Swept up

The next day, Gust was walking through Ponyville, a noticeable spring in his step. He would be going out with Fluttershy again tomorrow, and was beginning to think he really had a shot at making things work with her. Even the weather's continued refusal to cooperate, and Rainbow Dash's day-long tirade on that fact as they had worked today, could not dampen his mood. Again, she had called the attempt off. In his opinion, it was obvious that they simply didn't have enough clouds from Cloudsdale, and that to continue to attempt to work the uncooperative clouds with insufficient resources was utterly futile. Granted they COULD make it snow, but it wouldn't be reach required quota for the first snowfa-

Gusts thoughts were cut short as he was suddenly lifted, via magic, "What the?-" he blurted as he was pulled into a dark alleyway and thrust into a corner, crumpling as he hit the wall.  He looked up, and staring down at him were 5 girls. A blond haired, freckled country girl, an apologetic looking, bookish girl with lavender hair streaked with red and pink, her horn still glowing with purple light, a stunningly dressed purple-haired woman, and, two he recognized, Rainbow Dash, and the poofy-haired girl from the sweet shop, Pinkie Pie.

The blonde was the first to speak up, nudging the purple-haired girl and chuckling. "Ah think you overdid it on the magic, Twilight. We said to get his attention, not kidnap the feller"

The purple-haired girl, apparently Twilight, rubbed her arm, grimacing and shrugging. "Sorry... I thought he was going to pass by too fast or not notice, and i panicked." She said, her horn glowing again as she raised Gust to his feet. "Sorry about that."

Gust, still pressed tightly against the wall of the alley, looked warily at the surrounding women, and swallowed hard. "Rainbow-... What's this all about?" He asked. "It's not my fault that we couldn't get the snowfall down today! And even if it was, your solution is to jump me in an alley?! The fact of the matter is that we don't have enough clouds! Maybe if the snowflake producers would pull as much overtime as you're making-"

"I'm not here to talk about that."  Rainbow interrupted, raising a hand. She began pointing to the other girls surrounding him. "These are my friends...That's Applejack, if you're gonna get mad at anyone, she's the one. This was her idea." She said, pointing to the blonde as she tipped her hat in greeting, still laughing softly.

"Pinkie Pie." Rainbow continued, pointing to the pink-haired girl bouncing on her heels and waving rapidly. "But you probably know her already."

"Twilight, the egghead who threw you like a rag doll." The bookish girl winced at the comment, but grinned sheepishly at Gust anyway.

"And the fancy one's Rarity." Rainbow finished, jabbing her thumb at the fashionista, who was eyeing Gust intently, as though she was silently examining him.

"H...hi?" Gust said, raising a hand bemusedly in greeting. "It's nice to meet your friends and all, Rainbow, but... Why?"

Rarity cut in. "Well, dear, it seems that we have gained a mutual acquaintance in the past couple of days. Our friend Fluttershy." She said, her voice even and calm as she approached him and began brushing the dust off his coat. "We just wanted to meet you and... Have a little talk about her."

Gust blinked, and felt his face turn a deep red. "We... We just had drinks! It's not like we're a- a couple or anything!.. Well, not yet anyway. But even if we were, what's the big deal? I-...I'm a pretty nice guy." He said, ruffling his wings behind his back in agitation. He was never a fan of being the center of attention, and with five apparently judgmental girls staring directly at him, questioning his relationship... It was enough to make him wish he could turn invisible on the spot.

Applejack took a step forward. "Now now, we're just lookin' out for our friend. Truth be told, you're the first feller she's really spent time with."

Twilight continued. "We just wanted to talk to you... Fluttershy is very sweet, but she is also, for lack of a better word... Delicate."

"And by that we mean she's super DUPER sensitive!" Pinkie added. "She just about burst into tears when a bird she had known for less than a day exploded!"

Gust blinked "Explode-?"

Rainbow Dash cut him off. "We just wanted to let you know this, from the beginning, if you keep dating her, and then, later, decide to... y'know, break it off, let her down as easy as possible. Otherwise, there will be... Problems. You could turn her off dating forever."

"FOREVERRRR!!!"

"Not now, sugarcube..."

Rarity stepped towards Gust, ice in her stare. She poked a well-manicured finger into his chest. "Do you understand? An absolute gentleman! I won't have some ruffian sullying my friend's romantic outlook because he decided to be an uncouth!-" She poked him. "Unkind!-" She poked again. "Uncaring-" Poke. "Brute!" She pulled her finger away as Twilight placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Eaaaasy there Rarity, we're not here to scare him off." Twilight said, glancing apologetically again at Gust, who was currently rubbing a spot on his chest where Rarity's nail had slightly dug in.

Rarity took a deep breath and closed her eyes, smoothing over her hair. "...My apologies sir, that was most uncalled for. Everything Fluttershy has told me so far has indicated that you are, in fact, a fine young gentleman."

At this, Gust perked up, could not hide the exuberant smile pulling at his face. "She talked about me?" He said, shrinking back as Rarity stared him down.

"Yes, she did... Rather highly, and if you know what's good for you, you'll keep up that performance... Or else."

Gust swallowed. "Or else what?" He questioned, doing his best to keep his own voice free from shaking.

Rarity smirked wickedly, as the other girls watched on, growing slightly uncomfortable. "We'll make your life a living tatrtaurus..." She said, flipping her hair as she sauntered out of the alleyway Rainbow and Pinkie followed, both throwing Gust slightly apologetic glances, so only Twilight, Applejack, and a visibly shaken Gust remained.

"I promise you, Rarity's not usually like that" Twilight said, pulling a notebook and quill out of her pocket. "Also... I was wondering if i could get your symptoms."

Gust blinked. "Symptoms? Oh, no, I'm not sick... these shakes are just from... This whole ordeal." Gust said, forcing what he hoped was a convincing smile.

Twilight giggled and shook her head. "Not that, i meant love! I'd love to sit down with you and get a detailed interview about it's nature, and how you feel it effects someone, from being with the object of your affection to everyday life... Don't give me that look! I'm observing from a merely academic standpoint... Begin!"

Gust merely stood before Twilight, who blinked up at him, her violet eyes staring up at him expectantly, until she was pulled away by Applejack.

"Twilight, just send a letter to your brother! You know, the newlywed? I  think he'll know a might bit more 'bout love than a feller who said he's not sure that Fluttershy's his gal yet anyway! Go on, get!" Applejack barked at Twilight, who huffed and trudged moodily out of the alleyway, muttering about  impediments to the advancement of science and magic. Applejack turned to Gust, smiling kindly at the young man and removing her hat. "Ah... I'm awful sorry about this... I just wanted us to have a little frank discussion with you about Fluttershy, not round you up and give you a start... Don't let our bad behaviour reflect on yer perception o' Fluttershy... She's great, and... Well, very special to all of us.You'll be the first boyfriend she's ever had if'n it works out."

Gust allowed himself to relax, a one-on-one conversation with the girl who came of as the most level-headed of the five was much more comfortable with him.  "...She'd be my first girlfriend too." He admitted, re-folding his wings behind his back. "I've never been good with girls, but Fluttershy is just so...Kind. I had to talk to her."

Applejack raised her eyebrows, eyeing Gust up and down. "Your first girlfriend? Huh... " She remained silent, merely staring at Gust, who began to feel his discomfort re-settle. "...Well, I reckon I've held you up long enough. I'm a pretty good judge of character, and I gotta say, you don't seem half bad so far. You take care now."

With that, she placed her hat back on her head, turned heel, and strode out of the Alleyway. Gust remained, running a hand across his face and groaning. "No one told me about this part of a relationship..." He complained, following suit with the girls and shuffling out of the alley.

Two days came and passed, until finally, Sunday... It happened. The citizens of Ponyville awoke and looked upward to find tiny flecks of ice, floating peacefully down onto their streets, roofs and yards. Children shouted with joy and raced out, catching the flakes on their tongue and cheering for that most awaited day. The first snow of the season. Near the outskirts of town at Fluttershy's home, she was beginning her own morning routine, still in her pink-butterfly-embroidered pyjamas as she brushed her hair and chatted with Angel.

Angel was clearly still miffed at Fluttershy, sitting in the edge of her bed, arms folded and staring daggers at Fluttershy. 'I can't believe you're going through with this...'

Fluttershy turned, noticing the disgruntled bunny's expression. She sighed, moving towards her closit "Angel, we've been through this. Gust is a really nice guy, and... Well, I like him. Don't you want to see me happy?" She asked, hoping a dose of guilt would temper the rabbit. She selected two long-sleeved shirts, comparing them in front of the mirror in her bedroom. "Which one do you think? I like the frills on this one, but we're just going to a cafe, and this one's a bit more casual.

Angel rolled his eyes, crossing his arms again and huffing. 'I. Don't. CARE.'

"The blue one, you're right!" Fluttershy said, ducking into the wardrobe to change. When she emerged, she was fully clothed, sporting a warm, navy blue shirt, along with a pair of slightly baggy jeans held up by a tan felt belt. "There we go, nice and causal..." She said, assessing her choice in the mirror, as she turned, she took a glance outside, noticing the flakes falling. "Oh wow!" She exclaimed, watching as the snow began to dust the ground outside. "First snow of the season! Angel, come look!"

Angel sighed, forlornly looking out at the snow. He knew what it meant. A few more days, and he would no longer be able to resist the primal call of hibernation... He was fortunate to have a cozy nook, practically soundproof, in Fluttershy's home to go through the winters in, but even so, the rabbit found the entire hibernation cycle rather boring. He wished he had better dreams, at least.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, had dived into the deepest part of her closet, and emerged with a winter coat, woolen cap, and gloves. "I'm gonna go see the girls- we said we'd go sledding when the first snow started- Twilight's never been anywhere with such perfect hills, and we can't wait to show her!- as long as we don't go too fast..." She added, biting her lip nervously. "Anyway, be good, Angel! Your breakfast is on the table!" She said, darting down the stairs and out the front door.

Fluttershy landed softly at Sweet Apple acres, near the southern field. The trees, just like the trees all over equestria, were stark and empty. That, however, was not her reason for being here, instead, she was here for the five girls nearby, waving her over. Fluttershy trudged over to her friends, smiling brightly. "Hi girls! Great job on the snow, Rainbow."

Rainbow dash smirked, flexing her wings. "Oh, this? Yeah, it's pretty good." She said, remaining aloof and looking upwards at the sky. Rainbow was rather lightly rather dressed for the weather, with only a pair of gloves and a track jacket added for warmth."Just wait 'till tonight. It's gonna get HEAVY." With that, she pulled her sled, or, more accurately, her luge, up to the slope of the snow-covered hill. "Care to help me try this baby out with a little contest, Applejack? Or do you think that old-fashioned thing will get caught in the snow?

Applejack scowled, clad in an obviously home-made, apple-patterned sweater and her usual hat, despite it's utter inefficiency for that kind of weather, as she clutched the wooden toboggan  protectively. "I'll have you know Applebloom worked mighty hard on this here sled, and it can whoop your store-bought fancy-pants little number any day! You're on!"

With that, they both piled into their snowbound vehicles, and Pinkie appeared before them, donned in a thick pink coat, earmuffs, and a checkered flag raised in a mitten-clad hand. "One for your marks, two for the set, three for the ready, and four! to! GO!" She cried, throwing the flag down, and cheering along with Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy as Rainbow Dash and Applejack took off.

At first, Applejack got caught a commanding lead, kicking off her sled with one powerful shove of her foot. Rainbow Dash, however, was not far behind for long and with a powerful flap of her wings, quickly made headway to closing the gap.Noticing this, Applejack kicked at the ground again, picking up more speed as the two went blindingly fast down the slope.

Applejack landed at the bottom of the hill first, skidding herself to a stop as Rainbow whizzed by and continued for a good 30 yards before stopping. Rainbow caught up to Applejack as she was moving her way back up the hill. Both of them smirking in triumph.

"What'd you think of that AJ? Told you i would beat ya!"

Applejack blinked. "What in tarnation are you talkin' about, Rainbow? I reached the bottom first! I won!"

"Yeah, but MINE went way further!"

"That wasn't what we were wagerin' on."

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

They continued to bicker as the others sighed, accustomed to their usual petty competitions, and knowing they'd be over it in a matter of minutes.

As twilight examined the available sleds, testing to see which one was the most aerodynamic, thus "Yielding the lowest differential between force and speed, inversely, the one with the most efficient work/fun generation build!" Rarity strode over to Fluttershy, coated in a lavish faux fur ensemble. Once she had explained that to a panicking Fluttershy that it was, in fact, faux, Rarity displayed her sled. It was lavishly designed, but the decorations caused it to jut out at odd places, making it seem... less than ideal for sledding, and giving it the look of a parade float more than anything.

"It's... nice, Rarity." Fluttershy said, suddenly becoming very interested in the snow around her boots.

"Thank you darling!... By the way, when's your meetup with your gentleman friend?" She asked, raising her eyebrows playfully.

"N-not for a few hours."

"Are you going like that?"

"Uhm, yes?"

"Oh..."

"What?"

"Nothing! Nothing!... maybe take the hat off? Your hair is going to get all frizzy."

"...But it's cold out."

The rest of the outing went as well as it usually did between them. The six friends spent a long while laughing, sledding, and racing. Fluttershy would only go down if she was accompanied by someone, and never with Pinkie, who insisted on flipping herself over halfway down the hill and rolling the rest of the way down. Afterwards, she would pop up, covered in snow, claiming to be a powdered doughnut.

Fluttershy clung to tightly to whoever she was riding with time after time. After they had all worn themselves out, they huddled together and made their way to Applejack's home, where warm glasses of cider awaited them. (Rainbow was especially enthusiastic about this treat.)

They sat together at the large table in the kitchen of the Apple family home, Snow-flecked and raw-faced, swapping stories, joking, and simply enjoying each other's company.

"So then I said to him..." Applejack said, pausing for dramatic effect and smirking as the five of her friends leaned in, excitedly waiting for the punch line. "I said; 'Next time, let ME buy the tractor!"

The table burst into laughter,which only redoubled as cider squirted out of Pinkie's nose, though Rarity appeared a bit off-put by this.

"Well girls, I should get going. Angel's been under the weather, i have to go and check up o-"

"Darlin'." Applejack interrupted, raising a hand to interrupt her friend. "We all know where you're going, Rarity  told us the other day."

Rarity smiled sheepishly. "Aha yes, well... What can I say? I'm a gossip." She said, growing slightly ashen faced and taking a long, quite un-ladylike draw from her mug.

Fluttershy's felt as though her face were about to catch fire. She stood, rooted in place, the immense pressure of all of her friend's eyes pressed directly on her. She squeaked as Applejack placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Now now, sugarcube, quite a few of us have had guy friends here, not a thing to be ashamed of- We're all happy for you! So, just go, be yourself, and have fun on your second date."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added, giving Fluttershy's arm a playful rap with her knuckles. "Gust's a pretty good guy, too- Really was a big part of making sure this snow happened today!... Just don't tell him I said that." She said, patting Fluttershy on the back.

"Oh!" Twilight suddenly perked up, pulling out a sheet of paper. "If you could find the time to just get him to fill out this questionnaire- All he has to do is check the corresponding box, see, and-"

Rainbow snatched the piece of paper out of Twilight's hands. "No paperwork on dates, Twilight." She said, "Anyway, Fluttershy, what're you waiting for? Go have fun!" She said, shooing the pink-haired pegasus out the door.

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Another chapter down! A lot's gonna be dropped in the next chapter, stay tuned!