Ut Ametur Iris

Rhythmic, yet muffled clacking of the carriages wheels, sounded from underneath the train car. Within the carriage, six ponies, plus one human and one dragon were casually chatting.

Princess Twilight Sparkle sat on her own designated bunk, watching her friends with a happy smile. The group were on their way to the Crystal empire. Not for any special reason, Twilight wished to visit, and because Andrew had never been, it was an ideal outing for them all.

The locomotive had been majestically thundering along for a while now. Equipped with the humans revolutionary gearing system, the journey had almost been halved in the time it took to undergo.

Still, it was mid-afternoon and they had only just started to see the first signs of snow. Twilights faithful companion, Spike, had fallen asleep beside the Princess hours ago, leaving the adults to talk.

When Rarity steered the conversation onto more... Mature topics, Twilight chose to sit out. Content on letting her friends to the talking for her. After all, conversations regarding that kind of material were very unbecoming of a Princess.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t listen in though

“So Fluttershy dear,” Rarity began. “I hear you and Applejacks brother...”

The pegasus in question blushed an impossible shade of red, trying to sink further into the bunk she was on.

“We’ve... He and I... W-we’re just good friends!” She shrieked, or at least shrieked by her standards.

“Well ah think it’s cute. Mah brothers so set on his work, he needs somepony to take his mind off it,” Applejack smirked.

“You’re not much better AJ,” Dash spoke up from her position on top of Andrews chest. “You could do with finding your own stallion.”

“Yes Dash, we all know how ‘awesome’ a relationship can be. You’ve told us many times,” Rarity said.

“You been talking about me, when i’m not around, Dash?” Andrew smirked, from under her. Not bothering to open his eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I? I love to tell them all you’re little habits. Like chewing on my ears,” She grinned, enjoying watching Andrew squirm, when she mentioned some of his more common bedroom, tendencies.

“I know you like that. Besides, I could say some things about you,”

“Oh?”

“Would anyone like to hear about who Dash fantasised about in her teens?” Andrew called through the cabin.

“No!” Dash shrieked, clambering up his body to muffle him with her chest.

The carriage devolved into childish giggles, causing Dash to join fluttershy in the full faced blush.

Twilight shook her head, a smile on her face. She couldn’t believe that of all her friends Dash would be the first one to get into a serious relationship. She seemed so jovial and all round happier, when she was with Andrew.

Infact, Twilight hadn’t seen Rainbow this happy since she won the best young flyers competition. Nor had she ever seen her friend become so openly affectionate. Rainbow had seemed to disinterested in stallions that Twilight had begun to suspect that she wasn’t into them at all.

Casting a glance back over to the pegasus, she saw that the mare was comically biting her humans nose.

Of course, now she had no doubt. She had always expected Rarity or Fluttershy to find a stallion before the rest of them, seeing as they both were on the search for love. Rainbow was the last pony Twilight would have guessed to find somepony.

‘No. Someone, not somepony,’ She corrected herself.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel happy for the pair. She knew Rainbow had always had trouble keeping stallions interested. She’d been dealt some bad cards, but now, it looked like Twilight was going to be a bridesmare in the near future.

And then there was Andrew. Twilight felt like she could finally stop fretting over him. In the early days, Applejack had taken care of him, and Twilight had educated him. Between the pair, they had basically mothered the human. A strange feat considering he was older than both of them.

In her time with Andrew, she had noticed that he had a very severe case of depression. That’s why she recommended a psych. But now that Rainbow was around, he’d just gotten better. He was happier, he laughed more, he even became the one to start conversations instead of being roped into one.

It suddenly clicked for Twilight. Andrew so often said that Rainbow was his whole word now. At the time, she had simply disregarded it as another way of him confessing his love, but now it made sense.

She was what kept him sane. Without her, he would easily surcome to the horrific pit of depression. A pit that would make him call for his old world, and the people in it.

Rainbow Dash was his tether to this world. To happiness and love, Rainbow was his world.

Twilight chuckled at the analogy she had just created. How ironic that a pegasus would keep anything grounded.

The happy couple had snuggled up to one another. Andrew lying on the bunk with Dash fast asleep on top of him, earning an “Awww,” from Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity, as they rarely saw this side of her.

Twilight let out a sad sigh, it seemed they were all moving on to the next stage of life. Rainbow had already found someone to share her days with and Fluttershy seemed to be headed in the same direction.

How long would it be before they were all married with kids? The always knowledgeable mare didn’t have an answer for that, but it couldn’t be too far on the horizon.

Seeing Dash so happy with Andrew had subconsciously prompted the rest of her friends into finding their own special somepony. They all like what they saw, they wanted to be treated as she was. To be loved and cared for.

Maybe, just maybe it was time to slow down. To find a nice stallion for each of them and attain the next level up from friendship.

Love.