The Wanderer's Wife

Chapter Six

Honeysuckle grinned widely. It wasn’t an evil, malicious grin like she had given to Sepia, nor was it one of happiness as if she had heard or told a funny joke. It was one of satisfaction; she had put the pegasus in her proper place, where she belonged. She began to trot in bouncy rhythm towards the dining carriage, where she had heard that Starflash would be, with her head held high.

She opened the door to the carriage before the dining area- the third class cabins- and slowly walked through. There was no real difference between the decor of this carriage and the second class one, with the exception of the lack of lamps of the walls, which made Honeysuckle wonder why they bothered to make the distinction anyway. Even so, she hated how she could barely pay for the third class seat in such short notice.

A building darkness crept over the carriage as the train entered the Wintervale Forest. Honeysuckle looked out of the window, staring with intrigue at the trees rolling past. At least, what seemed to be trees. She recalled why the area carried the name ‘Wintervale’ in the first place, thinking about a small article in a textbook she often flicked through when she had nothing better to do. The trees weren’t actually dead, as their dishevelled appearance would have suggested, but rather they grew without ever needing leaves. They looked like they had permanently shed their leaves for a long forgotten winter, thus creating the mystery of how they absorbed the sunlight. The forest was notoriously chilly as well, often being the first area to see snowfall in Canterlonia.

Honeysuckle turned away from the scene, resuming her gentle trot towards her destination.

“So how long until the block then, do you think?”

She paused halfway through her step, her ears pricking as they picked up a quiet, almost growling voice. She looked to her left, noticing a crack the width of a hair between an open door and its frame. She leaned closer to it.

“Dunno. Maybe five minutes, maybe twenty,” a lighter voice said. “This forest... wide. Where did he order this ‘emergency stop’ then?”

Honeysuckle tried to peek through the crack, nudging the door open as gently as she could without forcing a creak from the hinges. There was one pony she could see just the flank of, a red coat with a cutie mark of a pair of dice being the only clue of the stallion’s identity. She couldn’t tell who the other was from where she stood, but she dared not to let her curiosity get the better of her.

“A couple of hour’s walking from the forest’s edge. Who knows how long that’s going to be,” the quiet growling voice said. The red pony moved his face past the crack, which made Honeysuckle almost leap back as she tensed. “Do you know how many are on board?”

“Five passengers, three staff and the driver. Of course, I’m posing as one of those staff members... seven.”

“Do you know where the couple are?”

“Second class cabin, room seventeen apparently. They’ve probably gone exploring the train or for lunch. I don’t blame them... starving here. You?”

The quiet growler laughed slightly. “They don’t serve the kind of food I like here. I’d be amazed if they did.”

Honeysuckle scratched her head for a second. The couple? Who were they talking about? And why was the number of ponies on the train important? She leaned back towards the crack and tuned her ears back into the conversation.

“Do you know where the pegasus is now?” the quiet voice said in its familiar growl.

“No, but I know she doesn’t have the necklace around her neck... her luggage maybe?” the red pony said. Honeysuckle’s eyes went wide.

“Pegasus... necklace?” she whispered. “Sepia!”

“And the unicorn you told me about?”

“Currently stuffing his face in the dining bit,” the lighter voice said. “Keeping him and the pegasus apart would make things easier for everyone involved.”

“Starflash!” Honeysuckle whispered again. “What’s going on... what?” She squinted as hard as she could through the crack to catch a glimpse of who was speaking, but with no luck.

        “What of the others on the train?” the quiet voice said.

        “Two grey mares and a staff member. That’s all... I think. I haven’t seen the driver, obviously.”

        There was a short silence before the growling voice spoke again. “I wonder where he gets his information so quickly.”

        “Spies like me,” the red pony replied. “I followed her from the museum when he told me to... started before you arrived actually. That must mean his device is working, yes?”

        “Yes. I would have went with him into Geldingstone, but it seems that country ponies do not take kindly to my type,” the quiet voice said, its growl becoming more fierce but still restrained when he finished. “I sent the order to the underground pack upon his request. We’ll probably be arriving at the point shortly so get ready.”

        “Right. I hope those... things can move quickly enough,” the red one said. Honeysuckle stifled a yelp and darted behind the nearby corner as the door to the cabin slowly creaked open, the crimson pony slowly emerging.

        “You’ve never seen a diamond dog dig before, have you?” the quiet voice said with a slight chuckle as the pony left, the door closing behind him. Honeysuckle watched him leave towards the carriage where she had left Sepia, the crimson-coated unicorn in a smart, white shirt sweeping his blonde mane behind his head. He sighed, not looking back towards Honeysuckle’s hiding spot, and once he had left, silence built in the carriage. The mare was left alone, her mind trying to connect the dots as she breathed heavily.

        “An emergency stop?” she whispered. “Diamond dogs? And... Oh no...”

        She bolted straight for the dining carriage.

Fifteen wrappers. Starflash counted fifteen greasy, sticky and brown wrappers lying on the lace-covered top of the table in front of him, the contents missing from each and every single one. He licked his lips, his muzzle practically soaked in honey and caked with crumbs from five minutes of frantic snacking to satisfy his whining belly, and he leaned back in his chair as he magically arranged the rest of the evidence in a brown paper mountain. After giving a loud, gut-rumbling belch, a slight smile of guilt appeared on his face as he thought to himself.

Maybe I should take it easy on the sugary stuff… Sep’s always telling me that I’m going to get fat eating stuff like that, and that’s no way to go if I want to be a swordspony! Still…

His grin slowly turned to a frown as he glanced out of the window.

…I should have been honest back there. It’s not like that mare would have cared if I told her the truth, would she? No, of course not. She’d never see me again after I get off this train anyway. It’s not like I’d be hanging around Sep all the time either. But…

He shook his head, deciding to take in the scenery rather than think about his troubles. It was mysterious to him how the trees looked as they were dead, but rather than think about that, he glanced behind him and doubled back as he saw Sepia standing directly behind him in front of the dining carriage’s bar counter. He slowly looked upwards, from her hooves to her face, and gave her a concerned look as he noticed her eyes were a slight red.

“Sepia? What’s the matter? Have you… been crying?”

“No,” she replied in a quiet voice, looking away for just a second. “I’m fine.”

Starflash rose from his seat, gently placing his hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder as he tried to get a second look. “It’s alright, you can tell me if something’s upset you. I’m here for you, aren’t I?”

She looked at him meekly, her eyes welling with tears ever so slightly. She sniffed deeply, letting some of her sadness drip and run down her cheeks. After a long silence, where Starflash could do nothing but look at her with a comforting expression- not smiling, but not frowning either- she spoke with a quivering voice.

“Starflash… You don’t laugh at my fear of heights, do you?”

“What?” the unicorn said with slight shock, his eyes widening. “No, of course I don’t! Why do you think I do?”

“N-No, it’s…” Sepia sighed, her tears seeming to dry up slowly in her eyes but her worry still visible. “…it’s just that I’ve been… thinking about it lately. I can’t help but worry about how stupid and humiliating it is to be scared of something so laughable, especially for a pegasus!”

“Sep, you know I wouldn’t be that insensitive,” Starflash said, almost in a whisper. “You didn’t laugh at me when I practically peed myself in the forest, so why would I laugh at yours or Honeysuckle’s fears?”

“I don’t know…” Sepia trailed off, shaking her head. “No, forget it. I’m being an idiot about this.”

“Don’t say that,” Starflash said, bringing his hoof upwards to ease Sepia’s face to his level. They stared at each other for just a few seconds, Starflash’s look of deep worry penetrating the pegasus’ teary eyes. “Honeysuckle had this very same conversation with me a year or so ago. She told me that she was having nightmares, and she also asked me if it was alright to be afraid of something as strange as—“

He stopped himself, his face looking as if his brain had shut down completely. He sighed as Sepia’s look prompted him to explain, but he couldn’t finish the way he wanted to.

“I can’t tell you what. She doesn’t like other ponies knowing, and even when she first admitted it to me she was in tears about it. I can understand why though. She doesn’t want me to talk about something she feels so humiliated by.”

Sepia blinked at him; something that resembled shock and intrigue mixed together had replaced anything resembling sadness on her face. “What’s she afraid of? What happened to her?”

Starflash shook his head. “I can’t tell you. I swore to her I’d never tell anypony about it.”

The sound of a heavy door sliding open distracted the both of them, their heads turning to the left to see a yellow earth pony dart towards them.

“Honeysuckle?!” Starflash exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

Honeysuckle panted for breath, Starflash watching her glance towards Sepia. Their gazes locked for just a few moments, the earth pony’s look of restrained worry colliding with the pegasus’ confused stare. The two mares stayed silent, Sepia not saying anything about the mysterious and sudden appearance of the flowerpony, none of this seeming to register with her to Starflash.

“We have to get off this train. Now.”

Honeysuckle’s quick demand made Sepia and Starflash raise their brows at her, the unicorn giving her a smile. “What?” he said. “What do you mean?”

“Listen to me!” Honeysuckle said, seemingly in a panic. “There’s something going on up ahead, and I think the both of you are involved! I heard two ponies… well, one pony talking about a plan of some kind with something else, and they’re planning on stopping this train because of her!”

She thrust her hoof at Sepia, making the pegasus’ flinch slightly. “What?” she said. She batted the earth pony’s hoof away from her. “Yeah, nice try. Even when we’re on important business, you just can’t help but try and get in our way, can you?”

“No, you have to listen to me!” Honeysuckle yelled, her voice sounding almost like a plea. “I overheard them talking about a block of some kind that we’re about to hit at any second, and when this train stops… they mentioned something about diamond dogs and the number of passengers. They mentioned you and Starflash specifically!”

“Woah, woah!” Starflash called out, placing a hoof on her shoulder to calm her. He waited for her to take deep breath before allowing her to continue. “Let’s be rational about this. Now, did you get a look at the ponies who were talking?”

“Yes! There was a one with a crimson coat, but I couldn’t see the other one. This other one sounded quiet though, as if he had something wrong with his voice. I swear I’m not making this up, you have to believe me!”

“I don’t know, Honeysuckle,” Sepia said, a hint of aggression in her voice. “It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve lied to us before, would it?”

Honeysuckle blinked at her. “What?! What do you mean by that?! No, I… Look, just please hear me out! I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we have to—“

She was brought to a stop as she yelped, the sudden lurching of the train sending the three of them flying across the room and crashing to the ground. The tables and chairs were scattered with them, the sound of wood and metal hitting the carpet ringing above the screeching of the wheels against the tracks outside as the ponies screamed from the emergency stop. Starflash’s hoof almost smacked Sepia in the face as he was sent hurtling towards the far end of the carriage, and Honeysuckle almost rolled into the both of them as she tumbled across the floor. Before they managed to crush themselves, the train was quickly brought to a complete halt. All of them were breathing heavily, slowly standing as they groaned.

“What the…” Starflash said after a while, stretching his limbs to ensure no damage had been dealt. He helped Sepia up as she shook herself. Honeysuckle was already standing up against the window, looking out of it.

“Why have we stopped?” Sepia asked. She turned to her satchel, patting it to make sure none of the contents had spilled out or been squashed. She reached in and pulled out the necklace, placing it around her neck as she glanced towards Honeysuckle.

“No, no, no!” the earth pony said quickly, rushing towards the dining carriage doors that lead to the back of the train. She turned back to Starflash and Sepia and waved her hoof at them frantically, beckoning them to her. “Hurry, we don’t have much time!”

The two ponies glanced at each other as Honeysuckle darted off to the third class cabins, hurriedly following her. She did not slow down for them, and neither did she look back as they sprinted through the third class carriage. The whole train had become eerily quiet, the only sounds being Honeysuckle’s quick breaths and the galloping of hooves against the carpet, and nopony was to be found investigating the source of the sudden halt.

“Come on!” Honeysuckle whispered back at Sepia and Starflash harshly. Suddenly, she stopped. Her ears pricked as she heard a clicking noise, followed by a creaking. Her eyes went wide in horror; one of the doors had opened behind Sepia, who was at the back of the group.

“Quick!” she mouthed, pulling Starflash behind the corner of the carriage. Sepia hurried to where they were, staying quiet on Honeysuckle’s order that was made clear by her bringing a hoof to her mouth and furrowing her brows.

“Starflash, take a look for me. See who it is,” she told the unicorn. Starflash nodded, peeking out from behind the corner that they hid behind. He didn’t know why they were being so cautious, especially after what could have been a serious accident, but when he saw what emerged from the cabin, he gave a slight gasp.

Standing at the doorway was a tall creature with greyish-black fur on its body and perfectly preened white feathers covering its head. Its eyes were a piercing red, like orbs of blood, and its eagle-like beak looked sharp enough to slice him into pieces from where he stood. He gulped upon turning back to Honeysuckle, glancing at both her and Sepia.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said quietly, stepping up to the door of the final carriage- the staff storerooms- and opening it with the most gentle of touches. He ushered Sepia and Honeysuckle through as he closed it again, but not all the way to prevent it making noise.

They all dashed towards the final door on the end of the train, the rusty hinges swinging open with a loud creak as they dived outside. The freezing cold rain immediately began to pelt the three of them as they gasped, Starflash shivering from the cold downpour that was falling upon them relentlessly. Honeysuckle began to look left and right, stepping off the tracks and whispering to herself.

“What are you doing?” Sepia asked whilst sounding irritated, walking up to her as she brushed her immediately soaked mane from her eyes. Honeysuckle ignored her, giving a slight squeal as her eyes widened. She was looking towards the other end of the train.

“Hide! Now!” she ordered quietly, pushing Sepia with her as she hurried behind a nearby tree. Starflash followed quickly, the three ponies huddled together behind a thick trunk that was just a few feet away from the tracks. Honeysuckle stayed totally silent, her back to the bark but with her head high in the air. Her ears were twitching, prompting Starflash to give her a curious look.

“What is it?” he asked. Honeysuckle held out her hoof without looking away from the air as she stared at nothing, and Sepia shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“This is ridiculous! I’m getting back on the train.”

Starflash held her back as she tried to walk away from them, giving her a grave look. “Sep, no! She’s telling the truth. I saw the other one who she was talking about, and...”

“Shh!” Honeysuckle whispered. “You two go and look whilst I listen to what’s going on.”

Starflash nodded, poking his head out from behind the tree. Sepia did the same, though she couldn’t see as far due to the unicorn getting in her way. He squinted into the distance, the pouring rain obscuring his vision slightly, spotting a group of figures ahead. He could see, standing at the doors to the train where they had embarked before, a group of creatures that stood on two legs with hunched backs, though this was the only thing he could see about them. After a few moments of waiting, the only distraction that his stare facing being the freezing rain, he saw something else come from the train. A pony. Then two ponies. Then another three. They were immediately grabbed by the figures, the creatures holding onto them tightly as they wrestled about. Finally, and to his fear, the black and white griffon that he had seen before strode from the middle carriage. It was leaning over one of the ponies and yelling at him, though Starflash could not tell what it was saying.

“There’s a lot of them there. What can you hear, Honeysuckle?” Starflash asked quietly. Honeysuckle didn’t look away from her spot, and not seeming to blink either.

“One of them is screaming about a pegasus... the pegasus. And I can hear another pony sobbing and squealing.” A short silence. “The screamer is telling her to shut up, and...”

A shout rang out, followed by roar. The forest was quiet all of a sudden.

“That pony just shouted... I think she said ‘Leave Pebbles alone’... what?”

“Rocky!” Starflash whispered, stepping out from behind the tree with a furious look on his face. Sepia pulled him back, pushing him against the trunk and pinning him there lightly.

“Wait! Starflash, please don’t do that! You can’t help her if there’s so many of them there! Don’t be a fool! You can’t be the hero here, especially if you’re not armed!”

“Sepia, I don’t know what they’re doing but it sounds like they’re hurting her and Pebbles! What about the others too? We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“I know that, but think about this for a second. Don’t go rushing in without a plan, and even with one you wouldn’t stand a chance!”

Starflash began to fluster. “But... But they’re—”

“Don’t. You don’t have to redeem yourself for what happened back in the old forest. There’s being brave and then there’s just being stupid! I know that we can’t just let whoever is doing this get away with it, but now is not the time to be an idiot!”

Sepia stared long and hard into his burning, hate-filled eyes with a concerned and calming look. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and whispering to her. “Okay. I understand.”

Honeysuckle gave them an irritated glare before her ears pricked once more. “They’re arguing amongst themselves for some reason… Hang on a second, they’re arguing about where the unicorn and the pegasus are. They…”

Starflash raised his brow. “What is it? What are they saying?”

“I can’t tell,” Honeysuckle whispered. “All I can hear is—“

A scream rang out through the forest, followed by a great rumbling that came from all around them. The three ponies hit the deck, burying their heads in their hooves as the deafening roar echoed throughout the forest and caused the ground to shake wildly. The earthquake only lasted seconds though, the sound soon fading as the rain suddenly faded to a drizzle. Sepia looked up first, her head turning every which way as she prodded Starflash on the shoulder.

“What in Canterlonia was that?!” she yelled. Honeysuckle dived towards her, planting her hoof on the pegasus’ lips as she shushed her harshly. There was no reply from anywhere after a few tense moments, making Starflash step out from behind the tree.

“Hey, they’re gone!” he shouted. He sprinted to the spot where the group of figures had stood, Sepia and Honeysuckle lagging behind him as the rain dripped from their manes as they ran. Starflash was standing in front of three narrow holes, scratching his head as he cautiously approached one of them, and he made his horn glow as he leaned closer. All that he could see as he stared into the darkness was various chunks of dirt tumbling downwards into the depths; he could hear nothing else come from it.

“What happened? Did they disappear down these holes?” Honeysuckle asked. Sepia sighed heavily, her eyes drifting towards the front of the train. Starflash looked up with her, and the two of them gasped as they saw what lying on the tracks just inches away from the steel guard at the front of the engine carriage. A giant tree had been felled across the train’s path, the immense size blocking any progress if the Piata Express had tried to continue at full speed. They stared in awe at the sprawling, tangled roots that were hanging rigidly from the bottom of the tree.

“Can somepony please tell me what’s going on here?!” Sepia demanded, storming back to Honeysuckle, who was inspecting one of the holes. She scrambled backwards upon seeing how deep it was.

“Like I said,” Honeysuckle explained, “they were after you and Starflash! But why did they take the other ponies too?”

“And who exactly are ‘they’?” Sepia asked, furrowing her brows.

“I don’t know,” Starflash said, Honeysuckle nodding with him, “but if they’re serious enough to try and stop an entire train just because they’re looking for you, we’d better stay well away from them. But… why would they be after you in the first place? And why were they after me as well?!”

“They’re after you because you boarded the train with Sepia!” Honeysuckle said. The unicorn and the earth pony both turned slowly towards Sepia, who was checking her necklace. The three of them looked down at the orb that hung loosely from the pegasus’ hoof, a pregnant silence building over them. Sepia only spoke up after the chilly rain made her blurt out her thoughts.

“Did they mention the necklace at all?”

Honeysuckle nodded. “The crimson pony was talking about how you didn’t seem to have it on you at the time.”

Sepia glanced back to the milky-white decoration, unhooking the necklace from around her neck and placing it in her satchel. “I’d better keep it hidden from now on. I don’t what’s going on, but…” She sighed heavily. “…I believe you now, Honeysuckle.”

The earth pony blinked at her for many quiet moments, giving her a sly smile afterwards. “Yes… you should really listen to me more often.”

“Hey, could we talk about this later?” Starflash said, shivering as water dripped from his coat and mane. He was shivering violently. “I think we should head for somewhere warmer… much warmer. Like a furnace that I can dive into, it’s freezing here!”

Both mares gave him a curious look before giggling at him, watching him try to warm himself up by doing a slight dance on the spot. Sepia shook her head. “Yeah, we’d better make ourselves scarce here in case… they come back. We can follow these tracks all the way to Piata if we need to.”

“But they said that this ambush spot was a couple of hour’s walking distance away from the edge of the forest, and then the capital must be another day away! We can’t walk that far!” Honeysuckle groaned. Sepia rolled her eyes.

“Well then,” she said with an angry glare, “why don’t you jump down one of those holes and see where it leads to? Maybe there’s an underground railroad waiting to ferry you right to Piata!”

Starflash grinned to himself as the two mares argued, the three of them shivering together as they walked alongside the tracks to the edge of the Wintervale Forest.

Sir,

It shames me to admit this, but something has gone drastically wrong with the plan. It seems that either our information was incorrect, or the pegasus and the unicorn have become aware of our presence. As such, I am currently interrogating each of the ponies that were found on the train, your spy included, to get to the bottom of this outrage. Nevertheless, I shall return to your side shortly so that we may assess our position.

Your faithful servant,

Renard

Sunlight was a welcome blessing on Sepia’s coat, the warmth of the afternoon’s glow washing over her as she, Starflash and Honeysuckle emerged soaking wet and dripping from the forest. After a heated discussion with the earth pony, she had remained totally silent for the rest of the walk that lasted for two gruelling hours, which were filled with nothing but icy cold sensations and annoying chatter coming from Honeysuckle.

“Finally!” she exclaimed, shaking herself about to send droplets of freezing cold spray in every direction. Starflash did the same, galloping away from the edge of the Wintervale Forest and gasping for breaths of the warmer air of spring.

“Man, it feels good to get out into the open again!” he yelled into the clearing, galloping forwards as he laughed.

“I thought we were making ourselves scarce?” Honeysuckle said with a slight smile on her face. She looked around the countryside, trotting up to Starflash and poking him with her hoof. “I can see a house in the distance!”

Sepia darted up to the both of them, squinting at what the earth pony was pointing at. She could see a small home just across the other side of the train tracks, near to a road that ran alongside it. This road looked to be just a couple of minute’s walking away from where they stood.

“Let’s go!” she said, trotting towards the house. Starflash and Honeysuckle followed close behind, their still cold coats making them short of breath in just a few seconds. However, they managed to reach the dirt road in just seconds, Sepia stopping in front of a fence and gate that stood in front of the group. Above this gate was a sign, which read Golden Brown’s.

“Hey, I know this place!” Sepia said excitedly. “I recognise it from back when I was a filly, though I’ve never set a hoof in it. It’s just a place I remember travelling past.”

She rested her front hooves upon the wooden fence, looking over the fields of yellowing wheat and the apple trees that grew near to the house. The home itself was painted a rustic golden colour, the outside looking what some ponies would call vintage- other ponies just plain old- and stylish. There was a small windmill standing near to a red barn, the blades turning lazily in the light breeze, and what looked like a chicken coop near to the back of this huge building. Sepia lifted the latch on the gate, opening it with a creak.

“We should ask if we can dry ourselves off here before we head for Piata,” she said as the three ponies walked up the dusty tracks that lead to the front door of the house. “I can’t stand being this cold for any longer, and Starflash looks like he might shatter from just a light smack!”

The unicorn gave her an unimpressed look as she laughed, his teeth chattering as he forced his words out. “Yeah, I’m notth-th-that cold! I’m just… s-s-slightly ch-chilly, that’s all.”

They stepped up to the green door and Sepia noticed how the paint was peeling, possibly from the many years of weathering. She gently knocked on the door twice, standing back as it burst open widely to reveal a dark yellow earth pony with a brown mane that was hidden mostly between a cream-white cowboy hat. He adjusted his ten-gallon, revealing his golden eyes and a gentle smile on his young-looking face.

“Well hey there!” he said merrily, beaming at the three of them. “How can I help you—“

He stopped suddenly, his eyes widening at them. Sepia gave him a raised brow. “Uhh… Hi?”

“Well, would you look at that! You’re all soaking wet and it hasn’t been raining for days here! You ponies just came from the forest?” He pointed towards where they came from, making Sepia turn her head back. As she looked, she noticed that Starflash was staring at the stallion with a slightly shocked expression.

“Oh, that’s right,” she said. “I’m Sepia Stripes, and this is Honeysuckle and Starflash.

She introduced Honeysuckle and Starflash in turn, the earth pony giving a friendly hello as the stallion tipped his hat to her. But Starflash just stood there with the same expression as before, only responding with a stammer.

“I- I- I- I… Hey,” he said quietly, finally turning away. The stallion gave a slight laugh.

“Are you shy?” he asked. “I don’t mind, we’re all a little nervous around meeting new folks. The name’s Autumn Breeze, and welcome to Golden Brown’s!”

“Thank you,” Sepia said. She brushed her wet mane behind her head, her teeth chattering a little. “May we please come in? We need to dry ourselves off and rest for a moment.”

“Why sure!” Autumn said. “Not many ponies come round here, but any that do are more than welcome. The family’s inside so make yourselves at home!”

Sepia thanked him, trotting inside along with Honeysuckle. Starflash, however, still stood rooted to the spot with the same look on his face as Autumn gave an amused stare of his own. The unicorn could only stand there and look into his eyes, shaking slightly and biting his own lip.

“Well,” Autumn said, adjusting his hat, “you coming in or not? I don’t bite, and trust me, I’d not be as shy to if I did!”

Starflash shook his head, nodding at him after a short, awkward silence. “O-Of course!” he stammered as he gave a slight blush. “I just… blanked for a second.”

He quickly walked inside, glancing back to Autumn’s smiling face as the door to the home was closed behind him.