme put my cake down first. I love story time!,” Pinkie said. She dashed into the kitchen and placed the cake on the table. She then trotted back into the living room nonchalantly and sat at attention. “Ok, I'm ready.”

Applejack fought back the urge to reprimand Pinkie and proceeded to tell Fluttershy's story; how the pegasus came from the forest, Fluttershy taking him in and treating him, and how everything concerning him was an absolute mystery. On occasion she looked to Fluttershy for confirmation on the details. Upon finishing, Applejack took a deep breath and exhaled. “And that's where things stand right now. Got no information on him, but there he is.”

Of the three ponies continuing to look down at the pegasus, Twilight was the first to regain her speech. “That's a pretty incredible story Fluttershy. But you didn't find anything with him that could tell you something? Like a name plate, or maybe-”

Twilight was interrupted by yet another knock at the front door. Fluttershy did not hesitate in opening it this time. Her nerves were too well worn at this point to resist, and she was almost positive as to who it was, considering her four other friends were already inside with her.

A sky blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tale stood at the door. Her face looked as though she had been rushed, as if she was late for something. Small huffs came sporadically in between her words. “Oh good, you're home. Listen Fluttershy, I came to tell you about the storm the pegasi were planning today. Well actually, they're going to start any minute now. I never heard anything about it though, honest. They said I slept through last week's meeting, but I know I totally would have remembered that. Anyway, I know how you like to know beforehand, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.”

“Oh, that's ok Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said as her friend finished. “I-”

Pinkie Pie butted in, “Rainbow Dash! Hey, Rainbow Dash! Hi!”

“Oh, hey Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow Dash said passively. She then stopped, registering whom she had just greeted. “What- Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash skirted around Fluttershy and into the cottage. “And Rarity and- hey, Fluttershy,” she said with a slight accusatory tone, “what gives? Were you having a get together without me?”

Fluttershy looked hurt at this accusation. “Oh no, I would never do something like that. Everyone just happened by, that's all. We were just talking about...well...”

“Come on over here Rainbow. Best just get this over with,” interjected Applejack. She motioned for Rainbow Dash to move further in. Rainbow Dash followed, a look of confusion on her face similar to those the others had worn previously.

“Whoa, what happened to him!?,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed upon looking over the room.

Applejack once more took charge of the conversation. “Now don't spit your bit or nothin'. As things go, he's doin' a lot better n' what he could be. Here's what happened.” She once again related Fluttershy's story of how the pegasus had appeared and what she had done to help him. Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie listened again intently, making sure they had understood everything from before. “And now here we all are, together, with everypony knowin' exactly what the others do. Thank goodness that's settled,” Applejack closed.

The group of pony friends sat quietly for a moment, each pondering over the pegasus. Twilight was again the first to break the silence. “Well Fluttershy, now that he's here, what are you going to do?”

Fluttershy returned a modest frown of puzzlement. “What do you mean Twilight? Do what?”

“Well, what I mean is that you've got a strange pegasus lying battered on your living room floor. You don't have the slightest idea who he is, and no way to find out. Can you continue to care for him like this, until he wakes up?”

“Oh, I'm sure. Dressing the wounds would have been the hardest part. Now he just needs proper care.”

“That's well enough. But what happens if or when he wakes up? What if he's confused and lashes out? He may even be hostile toward you, despite all you've done. If he can carry that armor with him, especially in a state like that, he could do some serious damage. What I'm saying is, wouldn't it be safer to move him somewhere where more ponies can look after him, preferably closer to town? Like the clinic with all the nurse ponies?”

“No,” Fluttershy answered quickly. “I mean, it would be bad to try and move him like he is. And besides, that won't be necessary. I can take care of him until he wakes up. And when he does, I know he won't do anything like that.”

Twilight and the others were slightly stunned at Fluttershy's resolute response. “But Fluttershy, how can you know that for certain? You can't know that for certain.”

Fluttershy looked down at the face of the pegasus. The image of those striking eyes, seemingly burned into the back of her mind, flashed vividly to its forefront. “I do know it. I don't know how. I just... know,” she said softly.

“But-”

A deep rumble of thunder sounded from outside. The weather pegasi had done a thorough job of preparing the sky for rain. The clouds were dark from their weight with rainwater. They seemed to form a dirty cotton blanket in the sky, staggered as they were, effectively blocking the sun from view.

“Sounds like the rain's gonna start any second now,” said Rainbow Dash as she watched the forming storm through Fluttershy's window.

“Oh noooo,” wailed Rarity. “I needed to get started on those dresses tonight. But I can't go home now, I'll get soaked!” She rounded on Rainbow Dash. “Hrrmph. Rainbow Dash, this is all your fault.”

“What? Hey, why's it my fault!?,” Rainbow Dash inquired indignantly.

“It's every pegasus's duty to tell their friends about the weather plans. You didn't tell us, now did you? Had I known, I would have been prepared.”

“It's like I told Fluttershy, I never got a warning for a storm today.”

“So you say. But I'd imagine that you did in fact sleep through your little meeting and missed the warning,” said Rarity scathingly.

“And what would you know about handling the weather anyway?,” returned Rainbow Dash as her face started to flush with anger.

“I would imagine it's rather easy, the way you go on about it you...you...braggart!”

“Girls!,” shouted Applejack. Rarity and Rainbow Dash turned in surprise. “Now you two stop that this instant; arguin' like a couple o' fillies. You two know better n' that. Rainbow, you probably did fall asleep, an' you should be pony enough to fess up.” Rainbow Dash looked for a moment as if to protest, then faltered and hung her head slightly. “An' Rarity, I'm sorry the rain got in your way, but that's just how things are. An' blamin' Rainbow ain't gonna change 'em.” Rarity's lip quivered slightly in anger, then she too conceded and looked away.

“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity proffered in apology. “A lady should know better than to let her anger overwhelm her, and for that I apologize. Also, I do not think you a braggart.”

“I'm sorry too. I probably should have done my job better. A lot better,” Rainbow Dash said in turn.

Fluttershy flew in between her friends to gain everyone's attention. “Girls, I have an idea, if that's ok. Why don't we all stay here and have a nice quiet party, just us? I know you don't want to go out in the rain, and I'd be more than happy to have you stay until it blows over. Pinkie brought cake, and we can bake anything with the apples that Applejack brought. Um, how does that sound?”

Pinkie squealed with delight. “I love parties! I'll go. Or come. Or stay. Whatever, I'm in!”

“A marvelous idea,” Rarity approved. “And we can still talk about those dresses.”

Applejack patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. “That's right nice o' you 'Shy. Thank you kindly. Say, if you'll get me some baskets, we can get those apples inside for you.” Fluttershy went into the kitchen and rummaged in a closet for baskets large enough for the apples. She returned to the living room with four large wicker baskets and set them down near the door.

“Alright girls,” called Applejack, “if ya'll can help me right quick like, we can get all these apples in here an' start bakin'.” The group of friends worked together to unload the apples from the cart, wishing to finish before the rain began in earnest. Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie each took one of the baskets while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash transferred apples from the cart, both using their wings to scoop them up. When they had all finished the apples were brought into the kitchen and set down against the wall, near an old but very clean wood burning stove.

Fluttershy stacked some wood in the belly of the stove and lit a fire. It crackled merrily behind the wrought iron grate, its smoke billowing up the throat of the stove and out the pipe leading outside. The fire lit, she went to grab an apron hanging from a hook on the wall, but Applejack beat her to it.

“Why don't you go have a seat at the table there sugar cube. I'm sure you've had a powerful tryin' time today.”

“Oh, I can't let you bake too Applejack. You're my guest. And you've done so much for me already.”

Applejack tossed the apron's strap around her neck. “Nonsense. What kind of friend would I be if I wouldn't do somethin' like this for you? Now go on. Pink and I can take care o' things. Say, Pink?,” Applejack addressed Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie looked up from the cake she had brought, already hoof deep in one side. She tried to answer, but her mouth was too full with frosting and cake layer.

“Why don't you come over here n' help me with some fritters? Show me how ya'll do things over at Sugarcube Corner.” Pinkie nodded vigorously at the request for help and hopped over next to the stove.

Fluttershy took a seat at the far end of the kitchen table, away from the stove near the entryway to the living room. She looked on as her friends were chatting away, enjoying themselves. Rarity was lecturing Rainbow Dash about her tomboyish ways again.

“...Coloring in your mane and tail are just wonderful, Rainbow Dash. There's so much potential there. Why oh why do you insist on letting it hang like it does?”

“Ugh, what's it matter how my mane and tail look? It's not like you can see it anyway when I fly by. Besides, who's got time for that when there's Wonderbolt practice to do?”

Twilight had taken an interest in the cooking of the apple fritters, and was standing near the stove with Applejack and Pinkie. She had a look of amusement as Applejack questioned Pinkie's cooking technique.

“No, Pink. You can't keep eatin' the apples after you dice 'em. How else are you gonna make any filling?”

“But you said you wanted to see how I do things at Sugarcube Corner. This is what I do.”

“What, eat the ingredients?,” said Applejack incredulously.

Fluttershy smiled to herself. Here were all her friends in her kitchen, carrying on like normal. They were talking, laughing, and best of all none of them thought any differently of her because of what she had done. Indeed, it did not seem to faze them at all. It sounded foolish now, to believe her friends would think less of her for having someone like that in her home. She should have had more faith. It did not matter now however. Everything was out in the open, and no harm was done.

Twilight came and sat beside Fluttershy, leaving Applejack alone to deal with Pinkie Pie. “So, Fluttershy, you mind if we talk for a second about the pegasus?”

“Oh yes, Fluttershy,” Rarity chimed in. “I meant to ask you before. Can I have him once you've finished fixing him up?”

Twilight gave Rarity the most wooden of looks. “He's not a pet Rarity,” she said flatly.

Rarity giggled with a flourish. “Oh, he's not right now. But he so could be. That magnificently stark mane, contrasting with his dark coat. Those rippling muscles. And don't think I didn't see that gorgeous face either. He's a little banged up at the moment, but just imagine the possibilities. He could be the veritable diamond in the rough that is Ponyville, given the proper guidance of course. I wouldn't mind having a beau like him to show off.”

Rainbow Dash fanned her wings excitedly. “Who cares what he looks like? Did you guys see those huge wings? I bet he's a great flier. I can't wait to race him after he gets better.”

“Is that all you ever think about, Rainbow Dash? Flying and racing?,” inquired Rarity.

“Is all you ever think about girly stuff and fashion?,” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Ahem. Returning to the matter at hand,” said Twilight, reigning in her friends. “Now Fluttershy, you said you didn't find anything that might tell you at least a name? Not even like a small engraving on the armor, or anything?”

Fluttershy cast her gaze to the ceiling, thinking for a moment. “No,” she said finally. “The only thing he had was his armor. I was really thorough when I took it off, and I didn't see anything on it.”

“Ok. Did he say something to you before he passed out?”

“No. I think he was in a lot of pain before he fell. He's been like that since last night.”

“What were his wounds like? Maybe you could tell what got him from that?,” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I thought of that too. Both of his right legs had bad cuts. His right wing was broken, and the left was badly wrenched.” Rainbow Dash flinched at this description. There was little worse bodily harm in a pegasus' eyes than hurting your wings. “He also had four or five burns in various places. And of course smaller bruises and things all over, but those didn't need to be tended.”

“That's positively ghastly,” said Rarity with a shiver. “What could have done such terrible things?”

Twilight answered her. “Well,there's all kinds of things in the forest that could do that to an average pony, but he's not the average pony. It seems to me that whatever it was had to be especially ferocious. The burns obviously mean it could produce some sort of heat, and that says dragon to me. What do you think Fluttershy?”

“That was what I first thought. But I never saw or heard a dragon. And dragons aren't usually found in the Everfree Forest are they?”

“Not usually, but dragons like mountain caves, and the forest does have a few of those. My biggest concern is what he was doing in the forest, so close to Ponyville. Like I said, he's not the average pony. We don't know if his intentions were friendly or what.”

“Well, when he wakes up, we can ask him,” Fluttershy said brightly.

“But that's just it Fluttershy. When he wakes up, it might be too late to find out. And who's to say he won't just lie?”

“Oh, I dressed those wounds myself Twilight. It's sad to say it, but he won't be in any shape to do anything for a while. I know you're concerned for me, and I appreciate it, truly. But it's ok. I can handle myself.”

Twilight looked as though to protest when Applejack came to the table and placed a large tray of piping hot fritters next to Pinkie's half-destroyed cake. “Here's some fresh apple fritters, a Sweet Apple Acres specialty. Get 'em while they're hot girls. Don't burn yerselves though.” The ponies at the table each expressed gratitude at the tray of desserts.

“We should start making these at Sugarcube Corner,” said Pinkie through a mouthful of fritter. “I love these things.”

“Are you kiddin'? They'd never be able to bake 'em, you eat the fillin' s'darn fast. I'm surprised there's anythin' in there at all.”

“What? The filling's the best part.”

“Oh my, I almost forgot,” said Rarity after a dainty nibble of her own fritter. “Fluttershy dear, we do need to talk about those dresses. Would you mind?”

Fluttershy turned away from Twilight. “Not at all Rarity. I'll help however I can.”

Twilight got up from the table. Rarity and Fluttershy were now engaged in conversation over fashion. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were having a heated contest over who could put the most fritter in their mouth at once; Pinkie Pie looked clearly to be winning. Applejack was now wiping down the kitchen from cooking. “I'm going to go watch the rain for a while,” Twilight said to no one in particular, and walked into living room.

Once she was around the corner of the entryway, out of sight from the kitchen, she went to sit down beside the pegasus. If Fluttershy didn't know anything, she would have to simply find out for herself. Twilight' eyes roved over the entire body, taking in the detail, trying to glean any amount of information she could. She could see the bandaged parts, the burns, and the sling supporting the left wing. The body was as it had been described to her. Nothing more could be gained by analyzing the injuries. If there was anything to figure out, she decided, the answer must be with the armor.

Twilight went to examine the wing pieces first. She took care as she stepped, trying to avoid treading on the pegasus's wings. The left piece sat on the floor to the left of the fireplace. The thought vaguely struck Twilight as to how large it was, and how abnormally large the pegasus's wings were in comparison with Rainbow Dash's or Fluttershy's.

With little light from outside penetrating the room, Twilight produced a glow in her horn; just enough to see well for about a foot or so. A faint blue light bathed the metal as she looked closely, trying to find something, anything that could possibly further her understanding. As she went up and down the contour of the top of the plates she became increasingly amazed at the detail and craftsmanship they exhibited.

The metal was in itself like nothing she had ever encountered before. The silvery hue was lustrous, even in the pale light of her horn. There were no marks on the metal from the forging process, and so fluid were the fittings between sheets that the entire thing could have been cast in a single piece. The sheets were joined with linear slides at the back and inside the front curved profile of each, making Twilight postulate that they could be collapsed into themselves in some manner. The mechanics reminded her of her large telescope back at the library. On each plate, just under the place where one ended and the one above began, were vertical rows of runes. Her runic reading was not the best, but she could make out at least a single phrase from three juxtaposed runes; “protection”.

Twilight was kneeling down, trying to see up under the armor, when she heard the sound of hooves from behind her. She rounded quickly, not wanting Fluttershy to catch her in her suspicion. The glow of her horn obscured her vision slightly, but she could distinguish the outline of a hat; it was Applejack.

“I figured I'd come an' watch the rain with you,” Applejack said in a knowing tone. She came and rested on her haunches next to Twilight. The rain was slackening now; the patter from the roof was barely noticeable as the two ponies sat together and spoke in soft voices. “Well, what do you figure Twigh'?

Twilight sighed heavily. “I love Fluttershy like a sister, but sometimes she's just too sweet and innocent for her own good.”

“I had just about the same feelin'.” Applejack tilted her head at the pegasus. “What about him?”

“Honestly? I have no idea where to even begin. I just took a look at the armor there. It's like nothing I've ever seen. I remember the palace guard armor when I lived in the castle at Canterlot. The quality of this stuff makes theirs look like tin. I've done several studies on forms of magical protection and defense; nothing I've read even mentions something like this.”

“So you think it's got magic power then? How can you tell?”

“When you've worked with magic as long as I have, you can just start to tell about some things. That, and there are runic engravings on it that form some sort of protection. Listen Applejack; whatever Fluttershy may think, we just have way too many unanswered questions about this pegasus. If he decided he's our enemy, everyone in Ponyville could be at risk, let alone Fluttershy.”

“I agree completely. But what do we do? Fluttershy was mighty sure of herself.”

Twilight thought hard for a moment. “For now, at least until we can find a better alternative, or convince her to do otherwise, I say let Fluttershy take care of him. If he does wake up and tries something, I think his body would slow him down enough to where Fluttershy could get away. If it comes to that, we can deal with him then.”

“I really don't like this Twilight. Not one bit. Seems to me like we're leavin' her to the wolves.”

“I understand. But like you said, she was awful sure of herself. For whatever reason, it looks like she knows something we don't. For now, let's trust her intuition. And hope that nothing happens that we'll regret.”

“If you say so. But I still think we should keep a watch on things. What do you say we all take turns comin' up n' checkin' on her? Somepony comin' every day would put my mind at ease.”

“That's a good idea. I'll talk with everyone and get things worked out. I'm sure they'll all understand our position.”

Twilight got to her hooves, followed by Applejack. As they picked their way back to the kitchen they could hear the voices of their friends approaching.

“That was really fun Fluttershy,” came Pinkie's voice. “We should have quiet parties more often. Loud parties with dancing and music and balloons and tons of ponies are super fun, but times to spend with your closest friends are just as fun.”

“I agree darling. The rain threw me at first, but this has turned out to be a marvelous evening. And thank you ever so much for the input. I'll get started on my designs as soon as I get home.”

“Maybe I should sleep through weather meetings more often Fluttershy. This really has been fun. We should do it again sometime.”

Fluttershy beamed at her friends. “I'm so glad you all had fun. Maybe we will do this again soon.”

The group moved toward the front door, Twilight and Applejack falling in step. Fluttershy's five friends stepped out into the now muggy but rain-free evening air. They said their final goodbyes as they walked into the night toward their homes in Ponyville. Fluttershy closed the door behind her. She backed against it and breathed in deeply, savoring the calm air of her home, the scent of apple fritters still somewhat lingering. Her body was heavy with fatigue from the day's excitement, but her spirit was as light as it had ever been.

“I'm so lucky to have my friends,” Fluttershy whispered to herself. Indeed, of all the reactions they could have had, of all the things they could have said, they never once had judged her for taking in the pegasus. They were concerned of course, but that just meant that they cared for her. Fluttershy yawned, and her knees weakened from fatigue. It was most definitely time for bed.

The tired pastel pony moved away from the door on her way upstairs, when her hoof hit something on the floor, making a soft metallic scrape. She stopped and looked down to see the pegasus's helmet. She picked it up in her hooves and made for the kitchen to leave it on the table. As she carried it, she chanced a glance at the inside, thinking it was as good a place as any to write something. Fluttershy looked closely, and noticed an irregularity in the metal on the inside of the helmet, just above the jutting nose piece. She held the helmet up eagerly to the waning light in the kitchen, trying intently to make out what it was.

As she squinted to see, Fluttershy recognized very small words lettered in an angular, stamped manner.

FERAGRIMM

MAY YOUR WINGS CARRY YOU TO PURPOSE
AS THEY BEAR THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HEART

Fluttershy read the words once, then again, then several times more. “I don't know what the second part means, but that first word. That looks like...a name.” She pondered the word and spoke slowly, using her phonetics to sound it out. “Fair-ah-grim,” she concluded.

Fluttershy placed the helmet on the table and blew out the remaining light in the kitchen. She trekked to the base of the stairs, then stopped to take one final look at the pegasus. “Feragrimm,” she whispered, the name faintly striking a chord deep within her heart. “His name is Feragrimm.”

Chapter 3 - A New Friendship

Fluttershy took delicate care as she placed her tea tray on the small outside table. It was mid afternoon. The sun was out, and spring was in full swing as all of her woodland friends went about their business around her cottage. The stream crossing the path down from the dwelling babbled and frothed playfully, and the wind rocked the branches of the surrounding trees, playing a natural, soft cello suite for the canny listener. Birds taking residence in the trees provided a soothing, if somewhat chaotic, choral melody to complete the charming scene.

The table and its two accompanying chairs were placed in the side yard of the cottage, in the shelter of an elder oak. A backdrop comprised of the cottage wall and inset window lent a comfortable feel to the small eating nook. Fluttershy took two porcelain teacups from the tea tray and placed them at either end of the table, then took a seat opposite her visitor for the day.

As she reached over, teapot in hoof to fill her guest's cup, she said,“I think you're really going to like the tea Rarity. It's made with fresh honeysuckle I picked from the meadow the other day. It makes for a very mild, sweet drink, with just a hint of wild aftertaste. It's one of my favorites.”

Rarity pulled back her expertly curled purple mane and hovered her nose over her cup of the warm, viscous liquid. She breathed in lightly, letting the faint fumes pervade her senses. “Ooh, that does smell wonderful. It's like wildflowers.”

Fluttershy took up her own cup and sipped primly. “Oh yes. It has a very nice bouquet. Try some,” she urged. Rarity carefully levitated the cup to her lips. She tipped it slightly, taking care to maintain its balance, and sampled the fragrant tea. The brew was warm on the tongue, a different warmth aside from the physical heat. It was unobtrusively sweet, and as Rarity swallowed she noted the wild but not unwelcome residual taste.

“Mm, that is delicious,” she approved enthusiastically. “Fluttershy, wherever do you come up with such ideas?”

Fluttershy took another sip and smiled bashfully at her friend. “Oh, I don't know. I suppose I just spend a lot of time outside, and have a good sense for nature. You'd be surprised what kinds of things you can do with many common plants.”

“I see.” Rarity cast her gaze out across the stream to the path and meadow beyond. The sun in the sky bathed the land in a golden hue that seemed to float just above the ground. “You know Fluttershy, sometimes I wonder about you. What I mean is, I wonder why somepony like you, so demure and elegant, somepony with such grace and poise, would choose to live out here, away from town like you do.

“It just seems to me like you would be much more at home in a stylish townhouse on a quiet city street. But then I come visit you out here, on what would be a normal, uneventful day in Ponyville, and somehow I can begin to understand. It really is beautiful isn't it?”

Fluttershy looked out at the landscape and considered her friend's words. “It is. I love it here, and wouldn't trade it or my animal friends for anything. For whatever reason, I know this is where I belong.” She turned back to Rarity, her face slightly pinkened. “I think you might be praising me a bit too much though. I'm not sure I'm all you make me out to be.”

The unicorn tossed her mane dismissively. “Nonsense. You really shouldn't sell yourself so short darling. As a self-proclaimed expert on the subject, let me tell you that you are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most classic example of beauty and poise in Ponyville. Aside from myself of course,” she finished, holding her head high in a comedic show of pride.

Fluttershy gave a small laugh. “You're very kind Rarity. Thank you. Um, how is the boutique doing?”

“Oh, superbly,” Rarity said. “I just sold another round of pieces to a very stylish shop in Canterlot, with no small thanks to you. The nature themed ones received particular attention, just so you know,” she said with a wink. “How about you dear? How have you been?”

Fluttershy took another sip of her tea. “I'm just fine. All the animals have settled into their routines for the spring, so I haven't had nearly as much work to do, like feeding them and such. Oh, but the other day, the beavers-”

“Yes, yes the animals, all cute and loveable,” Rarity cut across. “No darling, I mean how are you doing with him.” She tilted her head, pointing her horn toward the cottage. The nearby window rendered a view into the cottage living room, where the wounded pegasus still slept. “Has there been any progress at all?”

“Oh.” Fluttershy looked down into the remaining tea in her cup to see her face reflected in its surface. She wore a look of mild gloom; clearly she had expected different results by now. “Well, he certainly is much better now than when I found him. His burns only took several days to mend. I removed the dressings from both legs three days ago, and the lesions are healed. The scars won't ever go away, but at least I was able to keep infection out. His left wing needs another week, and the right will need another two, but...”

“But what about him waking up? It's been two weeks to the night. He hasn't moved at all since then? Is that not bad?”

Fluttershy looked up from her cup, her gloom now mixed with worry. “Well, to be honest I don't really know. It's natural if your body is hurt badly enough for your mind to shut down until it gets better. I've never heard of or seen a case of unconsciousness for this long, but I also haven't seen anything so horrible as his condition before. I can't really say.”

“But how can somepony go on like that? What about food and water, and just moving about?”

“Oh, I can take care of that for him, in a manner of speaking. I've been taking the apples that Applejack brought me and crushing them for his food. If you rub someone's throat the right way while they're asleep, you can trick the body into swallowing. The juice from the apples will do for water as well.”

“But what about exercise? It can't be good for a body to just lay there all the time like that.”

“You're right, it's not. Every day I have to take each of his legs and wings and work them through their ranges of motion so they don't get stiff.” Fluttershy moved her forelegs back and forth, mimicking the motion. “It's also important to massage his muscles to keep blood flowing well.”

Rarity paused to picture Fluttershy's method of care. A sly grin crept across her face. “So, you massage his muscles do you?,” she said with a knowing inflection in her speech.

Fluttershy took on a look of bemusement. “Yes. It's to keep up blood flow. Is something odd about that?”

“I don't know,” said Rarity, amused at Fluttershy's confusion. “It might be odd if, maybe, you were massaging his body not just for his benefit.”

Fluttershy pondered this thought momentarily. “I don't understand. Who else would benefit from it?”

Rarity persisted, her tone unchanged. “Come now, Fluttershy. I'm sure it's not a chore, getting to rub down that...statuesque body of his. It seems to me it would be almost enjoyable.”

Fluttershy's puzzlement increased at this last statement. “Not really. I mean, I'm happy to help him, but his muscles are rather large, and it takes a lot of time. And my front legs get tired after a while.”

Rarity let out a groan and placed her head in her hooves dramatically. “Fluttershy, dear...I give up. I just don't know what else to say.”

“What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry,” Fluttershy apologized quickly.

“No darling, it's nothing. Nothing at all.” Rarity removed her hooves from her head and placed them on Fluttershy's shoulders. “In fact, I take it back. I do know what to say.” She smiled sincerely at her friend. “Don't you ever change Fluttershy. Never ever. You're absolutely perfect the way you are, do you understand?”

Fluttershy continued to look befuddled. “No. I don't understand at all. Are you alright Rarity?”

Rarity sat back in her chair and laughed. “I'm perfectly fine dear. As are you.” She let her mirth subside before taking a final draft of her tea. A refreshing gust of wind swept past the cottage up under the sheltering oak, and the two friends sat contently for a time, relishing the comfort of the surrounding nature.

“Ah, I just remembered,” said Rarity, a thought coming to her. “I happened to pass Pinkie Pie the other day, and amidst her rambling it sounded like you and Twilight had possibly uncovered something about your guest. Is that so?”

Fluttershy seized upon the topic happily. “Oh, yes. Well, Twilight found something. She came by with a load of books on different things and really looked hard at all of the armor. I don't think she really likes not knowing about things. Anyway, she brought one really big book about all different kinds of metals, and after a lot of searching she said that there wasn't anything in it that matched what the armor is made of. I thought that was kind of interesting.

“She also had this book on magical runes. I tried to read some of it, but couldn't really understand much. Twilight took a really long time to look at all the runes, and she kept talking to herself about how none of it made any sense. When I asked her about it, she said normally runes were lined up in a certain way to produce a certain effect. The problem with those runes is that they don't make any sense. The way they line up doesn't mean anything; at least that's what Twilight said.

“Oh, and there was one more thing. I hadn't really thought about it until she pointed it out, but Twilight noticed that he doesn't have a cutie mark.”

“No cutie mark?,” said Rarity, seemingly astounded by this revelation. “But that can't be right. He's a grown stallion. How could he not have a cutie mark?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “I don't know. But I thought back to when I washed his body to treat him, and there wasn't one then either. He just doesn't have his mark.”

“But how does that happen? I've never heard of such a thing. Late bloomers happen of course; but to never get your mark?”

“I don't know. I guess it seems possible,” Fluttershy reasoned. “You would just have to never have discovered your special talent or skill.”

“But surely something like that would have manifested itself by that age.”

“Not necessarily, I suppose.”

“You know,” Rarity mused, looking at the window of the cottage, “this is the first pony I've ever seen who becomes more mysterious as I learn more about him. It's the strangest thing. All we can seem to come up with are more questions, never answers.”

“I found something marked inside his helmet that may be an answer,” Fluttershy volunteered. “There was a word with something like a poem below it. I didn't understand the poem, but I think the word sounds like a name, and Twilight agrees. We think his name is Feragrimm.”

“Feragrimm?,” Rarity repeated. “I've never heard a name like that before.” She mulled the name shortly. “It's a bit odd. It sounds like a good, strong name though.” She gasped, making Fluttershy jump slightly. “Ooh, what if he's not a local. What if he's...exotic,” Rarity breathed with a flourish. “My, he certainly looks good; but imagine him with an accent. He could be positively scrumptious.”

Fluttershy's look of confusion returned. “What would being foreign or having an accent have to do with anything?”

“Everything,” Rarity said with gusto. “Now that I think about it, this whole thing sounds like a romance novel. A tall, handsome soldier, his body broken from his time at war, his mind steeped in the horrors of combat, is lost in a foreign land. He happens upon a lovely young maiden after a tragic turn of events, and she takes him in and cares for him; healing his physical and psychological wounds. Oh, the parallels are simply too much.” Rarity held her hoof to her horn in anguish, her show of dramaticism finished.

Fluttershy could not help but giggle at Rarity's display. “You do have a wonderful imagination Rarity. But I think you may be over thinking things.”

“Most likely,” Rarity sighed. “There's a reason they're called novels after all. Still, a girl can dream.” She turned once again to look at the window. “But you must admit Fluttershy; he is quite a looker.”

Fluttershy lowered her view to the tabletop. “Yes, well...”

Rarity quickly turned from the window to stare at her friend, her eyes hungry with anticipation. “Yes...what?”

Fluttershy shrank away, uncomfortable with the attention she had brought to herself. “Well...that is...” She spoke slowly, trying to choose her words. “I mean...I think he looks...nice.”

“I knew it!,” Rarity exclaimed. “It is just like the novels. You've fallen in love with the handsome ruffian you've rescued. Now the intrigue remains if he will ever wake up. If he does, what will he be like? Will he reciprocate your love? Can your love stand the trials to come? Has he already pledged his heart to another? Good gracious, the tragedy; the suspense!”

Fluttershy was blushing furiously now. “Rarity, n-no! It's not like that at all. I- you're- laughing. Why are you laughing?”

It was true; Rarity's poor attempt at covering her mouth could not hide the gaiety shaking her body. Her words were punctuated with small bursts as she tried to speak. “Dear, please...please Fluttershy, forgive me. It was...cruel of me. But I just couldn't...couldn't help it.” She calmed herself as she wiped a small tear from her eye.

Fluttershy was unresponsive. She was looking down at the table again, her face a brilliant shade of scarlet. Rarity's mirthfulness shifted to concern. “Oh no. I've gone and upset you haven't I?” Fluttershy merely squeaked.

Rarity stood from her chair and hurried to her friend's side. “I'm so sorry Fluttershy, truly. Here.” Rarity swung her front legs around Fluttershy's neck, hugging her tightly. “I really am sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I was having some fun and got carried away, and it was wrong of me to do that at your expense.” Rarity loosed her hold and looked Fluttershy in the face. “Can you forgive me darling?”

Fluttershy hesitated, then looked up. “So you don't think that about me, about what I'm doing to help him?”

“Of course not,” said Rarity, dismissing the notion. “Never. I know full well you mean nothing but the very best. Forgive me?,” she said with a hopeful look.

Fluttershy smiled back. The blood had receded somewhat from her face. “Yes, of course I forgive you. I could never be mad with you Rarity. It's ok.”

Rarity hugged Fluttershy again. “Thank you. I really am sorry about that. It won't happen again. And you really are the best friend anypony could ask for. I want you to know that.”

“Thank you Rarity. You're a good friend yourself,” Fluttershy said warmly.

Rarity drew back and inspected her mane, making sure her curls were still in place after all the commotion. “Well, now that we've gotten that behind us, I should probably be leaving. I left Sweetie Bell alone at the boutique with Opal, and I'm sure I have some cleaning to do by now.”

Fluttershy stood from her chair. “Oh, I see. Do you need any help with Opal at all?”

“No no, dear, thank you. I can handle her most of the time with little injury. She may need a grooming soon though. Would it be alright if I came by in a few days perhaps?”

“Yes, anytime. I'd love to help.”

“Splendid. And if you feel like it, maybe we can have more of that excellent tea of yours.”

“Of course. I'd love to.”

“Now is there anything I can do for you before I go? Perhaps some help with a certain pegasus?,” Rarity asked, partially regaining that inflection in her voice.

“No, I can handle it. But thank you for offering,” said Fluttershy, wary of the inflection.

“Alright, if you insist. Goodbye Fluttershy. Take care now.” Fluttershy waved after Rarity as the white pony made her way to the path in front of the cottage. She had almost reached the bridge over the stream when she turned to call back. “And Fluttershy, don't have too much fun treating your patient.” With that she crossed the bridge on her way back to town.

Fluttershy watched her go, confused once again at what her friend had said. “I still don't understand what she means by that. I don't see anything fun about it,” she said to herself. She sat down and looked out over the landscape before her. Ponyville was off in the distance, a sprawling collection of buildings nestled among the hills of the lowlands north of the Everfree Forest. Celestia's sun beamed its radiance upon the earth, the heat bending the light upon the grass to create an illusion of flowing amber water, on which Ponyville rested but would not rock.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and relaxed as her mane was brushed back and forth by the gentle breeze. As she sat, her mind roved over the events of the past two weeks. Every day since the pegasus had arrived at least one of her friends had come by to visit, sometimes two. They never said so, but Fluttershy knew they were checking on her to make sure of her safety. She didn't mind however; it just meant her friends cared for her and had her best interests at heart.

'I'm so lucky to have my friends,' thought Fluttershy. 'They've been so understanding of the whole thing; supportive even. I'm so glad.' Her mind trailed back to the day two weeks ago, when she was so intent on hiding the pegasus. Wisps of anxiety and fear meshed vaguely with the memories of the day. Now those feelings seemed so misplaced, even foolish. Fluttershy wasn't entirely sure what had prompted them; but it didn't matter now.

Truly the only one who made known their adversity to the situation at all was Angel. Ever since that night he had actively tried to avoid the living room, only staying for any amount of time when Fluttershy was there. She would ask the bunny for help when she went to massage the pegasus's body, having him paw at the back muscles, to which she could tell he agreed grudgingly. Fluttershy for the most part disregarded this behavior, as she was sure it was resultant of the scare he had suffered upon the pegasus's arrival, but it was still unsettling to some degree. Then again, Angel always was odd about things when it came to her interaction with other ponies, even sometimes her friends. She supposed that was just how Angel was.

'What's Angel up to right now?,' Fluttershy wondered. 'I haven't seen him since this morning. I should probably make sure he's not getting into trouble. He does tend to do that.' She stood and trotted back around to the table in the side yard. Rearranging the two cups and teapot onto the tray, Fluttershy prepared to take them back inside when she felt a small mass fall onto her back, then jump up onto her head. Angel grabbed Fluttershy's ears and lowered his face in front of hers.
“Oh, there you are Angel bunny. I was just about to go looking for you. Are you doing alright?,” Fluttershy asked sweetly. The white rabbit nodded, his ears flopping about.

“Good. Have you been behaving well? You haven't been up to any mischief have you?” The rabbit shook his head, his ears flopping again.

“Such a good bunny you are. Come on, let's go back inside.” Fluttershy picked up the tea tray precariously in her mouth and headed toward the front door of the cottage. With her wing she tripped the latch and the door swung open. The familiar smell of wild lilac underscored with earthy tones caressed her senses as she entered her home. Angel hopped down from Fluttershy's head to close the door behind her.

Fluttershy went to the kitchen and placed the tea tray on the table, to await cleaning later. She returned to the living room where Angel was sitting on the floor, eyeing the strange pegasus cautiously. “Angel,” Fluttershy called softly. Angel broke away from his suspicion and looked up at her. “Would you like to go ahead and take care of him for today? After that, we can have supper. What do you think?”

Angel considered the proposition for a moment. He then scowled, signifying his lack of will to help. Fluttershy had expected this. She knelt her down and nuzzled the white rabbit. “I know he makes you uncomfortable,” she soothed, “but I could really use your help. And I'll make vegetable soup, and let you have some. How does that sound?”

Angel reconsidered at the prospect of vegetable soup, as Fluttershy knew he would. He initially looked as though he was going to again decline, then hung his head and shrugged, acquiescing at last. “Thank you, Angel bunny. I'll make sure the soup is extra good, just for you.”

With the promise of soup motivating him, Angel hopped onto the back of the unconscious pegasus. He was quite small in comparison to the large body size of the pegasus, but the back muscles did not need as much stimulation as the appendages did. His job was simply use all his paws at once and use his body weight for rubbing, saving Fluttershy time and effort. It was not a hard task, but everything about the pegasus seemed to make Angel uneasy.

Fluttershy sat down at the pegasus's right, facing him, and began as she always did with the right wing. She lifted it gingerly in her hooves, taking the span just beyond the back joint in her right hoof and placing her left under the wing bone before the splint. Fluttershy began to move the wing in a path resembling a flapping motion, moving it up and down while simultaneously working the wing bend back and forth. It was difficult to do; the wings were rather heavy, and their sheer size made them very unwieldy.

Fluttershy started to sing to herself to take her mind away from the mundane task. It was a soft, sweet song; very befitting of her honeyed voice. She timed the cycles of motion with the rhythm of her song, her voice occasionally perforated with the sound of rushing air from the wing's down stroke.

When the sun goes down in the west
And the tides are tamed by the moon
I'll lay your little head down to rest
And see you to dreamland soon

The stars are alight in the sky
Like gems in an endless sea
And as you hear this sweet lullaby
The sweeter your dreams may be

As Fluttershy sang, she began to notice the cycles becoming less burdensome. The motion was easier to control, and more fluid. More air could be felt circulating from under the wing.

Suddenly Angel squeaked and bolted from his perch on the pegasus's back. With a mighty thrust of his legs he jumped over Fluttershy's head, onto her back, and grabbed tightly to her mane. Fluttershy let go of the wing in surprise. “Angel? What's wrong bunny? What hap-” She gasped and jerked back, away from the pegasus. The wing she had just been supporting was now flapping of its own accord, working its way through the air in slow, powerful strokes. It continued for a short time, then sank back to the floor to lie much as it had for days prior.

Fluttershy was rooted to the spot, watching the pegasus for the slightest signs of movement. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and her mind was gripped with apprehension. As she watched, the pegasus drew a long, deep breath and exhaled. His legs twitched, as though control had been reclaimed by an awakening mind. His tail flicked once, an arc traveling through the long, white hair.

His head rocked a little, as if he was deciding which way to turn it, and a deep groan vibrated through his throat and escaped his lips. With a half-roll his head faced to his right in Fluttershy's direction and lay still. At this all movement ceased, save for his breathing. Fluttershy continued to look on, unsure of what to do or how to approach the pegasus. This was the most action she had seen since the night she found him. If there was ever an opportune moment to wake him, this would have to be it.

Seconds passed, and the pegasus remained immobile. Fluttershy, resolving to not let this opportunity slip by, moved as warily as she could toward him. She reached out a hoof to nudge the pegasus. Her heart felt as though it was nearing the top of her throat now, beating ever faster. She could barely keep her outstretched leg straight as tremors began to shake her body. Her hoof was mere inches away now; just a quick nudge was all it would take. She inhaled sharply as she neared the point of contact, then halted as the pegasus slowly opened his eyes.

Fluttershy was confronted for a third time with the sight of those captivating gray eyes. The first time she had seen them, they were filled with pain and purpose. The second time, for however brief it was, they were racked with fatigue and bewilderment. This time they were different once again; there was no pain, no fatigue or confusion. These eyes told of a strong will, an unyielding strength, and a distinct undertone of what Fluttershy knew all too well to be sadness.

The pegasus lifted his head from the floor and made what looked like an attempt to speak. When no sound came he screwed up his face and coughed, rasping as though to clear dust from his vocal cords. His throat warmed, he tried again at speech. His words came thickly, breathily, as if with great effort. “Please, where...am I?”

Fluttershy knelt down closer to the pegasus's face, the better to hear him. Her apprehension was gone, replaced with a need to take care of her patient. “You're in my cottage. You were badly hurt, and I took you in. Do you...do you remember?”

The pegasus closed his eyes as if trying to dredge from the depths of his mind the memories of that night past. “I remember...blood, and pain. I remember a distant light, what I thought was... a window. And then darkness.”

Fluttershy felt a small twinge of undirected gratitude. It was good he still had some memory of the incident, however faint. She decided to try and go further. “Do you know why you were wounded like that? Did something attack you?”

“There were claws. And there was fire... and the thrust of wings.” His eyes could be seen flitting back and forth under his eyelids. “Dragon.” he finished.

Fluttershy squeaked. “A dragon? You were attacked by a dragon?,” she whispered in disbelief.

The pegasus opened his eyes and fixed them on the soft spoken pony watching over him. “Yes. I managed to...” he flexed his wings, lifting them on either side, and gently rested them on the floor again. This seemed to cause him discomfort. The thickness in his speech was no more; he remained calm, but was very direct now. “Where is my armor?” he asked.

“Oh, it's right here,” said Fluttershy, pointing in the direction of the wall. “Well, the parts for your wings anyway. I put the other parts in the sitting room behind you. I'm sorry if you didn't want me to, but I had to take it off to care for you properly.”

The directness of the pegasus's tone abated, some perceived anxiety assuaged at the knowledge his armor was not lost. “I see. Care for me, you say?” He shifted his right wing into his line of sight and examined the splint. He then turned his head and noticed the sling tugging at the base of his neck, supporting his left wing. “You did all of this?”

“Oh yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “I mean, you were in terrible shape. This wing was broken, and that one was wrenched at the base. You had some awful burns on your body, and your right legs were both gashed open, and I think you probably had some damage to your ribs. The ribs had to heal on their own, but I believe I mended everything else fairly well. Um, how do you feel?”

The pegasus seemed to gradually regain his cognizance. “To be honest, exceedingly well, in light of what you say” He took a deep breath, testing his chest cavity. “And you were correct about my ribs. Cracked, as I would hazard a guess.”

“I'm glad. Not about your ribs. Well, I'm glad I was right and took it into account. What I mean is, I'm glad you feel better.” The pegasus nodded appreciatively. After a brief lapse in the conversation, Fluttershy asked, “Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot my manners. My name is Fluttershy. Um, is your name Feragrimm?”

The pegasus's facial expression became stern at the question. His voice reverted to the tone when asking about his armor, calm yet direct. “Where did you hear that name?,” he asked quietly.

Fluttershy hung her head a little and looked away, afraid she had upset him somehow. “I- I didn't mean to pry. I'm sorry. It's just that I saw it printed inside your helmet, and thought... that was your name.”

The pegasus softened his expression and tone. “Forgive me. It was not my intention to sound angry or to offend. It is a true honor to meet you, Fluttershy. And to answer your question, that is indeed my name. I would prefer however you did not address me as such. Grim will suffice.”

“Grim,” Fluttershy repeated, more to herself than aloud. She beamed at him. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Grim.”

Grim's visage cracked into a wan smile. “Likewise.” He cast his eyes around the living room, taking in the detail of Fluttershy's cottage. His gaze turned to the floor, and as he shifted his leg he noticed a minute difference in the level of dust underneath and the amount blanketing the exposed wood. “Tell me, how long have I been like this?”

“Well, it has been some time. Two weeks today, actually.”

Grim fell silent. He was focused on the floor, looking as though he was deep in thought. “Two weeks,” he mumbled to himself. “I wonder what the reaction was; what it will be. What happens now?”

Fluttershy was listening closely. When Grim stopped mumbling she asked, “Is everything alright? Is there something you need to do?”

“No,” Grim said quickly, snapping back to the present. “No, it's nothing. But I fear I have lain here for far too long.” He contracted his legs to his body, putting hoof to floor, in an attempt to stand. His legs strained shortly, then collapsed under his weight. He grunted in aggravation. “It seems however my faculties have yet to be completely restored.”

“Here, let me help you,” said Fluttershy, holding out her hooves to proffer assistance.

“No, thank you,” said Grim with a shake of his head. “This is something I must do on my own. I have trespassed upon your kindness for too long already.”

Fluttershy withdrew her hooves, looking slightly saddened. “Oh. I understand.”

“But,” Grim recovered, sensing he had hurt her feelings, “I suddenly find myself to be very thirsty. I would not begrudge you for some water.”

Fluttershy brightened at the chance to help. “Of course. I'll bring it right away. And here.” She swiveled her head around to look behind her and grabbed at something. She removed a flailing white mass from entanglement in her mane and placed it on the floor in front of Grim. “This is Angel. I have to go out to the well, so he’ll keep you company while I’m gone.”

She addressed Angel, “Now bunny, I want you to be good okay? He’s our guest.” Angel looked at Fluttershy imploringly, as if to ask how she could do this to him. Fluttershy patted him on the head, then got up and trotted to the entryway to the kitchen. “I won’t be long,” she called back.

Grim listened as the back door opened and closed. He tried again to lift himself, actually getting off the floor this time, but dropped back down on top of his wobbling legs. He sighed heavily and laid his head squarely on the wood beneath. Angel crept slowly toward Grim’s face and stood on the flats of his back legs inches away. Grim’s gaze came level with Angel’s, and the two locked eyes.

“Angel, was it? It's a pleasure. My name is Grim, as I'm sure you heard.”

Angel nodded curtly, keeping his eyes fixed on the massive figure before him. Grim cocked an eyebrow, to which Angel responded with a scowl.

“I take it you don't care for me?”

Angel gave another curt nod and tapped his nose, telling Grim he had caught on.

“I see. And what, may I ask, would prompt such an attitude?”

The rabbit looked Grim over for a moment, as if to decide if this was a trick question. Concluding it was not, he contorted his face and raised his paws over his head menacingly. He then pointed to the entryway to the kitchen, then back to himself as he tapped his head.

“So...you believe me a threat, to both your master and yourself. Am I correct in my interpretation?”

Once more Angel touched his nose, then pointed to his eyes with one paw, and at Grim with the other.

“Watching me, are you?,” Grim asked, cocking his eyebrow again.

Angel nodded and crossed his front legs over his chest, looking as tough as he could, given his stature.

“Allow me to guess; you are Fluttershy's lieutenant of sorts, yes? You are the faithful follower, the ever present companion who serves as a backbone and force of will to your demure master. Is that a summary of the situation?”

Angel looked briefly at Grim in surprise, then shot him a haughty glance and turned his head up and away.

Grim gave a slight grin. “Are you insulted at my presumption? Or are you annoyed that I've grasped your relationship dynamic?” Angel gave no response. Grim continued, his grin fading and his tone becoming progressively more melancholy. “Well, it doesn't matter. Your vigilance and love toward your master are truly noble, and I bear only respect for such virtue. I am a stallion of honor, and I am in debt to your master more than you can know. I will not ask your approval, nor will I ask a chance to prove myself, but know this. I give you my word, Angel; you have nothing to fear from the likes of me.”

Before Angel could respond to what Grim had said, they were interrupted by the sound of the back door. “I'm back,” Fluttershy called. She flew gracefully into the living room, carrying a metal pitcher and a glass. She landed in front of Grim and placed the drinkware on the hearth of the fireplace. “I'm sorry I took so long. I dropped the bucket the first time.”

Fluttershy bent her head down in front of Angel. “Did you behave while I was gone?,” she asked. Angel hopped around to Fluttershy's back, up onto the top of her head. He then vaulted onto a miniature flight of stairs imbedded in the wall, leading to the small catwalks suspended from the cottage rafters. “Was he good, Grim?,” she asked again, deciding Grim was the more reliable of the two sources anyway.

“He was,” Grim affirmed. “If I may say so, you are fortunate to have him for a friend.”

Fluttershy looked after Angel affectionately. “I knew he'd be good.” She asked Grim, “Did you try getting up again?”

“I did. I suppose the result is obvious.” Grim tilted his head toward the pitcher. “Could I trouble you to hold the glass up to my mouth?”

“Oh, yes. Here.” Fluttershy took the pitcher and filled the glass. She knelt down and put it up to Grim's mouth and tipped. Grim gulped down the water continuously as Fluttershy poured, draining the glass in no time. He let out a breath of satisfaction.

“That was very much needed. Thank you.” Grim planted his hooves firmly on the floor. “Now, they say that the third time is the charm.” His body trembled at his effort to straighten his legs, markedly unaided by the deadweight of the wings which he dared not use inside. He could feel the dull rumble of his straining muscles as blood rushed to them. By what seemed to be shear force of will, he began to rise. Loud cracks and pops resounded from within his joints, a joyful chorus of the body from the release of his pent up energy. As Grim reached the crest of his stance he twisted his head, releasing more pops inside his neck.

“Ah, that is better,” said Grim, now in full upright position. He arched his back, clearing several more noises from his bones. He spread his wings as far he could, taking extra care to avoid hitting anything, and tensed the shapely muscle tissue. A sweet burning sensation spread throughout his wings as the film of disuse melted away. Grim noted the soreness at his left joint and the dull pain on his distant right. Now thoroughly stretched, he collapsed the feathered structures to his side comfortably. As a finishing touch he tossed his head, and the hair from his mane fell elegantly to one side of his face. He gave Fluttershy an approving look.

This was the first time Fluttershy had seen Grim properly, as opposed to collapsed on the ground. She could now appreciate just how much larger he was compared to herself; the tips of her ears would not be able to touch the bottom of his jaw. Grim stood with a very proud and stern demeanor, with his broad chest out and his neck arched high. His pose struck Fluttershy as reminiscent of the guards Princess Celestia would bring with her on her royal visits.

Fluttershy was dimly aware of how laying prone did his muscular structure little justice. The thick sinew rippled under his coat like chiseled stone, accentuating his skeleton perfectly. The apparent power of Grim's wings was put into perspective by his now active muscles; they bulged around the base joints and even over the wing arms, noticeable under the small feathers that covered them. The proportion in wing size to the rest of his body was also much higher than Fluttershy had realized. When folded, her wings fit nicely within the profile of her torso at her side. Grim's however hung to about his knees, the lengths of the wing hands spanning almost from front leg to back.

“Is something the matter?,” Grim asked with a curious look.

“Huh? N-no, nothing. Um, how do you f-feel now?,” asked Fluttershy, not sure as to why she was stuttering.

“Much better than I anticipated; quite well, actually.” Grim lifted his front right leg, then the back, the better to see them. “Those scars are permanent I expect. Well, I suppose it can't be helped.” He flexed the bend of his right wing and held the splint up to his face. “Was it a clean break? I could not gauge the severity in the state that I was. I was not very coherent after my...encounter.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it wasn't. I felt around the bone, and there was still some attachment. I set it right after I brought you in, so it should be well on its way to being healed.”

Grim analyzed the wrapping on his wing in detail. “This is well made. Do you have special training in medicine?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” said Fluttershy, blushing. “Um...I just take care of a lot of animals, and they get hurt from time to time, the poor things. I wouldn't say training, so much as experience.”

“I see.” Grim rotated his left wing about the shoulder joint. “And what of this one? Wrenched, I believe you said?”

“Yes, it was. I could tell from how it slumped when you were laying down. Normally I would tell a bird to rest and just keep off a wing like that, but yours was so large I thought it probably needed extra support, so I made a sling for it. How does it feel?”

Grim rotated the wing again. “Sore, but much better than what it was, I'm sure. A sling... and no medicinal training whatsoever?”

The red hue in Fluttershy's face deepened. “N-no. Never. It just seemed like something that made sense, was all.”

“A sharp sense you have then. It is a gift.”

Fluttershy tossed her mane so it fell into her face, hiding her right eye and, she hoped, the show of happy embarrassment she knew she wore. It was an automatic reaction caused by her shyness, for this is what she felt, in place of the more expected feeling of fear. She thought it very peculiar. Grim's voice was deep and somewhat harsh, though she could tell unintentionally so. His disposition was very stoic and matter-of-fact, something that was potentially off-putting in conversation. Considering this along with his build, under any other circumstances she knew she would be terrified at even making eye contact. But this was different somehow; perhaps it was the familiarity with him in nursing him to health, perhaps it was dealing with him in a weakened state, or something else. Fluttershy did not know why, but she was unafraid of Grim. Quite the opposite, talking to him made her feel oddly pleasant.

“Are you positive nothing is wrong?,” Grim asked with a note of concern.

Fluttershy was pulled from her thoughts. “Yes,” she replied quickly. “I'm sorry. I was just...thinking about something.” Grim was still watching Fluttershy when his stomach gave a loud gurgle. He growled in annoyance at his innards for betraying his controlled veneer. Fluttershy picked up on Grim's subconscious desire for food. “Are you hungry? I was planning on making vegetable soup for supper. I'm sorry that it's not something more special, but I promise it's good. Would you...like some?”

Grim rubbed his belly. “Only if I am not imposing. I will be content with whatever you choose to give me.”

“Vegetable soup it is then. Come on, you can sit in the kitchen while I make it.”

Fluttershy led Grim into the cozy kitchen adjacent the living room. She picked up the abandoned tea tray and placed in a wash basin to be cleaned later. Grim strode past as he saw the windows in the back of the room. He stood in front of the back door, peering through the glass pane at the yard and wilderness beyond. “So you live at the very edge of the forest. That would explain the eternity.”

“Are you talking about the other night?,” Fluttershy asked, glancing up from the water filled cooking pot she had placed on the stove. “What do you mean 'eternity'? What do you remember?”

Grim's words were very pensive. “I remember picking myself up from the ground. My body was broken, and I knew it. I tried to use my wings, to fly above the forest canopy to view the landscape, but I had no strength left. I remember estimating as best I could my position and heading. I was determined to not die in such a manner, so I pressed forward. When I say eternity, that is how long it seemed I had staggered through those miserable trees. It is nothing short of a miracle that my strength reserves held long enough for me to traverse the distance here.”

Fluttershy had been tending the stove as Grim spoke. A fire was crackling in the wrought iron belly, and she had now moved to the pantry to pull out the necessary ingredients. “That sounds just awful. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.”

“It is of little consequence now.” Grim left his window view and went to the table. Deciding the chairs were all much too small for him, he pulled one at the end nearest the living room aside and sat in its place on the floor. His height placed his chest and head reasonably above the table top.

Fluttershy had gathered the vegetables she needed and was breaking them up at the counter, preparing to put them in the pot of water. “Grim, do you mind if I ask what happened to you? I mean, if the memory isn't painful for you.” Grim did not immediately speak, but rather closed his eyes in what appeared to be great concentration. “It's fine if you don't want to. I understand.”

“No,” Grim said determinedly, opening his eyes. Fluttershy gave a small start as she dropped pieces of carrot into her pot. Grim softened his voice. “I apologize. No; it is a fair question, and the least owed you for your kindness.” He breathed in deeply and exhaled. “I am an elite soldier in the Pegasus Royal Air Corps, Royal Guard Division. Officially, I hold the rank of Major; unofficially, I avoid dealings with the Corps at large almost entirely. My missions are highly specialized. I serve to track, engage in dialog with, and respond to acts committed by various creatures categorized as potential threats to our country and its citizens. As I'm sure you can surmise, dragons would fall well within such a category.

“I was on such a mission. I had been hunting one dragon in particular for three days prior. There was an incident ending in the deaths of two fillies near Trottingham, and reports had implicated this dragon as being involved. I was sent to speak with him, and to possibly discern his guilt. If I deemed him worthy of suspicion, he would be brought to trial before a royal court. The irony of the situation, with regard to the outcome, is that my purpose was only to speak with him. Everything that resulted was utterly unnecessary; but I digress.

“Earlier on that day two weeks ago I had finally located him. He was holed up in a mountain cave in the forest. If I am not mistaken, it was inside the very peak visible from your window there. I eventually found the beast in a large room at the back of the cave system. I should note here that I am, by royal mandate, first and foremost a negotiator. Dialog is always my first resort, and force my last. If I am attacked however, should I judge the creature to be a danger to civilization as a whole, I do have license to, in lieu of a more graphic term, 'remove' the danger.

“When I found the dragon, I did attempt initially to speak with him. He was verbally hostile, but made no move to strike. At the time I did not fully grasp it, but it was as if he was stalling for something. Had I seen the entrance to an adjacent room in the shadows, perhaps I would have been able to avoid the entire incident; but as I said before, it is of little consequence now.”

Fluttershy had since finished combining her vegetables in the pot and left it on the stove to boil. She was now sitting in a chair next to Grim, very intrigued at his story.

“I pursued an exchange for a short while. I would ask a question, to which he would rudely and inadequately respond. I was beginning to lose patience when a dull rumble came from somewhere within the cave. A jet of fire burst from behind a rock formation to my right, and would have destroyed me had I not thrown up my wing to react. My armor absorbed the heat, but I was blasted back against the cave wall, breaking my focus long enough for the second dragon, whom I would only assume was a mate the first had found, to pounce upon me.

“I managed to dodge, but not before a snap of her jaws lacerated my legs. Much of what happened next was product of adrenaline and instinct; the memory is fragmented. I remember thrusting my wing into the female's neck as she recovered from her pounce. If done correctly, a sharp jab will crimp the pipe to the bile sac, keeping a dragon from breathing fire. I knew I had struck true when she began to cough plumes of smoke.

“It was at this I took my cue to exit the cave. It is one matter to spar with a single dragon; it is quite another to battle two, and close quarters with a dragon is the worst setting in which to fight. I do not remember how I got out, only climbing high into the open air outside. I felt the sting of a burn at my flank, and realized the female had been quick to follow, and was now flying after me. I wheeled around to face her, and another jet caught me in the side.”

Fluttershy interrupted, her curiosity overpowering her mounting dread at Grim's story. “B-but, I thought you said she couldn't breathe fire anymore,” she spluttered.

Grim nodded. “That is true. At that point she was unable to produce a flame. But do you know how a dragon does this?” Fluttershy shook her head. “A dragon carries a sac near the base of its throat. This sac contains a potent, volatile bile which, when heated, bursts into flames. When a dragon breathes fire, it super-compresses air inside its lungs and belches it forth at high speed. A separate pipe feeding from the sac releases bile into the air stream, and the bile is ignited. A dragon does not truly 'breathe fire', but this is the effect we see. And if the bile can't be injected into the air stream, there still remains a superheated air jet that can be quite harmful. The burns on my body were testament to that.”

Grim could see Fluttershy's emotion etched in her face, but didn't know what to make of it. “Have I upset you? Should I continue?”

“Um, the details are kind of...scary. Maybe just how you were injured, if that's ok?”

“As you wish. The female was the more aggressive of the pair, so I focused most of my attention upon her. I was able to create an opening, and smashed my wing into her arm, breaking it. I then sunk my other wing into her main wing joint, cracking the bone beneath and crippling her flight. As she fell, I flew up then dove at her. I brought the front profiles of my wings together about the back of the neck with as much force as I could muster, effectively severing her spine.

“When the body crashed into the mountainside, the male became even more enraged. He flew at me, spewing fire as he went. I dodged the fiery column, and tried to fly under him to attack his neck, but he was faster in his frenzied state. He managed to grab my left wing in his claws. My plate kept him from crushing my wing to a pulp, but he took me and threw me mightily. I hit the ground hard, and rolled. Before I could stop myself, my right wing was bent the wrong way against the edge of its plate, breaking it. My left was wrenched when I was thrown, I would imagine. It is also likely that my ribs were cracked by the same force.”

As Grim finished, he registered the mixture of what he believed to be sadness and fear on Fluttershy's face. “Perhaps I should have used less detail,” he muttered, more to himself than to his host.

Fluttershy's mouth was slightly agape. She gulped squeakily, then spoke. “H-how did you g-get away? From the d-dragon, I mean.”

Grim took care as he answered. “Suffice it to say, he is no longer a threat.”

“And what about the other dragon? The female?”

“She is also no longer a threat.”

Fluttershy turned her eyes from Grim to the table. She asked somberly, “So, they're both...”

“Gone,” Grim finished for her, saving her the pain of the word. Fluttershy sniffed, and Grim could see a tear rolling down her cheek. “You have my apologies. Had I known, I would not have told you as I did.”

Fluttershy sniffed again. She barely spoke above a whisper. “It's ok. I asked. It's just...I just wish it had turned out better. For everyone. It's so sad, so needless.”

“I agree. It was needless. But very little in this world happens for the better, or has a higher purpose. Such has been my experience, in any case.” Fluttershy did not respond to this last remark. Grim went to make an attempt at comforting her, but stopped as the smell of soup drifted into his nose. He rose from his spot at the table and walked over to the stove.

“Oh, I forgot the soup!,” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Allow me,” Grim said as he removed the pot from the stove and placed it on the counter. “If you tell me where everything is, I can finish preparation.”

“I can't let you do that. You're my guest. And you're hurt.”

Grim's lips curled into the faintest of smiles. “I can assure you that my body is made of tougher stuff than you seem to believe. I insist. Allow me to help.”

“Well, if you insist, there are some bowls in the cabinet above you there. There are napkins in the drawer to your left, and the drawer left of that has a ladle. Oh, and we'll need an extra small bowl please.”

Grim set about retrieving what was needed for the meal. He took two napkins and placed them on the table, and ladled soup into the two larger bowls for Fluttershy and himself. As he set the bowls on table he asked, “What need is there for the small bowl?”

“That one's for Angel bunny. Once he smells the soup, I'm sure he'll come to eat. You can put it on the end of the table there.” Sure enough, as soon as Grim had set down the smaller bowl of soup, Angel scurried into the kitchen and hopped from a chair onto the table. “There you are Angel. Are you ready for your soup?,” Fluttershy asked sweetly. Angel nodded fervently, and hopped to his bowl at the end of the table.

“Did you say you take care of animals?,” Grim asked, taking his seat at the opposite end of the table, next to Fluttershy.

“That's right. All sorts of animals. I guess you could say I manage all the wildlife around town.”

“Around town? Is there a town nearby?”

“Yes, Ponyville. It's a wonderful little town. Everyone there is nice, and it's so peaceful.”

“Ponyville.” Grim tapped his chin in contemplation. “I seem to remember hearing of it once. Is it famous for anything in particular?”

“No, not that I'm aware. Rarity sells dresses to places all over, and Applejack's farm produces a lot of apples, but I wouldn't say there's anything famous.”

“I see.” Grim took his bowl in both hooves and tipped it to his mouth. He took a mouthful, chewed, and swallowed. A deep, satisfied growl escaped from the base of his throat. “This is excellent.”

Fluttershy finished a mouthful herself and smiled broadly. “I'm glad you like it. It's usually a treat when I make vegetable soup. I don't make it often because it's so much, and Angel and I can never finish it.”

“You live here, on the edge of the forest, all by yourself?,” asked Grim in mild surprise.

“I do. It's not as bad or dangerous as what you'd think though. Monsters from the forest always stay near it's heart. For company I have all my cute little animal friends, and of course Angel. I go into town a lot, and I have my friends in town who come visit me here. There's Rainbow Dash and Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle, and they're all very good friends.”

Grim put his bowl down after another swig of soup. “Twilight Sparkle? There's something else I recognize. Is she well known for something?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “I don't think so. She's really good at magic, but not famous or anything. Oh, but I do know she's a favorite student under Princess Celestia.” It was very slight, but Fluttershy thought she could see the muscles in Grim's jaw tighten. “Is something wrong, Grim?”

“Not that I am aware. Why do you ask?,” answered Grim. His tone remained characteristically stoic, save for a hint of puzzlement.

“Oh, It's nothing.” Fluttershy discarded the notion, downed some more of her soup, then asked, “By the way, where are you from? Where do you call home?”

“I do not really have a home, at least not in the way most would use the word. If I wished to be poetic, I suppose I could say the open sky is my home. I spend much of my time in the wilderness, performing my duties. But I imagine you mean 'where do I make my dwelling', in which case my answer is the Royal Palace in Canterlot. I go there to give my reports upon mission completion, and to receive new assignments. My quarters are there as well, housing what few possessions I own but do not carry with me.”

“That sounds nice, living in Canterlot. I imagine it's all so lively and grand in a place like that.”

“In a way it is. There are no shortage of amenities, and it is a cultural capital, or so they say. Few things are as they seem on the surface however. It is difficult to live in such a place if you are not of the correct 'stock'. Status is nearly everything in a place such as Canterlot, and you are immediately at a disadvantage if you are not a unicorn.”

“What do you mean? What does being a unicorn have to do with anything?”

“Canterlot is a center for magical education and research, boasting the best institutions anywhere. All the lesser nobles who live there are unicorns, as well as most of the residents. Pegasi, though I doubt anyone would admit to this, are generally considered second class. If you are not a guard or a performer, you most likely must find work as a messenger, a courier, or something of the like. So called 'earth ponies' are below that, and there are almost none to be found in the city.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, somewhat deflated. “I didn't realize that things were like that.”

Grim frowned at her reaction. “I hope you can forgive me. I'm sure I made it sound much worse than what it truly is. I have an egregious predisposition toward pessimism. For what it's worth, I have scarce felt that way touring the city in my off-duty hours.”

Fluttershy perked up again. “That sounds better.”

Grim returned a softened expression and turned his gaze to his nearly finished bowl of soup. He sat quietly for a time, then asked, “Fluttershy, would you mind if I asked you a personal question? It is something I have yet to understand.”

“I don't see why not. What did you want to know?”

“I want to know...” Grim seemed to have trouble expressing his thought into words. “Why did you help me?”

“I don't know what you mean. Help you do what?”

“What I mean to ask...is why did you help me on that night two weeks ago? And why did you put forth so much effort in the days since. I have seen my share of injury, and seen it in my fellow soldiers. I know what my condition was like, and the amount of care it took to heal me to how I am now. You did not simply lay me on your floor and comfort me.”

Grim's stone gray eyes fixed themselves on Fluttershy's lustrous blue orbs. “You gave me drink and food. You monitored my wounds, gave me treatment I would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. You had to have taken some measure to assist my blood circulation; my muscles were still spry when I awoke. I wish to know what would possess you to show such compassion to a complete stranger, with no promise of compensation. I do not understand.”

Fluttershy looked at Grim almost pityingly. Before her was a proud and noble stallion of enormous strength and intelligence, confused by a simple act of kindness. The glint of sadness she had seen in Grim's eyes when he first awoke was now at the forefront of his inner world, swirling with an indescribable thirst for enlightenment, for spiritual sustenance. Fluttershy felt her eyes burn slightly as tears began to form, prompted by the gravity of Grim's inner struggle.

Her body willed by some unconscious force, Fluttershy rose from her chair and approached Grim. Without a word she stood on her hind legs and threw her fronts around Grim's neck, hugging him as tightly as she could. A tear rolled down her cheek and into his iron gray coat. She spoke in a whisper, the words forming of their own accord. “Kindness isn't something to be understood or examined. It's an expression of the heart, which in and of itself cannot be quantified or logically reasoned. Kindness exists for its own sake, and need only be appreciated and reciprocated.”

Grim was motionless. Fluttershy was soft and warm against his large chest. She smelled inexplicably sweet, and her heartbeat was able to be felt by his shoulder. There was no amount of training, no previous experience that could have prepared him for this. He regarded emotion as nothing more than a nuisance, and vehemently discouraged it, especially in the elite ranks of the corps. He would not succumb, but for the first time in many months, he almost felt as though it would be acceptable if he did.

Gently reaching up, Grim slowly eased Fluttershy's body away from his own. He stood and walked to the center of the kitchen, then spun round to face her. He assumed the most regal of bows, kneeling on his front legs, his head held low. He fanned his wings fully, spanning the entire kitchen, with the tops angled toward Fluttershy. “If that is your answer, then I have made my decision. I owe you a life debt twofold; once for my body, and again for the use of my wings. In accordance with this debt, I hereby pledge my allegiance to you, to serve as your guardian, to do whatever you ask of me, until my debt can be considered paid in full. A life for a life, and kindness for kindness' sake.”

With that, he withdrew his wings and stood straight. Fluttershy did not know what to make of Grim's proclamation. She merely stared, trying to sort through what she had heard.

“Do you accept my oath of fealty?,” Grim asked after a pause.

“Grim,” said Fluttershy, her tone uncomfortable, “you don't owe me anything, especially not your life. I was only doing what I could to help.”

“But I do owe you my life. There is no denying that I would have died if left in my state. You saved me, and saved my wings.”

“What does this oath mean though? What does it mean that you pledge your allegiance, to serve as my guardian, to pay your debt?”

“All it means is that I promise to stay by your side, to use my strength to protect you, until I can find a way to give you what you have allowed me to keep. I implore you, let me act upon the principle of kindness. Allow me a chance to reciprocate the kindness granted me.”

“But what is there to protect me from? And you have other obligations you have to go back to don't you?”

“Believe me when I say that I will find a way to repay what is owed. And as for my other responsibilities I am first a stallion of free will, and second a stallion of honor. Loyalties can change given honorable circumstances, and a more apt example I have never heard. The corps is in dire straights if they sorely miss a single soldier.”

Fluttershy struggled to find a rebuttal, but came up empty. “I still don't know. How do you mean stay by my side?”

“I will go where you will have me, make my bed where you allow me room, and provide company if it is pleasing to you.”

Fluttershy sighed, defeated. “I'm not going to change your mind, am I?”

Grim continued to be steadfast. “I have made my decision. I humbly ask your response.”

Fluttershy racked her brain, trying to come to a solution. An idea suddenly occurred to her. “I...um...what about this,” Fluttershy proposed shakily. “Instead of an oath of fealty, what about a pact of friendship? It's almost the same; you can stay by my side, and protect me from danger. It's much more pleasant sounding, and it doesn't make you seem like a servant. How is that?”

Grim considered this. “And what of my life debt?”

“Unless a chance comes up for you to save me, as far as I'm concerned you don't have one. And that's my decision.”

Grim mulled these new terms. He then hung his head in a short bow and said, “I agree to your terms. So it is spoken, so it shall be; a pact of friendship.”

Fluttershy gave him a warm look. “See? Doesn't that just sound better than some silly oath?”

“It does, in a manner of speaking. It is an odd feeling, but not unwelcome.”

The fire in the belly of the stove was almost out now, and the daylight from outside was quickly waning as night approached. The breeze from earlier that day was gone, and the trees stood still, silently beckoning for Luna's heavenly blanket to arrive.

“It's time for bed,” Fluttershy observed as she looked out her kitchen window. She yawned squeakily. “I am very tired. What about you, Grim?”

Grim yawned in turn. “Yes, I believe I could do with some sleep myself. Today has been an interesting one to say the least.”

“Where would you like to sleep? I have a guest bedroom upstairs that you can have to yourself.”

“Something tells me your bed would not be able to accommodate my size. No, thank you; the floor in the living room is more than adequate.”

“But it can't be good for sleeping. Are you sure you don't want to try the bed at least?”

“I am sure,” Grim affirmed. “Besides, it is much easier for me to sleep with my wings spread out. Do not worry about me.”

The two ponies walked through the entryway into the living room. Grim prepared to lay down as Fluttershy made to ascend the stairs to her room. “Goodnight Grim. I hope you sleep well.”

Grim gave a final half-bow. “Goodnight, Fluttershy.”

As Fluttershy climbed the stairs, her heart skipped a little. She hazily registered the small jolt of excitement she had felt at hearing Grim say her name like he had. She entered her room at the top of the stairs, pulled back to covers on her bed, and settled in for the night. As she lay there, sleep overtaking her, her mind straddled the elusive border between consciousness and the world of dreams. A thought suddenly came to her, and in a flash was lost to that mental oblivion. She would not recall it the next morning, but for a fraction of a second she distinctly thought 'He's exactly how I imagined he would be.'

Chapter 4, Part I - Ponyville's New Arrival

Grim braced himself as he descended upon the rocky earth beneath him. He pulled up just above the ground, and his hooves produced an uneven thud as he touched down. He stopped to relish the feeling of flight, the fluid response of his muscles, and the familiar weight of his plated body. 'My recovery was even better than expected,' Grim thought to himself. 'Left is still a bit sore, but the break mended perfectly.'

He fully stretched his wings, arched his back, and groaned. The weight of the armor assemblies on either side was a welcome burden. The breast piece at his front and the plates across his back felt cool on his coat from his time in flight. The bracers on his legs hugged his muscles with a distinct familiarity, and his helmet was snug about his head, serving partially to keep his mane out of his face. His armor had become part of him, like a second skin, since the day he had imprinted himself upon it, and not wearing it made him feel...off. He was of course more lithe without it, but not so much as to grant an advantage in combat, and that was the point of the matter. After all, his body was attuned expressly for raw power, not agility.

'Now, what caliber of beast did I dispatch that day?' Grim had landed near the corpse of a large animal. It was an enormous thing; green scales glittered in the early morning sun, its massive leathery wings were unfurled on either side, and the limbs and tail were splayed in all directions. It was the corpse of a dragon, the male he had been tracking in that week past. Grim went closer to better examine it.

The head alone was larger than Grim's body. It lay squarely upright, the bony jaw sunk into the earth. Large spikes protruded from the top of the head and ran down the back, reaching toward the sky even as their owner lay dead. The wings were massive expanses of now decaying sinew hung about the stiff, spindly bones. Vicious teeth extended from out of the top of the closed mouth, and wicked claws accented the arms and legs. The green scales of the dragon's hide were closely knit together to form a natural armor Grim knew to rival the best work that royal smiths in Canterlot could produce. The dragon was truly a formidable foe, and Grim quietly expressed his respect in its death.

Copious amounts of ruby red substance had pooled and congealed in the indentation made by the corpse as it had fallen; dragon's blood. Grim took this to be indicative of the fatal wound and strode past the front of the snout on the left side, back toward the neck and rest of the body. He quickly found the source of the blood. A brutal laceration arced from just behind the jaw to the base of the throat, rending the flesh deeply.

The fatal wound was gaping now, the tissue sagging with the decay of the body, but Grim's masterful eyes could tell that the cut was almost surgical in its execution. He stepped back and slowly brought his right wing to bear. As it came horizontal, the armor assembly covering the wing hand began to move. Grim's wing jerked, and the brush of metal and mechanical clicking could be heard. The staggered plates within the assembly slid outward, the outer four going past the ends of their support rails. By some marvel of mechanics the last three plates were pivoted upon each other and swung until their lengths were in series, then pinioned and turned out ninety degrees by an extruded support from the fourth. A flat, pointed tip emerged from a hollow within the end plate. The result of this shifting was a large segmented blade extending out past the wingtip, formed from the plates.

Grim brought the blade up to the top lip of the wound. He traced it down its length, the wicked edge of the blade effortlessly shaving away some lingering gore. 'An acceptable cut,' he thought to himself. 'I would have preferred something more elegant, but circumstances considered...'

The pegasus paused, remembering just how he had escaped with his life that day. The images swirled in his mind's eye, mixed with sensations of pain and anger. After he had been grabbed and thrown (a mistake that would not have occurred without the distraction of the second dragon), he staggered to his hooves as the male charged him. With no time to dodge and his wings out of commission, he had decided to bear the brunt of the attack, and quickly formed the blade from his armor. Grim remembered repeating to himself one of his personal creeds: “If you are to die; die with honor, die with purpose, and die with your opponent.”

The dragon pounded the ground, plodding at top speed toward Grim. He opened his jaw wide, presumably to make the kill with his teeth, and lunged. Grim was just quick enough to feint left, missing the onslaught of fangs. The memory played through Grim's mind in slow motion. The dragon's head sailed past him, the glint of teeth passing safely to one side, the snap of the jaw closing shut filling his ears. Grim had retained the presence of mind to strike back, and plunged his blade into the neck of the beast. Between the momentum of the dragon's body and a flawless edge, the blade glided through the flesh, severing muscle and blood vessel alike.

The mortal blow had been dealt, but the dragon's body continued forward under its own inertia, and an extended wing slammed fully into Grim's chest. His breast piece protected him from the impulse, but he was knocked back to the ground, producing a resounding series of clangs as he skidded on the rocky soil. Finally he came to rest, at which point his body gave out; the adrenaline in his system was burning away, and the fatigue and sustained injuries from the encounter had overtaken him.

Grim lay for what seemed like ages. His body ached throughout, with sharp stabs of pain persisting in his legs and wings. He remembered for a while wondering if this was a suitable end, to die after having nobly carried out his duty. For a fleeting moment he almost welcomed the prospect of some creature happening by to finish him. The dragons were dead, but dragons were not the only danger of the Everfree Forest, and danger enjoys company.

But as quickly as this inclination had come, it was replaced with a ferocious need to press forward. He would not die here, and certainly not like this. What ignominious end would that be, to be eaten by some wretched scavenger? It was dishonorable, and therefore unacceptable. Grim steeled himself, and motivated his body through sheer force of will. He slowly rose, his legs feeling rubbery. Once he had taken a relatively stable stance, he searched his mind as to his most likely position within the forest, and settled on a probable point based on his travel that day.

The pain and lack of fortitude distorted his usually impeccable sense of direction, but he gauged his heading as best he could from the sun's place in the sky. With both position and heading, he tried to use his wings to lift himself from the ground and perhaps make his way to safety, but there was simply no strength left in them. They flopped pathetically to the ground under their own weight, and it was all Grim could do to bring them back into his sides. With flying an impossibility, he would have to brave the terrestrial perils of the forest. Thus he began the arduous journey through the trees that would eventually bring him to Fluttershy's cottage.

Grim thanked his fortunes as he contemplated the hardship his body was able to endure. Finished reminiscing, he passed his eyes for a final time over the cut, then to the back of the dragon's head. Satisfied that the male was dead, he withdrew from the body and readied his wings. He gave the feathered structures a mighty thrust, propelling his large form into the air with ease. He had always loved the noise his wings made when flapping. The sound of air rushing, being pushed back as he cut through it, seemed to him a small miracle each and every time.

He flew up the side of the mountain to where the female's body had fallen. Large boulders dotted much the mountain's surface. The crevices between the rocks and the earth provided shelter for young trees, and many had grown to adulthood, seemingly growing out from the sides of the boulders. Grim soon found the remains of the monster nestled among the boulders foliage, and landed on an overhanging rock above. He looked out over the edge to assess the damage he had done during his battle that day past. There was a clear discontinuity in the arm he remembered breaking. He couldn't tell about the wing joint, but if his memory was any indication, the dragon's fall was proof enough.

Grim jumped down from the rock, picking his way carefully to stand beside the neck of the beast. He analyzed the expanse briefly, looking for some sign of the place where he had struck her. He soon found a wide ring where the pattern of scales was somewhat skewed, and blood had pooled behind to seep between the small discontinuities. At this discovery he pressed the tip of his blade into the rotting flesh, navigating the hide and meat like a knife through butter. He dug down to the bone and cleared away the attached sinew over where he believed he had struck the killing blow. It wasn't long before he located the telling vertebra, and he pulled back his blade.

Grim's thoughts lingered over how the dragon had died as he made an analysis of the vertebra. 'Applied force almost symmetrical about the axis through the posterior. Arches collapsed inward. Centrum effectively crushed.' Grim lifted his wing, and it jerked again as the armor's mechanical workings retracted the blade and reformed into a cascade. “Instant,” he grunted at the final click of his armor before it went still. “A truly elegant way to end a life.” He sighed heavily and folded his wing. “But how much elegance can be found in something so needless as this?”

Grim moved away from the neck and came to sit next to dragon's head. The scales were a vibrant orange, giving off a soft glow in the sun, suggesting life even though Grim knew her to be dead for two weeks now. He looked at the large lidded eye and spoke softly, almost as if expecting a response. “What purpose did it serve to attack me? If I bore you any ill will, I would have struck first; could you not see that? What was the point in throwing away your life?” Grim pondered his own question, attempting to derive an answer through some vague analysis of the dragon's behavior that day. Coming to nothing, he stamped his hoof on the rock beneath him, cracking it. “Why?!,” he half yelled. “Why does it always come to this? You are sentient beings, capable of speech and reason. You can master yourselves, discard these monstrous impulses. Why do you not?!”

Grim continued to look at the eye, still shielded from view. There was no reaction from the dead beast. He knew there wouldn't be, but somehow the lack of an answer infuriated him. He stood and raised his wing again, the armor clicking and brushing to form the blade. He would gouge out that obstinate eye, deliver retribution for the crime of ignorance, make his anger known. Then Grim stopped. Self reproach replaced the anger inside him, and he reformed his armor. He gave another heavy sigh, closed his eyes, and hung his head.

“Anger will solve nothing; neither will desecrating a corpse,” he said to himself. “Why does this always enrage me so; how does slaying a beast illicit such a reaction? What keeps me from performing my duty and simply moving on?”

At this series of questions, a small melancholy voice within Grim's mind piped up, offering the answer. 'It's because you're just like them.'

“Just like them,” Grim murmured slowly. He sat down in silence and stared at the insides of his eyelids for a long time. He listened at the slow expansion and contraction of his powerful lungs, at the dull thud of blood being pumped from his burdened heart. “Just like them,” he repeated. “Is that the true answer?” He began to rationalize this simple statement. “All my life I have been feared by those who saw me. I could hear their whispers behind my back, feel the sting of their gazing.” He raised his wings and held them in front of his face, mulling the feathery contour of their bottoms. “My size has always intimidated others. But to show such disdain?”

Suddenly another voice from within spoke, this one extremely harsh. 'How could they not fear you? You're a monster.'

“A monster,” said Grim sullenly. “Like all the dragons I have slain. Monsters, slaves to their natures, unwilling to comport or restrain themselves, defectors from reason. Could I be such a creature?”

'Do you deny it?,' asked the voice.

Grim answered, willing his logic to prevail. “I am more than capable of holding dominion over my emotions and faculties. This alone is sufficient to set me apart.”

'But how long can that last? You can try, but everyone slips up, even you. And when you lose control, you certainly make a grand display. Don't you remember? Of course you do. And what's to say you won't stop the next time? What could stop you next time?'

At this a third internal voice chimed in. It was small, but very clear. 'She never thought you were a monster. Even after that instance. She saw you for what you were; befriended you.'

“My first real friend,” Grim breathed. “The first of very few.”

'What of your friends?,' shot the harsh voice. 'What can be said of a relationship spawned from convenience and circumstance? Besides, isn't it odd that all of your so-called friends possess strength nearly parallel to your own? Pathetic, if a requisite for friendship is lack of fear.'

'Not necessarily. Not anymore,' came the small voice, gaining strength. 'Think back to last night...'

“Fluttershy,” Grim whispered. He had regained sovereignty over his mind, and was sifting through the images and conversation of the previous night. “She never once shrank away from me; never gave me a look of fear. On the contrary, she seemed almost content with me.” Grim blinked slowly. He lowered his wings to his sides, and his tail flicked as he thought about the yellow pegasus. “It is odd though. Her demeanor is so...subdued, so meek. I would expect nothing short of terror, but it was she who proposed friendship. She wished to befriend me.”

The warrior pegasus's voice became more sure. “She rejected fealty, and instead chose friendship. She took great pains to care for me, citing the only reason as kindness. I must find my own way to return such an act. I must, after that...explanation.” Grim's mind wandered to the scene in which Fluttershy had hugged him from nowhere, and whispered into his ear about kindness. That particular display of emotion still puzzled him. He knew what a hug was of course, though he admittedly had little experience with such things. He had only ever met one pony daring (or crazy) enough to do so to him. But this hug was different; very different. Grim tried to match a term to the situation, but struggled. He kept coming back to the word 'tender', but was that it? If it was, he would not be able to know, as his knowledge of these things was limited to say the least. But perhaps his lack of knowledge was proof enough?

Grim shook his head, clearing away the muddling web of reasoning. “It does not matter. I will do as I have said. I will be her friend, and stand beside her for so long as I am in her debt.”

Like a cornered animal making a last desperate strike, the harsh voice returned in his mind, though not nearly as strong. 'But that begs the question; what happens when your life catches up? You don't think they'll look for you? You're Knight Commander of the Royal Lunar Vanguard. You believe you can simply walk away from that do you?'

“What debt I have incurred from the corps has been more than paid through my service. I persisted only at the behest of a friend. My allegiance has now changed, and my purpose honorable. I am secure in my right.”

'Do you honestly believe they'll see it that way?'

“Perhaps not. But I am Knight Commander of the Royal Lunar Vanguard. What match do they have for me?”

'They wouldn't need to defeat you. Judging from your new friend's disposition, all it would take is a good scare. The moment you show your true self, she'll reject you entirely. Where will you be then?'

“A moot point. Should the situation arise, I will handle it without confrontation.”

'We shall see,' the voice countered.

“So we shall,” Grim finished. He glanced once more at the female dragon's body before him. “There is nothing more to be gained from dwelling on this,” he told himself. “I should take my leave. I would imagine Fluttershy will wake soon. She may think it rude of me to wander without informing her.”

Fluttershy rolled onto her side, away from the intrusive sunlight shining through her window. Her mane flopped across her face, but she didn't really mind. Though she had already forgotten it, she knew she had been having a wonderful dream, and was trying to conjure it again. Her eyes flitted back and forth beneath their lids, her synapses fired rapidly, trying to dredge the pleasant illusion from that dark abyss where all dreams go to be erased. Her body was enveloped in her bed covers, and her stillness made her feel as if she was floating idly in that world of dark, her hooves lazily snatching at fractions of memory. As she lay there concentrating, she could hear from outside a strange sound. It was like the report of flapping, but each downstroke sounded much louder than what it should. Listening she could envision a grand pair of arching wings, moving through the air with ease, the dark colored feathers absorbing the sunlight.

Breaking away from her attempt at dream recovery, Fluttershy tried to think of what could be making such a sound. It wouldn't be Rainbow Dash; not this early. Other than a pegasus, she didn't know of any animals that would make noise like that. But then who...? Without warning the answer snapped to the forefront of her brain. She scurried out of bed, struggling with her wings against the covers, and fluttered to her bedroom window to see if she was correct. It took a moment of almost frantically casting her eyes over the yard, but she eventually found the iron gray figure contrasted with the green grass. Sure enough, there was Grim touching down in her front yard. Fluttershy could see that he had discarded the wrappings about his wings, and had even managed to put his armor on.

'What does he think he's doing?,' Fluttershy asked herself. 'He shouldn't be flying for another two weeks at least. I have to stop him before he hurts himself.' She hastily trotted out of her bedroom and down the stairs into the living room. She went to cross to the front door, but stopped as it opened before her. Grim's imposing form stepped through the doorway, the sunlight behind him glinting off parts of his armor.

Fluttershy remembered seeing Grim like this the night he appeared from the forest, but she had thought him a horrible beast then. She had also been able to look him over thoroughly before removing the heavy plating to treat him, but now she could see him in his proper form; a proud stallion, adorned in full battle regalia. Fluttershy tried to compare him with the royal bodyguards for Princess Celestia, who afforded her the only frame of reference she had, but Grim was decidedly different. He was larger of course, but the true difference was in how he carried himself.

The guards were always so hard looking, undoubtedly to deter any possible threat to the princess. Grim did not project this same air; he was intimidating to be sure, but not intentionally so. The guards' armor always looked bulky on them, and their helmets added to their hard aura, covering much of their faces. Despite being made of heavy plate, Grim's armor was form-fitted about his frame almost elegantly. Fluttershy was mildly surprised at how well he carried his wings; they were folded into his body very naturally, in spite of the shear weight she knew the armor to have. Grim's helmet obscured most of his face, but his distinctive eyes were very prominent, even in the shadow of the sleek, shaped design of the metal.

Grim closed the door behind him with a back leg and bowed his head to Fluttershy. “Good morning,” he greeted in his deep voice. “I hope I did not disturb you. I meant to return before you awoke.”

Fluttershy blushed mildly at the consideration Grim had expressed. “No, it's my fault. I should have gotten up sooner. I'm sorry.” Grim removed his helmet. The part of his white mane underneath rose with the removal, then fell languidly around his neck and partially into his face. He placed the helmet on the nearby sofa side table. Fluttershy watched him, wary of his action, then asked in a small voice, “Um, I'm sorry, but you said 'return'. Did you go somewhere?”

“Yes,” Grim said as he swept some troublesome hair to the side of his face. “Forgive me for not informing you. Such was my intention, but I thought perhaps I could go and return before you awoke so as not to trouble you. It seems, however, that that was not the case.” Grim gave a soft, sad look meant in apology.

“I see.” The color in Fluttershy's face deepened. “Well, thank you for meaning to tell me. Um, where did you go? If you d-don't mind my asking,” she inquired nervously.

“The forest, back to the scene of my ordeal. I had to take stock of the situation, and assure myself that my duty was completed. I suppose you could say I desired closure,” Grim answered matter-of-factly.

“Oh. I understand.” Fluttershy averted her eyes. For whatever reason, she was coming to find more and more that her feelings did not seem to work correctly when talking to Grim. It wasn't upsetting to her that Grim had left, but knowing that he could leave made her ill at ease. And yet the fact that he had come back made her strangely happy. She began to slowly trace a circle with her right forehoof in the wood of the floor. “Um, Grim? If you wouldn't mind, I mean if it's ok with you, could you...could you tell me next time... if you want to go somewhere on your own?” Fluttershy immediately realized her request may come as awkward and quickly appended, “The reason I ask is that I'm still taking care of you. I mean, you are still healing.”

Grim's soft look turned into the slightest of smiles. He nodded in acquiescence. “You have my word. I will not leave again without your knowledge. But it is as I told you last night; my body is made of stronger stuff than I'm sure you believe, and I am no stranger to hardship or injury. I have more or less healed to my original state. My body was quite responsive and strong during my outing.”

“That may be,” Fluttershy said as she gained confidence and met Grim's eyes. “But a lot of times the injured think they're better off than what they really are. I just don't want to see you get hurt. The state you were in, I don't know if I could bear to see you like that again.”

A pang of something unfamiliar to Grim shot briefly across his consciousness. There was little he loathed more than the pity of another, but he knew whatever he felt from Fluttershy not to be pity. Unable at the moment to reason what exactly this feeling was, he discarded it for the sake of simplicity, though he was sure he would later come back to it, and redirected his attention to the conversation at hand. His smile expanded minutely. “If that is how you feel, then I will - what is the phrase - take it easy. At least until you are comfortable with my progress. Is that acceptable?”

Fluttershy perked up, her confidence holding. “Yes, very. I'd like that.”

Grim bowed. “Then I will do so. But I would hope that you never trouble yourself further on my account. I am conscious and cognizant now; there is no effort you can make that I cannot make for myself.”

“Oh, don't worry about that. I love taking care of others,” said Fluttershy sweetly, her spirits lifted thoroughly at Grim's agreeable demeanor. “Speaking of which, would you mind if I checked your wounds? I don't doubt you're feeling better, but I'd like to check anyway. If that's ok.”

“As you wish.” Grim turned and presented his right side so that he might be examined. Fluttershy stepped slowly toward the comparatively towering figure and placed her front hooves upon the scar on the back-right leg. As she did, she was greeted with the warm sensation of flesh and the rock-like resistance of muscle under her touch. She registered the sensation, and for some reason beyond her understanding Rarity's voice rang out in her head, saying “And Fluttershy, don't have too much fun treating your patient”.

The snippet of dialog from yesterday was then gone, just as unexpectedly as it had come. Fluttershy hazily told herself that she still did not know what that meant, then refocused upon her examination. The scar began just under the bottom of the plating cascading down over Grim's sides from his back, and ran jaggedly down about eight inches or so. Fluttershy grimaced at the thought of the pain that must have come with such a wound. “Well, I can see it never got infected,” she muttered to herself. “It looks like the mint leaves did their job. Stitches wouldn't have made much of a difference as far as the scarring goes, I'm sorry to say. ” She rubbed her hooves in a searching manner up and down the length of the scar. “There's definitely a knot of repaired tissue underneath, but blood flow doesn't seem to be hindered at all. Everything considered, I'd say this is about the best outcome we could hope for.”

Finished with the back leg, Fluttershy then moved to the front. She performed the same diagnostic on the sister scar, and came to the same conclusion. “Well, you're doing quite well so far,” she told Grim cheerily. “Now, can I see your left wing please?” Grim complied, and turned to the other side with his wing unfolded and pointed toward the ceiling. Fluttershy positioned herself alongside him, facing the same direction. Standing on her hinds simply to reach, she took her entire right leg and placed it in the crook of the main wing joint and Grim's back, cautiously avoiding pinching it between his back plates and wing plating. Her other front leg she used to pull the wing in question down until it was horizontal. “Alright, now I want you to move your wing like you normally would when flying, but slowly, if you please.”

Grim did as he was bade, and cycled his wing through a flapping motion. Fluttershy carefully watched and felt the muscle and bone of the wing joint as it moved. The motion was fluid and continuous, not jerky or strained such as the telltale marks of wrenching. She watched until she was satisfied, then pushed down on the wing to signal a halt. “That's enough. I think you can stop now.” She removed her leg from the wing joint and stepped back, and Grim turned to face her. Fluttershy glowed warmly, “That's actually much better off then I imagined. I won't bother with checking the break in your right. You'd know if that wasn't mended. I think you were right about your strong body. You made one of the best recoveries I've ever seen.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Grim said, trying to match Fluttershy's warmth in spite of himself. “But do not neglect to give credit to yourself. My body may be strong, but I have no doubt that my life would be forfeit had it not been for you.”

A reddish tinge began to creep up Fluttershy's face. “I don't know about that.”

“Perhaps not, but I can confidently say that I do. Your modesty is nothing short of refreshing, but you saved my life, and I owe you just as much.”

“Grim, I appreciate the praise, but remember what we agreed on last night. You don't owe my anything. My decision, remember?” Before Grim could answer, Fluttershy continued, “You said you've been out all morning, right? Did you have breakfast? Do you want some?”

The soldier pegasus moved away from what he was about to say and considered the proposition of breakfast presented him. Almost as if by cue his stomach rumbled heavily. “It appears my innards have developed a habit of betraying me,” Grim growled, looking down warningly. “Well, to answer your question, yes. Breakfast would be much appreciated. Only if it is of little effort on your part, however.”

“Nonsense. Come on, let's have a nice bowl of oats; simple and tasty.” Fluttershy turned and made her way into the kitchen, followed by Grim. The larger of the two went to sit at the table, again moving aside a chair in order to sit on the floor. Fluttershy began milling around inside her pantry, looking for a bag of oats to prepare the meal. Her tail extended out past the door frame, flicking in preoccupation as she searched. Grim cocked his ears in mild confusion, and listened to the rustling and the pastel pegasus's mumbling coming from within.

“Now let's see. Where was it? Here?,” she said, lifting a canvas sack. “Oh no, I'm out of hay. I'll need to buy some soon,” she mused after taking a close look at the sack she had moved. “And no, not there. Maybe here? No. And I'm out of wheat flour too,” she mused again at the removal of another sack. “Perhaps... No. And the corn meal is gone. Oh my. But wait; here!”

Fluttershy emerged from the pantry holding a half-full sack with the word “OATS” stamped across the front. “Here we go. Now, let's pour-” SSSHHHH. The rip of fabric and the rush of grainy material flowing reported through the small kitchen. The bottom seam of the bag had suddenly torn, spilling the remainder of the contents. Fluttershy gasped. She looked down at the floor, dumbstruck, then held the bag up to her face. “What happened?,” she wondered aloud, crestfallen.

Grim got up, examined the oats upon the floor, and pointed down. “It appears that some of your animal friends decided to indulge themselves in your larder.” Sure enough, there were three field mice struggling in the pile of spilled oats. They had apparently been asleep inside the bag, and were now staring up at Grim in a combined state of befuddlement and horror “I would wager they ate through the bottom of the bag, and it gave way.”

Grim leered down at the mice, disapproval etched in his face. The mice began to tremble under his gaze, but spun round upon hearing Fluttershy's voice. “Aww, you poor things. Did you get hungry during the night? Is that why you ate your way into the bag?,” she cooed in a comforting tone. The mice hung their heads in unison and nodded weakly, not willing to look up at Fluttershy. She gave a small, breathy laugh. “Oh, that's alright. Everyone gets hungry.” She put her face low, next to the mice, and nuzzled them. “We all have to eat, don't we? It's ok.”

Fluttershy pulled her head back up, and the middle mouse gestured with his front paws and chattered something. Grim caught himself thinking this to be meant as some sort of an apology. Fluttershy returned a heartened look, as if she could decipher the meaning of the action. “I understand. Let me help. I'll give you the rest of these oats here. Don't be shy. They've been on the floor anyway. But next time, I would ask that you just tell me if you run out of food. Deal?”

The three mice chattered excitedly, and scurried to Fluttershy's leg to hug her. Fluttershy caressed them back with her spare hoof. “You're so sweet. Now go on and get the rest of your family so you can take this back to your den. And I want you all to share if anyone else asks.” With one last affirmative gesture the mice bolted to the back of the kitchen and through a hewn crack in the back door. Fluttershy watched them leave, then turned her attention back to Grim. Her face had instantly changed to feature a mixture of sheepishness and worry.

“I'm really sorry Grim. I promised you breakfast, but it looks like I'm out of everything. I've got other food, but nothing good for breakfast.” Grim looked on, his expression of disapproval slackened, but still somewhat present. “I- well-,” Fluttershy trailed off with a meek whimper under the sight of Grim's visage.

“It is fine if we do not have breakfast,” said Grim, taking Fluttershy's reaction as disappointment in herself. “An early morning meal is most often a luxury for me. It is nothing with which I am unfamiliar. Do not trouble yourself.”

Fluttershy absentmindedly pinned her ears back, trepidation mounting in spite of Grim's reassurance. “Oh. But you...you look upset.”

“Upset?,” Grim muttered in bemusement, more to himself. He thought momentarily. “Oh,” he breathed as realization sparked in his mind. He assumed a tone of rough remorse. “Oh, no. I hope you can forgive me. I am aware that I have what one may call... a severe face. I will admit that the mice rather threw me. I think that is most likely the cause of whatever you might have seen in my countenance. Believe me when I say that I have no ill feelings about the situation, despite what you may perceive.” Grim finished his explanation with a weak smile.

“So you're saying you're not disappointed? Or mad? Or upset? Or- or angry?,” Fluttershy asked, her stunning blue eyes full of cautious hope, locked with Grim's of stoic stone gray.

“I am,” Grim affirmed, somehow knowing he could say nothing to the contrary. Even as he spoke, he again felt another uncharacteristic twinge, but again he discarded it. “The attempt at such an act of- kindness- is more than enough for me. It is I who owe you a debt, if you will recall. You need not fear for my well being.”

Blushing after the smile Grim was still giving her, Fluttershy partially regained her composure. “A-alright. As long as you're sure.” She turned from the large figure and went back to the pantry, more to cover her efforts at comporting herself than actually searching for other food stuffs. She shifted a few things here, then a few more there, but nothing in the small storage space lent itself well to a hearty morning meal.

With a small huff of defeat Fluttershy pulled herself from the pantry and sat on the kitchen floor facing Grim. “I take it you still did not find anything that you wanted,” the iron gray pegasus stated.

“No,” Fluttershy responded, this time truly disappointed. “I thought I might have had something, but it looks like I'm out of everything. No oats, no cornmeal, nothing.”

“I do appreciate the gesture, but it is of little difference whether I have breakfast or not. However, if I may, perhaps a trip to the grocer is in order?”

“I thought about going to the store. But it takes such a long time to go. I usually have to make several trips when I buy food. And I'll probably have to oversee the beavers with their dam repairs upstream very soon. I'm not sure if I should.” Fluttershy sat quietly in thought for a short time. She then suddenly jumped to her hooves. Grim's seasoned body twitched in surprise. “Oh, but I could go to the store. And you could- and they would- and then-”

“Is there something wrong, Fluttershy?,” came Grim's voice when she had paused from her initial outburst. Fluttershy's eyes were immediately drawn to Grim's, and a quick warm pulse covered her body at his utterance of her name.

“Grim, could you- only if you wanted to- could you go to town, to the store with me? I wouldn't make you do anything, or carry anything.” Fluttershy's pacing was picking up, as it was prone to do when she was nervous and had something to explain. “I just ask because all my friends are in town, and they've all been coming by to check on you since I found you. I know they would want to meet you, and get to know you, and I'm sure that they'd like you, and want to be your friends. It wouldn't take too long. We'd just stop and meet everyone in turn, then buy what food I need, and come back here. Would that be...ok?”

Since he had woken up, this was the first time that Grim had felt any sort of uneasiness when conversing with Fluttershy. Taking special care to navigate the conversation Grim replied, “Accompanying you to the store would be no problem at all. But meeting other ponies is something very different. I will be honest with you; I am not very skilled in dealing with social situations.”

“What makes you say that?,” asked Fluttershy genuinely, her enthusiasm somewhat stymied.

“Well, others tend to view me as off-putting. You have been very gracious not to say so, but I know you have noticed I am not what one would label as 'normal'. My size alone is enough to invite fear or scorn, and my way of speech only serves to worsen things. Are you certain it is wise, allowing me to go?”

“Of course,” said Fluttershy in the most comforting of tones. “My friends are the best anypony could ever ask for. And Ponyville is full of all kinds of nice ponies.”

“Can you be sure? Of your friends' acceptance I mean. I do not wish to cause tension or strife with your personal affairs.”

“You won't have any problem at all. And I know my friends would really love to meet you. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but I would like it if you did.”

At Fluttershy's last words, Grim knew that by obligation he had no other choice in the matter. Reluctantly, he resolved his will and stood at attention. “If that is the case, then by my honor and duty I shall go.”

“Yay,” the yellow pegasus cheered softly as she put her front hooves together. “I'm so glad.”

“But what of the engagements to the animals you mentioned previously?”

“Oh, they'll be fine. They've had two weeks to get settled for the spring. One day without me should be ok. Hang on. I'll get my saddle bags, then we can go.” With that, Fluttershy cantered out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Grim eyed her as she left.

When he could hear her on the stairs his posture loosened, and he released a quiet sigh. 'This is not going to end well,' he thought to himself. Grim's brain buzzed with uneasy thoughts of past times in which he was thrust into interaction with other ponies. Memories of walking the streets of Canterlot, of gathering information from other ponies while on mission, of even trying to purchase some bread in city market districts snaked their way through his mind's eye like painful brambles. He had traveled across the entire country of Equestria, from east to west. He had been to all the major cities; Stalliongrad, Scotsdale, Cloudsdale, Manehattan, Saddleton, and others. Even these cosmopolitan centers, familiar with all types of visitors and transients, showed little acceptance of an oversized soldier stallion.

'Given that, I can only imagine what this Ponyville is going to be like,' thought Grim. 'I am sure Fluttershy is genuine in her belief, but that does not make it reality.' Grim cast his eyes absentmindedly about the entryway to the living room and stairs. He was looking for nothing in particular, but a glossy surface to the left caught his attention. He walked closer, and found it to be a pane of glass inset into a wooden piece of furniture; a pie safe. The piece was aged, and its wear was obvious, but it was otherwise clean and carefully kept. The glass had lost some of its translucence over the years, giving it the reflective quality that now showed Grim the image of his own face.

'Have I made a mistake?,' he mentally asked his own reflection. 'Was I presumptuous in the thought that I could repay her generosity?' Grim's muscles in his forelegs tensed, his anger at himself rising. 'Am I truly that desperate to escape my existence; I leap at the chance to pledge myself to another life? I should have known there would be social barriers. I should have anticipated this. I did anticipate it. I was merely too stubborn in my own wants and convictions; caught in the heat of emotion that should never have manifested itself.'

Grim's legs were tensed to their maximum, shaking upon the very floor. He could see the muscles in the jaw of his reflection bulging, the malice smoldering in his own eyes. 'Now I have supplanted myself in the life of an innocent filly, and nothing can come of this but pain. The ponies in town will reject me, and my past will find me out eventually. I am a damnable fool.'

Suddenly the small voice from earlier that morning rang through the roiling ire in Grim's head. 'Everything happens for a reason. How many times have you been told that? Maybe, just this once, you could take a chance?'

'Trust such a common adage, a meager justification for misfortune or some other happenstance? What good has that ever done?'

'The makings of a viable situation can sometimes lie within one's disposition. Even you can appreciate that.'

'Perhaps. But the corps will not sit idly by. I will be tracked here at some point. And social interaction only expedites such a possibility. Especially considering Fluttershy's friend, Twilight Sparkle. I did not remember at first, but I know all too well of her relationship with Celestia. It would only take one correspondence...'

'The chances of her making a connection would be slim at best. You have accepted much heavier risk before.'

'Those were risks associated with known variables. Another entity provides for an unknowable variable.'

'This is the first chance you have had in a long time to absolve yourself of your past and a life for which you did not ask. Would you make this opportunity a stillborn only out of some preconceived notions of social rejection and comeuppance?'

'Can I be blamed? I am a product of my past experiences. Everything I have known until now tells me I walk toward failure. Aside from that, it is not fair to involve another with my struggle. I have known her all of less than a day combined, but Fluttershy is the most genuine pony I have ever met. What right do I have to even ask something more of her?'

'Fluttershy showed you kindness unparalleled. If you will recall, there was another who showed you similar treatment once. Perhaps this time you could try to not bear the complete burden yourself, and allow the heart of another to work in your life. Perhaps that is the answer to your ultimate conundrum.'

Grim's rage subsided. The last words of his exchange with himself continued to echo in the depths of his mind. “The heart of another,” he whispered to himself. “Is the answer beyond my singular strength?”

“I'm back,” came Fluttershy's voice to Grim's right. “I'm sorry you had to wait on me. I had to find my bags. Is everything alright?” Fluttershy thought she had for the briefest of moments glimpsed anger on Grim's face.

Upon hearing Fluttershy's voice Grim instantaneously wiped his brain clear and reassumed his stoic, controlled air. He turned toward Fluttershy and purposefully widened his eyes in order to feign surprise. “Wrong? No, nothing is wrong. I was only admiring your kitchen. For all of your animal charges, you keep a very clean home.”

Fluttershy beamed at the compliment. “Thank you. I do what I can. It's not easy at times, but it's what I love to do, taking care of animals.” She had retrieved her saddlebags, which were now slung across her back under her folded wings. “So, are you ready to go? Do you need anything before we leave?”

“Not that I am aware. I am ready whenever you are.”

“Ok then. We can go out the front door.” Fluttershy led the way through the living room to the door. She opened it, and a radiant wave of sunshine flooded her body. She took a deep contented breath of the fresh outside air and stepped through the portal, followed by Grim. Fluttershy trotted out a ways down the path from her house, and Grim shut the front door behind himself before following. “Would you prefer to walk, or to fly?,” asked Fluttershy.

“I would prefer flight, if it makes no difference to you,” Grim said as he ruffled his wings. “My small adventure this morning was a good start, but I would like to test myself further. Would that be satisfactory?”

“Flying is fine with me. Should we take things slowly? Or would you want to go faster?”

Grim completely unfurled his wings in preparation for take off. “I will adopt your pace. It is up to you.”

Fluttershy brought her wings out and lifted herself gently into the air, like a leaf being caught by a small stream of wind. She flew up until she came level with a nearby tree top. “Alright. Why don't we go slow this time, and faster on the way back?”

“Agreed,” Grim responded. He raised his wings to their highest position, then with a mighty sweep he thrust his body into the air. The action sent a residual gust in all directions, and Fluttershy was unexpectedly knocked back a ways. Grim saw this, and slowed the frequency of his flapping to lower himself from the top of his take off to her level. “I am truly sorry,” he apologized with a note of worry. “Very rarely do I fly adjunct to anyone. I admittedly cannot gauge my own strength in good esteem. Are you hurt?”

“N-no,” Fluttershy stammered as she checked the security of her bags. “I'm not hurt. But thank you for asking.” She reached her head back and pulled on a protruding strap, tightening the buckle that held the binding about her middle. Finished, she swept some flyaway hair in her mane from her face and shakily smiled at Grim. “I didn't see that coming. I suppose I should have, looking at your wings. But I'm fine, honest.” She gave a last meaningful glance, then cocked her head pointedly. “Come on; town is this way.”

The smaller pegasus ascended over the forest canopy level and began heading in the direction of Ponyville, with Grim prudently in tow. Taking great care not to produce any more residual effects from his wings, Grim flew up alongside her. Fluttershy turned her head and observed him as he powered through the late morning air. Her eyes roved over his articulated muscles, and her ears synced themselves with the almost thunderous strokes of his wings. In the calm of the sky Grim's motion was almost mesmerizing as spots of sunlight were reflected and moved with the metal covering his wings.

Before she could stay her curiosity, Fluttershy chirped, “Is it difficult, flying with all that armor on?” After she had asked, Grim gave her an unreadable look. She immediately regretted asking. “I d-didn't mean to pry. I'm sorry. It was rude to ask”

Grim's mouth cracked into a knowing grin. “Curiosity is nothing of which to be ashamed. I fully understand you wishing to know. If I had a bit for every time I was asked, I would be considerably wealthy. In answer to your question, it was difficult at first. I grew into my wings very early, and they have always been strong. When I fashioned this armor for myself however, it was more burdensome than I had projected it would be, and the weight took some acclimation on my part. Moving my wings was a task in itself, and supporting the rest of my body in flight was another matter entirely. But as you can see, my body gained strength with time. Now I feel uncovered as a newborn foal without it.”

“I see.” Fluttershy pictured Grim as a large colt, trying to support the seemingly impossible weight on wings already too large for him. Then she came to a realization. “But, if it's ok to ask, how do you get it on by yourself? Isn't it at least a two pony job?”

“Ah. A more interesting question, that is,” said Grim, still bearing his grin. “I will answer you, if you will indulge me first. I wondered something as I prepared this morning. How exactly did you get my armor off. I do not mean offense, but such a feat would require a fair amount of strength and mechanical knowledge, neither of which I would have imagined that you possess.”

Fluttershy let out a quick laugh. “Well, to tell the truth, I more dragged it off of you than anything. I had to remove it to treat you properly, and I guess the urgency helped as far as being strong enough. Angel bunny actually found the clasps on your breast piece, and I don't know what he did for the wings. But once they were loose, I did whatever I could to drag them away from your body.”

“I am impressed. Your Angel is an exceptional companion. And you must be stronger than what your appearance would indicate.” Fluttershy allowed part of her mane to fly into her face, covering her sheepish expression. “My turn now, I suppose. You asked how I put my armor on? The true answer is actually rather involved, but the short version is that my armor possess many magical properties, both instilled and inherent. There is a process in the more advanced realms of arcane study known as “imprinting”. This process grants a certain user mental sovereignty over an object through magic, meaning the user can access through his or her mind the capabilities or functions of that object.”

“So what you're saying is that you can control your armor with your mind?,” Fluttershy marveled.

“That is the gist, yes. For example, I have two assemblies on each wing, connected with a ball-and-socket joint. Each assembly has under it two canvas straps that come together with a buckle, which holds it to my wing. By the power of imprinting, combined with the degrees of freedom of the canvas straps, magic moves the straps until they come together. Magic also buckles them together, and even can manipulate the ball-and-socket for better positioning. Bearing that in mind, all I must do to take up my armor is, say, hold my wing underneath the assembly, touch the top of my wing to it, and mentally will the assembly to affix itself to me.”

“That's sounds really amazing,” Fluttershy breathed in awe.

“I am sure it sounds more amazing than it actually is,” Grim replied modestly. “There is much more at work than imprinting mind you. A thorough understanding of the intricacies of Magical Mechanic Theory is crucial, and when dealing with objects that are polymorphic, the mathematics and runic inscriptions can be-” Grim cut off abruptly. He screwed up his face and cocked his ear into the wind, listening intently.

“Grim? Is something the matter?”

“Do you hear that?” Grim's voice had shifted to a deep, harsh rasp.

Fluttershy listened out, now in a state of waxing panic. “I don't hear-” She stopped. Without warning Grim wheeled in her direction and lunged at her, his wings held at full span after propelling himself. She could only watch in adrenaline filled wonder and horror, her mind throwing the scene into slow motion, as the giant pegasus hugged her to himself with his front legs and fanned his massive wings about them.

Her ears pounding from a fear-stricken heart and the cadence of flapping, Fluttershy instinctively looked up from her embrace to try and see what was happening. At first she could see only Grim's mane being whipped about in the air, but in a miniscule frame of time in which it was blown back, she saw something streaking toward them from up above at breakneck speed. In the next instant Grim's entire body jarred forward, and a loud thud resounded above Fluttershy's head.

The now terrorized mare buried her face in the valley of Grim's neck and shoulder, unwilling to look to see what had collided with them. She braced the rest of her body as best she could, and perked her ears to listen, though she really only wished the danger would go away. Initially the only sound following the thud was the continued beat of Grim's wings. Then, like the straining of a tree in the wind, a groan came from where the object had crashed.

“What- what happened? Hey, this isn't the ground.”

Fluttershy pitched her head upward, searching for the face of the pony that had spoken. She knew that voice all too well. Her suspicion was confirmed when she could see a tuft of multicolored hair jutting from somewhere over Grim's neck. “Rainbow Dash?!,” she called, elation building inside her at the knowledge she was not, in fact, in mortal peril.

The tuft of hair moved at Fluttershy's calling, and the sky blue pegasus named Rainbow Dash peaked over the side of Grim's head. “Wha- Fluttershy? What are you doing? What is this?”

“I think it is I who should be asking,” Grim answered, steadiness having returned to his voice, “considering it is you who has landed on my neck.”

Rainbow Dash faltered, nearly falling to one side of Grim's body. “Whoa. Who said that? Who's there?!”

“Down here,” said Grim as he tossed his head in annoyance. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air, then came down to a hover at face level with Grim. She went to say something, then halted as her attention was drawn to Fluttershy, still held closely in Grim's embrace.

“Hey pal, just what do you think you're tryin' to pull?,” Rainbow spat as she pointed at the sight before her.

Grim looked down at his middle to where Rainbow was pointing. He then realized what she had meant by her questioning admonition. “Are you alright, Fluttershy?,” he asked calmly, loosening his hold on her body.

Fluttershy let herself drop through Grim's legs, then flew up to a hover on level with Rainbow and Grim. “I- I'm fine,” came her tremulous voice. “I'm not hurt.”

“What do you have to say for yourself?,” Rainbow demanded of Grim.

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy whimpered.

Grim's annoyance was deepening by the second. “I could ask you the same question. What reckless abandon was that, hurtling through the sky with no control of your flight path? Are you touched in the head?”

“Grim,” Fluttershy whimpered more worriedly.

“I have no idea what you said, but it sounded like an insult. You wanna go?” Rainbow put up her front legs and made a punching gesture.

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy tried for a third time.

“From what I have seen, that will not be necessary. I should let you go about your business; you will injure your own self soon enough.”

“I'll fly circles around you,you-”

“WAIT!,” Fluttershy yelled as loudly as she could. Grim and Rainbow turned to look at her. Her one spurt of courage now exhausted, Fluttershy then shrank back in her timidity. “I'm sorry,” she murmured. “It's just that you two weren't listening.” She glided to Rainbow's side. “Rainbow Dash, there's no need to be mad. He was just trying to protect me. Weren't you Grim?”

Grim nodded sternly. “I was. I could hear something rushing through the air, and when I saw what I know now to be you, I instinctively threw myself around her as a shield,” Grim explained to Rainbow.

“See? That's all that happened,” Fluttershy chimed.

“Oh,” said Rainbow as embarrassment was beginning to build within her face. She rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “Oh. Well, I...didn't know that. Wait. Fluttershy, you know this guy?”

“Oh yes. Don't you recognize him? Well, maybe you don't. The last time you saw him, he was unconscious on my living room floor with bandages all over. Rainbow Dash, this is my new friend. This is Grim.”

Chapter 4, Part II - Ponyville's New Arrival

“WAIT!,” Fluttershy yelled as loudly as she could. Grim and Rainbow turned to look at her. Her one spurt of courage now exhausted, Fluttershy shrank back in her timidity. “I'm sorry,” she murmured. “It's just that you two weren't listening.” She glided to Rainbow's side. “Rainbow Dash, there's no need to be mad. He was just trying to protect me. Weren't you Grim?”

Grim nodded sternly. “I was. I could hear something hurtling through the air, and when I saw what I now know to be you, I instinctively threw myself around her as a shield,” Grim explained to Rainbow.

“See? That's all that happened,” Fluttershy chimed

“Oh,” said Rainbow as embarrassment was beginning to build within her face. She rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “Oh. Well, I...didn't know that. Wait. Fluttershy, you know this guy?”

“Yes. Don't you recognize him? Well, maybe you don't. The last time you saw him, he was unconscious on my living room floor with bandages all over. Rainbow Dash, this is my new friend. This is Grim. Grim, this is Rainbow Dash. She's one of my best friends I was telling you about.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow in concentration. “Unconscious? Bandages? Fluttershy, what are you- ?” Then the connection dawned upon her. Her face lit up in her new found understanding. “Hey, you're the pegasus that got beaten to a pulp!”

Grim was very unamused at Rainbow's observation. “That is...one way of phrasing it, I suppose.” With difficulty he suppressed his rising resentment, and proffered a hoof. “As Fluttershy said, my name is Grim. Rainbow Dash, is it?,” he attempted with a polite coolness.

Rainbow pounded her hoof on top of Grim's, not the particular gesture he had in mind, and did a quick aerial back flip. “You got that right. Rainbow Dash is the name, and speed is the game. I specialize in agility, adrenaline, and winning. Nice to meet ya.”

“Likewise,” Grim replied halfheartedly, retracting his hoof.

“Wow, look at that,” Rainbow marveled as she began to survey her new acquaintance. “Those wings you've got are awesome. I've never seen anything like them, even in competition. Are you a pro? Is that what all the flashy metal's for, like your costume?”

“A 'pro'? You mean professional? Professional what, exactly?”

“You know, like a stunt flyer. I figured you had to do something like that since you ended up out here near Ponyville. Were you, like, practicing over the forest and crashed? I know I crash a lot.”

“No Rainbow. He's not a performer,” Fluttershy informed her friend. “He's a soldier. And that's armor, not a costume. I showed you all when you came over that time, remember?”

“Armor?” Rainbow Dash craned her neck to gain a better view of Grim's body. She could now see not only the plating on his wings, but the cascade covering his back as well. She also noticed his breast piece and bracers. “I guess it is, isn't it? Huh. A soldier. What kind?”

“Pegasus Royal Air Corps, Royal Guard Division.”

“Oh, ok. So you're like one of those guards Princess Celestia always has with her?,” inquired Rainbow. She let her eyes wander over Grim's form, taking in the detail. “You look kinda like them, but you're way bigger than the other ones. And you actually talk. I can't get a reaction out of those other guys for anything.”

“The Royal Guard Division does encompass Celestia's personal guard, but there are classes within the division. In reality I am rather dissimilar from the guards to whom you are referring.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow again. “What's with the whole 'proper speech' thing? Where are you from?”

“Canterlot I suppose is the abbreviated answer. It is the location of my quarters, and where I spend my time when not out on mission,” answered Grim, fighting back his fraying patience.

“Canterlot makes sense I guess,” Rainbow shrugged. She looked more closely at the large feathered structures supporting Grim in flight. “So how do you fly? You're totally covered in metal. I've never even seen armored wings before. That's gotta be heavy.”

“It is heavy. But I am quite strong, and thoroughly trained.”

“That's cool. I do a lot of training myself.” Rainbow poked her chest out in pride. “That's what I was doing when I- well, when we- met,” she finished weakly.

“Training?,” queried Grim, a small spark of interest ignited despite his urge to snort. “For what, may I ask, were you training?”

“The Wonderbolts,” Rainbow breathed with awe in her voice. “One day I'm gonna be the best flyer in Equestria, the head of the Sky Team.”

Grim maintained his even tone, warning himself that it could be catastrophic to tarnish any social interaction, especially before even making it to town. “That is a lofty goal. I know a few of the members of the Sky Team, and some racers as well. I find some of them to be unsavory characters, but there are some decent individuals in turn.”

“Oh my gosh! You know some of the Wonderbolts? Could you introduce me?,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed at Grim's remark.

“I am afraid I do not know them that well. The Wonderbolts sometimes participate in joint exercises with the Guard for mobility and maneuver training. I oversee it on occasion, and that is how I came to know them. That is the extent of the relationship however.”

Rainbow's face fell, her enthusiasm shattered as quickly as it had appeared. “Oh. Ok then. Never mind.”

“I am sorry to disappoint,” Grim said, feeling a mild remorse.

“No, it's cool. I understand.” Rainbow forced a confident look. “I don't need an introduction anyway. I'll get there by letting my flying speak for itself.”

“I believe in you Rainbow Dash,” came Fluttershy with soft vigor. “You'll do it for sure.” She put her hoof up in the air in a celebratory manner.

“Been practicing your cheering I see,” Rainbow stated with a strong note of sarcasm.

“Not really. Did it sound like I have been? Was it that good?”

Rainbow put her hoof to her face. “It was definitely something.” Fluttershy beamed at her friend, having missed the slight. Rainbow shook her head. She made to say something more, but stopped as an idea struck her. “Hey,” she directed at Grim, “You said you did training or something with the Wonderbolts right? Can you race?” Her enthusiasm was again increasing. “I bet you can fly fast if you take that stuff off. You want to?!”

Fluttershy came forward and placed a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. “Rainbow, I don't think that's a good idea. Grim was hurt pretty badly, and he just woke up yesterday. He needs more time to heal.”

“But he's flying right now. Why not? One race won't put him down or anything.”

“He has to take it slow. You remember how bad he looked before don't you? Recovery from that doesn't come instantly.”

“I know, but what's one race?”

Grim cleared his throat to gain the mares' attention. “I am afraid I would have to agree with Fluttershy. Forgive me Rainbow Dash, but no. A race would be out of the question.” Rainbow made to protest, but Grim continued. “I do feel perfectly fine, but Fluttershy has been kind enough to see to my care thus far, and I will heed her advice until she is satisfied.” Rainbow did not speak in turn, but threw Grim a disgruntled look. To salvage the situation, Grim appended, “But, as an aside, I will say that from what I observed earlier, you would almost certainly best me in contest. My body is purpose built for strength, not speed. I doubt all the power I could muster would avail me much.”

“Yeah. I guess you've got a point,” Rainbow conceded. “It still would have been fun though.” She looked out over the landscape in the direction of Ponyville. The sun was high in the sky now, almost at noon position. The landscape beneath them was a vibrant mosaic of greens and pastels produced from the foliage now blossoming forth for spring. “What were you guys doing out here anyway? Were you going to town?”

“We were,” Fluttershy answered. “I ran out of a few things at home, and needed to go shopping. Grim woke up, and he'll be here a while longer to finish recovering, so I thought he could come to town with me and meet my friends.”

Rainbow Dash jabbed Grim playfully in the shoulder, making a soft dunk on his armor. “Well alright. Any friend of Fluttershy's is a friend of mine.” Grim smiled faintly at Rainbow Dash, though he was slightly perturbed at her invasion of personal space. Rainbow addressed Fluttershy, “Hang on though. You haven't been to town at all yet, right?”

“That's right,” Fluttershy nodded.

A mischievous grin snaked its way across Rainbow's face. “So he hasn't met Pinkie Pie yet, has he?”

“Oh...uh...well, no. I was actually going to-”

Rainbow Dash bolted up in the air a few feet, her wings beating at a quickened pace. “Sorry Grim, I just remembered. I have to go do something in town. Like right now. I gotta go.” At that, the pegasus zipped away toward town, leaving a rainbow streak in her wake. Before she was completely out of sight, she stopped and yelled back. “Oh, and it was cool to meet you.” She waved once, then she was gone.

Grim watched for a moment, then turned back to Fluttershy. He had an unsettled feeling about Rainbow's final words to her friend, and from the expression on her face, Fluttershy had a similar notion. “Her last words seemed to imply something. Should I be concerned at all?”

Fluttershy tried to subdue her anxiety about Rainbow speeding off to town. She knew all too well of the duo composed of Rainbow and Pinkie, and the trouble of which they were capable. Either one had sizable potential on their own, but together they were a force nigh unstoppable. Grim had already expressed caution at social circumstance, and Fluttershy could only hope that Rainbow had enough forethought not to be too overbearing with her plans.

“I don't think there's anything to worry about,” soothed Fluttershy bravely. “I'm sure she just wanted to go get some of the girls together is all. Ponyville doesn't get new arrivals very often, and my friends are spread out over town. She's probably just getting them together to make your welcome easier.”

“I see. But before she went, she made it sound as though she had a prior engagement. She also made reference to me meeting someone. Pinkie Pie, I think she said.”

Fluttershy quickly thought out her reply. She didn't want to give Grim cause to worry, but she had a vivid idea of what to expect at some point on their excursion. “That's right. Pinkie Pie is another one of my best friends. She works at a bakery, and Rainbow Dash is probably going to tell her about you so they can...can... ” She had done it now. She knew Grim would pick up on her hesitation. “M-make plans,” she spluttered finally.

Grim cocked an eyebrow in suspicion. “Make plans?,” he repeated.

“That's right, make plans.” Fluttershy smiled nervously.

“What kind of plans?,” Grim pressed slowly. “Not plans for me, I hope.”

“Well, maybe,” said Fluttershy, trying her best not to be untruthful.

“Maybe?,” Grim repeated again.

“Maybe,” Fluttershy asserted.

“You are not sure as to the means or purpose of said plans?”

“I have a good idea.” Fluttershy once more reproached herself for another conversational mistake. She briefly wished she had some of Grim's even-keeled nature.

“Ah. And what, may I ask, is your idea?”

“Well, they'll probably have a cake for you.” Fluttershy was going to say anything she could to avoid uttering that certain word that was ringing in her head.

“Cake?”

Suddenly Fluttershy had a stroke of brilliance. She seized on the possible outlet she had created. “That's right, cake. Pinkie works at a bakery, and just loves sweets. They'll probably make a cake to welcome you.”

Grim's eyebrows righted themselves, the suspicion waning in his face. “Oh. I understand. Well, that is...very welcoming of them. I hope they do not trouble themselves too much.”

“Oh no, they'll be happy to.” Fluttershy instantly began to relax. “They love making new friends. And like I said, Ponyville doesn't get new arrivals very often.”

“Your friends are just as you described, if Rainbow Dash is an example of their collective attitudes,” Grim commented. “Are they all so brash, however?”

Fluttershy laughed. “No, all my friends are pretty different from one another. Rainbow does everything fast. Sometimes her feelings get ahead of her thoughts, but once she's your friend you won't find anyone more loyal.” The pastel pegasus drifted in the direction of town. “If it's ok, we should keep going. It'll be afternoon soon.”

Grim made to follow, still taking care not to use excessive force. “Lead on.”

The pair continued on their way to Ponyville. The remainder of the journey was fairly short; they had made good progress before the encounter with Rainbow Dash. As they approached the edge of town the larger vegetation began to recede in favor of small shrubs, bushes, and semi-wild flowers. Grim could begin to see in the distance the ends of cobbled streets, extending out from in between some of the buildings. A few of the chimneys were emitting wispy columns of smoke, and the sounds of activity could be heard ever so slightly on the wind.

As Grim's apprehension was swelling in his chest, Fluttershy began her descent. Grim dutifully followed, and the two landed on one of the cobbled outcroppings from an alleyway. They folded their wings, the larger with some minor accompanying metallic sounds, and Fluttershy rounded on Grim with an expectant smile. “Well, we made it. This is Ponyville. See? Nothing to worry about.”

“Perhaps. But we have not actually entered town yet, by my reckoning,” Grim pointed out.

“Oh. Well, no, we haven't.” Fluttershy adopted the most calming tone she could. “But I promise there's nothing to worry about. I didn't make us land directly in the market area, so we'll attract as little attention as possible. We'll walk right in, go meet a friend of mine, and go about the day. Easy.”

Grim swallowed his instincts against his better judgment, and decided to trust in Fluttershy's beliefs. “If you can possess such confidence, then I suppose some small amount of faith on my part is warranted.”

“That's the spirit. Come on. This alley lets out right at the market.” The hoof beats of the two pegasi echoed softly off the ground stones and the walls on either side of the alley. Chatter and other noises could now be heard from somewhere within the town ahead, the source of activity drawing ever closer. The shadows in the alley, combined with the contrast of sunlight at its mouth, created an illusion of a tunnel leading to something unforeseeable, an effect Grim thought he could quite do without.

Fluttershy was in front, and was the first to step out into the day. She disappeared for the briefest of moments, her coat blending seamlessly with the crème sunlight. Then her silhouette materialized, and she gave a beckoning gesture. Grim paused just at the edge of the comforting shadows. He slowly exhaled, his proud, stern posture unchanged, then followed suit and stepped into the early afternoon air.

The bustling that had been muffled in the alley was now fully audible, an amalgam of hoof beats, shouted greetings, and pleasant conversation. Grim listened as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the day, anticipating the instant in which it all stopped, and he would feel the stares of the other ponies in disdain or fear. But his eyes countered the sun's light, revealing the scene of the market and the ponies browsing its offerings. The ponies continued talking with one another, continued haggling with defensive vendors, continued about their business. The instant never came.

Grim cautiously cast his eyes about the outside venue. He caught a few passing glances here and there, but no one performed the usual act of stopping and gawking. Unwilling to compromise his guard Grim told himself he had yet to even step out into the market proper, but the gait he took in following Fluttershy was one of a mildly lightened heart. Fluttershy made her way past wooden crates and stacks of merchandise to a booth set up in an open area of the north market. Grim assumed it to be the booth of a local farmer. Piles of sacks marked with pictures of vegetables lined the front, and open containers of smaller produce covered the booth's counter top. Of particular note were the barrel stacks, four barrels high and taller even than Grim, surrounding the booth. Each barrel had a large centered picture of a plump green apple faced out.

Fluttershy had made it to the counter, and Grim drew up alongside her. He peered over the edge and to each side of the wooden installation, but could find no one who looked as though they were conducting business. “It seems as though the merchant is not here,” Grim observed.

“She should be here,” said Fluttershy. She mimicked Grim in looking around, then turned to possibly find the pony she wanted in rest of the market. “She wouldn't be setup otherwise. I wonder where she could be?”

As Grim made to reply he was interrupted by a loud, drawling yell from somewhere nearby. “Watch out, she's comin' down!” Grim jerked his head in the direction of the voice. He didn't see anyone immediately, but caught some movement out of his peripheral vision. His attention was drawn upward, to the top barrel in one of the stacks; the stack next to Fluttershy. The barrel was teetering precariously, and as he watched he realized the entire tower was swaying, with the timid mare directly in harm's way.

Without a word Grim threw his wing over Fluttershy, keeping it bent so that his long winghand covered her head and most of her back. Fluttershy, unaware of the danger above, squeaked in fear at the whoosh of Grim's wing and the sudden shadow around her. Her legs buckled, and she fell low, nearly into a prone position. The tower strained in Grim's direction, the wood creaking against the metal hoops. It slowed, and as it reached the end of its elastic range the bottom barrel shifted, initiating collapse. Fluttershy squeaked again at the noise; she covered her head with her front hooves, and her body began to tremble.

Three large, apple-filled barrels came down across Grim's wing and back. As they made contact with his armor the hoops clanged and snapped, flying every which way. The wood splintered, and the apples within were freed. They thundered as they hit the plating, their momentum arrested, then rolled down safely into the dirt below. Grim did not flinch at the resulting cacophony, but admitted surprise to himself at the weight of the fruits.

The last of the apples rolled to the ground. The stack had fallen, and the danger had past. Grim checked the other stacks near the booth to make sure it was safe. Satisfied that all movement had ceased, he flicked some lingering apple flesh from his wing and brought it in, then quickly assessed Fluttershy's condition. She was still on the ground, her body rife with tremors. Grim frowned. He knelt down and gave his best effort at an allaying voice. “Fluttershy? Fluttershy, it is safe now. There is nothing to fear.”

Fluttershy's body calmed itself when she heard the utterance of her name in Grim's deep rumble. She uncovered her head and raised it up to find his face. Her voice was weak from the ordeal. “W-w-what happened? Grim?”

“I gave you an unnecessary fright, and for that I am sorry.” Grim wore an apologetic expression. “The barrels near you were falling. I did not warn you, but merely reacted. Forgive me.”

Fluttershy looked around at the scene before her. Bruised apples and pieces of wood littered the area, and ponies were crowding at a distance, murmuring and jostling to try to see what had happened. She tried to process what Grim had said. “I don't understand. What did you do?”

“I saw that the barrels were unsteady, and I-”

A caramel colored pony with a brown stetson on her head came rushing up. She skirted around Grim and went to Fluttershy's side, kneeling down as well and hugging the pink-maned pony tightly. “Oh, 'Shy. I'm so sorry,” she choked. “I had no idea you were there. I'd'a saved ya m'self if I could. You ok?”

“Applejack. There you are. Yes, I'm alright. I'm not sure what happened though.”

Applejack loosed her hug. She took Fluttershy by her hooves and helped her to stand, then turned to Grim with her eyes full of teary relief. “Mister, I cain't even start thankin' ya. I saw the whole thing from the other side o' the booth there. Are you ok too?”

Grim's first thought was to inform the shopkeeper of how careless she could be to endanger pedestrians like she had. He stopped however upon seeing her interaction with Fluttershy, and thought it best to remain reservedly polite. “I am fine, thank you. But if I may, someone else would not have fared nearly as well in the same circumstance. Perhaps you should reconsider how you display your wares?”

“I still don't understand. What's going on?,” Fluttershy asked as she dusted off her legs with her wings.

Applejack took the initiative. “Somepony brushed up against that stack o' barrels ya'll were standin' next to. They started rockin', an' I knew they were comin' down, so I yelled out that warnin'. I guess you didn't pay it no mind, but this fella here did.” Applejack indicated Grim with a nod. “I came back round the booth just in time ta see all the apples fall on top of 'im, his wing coverin' you 'n all. Never seen anythin' like it.”

Fluttershy gasped. She had finally wrapped her mind around the event. “That sudden shadow. That was you, wasn't it Grim? That was your wing. You let those apples fall on top of you, didn't you?”

“I can assure you it sounds more dramatic than what actually transpired. I felt very little.” Grim tapped his breast piece at this. “And as I said, I merely reacted.”

“But surely you didn't just have to throw yourself underneath like that. You could have gotten hurt too, and after just starting to really get better.”

“Now hold on just a second there,” Applejack interjected. “Fluttershy, you know this fella?”

“I do,” Fluttershy answered cheerily. “You do too, although I guess you wouldn't say you actually 'met' him. Applejack, this is Grim. He's the pegasus I've been taking care of.”

Applejack stepped back from Grim and took stock of him with this new information. Her eyes moved from the ground up, over his this bracers, along the profiles of his muscles to his chest piece, then up to his stony but none the less handsome visage. She craned her neck to one side and saw the large, metal laden structures folded and hanging about his knees.

“Well I'll be,” Applejack wondered aloud after having finished her appraisal. “It is you, i'n it? I declare.” The caramel colored pony extended a hoof and smiled warmly. “It's good ta see ya out 'n about. Name's Applejack. It's a pleasure.”

Grim took the hoof with his own, and the two shook. He noted mentally his appreciation for this friend's demeanor much more in comparison to Rainbow Dash. “The pleasure is all mine,” he replied genuinely. “Grim is my name.”

“Grim, huh?” Applejack reached under her hat and scratched the top of her head absentmindedly. “There's one I hadn't heard before. I'm gonna take a wild guess 'n say yer not from around here. Mind if I ask where ya come from?”

It was now Grim's turn to inspect his new acquaintance. Applejack was nearly identical in size to Fluttershy. She had no wings, but her legs showed a much greater degree of muscular definition, likely a product of prolonged manual labor. Grim detected a distinct air of practicality; a hat to ward away the sun, and her mane and tail bound at the ends out of a sense of purpose rather than style. Her speech was very rustic, a complete foil to his own manner, but it was not without its charm. “Not at all. Canterlot is my home. I reside at the Royal Palace, in the barracks.”

“Barracks? I s'pose that'd make you a soldier or som’n?”

“Correct. Pegasus Royal Air Corps, Royal Guard Division,” Grim stated mechanically.

“Well that clears a few things up on my end.” Applejack pushed up her hat and glanced down at Grim's chest. “That sure is some fancy metal you got there Grim.” She then eyed the ground and the fragments of wood and apple strewn about. She sighed. “Did the trick against my apple barrels anyway. I know I said it before, but I'm pow'rful sorry 'bout that. You sure you ain’t hurt?”

“I am fine, and it is of no concern now. Apology accepted. However, if I may ask, I doubt you were able to stack those barrels yourself, considering your height. Is it not unwise to have them arranged in a fashion difficult for you to control?”

Applejack chuckled evasively. “Well, yeah, you got a point there. My brother, Big Macintosh, put the barrels up. Normally I hold down the stall by m'self, and he stays on our farm to do chores. He got flustered ‘cause I wanted ta git the last o' the winter harvest out to make room in the storage cellars, an' he had ta come up ta the market to help me, then go back ta work his share.

“He'd just as soon put 'em up high than arrangin' 'em, an' that's what he did. He's about the biggest stallion in Ponyville, so four high wasn't a problem for him. Speakin' of...” Applejack stood purposefully straight and took a step forward. She seemed to be gauging a point on Grim's neck with her eyes. “Yer definitely a lot bigger when yer not sprawled out on the floor. I reckon ya even got Big Mac beat.”

“Do you really think so?,” Fluttershy asked as she looked up at Grim's head, as though truly noticing his size for the first time.

“Oh yeah. I'd say 'bout half an apple taller. Not much, but just enough ta make Mac jealous.” Applejack winked at Grim and chided, “My brother's always taken a bit o' pride in bein' the biggest around. I bet you two'd make good friends though; he wouldn't mind havin' someone ta talk to where he didn't have ta look down. But speakin' o' bein' around; you mind if I ask what brought you round these parts in the first place Grim?”

Grim was suddenly very much aware of the crowd of ponies in the market. They had maintained a distance, but their rapt engrossment was almost palpable in the air now. He could hear bits and pieces of muttered conversations within.

“Wow mama, who's he? He's like the biggest stallion ever!”

“What was his name? Grim? That's kinda scary.”

“Look at that armor. And those wings. What in the world is a soldier doing here?”

“Did you see how that stuff falling on him didn't do anything? What kind of stallion is he?”

Tension was beginning to rise within his chest as Grim decided how best to answer Applejack's question. “Begging your pardon,” he breathed as he leaned in toward Applejack, his eyes roving over the onlookers, “But perhaps those types of questions are best saved for a less exposed setting. It seems I've garnered some speculation for my actions.”

Applejack followed Grim's eyes. She could see that the market ponies were listening much closer than manners should allow. She gave the crowd an annoyed look and took a step in their direction. “Alright folks, ain't nothin' ta see here,” she dismissed. “Everypony's fine. G'w'on now, ya'll know better 'n ta stare.”

Obviously displeased, the ponies began to disband. They went to continue their previous business, and slowly the sounds of the busy market returned. Fluttershy blushed at the attention they had drawn. “Oh, Applejack. You didn't have to do that. We could have just gone somewhere else.”

“Nah. They needed tellin'. There's curious, an' then there's nosy. Don't be mistaken Grim, we got good folks here in Ponyville. But fer whatever reason we get our fair share of excitement fer a small town. Ponies always gotta know what's goin' on.” Applejack nudged an apple fragment on the ground. “Well, anyway, what brings ya'll to the market today? Just checkin' things out?”

“Not really. We came looking for you, actually,” Fluttershy answered her friend.

“Lookin' fer me?” Applejack gave a short snort of laughter. “That's one way o' doin' it. Well, now that we're here, what can I do for ya? You need som'n off the farm?”

“I do. Several things, if that's ok.”

“O' course Shy. Anythin' fer you. Shoot.”

“Um, let's see. I need...” Fluttershy thought critically. “What did I need?”

“Oats, wheat flour, corn meal, and hay,” Grim rattled off. “At least those were the items that you mentioned this morning.”

Fluttershy's face pinkened. “Oh, thank you Grim. That's right Applejack; I need oats, wheat flour, corn meal, and hay.”

“No problem. Lemme see what I got.” The farm pony hopped over the counter of her stand and began to rummage through the stock she kept behind. “Alright. I got corn meal.” She set a few bags aside. “An' I got oats.” She pulled several more bags to the side. “An' I got wheat flour.” She piled still more bags on top of the others. “But as far as hay goes-” She shifted other wares around and frowned. She spun slowly in place in search of something, then came back to Fluttershy. “Sorry, sugarcube. I got everythin' ya asked for, 'cept hay. I bet I got some back at the farm though. Ya'll wanna stop by later today n' git some? Or if ya want I'n just deliver it to ya t'mara mornin'.”

“No, Applejack, I couldn't ask you to do that. And I don't want to impose at your house. No, I can just pick it up here tomorrow during the day. That's the least trouble for you.”

“Ain't no trouble,” Applejack assured Fluttershy. “I'n come by yer place t'mara mornin' on my way to town.”

“No,” Fluttershy objected softly. “I'll just come tomorrow and pick it up then. But thank you for offering.”

Applejack shrugged. “Alright then, if'n ya say so. What about all this here then? How much ya need?”

“Two bags of each should be fine. That will last a while.”

“Sure thing.” Applejack took a pencil from the counter into her mouth. “C-M, Oat, W-F; two bags E,” she said through her clenched teeth as she wrote on a nearby ledger. “Charge yer town account for this, right?,” she asked Fluttershy.

“Please.”

“Charge to town account,” Applejack mumbled. “Ya'll gonna pick up now, or wait 'till t'mara for the hay?,” she asked, her teeth still clenched.

“Can we get what you have at the end of the day today? We actually had a couple more stops to make. Grim will have to stay here a little while longer to recover completely, so I thought it might be nice to introduce him to my best friends in Ponyville since you were all so concerned for him.”

Applejack finished with her pencil and ledger and placed it back on the counter. “Pick up at the end o' today's fine. And that's nice seein' everyone. So what'd'ya think o' Ponyville so far Grim? It ain't Canterlot, mind.”

“It seems to be a fine community,” Grim stated politely. “But it is odd; I have yet to meet anyone without an accompanying incident.”

Applejack pushed her hat to one side sheepishly. “Ya don't say. Who else have ya met?”

“Well, the first would be Fluttershy, when I strayed into her yard bloodied and broken. And just this morning as we were coming to town we happened upon Rainbow Dash. Or rather, she happened upon us.”

Applejack huffed disapprovingly. “Crashed inta ya, didn' she?”

“It is a recurring theme then, I presume?,” Grim mused with a hint of a grin.

“Yeah, you could say that. She's a great friend 'n all, no denyin'. Wouldn't trade 'er fer nothin'. But she ain't without her faults. Then again, none of us are I s'pose.”

Grim nodded sanctimoniously. “Very true indeed.”

“I like you,” declared Applejack heartily. “Ya talk fancy, but yer alright Grim. I think ya'll'll fit in just fine round here.”

“Thank you most sincerely,” Grim returned with as much heartiness as his demeanor would allow. “I admit reservation initially, but so far everyone has been most welcoming.”

“It's my pleasure.” Applejack spoke to Fluttershy. “So what other stops do ya'll have ta make today?”

“Oh, just going to see the other girls. I thought we should take things easy today. Grim only came to last night.”

“Land sakes.” Applejack's eyes surveyed Grim one more time from the ground up, marking his reserved stance that almost produced an air of rigidity. “Best save Pinkie Pie for last, I think,” she commented pointedly. “Somethin' tells me excitement ain't what he's lookin' for.”

Fluttershy deliberately kept her gaze fixed on Applejack, unwilling to reciprocate Grim's now searching look. “I had the same feeling. I know everything will turn out just fine though.”

“It will.” Applejack nudged Grim. “Well ya'll best get goin' if you still got things ta do. Daylight's burnin'. An' I got some cleanin' ahead o' me, looks like.”

“Don't you want some help with the mess?,” Fluttershy offered genially.

Applejack waved her hoof away in dismissal. “Nah, it's my mess. Cain't ask that of ya. Thanks though. Now g'w'on. You got comp'ny.”

“Ok then. Thank you for taking my order.”

“Any time. Ya'll can come by the stand whenever. It'll be under the counter for ya.”

Grim bowed his head. “It has been a delight, Applejack. Until next time.”

“Same here, Grim. I'm sure I'll be seein' ya again real soon. Take care.”

With that, Fluttershy went right toward a row of houses with Grim following closely behind. Grim waited until they had walked far enough to be out of earshot before asking, “Fluttershy, Applejack was the second friend to make mention of this 'Pinkie Pie'. She recommended that you 'save her for last' I believe was her phrasing. May I inquire as to what she meant by such a statement?”

Fluttershy bit her lip nervously. “Well..,” she began slowly. “Well...what Applejack meant was...was that Pinkie Pie probably has something planned for you. You know, like a cake, like we talked about earlier. We should wait so she has enough time for what she wants to do.”

“I see. But Applejack also used the word 'excitement'. I cannot speak for you, but I for one have never found cake to be particularly exciting. Do you know what she meant by that?”

“Oh, Pinkie Pie is just easily excitable. That's all,” Fluttershy explained away quickly. She was getting better at this. “And you were so calm after the apple thing, she probably figured you just don't get excited that much.” She was getting much better at this.

“Of course.” Grim did not voice his inclination to the contrary of Fluttershy's words, but maintained it nonetheless. “Please forgive me if I sounded suspicious. It merely struck me as odd that both Rainbow Dash and Applejack mentioned her.”

Fluttershy was relieved that she had again avoided revealing the likely inescapable conclusion to their outing. “No, you're fine. Here, this way.” They had reached the end the row of houses, and Fluttershy lead to the left. Grim rounded the corner, and saw a somewhat larger building set away in the distance. It was circular in architecture, and adorned with vibrant colors and decorative accents. It had two stories, and tapered off to a conical steeple at the top. Several silhouettes of ponies could be seen flying on poles around the second tier, and numerous patterns, shapes, and filigrees wound their ways about every part of the place. The word 'frilly' came to Grim's mind.

“Where are we going next?,” Grim queried, though he doubted he needed to ask.

“It's right up ahead; the boutique at the end there. That's where my friend Rarity lives.”

“Boutique? Is she a merchant like Applejack then?”

“Yes. Well, I guess that's the word. She designs all sorts of clothes and accessories, then makes them to sell. So yes, she is.”

“A business in fashion; that certainly elucidates her shop's appearance.”

“Isn't it just lovely? I love coming over to Rarity's on a quiet afternoon.” The pair made their way up to the front door of the boutique. Fluttershy opened the door and stepped through, motioning Grim inside as well. He entered through the portal, and a small bell at the top of the frame tinkled merrily as it was brushed by the door closing behind him.

Grim was greeted by an onslaught of color as his eyes adjusted to indoors. The space into which they had come was less of a room and more of a small galleria. Here and there were racks of carefully hung clothing pieces, each different from the one next to it. Interspersed among the racks were stands hung with fanciful hats and mannequin ponies sporting some of the more flashy or elegant ensembles. To the right of the door was a raised platform with a tri-fold mirror for, Grim assumed, trying on outfits. The air of the place bore the faint smell of perfume, and as he looked closer he was fairly certain he could make out small shimmering particles in the air. 'If ever there was a place I do not belong,' he thought, 'I believe I may have found it.'

“Just a moment, please! I'll be right with you!,” chirped a singsong voice from somewhere out of sight.

“Oh, don't rush Rarity. It's just me,” Fluttershy called back.

“Ooh, Fluttershy. I'm so glad you came by today. I meant to get your opinion on something yesterday, but I completely forgot. I'm finishing it up now. Wait right there.”

Grim had determined the origin of the voice; it was coming from behind a yellow dressing screen near the back of the room. As he watched, the screen developed a crystalline blue aura and shifted to the left, revealing the pony who had spoken. She had a snow white coat, and her tail of deep purple was styled in a large sweeping curl. What could be seen of the mane on her neck was also curled, the rest covered by a very extravagant hat perched on her head. She was not looking at Grim and Fluttershy, but at herself in a large panel mirror against the wall.

“How does it look from the back darling?,” the white pony asked. “I think it looks smashing in the front.”

“Oh Rarity, I think it's wonderful. Maybe one of your best yet.”

“Do you think so?,” asked Rarity said passively. “What about the feathers? That's really what I need your opinion on. Do you think they accent things well?” Grim's attention moved to the feathers to which Rarity was referring. They were stuck in the band seated on the hat's brim and protruded so far out into space that they wilted under their own weight. Grim remembered seeing this a few times in Canterlot, and remembered having it explained to him that that was the point. He still did understand this.

“I think they're perfect. But where did you get peacock feathers at this time of the year? They won't be molting for some time.”

“It wasn't easy, let me tell you.” Rarity continued to gauge her appearance in the mirror, turning her head back and forth.

“Those feathers aren't freshly picked I hope.”

Rarity struck a pose for herself. “We all must suffer for the sake of fashion Fluttershy. And it's not like the peacock needed all of them.” She tilted the hat to one side. “He was able to put up a bit of a fight, but I think he was more than willing to part with these once I gave him a piece of bread. And magicked him into the air.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I know what peacocks can be like. He chased you, didn't he?”

“He did, the silly bird,” Rarity huffed. “For something so beautiful, he was awfully mean. He even made me squeal.”

Fluttershy giggled once more. “You could have asked me. I probably would have had less trouble.”

“Yes, well, it's done with now. Anyway...” Rarity levitated the hat off her head and hung it on a post of the dressing screen. She finally tore herself from her reflection and did an about face to speak with her friend. “What brings you-” She stopped as she registered Grim standing beside Fluttershy.

“Oh no, I'm terribly sorry sir,” Rarity apologized. She hurried over to the two in front of the door. “I didn't realize you had come in as well. I-” Even as she spoke, recognition crept across her face. “Begging your pardon, but I want to say I know you. And yet I can't place you.”

“I wouldn't say you know him, but you have seen him before. Remember?,” coaxed Fluttershy.

“I like to think I would remember when and where I saw somepony like him,” Rarity muttered to her friend.

Grim was unsure of how Rarity intended her last statement, but acted as though he had not heard, and instead bravely attempted to smooth the conversation along. “Excuse me madam, but perhaps I can provide frame of reference. If my guess is correct, you at one time saw me as I was in Fluttershy's care. Does that help?”

Rarity squinted up at Grim as she processed the clue given her. Her face then lit up, and her eyes grew wide and sparked with glee. “You're that stallion from the forest aren't you?,” she exclaimed.

“I am. My name is Grim.” The pegasus bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you Miss- Rarity- I believe it is?”

“Oh my, such manners,” Rarity breathed. “I-I mean yes. Yes, that's right. And Rarity will be just fine, thank you.” She blushed. “I must say, it's good to see that you're finally up. It seems like it's been ages since Fluttershy found you.”

“It has been two weeks, yes. But thanks to her care, I am feeling much better. Thank you for your concern.”

“Of course, dear, of course. But wait. When exactly did you wake up? I only visited Fluttershy yesterday afternoon. Don't tell me I just missed everything.”

“I'm sorry Rarity,” Fluttershy answered. “It happened right after you left. Even if I had thought to call you back, you were already long gone.”

Rarity sighed. “Well, that is a shame. But I suppose it can't be helped. In any case, the important thing is that you're here...in my...boutique...welcome.” She had begun to pass her eyes over Grim, gleaning from him every detail she could. She absorbed the sights of his shapely legs, his broad chest, his lank mane hanging about his muscular neck and back, and his massive wings, all covered by casts of lustrous silver metal. She ended at Grim's face, and was met with a look of searching curiosity, accentuated by his strong brow and stark eyes.

“Is there something amiss?,” Grim asked with distinct grace. He could tell when he was being judged, and hated the feeling. He normally would have scowled and walked the other way, but he knew this was not an option with circumstances considered.

“No,” Rarity said quickly. “Nothing is wrong. My eyes tend to- to wander when I'm in thought. I just remembered something. Fluttershy dear, could you help me in the kitchen for a second?”

“The kitchen?,” Fluttershy repeated confusedly. “Sure. But what do you need help in your kitchen for?”

“Well, not really the kitchen. The back I suppose. I have a- uh- a piece in the back that I can't move that I want you to see. Would you mind coming with me for a moment?” The unicorn beckoned toward what Grim presumed to be the back of the shop.

Fluttershy acquiesced. “Well, ok. If you insist. Should Grim come too?”

“No no.” Rarity smiled apologetically at Grim. “No, I'm so sorry. Girls only I'm afraid. But please feel free to browse. The stallion designs are over there on the rack in the corner. We'll only be a minute, I promise.” Before Grim could speak blue magic glowed around and under Fluttershy's hooves, and the shy pegasus wobbled from loss of footing as she glided behind a trotting Rarity, literally being towed.

The two mares entered the curving hallway leading to the back rooms of the boutique. Rarity made it to the end, almost to a staircase, then hung left into a roomy, neatly kept kitchen. The magic she was maintaining under Fluttershy's hooves evaporated, landing her unsteadily on the ground.

“Rarity, what is this about? I thought you said we weren't going to the kitchen.”

“Sorry about that dear. I may have fibbed a little.” Rarity poked her head out past the entryway edge into the hallway verify their privacy. “I needed something to get you back here to talk with you.”

“Talk with me? About what? And why do we have to do it here?”

“Because dear, I certainly couldn't do it in front of him.” The unicorn positively gushed the word.

“Him? Who, you mean Grim?”

Rarity giggled madly. “Ooh, yes, him. Grim. Such a strong, dark name. He's just like a storybook character.”

Amusement was beginning to replace Fluttershy's confusion. “What are you talking about Rarity? He's no different than any other stallions we know.”

“Oh Fluttershy, he's so much different. You have to have noticed. Just look at his body; those rippling mounds of muscle, that exquisite posture, a lank mane hanging with effortless elegance, and so tall. And his voice, and those eyes; I think I got chills.”

Fluttershy laughed breathily. “Don't you think you're being just a teensy bit dramatic Rarity? I mean, yes, maybe he is somewhat different, but I don't think he's quite like that.”

“Beauty and drama go hand in hand dear,” said Rarity sagely. “And if there is anything I know as well as fashion, it's beauty and drama. Tell me this; can you honestly say you don't think he's absolutely gorgeous?”

“I...well.” Fluttershy wilted a little at the question. “It's like I said yesterday. I think he looks...nice.”

“Just nice?”

“Nice,” Fluttershy reaffirmed.

Rarity grinned slyly. “If you say so. Anyway, what's he like? Did you find out anything about him, like what he was doing here, or what he does for a living, or where he's from?”

“Oh yes. We talked a good while last night, and a little this morning.”

“Well, go on dear. What did he say? Tell me everything.”

“Ok. Let's see. He's a soldier in the Pegasus Royal Air Corps. He lives in a barracks in the Canterlot Royal Palace, but spends most of his time traveling for his duties. If I understood correctly, his job is to keep monsters and bad things in check when he gets sent out on missions.”

“A soldier.” Rarity looked up wistfully in thought. “That makes sense. It explains a few things, like that armor of his. What else? What was he doing here?”

“He was out on a mission, tracking down a dragon in the Everfree forest. He found it, and another one it was living with, and they attacked him. He was fighting the two dragons when he got injured, and barely made it to my house through the forest after it was over. That's why he was in such bad shape.”

Rarity frowned. “Dragons, as in plural? I don't know about that. That sounds just a little fantastical, wouldn't you agree?”

“Oh no. I mean, it may sound like it, but that's what he said. And it adds up. He had these gashes on his legs, and the burns, and damage to both his wings. He told me the whole story last night of how it all happened. Besides, why would he make something like that up?”

“You've got me. But all we can know is what he tells us.”

“I believe him. I could tell he was being truthful. By- by his eyes,” Fluttershy finished almost dreamily.

“His eyes? What ever do you mean darling?” Rarity's sly grin returned. “You didn't happen to spend last night lost in those perfect circlets of polished marble did you?”

Fluttershy blushed furiously. “What I meant was he has honest eyes. That's all.”

“Honest eyes? Try stunning eyes. Alright, so he's a soldier who lives in Canterlot, which seems reasonable. Still don't know about how or why he's here. What's he like? It sounds like you spoke with him a bit.”

“Well, he doesn't really speak that much on his own. You have to ask him mostly if you want to hear what he has to say. When he does speak, he's very open though. He doesn't smile much; he's been really serious so far. He looks like he would be really mean, but he's not. He's never harsh, but even if he does smile just a little, you always get this hint of a deep sadness. It's never on his face; you have to look at his eyes to see it. But I don't have to tell you this. Why don't we go out and talk to him so you two can make friends? That's why we came by today.”

“Certainly dear. I just wanted to find out what you knew first. It makes those introductory conversations that much easier, that's all.” Rarity walked back toward the hallway. “Now come on. Mr. tall, dark, and handsome is waiting for us. It would be a tragedy to keep somepony like him waiting for anything. But remember, if he asks, we came back here to look at a dress. Have to keep our stories straight.”

The two traversed the hallway and came back into the main show room of the boutique. Grim was immediately apparent against the colorful backdrop of clothing and decoration. He was holding up a vest and tie set by its hanger and examining it, his face unreadable.

“Grim, we're back,” called Fluttershy. “I'm sorry if we took too long. We had to- to look at a dress. I hope you didn't miss us too much.”

Grim put the vest and tie set back on its rack. “Not at all. I was just taking a look at the stock here. Rarity, do you design and craft all these pieces yourself?”

“Every last one,” Rarity almost sang. “Why? Did you find something you like? Oh, should I put you on the riser so we can fit you?!”

“No, thank you. You are gracious to offer, but I am quite comfortable as I am. I also have no money with which to pay.”

“I couldn't ask you to pay darling,” Rarity scoffed. “No, this would be a gift in light of your pulling through that ordeal of yours. Come now, tell me what you fancy. Anything you want, and it's yours. I'll pull it in- or let it out as your case may be, and everything. Really.”

“Again you are very gracious, but I must protest. I am satisfied as I am. I was actually rather pleasantly surprised that the townsfolk paid me the little attention that they did.”

Rarity turned to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy dear, you didn't take him through town like this did you? On his first day up and all?”

“Is there something wrong, Rarity?,” asked Fluttershy.

“Do you find cause for concern about my appearance?,” came Grim with his tone of forced grace.

“Of course not, Grim. I apologize if that sounded ill meant. Believe me, you look absolutely smashing adorned with that glistening metal. It's just that it might give the wrong impression is all. And you could turn so many heads with the correct ensemble. Won't you please let me get you an outfit? I can make one here on the spot, just for you. It will be the most marvelous set of clothes you've ever had, guaranteed.” Rarity gave a broad, expectant smile.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I am comfortable in my present state. I must decline.”

“I must insist. There must be something that strikes a chord. A posh vest? Perhaps a distinguished top hat?”

“Thank you, but no.”

Rarity's smile was gone. Her bottom lip quivered as she spoke unsteadily. “But I wanted to make something nice for you. Are you saying you don't like my work?”

“I did not mean-”

“But what did you mean? You won't accept my gift!”

“That is true, but for different reasons than you-”

“You are saying you don't like my work!” Large tears were forming in Rarity's eyes. “I just wanted to do something nice for a new friend. And I so rarely get to make clothes for stallions anyway.”

“Rarity, I-”

“No, it's fine. I understand. You won't tell me directly. You don't have to. You're trying to spare my feelings. And I must keep my businesslike composure. It's just...just...” Rarity gave an exaggerated sniff.

Fluttershy tried to soothe her friend. “Rarity, Grim's not saying he doesn't like your clothes. Everyone knows they're the best in Ponyville, and I'm sure he thinks so too. It's just he doesn't want any right now.”

Grim's mind was racing. He could not figure why, but the situation was deteriorating rapidly. He had made sure to be polite. He was presumably gentle enough in his dialog. He could find nothing he had done incorrectly, yet the unicorn before him seemed to be on the verge of a teary breakdown. There had to be a way to recover, a way to placate her. Grim steeled himself, and chose his words carefully.

“Rarity, please be calm. If the importance to you is that great, I would be honored to have you design something for me.”

Rarity jumped and squealed with delight. Any and all traces of the coming breakdown were washed away. “I thought you might come around. It's for the best darling, it really is. Now come, come, stand over there on the center riser so we can see you properly. Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!”

Fluttershy huffed breathily to herself with a grin. “You always do get your way with boys, don't you Rarity?”

Rarity leaned in to Fluttershy as Grim stepped onto the raised platform. She whispered,“You bet I do. Now watch me while I dress those perfectly cut shoulders.” She winked, and edged her way to platform's base. A tape measure and pair of glasses zoomed magically to her side from somewhere in the room. She brought the tape measure to a hover next to Grim's mid-back, and placed the glasses primly on her face.

The tape measure extended to the ground, and Rarity made note of the distance. She made similar measurements of different things on Grim's body, smiling and humming all the while, and sometimes giggling. Grim stood still patiently, but watched Rarity out of his peripheral vision. 'I've been had,' he thought heavily with a mental sigh. 'A simple ruse. The most elite combat and negotiation training, and I cannot identify false tears. I loathe irony.'

Rarity's voice broke over Grim's contemplation. She had cast away her tape measure and was now levitating a bolt of blue cloth in the air. “Grim dear, can you please remove your armor for me? I want to try a few things to see how they look, but I can't don't much with it in the way.”

“I would prefer not to remove my armor, if I may submit,” said Grim apologetically as the cloth caught his eye. He could make an educated guess as to what was coming next. “Is that at all possible?”

“I'm afraid it isn't possible dear. I can't simply work around it. It covers you almost completely. There's nothing to clothe. I'll need you to take it off.”

Fluttershy came forward. “But Rarity, you can't make him take it off if he doesn't want to.”

Rarity set down the bolt of cloth. “I know, and I don't mean to push. But I'd like to be able to give him an outfit now.”

“Well, could you maybe make some sketches for now, and we could come back another time? How's that?,” Fluttershy suggested.

“I could. But you know how I am about ideas Fluttershy. They're best when they're spur of the moment, when they're fresh.” Rarity looked up at Grim. “If you let me work now, I think things would turn out so much better. Please, Grim? For me?” Rarity batted her pronounced eyelashes.

Grim was unsure what to make of this. He had heard of such a gesture, but had never been the object of it. “Perhaps we can arrive at compromise?,” he proposed, unwilling to provoke any more of Rarity's persuasion tactics. “What do you think of this?” He partially unfolded his wings from his sides and stood as straight as he could. Fluttershy and Rarity looked on at first in confusion, then in awe as the metal plates girding Grim's body began to move autonomously.

The myriad pieces of metal interlaced to form the armor were sliding in upon themselves, one beneath the other beneath the other. The pieces shielding the flank and sides slid up inside top sheath plates, which in turn slid underneath their preceding plates in the cascade down Grim's back. The breast piece followed similarly, sliding up into itself, until the collapsed back and breast pieces formed a solid, surprisingly compact yolk-like piece around Grim's neck.

The plates forming the bulk of the wing assemblies drew inward under one another along their support rails. Once they had collapsed as far as they would the support rails themselves partially collapsed, finally forming shortened half 'H's on both parts of the wing, joined by the ball-and-socket. Even the bracers transformed, creating unassuming bangles on Grim's legs.

Fluttershy uttered a low “Wow.” Rarity gaped, speechless.

Grim waited a few moments for the mares to respond. When they did not he said, “I take it this will not suffice as a compromise then?”

“I didn't know you could do that too,” Fluttershy said with wonder. “And I thought putting it on sounded amazing. What do you think Rarity?”

Rarity's voice was soft, reminiscent of a trance-like state. “I think...I think it's the most captivating thing I've ever seen.” She approached the riser on which Grim stood and hopped up, gazing as she went at his newly-formed yolk. “May I?,” she asked, indicating the metal.

“Be my guest,” Grim approved. He was wary of Rarity's intention, but was grateful for a distraction from fashion.

The unicorn placed her hooves on the silvery surface. She knew the piece before her to be segmented, having seen it transform seconds ago, but the perfect reflection in front of her was unbroken by lines of any kind. The gloss of the metal produced an image more vivid and real then even her own vanity mirror. It was, for lack of a better word, perfect. Rarity moved away from her reflection, though not without difficulty, and inspected Grim's wings. Due to their shaped front profiles the support rails did not fit together quite so miraculously, but the plates came together in the same manner as the yolk.

Grim had begun to grow uncomfortable. He attempted to redirect Rarity's concentration. “Do you perhaps have a question that I may answer?”

“I do have a question, actually.” Rarity pulled herself away from the armor. Excitement could now be felt in her speech. “Your armor; is it enchanted?”

“It is.”

“And what of this enchantment, the one that makes things move like that? Can it only be used on things like metal? Or maybe something a bit softer, something like fabric?”

“I suppose it could be applied to fabric,” Grim mused after a second of thought. “But there are inherent qualities of my material that facilitate the use of the enchantment, such as rigidity and magic sustainability. Fabric would require further compensation for those qualities to induce similar results.”

“But it can be done right? I could, say, make a design that moves? Like this, I mean.”

“It seems feasible. As I said, the use of fabric would require different efforts; efforts with which I would not be totally familiar. Why do you ask?”

“Because you may have just given me the most fabulous, revolutionary idea I've ever had!,” Rarity sang. “Think of it. Transformable fashion! Literally buy two outfits for the price of one. Casual wear that transforms into evening wear, adjustable sleeves for anything, hats that change accessories for the seasons. The possibilities are endless!”

“That is a wonderful idea,” piped Fluttershy. “And you'd be the only designer in Equestria to have anything like that. I bet your boutique would do so well.”

Rarity's eyes sparkled. “It would. I could even become famous. My talent would finally be recognized in the highest places, my creations worn in the Royal Court. Just imagine. Oh, but I mustn't get ahead of myself. I haven't made anything yet.” She turned to Grim. “May I ask something of you, Grim? Can you tell me who produced this astounding example of craftsmanship for you? I'd very much like to speak with them for advice. I'll need to understand the magical concepts before I can begin.”

Grim could not help but smile a little at Rarity's inadvertent praise. “This regalia was hoof-crafted in its entirety by me. It is custom made; there is, to my knowledge, nothing remotely similar. If you wish advice, I would be the one with whom to speak.”

“You made this, all of this, yourself? But you're so...well built. I would have guessed your profession to be more of a physical type, not that of an artisan.”

“The craft of forging is a rather physical activity, but your guess is correct. I am a soldier, not an artisan. I am not without my leisurely activities, however.”

“'Leisurely activities' he says,” Rarity murmured. “Well then, it seems I need look no further. Grim, might you be willing to help me with my fashion? Not today of course. I think you'd like a little more time to get used to things around Ponyville. But I would be ever so grateful if you agreed.”

“Would I have to serve as a model?,” Grim asked with caution.

“No darling I won't make you do that, as much as I'd like to.” Rarity winked. “No, I'd have you on as a consultant, with the enchantment parts and such. And if you're really opposed to it, I won't force to wear one of my creations. What do you say? Will you do it?”

Grim looked at Fluttershy for affirmation. “What say you, Fluttershy? Would this be acceptable?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I think it's an excellent idea. I'd be interested to help too Rarity, if that's ok. Your idea sounds fascinating.”

“Oh, thank you both!,” Rarity exclaimed. She beamed at Grim. “You are absolutely marvelous, darling. I could tell there was something special about you the moment I laid eyes on you, even if you were bloodied up a bit. On that topic, how are you feeling? I think my manners escaped me earlier, and I forgot to ask.”

“I am not sure of being special, but thank you all the same. And I am very well. Fluttershy's medical care is peerless. Even now, after a full recovery, she continues to mind my health.”

Fluttershy blushed. “One of the most important times for a patient is post-recovery. It wouldn't be right to let you go on your way after just waking up. It could be dangerous.”

Rarity laughed. “That's our Fluttershy. Precious, as always. So is that why you two are out today then? Grim's stretching his body out after being down for so long?”

“That's right. I thought it could be nice for him to come into town and meet all my friends. He wouldn't want to stay cooped up in my cottage. I also may have run out of food, so I needed to go shopping too.”

“That's sounds lovely, a short jaunt into town to stretch out and meet some new ponies. So Grim, what do you think so far?”

“Ponyville is a fine municipality,” Grim said with approval. “The ponies I have met thus far have been quite welcoming.”

“Wonderful. And whom have you met so far?”

“Well, as we were on our way into town, Rainbow Dash happened upon us. After that, we visited the market district to speak with Applejack concerning food stuffs. And now here we are with you.”

Rarity grinned. “When you say happened upon, do you mean Rainbow Dash crashed into you?”

Grim grinned softly back. “Applejack posed the same question. And yes, she did.”

“I knew it. Let's see, that's Rainbow, Applejack, myself...and Fluttershy of course.” Rarity addressed Fluttershy. “So what's your next stop then; the library, or Sugarcube Corner?”

“I was thinking the library. We'll pass that first, and I haven't seen Twilight in a while. After we see her, then we can go to Sugarcube Corner last.”

Grim was watching Rarity for any tells of mood change. He could deduce from past information gathered that Sugarcube Corner must be this Pinkie Pie's place of residence. There were only two friends left to meet now from the five, and Fluttershy had just made it known that Twilight Sparkle resided at the library. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack had made mention of Pinkie Pie with a cautionary connotation. Rarity could unintentionally provide further confirmation of his suspicions.

“That makes sense. And Twilight doesn't do well with visitors late in the day.” Rarity looked out one of the boutique's windows. The sun was still shining merrily, but it would soon turn orange signaling the fade of daytime. “You know, business has been slow today. It's almost closing time too. Would you mind if I joined you two on your way to Twilight's? I haven't seen her in a few days myself.”

Rarity's response was inconclusive. Grim had observed carefully her facial features and tone. She had remained passively neutral, leaning toward a positive disposition. There was nothing to be gleaned. Either she was oblivious, or was not willing to fuel his possible preconceptions. Grim tucked away his gut feelings, deciding to keep observing.

“We'd be happy to have you along,” Fluttershy responded cheerfully. “But are you sure you want to close early? What if somepony wanted something at the last minute?”

“Oh it's fine.” Rarity had already moved to the front door and was switching her sign to “CLOSED”. “If they want something to wear, they should come earlier in the day anyway. Well, I'm ready when you are.”

The three ponies stepped out onto the pathway in front of Carousel Boutique. The air was mild, and carried a diminished commotion from the direction of the market. A few townsfolk could be seen here and there, but it seemed most had made it back to their homes by now. Rarity led off toward what Grim calculated to be the edge of town.

“Now do tell Grim; you said you're a soldier, yes? What particular type of soldier are you?”

“I am among the elite in the Royal Guard Division of the Pegasus Royal Air Corps.”

“That sounds so official, 'the elite'. And what does one do when out doing...soldier-y...things?,” Rarity asked with piqued interest.

“Well, my duty mainly concerns creatures of a potentially dangerous nature. I-” Grim did not finish his statement. Something bolted down from the sky, landing right in the group's path, a distinct rainbow streak following the object. A dull thud resounded, and a small cloud of dust rose from the ground. Rarity gasped, Fluttershy squeaked, and Grim readied his wings.

Rainbow recovered from her touchdown and flicked her tail coolly as if nothing had transpired. “Hey guys. I was just coming to track you down. What's up?”

“Rainbow Dash!,” Rarity scolded heatedly. “Just what do you think you're doing?”

“Pfft. Landing, duh.” Rainbow tossed her head flippantly. “What's it look like?”

“Ooh, you-”

“Why were you looking for us Rainbow?,” interjected Fluttershy. “Did you need something?”

“Nah. I was down at the library talking to Twilight, and mentioned old Grim here had woken up. She asked if I'd go and find you; said she'd like you to come by if you get the chance.”

“Well that was nice of her. We were just on our way to the library.”

“Cool.” Rainbow shot into the air and hovered. “I'll go tell her you're on your way then.”

Grim called after her, “Perhaps you would care to join us, Rainbow Dash? I presume the distance to the library is not far, and your company would be a welcome addition.”

“Sorry, but I was just going to tell Twilight, then bail. I got other stuff to do. Thanks though.” Rainbow gave a short salute. “Later.” And with that, she was off.

Once Rainbow had gone, Rarity began venting about the indignity of her actions. Fluttershy tried to talk Rarity down, but Grim paid the two little attention. He was immersed in thought about Rainbow's words and phrasing.

'I surmised correctly, judging by her evasion of my suggestion. She tried to portray her purpose as casual, but it was more pointed than that. She used the words 'track down'. She also used 'you guys', not specific enough for Fluttershy and myself. She was looking for Rarity as well. An invitation from Twilight Sparkle, that is the key. If Rainbow Dash spoke to her previously, she would have known Fluttershy's plans from our meeting earlier. Why send a messenger after an eventuality? Unless she wanted to speak with Rarity in particular, and was on the lookout for Fluttershy and me. An invitation...one that Rarity was supposed to receive first. There are machinations at play here. Whatever awaits seems to be located at this library. I wonder-'

Fluttershy's voice penetrated Grim's inner dialog. “Grim? Are you alright?”

Grim snapped from his reverie. “I am. I simply drifted off, admiring the sky. Begging your pardon. Shall we continue then? We mustn't keep your friend waiting.”

Rarity and Fluttershy agreed, and they set forth again. The three soon came to a more open area, with houses less densely and orderly placed. Amid them was a very prominent willow tree that looked as though it had been fashioned into a liveable space. It had windows, a front door, even a balcony affixed with a large telescope.

“That's the library there,” Fluttershy pointed out with a nod. “That's where Twilight is.”

“I'd imagine you and Twilight would get along swimmingly,” speculated Rarity. “She comes from Canterlot as well, you know. She's quite intelligent too, much like yourself. And if you enjoy books, she's compiled an excellent collection. She was even been able to find some books on fashion history for me once or twice.”

“It has been some time since I have done any recreational reading. I may take the opportunity to peruse her selection.” Grim was forcing himself to remain cordial despite the mounting tightness in his chest. Part of him thought his entire reaction silly; he wasn't going into a combat or negotiation situation. If anything it was a simple welcoming gesture for him in light of his new arrival status.

And yet he could not help himself. He had had more social interaction today than in the last six months. He was mentally exhausted, having to constantly evaluate the words and body language of unfamiliar ponies, and in turn provide what would be considered a socially pleasing response. Grim was unsure as to how much more he could take, but he knew that if he wished to remain close to Fluttershy, to keep a chance at repaying his debt, he would have to behave on her terms. This obviously included ingratiating himself with her friends.

Fluttershy made it to the library door first. “He we are, the Ponyville Library.” She put her hoof on the door handle, clicked it, and the door swung wide. She stepped through the entrance, followed by Rarity, with Grim bringing up the rear.

Grim's eyes strained at the shift from daylight to indoors. The library was rather dimly lit Grim thought; an odd quality for a place such as a library. He took in the setting before him. The library truly was a hollowed out tree. Rows and rows of books were organized around the inside, their shelves cut into the wood of the tree itself, and the floor flowed with the grains and biotic patterns of the tree's heartwood. There was not much in the way of furniture or settings in which to read. Grim assumed this meant it was not much of a reference library.

'And yet there should be someone here,' Grim suddenly realized. 'Where is your eagerness, Twilight Sparkle, if you do not come to greet your guests? What are you planning?'

As if cued by Grim's query, the lights in the room came to life. Grim's eyes darted left and right, trying to find the unseen resident, and then-

BOOOM!!

Rarity shrieked. Fluttershy fell to the floor, covering her ears. Grim shot into the air, sending forth a mighty gust of wind. His armor reformed into the combat ready mode by instinct, the yolk sliding out to cover his breast, back, and flanks, his wings and bracers transforming almost instantly. Without thinking he readied to extend the blades in either wing, and cast his eyes methodically in search of a target. Then something interrupted his vision, and his instincts ground to a halt. A small square of blue paper floated down from somewhere in front of his face, and landed on his nose. Another square, this one pink, floated down after, missing his nose and heading to the floor whilst being swept by the beat of his wings.

Grim looked up, and saw a veritable cloud of small, brightly colored squares slowly descending upon him. He recognized it as something known as confetti. Utter confusion gripped the pegasus, so much so that his will to fight left him. To add to the confusion a loud burst of laughter pierced the silent, confetti-filled aftermath of the boom, seemingly coming from all directions. Now that Grim was in the air he could see that the library had a raised loft area, and his eye fixed upon something moving within.

A flamboyantly pink earth pony with an absurdly curled mane and tail hopped onto the edge of the loft, laughing madly. She fixed on Grim with a look of wild mirth, and with a feat of tremendous agility bounded from the loft onto his back. Through her laughter she put her face right next to Grim's and yelled “Surprise! I thought your welcome could use a little bit of a bang!”

Grim was torn between indignation and sheer bewilderment. “What madness is this?”

“Pinkie Pie!,” came another, more practical voice from the loft. “I told you to not fire the cannon until after we yelled surprise. He's probably been scarred!”

Pinkie Pie stood up straight on Grim's back and amused herself with the falling confetti. “But my way was so much more fun. Doesn't that make it the better way?”

“Not if you cause emotional trauma,” the practical voice said reprovingly. Grim looked back at the loft. Three more ponies were standing on the edge, previously hidden from view. Two of them he had already met. Applejack was viewing the whole situation rather abashedly with her stetson cradled to her chest, and Rainbow Dash was clearly near breaking into a fit of laughter to match Pinkie Pie's.

The third pony Grim did not know. She was a unicorn with a purple coat and darker purple mane and tail streaked with pink. Grim deduced that this must be Twilight Sparkle. He had never actually met her during his years in Canterlot, despite frequent personal meetings with Celestia. Grim knew she was Celestia's prized pupil of magic, and she looked the part to a trained eye. Her mane and tail were neatly kept and styled with practicality, the end features cut straight but not unattractively so. Her bangs fell at a longer length than her friends', and most likely hid a more pronounced forehead. Her physique was slight, slighter even than Fluttershy's, but her neck was thicker, most likely a result of protracted amounts of time indoors reading. She addressed Grim.

“I'm so sorry we startled you. Pinkie tends to be enthusiastic when it comes to welcoming parties. We didn't mean any harm.”

“Welcoming party?,” said Pinkie through blowing around small colored squares. “No Twilight, this isn't the welcoming party. There'll be way more ponies to come for that one. This is the glad-you-got-up-from-your-coma party!”

“He wasn't in a coma Pinkie. And even if he was, how is using a cannon to surprise a recent coma patient a good idea?!”

“It gives his wake up that extra kick. Duh.”

“Pink, git down off the poor fella's back,” ordered Applejack in exasperation. “First ya scare the tar out of 'im, then ya stand all over 'im. What're ya doin'?”

“Oops. Sorry.” Pinkie jumped down to the library floor, then noticed her two other friends in their recovery from the cannon shock. “Oh hey Rarity! I didn't think you were gonna make it before the guest of honor got here. I'm glad you got here in time. I knew you'd come though Fluttershy. You wouldn't let somepony recovering like that out of your sight. Looks like your healing know-how is sharp as always. Uh, why are you on the floor?”

Rarity helped Fluttershy to her hooves. “Because you scarred the living daylights out of us Pinkie Pie, that's why. Why in the world would you use the party cannon inside the library without warning?!”

“Because it's more fun when it's a surprise,” Pinkie giggled. “And I think you might be exaggerating Rarity. I know you have magic, but I don't think you've got daylight inside you.”

Twilight Sparkle and Applejack took the stairs from the loft, and Rainbow Dash winged her way down to join the others. Grim watched them all as they moved. His nerves were thoroughly frayed, his patience was at the breaking point, and he didn't know if he could cope with any more surprises. When the six friends had all gathered together they stopped and eyed Grim with expectation, but Grim made no move to descend.

Sensing Grim's trepidation, Fluttershy assumed a calming demeanor. “Grim? You can come down now. I think that was the one and only surprise, right Pinkie Pie?”

“It was the only one I had planned, but if you want more I've got them!”

“NO,” came a chorus from the other five friends.

Twilight spoke up. “Really, it's alright. We organized this little get together to make you feel more at ease. We know you're just coming out of an awful state, and we thought this might help, even if it sort of did the opposite at the beginning. We'd just like to talk, and get to know you better. That's all. Fair?”

As a negotiator, Grim could appreciate Twilight's almost diplomatic approach. There was also a very hopeful looking Fluttershy standing next to her, which gave him little other choice. He acquiesced, and slowed his beat. The confetti that now littered the floor was swept in a large radius as Grim cushioned his landing with a final thrust. He stood with his customary posture, folded his wings, and faced the six mares before him.

“Thank you for understanding. I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

“And I'm Pinkie Pie,” Pinkie said as she hopped in place next to Twilight. “Your name's Grim, right?”

Grim bowed, though he rather disliked the thought of letting Pinkie Pie out of his line of sight. “Correct. My name is Grim. I am...pleased...to make your acquaintances.”

“It's nice to meet you as well,” Twilight returned with a nod and a smile.

“Yeah. I had a real blast,” Pinkie snorted. The others gave Pinkie reproachful looks, but she didn't seem to notice. Twilight pressed forward with the conversation.

“So Grim, I know you've told a few of us bits and pieces, but I was hoping you'd be willing to go through some things one more time. Would it be alright if you answered a few questions for us? If you don't want to talk about something, you can just say so. Is that ok?”

Grim mulled this proposal. He supposed there would be little harm in giving them information. Most of what they wished to know he had likely already told Fluttershy anyway. “I will do my best to answer what you ask of me. What is it you would like to know?”

“Well, I think the first question would have to be what happened to you that day you arrived at Fluttershy's. Don't take this the wrong way, but you were in awful shape when we first saw you. And that was after Fluttershy had that first night to clean you up. What happened?”

“I was performing the duties of my post. I am an elite officer in the Pegasus Royal Air Corps, Royal Guard Division.”

“You're a Royal Guard?,” Twilight asked with a hint of wonderment.

“Is that supposed to be something extra special?,” piped up Rarity.

“It is. The Royal Guard Division is the best of the best. It pulls from all three military branches; the Pegasus Royal Air Corps, The Royal Corps of Magical Enforcement, and The Royal Terrestrial Army. There are different classes, like palace guard and Celestia's personal guard, but each one is hoof picked by the princess or one of her closest advisers. Most ponies only dream about being a Royal Guard, and the pegasi are especially known for their harsh training and tactics.”

“You are correct, Twilight Sparkle. There is no contention that the Royal Guards are the premier force of the military's ranks.” Grim was developing an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It appeared that Twilight knew more than he previously would have postulated.

“That is so cool,” volunteered Rainbow Dash. “I had no idea there was anything like that for the military. But wait. If you're so elite, then how come you got beaten up like you did?”

A pulse of aggravation shot through Grim's mind, but he remained cool. “I was out on mission in the Everfree forest. My post requires me to liaise with any and all types of creatures that may present or have presented a threat to citizens of Equestria, but my specialty is the dragon. I tracked an accused dragon to a mountain cave in the forest when I was attacked, by both the suspect and what I can only assume to be his mate.”

“You got attacked by two dragons? And you made it back alive? You think you might be making that up just a little bit?,” asked Rainbow sardonically.

Grim had to think of a way to snuff Rainbow's suspicion. He could not deal with any dissent in his present state. He somberly settled on the only idea he could conjure. “What I say is true. If you do not believe me, then perhaps the tale of my body will better convince you.” Grim willed his armor to retract. The plates clinked and brushed mildly, the sounds mixing with soft wows from Rainbow, Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie. He faced to his left and presented both his right legs.

“The scars you see here were born from that battle. These are only the most recent.” Grim pulled back his lank mane to reveal a longitudinal gash down his neck. “This was made by the claw of an elder dragon. I am told I lost a quarter of the blood in my body that day.” He then stood fully on his hinds. He separated the coat on his chest with his front legs. Underneath was a series of linear scars, two rows of six like tally marks, squarely over his ribs. “This is the result of leaving yourself open by flying directly at a dragon's face.” Grim dropped back to his regular stance. “Does this address your doubt, or should I continue?”

Rainbow cringed. “No, that's cool. I didn't mean to doubt. It just sounded kinda out there at first. But I believe you now.”

“I am sorry if I caused you discomfort. That was not my intent.”

“I got a question.” Applejack raised her hoof in a schoolhouse manner. “How'd you make yer armor do that? I never seen anythin' like it.”

“My armor possesses magical properties. Suffice it to say, it is enchanted to shift itself according to my will. I can control it with mere thought.”

“I had some questions about that as well.” Twilight raised a hoof like Applejack. “I got the chance to examine your armor while you were unconscious. I was trying to maybe get some clues as to who you were. I found a lot of small runic inscriptions on different parts of it, but none to the runes made sequential sense. What kind of enchantments does it hold, and how did you enchant it with your runes out of order?”

“That is a very good and interesting question.” Grim could not help but smile, if only a bit. “If your interest is analytical rather than functional, as I am sure your arcane knowledge warrants, I am afraid it is a question best saved for another, more leisurely time. I would be happy, however, to fully satiate your interest at such a time.”

Pinkie Pie waved her hoof in the air eagerly. “Ooh, ooh, I wanna do one! I wanna ask a question! Uuum....oh, I know. Why do you talk so funny?”

The other friends rolled their eyes at this query, but Grim was regaining his conversational footing and chose to answer with politeness. “Is my speech odd to you? Forgive me. My duty as a Guard usually does not allow for much interaction with others. My mannerisms have developed over the years from diplomacy and presentations of formal reports at Canterlot Palace.”

“That is where you come from then? From Canterlot?,” asked Rarity.

“Yes. That is where my quarters are located, and where I present mission reports and am assigned new missions.”

“If that's the case, then do you need to report back to the palace anytime soon? Will your superiors be worried about you? It has been at least two weeks.”

Fluttershy saved Grim the trouble of answering this time. “Oh no. I mean, he may feel fine, and that's wonderful, but he's not ready to be let go yet. I'll need at least another week to make sure he's back to full health.”

“Under any other circumstance I would gauge my own health, and terminate medical care as I saw fit. However, Fluttershy has been exceedingly altruistic and thorough. I would be at fault to not follow her advice until she is satisfied,” Grim affirmed. “My rank also affords me a great deal of latitude regarding ways and means of my missions. There is no cause for concern.”

“Alright. Well, I have a pretty convenient way of reporting directly to Princess Celestia if you ever need it,” offered Twilight. “And now that I say that, where is he anyway? Spike? SPIKE? How are those snacks coming?”

“I'm bringing them out now Twilight,” someone called from somewhere out of sight. A door at the back of the library swung open, and a large serving cart wheeled its way through the threshold, seemingly by itself. At first Grim thought this to be some sort of magic, but as the cart drew near he could see a small purple body pushing behind it. To his astonishment a diminutive, scaly creature stepped away from the cart as it stopped; it was a baby dragon.

Applejack trotted over to the cart, her eyes alight with hunger. “This is great Spike. What've we got goin' here? I'm starved.”

“Well, a little bit of everything really.” Spike began to name things off with his claws. “We've got chips and salsa. There's daisy sandwich squares and haycakes for light snacks. And if you want sweets we've got cupcakes, double-baked peanut butter brownies, and those two full cakes that I'm not totally sure Pinkie Pie took from Sugarcube Corner with permission.”

Rainbow Dash swooped upon the cart and snatched a brownie into her mouth. “Brownies are awesome,” she confirmed thickly.

Pinkie Pie bounded across the room joyfully. “Alright girls, the food has been served. It's definitely a party now!” She slammed her hoof on a nearby music machine which promptly came to life. A mild, upbeat tune filled the room. “Let's boogie!”

Having finished her brownie, Rainbow joined Pinkie near the music machine, and the two began to dance. Twilight helped herself to a cupcake next to Applejack, and even Rarity took a nibble from a sandwich square. Grim stood in place, unsure of what to do other than observe the situation. He was pondering the miniature dragon at the snack cart when he felt a soft poke just above his right knee. He was surprised to find the dragon staring up at him, a genial expression on his face.

“Hey. You're the new guy right? The pegasus that Fluttershy's been taking care of?”

“That is correct.”

“Cool. Name's Spike. What's up?” Spike held out a set of claws.

Grim put forth a hoof and the two shook, though Spike's claws couldn't wrap around the hoof entirely. “Fascinating,” Grim uttered to himself. His response did not really match with Spike's greeting.

“What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a dragon before?”

Grim let out a short bark of a laugh. “I have, actually. I have met many dragons in my time, but none quite so intriguing as yourself Mr. Spike. Ah, but forgive me. I have forgotten myself. My name is Grim. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise,” Spike said, though he looked rather unsure if he meant it yet. “I heard the party cannon go off a little while ago. Pinkie Pie didn't scare you too bad I hope?”

“It did make a distinct first impression, but the initial shock wore away quickly. There was no harm done.”

“That's good. You're feeling better then, I guess. Did you get the grand tour of Ponyville today? Not that there's anything grand about Ponyville.”

“I was shown a few locations. And I would not say that. From what I have seen, Ponyville is a peaceful, friendly community. I would choose it over many of the larger cities I have visited.”

“You haven't been here long enough yet. Give it time; there's usually some crazy situation going on around town, and they're usually in on it somehow.” Spike pointed in the general direction of the mares. “By the way, where'd you come from? I heard you guys talking earlier, but couldn't make much out from the kitchen.”

“I am from Canterlot. My residence is the barracks inside the Royal Palace.”

“A soldier huh? That's cool. Twilight and I lived in Canterlot for a while, before we moved here. The guards there were always kinda stiff, but they were always nice too.”

A spark of curiosity lit in Grim's eyes. “Inform me if I am being too bold Spike, but what is your connection with Twilight Sparkle?”

“Oh, Twilight and I go way back. We've been friends since I was hatched. She was just a filly then. She always spent her time in the library looking for books, or reading ones she'd found. I don't recall how, but I eventually just became her assistant. It's been like that sine I can remember.”

“I see. And what is it that you do in your assistantship?”

“A little bit of everything I guess. I help Twilight organize the library. I help make and check lists. Twilight's a big fan of lists. I keep her calendar and appointments, do scheduling, go shopping. Oh, and I do chores and things, like clean up. Which reminds me-” Spike looked over and inspected the serving cart. Anything that had not been eaten had been removed and placed on a couple of nearby tables. “Yeah, I gotta get back to the kitchen and start cleanup. But hey, it was great talking to you.”

“The honor has been mine. But do you not wish to stay and enjoy the revelry?”

“The what? Oh, the party. Nah, parties aren't my thing. They tire me out. I'll be seeing ya Grim. If you plan to stick around Ponyville for a while, I'm sure we'll see each other soon.”

“Until next time, then.”

Spike put up his arm in farewell, then took the serving cart and wheeled it back into the kitchen. “Absolutely astounding,” Grim muttered. “A dragon youngling, brought up around ponykind. Fully integrated into society, with a matured grasp of social discourse, organizational skills, interpersonal relationships and sense of self. I wonder if he has an idea of the magnitude of his uniqueness.”

Grim continued to contemplate Spike and their conversation when Fluttershy came up and tapped him on the shoulder. The crème pegasus proffered a plate stacked with a couple of daisy sandwich squares and a haycake. “I'm so sorry Grim. I hadn't even thought about it until now, but you haven't eaten anything all day. Here, I know you're hungry.”

Grim took the plate appreciatively. “Thank you, Fluttershy. You are very kind to continue to think of me.”

“It's nothing. But- um- Grim...” A faded happiness played lightly across Fluttershy's face, but her eyes were glassy with oncoming tears. “I- I'm so sorry. I owe you an apology.”

“And why would you think that?,” Grim asked after eating his haycake whole.

“Well, it's just...I knew there was a party coming,” Fluttershy blurted. “I've known Pinkie Pie a really long time, and I knew the second that Rainbow Dash flew away after meeting us that she'd tell Pinkie Pie, and there would be a party. I didn't really lie to you, but I avoided the truth because you had already said you were nervous about going into town, and a party like this would be the last thing you would want. I didn't want you to feel any more anxious than you already were, and I hoped that once you actually got to the party that it wouldn't be so bad. And I'm sorry about not telling you, and about the party cannon, and about not feeding you breakfast, and- I'm just sorry.”

Grim put aside his sandwich squares on a nearby table and laid a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “Fluttershy, there is no need for remorse. I was admittedly suspicious that something was amiss from the beginning, and I was completely aware something was coming after our second encounter with Rainbow Dash. You did what you believed was right, what you believed would in some way protect me. I do not begrudge you for your actions, for they were honorable, if perhaps flawed. For the future, you need only to be honest with me. I can assure you that I am very capable.” Grim removed his hoof. “Does that assuage your distress?”

Fluttershy squeaked and nodded. “It does. I'm glad you're so understanding. Thank you. But you knew the whole time something was going to happen?”

“I did not know for certain. After both Rainbow Dash and Applejack mentioned Pinkie Pie by name, I made a connection. After Rainbow Dash caught us on the road, it was clear that some sort of plan was set in place for me. I must say, I believed myself prepared. But nothing could have prepared me for the 'party cannon' I believe it was called.”

“That's Pinkie. Never a dull moment. She did it to make you feel happy and welcome though, even if it may not have turned out that way.” Fluttershy paused. “Are you sure you're ok?”

“I am. Do not worry.”

The party lasted for several hours, well after sunset. Grim chose to abstain from most of the festivities, such as dancing and balloon popping. Pinkie attempted multiple times to get him to sing a song with her, but was denied outright. In the beginning Grim did not show much zeal in the way of partying, but each of Fluttershy's friends were delighted when Grim expressed interest in their individual talents. Pinkie Pie received a chance to gleefully explain the inner workings of her party cannon. Applejack bent his ear for a time about agriculture and food industry economics. Rarity was eager to begin discussion of her collapsible fashions, but was interrupted by Rainbow Dash wanting to know about Royal Guard training, and Twilight proudly showed off the selection she had built up in her library.

Twilight was in the middle of explaining her research into teleportation magic when Fluttershy came up to join them. She put her hoof over her mouth and yawned widely. “Oh my, I'm so sorry Twilight. I don't mean to interrupt, but I think it's about time Grim and I head home. It's getting late.”

“Is it?” Twilight referenced a clock on the wall. “Oh my gosh, you're right. I didn't realize.”

“We did'n' either,” said Applejack as she walked up, followed by Rarity. “It's been a real nice time Twi', but we reckon we gotta head out. Business hours'll come early t'mara.”

“Yes dear, I'm afraid this is goodnight. Thank you ever so much for having us though. We should do this again soon.”

Pinkie Pie zipped in between Rarity and Applejack and put her front legs around their necks. “Oh don't worry, we will. This was Grim's glad-you-got-up-from-your-coma party. We've still got his official Welcome-to-Ponyville party to do!”

“Is one party not enough?,” asked Grim with fatigue.

“Are you loco in the coco? You can never have enough parties!”

Everyone collectively agreed that it was time to head out for the evening. Twilight bid farewell after her guests had all exited the library, and they began to go their separate ways. Grim and Fluttershy decided to fly back to the cottage, and they lifted off to begin the journey. They had not gone far when they were stopped unexpectedly by Rainbow Dash.

“Hey you guys, can you wait up a sec?”

Fluttershy was fading fast. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open. “Hm? What is it Rainbow?”

“Hey, Grim. Listen I- I want to say I'm sorry- about before.”

Grim looked at Rainbow with confusion. “Before? What do you mean, Rainbow Dash?”

“From before. You know, when I sorta crashed into you. And when I sorta didn't believe you about the whole dragon thing. I thought about it, and I was wrong to do those things. I'm pretty fast, but my mouth is sometimes faster, you know? Anyway, I wanted to say...I'm sorry.”

“Your actions are honorable, Rainbow Dash. I admit, given my impression of you, I would not have expected this. I accept your apology.” Grim held out a hoof. “And I extend my friendship, if you will have it.”

Rainbow took Grim's hoof, this time shaking it. “You got it.” She flew higher into the air and wheeled around. “I'll be seeing you guys. And don't think I forgot about that race Grim. I'll be pressuring you real soon.” With that, Rainbow disappeared into the night.

“That was sweet of her,” Fluttershy commented after Rainbow was out of sight. “My friends like you, you know.”

“Do you truly think so?”

“I do. I could tell at the party. I'm really glad you let me bring you to town today Grim.”

“I am glad you made the effort to introduce me to your friends. But it has been a trying day. I believe a good night's rest is in order.” The two pegasi glided gently on the nocturnal air. It was a clear, crisp night, and Luna's moon shone especially bright. Perhaps it was the moon, perhaps it was the relief of having made it through the day, but Grim's spirits were high. As he flew toward Fluttershy's cozy little cottage he could not help but think, 'Maybe there is a chance for me here. Maybe. Maybe...'

Chapter 5, Rumblings and Suspicions

Grim methodically scanned the room before him. It had been four days since his first foray into Ponyville, and again he found himself at the library, caught in the midst of a social gathering for which he did not ask. This time it was, as Pinkie Pie had so excitedly explained it, his 'Welcome to Ponyville' party. Grim replayed the invitation scene from yesterday in his head.

“It'll be so much fun!,” Pinkie exclaimed. “We'll have cake and games and music, the works! And it'll all be to give you the most awesome welcome ever! All of us that you met before will be there, and anyone and everyone I know will come too. It's the best way in the world to make new friends. And who doesn't want more friends, right? It'll be no time before it's like you've been a part of Ponyville forever, you'll make so many. You just have to come, Grim. I bet you've gone to those stuffy old Canterlot parties, and let me tell you, they got nothin' on mine.”

“Pinkie-” Grim felt foolish saying her name. “I am...very appreciative of your offer. However, for lack of better phrasing, I do not do well with parties.”

“What does that mean, you don't 'do well at parties'?” Pinkie tapped her head and rolled her eyes wildly. “Are you saying you don't like parties? Has your spring-a-ma-bob sprung a sprocket?”

“Has my- what? No, never mind. Pinkie, I would ask that you stay yourself from arranging such an event. Considering my disposition, I believe it is best if I am allowed to acquaint myself with other Ponyville citizens incrementally.”

The pink pony snorted with laughter. “I guess that would make sense if I knew what 'incrementally' meant. But that's ok, because I already made all the arrangements. Everything is ready to go. It wouldn't be much of a welcome party if you had to do all the inviting and stuff. All you have to do is show up. Sounds great right?”

Grim could feel agitation rising within him. “Pinkie Pie, I am not sure if you are understanding me. I am not well suited to social events such as parties, especially when I am obligated to introduce myself to numerous ponies with whom I am unfamiliar. That is my personality.”

“Nu-uh. You had plenty of fun at our last little party.”

“That was with Fluttershy and your small band of friends. It sounds like this party involves the entire town. I am not equipped for something such as that.”

“Don't be silly. No one has a personality like that. You said it yourself when we first met, remember? You said you don't get a lot of contact with other ponies because of your job. Well since you're taking a break, sort of, now you can make up for all those lost chances.”

“I do not believe your logic is sound. I-” As Grim made to counter Pinkie's last statement, the mare began to hop backwards on all fours.

“Don't worry about it,” she said as she continued to hop away. “Just show up, you'll see. I'll send the final details through Fluttershy ok? See you tomorrow Grim!” Pinkie spun in the air, bounced down the street, and around a corner. Grim watched after her, nonplussed.

“If ever I have met a pony touched in the head, it would have to be her,” Grim muttered to himself.

“Who do you think is touched in the head?,” came a soft voice to Grim's left. Grim jerked his view to the side. His tension released when he saw it was only Fluttershy.

The mare smiled uncertainly. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overhear. I just came to check on you. I thought you looked preoccupied.”Grim was sitting against the far wall from the library door in his usual strict posture, with his head high, his neck and back straight, and his haunches and wings pulled in. Fluttershy came and sat down by his side.

Grim did his best to return a smile. “Concerned for me, as always. Thank you, but I am fine.”

“You were talking to yourself again,” Fluttershy retorted with a note of doubt. “You do that when you're thinking hard about something.”

“Do I now?,” asked Grim, somewhat surprised. He silently cursed the developed habits of having spent so much time alone out on assignment. In the days since Grim's awakening, both he and Fluttershy had spent an ample amount of time together, granting each the opportunity to learn about the other.

In his interactions with her, Grim had taken careful mental notes about the demure young mare who saved his life. Kindness and good will were abundant in everything she did, and her altruistic attitude was nothing short of incorrigible. Shyness was a dominating factor in her social mannerisms; she exhibited moderate to acute submission when conversing with equines with whom she was not totally familiar, though this was absent for the most part when dealing with friends. Her skill with handling animals was something to behold, and indeed it sometimes appeared as though she preferred animals to ponies, though this appearance was most likely a product of her shyness. Grim marked it as interesting that Fluttershy's behavior around him was similar to when she dealt with her friends, as though he were a familiar, if only having met in a true sense just days ago.

Though she was often near unwilling to show it, Fluttershy possessed exceptional intelligence. Her knowledge of medicine and dietary habits with regard to both animals and equines was impressive. In her after care of his treatment, Grim sensed a deep and thorough understanding of equine physiology through her methods and observations, despite a confessed absence of any formal training whatsoever. Fluttershy's natural ability to read facial expressions, vocal tones, and body language, something in which Grim had received specialized education, was also noteworthy.

“Yes, you do. Not that it's a bad thing. I guess we all need someone to talk to sometimes. I suppose who better than yourself?”

Fluttershy had in turn been keenly watching Grim since he woke. She didn't like to pry, so she couldn't ask too many questions about him, but it was evident to her that Grim was an unmistakable product of Canterlot military lifestyle. His speech was paced and articulate, and his diction was precise. At times it bordered upon cold and calculating. It reminded her faintly of speech lessons at the finishing school she attended after junior flight camp.

Grim's posture was also telltale of service in a strict and orderly environment. Try as she might, Grim was unwavering, yet polite, in his dismissal of her requests for him to relax. As he would state again and again with his almost-smile, 'I am comfortable. I know no other way to present myself.' Fluttershy guessed that most ponies would take him to be stuck up or harsh because of the way he spoke and carried himself, but she believed that Grim was telling the absolute truth. He really did not know any other way to behave.

Normally this idea would not bother Fluttershy. Some ponies were the way they were, and there wasn't much to be done about that. The problem with Grim was that, despite any answers or explanations he would give about himself, his eyes seemed to wish to say something different. Fluttershy had discovered a certain unexplainable liking for Grim's eyes, but whenever she looked into them, for whatever reason, they held a different answer than the one Grim would speak.

It was almost as if he was a prisoner of his own enormous strength. It was all he could do to constantly hold himself back, all the while trying to quell the inquiries of others, and yet his eyes begged for someone to see, to understand, and to accept who and what he really was. Sometimes Fluttershy was on the verge of expressing this idea to Grim, it nagged at her so. Other times she was able to bury it deep in her mind, regarding the whole thing as nonsense. But even so...

“Hi guys!,” came a familiar, excited voice. Pinkie Pie bounded in between the pair and beamed up at Grim. “You enjoying the party?!”

Fluttershy spoke first. “You know we always enjoy your parties Pinkie. Thank you so much for doing all of this. I hope you didn't go to too much trouble.”

“Yes,” Grim rumbled. “I hope the arrangements were not too much effort on your part.”

“Of course not sillies. And even if they were, I think this would be way worth it, don't you?” Pinkie swept her hoof across the view of the Library. Streamers of all colors crisscrossed the ceiling, supported by balloons tied to them at certain points. Sunlight from the high windows filtered through the balloons to cast a multitude of color across the already confetti strewn floor. Around the perimeter of the room were tables stacked high with sugary treats and fruity looking beverages of every variety.

If Pinkie had not invited the entire town, it certainly appeared so. The relatively small library was packed full of local ponies, so much so that there were even several tables and tents set up outside to comfortably accommodate everyone. Some ponies were chatting away, some were sneaking second and third helpings of the dessert buffets, and some were dancing in a corner to some odd music which Grim had never heard before.

There were also several “games” available for the guests' enjoyment, the points of which Grim was not sure he understood. One game involved dunking one's head in a large metal basin filled with water to grab up certain prizes at the bottom. Another game was played by being blindfolded, spinning in place, and pinning a paper tail to a cardboard cutout of a cartoonish donkey. There was also a hollow paper mache sheep dangled from the rafters, with younger ponies taking blindfolded swings at it with a stick. As Grim had been told, such a thing was called a pinata.

“So, Grim, what'd'ya think? Do I know how to throw a party or what?,”Pinkie asked.

Grim glanced around the room one more time. He glimpsed one of the young ponies playing with the sheep sharply whack another over the head in a poorly aimed swing. He also saw a rather clumsy looking pegasus mare make a valiant winged effort to reach a blueberry muffin at the top of a dessert pile. Her pitch was miscalculated, and she promptly tumbled to the floor along with the desserts, though she did emerge victoriously with her goal in her mouth.

“I have never witnessed another party quite like it,” Grim said in total truth. “You have exceeded my expectations, Pinkie Pie. I am...honored by the events you have orchestrated here today.”

Pinkie had picked up a passing balloon as Grim was thanking her. She bit into the base and sucked out the mass of helium inside. “You're welcome!,” she squeaked. “Hey, when you get tired of doing the whole meet-and-greet thing, you should come play Pin the Tale on the Donkey. It's a blast!” She then leaped away in the direction of the others playing the game.

As Grim watched Pinkie, he could hear Fluttershy giggling next to him. She craned her neck to whisper into his ear. “You know, you might want to at least try and hide your confusion.”

The stern stallion looked over at her. “It is that obvious, is it?”

Fluttershy giggled again. “You look like a school colt during a lecture.”

Grim's face softened into a small grin. “An interesting simile. I am sorry. I did not mean to be rude, but Pinkie is just-. Well, she is very-”

“Different,” Fluttershy finished for him. “You don't have to say it. You'll never hear anyone say otherwise. But Pinkie is Pinkie, and we all love her the way she is. I think sometimes even she doesn't really know what goes through her head, but I believe that just adds to her character. Anyway...” Fluttershy turned her view to the library at large, then back to Grim. “Have you made some new friends since the party's started?”

“I have made some acquaintances, yes,” replied Grim. “Pinkie Pie made no small effort to point all new arrivals in my direction, so I daresay I have at least shaken hooves with everyone here. Most were content with a brief introduction, but others were more engaged. Madam Mayor was gracious and welcomed me to town. The local bakers, whom I understand are responsible for the refreshments, were here, though I believe they did not stay long due their accompanying little ones. Ah, and your close circle of friends, sans Rainbow Dash and Applejack.”

“Oh, Applejack had to go out of town on important apple business. I'm sure she would have come if she could. But you haven't seen Rainbow Dash yet? That's strange,” said Fluttershy with some concern. “She never misses a Pinkie party, not even for a nap. I wonder where she could be?”

“Perhaps flying about, or 'practicing' as I believe she is wont to say?,” suggested Grim. “That comprises large portions of her schedule from what I have observed in recent days.”

“Well, you're not wrong about that. But still, I can't ever think of a time when Rainbow missed a party for practice. I don't know...”

A soft crash and collective 'whoo' from the other side of the room interrupted Fluttershy's thoughts. She and Grim looked to see what had happened. One of the young ponies who had been swinging at the pinata finally landed a blow, breaking it open, and spilling a treasure trove of candies onto the floor.

Many of the younger guests were now clamoring to the spot, trying their best to grab up hooffuls of candy before it was all gone. As Fluttershy and Grim surveyed the scene, Pinkie Pie jumped high above the fray and shouted “Gangway everypony! We got candy here!” She did a half somersault, and dove head first into the middle of the jostling circle.

At Pinkie's declaration of 'candy', Fluttershy squeaked as something burst forth from her mane at the top of her head. Angel shimmied his way through the pink thicket and down onto the tip of Fluttershy's muzzle, where he stood and sniffed at the air.

“Angel Bunny?,” Fluttershy wondered aloud in bewilderment. “When did you get into my mane? How-?” Angel ignored his master's inquiry. He dropped down to the floor below, and skittered through the legs of the party guests, making a B-line for the mound of candy.

“Oh no, Angel. You know you shouldn't be eating sweets. Remember how you get when you have too much sugar!” Despite Fluttershy's plea, the rabbit made no effort to stop and listen to her. He zigged and zagged amongst the forest of equine legs with the singular purpose of getting to the sugary morsels that awaited.

“Oh dear,” said Fluttershy to Grim. “I had better go get him before he eats into an overload. I'm sorry Grim, but will you be okay for the time I'm gone?”

Grim nodded. “Of course. But you had better hurry. He has probably gotten to the treats by now.”

Fluttershy smiled appreciatively, then turned and began to navigate her way through the crowd to where Angel was now most likely gorging himself. Grim remained seated, content with his distance from the crowd's focus. They certainly were different from the citizens of Canterlot, these Ponyville ponies. The air of apprehension, judgment, and even occasional scorn that tended to plague him on Canterlot's streets was almost nonexistent here. Certainly, there were ponies who had gawked a bit upon meeting him, or had avoided eye contact while passing, but this was almost friendly compared to some of his experience.

The young ones were especially surprising. In Canterlot, whenever Grim could be seen in the street, little ponies of family groups would skirt behind their mothers or fathers, who would say something to the effect of “Just look away” or “Try not to get too close.” Often, after soothing the young pony, the guardian would look up at Grim with an affronted expression, as if Grim had somehow wronged their offspring. He had not been out too many times, but whenever the large stallion passed a parent and child in Ponyville, the child would usually marvel at his size or wings, and ask who he was. The parents were decidedly more cautious than their children, but were at least polite, and apologized for the outburst.

Grim was pondering just how the young ponies perceived him, when he realized that three small figures were sitting before him, just within his peripheral view. He moved his eyes downward to see them fully, and was thrown off guard when met with three very intense little stares.

Forgetting himself, Grim simply asked “May I help you?”

The three small ponies sat perfectly still. The one on the far right, an orange pegasus with a short purple mane, responded first. “You're really big,” she grunted, still staring.

“You are very small,”Grim replied, his right eyebrow raised.

“Am not,” the pony argued dully, still staring.

“Not from my point of view,” Grim retorted.

“I just look small 'cause you're so big.”

“Perhaps I look big because you are so small.”

“You are kind of small Scoots,” chimed the pony on the far left, a white unicorn with a curly mane.

“Scootaloo,” admonished the one in the middle, a yellow terrestrial pony with a large bow in her red mane and a drawling accent, “What'd we say 'bout tryin' ta make a good first impression?”

The one named Scootaloo broke her gaze and spoke to second the pony. “I'm sorry Applebloom. I choked. I wasn't expecting him to be this big.” Scootaloo then leaned forward to address the unicorn. “And you and I are totally the same size, Sweetie Belle.”

“Nuh-uh. I'm a whole inch taller than you,” Sweetie Belle shot back.

“Maybe with your horn.”

The pony in the middle put her front legs around her companions' necks and brought them in close. “I'm real sorry 'bout these two,” she said to Grim with a nervous grin. “What we all meant ta say was 'It's nice ta meet'cha'.”

“Yeah, that's right,” agreed Scootaloo with an equally nervous grin.

Sweetie Belle grinned as well. “What they said.”

Grim bowed his head modestly. “And I am pleased to make your acquaintances. My name is Grim.”

The three ponies relaxed back into sitting position.“Yer just like my big sis said ya were. You look like you'd be scary to talk to, but you're really kinda nice.”

Grim was unsure as to whether he had just been complimented or not. “Well, thank you, I believe. Would I be overstepping my bounds to assume that Applejack is your older sister?”

Applebloom nodded, pleased. “That's right. I'm Applebloom. How'd you guess 'bout Applejack?”

“Call it good fortune,” Grim said with a small, knowing smile. “And what might your names be?,” he directed at the other two.

“I'm Scootaloo,” the orange pegasus proclaimed boldly, spurring her stubby wings to hover in place.

“I'm Sweetie Belle,” said the unicorn. “Rarity is my sister.”

“I see. Well Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Scootaloo, how are you fairing today? Are you enjoying the festivities?”

Applebloom waved her hoof in manner of dismissal. “Aw shucks, ya'll don't have ta bother with all the small talk. We bet yer plum tired of it after meetin' all these ponies. Besides, we wanted to talk to ya 'bout a- uh-”

“A business proposal!,” Sweetie Belle blurted excitedly.

“Yeah, a business proposal,” confirmed Applebloom and Scootaloo.

“Business proposal?,” Grim repeated with curiosity. “Forgive me, but what sort of business would three young fillies such as yourselves have with me?”

Applebloom lowered her voice and skirted back around toward Grim's left flank. “Well ya see, we noticed that you've got some'n in common with us three. Some'n that makes ya diff'rent from all the other grown-ups.”

Sweetie Belle approached Grim's flank on the other side. “Yeah. Something pretty unusual, something that got us thinking...”

“Got us thinking,” said Scootaloo as she nudged herself in at Grim's left, “that you would make a great addition to our team.” She fished her leg in between the stallion's body and wing, and swung out the secondary armored joint to see it better.

Grim rotated his line of sight among the three fillies, his sense of suspicion now roused. “I see. And of what sort of team, pray tell, are you a part?”

The joint being examined by Scootaloo rang softly at a curious tap. She gave a sheepish look as its owner turned her way, then sprung up onto his back. “This is some pretty cool hardware you got here.” She leaned toward Applebloom. “But I thought Applejack said he had armor that covered almost all of him. If this is what she was talking about, it doesn't look like it'd do much. Looks more like a fashion statement to me.”

The now annoyed stallion made to answer this intrusive comment, but was sidetracked by the sensation of a small hoof prodding his flank at his right. Sweetie Belle made several quick passes.“I don't know about that, but it looks like Rarity was right about his mark.” Grim sat speechless as the hoof wound its way back and forth over his backside, ruffling his coat, searching for something. “There's nothing on this side.”

On his right, another small hoof began running its way over the contour of his flank. “She was right,” said Applebloom. “I got nothin' over here either. He's blank as we are.”

Grim had heard enough. He pulled his left wing back, wedging his primaries under Scootaloo like a pie server, and scooped her up. With his other wing he lifted her away, and placed her squarely within view. He then took both wings, brought them back past his rear, and swept the other two fillies forward to sit on either side of the orange pegasus. The action was so quick and smooth, they had to think for a moment as to what had happened.

“You know, most ponies would consider poking and prodding someone without warning to be rude.”

Sweetie Belle hung her head a little. “We're sorry Grim. We didn't mean to be rude.”

Applebloom and Scootaloo hung their heads as well. “Yeah, we didn't mean anything,” they affirmed.

Sweetie continued. “It's just that when Rarity happened to mention your b- uh- your flank, we kinda couldn't believe it. I mean, everyone always tells us to just be patient and not to worry, that everypony gets it eventually. But then here you are, a grown-up, and you don't have one. And then that got us thinking-”

Grim held up a hoof sternly. “Forgive me, Sweetie Belle, but to what exactly are you alluding?”

Misunderstanding clouded Sweetie Belle's face. “What does 'alluding' mean?”

“So much for being our team's dictionary,” snickered Scootaloo.

“Better than the team chicken,” Sweetie countered.

“What I am asking,” said Grim with a slightly raised voice, “Is what are you talking about? Everyone gets what eventually?”

“You know,” said Applebloom, indicating Grim's flank. “A cutie mark.”

“Ah, of course.” The fillies' flank inspecting made complete sense now. “Well, you have been told truthfully. I do not have my mark. But I would have freely told you myself, had you asked. There is nothing wrong with well-mannered curiosity. But first, back to your beginning statement, you said you wished to speak with me about some business?”

Applebloom nodded. “That's right. Ya see, we don't have our cutie marks either.” She bent her back and presented her side, sans a marking. “We formed our own club, the three of us, and we're on a mission to get our cutie marks, no matter what it takes.”

“Not just a mission,” piped up Scootaloo. “We're on a crusade. We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” The three ponies pulled themselves together and struck a short group pose.

Grim could not help but feel amused at this. “Crusaders you say? A lofty description, to be sure. And what sort of crusading do you three do to gain your marks?”

“Well, that's kind of where we were hoping you could come in,” Sweetie Belle answered. “Obviously what we've been trying hasn't really worked out. That's why we came here to talk to you. We'd like you to join up with us, and be a full fledged Crusader.”

“Yeah! You'd get the full perk package too,” volunteered Applebloom. “Yer very own cape with the Crusader emblem, access to our clubhouse and exclusive sleepovers, and probably even a seat on the Crusader Council if you play yer cards right.”

Stifling a bark of laughter Grim asked, “A very generous proposal indeed. But I wonder, what makes you think I have anything to offer with my membership? At my age, and still without a mark, I am unsure as to whether I would only hinder you.”

“But that's just it. There's lots'a things we can't do, or have a hard time with, because we don't have one grown-up we can always go to. You could be that grown-up. We could maybe help you doin' diff'rent stuff that you haven't tried yet, and you could do the same fer us, helpin' us out 'cause yer so big n' all.”

The weathered soldier pegasus looked down earnestly at the three youngsters before him. “Tell me, how much do you girls truly know about cutie marks? What exactly is the depth of your understanding?”

The three looked at each other, then back to Grim. Sweetie Belle asked, “What's there to know? You figure out what your special talent is, and then a mark representing it appears on your flank. That's what we learned in school.”

“And you would be correct. However, that is but a portion of cutie mark lore. I imagine you are concerned for your marks because of peer pressure, yes? You fear that you seem immature, or perhaps you fear that there may be nothing particularly special about you.”

“This guy's a real downer,” Scootaloo whispered to her friends. “Maybe we should back out of our offer while we can.”

Though he had heard Scootaloo perfectly well, Grim continued. “Allow me to share something that took me a long time to grasp. A mark is not so much about a specialty as it is about self awareness. Understanding of the self is what brings to bear a mark. Recognition of a certain talent is coincidental; the true milestone is realizing that you have worth, and learning that you can focus that worth into an aspect of life.”

The Crusaders simply looked up at Grim, their eyes almost blank. “Do my words make sense?,” he asked.

Applebloom nudged Sweetie Belle. “Ya git all that?”

“Not really,” said Sweetie Belle with a shrug.

“Perhaps I should have been more concise,” Grim muttered as he massaged his temple with a hoof.

“Listen big guy,” came Scootaloo, seeming eager to approach a final answer, “we can talk plenty about all kinds'a stuff later on when we have a get together. Right now, all you gotta do is tell us that you're in.”

“In? I don't recall ever making a decision one way or the other.”

“But you are gonna join, right?,” Applebloom asked with uncertainty.

“Your goals are clear, but in what way could I assist with the means? I have no knowledge that would be useful, let alone appropriate, for school fillies.”

“It ain't about what'cha know. If that was true, no pony would ever git their mark.”

“I highly doubt any talent I possess would be one in which you would, or for that matter could specialize.”

“We don't think that either,” said Sweetie Belle. “We don't wanna do any soldier stuff.”

Scootaloo raised a hoof. “I kinda want to do soldier stuff.”

“The point is,” Applebloom cut across, “We think us gittin' together'll be good fer all of us. The more heads we got comin' up with ideas fer cutie marks the better, right?.”

“And what makes you three believe I am still trying for my mark?”

Each of the Crusaders gave Grim a look as though he had just uttered absolute nonsense. Scootaloo was the first to recover. “What, like you gave up on getting it or something?”

Grim racked his brain for a conversational sidestep. As far as he was concerned the topic was not worth discussing, and he knew that these fillies would never understand anything outside of a need for a mark, young as they were. “That is not what I said. What I mean is, how do you know I do not simply wait for it to manifest, instead of actively seeking it?”

“What kind of plan is that?,” squeaked Sweetie Belle. “We can't just wait around for our cutie marks to appear. What if we're waiting until we're old like you?”

“I would imagine I am not so much older than your sister, if Fluttershy is to serve as a reference,” Grim rebutted, surprised at his own mild offense to Sweetie Belle's comment.

“But your mane is solid white, and you talk all old and stuff.”

“This is the color with which I was born. And I did not develop my speech of old age. I conditioned myself to speak this way.”

“You see, like that!,” Scootaloo said energetically. “That's something we'd never think to try, a speech cutie mark. That could be pretty cool.”

Applebloom joined in. “Yeah! And I bet that takes a lot of practice and discipline too, right? We could probably use some o' that in our questing. You see Grim, I bet there's a buncha' stuff you could help us do. That's why we'd like you to join up with us. It ain't like we'd ask ya ta stick with us all the time or some'n'. We'd just come see if you could give us a hoof when we really needed it. And if you ever needed help, you could always call on yer fellow Crusaders. That's pretty reasonable, don't ya think?”

Grim considered the explanation given him. These fillies had sought him out, not out of fascination or some malign intent, but out of a perceived common bond, and a wish for help. This was something altogether foreign to him. “Would you not find it odd, having a grown stallion accompany you in your exploits, whatever they may be?”

“Cain't be more odd'n a earth pony goin' fer a hang glidin' cutie mark.”

“I see. And you do not believe others would find my company with you to be unacceptable?”

“If Ponyville can git over a zebra in town, you'll be just fine.”

“You do not intend to give me a choice in the matter, do you?”

“Nope,” the Crusaders chorused brightly.

“Then I am at my wit's end,” Grim sighed. “Very well. I accept your terms.” The stallion bowed his head. “Hence forth, you may consider me a part of your 'crusade', and I shall render what service I am able, whenever I am able, to the best of my ability, in order to facilitate your goals.”

Scootaloo ribbed Applebloom. “I don't know about you, but that sounded like a 'yes' to me.”

“You're gonna be a Crusader?,” Sweetie Belle chirped.

“I will.” The Crusaders cheered and high-hoofed, but stopped as Grim continued to speak. “However, I must say that I reserve the right of refusal of participation should I deem a situation inappropriate, dangerous, or, the stars forbid, embarrassing. Is this acceptable to you?”

“Sounds good to us!,” said the three in unison.

“Hi girls. What sounds good to you?” Fluttershy had returned from her pursuit of Angel, though it appeared without desired results. The white rabbit was slung across her back, his stomach full and bulging, his body limp, and his facial expression a contorted mesh of agony and ecstasy.

“Oh, hey Fluttershy, ”Scootaloo said innocently. “It was nothing. We were just talking with ol' Grim here; you know, swapping war stories. ”She bent forward and gave Grim's breast piece a sharp thunk. Grim showed displeasure at this.

“War stories?,” asked Fluttershy, perplexed.

“Yeah, war stories. Aaaaany way, we gotta go. See ya Fluttershy. See ya Grim.” With that, the three fillies turned tail and zipped away to the library door, but not before Sweetie Belle took a very opportune swipe at the nearest dessert table.

Grim eyed the Crusaders as they went. “That was arguably the most odd encounter I have had yet.”

“They tried to recruit you into their little club didn't they?”

“And succeeded, I am abashed to say. You know something of this organization of theirs?”

“A bit. They're sweet girls, if impatient, and they mean well. I think it's more about banding together than getting their marks, to be honest. Others can be cruel, and if you have a problem it helps to know you aren't alone. Does that make sense?”

Grim growled deeply within the base of his throat. “Absolutely. I can commiserate.”

Fluttershy glanced quickly at Grim's flank. “Grim, would you, um, would you mind if asked you a, well, a personal question?”

Knowing what was to come, Grim steeled himself. “I would not. What is your question?”

She tiptoed over her wording as best she could. “I, well, I was wondering about... about...” She could not seem to complete the thought. Though his face was perfectly agreeable, his eyes silently glinted with a spark of protest, as if to beg her not to continue.

“Why I do not possess a mark,” Grim finished for her. “Is that what you wanted to ask?”

“N-never mind,” Fluttershy stammered. “It was rude of me. I shouldn't have-”

“It is alright. Considering my age, it is a natural question. If you will believe it, I had a mark once. It was a long time ago now.”

“You 'had' one once?,” Fluttershy asked confusedly. “Like it appeared, and then you lost it?”

“Lost? Yes, I suppose that is the appropriate word,” Grim said, more to himself. “Lost.”

“But Grim, I don't understand. How do you lose a cutie mark?”

“I have often posed the same question. Over the years I believe I have derived an answer; but such a conversation is not one to be had a setting such as this.”

“But what-”

CRASH

A rainbow blur had hurtled through one of the library's high windows and straight into a table, scattering its contents. Party guests gasped and screamed, and they all leapt back from the point of impact. Fluttershy squeaked and rammed herself headfirst under Grim's wing.

As dust cleared and settled, it became apparent that the crashed object was no object at all, but rather a very rattled Rainbow Dash. Rainbow staggered to her hoofs. She gave her head a good knock to stop her eyes from rolling, then set them on the crowd before her. She breathed deeply.

“Ok everyone; now I don't think it's any reason to panic, but we have a problem. The cows at Sweet Apple Acres got spooked, and they might be stampeding straight for town.”

At first, silence. Then, “My house!,” someone cried.

“My garden!,” yelped another.

“My shop!,” came a third.

“Now everypony just calm d- woah!” Rainbow was swept away as a mass exodus of party guests ensued. They jostled and shoved one another to make it out the door. Pegasi bolted up to the different windows, skipping the turbulent crowd below. Rainbow was tossed back and forth on a sea of scurrying backs, until finally landing on the floor with a loud thump. As the last of the party guests dashed out, there was silence once again.

Rainbow sat up and rubbed one of her shoulders. “Well that didn't go the way I planned.”

“Rainbow Dash, there you are!,” Pinkie shouted gleefully. She threw herself around Rainbow's neck. “What gives? Why didn't you come to the party sooner?”

“I'll tell you later Pinkie.” Rainbow spun her gaze around the room. The only ponies left were Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Grim, and Fluttershy, who was just now pulling herself from under Grim's wing. “Alright, listen up guys. We've got a stampede on our hooves. I don't know anyone who's rounded up the cows besides Applejack, and she's not here. We need a plan five minutes ago. What do we do?”

“Maybe ask nicely for them to stop?,” Fluttershy suggested timidly.

“I'm talking real suggestions here. Come on guys, think.”

“We could scare them the other way with my party cannon,” offered Pinkie. “I still have a couple of charges left.”

Rarity chimed in. “I don't think more fright will turn them around. You know how cows can be when they're scared; not sensible at all. What if we blinded them with a flash of magic? Do you think that could work?”

“That's better, but I think it still goes back to what you said about more fear not working. They'll probably just speed up, and they won't run into anything. It's a straight shot into town that way.”

Twilight spoke up. “I have an idea. Let's take them stopping themselves out of it all. I can levitate them off the ground with magic. That should stop them in their tracks.”

“But darling,” interjected Rarity, “There must be forty cows in that herd at least. Do you think you can handle all that mass, especially with it moving like that?”

“That is true. The spell might take a bit to capture all the cows. How long until they're to stream?”

“Not long,” Rainbow huffed. “I don't know if you can make it running. Fluttershy and I will have to fly you to the bridge. That should give you the time you need.”

Grim stepped forth. “Allow me. I would be faster than you and Fluttershy in tandem.”

“But Grim, your injuries,” Fluttershy objected. “You can't expect something like that from your body just yet.”

“We have no choice. We must answer the situation as best we can. Do not worry,” Grim soothed. “This is little more than a trifle.” He made for the library door. “Come then, Twilight Sparkle. We have dallied enough as it is.”

Grim splayed his wings in the open air, tensing and releasing the sinew in preparation for the flight. This would be his first trial under stress since the dragon encounter. Despite the circumstances, he was almost keen to test his body's limits.

A nervous Twilight Sparkle came up beside Grim. “Ok, so I understand the need to fly me out there and everything, but I haven't really had any good experiences with other ponies having to carry me through the air. Is there any way you could maybe-”

“Climb onto my back.”

“Do you really think that's the best way to do this? I was kind of hoping you could maybe carry me with your legs, or-”

“I assure you I am more than broad enough for you to seat yourself. Do not be afraid. Climb on. ”Grim bent his knees, and held his body low to the ground.

Twilight eyed the pegasus with a weakened stomach, but figured it was best not to argue. “Well, ok. If you say so.” Twilight dug a foreleg in above Grim's wing joint and hoisted herself onto his back. As it turned out, Grim was correct. Securely seating a pony of her size was easy enough on the firm gray expanse, and the armor yoke around his neck was something to grab onto if need be.

“Are you situated?”

“I think so. I just-” The breath behind Twilight's next words was sucked from her lungs. Grim pounded the ground with a tremendous downbeat, and the two were launched into air.

Rainbow Dash flew up to meet them. “Come on. They'll be coming in from this way.” Her signature streak trailed behind as she shot toward an edge of town. Grim thundered after her, his wings brutalizing great volumes of air to match speed.

Though he understood the conditions, on some small level Grim relished the urgency of the flight. The turbulence whipping his coat, the stroking motion and report of his wings, the sensation of his lungs fighting the flowing air around his face to fill themselves; these were some of the sweetest pleasures life had to offer. He glimpsed the idea of what could have happened, had it not been Fluttershy who found him that day. Permanent wing damage was a terrible proposition indeed, and his heart beat a pang of gratitude to the demure pony.

“Hey, you're not half as slow as what I thought you'd be Mr. Soldier Guy,” called Rainbow through her slipstream.

“I have more speed yet. But now is not the time for quips Rainbow Dash. Where is this stampede? I see nothing yet.”

Rainbow peered forward through the air rushing her face. “I can see the bridge and stream up ahead. There's gonna be some hills after that. They're probably in there somewhere. We'd better hurry. How ya holdin' up Twilight?”

“I've...been...better,” Twilight panted. She held her chest as she attempted to maintain her breath. “How do you guys...do this...on a regular...basis?!”

“Your guts get used to it when you're young. It's a pegasus thing. We'll set you down soon. Where should we put you to cast your spell?”

“The top...of that first hill...should be fine,” Twilight choked.

“Roger that. You got that Grim?”

“I do not believe landing will be an option,” warned Grim. “Look there.”

From somewhere beyond the hill a cloud of dust had begun to rise. It was undoubtedly from the herd of stampeding cows, and it was approaching quickly.

“Looks like you're gonna have to work your stuff on the fly. You think you can handle all that movement?”

“Shouldn't be...a problem. Grim, can you...get me as close...as possible? Keep pace...as best...you can.”

“Understood.” Grim crossed over the bridge and stream, and began his descent. As he did the cows reached the apex of the hill, and barreled down the back slope, straight for Ponyville. Grim eased off, and glided down close to the thick of the herd. “Is this sufficient Twilight Sparkle?”

“Should be,” Twilight yelled, her wind restored. “Just keep up. I'll do the rest.” She screwed up her face in concentration. A purple glow began to burst forth from her horn. “Focus on the hooves,” she coached herself. “Capture, and lift. Everything else will work itself out.”

Twilight's horn pulsed once. Several cows seemed to stumble for a bit, but otherwise there was no visible evidence of the stampede slowing.

“Was that your spell just now?,” asked Rainbow over the echoing beats of the stampede. “You gotta do better than that, Twilight.”

“I know. Just let me focus. I can do it.” Twilight's horn pulsed again, with much the same effect as before. “Grim, you have to keep me more steady.”

“I am holding to the best of my ability.”

Twilight tried again; nothing. Another pulse; still nothing. Hoofbeats rang in Twilight's ears, skewing her thoughts.

“Twilight!”

Pulse. Nothing. The noise turned into a fuzzy blanket, hampering her magical rationale.

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Pulse. Pulse. Nothing. The cacophony was indistinguishable from the rush of blood to her head.

“Twilight, what are you doing?!”

“I can't do it!,” Twilight blustered, tears forming in her eyes, her thoughts broken. “I can't cast the spell like this.”

“Well what the hay are we supposed to do?!”

“I don't know. This was all we had. It's too late to do anything else.”

Grim's voice willed its way through all the noise, calm and collected. “Twilight Sparkle, is it imperative that these cows do not reach the town?”

“Well, they'll cause a lot of damage, to the town and probably to themselves.”

“But is there absolutely no choice in the matter?”

“I can't really think of any-”

“It is a yes or no question.”

“I- I don't-”

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!,” Grim roared.

“Yes! Yes!,” bleated Twilight. “We have to stop them! Please!”

Grim snorted begrudgingly. “Then I shall do so.”He broke away from the stampede, speeding back toward Ponyville, and gaining altitude.

As they continued to rise, Twilight asked through a half-sob, “Wh- What are you going to do?”

“That only thing I know to do,” Grim answered solemnly. “The only answer to which I can ever seem to arrive; a force for a force. Lie flat, and hang tightly around my neck Twilight Sparkle. I will do my utmost to accommodate you. And I hope that you will forgive me for what you are soon to witness.”

Twilight looked as though she wanted to ask Grim what he meant by this, but somehow knew better. He was different now. At the party she had observed him several times as being perfectly agreeable, if somewhat taciturn. But now, even though even-keeled, Twilight's horn buzzed at the aura of danger surrounding him. The muscles beneath her were taught, his wing strokes were more strict and aggressive, and they continued to gain altitude to an end that she could not infer.

Suddenly Grim stayed his wings and pulled them to his sides. The silence of being given to the mercies of gravity was the most deafening sensation Twilight had ever felt. As their momentum petered out and they began to fall, Twilight Sparkle screamed, “Grim, what are you doing?! Why did you stop?!”

“Do as I have instructed Twilight Sparkle. Whatever you may feel, I swear you will be unharmed. For now, all I ask is your trust.”

Grim fell in a slow backward somersault, until his head was pointed earthward. He drug his wingtips just so in the airstream so as to face himself in the direction of the stampede. He then struck a single, mighty thrust at the sky, putting them from freefall to full hurtle. Twilight nearly lost her hold, and her heart lodged in her throat.

The ground was growing ever closer, and they were only building speed. Twilight managed to nestle her face safely in a dead spot at the nape of Grim's neck, but she could not solve the unbearable whistling in her ears. What sort of plan could he possibly have, she wondered. Was he going to charge his own body against the cows? Then, even as she assured herself they were plummeting to their dooms, she could hear Grim fan his wings, and the surrounding air lashed around them. From a nose dive he pulled his rear end down, to now falling hooves first.

Twilight braved to crane her neck now that her body had been righted. They were still falling horrendously fast. A chance look at the ground indicated they should land just in front of the bridge. She looked to her right to see that Grim's wings were standing vertical to the ground, and their armor plating had shifted out. Twilight thought it odd for a split second that the plates did not extend quite as far as she remembered. In fact, the plates were only at half extension at best. What-?

BOOM

Any volume left in Twilight's lungs, as well as any thought in her head, had been effectively removed. Every muscle in her body, from her diaphragm to her eyelids, was rendered utterly bound. She could only watch in slow motion as the cows rampaged toward them, and Grim executed whatever unfathomable last ditch effort he had in mind.

Grim's wings were swept down upon impact with the earth, and he bent his legs to allow the sinew to absorb most of the shock. His hooves shuddered as they were swallowed by the compacted soil of the town path. Then, in an instant, he straightened his legs, and brought his wings back up to chest level. They arced in perfect symmetry, and with immeasurable momentum the front profiles of his plating collided together. The lustrous material did not clash, or gong, or even ring, as one would expect; the pieces simply rebounded, shooting opposite of their former path. Grim knew he had struck true.

Halfway through their return arc, Grim bent his front knees, rolled his main joints to angle his wings directly at the ground, and sank his armor as hard as he dared. The earth groaned and shivered, as if begging him to relent. Trees on either side of the path rattled, decrying the subterranean thrashing of their roots. Down to the very bedrock the ground capitulated.

Spouts of dirt, the screams of stress relieve, spewed forth as large pieces of underlying rock were upended. The path to town was rent beyond recognition, likened to a stretched piece of ribbon crumpled upon itself at both ends. The ruinous effect sped outward from its epicenter, following some sort of shockwave, heading directly for the group of stampeding cattle.

The herd sped on, and met the roaring ruin head first. The result was disastrous. Those at the forefront immediately fell, either by upturned rock or sinking hoof. Those at the middle and back fell over the ones in front, or continued to falter by pitfalls of the still spreading shockwave. Like dominoes they fell as their heads disappeared beneath dirt clouds rising in the air. Horrified moos pierced the cataclysm as the stampede collapsed to a halt, a frenzy of tangled legs and writhing bodies.

Grim looked on as the dust cleared and the earth stilled. His plan had certainly worked, but the effect was greater than what he had wished. Then again, such a feat was always difficult to regulate without knowing the precise wave characteristics necessary.

“Grim...what...what did you just do?,” came a voice to Grim's back.

Grim pulled his hooves free and sidestepped the earthen scars he had made. “You are unharmed I hope, Twilight Sparkle? Can you stand?” He got down to his belly and spread his wings to give Twilight room.

Twilight grunted and wobbled up. “Ugh...yeah, yeah I think I'm ok.” She carefully picked her way off Grim's back, down to the steady, unmoving ground for which she was now passionately grateful. “What did you do?,” she asked again as she surveyed the mass of struggling cows before her.

“I did as you bade, Twilight Sparkle. I diffused the stampede. I imagine several of them suffered injury, but nothing serious.”

Some of the cows were beginning to stand, their faces torn between confusion and pain. “Well that's great, and I know everyone in town will be grateful, but what did you do?”

Grim was saved the trouble of answering by an incoming Rainbow Dash. She streaked down and landed in front of him. Her eyes were alight, and she was positively gushing. “Grim, that was the single most super fantastic, ultra cool thing I have ever seen in my whole entire life! I mean I can do a sonic rainboom, but that was...that was...WOW!”

“What the hay did he do!?” Twilight repeated, flustered.

A reserved, commanding voice from somewhere behind them spoke. “I would very much like to have that question answered myself.” The three of them turned around. It was the mayor of Ponyville. Her usually quaffed main and signature tie were skewed, and her glasses were grossly crooked. “To my office, the three of you, if you please. You have some explaining to do.”

...................................................................................

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sat beside each other in front of Madam Mayor's large wooden desk. Rainbow Dash had collected her friend on the mayor's order, and the two were now waiting for her to return, and tell them why they had been called. From what Fluttershy had been told it was Grim who had stopped the stampede, not Twilight, and whatever he had done sounded both amazing and terrible by the description Rainbow Dash had given.

A door latch clicked behind them, and the mayor strode past to sit behind her desk. She had apparently found time since before to compose herself; her mane and tie were in their usual order, and her spectacles sat neatly on her nose. Her speech was kind, but very direct. “I would first like to thank the both of you for coming here on such notice. I won't take much of your time. I only have a few questions for each of you. You both do know why you're here, yes?”

“I've got a good guess,” said Rainbow.

Fluttershy squeaked and looked away. “I...well, I'm afraid I don't know M-madam Mayor.”

“Let me make myself plain. Neither one of you is in trouble. A few simple answers and you may leave. Really you don't have to answer my questions at all if you wish, but I would hope you could give at least enough information to satisfy. Am I understood? ”Rainbow and Fluttershy nodded. “I'm glad we can agree. Rainbow Dash, I'll start with you."

“You apparently have a first hoof account of the damage done to the west of town. How exactly was this damage caused?”

Rainbow thought for a moment. “Well, let's see. Twilight couldn't get her magic to work or something, so we kinda put it on Grim to stop the stampede. After that he flew way up high, then dived back down, planted a landing, did some weird thing with his wings, and then the ground kinda ripped apart. And that's all, I guess.”

The mayor was writing notes as Rainbow gave her answer. “I see,” she said around the pen clenched in her teeth. “And can you describe this 'weird thing' with his wings?”

“He sort of clapped them.” Rainbow made a clapping motion with her hooves. “He pulled them out in front of him, parallel to the ground, and clapped them. Then he went and slammed them into the ground. That's what I saw anyway.”

“Was this the plan when you set out to stop the cows at the beginning?”

“No. Like I said, Twilight was going to do it at first. She couldn't get her spell to work though. I think we may have panicked a little when that happened. It was Grim who took stuff into his own hooves after that. He asked us if it was important to stop the herd. Twilight said yes, so I suppose what you saw was what he came up with.”

The mayor's next words were very careful. She eyed Rainbow over the rims of her spectacles. “So, Rainbow Dash, you do not believe that there was any malicious intent in what happened out there today?”

“What? Of course not. Grim saved the town.” Rainbow's wings beat anxiously. “I mean yeah, he busted up a road, but that's a lot better than what could have happened.”

“It's alright. I meant no accusation,” the mayor reassured. “I just want to make sure that I understand the facts fully. That's all. Thank you, Rainbow Dash, you have been most helpful. And now for you, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy squeaked again. “Oh, don't be like that. A few more minutes and you'll be out the door, I promise. Is that fair?”

Fluttershy looked across the desk to the mayor. “Ok. I'll d-do my best.”

The mayor smiled at her warmly. “Thank you dear. Now, when did you and your new friend meet exactly?”

“I wouldn't say we met,” Fluttershy recounted. “Grim stumbled into my yard at night a few weeks ago. He was really hurt, so I took him into my cottage, and cared for him.”

“Did you not think to take him to the hospital?”

“Oh, I mean, I thought about it, but his injuries were so severe I just had to treat him there and then. He went unconscious, so once he was all bandaged up, I thought it would be most comfortable for him to leave him be and nurse him.”

“Of course you did. Well Fluttershy, it's obvious that you have had the most contact with him up until now. What can you tell me about his character?”

“Oh, he's very kind and sweet,” Fluttershy said with a new found vigor. “I know he might look standoffish at first because he's so big, and he does have a natural frown about him, but he's nothing but nice to me or anyone he meets. He's very patient and well-mannered, and always offers to help when he can.”

“I'm sure he's very charming,” said the mayor, scrawling more notes. “What else can you tell me? Did he ever give any reasons for being near to Ponyville, or why he was injured?”

“He said that he was a soldier out on a mission.” Fluttershy became uneasy at this point. She was uncomfortable about giving information that may not be hers to give. “He got injured in the Everfree Forest, and almost didn't manage to make it out.”

The mayor's pen was perched precariously over her paper. “Is that everything that happened?”

Fluttershy hesitated. “Yes,” she said finally. After all, it wasn't a lie. Skimming the details, it was the entire story.

“Very good.” Madam Mayor did not seem to take notice of Fluttershy's reluctance. “Just one more question dear, then I'll let you be on your way. What, in your opinion, were the motives behind your new friend's actions today?”

“Well...” Fluttershy tossed her mane to the right, shielding her eye from the mayor's searching stare. “I didn't see anything that happened, but...”

“But?,” the mayor egged her on.

Fluttershy tossed her mane again, this time to remove it from her face, and meet the mayor's eyes. “But I think it's like Rainbow says. Anything Grim did, he did it because he thought it was for the good of others,” she finished resolutely.

The mayor gave Fluttershy another warm smile and laid her pen down. “Just what I was hoping to hear. Thank you, Fluttershy. And thank you, Rainbow Dash. I have quite enough to be getting along with. You may go. And Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes ma'am?,” said Rainbow quickly.

“From the look of him, I suggest that you not tell your new friend that it was you who scared the cows into a stampede. I doubt he would take it well.”

“How the- how did you know?”

“Please, Rainbow Dash. You were late for a large party, only to crash in and announce the town was in danger? How could I not know?”

Rainbow guiltily rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, I guess when you say it like that.”

Fluttershy and Rainbow got up and headed toward the door. As they were on their way out, the mayor called after them. “Oh, please send the soldier in after you. I would like a word with him next.”

At this Fluttershy turned back to the mayor. Her expression bordered on being cross. “With all due respect Madam Mayor, the 'soldier' does have a name. It's Grim. His name is Grim.”

The mayor looked shocked. “Yes, of course Fluttershy. I meant no offense by it. Yes, if you would, please send Grim in after you.”

...................................................................................

Grim stepped into the mayor's office and closed the door behind him. His thoughts were rife with apprehension as he neared the big desk at the far end, and the silver-maned mare on the other side.

“Please, Mr. Grim, have a seat,” Madam Mayor invited cordially. Grim looked down at the normal pony-sized stools at his shins, then back up at the mayor, eye brow cocked. “Or stand I suppose. Whatever suits you.” Grim pushed a stool to one side, and took a seat on the rug. “That's the ticket.”

“I am aware as to why I have been summoned here,” Grim stated preemptively. “I wish to apologize for the incident earlier today. It was a rash action, spurred by a rash decision, and for that I am sorry.”

The mayor laughed stuffily. “Oh no, Mr. Grim. No need to apologize. Quite the contrary, I'm grateful for what you did today. There was damage, that's true; but the result was the lesser of two evils. You prevented a potentially great amount of destruction to Ponyville today. I should be thanking you.”

Grim forced a smile, but his apprehension remained. The circumstances were too clandestine for simple thanks. “I was happy to help as I could, though I am still sorry for my disruption.”

“Don't be. But since you mention it, your 'disruption', I am very curious. Where does one acquire such a skill as you displayed in that sticky situation?”

Grim picked through his words cautiously. “Well, not to boast, but a build such as mine does afford its advantages.”

“And quite a build it is.” The mayor observed Grim keenly.

“Thank you, madam.”

“I hear you're a soldier, Mr. Grim.”

“Just Grim is fine. And that is correct. A soldier I am.”

“A noble calling, isn't it? I used to serve myself.” The mayor pointed to a placard with an overhung medal on a high shelf.

“Is that so?,” Grim asked with mild interest, eying the placard.

“Staff Sargent, Royal Terrestrial Army, 78th. Honorable Discharge of course, though more years back than I care to admit. May I ask your own position?”

“Major, Pegasus Royal Air Corps,” said Grim curtly.

Madam Mayor put her front hooves together on her desk. “There's no need to play coy, Grim. I recognize a Royal Guard when I see one, though judging from your hardware,” she nodded to Grim's yolk, “And your, shall we say, abilities, I highly doubt you spend your days in front of a palace door.”

Grim leveled his eyes. “I mean no disrespect, Madam Mayor, but what is your true purpose in calling me here?”

“I don't bear you any ill will, if that's what you think. I meant what I said about today; I truly am grateful for what you did.” Madam Mayor furrowed her brow and frowned. “But you must understand my position. I am the steward of this town, and it is my job to keep its citizens safe, from both external threats, and should they arise, internal ones as well.”

“I am no threat to your community.”

“Forgive me, but I am not so sure. An individual with full freedom and little accountability, save for the military, who can summon small earthquakes and the stars know what else at will; that doesn't sound like an issue to you?”

“My actions would have been different had I more time, or the circumstance been less dire. My sole motivation was help for Ponyville.”

The mayor stood to look out her office window, then turned back to Grim. “And what of the next time something happens and you are called upon? Will you perform comparably then as well?”

“If assurance is your desire, then I acquiesce. I give you my word, I will never react in such a manner again, so long as I am near this town.”

“And just how long do you intend to stay in Ponyville, Grim? Are your objectives completed, or is the mission ongoing? Are you at liberty do discuss such matters?”

“My business is my own,” Grim growled coldly.

“I expected as much,” the mayor sighed. “Grim, I will be plain. I realize I have no authority over you in any capacity. As a Royal Guard I can only guess at the latitude you posses in your goals. However, as mayor of this municipality, I do deserve your respect and cooperation.”

“And so you have it, as I stated previously. My word is binding.”

“I'm afraid that isn't good enough. I dare not imagine what someone like you is capable of, and believe me when I say that this town has more than its share of happenings and characters already. I need you to swear in absolution that you will never give any display of force ever again. If you can hold to that, then you have my word that you won't receive any interference from me. Your business is your own, and I respect that.”

Grim stood up as well. He spread his wings as much as he could and bowed. “I swear, on my honor as an officer of the Corps, that I will never bear strength in Ponyville again.”

Madam Mayor bowed her head. “You have my thanks. And I promise to leave your affairs be, such as they are.” The two faced each other again. “And now I will bid you good evening, Grim. Please, send Twilight Sparkle in on your way out. She should still be waiting for me. And once more, truly, thank you for what you did. My concern aside, you did Ponyville a great service.” Grim acknowledged her with a half bow, then turned to leave.

...................................................................................

Madam Mayor leaned against a bookshelf on her office wall and rubbed her temples wearily as Twilight Sparkle entered her office. “Ah, good evening Twilight. Thank you for coming. I do apologize for the wait.”

“It's not a problem, mayor,” said Twilight as she took up a stool in front of the desk. “What can I do for you?”

“Twilight, I have had a long day, and I'm very tired. Thankfully I don't have to beat around the bush with you, so I will just say it.” The mayor gazed rigidly over her half-moon glasses. They glinted as she spoke. “I want you to tell me everything you know about what happened today, west of town. In particular, I want to know anything you can give me about Grim.”

Twilight was not immediately forthcoming. “Do you mind if I ask why?”

“It's my job to know what goes on in Ponyville, in order to keep ponies safe. Information is my most effective tool to that end. You of all ponies can appreciate the value of information, I know.”

“I suppose that's true. Well, do you have an idea of anything specific?”

“I know what Grim did to stop the stampede. My question is how. What sort of magic can cause that type of devastation, and how does a pegasus go about wielding magic?”

Twilight's ears drooped, and her face fell. “I was afraid you were going to ask that. I'm sorry mayor, but it's my fault that Grim had to act at all. I knew exactly what I needed to do, and knew what spell I should use. I just- I couldn't do it.”

“I do not blame you, Twilight. In fact, I don't blame Grim either. Everything aside, his result was a welcome alternative. But such a display is understandably disconcerting, wouldn't you agree?”

“I do.” Twilight moved her eyes to the office window, then the floor. “It bothers me to say it, but I don't have any clue what he did. I got the chance when I first met him to ask about his armor. I think that's the key. It does hold some sort of enchantment. I've seen him move it by thought, and I bet that's just scratching the surface of what it can do. The material has magical properties, and is undocumented as far as I can tell.”

Gritting her teeth, Twilight knocked her horn to think. “I was on his back the whole time, but what I saw, I don't know what to make of it. He landed on his hooves really hard, which had to be on purpose. I remember him pushing his wings out in front of him...” She waved her front legs like wings moving through the motions, “And then he brought them together. It looked like he slammed them into each other, but I didn't hear a sound. Then he hit the ground, and it just fractured.”

“So you haven't the slightest as to how he did what he did?,” muttered the mayor as she sat at her desk and put her head in her hooves.

“No. Short of his armor being the source, nothing.”

“And as far as a pegasus using magic, what would you say?”

“It's unheard of. A pegasus could use a magical object, however. I really don't have any solid facts one way or the other.”

“That's that then. It can't be helped. Thank you for your candor, Twilight.”

“Always. Is there anything else?”

“There is, actually; one last point of interest. I want your honest opinion.” Madam Mayor tapped her hoof on her desk agitatedly. “Do you believe that Grim poses a threat to those around him, or the town at large?”

Twilight gasped. “Are you serious, mayor? Is that what you think about him; that he could be dangerous?”

“I am simply considering the task at hoof,” the mayor replied coolly. “Like I said before, it's my job to keep these things in check. I only want your opinion. I have no intentions of any action against him.”

Twilight breathed deeply. “Alright. Honestly? I think 'threat' is overstating things. He's shown that he has a lot of power, and there's no telling what kind of damage he could do if he wanted to. But that's just it; he doesn't want to. The only reason he did what he did is because I begged him to help. Even before that, he made sure that he knew letting the cows get to the town wasn't an option.

“He also has every reason to show restraint. He's under the military. That's cause enough to trust anyone. I know having a trained combatant may not be comfortable for you Madam Mayor, but I think you have nothing to really worry about.”

The mayor sighed heavily. “Thank you, Twilight. And I certainly hope you are right.”