A Burning Desire

by ugugg93

Rating: teen
Tags: Rarity, Fluttershy, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Romance
Length: 6221

Fluttershy finally expresses her feelings for Rarity, but the moment doesn't go according to plan

Rarity is stunned when Fluttershy expresses how she feels, leading to a broken heart. Now, trying to salvage a friendship, Rarity must face one of nature's most awesome forces, as well as her own feelings.

Published 2012-03-06 18:23:25 UTC
Last updated 2012-02-20 22:33:08 UTC

A Burning Desire

I let her run.

I'm not quite sure why I didn't call out to her. Fluttershy had done one of the bravest acts I have ever seen her perform for as long as I've known her. She came to me, stood up to her fears, and told me how she felt. Granted she had stuttered and mumbled the first few times, but in the end, I had heard her clearly. With her sweet and gentle voice, a voice that angels would sing with, she had told me her deepest secret.

She loved me.

It had caught me completely off guard. My normally elegant and graceful demeanor completely shattered. For so many years, I knew that yellow pegasus as one of my closest friends, the two of us regularly meeting at the spa to catch up on the daily gossip, but the two of us involved romantically? I never imagined something like that between us. I had caught myself with my mouth agape at the news, unable to process it correctly. In any normal situation, I would be chuckling at the mental image of myself, jaw on the floor, gaping at the news. But instead of humor, I only found despair.

Because while my demeanor was shattered because of her, her heart was shattered because of me.

I did my best to let her down softly, but there is only so much I could say with dumbstruck stammering. Instead of a gentle letdown, I had simply belted 'no.' Sweet Celestia, I will never forget the heart wrenching face that she made when I said that awful two letter word. The high that she was experiencing from the confidence she had built crashed back to earth. Even now, I can still see the image of her running away, tears glistening in the harsh rays of the setting sun, her wings fruitlessly beating the air. I should have called out to her, telling her to stop, telling her to wait, telling her that I still thought of her as my best friend. Instead, I just stood there, like the foal I am.

I could go after her. She'd be most likely at her cottage now, bawling her heart out, surrounded by her animal friends. I should go after her, but I can't. While I have my composure back now, I know that if I were to approach her now, I would say all the wrong things. Besides, she wouldn't want to see me now anyways. Sighing, I walk back inside my boutique.

The cool temperature of my home is a welcome respite to the scorching air outside. It is turning out to be the hottest summer in Ponyville history. I heard Rainbow say that it was a mixture between a cloud supply shortage in Cloudsdale plus a heat wave in the Everfree creating the drought we are experiencing now. While I admit that a nice sweat every so often was good for the coat, this was starting to get to the point where a vacation for the rest of the summer was looking like a splendid idea. Alas, my duties and work doesn't allow such respite.

Alone once more, I sigh. One day, I tell myself. Just one day I will wait to talk to Fluttershy. I might not feel the same way about her that she feels for me, but that doesn't mean that our friendship is over. In fact, I'm certain that once this is resolved, Fluttershy can get over her crush for me, and move on to another, better pony, that can better reciprocate her feelings. Smiling to myself, I decide that a single day is the best idea.

I start going through the motions of my evening routine. My work for the day was already finished before Fluttershy came over, so I went straight to making dinner. I open the refrigerator, and frown at the pitifully empty display inside. Making a mental note to buy some of... well... everything, I pick out one of very the few things inside that still appears edible, and with carrot in hoof, I sit down at the table. The crunch of the orange vegetable is perfect, and the taste divine. I have to tell Carrot Top later that her latest batch is some of her best yet. Maybe I can get some extra for Fluttershy for when she feeds Ang...

I shake the thought out of my head. I have to keep her out of my head for now, or I'll be up all night. Sighing yet again, I'm just glad that I have the place to myself for the night. Looking at the clock, I see that it is still only eight-thirty. “Well, might as well turn in early. Early bird gets the worm,” I say to myself. Finishing my carrot, I trot up the stairs, wash my face, brush my mane and tail, and settle into the comfort of my bed. Closing my eyes, I hope that sleep will find me soon.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A loud bang awakens me, the sudden shock causing me to roll out of my bed, and fall onto the floor. Looking around, I hear the intense hammering of raindrops pelting my window: the first rain in weeks. Peering out my window, I see the soft glow of the sunrise peeking through my window. “Was I really asleep for that long?” I ask myself, “It only felt like a few minutes.” The adrenaline from the sudden wake-up call starting to subside, and the fatigue of the previous night starts to grip me again. I look over at the clock, hoping that there was at least a few more minutes of sleep I could grab before starting my day.

3:36 AM.

I stare at the time for another minute at least, my brain not quite registering what it was saying. Finally, the synapses in my head start firing, and I realize that either the clock is very wrong, or the sun is wrong. Cursing Celestia and her potential lack of control over her sun tonight, I look out my window, and make sure that she wasn't turning into Nightmare Sol or something inconceivable like that. Instantly, I wake up at the sight. Even from the center of town, I can see the fire from the Everfree Forest. Another second later, I realize that the fire must have been close to town to create a light bright enough to mistaken for a sunrise.

Close to Fluttershy's cottage.

I run out of my room, only taking the time to remove my robe. Running out the door, I look around. The streets were still empty, the rain that was now soaking my coat keeping any ponies unfortunate enough to be up at this early hour indoors. Looking up, I notice that at some point in the night, a completely awful storm had blown in, blackening the skies further. The rain most likely came from the Everfree, considering that I don't recall Rainbow talking about a scheduled thunderstorm anytime recently. Though I do admit, I don't pay enough attention to that cyan mare as I should.

A loud crack, followed by a rumbling boom stirs me from my thoughts. Looking around, I notice that a few lights are now on inside many of the buildings, but none of that matters. What matters now is that I get to Fluttershy. Make sure she's safe. I swiftly run down the road leading out of town.

Passing the various buildings on either side of me, my breathing starts to become more labored. Curse my physique. Why didn't I spend more time outside running instead of being cooped up inside? Regardless, I run, the burning in my lungs forcing me to breath heavier. The lack of sleep the previous night was starting to get to me, but I have a duty to Fluttershy.

A thought flies through my head, 'Wait, why don't I just get my friends to help me out? They could tell Fluttershy, and we could avoid any awkward moments that might result. Wait... am I such a coward that I am willing to risk my friend's life to avoid an awkward confrontation? No, while I know my friends would always be there to help me, this is something I must do myself.'

Another crack of lightning lights up the night sky, the thunderous rumble following shortly after rippling through the air. The sudden shock of light and sound drawing me out of my thoughts. The rain up here was much lighter, as though the rainstorm was only localized over Ponyville proper. Up ahead, I notice I was nearing the edge of Ponyville, the fields between the town and Fluttershy's cottage was all that separated the two of us. The orange glow of the hellfire in the Everfree looked so dangerously closer now. The land was so bright now, the flame literally visible from where I ran, that it looked as though in a few minutes, the hungry flames would leap from the forest, and engulf everything.

Finally, I reach Fluttershy's house. I quickly rap the door with my hoof, “Fluttershy, darling, are you awake?” I wait for a response. After half a minute, I knock again, “Fluttershy. I understand if you are mad or hate me, but there's a fire coming close, and we need to get out of here!” I wait again. Again, I receive no response. I look through a nearby window, and notice that the entire cottage is dark and the inside uncharacteristically quiet, as though nopony had lived here in weeks. Silently asking for Fluttershy's forgiveness, I turn towards the locked door, ignite my horn, and blast it with a wave of magic.

The magic easily tears the door off its hinges, flying a few yards inside before coming to rest in the middle of the room. Bathing the room in light, I step through the doorway, to see that other than the door present in the middle of the floor, the space is mostly clean and ordered. If I were to take out the dozens of animal houses, the house would look not only normal, but almost luxurious. The couch and two chairs that sat in the center of the earthy brown room were perfectly aligned towards their center, where a simple round table adorned with a vase of flowers sat. To one side, a simple fireplace sat, its fires long cold from inactivity. Ahead of me, a staircase slowly angled up, leading to the second story. To my right, two doors led to a dining area and a kitchen. The various walls around the room were bordered by various tables supporting pictures of her friends and family. I walk up to a single particular picture, which was cast on the ground near the couch. Picking it up with my magic, I look at its contents, and see that it is a picture of us two just after the whole modeling fiasco, looking so happy with each other.

Fighting back my frown, I place the picture carefully back down on the table. I continue to inspect the area, and find that the center table has a short note on it. Once again using the magic within me, I pick up the letter, and read the message scribbled on it.

Dear Friends,

In case that you come to look for me before I come back, I wish to tell you all not to worry. I have lots of things on my mind, and to help me clear my head, I am taking a short trip into the Everfree to be closer to my animal friends. I know it is dangerous, but do not worry, I will be alright. My animals have enough food for while I'm gone, so they will be alright as well. I will be back in a few days.

Fluttershy

“Horseapples,” I spat, instantly looking around instinctively to see if anypony heard my vulgar outburst. Coming back to my senses, I find a small bag inside the room, and put it on my back. I fold the note back up, and place it inside. Mentally debating with myself, I decide to take a few things of food and water from Fluttershy's kitchen, just in case I need it. Looking through the kitchen, most of the food that she has are either animal feed, or need preparation. Sighing, I find two apples that seem ripe enough, and firmly tucked inside my bag. Grabbing two bottles, I fill them with water, and add them to my packs. Satisfied with my preparations, I turn, and walk out of the cozy cottage. Now outside, I am about to take off after Fluttershy, when a rainbow streak comes near me, and the pony causing it lands next to me.

“Rarity!” Rainbow yells, the rain still coming down, “What are you doing here!?”

“I should ask the same thing Rainbow!”

“I'm trying to organize weather ponies to use this storm to fight that fire, but right now I'm need to tell Fluttershy that she needs to get out of here! Its spreading too fast, and I don't know if we can stop it!” she yells back. “Where is she anyways?”

“She's in the Everfree Forest!” I shout back, pulling the note from my bag, and hold it for Rainbow to read. After looking at it for a few minutes, her eyes unreadable, she finally looks up at me.

“Why is she in the Everfree!?”

“Because I...” I trail off, unwilling to tell Rainbow the real reason. What if she hadn't told anypony else, and wanted to keep it a secret? No. I can't betray Fluttershy's trust like that. “Umm... because...”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed, “What did you do?” she said in a near whisper

“I... uhh... I can't say...”

“What did you do!?” Rainbow now yelled.

“Look!” I yelled back, “I can't say, but we're wasting time Rainbow! I need your help looking for her. Who knows where she is!”

She stayed silent for a few moments more, but the relented, “Fine. Look, I can't personally help you because of the whole weather pony saving Ponyville thing, but I'll go get the girls to meet here.” She turned to fly away, but then turned back, a scowl on her face, and pointed a hoof towards me, “But if anything happens to Fluttershy...”

I swallow a lump in my throat as I nod in reply.

Without any extra warning, she turned again, and took off into the sky, leaving me alone yet again at Fluttershy's doorstep, with only my thoughts to dwell on. It was indeed my fault, and I deserved anything Rainbow threw at me. Thinking about Fluttershy again, I can't help but think about the situation she is most likely in right now. Soaked from the rain, alone, scared, with fire all around her. Injured maybe? What if she was pinned under a fallen tree? Unconscious?

I turn towards the Everfree Forest, the fire looking even more frightful than before. I should wait for the other girls. A smart mare would stay, and wait until Twilight showed up. She'd be able to find Fluttershy in a heartbeat, we would get out of there in a short amount of time, and looking back, we'd laugh at this story about how stupid we all were acting. Fluttershy would be fine, we would make up, and we would go about our lives as before.

I take a step forward, and continue thinking. Every precious second I wait for the girls to show up, the longer that Fluttershy is alone in that forest. What if she is trapped under a burning tree? How could I live with myself knowing that I could have saved her if I had just went after her right now. If Rainbow was here, and able to help, she would rush in without a second thought, trying to protect her friend.

I soon find myself at a gallop, charging towards the forest. This is my fault. I was the one who rejected her. I was the one that brutally crushed her heart. I was the one that didn't go after her when I should have. I was the one that decided to let the situation wait until the next day. A realization hits me.

I was the one who lied.

Casting a quick series of spells, I leap into the inferno.

____________________________________________________________________________________

“FLUTTERSHY!!!”

I scream, my amplifying spell making the sound reverberate through the forest. The fire rages all around me. For an hour now, I have been searching. The various spells I am concentrating on are all exacting their price on me, and I can feel my magical reserves slowly emptying. Seeing that I was in a safe enough spot, I quickly use a divination spell, and sense that Fluttershy is yet deeper in the forest, but I'm getting close. Dropping the spell to conserve my magic, I sprint ahead. Making little effort to dodge the fire, my heat-resistance shield absorbing the potential damage that the fire would deal to me. I can feel the anger in the inferno growing, knowing he was being taunted by my magical insults against his power.

Looking around, the smoke from the fire blocks most of my vision past a few hooves in front of me. I am only glad that I had the foresight to cast the air shield before running into the forest, trapping a pocket of precious air around me. If I had not, the smoke would have surely knocked me out by now, forcing me to release the rest of my protective spells. However, not only is the cost of such a spell high, but my near constant use of my oxygen rejuvenation spell was starting to get to me. My time in the forest was quickly running out, and the hellfire knew this. Time was on his side.

I jump past a bush, but a rogue branch catches my hoof, and sends me tumbling to the ground. Seeing his opening, the blaze takes a nearby tree, the fire severely weakening the trunk, and sends it falling towards me I move to roll out of the way, but I am still too off balance to get out of the way. I swear I hear cackling laughter as he senses my sweet and painful death approaching. Summoning my magic, I send a massive pulse of force in all directions, not only knocking the tree out of the way, but causing the fire all around me to instantly extinguish.

While I see this as a small victory at first, my opponent realizes much faster than me that it was a Pyrrhic victory at best. I come to this realization soon after it though as my fireproofing spell collapses. Regretting using such a powerful blast for such a situation, I can only make due with what I have now. Taking stock of the situation around me, I see that at the very least, the fire in my immediate vicinity is gone, granting me a slight respite from my battle. It is only now that two things become clear. First, I recognize that the bag that I had borrowed from Fluttershy, along with any food and water it held, was lost in the tumble. Second, the raging heat from the fire around me was now quite apparent, a tell-tale sign that my head-resistance shield had fallen.

Knowing that there's no point in dwelling on such things, I realize that I was turned around when I fell, and I'm forced to once again spend precious magic to reorient myself towards Fluttershy, my divination spell giving me the correct direction once more. Heading true, I am forced to slow my pace, picking my steps much more carefully now, my foe's biding of time now starting to pay off. It is only now that I realize just how hot this fire is, and how lucky I was to know such a useful spell.

I yelp as I carelessly step past a burning shrub, the flames licking against my side. Jumping avoid my opponent's mocking caress, I fortunately land in a clearing. Menacing laughter surrounds me as the fire scores a hit, my perfectly white fur now slightly blackened where the fire made its first contact. I frantically look around me, praying to Celestia that Fluttershy was nearby.

“FLUTTERSHY!!!”

My voice is much softer now. While still a yell, it is obvious enough that another spell of mine has fallen. I start coughing, only stopping after a few seconds. At first, I fear that my air shield has fallen, but I quickly notice that it is only my voice becoming ragged, the constant yelling over the past hour damaging my throat. It would only be a matter of time, a constant theme in my plight, before my voice gave out. I begin running through the forest, now frantically searching for the lost pegasus. Over the course of ten minutes, the rest of my spells give up the fight, until all I have left is my precious air shield. Several times I misstep, allowing the endless sea of flames to make contact with my poor legs, my pitiful coat burning away, leaving deep burns against my skin, the last causing a particularly deep burn against my hind leg.

I limp awkwardly around a burning stump, a tendril of fire punishing my carelessness with a new singe mark against my leg, though the pain barely registers in my mind at this point. My vision was starting to blur now, my head clouded in a mental haze. Coming out here without any help was a bad idea; a foalish idea that Twilight will surely scold me for... if I even got out alive. Looking around, I see that my bubble spell was starting to weaken, a small amount of smoke making it through thin cracks. I try to pump more magic into the shield, but there is nothing left inside of me to give. It would only be a few more minutes until the fragile orb completely failed. A few minutes after that, I would pass out from lack of air. A few minutes after that...

Shaking off the thought, I continue to stumble along, my need to save Fluttershy still strong. Up ahead, there looks to be some sort of cave, though with how foggy my vision was getting, it was hard to tell. With a final gasp, my magic gives out, allowing my precious remaining air contained within the shield to escape into the fire, and the smoke, ever too eager to fill the void left behind, surrounds me. I inhale, and fill my lungs with my enemy's breath, the heat singeing my nose hairs, my lungs burning from the heated air. I violently hack, unable to get the precious air I need. I stagger towards the darkness of the cave. It looks like the beast had his fun, playing with his food long enough, and was now going in for the kill. Just before I get inside the shelter, my legs give out, and I fall to the heated ground. My eyes growing heavy, the realization that the monster around me has won causes me to cry, though not a single tear ever appears. My eyes begin to close as my final thoughts leave my mind.

“...Fluttershy...”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

My eyes flutter open, and I fully expect white fluffy clouds of the afterlife. Surely I must have died. Hell, if nothing else, I expected the sight of the fire raging around me, taunting me, letting me suffer in some kind of twisted punishment. Instead, while the air is warm, it smells clean as I lay on the ground. My vision is still horribly blurred, so I cannot see exactly where I am. However, I know enough.

I'm safe.

Picking my head up, my vision slowly starts to return to me, if still foggy. I see that I'm inside the cave that I was heading towards before I passed out. The rocky walls all around me providing me sanctuary from the inferno outside. The beast outside angry at the outcome, casting a menacing orange and red glow upon the walls, the light dancing against any able to catch it. Looking in front of me, I see the mouth of the cave, and the source of the light inside. The fire was still raging, thankfully forced to stay outside, intimidated by the cave's power. Other than a few stalagmites... or were they stalactites... the cave was featureless. Looking to my side, I see the most beautiful sight I could imagine.

A yellow pegasus mare.

She's just lying there, a scant few inches separating us two, seemingly unaware of my wakefulness. She silently stares into the fire, a silent sentinel protecting me from the world around us. The intensity in her eyes was all that was needed to ward off the raging terror. I've never seen Fluttershy so calm, so confident, and so strong. I attempt to get up to be closer to my protector, but my head swims, and I fall to the ground in a coughing fit.

In a heartbeat, I hear a fluttering of wings. A soft hoof begins to rub my back, easing my coughs as they begin to subside. My muscles, which I didn't even know were tense until now, started to ease, and I have to do everything to stifle a satisfied moan in under the comforting touch. I try to tell the mare that I'm sorry for everything, that I didn't mean for any of this to happen, my desire for us to finally make up, and go back to our happy lives. However, she beats me to the punch.

“I'm so, so sorry...” she softly whispers, her hoof continuing its divine motions.

“Fluttershy...” I cough.

She continues, “I shouldn't have said anything, Rarity. It was selfish, and I shouldn't have ever thought that a wonderful mare like you would ever want to be with me. You've made it so clear that you like stallions, but I just...” I heard her voice start to crack, “... I just thought that if I could tell you how I feel, how I see you... I don't know, that you would share those feelings. And now you're hurt, your coat ruined, and... oh Rarity! I'm so sorry!” Fluttershy finally cries, throwing herself onto me. The heaving sobs of a heartbroken mare shatter my heart as well.

Using whatever strength I have, I roll myself over so that I now face her, embrace my friend, and slowly start rubbing her back, softly shushing Fluttershy. Not knowing entirely what to do, I think back to what I do when Sweetie is upset at something at school. Gently, I begin to hum a simple lullaby, the melody always helping to calm down my little sister. Her tears continue to run down her face as the tune fills the air, the cave acting as an echo chamber, amplifying the whispered hums. Even the fire seems to react to the music, the flames performing a gentle waltz against the rocky stage. A smile begins to grow on my face as the timid mare's heaving breaths slows, her tears starting to stop. Still, I continue the back rubs. Still, there is unfinished business I have to attend to.

“Fluttershy?” I whisper.

“Ye... yeah Rarity?”

I sigh. My mouth betrays me as it suddenly feels dryer than the most desolated desert. My tongue becomes an old sock, and the strange taste of sand seems to come to life, even though none is present. I pause, possibly for too long, as I try to get my nerves back. My mind fills with emotions, and I realize that after all that I had done to try to save this mare, I never once thought about exactly what I would say when I found her. Throwing caution into the wind, I steel myself, and just let everything out.

“Fluttershy... I... I need you to do me a favor, and let me say everything I need to say before responding... ok dear?”

A few seconds pass before Fluttershy responds, “Umm... ok Rarity...”

I take a single deep breath, “When you came to me yesterday, I honestly didn't know what to think. My entire life, I thought that one day, the stallion of my dreams would come by, sweep me off my hooves, and we would live happily ever after. Now obviously that dream was very much a filly's dream, and in some cases, namely with...” I shutter to myself a little, “... Prince Blueblood, it was a disaster, but that was what I was dreaming for... and then you told me how you felt about me.”

Fluttershy slightly recoils from me, “R...Rarity... I...”

“Shh! Let me finish, dear. Now before you told me how you felt, I saw you as my best friend. I've known you for many years now, and while we have our differences, I can't think of a single time that we've actually had a major issue with one another. But I've never seen you as anything BUT my friend. So when you came to me, telling me that you... well... you loved me, I must say that I was completely caught off guard. So much so, that you rendered me speechless! I can't tell you how much it broke my heart seeing you so upset, and it shattered when I told you I didn't love you. That night, I made so many mistakes, mostly because I was scared darling. My world was completely upside down.”

I take a deep breath, “But I think that I'm ok with my world being upside down.”

Pausing for a second, I see Fluttershy tearing up, the water leaking from her eyes matting the fur on her cheeks. Giving her a small smile, I reach out with a hoof, pressing it against her cheek. She shutters at the feeling, and looks at me with the biggest, bluest eyes that I've ever seen any pony have. Not taking her head away from my caresses, I work up the courage to finally speak again.

“I've come to realize that while you aren't that 'perfect stallion' that I was hoping for, you are everything that I could ever dream that stallion would be, except you are in a mare's body. You are kind, loving, and I have to say the most beautiful pony I have ever met!” I smile, keeping my hoof on her cheek. Still crying, she giggles at the complement, and leans into the touch even more. “Now, I can't say that I love you dear, not like you love me at least, but... umm...”

I start to trail off as my confidence wains. My hoof falls from her face, and even when laying down, I shrink closer to the ground, hoping that she doesn't get angry at my next words. Closing my eyes shut, I force the last few words out of my muzzle, “... if you still want to... I mean... go out... I'd be willing to... well... try it...” I lay there for what felt like an eon, waiting for her answer. For a while, there is nothing, and I fear that I had done nothing but made everything worse.

I finally open my eyes, and look at the mare next to me, and I see the largest smile I have ever seen outside of Pinkie Pie. I open my mouth to say something, but a “squee” emanating from her mouth is all the sound that either of us could make before she barrels into me, hugging me with one of the deepest hugs I've ever experienced. Sadly, the moment didn't last long as my cough came back, and it was everything I could do to not cough up my lungs in the process.

Fluttershy released me from her hug, “Oh! Rarity! I'm so so sorr-”

“Please darling,” I cough. After a few more seconds, I am finally able to smile back, “Its nothing. I'm just... feeling tired now though. Do you mind if I go back to sleep?” I scoot next to her, and snuggle my back into her, the heat of her stomach warming me. I don't even need to look at her to know her face is completely flushed in shock, because I know mine is as well. Situating myself, I lay my head onto my hooves, and let the mixture of the warmth and the soft glow of the fire outside bring the dreams to my mind.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A bright light hitting my eyes awakens me from my slumber, daylight now ruling over the land. Releasing a very unladylike yawn, I stretch my legs slightly. I look over behind me, and see that wonderful pegasus had fallen asleep cuddled next to me, like a mother with her foal. 'All the times I dreamed of this, never once did I dream of doing this with a mare, let alone Fluttershy.' Smiling to myself, I realize that while this was never part of those dreams I had as a filly, I think this feels... right.

Looking outside the caverns, I see that the flaming beast has finally admitted defeat, and died down. Smoke is still coming off of the charred ground, but the flames have long since been extinguished. As much as I would rather not, our friends must be panicking about us not coming home the night before, so we should get going before it gets any later. I place my hooves under me, and try to get up. Before I get more than a few inches off the ground, however, I collapse onto the ground with a squeak.

My failed attempt to stand wakes my companion, and she immediately realizes what had happened. Too busy dealing with a still swimming head, I don't make out what she says, only that she was sorry about something. Most likely that I was so sick right now, and how I shouldn't move. Regardless of what she said, she props herself up against me, and with a lot of help, I get onto my hooves. I turn towards her, smile, and we exit the cave together.

Immediately after we get out of the cave, I notice how destroyed the forest is. The forest, which had been dense with trees and brush the day before, now has a wide swath of area which is now nothing but ash. Only in the far distance does the Everfree look anything like a forest. The normal sounds of forest creatures are absent, giving an eerie silence to the land. A chill runs down my body, causing me to start to shiver, even in the light heat of the day. Only a moment goes by before I feel a feathery appendage drapes itself over my back, shielding me from whatever would try to hurt me, even if it was only bad memories. Unwilling to stay here any longer, we turn towards Ponyville, and start our walking.

The walk towards the town was an uneventful one. We conversed about local gossip, what our friends were probably doing, when the party is going to be held for our return, and everything in between. Surprisingly, with the exception of the feathered blanket covering me, there was no difference yet between when we were friends, and now that we are... well... whatever we are now. It was the perfect combination, and everything I wanted in the perfect stal... pony of my dreams.

We reached the edge of the Everfree, the forest near Ponyville had not been claimed by the fire, and thankfully, the town itself was unscathed from the violent inferno. Even Fluttershy's house, which I still had to talk to her about the door I blew apart in my haste, remained untouched. However, all of that could wait, for a very familiar rainbow streak tore through the sky, and eventually landed next to us.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” She asks, “We looked all over for you two. When Twilight had seen you run into the forest, we assumed... the... ummm... wow...” she trails off, a slight pink tinge coming from her cheeks. I stood there, confused, until I realize Rainbow's gaze was looking towards the yellow wing on my back. Letting out an embarrassed cough, she continued, “Anyways, I was just going to make sure you two were alright by doing a flyover, but uhh... yeah. Anyways, I'm going to make sure the rest of the girls know that you two are still in the land of the living“ Rainbow smiled a little bit, and took off into the sky.

The both of us giggle at the reaction of the cyan mare. Looking back towards Fluttershy, I smile, “You know, I do have to say my dearest that while I do love a unique first date, I think this one will take the cake in terms of excitement.”

Fluttershy giggles, “Well... I always was one for loss of control.”

“But Fluttershy, dear, in all seriousness, can you do me a huge favor?”

“Yes Rarity?”

I lean forwards, and give her a quick peck on the cheek, “... Can we have a typical dinner and a movie next date? I'm feeling like I've had enough excitement to last me the week.”