Chapter One:

New Friends, New Places

Clover carefully carried the bowl of soup through the air, her horn glowing a dark green with magic as she concentrated on the spell. After a few minutes, she carefully set the bowl down on the bedside table, and glanced at her feverish mother, getting a weak smile from Mint Leaf as Zendo gently mopped her brow with a damp cloth.

“You’re getting better at that spell, Clover,” her mother said hoarsely, coughing into her hoof.

“Practice makes perfect, Mama,” Clover said simply, smiling. “Now, you just rest and get better, okay? And, before you know it, you’ll get over this nasty cold in no time.” Mint Leaf smile, before a harsh cough had Clover taking a careful step back, and Zendo bracing her with a worried frown.

The sound of bells chiming rang through the house, signaling someone at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Clover said hurriedly, and trotted towards it, absently wondering if Equestria had anything like the potions of her old world. Passing Zeb, who was playing with a set of blocks on the hallway floor, the pale green Alicorn opened the front door, blinking up at the older Mare in front of her.

“Oh my,” the Mare said in surprise as she laid her turquoise eyes on Clover, who blinked back. The two spent a moment just taking the other in.

The Mare was a periwinkle blue Earth Pony, with dark orange hair curled up in a honeycomb ‘do. A picture of freshly baked bread was her “cutie mark”, the image on her left flank. She had a pretty yellow apron on, and a pearl necklace, with matching earrings.

“Oh my,” the Mare repeated, and looked a little abashed. “I do apologize, youngin’, but I was hoping that a Ms. Mint Leaf was home?” She had a southern belle sort of accent, and Clover blinked.

“That’s my Mama,” Clover informed the Mare cautiously. “She’s real sick today, with a nasty cold, and Papa’s making sure she get’s a lot of rest.”

“Oh my, oh my!” The Mare exclaimed, looking both concerned for Mint Leaf’s health, and rather alarmed. “Oh, I do hope she get’s better, youngin’, but I do wish she had gotten sick on some other week! With the Summer Sun Celebration being just two days away, and held here in Ponyville, I just can’t afford to be a pony short!” Clover watched as the older Mare worked herself into a tizzy, exclaiming “Oh my!” again and again.

“Clovah?” Zendo called, appearing in the doorway, and startling the Mare again. “Who be dis, den?”

“Papa, this is Mama’s employer,” Clover introduced quickly, hesitating. The Mare flushed a bit, realizing she hadn’t introduced herself.

“Oh my, I am terribly sorry, how rude of me,” she said, flustered, before smiling and offering her hoof to them. “I am Mrs. Juniper Rye, it is a pleasure.” Clover’s father smiled and shook the Mare’s hoof.

“Ah be Zendo, Mint Leaf’s ‘usband, an’ dis be Clovah Breeze, our oldest.” Zeb peered around his legs, blue eyes wide and curious, as Clover shook the Mare’s hoof. “Dis be Zeb, our youngest.” He nudged the little colt forward, and Zeb ducked his head shyly, waving a hoof once before burying his muzzle in Clover’s side, making her smile.

“Oh my, what a cute little colt,” Mrs. Rye cooed, before shaking her head and offering a smile. “Well, it is rather nice to meet you, though I am sorry that Ms. Leaf has taken ill, but now I must find some sort of replacement for her today! Oh my, oh my!” The Mare declared unhappily; Zendo blinked.

“You could be takin’ Clovah wit’ you, Mrs. Rye,” he informed the Mare and smiling at Clover’s wide-eyed look. “She be learnin’ all ‘er Mama’s tricks in de kitchen, since ah ‘ave two left hoofs in dat area.” He chuckled and nudged Clover forward, making her wings flare slightly in alarm. Zeb whimpered and clung tightly, and Clover bumped him carefully back towards their father, with a reassuring smile.

“Oh my,” Mrs. Rye said, and peered at Clover hopefully. “Can you make that delightful Sunflower Soup your Mama can, youngin’?” Clover nodded immediately.

“And a lot of the other ones, too, Mrs. Rye,” she replied honestly. “Though I’m not as good with the Pumpkin Pudding Soup or the Strawberry Twister Soup like Mama is, but I can do a lot of the other’s fairly well.” Mrs. Rye looked relieved and delighted.

“Well, this is just, oh my, just fantastic!” The Mare exclaimed, before turning her eyes on Zendo. “Are you sure that you’re alright, with me takin’ Ms. Breeze for a few hours, until Ms. Leaf is better?” Zendo nodded, smiling.

“It be good for ‘er, Mrs. Rye,” the Zebra announced, nodding again, before stepping forward to press a kiss to Clover’s forehead. “You go wit’ ‘er, Sweet One, an’ ‘ave some fun,” he told her; Clover flashed him a grin and bumped her nose with his.

“Yes, Papa,” she agreed, before running inside to say goodbye to her mother, while Zendo coaxed Zeb back inside. Clover made sure to tackle her little brother in a hug, making him giggle happily, before she turned to say another goodbye to her father.

“Take dees,” he told her, offering her two gold rings, the perfect size to slip onto her hooves. “Dey be yours, anyway. Dis way, you be getting’ dem early, is all.” He winked, and Clover happily slid the Zebra jewelry onto her right foreleg, the gleaming metal standing out prettily against her pale green coat.

“See you later, Papa,” she said, rising up on her back legs to wrap his neck in a hug and kiss his cheek. Quickly, she trotted out the door, giving one last wave behind her, before she fluttered her wings and flew easily beside the gently trotting Mrs. Rye, towards Ponyville for the first time. The entire way, Mrs. Rye blithely spoke of this and that, telling Clover all about her restaurant, where she served soups and sandwiches and desserts that go good with both, called Soup & Rye, after her late husband, Stew, and herself.

“We’re not as popular with the youngin’s as the Sugarcube Corner, but we get our fair share of customers from the older ponies.” Clover nodded along, and stared with interest as Ponyville finally came into view.

There were lots of quaint cottages and shops, with a large building rising from the center. Clover quickly landed next to Mrs. Rye, and unabashedly hide a bit behind the periwinkle Mare, self-conscious, for the first time, of her stripes, horn, and wings.

“Oh my,” Mrs. Rye murmured to herself, before sending the young filly, who was barely more than a foal, a kind smile. “Don’t you worry, youngin’. There isn’t a pony in town who would be mean to such a sweet thing like you, and, if they are, well, you just point me there way, you hear? And, oh my, oh my! I’ll set them straight!” The Mare tossed her head in determination and Clover giggled softly, hesitantly moving out from behind her temporary boss as they reached the large dark blue restaurant.

“Mares! And Stallion,” Mrs. Rye called, the last bit added with a nod to the only Stallion working, a young waiter with a dark gray coat, green mane, and orange eyes… and no cutie mark. “Poor Mint Leaf is on bed rest with a nasty cold,” Mrs. Rye informed the seven ponies, immediately garnering worried murmurs of concern. “However, her daughter, here, Clover Breeze, knows most of her recipes and has agreed to help with the Summer Sun Celebration rush.” Smiles and curious looks all around landed on Clover, so she stepped forward and offered a hesitant smile, her usually down turned ears sinking lower nervously.

“Ahm, I-I mean, I’m glad to be of help,” she said simply, barely managing to stop some of her father’s accent from changing her words, like it sometimes did when she was frustrated or nervous. Calls of greeting and thanks rang out, and Mrs. Rye quickly started introducing everyone.

“The Stallion is Smoky Mark, he’s our newest waiter,” she introduced; the Stallion bobbed his head in greeting with a sweet smile, which Clover returned. “Merry-Go-Round is our cashier for most days, the lavender Unicorn over there with the yellow mane, white tail, and green ribbon in her mane.” Said Unicorn glanced over, showing off one blue eye, one orange, and smiled happily, the trio of stars on her flank shiny and metallic in gold, silver, and copper.

“Hey there, filly!” she greeted happily; Clover smiled.

“Hello,” she greeted back.

“The Mare in the chef’s hat is my assistant, Silver Wheat, she helps me plate foods and make the sandwiches.” Said Mare had dark red fur and pale pink hair, and kind brown eyes. The picture of a spoon and fork crossing marked her flank. She merely nodded, and Clover nodded back.

“Those two yellow Mares are Dixy and Dot, twin sisters. Dixy has the green mane and blue eyes, and Dot has the purple mane and turquoise eyes. They’re snack-makers and assistants, they’ll be helping you move soup from the kitchen to the counter, where either a waiter or waitress will pick it up and take it to the customer.” The two Mares waved enthusiastically, eyes bright and eager. Dixy had a picture of a spoon with a purple ribbon tied on its handle, and Dot had a fork with a green ribbon on it.

“Nice to meet you, sugar cube!” they chirruped at her, beaming, and Clover smiled back.

“Likewise, Mares,” she replied warmly.

“The blue Mare in the green-and-yellow striped apron is our dish-washer, Sudsy. She likes her job, but that doesn’t mean she won’t need some help in the next few days, so feel free to lend her a hoof.”

“Aw, Mrs. Rye! Don’t worry about me!” The blue Mare announced, smiling sheepishly and rubbing her short, white mane self-consciously. Her cutie mark was a trio of soap bubbles, and Clover smiled at her.

“I like cleaning, so I’ll happily help out when I can,” she informed the Mare honestly, and Sudsy gave her a sweet smile.

“Well, in that case, help away!” She laughed; Mrs. Rye shook her head with a fond smile.

“And the last Mare is our senior waitress, Carrie Sweet,” Mrs. Rye finished, pointing at the pale orange Mare in the waiters outfit, her blue and purple mane held back in a bun, rectangular blue glasses perched on her muzzle while she smiled politely, gray eyes calm and serious. Her cutie mark was folded napkin and a pencil, which went well with the little notebook in her vest pocket for taking orders.

“Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Miss Breeze,” she said simply, calmly; Clover bobbed her head in reply, before Mrs. Rye clapped her hooves firmly.

“Oh my, we best be moving, youngin’s! Our brunch crowd will be here in fifteen minutes! Oh my, oh my, we’ve fallen behind schedule!” She despaired, and began shooing everypony to their workspace. “Miss Breeze, dear, can you start making the Sunflower Soup? It’s a customer favorite.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Clover replied, and began to move around the designated “Soup” area in the kitchen, summoning ingredients while she grabbed bowls and pans. Lost in the world of cooking, Clover worked hard and fast, absently floating bowl after bowl to the counter when Dixy and Dot got swamped as more ponies than usual, apparently, started showing up. Clover didn’t notice the curious customers trying to get a better glance at her, and instead focused on making more Sunflower Soup, Day Dream Stew, and Red Velvet Cream Cheese Surprise when Silver Wheat asked for some help in making the desserts.

Before she knew it, a smiling Merry-Go-Round was pulling her away for her lunch break, which consisted of a plate of sandwiches, and a bowl of her own Sunflower Soup. Flashing the ponies around her a smile, she dug into her food, finishing all the soup and half the sandwiches, before she went back to work.

The restaurant closed an hour before sundown, and Clover found herself with nothing to do, Sudsy having already finished the dishes, and Smoky having swept the floor.

“Come on, filly!” Merry-Go-Round said, appearing at her side with a grin. “I’m going to show you around town, since you’ve never been here before!” Clover hesitated, before nodding her head and trotting after the colorful Unicorn. As they walked, Merry-Go-Round babbled, pointing out buildings and sights and ponies, describing everything around them in happy detail. A blue blur flew by above them, turning out to be a blue Pegasus with rainbow hair and tail, who was laughing as she made clouds spin.

“That’s Rainbow Dash,” Merry-Go-Round announced, pointing after the laughing Pegasus. “She’s a riot, but way too competitive for my tastes, you know? Ponies just gotta sit back and relax sometimes, have fun without trying to beat everyone else around them. But that’s just me!” The lavender Unicorn grinned, and Clover smiled back, before the two of them found themselves walking towards a pink pony with Poofy, darker pink mane and tail, bright blue eyes, and three balloons on her flank, two of them blue, the last in yellow. The Earth Pony looked confused and curious, but was smiling, her eyes on Clover.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Merry-Go-Round greeted the pony. “This is Clover Breeze, she’s new-“ Apparently, it wasn’t the best thing to say, because the pink Earth Pony immediately squealed, and galloped off.

“Um…” Clover muttered, staring after the pony, and Merry-Go-Round laughed.

“Oh, don’t mind her, filly,” the Unicorn told her warmly. “Pinkie Pie is the Party Pony, she throws at least a party a week, and for any occasion she can find. She’s just going to set everything up to throw you a jamboree, probably at the town square.”

“A party?” Clover murmured, confused; Merry-Go-Round bobbed her head with a sweet smile.

“Pinkie throws the best parties,” the Unicorn assured her, before leading her off to see yet more buildings and ponies.

It was getting dark by the time the two of them made it back to the center of Ponyville, where dozens of paper lanterns were now hanging, and what looked like every pony in Ponyville was standing around smiling.

“Suh-PRISE!” A voice shouted, and Pinkie the Party Pony was suddenly muzzle-to-muzzle with Clover, making her yelp and fall back on her hindquarters in surprise. “Were you surprised?! I was totally surprised, especially when I saw you earlier. I mean, I know everypony in Ponyville so, when I found out you were new, I knew I just had to throw you a party because everypony needs a welcoming party! Are you excited?! I’m excited!” she babbled on, so fast Clover was surprised she could breathe and, in a way, she was reminded of Hermione when she found something particularly fascinating and just rambled on and on…

Kinda like Pinkie was still doing…

“-and that made me sad, ‘cause everypony should have friends, and now you’ve got a lot of them!” The Party Pony chirruped. “Here! Have a cupcake!” She then proceeded to shove a strange-smelling cupcake into Clover’s mouth, who choked but swallowed it quickly, letting out a harsh breath as her taste buds lit on fire.

“W-was that hot sauce?!” She gasped, scraping her tongue on her teeth in an attempt to get rid of the taste.

“Yep! It’s my favorite; it tastes really good! Doesn’t it?” She beamed, and Clover cleared her throat and genuinely thought about it.

“…Maybe if you put extra-sweet cream cheese frosting in the center,” she offered hesitantly. “So that the sweetness counteracts the spicy?” Pinkie stared at her for a second, still grinning, before she squealed and pounced on Clover, squeezing her in a tight hug.

“Oh, I just know we’re going to be the best of friends!” She squealed, and Clover hesitantly hugged her back, smiling faintly.

“I hope so, Pinkie.” With that, she was swept away, meeting dozens of ponies and remembering only a handful by both face and name. Some she remembered by color, or cutie mark, but all in all, she made several friends.

It was a fun night.

“Clovah?” Clover spun around, eyes wide, and found herself staring into her father’s amused eyes. The Zebra smiled warmly down at her, before looking around. “Ah can see dat you be having lots of fun, Sweet One.”

“Yes, Papa,” Clover replied, before glancing up at the sky, the Mare’s image stark against the high moon, showing just how late it had gotten. “Oh no! Papa, I’m sorry,” Clover turned wide eyes on the Zebra, nibbling her lip guiltily. “I just got swept up in the party, and-“ Zendo laughed, and pulled her close for a hug, kissing her temple next to her horn.

“It be fine, Sweet One,” he soothed with a gentle smile. “Ah did tell you to ‘ave fun, didn’t Ah?”

“Well, yes, but-!”

“Clovah,” Zendo interrupted gently, green eyes warm. “You be a young Mare, now! Almost full grown, but you be spending so much time at ‘ome, you be missing out on everyt’ing young Mare’s be doing! Making friends of your own, playing wit’ others, going outside! ‘Aving late night parties,” he added wryly with a laugh, before he sat on his haunches and cradled her face in his hooves. “You be spending so much time wit’ us, you don’t be doing tings dat make you ‘appy, dat be something you choose to do just because you can! Sweet One, Ah never want you to be sad or lonely, and don’t be dinking dat Ah ‘aven’t noticed dat you are,” he added with just a hint of scolding and a small frown. Clovers usually lowered ears, lowered even more as she peered up at her father, confused and still feeling a little guilty. Zendo’s face gentled once more, and he brushed her bangs back into the rest of her mane, still holding her face.

“It seems like just de odder day you was bein’ born, and now Ah look at you, and all Ah see is mah little foal all grown up and stuck inside all de time,” he told her softly, wistfully. “Ahm glad you be making friends, Clovah. Ahm glad you be ‘appy, and dat dees ponies be making you dat way. Dat’s all Ah could evah be wanting for you.” He kissed her temple again, and Clover threw her arms around his neck in a hug, burying her face in his neck.

“Papa,” she sniffled, and couldn’t even feel the least bit embarrassed by the choked, tightness of her voice. How she had always wished for someone to want her to be happy just for her sake, in her other world. And now, here it was happening, and she couldn’t help but be moved and thrilled and emotional over the whole thing.

“Now, don’t you be crying, Sweet One,” Zendo said firmly, pulling back and wiping her tears away with a gentle hoof as she sniffled. “Dis be your party! Ah just came to be checking up on you, make sure dat you ‘adn’t gotten lost before you got ‘ome. Now dat Ah be knowing your safe, Ah’ll be getting ‘ome myself. ‘Ave fun ‘ere, Clovah. Make friends, spend de night at somepony’s ‘ouse. Ah’ll be seeing you tomorrow, dough, undahstand?”

“Yes, Papa,” she replied, and the two hugged once more, before Zendo left, Clover waving after him and calling out last goodnights.

“Was that your Dad?” Rainbow Dash asked as the Pegasus hovered suddenly next to Clover, staring after Zendo curiously.

“Yeah, that was my Papa,” Clover replied, smiling. “He was just coming to check on me, and told me I could spend the night at somepony’s house tonight.” Rainbow Dash’s entire face lit up,

“Ya-HOO!” She sheered, and promptly loop-de-looped. “Did you here that everypony!? Clover can spend the night with somepony tonight!” There were immediately cheers, which frankly bemused Clover. She’d just met all these ponies, and yet, a majority of them were willing to have her spend the night? Wanted her to spend the night?

Clover spent the next hour having fun, and bemusedly listening to the other ponies extol the virtues of staying the night with them. It was strange, to have so many offering her a room, though the paranoia from her previous life was perking its head with all these offers. She was just relieved that there was no equivalent to Date Rape drugs or Love Potions that she’d found in Equestria, so she didn’t have to worry about that.

Pinkie Pie was once more chattering her ear off, when Clover noticed the pony. Said pony was a Pegasus, and was standing a bit away from all the others, hiding her face a bit in her long, pink mane, whispering to a small white rabbit. Her coat was a pale, golden yellow, and three butterflies made up her cutie mark, all with pink wings and cyan bodies. She looked rather lonely, and Clover felt an immediate spark of protectiveness rise up.

“Pinkie,” Clover said suddenly, as the Party Pony babbled on about a conversation she’d had a week before about blueberries.

“Uh-huh?!” The pony chirped, blue eyes wide and bright and eager. Clover smiled at her.

“I’m going to go talk to that pony over there, okay?” She asked, pointing at the shy pony. “But I don’t want to scare her, because she looks really shy. Can you go and challenge Rainbow Dash to a cupcake-eating contest or something, so no one interrupts us?” Pinkie blinked, glanced at the Mare Clover was talking about, and perked up.

“Okee-dokee-lokee!” she all but sang. “Have fun talking to Fluttershy, she’s kinda hard to hear at first but she’s so nice and friendly and sweet like a candy treat, but she’s shy and hey! That’s in her name! I wonder if that’s why she’s so shy and hey! That rhymed!” Giggling gleefully, Pinkie threw her forelegs around Clover’s neck in a hug, and then galloped off to tackle Rainbow Dash from where she was hovering and bantering with an orange pony with a blonde mane and cowboy hat. Clover shook her head with an amused smile, before she trotted over to the now-named Fluttershy.

“Hello,” she greeted warmly; the Pegasus squeaked and tried to hide behind her rabbit. “My name’s Clover Breeze,” she informed the pony. “I saw you sitting over here all by yourself and thought you could use some extra company.”

“Th-thank you,” the Pegasus whispered, almost too quiet to hear. “My names flu…tt...sh…” the last word was a messy mumble, and ended in a cute little squeak. I can see what Pinkie meant now, Clover thought, and sat in front of the Pegasus.

“Fluttershy, you said?” she asked, as if she didn’t know already; meekly, the Mare nodded. “That’s a pretty name,” Clover told her, smiling as she squeaked. “I got my name because all the ponies in my Mama’s family have herb names. My Mama is Mint Leaf, for example, and my uncles are Basil and Parsnip, aren’t those funny names? And, guess what!” Fluttershy peeked up and mumbled something that sounded like a garbled ‘what’, so Clover continued. “They’re all cooks!” She grinned. “So they get to cook themselves most days, isn’t that silly?” Fluttershy gave a little giggle, and sat up slowly. “And I cook too, though not as well, but my name’s Clover, so whenever I use, like, cloves of garlic, I can’t help but grin a little, because it’s so silly.” Fluttershy giggled again, and finally sat up, still hiding a bit behind her mane. Clover was very pleased with herself. Being a bit more talkative then usual was okay, as long as you didn’t over-do it, and shy ponies would slowly relax and open up a bit more sometimes. It just took patience. After all, it worked on Neville, and that boy had turned into one of his closest friends in their later years.

“I like your rabbit,” Clover informed the shy Mare.

“H-his name is Angel,” she told Clover in a sweet voice, smiling gently down at the rabbit, who sniffed and cuddled into Fluttershy’s leg. “U-um, Clover, um, I was wondering, if it’s not too terribly rude or too much of a bother, if you could, um, tell me w-what it’s like, um, being an Alicorn? If it’s not too personal, of course, sorry…” she trailed off in some soft mumbled, ducking her head down a bit more. Clover blinked, and tilted her head.

“Well, I dunno,” Clover said slowly, looking confused. “I was born this way, but I guess it’s just like, well, being a regular Unicorn and a regular Pegasus at the same time, I guess… I mean, I have to learn everything everyone else knows too, and start from the beginning like everyone else, so I don’t think it’s that much different. Is it?” She tilted her head, genuinely confused, and Fluttershy dragged a hoof through the dirt in tiny circles.

“Um, well, it’s just,” the Pegasus muttered. “The only Alicorns that anyone’s ever really see, are members of the Royal Family. Usually, a Unicorn or Pegasus have to be given the Alicorn attributes, because it’s a sort of title, and then they become a Princess or Prince, so I suppose everyone just assumed you were a Princess or something, from far away, or…I don’t know…som…th…ng…” she hid more fully in her mane while Clover blinked.

“Ah, that explains some things,” she finally acknowledged, nodding. “Well, I’m no Princess. I grew up right here, outside of Ponyville about half an hour’s run East,” she pointed in the direction of her family’s cottage, smiling at Fluttershy when she lifted her head a bit. “I’ve just never been here before, because I usually spend my time studying or foal-sitting my little brother, who’s just a foal yet. Thank’s for telling me, Flutter,” she said, giving the shy Mare a nickname without hesitation, smiling warmly at the shy smile Fluttershy gave her in return. “Friends?” She asked with a bit of hesitance, offering her hoof; Fluttershy blinked, and then smiled sweetly, and took her hoof in a gentle shake.

“Friends,” she agreed softly; Clover beamed, and then carefully pulled the Mare into a discussion on gardening and favorite colors. Another hour or so passed, and the partygoers started dispersing, giving one last welcome to Clover and bidding her goodnight before they left.

“It’s rather late,” Fluttershy murmured, yawning; immediately, Clover and Angel copied her, making the two Mares giggle.

“Yeah, and I still need to pick someone to spend the night with,” Clover replied with a sheepish smile; Fluttershy perked up a bit, then looked down and started drawing circles in the dirt with her hoof.

“Y-you could stay with me,” the shy pony told the Alicorn, who lit up with a warm smile.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like that, Flutter,” Clover told her honestly; Fluttershy smiled, and Clover asked her to come with her while she went to say goodbye to Pinkie and a few others, the shy Pegasus padding along behind her quietly.

“Pinkie!” Clover called; the still wide-awake pony whirled around and launched herself at Clover with a squeal.

“Hey, hi, Clover! Are you and Fluttershy friends now?” She asked, turning a bright, beaming grin on the softly smiling Pegasus.

“Yes we are, thanks for asking!” Clover replied happily, before covering a yawn with a hoof. “Actually, I was coming to say goodnight, because I’m staying at Fluttershy’s house tonight, and it’s kinda late. Also, I have work in the morning,” she added sheepishly. Then she threw her forelegs around the Party Pony and hugged her tight. “Thank you so, so much for the party, Pinkie. It was really fun and I had a blast.” Pinkie lit up, beaming happily as she hugged Clover back.

“Yay! I’m so happy you’re happy, ‘cause if you weren’t happy I’d be sad but you’re not so that’s great! Goodnight, Clover! Goodnight, Fluttershy! ‘Night, Angel!” She promptly hugged the three of them goodnight, before bounding away to tackle some poor pony in a hug and babble their half-asleep ears off. Clover chuckled and shook her head, her mane rising a bit before settling once more in it-s straight, knee-length glory as she led Fluttershy around, saying goodnight to people and thanking them for coming to greet her.

“’Night, filly!” Merry-Go-Round cooed when the Mare leapt from the crowd and hugged Clover tightly, lifting her right off the ground when the taller Mare stood on her back legs to give her a shake. “I’ll see you tomorrow at work, yes?”

“Yeah, you will,” Clover wheezed, laughing weakly as she was dropped back to the ground. Before she could say much else, something slammed into her side and sent her rolling with a yelp, pinned to the ground by Rainbow Dash’s dazed form. The cyan Pegasus quickly shook herself to rights, though, and smirked down at the Alicorn, who stared at her exasperatedly.

“Next time you’re free, we’ll have to race, Clover!” The competitive pony declared, flaring her wings with a grin. “I’m going to be trying out for the Wonderbolts, so I need all the practice I can get. Not that I’m not already pretty awesome, but hey, practice makes perfect, right?”

“Yes, it does,” Clover told her, amused, as the Pegasus leapt off her with a cheer, and then lunged away to hover next to a sleepily drooping pony and scaring him awake, laughing the whole time. Clover shook her head with a fond smile, and turned inquisitive eyes on Fluttershy, who was walking towards her and away from a pretty white Unicorn with a fancily curled indigo mane and tail.

“Ready to go, Flutter?” Clover asked; the Mare smiled and flickered her wings, lifting into the air gently, with Angel on her back.’

“This way,” she said softly; Clover flared her wings and leapt after her, rising into a gentle glide to fly alongside her new friend. “I hope you don’t mind my animal friends, I have a lot of them and they stay a lot at my house.”

“I don’t have a problem,” Clover reassured her warmly. “I like animals, so it’s fine!” They two of them flew gently away from Ponyville, until they reached a large, warm-looking cottage, surprisingly close to Everfree Forest. Fluttershy quickly unlocked the door and held it open with a sweet smile.

“I know it’s not much,” Fluttershy told her as she led Clover you to the second floor, past dozens of sleeping critters, to a surprising large room. “This is my room,” the Pegasus told her softly, looking slightly proud. “I have a spare bed in the closet, though it’s mostly used by my bear friend when he comes to visit.” She happily fluttered over to said closet and opened it, pulling out an immense, fuzzy pillow, as big as her own bed, if not bigger. “I know it’s not an actual bed, but it’s really soft and comfy, and…” she trailed off and nibbled her lips, so Clover trotted over and set a hoof on her shoulder.

“It’s awesome, Flutter,” she reassured the Pegasus, before grabbing a corner of the bed with her teeth and helping Fluttershy drag it further into the room, until it was next to the shy Mare’s own, with enough space between no-pony had to worry about stepping on anypony. After that, the two of them started getting ready for bed, with Clover borrowing a bit of mouthwash to clean her teeth, since she didn’t have her toothbrush.

Finally, they turned off the lights and climbed into the respective beds, with Clover pulling an extra blanket over herself while she did.

“Goodnight, Clover,” Fluttershy murmured softly, before yawning, snuggling into the already dozing Angel.

“Goodnight, Fluttershy,” Clover replied with a yawn of her own. It took only a few minutes before she was dozing, and slipping steadily into sleep. At the moment before she fell fully asleep, Fluttershy spoke up in a quiet whisper.

“I’m glad we’re friends.” Clover smiled and let her consciousness slip away, getting lost in dreamland, with one last, conscious, thought.

“Me too, Fluttershy. Me too.”

Author's Note

NOT a Fluttershy/Clover fic, just fyi. That's where the epic Bronymance comes in ^-^ Also, Jamaican Accents are difficult to write properly, which is what Zendo's accent is, btw. Comments and Criticism Welcome!!! ^-^