In One Month

Chapters

Chapter 1: Breaking the News
Chapter 2: Party Planner Extraordinaire
Chapter 3: Scenery
Chapter 4: Pride
Chapter 5: No Chance
Chapter 6: Music
Chapter 7: Friends
Chapter 8: Caramel Apple
Chapter 9: Happy Birthday
Prologue : My Faithful Student...

Chapter 1: Breaking the News

“A date, ya say?” Applejack's southern slur ended with her putting the edge of her hoof to her bottom lip. She pondered for a moment before Twilight interrupted her.

“Yes, a date. It seems like the princess wants to enlarge our friendship experience by integrating other ponies.” She sat her flank onto the ground and looked at her orange friend. “I just don't understand why. I mean, last time, just the six of us destroyed the gala. Why would she want us to bring other friends?”

“I don't think a friend is quite what the princess meant, sugarcube.”

“What do you mean?” The lavender pony stood on all four again and rose an eyebrow.

“Uh, ya see here on this note?” Applejack took the scroll in her mouth and set it on the ground where she pointed to some lines in it with her hoof. “Princess Celestia makes note of yur brother's wedding right here and says 'it would only be appropriate.' I think she wants us to take our very special someponies, if'n ya know what I mean.”

“Very... special...?” Twilight's face turned beat red in an instant. “You don't mean, you know, boyfriends, do you?”

Applejack bellowed a modest laugh and tapped Twilight on the leg with hers. “Yes, Twi, that's exactly what I think she means.” Twilight withdrew into a frenzy of embarrassed noises. Pulling herself to the ground, she covered her eyes with her hooves.

“I don't understand!” She moaned quietly. Uncovering her eyes to look at her friend, she continued, “I'm still learning the importance of friendship! The thought of moving any of my friendships further than that is absurd!”

“I hate to admit it, sugarcube, but I think I actually like the idea.” Applejack pulled her hoof up and chuckled with her knee by her face, her cheeks pinched a slight hew of pink, only to disappear as fast as Applejack realized it was there. “I-I think it would be a nice addition to some of our lives. I mean, if yur not up to the huge step right now, I don't think it could hurt looking for a good stallion to get to know better as a friend, either.”

“Maybe you're right.” Twilight answered, not sounding sure herself. She stood up tall again and pouted. “This is just all so strange. I never really thought about it. I didn't feel like I need anypony besides you guys and my books. But who would I ask...?”

“Aw, shoot, ya don't have to worry about it right now. Just go about your daily life. If anypony sticks out to ya, maybe they're worth gettin to know!”

“I-I suppose that sounds pretty logical.” With Twilight's ears low on her scalp, she shuffled backwards. Using her magic, she passed two tickets over to Applejack.

“Thank ya kindly.” The apple-marked earth pony stated as she took hold of the tickets. “I think I'm gonna go put these somewhere safe. Ya'll should probably go tell the others.” Nodding in agreement, Twilight slowly turned to leave the scene. As she trotted along the dirt path, she discreetly hid the tickets into a saddle bag so as to prevent other ponies from taking notice.

First stop, Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight thought silently. As she approached the front door of the sugary shack, the prominent sound of babies screaming drifted out to the open air. A light chuckle escaped Twilight's lips as she swung the front doors open. Much to her surprise, the cakes were not present in the front room, only Pinkie Pie. However, the crying and screaming was still outstanding, apparently coming from a room in the back. Smiling, Twilight approached her pink friend.

“Oh hi Twilight!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in her ever-cheerful tone. She hopped off the chair and did a rabbit bounce over to the unicorn. “Whatcha doin over here?” As she spoke, Pinkie Pie cocked her head dramatically.

“Hello Pinkie.” Twilight's lips bent into an awkward smile as she leaned her head back away from her eccentric friend. “I was just hoping that I could talk with you.”

“Talk? Talk about what? About cupcakes? How about pillows? Or milkshakes? Oh I love milkshakes! I love all kinds of ice cream. Like chocolate, strawberry, cake batter, ohhh cake batter is my favorites! Ittasteslikethereisabunchofsweetsugarygoodnessthrowingasugaryparty – ”

As the pink earth pony went off on a tangent, Twilight noticed that sometime while Pinkie was talking, the babies has calmed significantly. She couldn't bask in the silence as long as her friend kept talking, so she took a seat, glancing from side to side, her mind fluttering about thoughts of this new request of her princess.

Though it is true that there were many stallions in Ponyville that Twilight knew, none of them seemed especially close to her, as a matter of fact, she didn't talk to any of them very often. The names of many unspecific colts that she knew of filled her mind; of course, she was not surprised to find that none of the names drew particular interest. Why, none of them would even take any notice of her if she tried to grab it, she thought.

She lifted a front hoof and looked down at it. Her tone of fur; was it attractive enough? Taking the tip of her hoof, she brushed over her mane. Was the feel of it silky? Do colts even prefer silky manes? The best colt she ever knew just got married, and of all the fillies he knew, he picked Cadance! She's a princess! Using a wave of magic, she combed through her mane swiftly. Her colors were all so boring when she remembered the waterfall of harmonic colors that her old foalsitter bore, would any colt even be interested in her?

A brush of cold loneliness ran through her. She looked over at her pink friend, her mouth a raging storm but her words gelatin, and examined her closely. Her figure, her mane, her tail, everything about her appeared to be much fresher than Twilight's. Pinkie was so lively and fun to be around, but Twilight's only perks were her library and her smarts. Nopony would be impressed with that.

“ – And then I thought, why not? After all, all trees taste the same! Don't you think?”
Pinkie Pie hopped in place before stepping forward, pushing her face closer to Twilight. “Helloooooooo? Twilight?”

“Agh!” Twilight yelped as she realized this pink reality. “Wha – ”

“Anyway! Whatcha here for again?”

“Oh, right, well I have come here to discuss something that the Princess asked of me...” Her voice trailed off as she used her magic to pull two tickets out of her saddle bag, lifting them up to Pinkie. “It's about these.”

“Oh, that silly-willy princess Celestia! I thought she would have assumed that we all wanted to go again this year! It's all okay though! 'Cuz you can just ask her for more tickets, right?” Pinkie Pie blurted out in one breath, hopping in place again. “So that means the grand galloping gala is coming up soon? I almost forgot! But I didn't! I knew it was coming up so I've been practicing my fancy dancing! Want to see?”

With a shake of her head, Twilight responded, “no, Pinkie. These tickets are actually both for you.”

“Both for me? That doesn't make sense because I'm only one pony! Did the princess forget? That's really funny, you know, this one time I forgot that Fluttershy wasn't a tree again. Ever since that trip it just keeps switching back and forth in my head! I thought she was a – ” A lavender hoof covered the blabbering lips until Pinkie made eye contact with Twilight.

“Princess Celestia actually has requested that you bring a date. And not just any date, either, a stallion date.” Once again, Twilight's tender cheeks turned red. The thought of the event still brought an uncomfortable sensation to her chest and she withdrew her eyes.

“A date?”

Twilight readied herself for another long line of speech. One second, two seconds, three, and there was still no words. The unicorn went to return her gaze, to find a very puzzled Pinkie looking at her, holding the tickets in her hooves. Her lower lip was shoved to the side, her brow bent upwards in a confused and thoughtful twist. Surprised by the subtle reaction, Twilight smiled nervously. “Er, yeah, a date. Like a-a,” Twilight paused, swallowing a wad of saliva, “b-boyfriend.”

“That's funny,” Pinkie mused, “why would she ask about that?” Setting the tickets on the nearby table, the pink earth pony drifted into silence for a moment.

“Pinkie, are you alright?”

“Oh me? Yeah, of coursey worsey, I'm okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie suddenly broke into a smile. “I just don't know who to invite! I wonder who to pick! Ooooh there are so many choices! I wonder who else in Ponyville would like to go with me to the biggest party in all of Equestria! I've never had a boyfriend before! I bet they're so fun!” The Earth pony pulled herself into another set of excited hops, holding the tickets in her teeth. She suddenly stopped, opening her mouth as if she were in shock, letting the tickets fall to the ground. “Ohh! I gotta go Twilight! I just had a brilliant idea!”

Before Twilight could respond, Pinkie was gone in a flash, the front doors of the shop flapping back and forth. For a moment, there was silence. Twilight bathed in it, breathing it into her lungs and releasing it as a sigh. As she stood, she made sure her saddle bag was sealed and trotted out of the building, silently wishing she didn't have to go all around town.

As night poured over the sky, Twilight pushed open the doors of the library. The day that she left behind her was uneventful aside from telling Pinkie and Applejack. Upon arriving at Carousel Boutique, Sweetie Belle was eager to inform that Rarity was away on business and that she and her friends could play there as much as she wanted. Hunting down Rainbow Dash proved impossible to trace, and the idea of breaking news to Fluttershy never crossed Twilight's mind until it was too late.

A single shudder drifted down Twilight's neck arch as the thought of uttering the word “date” to the shy pegasus made her nervous. Informing Fluttershy will take delicacy, and certainly some thought.

Suddenly, she heard Spike's feet run against the floor with the sound of pitter-pattering little claws.

“Twi! You're home!”

The small purple and green figure welcomed Twilight with a smile as he approached. His little sharp teeth grinning wide, he rolled back and forth on his back legs like the child he was.

“Ugh, what a day.” The unicorn moaned as her hooves clobbered the sturdy floor underneath her. “Spike, can you fetch me The Magical Inquirer's Guide to Magical Inquiries? I am completely spent and I want to reread Chapter 42 again.”

“Of course.” Spike answered, hurrying off to whichever shelf the book was being stored in. In the meanwhile, Twilight made her way up the steps. Her room was atop the stairs, where she readied the sheets in preparation for sleep. She glanced out the window cautiously, watching as the moon rose higher and higher into the sky, slowly, as if it weren't moving at all. Heaving a brooding sigh, she considered the Princess' request again.

Of course the Princess insisted that she did not have to bring a date if she didn't feel comfortable, but obviously it is something Princess Celestia is wishing from her and Twilight certainly didn't want to let her noble teacher down. It's such a simple request. Ask, go, and then the two never really have to talk again!

That was it! She would simply ask a stallion to attend with her in a non-intimate way. After all, most ponies would love to get a free ticket to the gala. That way she did not have to make any unwanted advances without letting anypony down.

“Here's the book you wanted!” Spike hollered as he lifted the book up and clumsily made it up the stairs.

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight's magic made Spike's heavy lifting a lot easier as it hovered away from him. The small dragon scurried over to his comrade's side and smiled at her.

“What's got you so happy?” Twilight finally asked, looking at him with tired eyes.

“Oh nothing much, except...” Spike relaxed his body before pulling it taught, flexing what little muscles he had and raising an eyebrow. “I'M going to ask Rarity if I can be her date to the Gala!”

With a smug chuckle, Twilight began to flutter through the pages of the book, shaking her head in a slight enough way to go unnoticed. “Good luck with that, Spike.”

Knock, knock, knock.

As Twilight lifted her head, she looked towards the staircase. “Now who could that be at this time of night?” Sighing, she shut the book and set it delicately on her bed. After descending down the stairs, she slowly swung the door open.

“HI TWILIGHT!”

“Agh!” Twilight bellowed again as she jumped back an inch or two. After catching her breath from the sudden outburst, she immediately noticed in the light of her room that it was in fact Pinkie Pie knocking. “P-Pinkie?”

“I've come here to invite you to my super-duper awesometacular party spectacular tomorrow!” Pinkie Pie explained while excitingly frolicking in place. “It's my All-stallions-welcome-dance-party-rendezvous-extravaganza~!”

“R-rendezvous?” Twilight asked, although a little hesitant to actually know the answer.

“Duuuuuuh!” As Pinkie's face drew closer, it also appeared to have turned so far to the side that it was almost upside down. “A RENDEZVOUS! For finding us all dates to the Gala of course! ButofcourseIdidn'tputthatitwasaboutthegalaintheinvitationsbecauseI – ”

“Pinkie.”

“ – andafterlasttimeIreallylearnedmylessonbecauseyouknowIdon'twantyouto – ”

“Pinkie.”

“ – theneveryponywouldblamemeandthenIwillfeelsadbecauseIruinedallofourchancesforasuperduperfun – ”

“PINKIE!!”

There was silence again, and Twilight for once did not desire for this silence to break. Pinkie stood with a goofy smile on her mug as the lavender pony sighed with annoyance.

“I get it, rendezvous. I'll be there.”

“Yay! I'm so amazingly excited! Everypony around town already said they'd make it 'cuz, you know, my parties are so fun!”

“Well, thanks for the invite anyways. I'll be there.”

“Bye-bye!”

“Bye.”

The door shut. Finally. It was time for some peace and quiet.

Chapter 2: Party Planner Extraordinaire

The pink earth pony zipped around the house faster than the pony eye could perceive. Balloons here, balloons there, a bowl of punch, a bowl of apples, snacks, snacks, snacks; before she knew it the room was her canvas and she was splattering her party paint all over it.

It was approaching the time of the party, the time that Pinkie Pie had eagerly awaited, and Sugarcube Corner was her party destination of choice. The Baby-cakes were having an overnight playdate with some babies down the street so that the party wouldn't disturb them. The neighbors were all prepared for the music, the guests all welcome to one of Pinkie's most important parties ever. Everything was perfect.

As the banners and streamers made their way to their respective places, Pinkie took a moment to convert to an unusually silent version of herself, pausing to think once more about the task at hoof. As a party extraordinaire, it was never on Pinkie's mind. Since Twilight's mention, however, this perfect party planner had the most perfectly imperfect stinging in her chest and a discomfort in her stomach. Faces glazed through her mind. Some of them were her friends, others were some notable faces of the males around town. The thought of mixing their lives with stallions gave her an uneasy and distrustful feeling.

Strictly speaking, love has torn friends apart before.

A knock on the door broke Pinkie Pie out of her uncharacteristic thoughts, leaving her feeling dizzy and hyped. The sound of a knock meant her bestestest friends have finally arrived to help her set things up early! There was a buzz as Pinkie began a full out gallop down the stairs to the front door. Hopping up and down excitedly, she pulled the door open towards her.

Lo and behold, the five ponies that were standing there were Pinkie's best friends, smiling at her and bearing their own snacks and things to put on the snack table, with the exception of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Although the looks on their faces looked flustered, they were undoubtedly happy to be there. As they spoke their greetings and trotted into the door, Fluttershy especially seemed to be falling behind as she slowly moved forward, her face indirect and towards the ground.

Though it could be assumed what news was just shared with them, Pinkie Pie was not surprised to see such uncomfortable faces on her beloved friends as they filed into the room, followed briefly by Spike.

“So, what's the big idea?” Rainbow Dash blurted, looking at both Pinkie and Twilight. “What if we don't want dates? I have no time to worry about boys and relationships and all that mushy crud. I need to work on my routine to impress the Wonderbolts!”

“I don't know Dashie!” Pinkie responded in delight before hopping over to her rainbow friend. “You should ask yourself! After all, you showed up to my All-stallions-welcome-dance-party-rendezvous-extravaganza!”

“W-well, you know, I'd be dumb to skip out on a Pinkie Pie party. After all, the last one you threw was totally radical.”

“I knew you'd understand!” Pinkie spouted enthusiastically.

“Um, e-excuse me, um, Pinkie?” Fluttershy squealed, hardly loud enough to hear. Luckily, Pinkie Pie has sensitive enough ears to hear over her own voice.

“Yes?” The pink pony spoke through grinning teeth.

“I-I know this is to get to know stallions to...” Fluttershy whimpered quietly, as if she couldn't finish the line. She looked up to her friend with pleading eyes, as if saying “you know what I mean.”

“Yep! That's what the party is for!”

“B-but I don't think I can do that. I-I, um, I would like to just go home a-and take care of my animals, if that's okay with you...”

“Aw, but Fluttershy! You need to pick the super awesomest stallion for you to take! Unless you wanna take your bunny to the gala, but that would be weird!” Pinkie Pie saw the look in her friend's eyes and smiled a little, but this time sympathetically, knowing that there was a chance this would happen. “That's okie dokie lokie, Fluttershy. I'll be sure to have a more Fluttershy-like party another day!”

“Oh, thank goodness. I'm sorry about this Pinkie Pie, I really appreciate the gesture, though.” Fluttershy looked entirely different now. She seemed a lot more confident now that she knew she wasn't being pressured to do anything. “I will see you tomorrow, Rarity.”

A nod from a silent white pony that Pinkie almost didn't notice was there came in response to Fluttershy leaving, “of course, dear.”

The fact that Rarity was so silent left Pinkie curious. Of course, with the conversation ending naturally, the other ponies had already scattered, filling the room and Pinkie had no ability to ask her fancy friend why she was so uneasy. As she decided to start some ambient music for her friends, she kept an eye on Rarity as she slowly walked in a way that seemed as if her head was somewhere else instead of engaged in the party planning.

The music came on, and the friends began to chat amongst themselves. In a little bit, the first guests were expected. Twilight would deny it if Pinkie asked, but she seemed to have done something extra to her mane. Rarity wore flowers in her mane and tail and wore a little extra make-up around the eyes to match. Applejack and Dashie had no special traits on them, however.

“Okay, party-ponies! Let's get this started!”

As Fluttershy left the party, she heard the music start with the laughter and immediately shied away, lowering her head towards the ground.

Another ring of laughter met her ears, this time male voices. She turned, curious as to who she'd be missing, and smiled at the familiar faces. Big Mac, Felix, and Caramel. Seemed like Big Mac retains some friendships after all. He wasn't seen hanging out with anypony very often, unless it's around the farm or on a day off.

After a second, Fluttershy noticed a subtle limp in the red pony's back left leg. Devastated, Fluttershy realized why Big Mac even had time to hang out with ponies at this time. She turned around, since she wasn't very far from them, and trotted over.

“Oh, no, Big Mac. What happened to you?” She said quietly. Not saying much, Big Mac responded by chronically looking at her then his leg. He laughed lightly.

“Had an accident workin'. That's all.”

“I'm so sorry, it looks like it hurts.” The concerned pegasus looked a little closer. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Eeyup.” He responded. “I think I'm going to go in now. 'Was nice talkin' to ya.”

“Good luck.” Fluttershy smiled, feeling satisfied that she knew he wasn't hurting too much. Turning, she returned on her way. She didn't feel, however, the eyes of a certain somepony looking at her as she walked away.

The path to her cottage was easy, even after she was no longer on the flat streets of the city. Her humble home came into view relatively quickly. The sound of the streams of water trickling was her first landmark, the lack of trees her second. Then, like rushing water, a feeling of safety and love overwhelmed her as she stepped onto her property.

She was welcomed by a flock of birds, their singing harmonic and cheerful at her return. As their little wings buzzed around her, she made her way across the bridge and quickly came across the front door. As she swung both halves of the door away from her to open it, Angel Bunny sat all the way on the other side of a room, standing on top of what appears to be a small box wrapped over. He looked over at his pegasus master impatiently, slamming his paw down on the box about six times in an instant.

“Oh, Angel Bunny, what is this?” Fluttershy said quietly as she steadily approached the strange trinket. Angel hopped up onto the pink-maned pony gingerly, seating himself in between her ears. The two sets of eyes peered down at the simplistically wrapped box, appearing to be a present. Looking it over, there were no names written on it, nor any tags. “Where did this come from, Angel?”

The small rabbit hopped off of Fluttershy's head and scurried to the front door, playfully mimicking the action of opening the front door and seeing it. After looking over to his owner's eyes to make sure she understood, he hurried back and reclaimed his throne on her head.

Fluttershy let a small chuckle leave her throat at her pet's silly antics. She then leaned forward, eying over the box one more time. Very carefully, so as to not tear the wrapping, she pulled back the pale yellow wrap to reveal a small, hoof sized box. She carefully peeled the tape off of it and opened the flaps. “Oh, oh, how nice!” She said cheerfully.

Inside the box was a small blue-flower. Not a real flower, however, but a plastic one. It was a hair clip, which was discovered upon closer examination.

“But who is it from?” Fluttershy mused quietly. She put the flower down to its place, and turned to walk to a window. Angel took initiative to hop off and take hold of the flower himself, putting it through a series of bunny tests, including hardness, smell, and taste tests, only to be disgusting by its flavor and placing it back down.

The pegasus approached the closed window and opened it, looking outside from left to right. There was nopony nearby, so who put this package at her door?

Ring!

The sound of the bells ringing as her guests poured into the room filled Pinkie Pie with remarkable joy. It has barely audible over the music and chattering of happy ponies, but she could hear it. She was used to the sound from having worked here so long, but she never tired of it.

There were so many guests in the party that it was unbelievable; it was more ponies than she had ever invited to a single party before. So much so that it took both levels of Sugarcube Corner, not just the second like usual.

Pinkie had lost sight of her friends in the midst of the partying and was found by herself next to the snack bar. Excitedly gnawing on a chocolate cupcake, she peered casually at her reflection in a balloon.

Then there was Rainbow Dash, up in the second floor, hopelessly unaware of how to even flirt with a boy. She stood alone, waving back and forth to the beat of the music, letting the fur in her mane and tail sway casually as it tickled against the back of her hind legs. Her confidence getting the better of her, she saw an attractive colt walking past her with no other company.

“Hey! You!” The rainbow pony blurted to an unsuspecting victim. The stallion looked over to the source of the voice feebly.

“Y-yes?”

“Wouldn't you like to dance with the most awesomest pony in all of Equestria?” Dash bragged in an outburst, pushing herself closer to the poor soul.

“I-I'm sorry?”

“You know, me! Rainbow Dash, future wonderbolt!” Striking a pose, Dash leaned up against the stallion. “Come on, why not?”

“E-excuse me, I have s-somewhere to go.”

“Wha-huh?!” Dash yelped, but before she could collect her thoughts, the stallion was gone. “Hmph.” Grunting, she turned away and continued her monotonous self-soothing pony watching.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie continued eying herself in the balloon, finishing the last succulent bite of cupcake, she licked the frosting off her lips and threw the wrapper into a nearby trash can. With the sugar pumping through her, she felt the urge to move rapidly overcome her. Before she could, however, there was a really, really loud noise that smacked her square in the face.

It was the distinct sound of a balloon popping. The blue balloon she was looking into had exploded. Now, in its place, was the face of another pony. His gray mane was unique to himself, as well as his impressively pointy unicorn horn. It was a pony Pinkie recognized as non-other than Pokey Pierce.

“Oh hello Pokey! You scared me! Not like, you know, ghost scared, but startled because your pointy-wointy horn popped the balloon!” Pinkie announced out loudly, so as to overcome the noise of the party.

“I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to do that! I swear!” Pokey withdrew quietly, putting his ears back against his head. “I a-always do that. Oh, I should know better by now.”

“That's okay, Pokey. I know, every time I invite you to a party you do this! I just learn to bring extras!” Suddenly, Pinkie pulled a balloon out of virtually nowhere, inhaling one great breath of air and releasing it into the balloon. It drifted up into the air as if full of helium as she tied it up in one quick gesture. “See?”

“I'm so glad you don't get mad at me for that.” Pokey answered with a laugh. “I try really hard to avoid this.”

“No problem!”

However, with so many ponies being in one room, the two were clearly overwhelmed and just stuck to each other, getting lost in their own minor conversation, ignoring the rest of the room.

Chapter 3: Scenery

“Oh no, no, that color simply is not right. No, absolutely not. Hmm. Oh, Opal, do you think this dress needs something? No, no, I'm all wrong. This is all wrong. I need to try this again. Oh, where did I put the pin cushion? Never mind that, I have to open these seams and start again.”

The sound of pacing hooves filled the air. It was hot and stuffy, thick enough to choke a pony who was not prepared.

“Oh, I just don't know. Maybe I should play it safe with an analogous color scheme. It seems like complimentary just doesn't seem to fit the ticket here. Wait, should her dress be stylish or classy?”

The inspiration room of the boutique was cluttered again, with color palettes scattered about and fabric laid across furniture.

“I just don't know. Does this dress call for sequins? Or some sort of trim? Oh yes, of course, a trim, I'd be foolish not to include that. I must be careful, however. I can't let them look too similar to last year's. Opal, deary, can you move please?”

“Rarity?”

“Wa-a-ahh!”

Rarity was quick to whip around. Her mane was frazzled and her eyes bloodshot. When she turned to see the voice that called for her, she discovered Twilight standing at her door. Twilight, all seeming normal besides a bag slung across her back, stood there with an eyebrow raised.

“Rarity, I'm very concerned. You haven't left your home in two days.”

The white unicorn paused in her tracks, unable to pull together a fathomable response. She looked behind her, glazing her eyes over a calender briefly. She took a heaving breath and looked over to her friend.

“W-why yes, dear. It would seem that way, would it not?” She followed her sentence with a nervous chuckle. “Well, you see, with the Gala coming up as quickly as it is...”

“You took it upon yourself to make our dresses?” Twilight asked, giving a distressed exhale as she spoke. “Can't we just wear the same dresses as last year?”

“No! No, no, no, that would be just tacky.”

Twilight took the moment to examine the six mannequins that were standing. Shreds of fabric lay pulled across the backs, necks, and heads of the ponies, none of which seemed remotely close to being finished. The designs were sketched and taped to the wall next to their designated model. She invited herself to get closer, taking a peek at each design, and frankly, they were not pleasing.

“Are these your designs?”

“Oh, w-why, yes.”

“Well they're... um...”

“I know. It's terrible.” Rarity released a heavy sigh. “Oh, it's just dreadful, Twilight. I have lost my inspiration! My muse! It's all gone! I am so lost without it. You see, I tried to start this the moment I got home from the party but I... I...”

Twilight quickly accommodated her friend as she started to break into (arguably over-dramatic) tears. Rarity resisted the urge to wipe her face, lest she worsen her makeup, and looked up to her friend.

“I have no talent anymore!” Rarity's blue eyes looked up to Twilight, sparkling with the tears that lingered. “I haven't been able to sleep, haven't been able to do anything because it just won't leave my mind! I simply cannot think of dress designs!”

“Rarity, it's not that bad.” Twilight cooed softly. “You have a month until the Gala is here. You'll think of something.”

“That's just it, Twilight!” Pushing herself off of her friend, Rarity backed away. She approached a desk and pushed some clutter to the side. Picking up a book, she returned to Twilight's side. She flopped the book on the ground, the collision causing it to flop lifelessly open.

On the pages was sketch after sketch of nothing but lines and doodles, most likely design ideas. Some were colored and some were not, however, all of them looked awful. They were clearly attempts as dress designs for her five closest friends, but the sheer quantity of them was overwhelming. Using her horn, Twilight flipped a few pages, only to find countless more. It seemed endless.

“O-Oh my.”

“You see, Twilight? This is my problem! Usually inspiration simple pours over me! But in two days, this is all I've done. I'm going to be a laughing stock!”

“Aren't you over exaggerating a little bit? How are you going to be a laughing stock?”

“You're going to need dresses eventually, darling; how am I supposed to represent? They know me in Canterlot! I've had my name there before! If you all show up in badly made dresses, they'll know it was me who made them!” After a moment she paused, her hoof eventually rising up to her lower lip. Stuck in contemplation, her eyes lowered to the ground. “Oh my, that's it!”

“I don't follow.” Twilight said lowly. Rarity quickly approached her, grinning.

“Canterlot!” Rarity placed her hooves on Twilight's shoulders. “A change of scenery! Oh, this is a wonderful idea! Oh, I need to pack. I have to take my designing supplies too, of course.”

“A change of scenery?”

“It's such a grand idea. I shouldn't bother the princess to reserve a room for me this time, though, so I'll bring extra money for the housing, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Perhaps just an apartment or something of the sort. Regardless, I know I can make something that will stop them in their tracks if I change my scenery!”

“Wait, so let me figure this out...” Twilight thought aloud. “You are leaving. To Canterlot. For inspiration?”

“That's exactly it!” Rarity, now having had a total change in mood, stood tidying up one of her desks. “I must pick and choose what to bring now. This is so exciting.”

“Okay then.” Twilight murmured.

As the sun set over Sweet Apple Acres, the small humble family found themselves all gathered in one room. On the bed was a very under slept stallion, his red fur stretched over swollen limbs. His concerned family whispered among themselves, some louder than others. Applejack began pulling her hat from the top of her head and holding it to her chest, her face twisted in thought. The youngest of the family, Applebloom, approached the injured stallion and looked as his leg carefully.

Big Mac's pain tolerance was admirable, having been walking Celestia-knows-where on a broken knee and fractured hip. However, it became clear that he needed more help than he was letting on when he could no longer walk.

“Ya need to stay in bed there, Big Mac.” Applejack mused aloud.

This aroused no response from the hindered pony, and he simply stared at a wall. The concern eventually overwhelmed his caring family, and Applebloom back-tracked around to his face, where she nuzzled him under the chin.

“We're not mad or anythin'.” She said sympathetically. “That isn't what ya think is it?”

“Nope.” He said, now lifting his head to look at his little sister. He lovingly returned the gesture and glanced over to Applejack, aware of what his absence on the farm could mean for her.

“Aw, shucks, I know what that look's for. Don't ya'll worry bout me.”

However, before she knew it, all eyes had fallen on Applejack.

“I'm mighty sorry Applejack. Applebloom and I aren't fit to work with the hardcore applebuckin'.” Granny Smith said ruefully. “Are you going to be okay? The farmer's market is only three days away and we need to buck down almost all our very best apples.”

“Nah, don't worry bout me now. I learned my lesson last time. I'll be askin' for help shortly from my friends.”

An accepting nod from her kin quickly signaled a redirection of attention back to Big Mac. The inevitable question on everypony's mind was obvious. Of course, is was clear that Big Mac's usual concern was known. He possibly did not want to leave Applejack alone to buck the apples. However, there was clearly more this time. If anybody could see that, it would be the concerned earth ponies that stood lovingly in front of him.

In the end it was an unspoken decision that was unanimously made that they were not going to ask. Something seemed to be nagging in Big Mac's mind.

“Uh, no.”

“Aw, come on.”

That was the sixth stallion to turn Rainbow Dash down since she started. As he strutted away, the troubled pegasus twisted her lips into a broken pout. A heavy sigh brushed the weight down her back and she laid her back end to the ground. Her rainbow colored tail flowed across the ground, her colors blending as strands of hair overlapped, giving herself a new look.

There was an air of stress that seemed to surround the uncharacteristically melancholic pony. Her eyes were beginning to show the signs of bags sagging under them, and her pupils moved back and forth along the grassy earth, moving slowly from one blade to another with what seemed like no goal in reach.

“Rainbow Dash, darling, you look positively miserable!”

The voice belonged to none other than Rarity. She was being tailed by Twilight, carrying what seemed to be traveling cases. Confused, Dash cocked her head slightly as the unicorn pair approached her.

“What're you doing?” She asked, her voice cracking slightly.

“That is not important! What matters right now is why you look so glum!”

Her pair of magenta eyes darted between the two uncomfortably, leaving Rainbow Dash unsure of how to answer. “I- I don't know what you mean. I'm totally awesome!” As she lied, her back legs pushed down into the ground, bringing her into a stand. She met the duo half way and laughed, although false. “What are you doing? Trying to go into exile again?”

“Not quite,” Rarity responded with a bitter bite. With a roll of her eyes, she continued. “I have decided to surround myself in a new environment so that I may have the proper inspiration to make your dress!”

There was notable confusion in Rainbow Dashes eyes, and honestly, it made Rarity smile a little.

“Twilight, here, has kindly agreed to help me ready my things and will be writing the princess to arrange a ride into Canterlot. I need a change of scenery to make the dresses for the Gala.”

On a whim, Rainbow Dash lowly said quietly, “don't even bother making mine.” It almost went unnoticed, but Rarity heard the whisper in the base of her ear. She turned to her friend feeling concerned, but didn't ask.

Instead, the conversing ponies drew the talk to a close as they departed with the conversation ending as uncomfortably as it had started. With the sounds of hoof steps growing faint and distant, Rainbow Dash took flight again, sighing as the air rushed under her feathers.

As her hooves landed on the clouds that supported her home, she flopped down onto her stomach and chest, allowing her front hooves to dangle. She rested her chin in between them and sulked, annoyed with her imperfections.

“Dashie?”

A very clear bouncing sound caught Rainbow Dash's attention. It was Pinkie Pie hopping up and down under her.

“Oh, hey Pinkie.” Feeling comforted by her best friend's presence, her muscles relaxed.

“What's up? You seem all saddy-waddy lately, you know! I'm not the only pony noticing it either! Rarity is very concerned about you, too!”

“Wha- Rarity? How do you know?”

“I bumped into her on the way here! Well, not here, I was on my way back home from Pokey's but when she said that you were all mopey I changed my mind and started going to your house. Well, here. But you know what I mean.”

“Pokey's? Why were you at that weirdo's house?”

“Dashie! He is not a weirdo! He just has a pointy horn! That is not his fault!”

As the momentous amount of defense that was in her tone came clear, a sense of insecurity rushed over Rainbow Dash like a waterfall.

“Right,sorry.”

Next up was silence. Awkward, uncomfortable silence. The moon started to become visible on the horizon. Unfortunately, as she glanced towards the setting sun, she was forced to look near Canterlot in the distance.

“Dashie?”

This time Pinkie's voice sounded softer. As their eyes met, Dash breathed out heavily. “Yes?”

“I think you should go talk to Rarity.”

“Rarity? Why?”

“My Pinkie-sense!”

“You're so random.”

“I'm gonna go now. You should go to Twilight's. That's where Rarity is.”

“Bye.”

As Pinkie hopped away, Dash sighed. She glanced over at the excited pony hopping away from her home, and then directly at the ground below her. Was she unattractive? She never considered that a possibility. It was true she never spent a second caring or even noticing how she looked. She pegged herself with words like, “awesome,” and “radical,” but were those not enough? Maybe “ugly” was in the mix the whole time and she never noticed.

What do boys even like anyway? That girly stuff like nice clothes and hooficures?

She wasn't about to get a date.

She sure didn't want to be the only one attending the gala alone.

What if she just had someone tag along as a fake boyfriend? That wouldn't work. Then the word would get out that she had a spare ticket and wanted to take somepony, then there was no way she would find somepony who honestly wanted to be with her. She had to leave reasons in the dark. So are reasons not enough for love?

Love.

Now there was a concept that hadn't crossed Rainbow's mind. Maybe she just needs to find a boy that loves her. How would she manage that though? What does love even feel like?

With all these thoughts, she realized what Pinkie meant. Maybe talking to Rarity was a good idea. She probably is the only mare in the tightly-knit friendships that knew anything about romance.

With a sigh, Dash heaved herself from the cloud and proceeded into the sky, the stars beginning to twinkle. The wind hissing in her ear seemed louder with the negative energy she was feeling, and eventually she landed and began to trot instead of fly.

Within a few minutes, she had already arrived at Twilight's. She knocked on the door to see Spike answering.

“Oh hey Dash. What's up?”

“Is Rarity or Twilight still around?”

“Yeah. Twilight's gonna be throwing a sleepover tonight.”

A sleepover? Ick.

“Okay, thanks.”

As she entered the room, she swallowed her pride and prepared to pour herself out to her friends to the best of her ability.

Chapter 4: Pride

The sound of Rainbow's hooves beat the hardwood floor of the first story of Twilight's library. The lowlight poured in through the windows as the atmospheric nightlife of the building caught up to Dash's senses. The small dragon walked ahead of her, calling up the stairs, “Twilight, Rainbow Dash is here!”

The reality of the situation simmers in Dash for a little bit, accented by the lack of any artificial lighting, bringing in a hint of loneliness that keeps reminding her that she may not be all she pegs herself up to be. Her ears pinned down onto her scalp, her mane still disheveled from the whipping wind of flying, she let out a sigh of anticipation. The moments between then and when Twilight and Rarity descended the staircase from the lit room above felt like ages as Dash began to dwell in her thoughts as if they were a world of their own, calling and trampling her with their cheap insults.

The voice of her friends reached into the dim world and pulled her back into Ponyville, welcomed by gracefully unaware faces, smiling, some curling accessories plastered into their manes. They beckoned her with cheerful greetings and then briefly thereafter welcoming her to Twilight's lit bedroom.

She smiled and accepted the happiness for the moment it was delivered to her and clung to it, following suit up the stairs, followed quickly by Spike.

“So what brings you here, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, using her magic to close her sleepover instruction booklet and push it aside, and then calmly sitting next to where make-up, although still organized somewhat, was scattered along the ground. Rarity took a seat next to it, and then hurriedly lifted some mascara and continued applying it gingerly.

“Well, you see...” Rainbow fidgeted in her spot. Unsure of how to word it, she took a seat and paused to gather her thoughts. “I'm not... ugly, am I?”

There was an awkward silence. The movement of the mascara as it hovered near Rarity's face paused, and her deep blue eyes were firmly focused on Dash. Their stare was piercing, but also thoughtful. It was clear to see there were delicate thoughts tossing around in Rarity's mind.

Twilight, on the other hand, wasn't half as composed. The pressure of the self-esteem reliant question appeared to weigh on her, and her ears were folded backwards in response. The only sound in the air was the sound of a hoof nervously hitting the ground as Twilight's foreleg limped and placed itself down.

The silence was louder than anything Rainbow had ever experienced.

“Well, you're no supermodel.”

Spike was the first to speak, his nonchalant mannerisms drove him to not care for reactions. His little claws on his hind legs made a pitter-patter sound as he got closer to Dash, one eyebrow graciously raised high. The blunt and brutally honest response gave Dash's heart a painful lunge. She winced slightly and backed from the approaching purple dragon with hesitant instinct.

“Spike!” Rarity interjected in her slight accent, sounding ever so subtly insulted. “You need to watch your manners!”

The sound of the pony he loved scolding him smashed him like a brick and he backed from Dash, regathering his thoughts.

“Now Darling, who told you that you were ugly?” Rarity stood, setting her make-up down. Her lips bent into a concerned frown.

“You are most certainly not ugly.” Twilight said, now not afraid of being the first pony to respond. “Look at yourself.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity started, “where did that question come from?”

A kick of Dash's front hoof against the ground signaled a massive discomfort as it brushed through her. The eyes of everypony burned and itched, causing her flank to shiver from nerve. There was more silence.

“...oypro...” Dash muttered quietly.

“Huh?” Both unicorns leaned in closer eagerly.

“I'm... ving...oypro...”

“Just come out with it!” Spike exclaimed impatiently.

“I'M HAVING BOY PROBLEMS, OKAY?!”

A flustered pegasus burst from the ground, slightly lifted above into the air. Her cheeked flushed red, she crossed her front legs and looked away. “Never mind, I'll just leave.”

As she began to fly down the stairs, a powerful force of magic held her still and pulled her back to where Twilight and Rarity was.

“Now hold on.” Twilight said bluntly. “You're not leaving yet.”

As Dash struggled, the situation seemed overbearingly in their favor, eventually causing her to give in. As her body limply flopped, Twilight gently set her on the ground.

“Who is the boy you're having problems with, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked delicately.

“Well it's like, I mean, ugh!” She yelped in defeat. Throwing her front hooves in front of her frustratingly, she let out a loud grunt. “Nopony seems interested in me! I've asked, like, I don't know, a bajillion stallions out and they all seemed so disgusted!”

Rarity's head cocked slightly. “And you were close to them?”

“Well, no.” Dash said. “But, does that even matter?”

“Of course it matters!” Rarity responded, aghast with this news. She got really close to her pegasus friend and put a hoof on her shoulder. “The whole basis of a boyfriend is to feel that intimate feeling of closeness. That moment when you and he come together and you feel like you've been together for a year each second you're with each other!”

For a moment there was a spark in Rarity's eyes that intrigued Dash. A sense of familiarity brushed through her for a moment, feeling as if maybe, at some point, the sensation Rarity explained had indeed brushed cheeks with Dash before. But when?

“Maybe that's your problem, Dash.” Twilight said as she came closer to the two of them. “You're just jumping ahead instead of building a friendship with them first! I have this fabulous book you can borrow! It's a classic!”

“I believe Rainbow Dash, here, may need more than a book Twilight Darling.” Rarity said, pausing in thought. “I have an idea. Come stay with me in Canterlot! We can split the bill, and there's a Wonderbolts show this weekend. I'm sure a little vacation can be all you need!”

Twilight laughed quietly. “I'm starting to think travel is your answer to everything, Rarity.”

“Absolutely not! Now a makeover, that would do you wonders, Rainbow Dash. But it is safe to assume you do not welcome the idea.”

Judging by the rainbow pony's face, Rarity assumption proved correct.

“So, what do you say?”

Instead of answering, Rainbow spent a moment to weigh her options. As if responding to her uneasy mind, a gust of wind picked up and rattled the leaves outside the window. She glanced out to the open skies, as if wishing she could fly far away and spend an eternity in the sky to gather herself. However, life wasn't that easy and the choice had to be made now.

Dash breathed out in sync with the heavy wind. On one hoof, she could see the Wonderbolts and only worry about that for a while, but on the other, she wouldn't change anything. As much as it would make her feel better, it won't make her more appealing, and it most definitely won't get her a boyfriend.

The pleading look in Rarity's eyes pierced into Dash. Unable to joint their gazes together, she glanced at the ground.

Then it dawned on her.

Canterlot is a whole new palette. A whole new set of stallions. Although it is true that she'd been there before, they'd only recognize her as the daring pony who saved them not once but twice. As the pony who did the sonic rainboom at the wedding. Maybe her reputation there may be enough to dislodge her from this terrifying rut.

“Yeah, you know what, heck yeah. I'll go with you.”

“Fabulous! This will be so fun!” Rarity said excitedly. “Now, darling, we are leaving tomorrow! You should probably pack!”

“Yeah, I'll go do that.”

As she turned and prepared to leave, Dash caught a glimmer in the corner of her eye. It was Spike, his eyes inexplicably glossy. Noticing Dash's attention, he blushed and pulled his face away. Smiling, Dash nudged him. “Come on kid, walk me to the door.”

“Uh, yeah, okay, sure.”

The two walked down the stairs into the now darker living space of the lower floor. Spike was quiet and quick to arrive at the front door.

“Hey, Spike, what's wrong?” Dash asked, leaning in closer to him. Spike was quiet for another second longer, contemplating being honest with his response.

“Actually, I tried asking Rarity to be my date to the gala earlier and it... it just...”

She should have know. Rainbow felt stupid.

“Right, sorry I asked, Spike.”

When there was no response, Dash widened her eyes to catch a better look at Spike's face.

“What exactly happened?”

“She just... ignored me, that's all. I want to try asking again tomorrow before she leaves.”

“Hey, if you need my help let me know! I'll be there too you know.”

If Dash weren't focusing so hard on his solemn face, she wouldn't have caught the small flash of his brief smile.

“I might have to take you up on that.”

“Alright, I'm going to go pack now. I'll see you tomorrow, Spike!”

“Bye, Dash!”

The morning sunrise poured over the landscape like a prancing deer. In Fluttershy's airy cottage, the light of the morning was welcoming; by gently tapping her shoulder and waking her up, it was showing her compassion and love. It was her brisk wake up call. It was her friend.

Angel Bunny stirred by her back legs, clearly not as affectionate towards Celestia's handy-work as Fluttershy. With a yawn, he sat upright and pounded one of his legs in frustration. The waking pegasus giggled at his antics and nuzzled against his face. The soft feel of his fur was also a lovely feeling, giving her no reason to find any distaste for the morning air.

“Come on, now, Angel. We need to feed the early birds and then I will make you your breakfast.”

He wordlessly argued his point, but clearly accepted his defeat when Fluttershy simply stood and prepared for her morning ritual. He slammed his foot down again to get her attention but afterwords he simply let the subject rest.

The morning ritual was simple, brush and manage her mane and tail, prepare food, and then awake the slumbering animals and tuck in all the nocturnal sleepers. It was fun, to say the least, even if Angel would playfully protest.

The morning rays did not bring much warmth with them, so the tight fur that wrapped around her body failed to provide her with heat after the sanctity of her blanket was breached, but she still opened her front door, taking a breath of the brisk air.

She blindly stepped forward and paused as her hoof tapped against something hard. She paused and looked down – another neatly wrapped gift box.

Chapter 5: No Chance

What was it about Sugarcube Corner that caught Pokey Pierce’s undeniable attention? He wasn't quite sure about the whole matter of it all, himself. He'd always been a fan of sweets, of course, and the atmosphere is quite inviting; however, he never fancied himself in public domain very long and he dreaded interaction. However, maybe it wasn't Sugarcube Corner that was the inviting element in the equation, but its denizens.

As a matter of fact, he wouldn't have even thought about attending a party with so many ponies if it weren't Pinkie Pie inviting him, and he wouldn't spend his free time sitting at the Sugarcube Corner tables if he didn't enjoy smalltalk with the owners and the adorable sight of two toddlers buzzing around. It wasn't the building that felt like home, but the ponies within that made him feel welcome.

As Pinkie Pie left his house that night, he sighed a sigh of questionable origins. Was it relief that he was finally alone again? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, he took the tray of cupcakes that she had readily delivered to his house and slid it into the fridge's lower shelf.

“Pokey?” A lighthearted voice echoed from around the corner.

Tootsie Flute bobbed her tiny filly head out from behind the wall divider and pleaded up towards Pokey with her eyes.

“Oh, Tootsie, you are awake?” He asked, taking a few careful steps through the dimly lit kitchen. Tootsie remained expressionless, peering upwards.

The stature of Tootsie Flute was smaller than the average filly her age. Her eyes were large, painted with a deep amethyst that matched her frazzled mane. As her small tail whipped behind her, she slowly let down a nod, still not breaking her neutral expression.

Her mannerisms were similar to a cat, her ears perked upwards in interest, her tail wavering slowly back and forth, all tied together with her large, pensive eyes. She stayed planted in her spot, staring down her older brother until he broke and answered the question that he knew was on her mind.

“I finally got your cupcakes for your party.” He said nervously, chuckling lightly. “You shouldn't look at them until it's time though, it'll ruin the surprise even more.”

Finally, the small filly smiled, a reward greatly appreciated by Pokey. As her eyes lightened and her cheeks plumped up, her teeth and eyes got a glint of the only light in the room. They sparkled for a second, warming up Pokey's heart.

“Come on now, let's get you to bed.” He said gently, harvesting the smile as his own. He nudged her to the side with his foreleg and began to walk down to her room. She followed behind him, hardly willingly, but refrained from speaking any complaints although they clearly were considered.

As she squirmed under her covers, she looked up to her older brother, pleading for a goodnight kiss. Blushing, Pokey turned his face away. That was a clear “no.”

“Rarity, um, about my question...”

“Not right now, Spikey-wikey, I must gather my things!”

“B-but Rarity...”

Spike's knees felt weak as he followed the white unicorn around the library. Her grace as she handled her luggage was untouchable, even by Spike himself. He eventually froze, realizing that following her around was a futile effort. Taking a seat on the floor, he stared at the clean hardwood, drawing a circle with the claw of his hand.

His mind traced back to the first time he tried to ask. It was the same sad pattern. She avoided his glance, choosing to focus on almost anything else.

He was older than he was when they'd met. Had he not grown any bigger in her eyes? He looked from his invisible drawing on the ground back to Rarity, surprised to see her eyes were on him as well. She jerked in surprise as their eyes met and she pulled away, using her magic to stack a few bags on top of each other.

It seemed like she had finished packing three times over, just messing with her bags to pass time. Twilight had already arranged the train ride into Canterlot and was off collecting Rainbow Dash. With the seconds ticking away, the silence signaled that Rarity's packing had crossed the finish line.

Spike's scales set on edge. He brushed them back and shivered with anticipation as he took to his feet. His nervous habit of rubbing his arms caught up to him and he took a moment to gather the courage he needed for the third time.

As he turned towards Rarity, she avoided his eyes cautiously, lifting a foreleg from the ground. With a toss of her head, her long indigo hair tossed up and then down again, followed by a flutter of eyelashes that looked in the opposite direction of their admirer.

Letting out a sigh, he opened his mouth to speak. However, no words left his mouth before Rarity interjected.

“Listen Spike...” Rarity said delicately, deciding that it was time to look directly at him. “I understand how you feel, I really do.”

Naivety was stronger than Spike's nerve, causing his silence to break with an enthusiastic and relieved, “thank goodness! So... you'll go with me?”

Judging by the pained look in Rarity's eyes, the excited wag in Spike's tail was too much for her to stomach and she looked at the ground, desperately trying to look away. “Well, you see, Spikey. That's – well – that's precisely why we needed to talk.”

She met his eyes once more, unnerved by the intense focus, the admiring gaze. She approached him and delicately set her hoof next to him.

“What do you mean?”

“You are a wonderful little dragon, and I love you ever so dearly. You are so kind to me and so faithful to me and our friends.”

Spike's face dyed plumb with blush, and he took a moment to look away to hide his smile and his cheeks. When he looked back, he pulled himself into a more serious face, attempting to give off the mature, manly vibe he had hoped to have. “So what's the problem? I don't understand.”

“You see, I love you so very much, but not in the same way, I'm afraid. Spikey, you are one of my very best friends, darling, and I don't want you to forget that. But right now, I want to take somepony else to the gala.”

The sound of the door opening marked the end of the conversation. Twilight arrived, followed by Rainbow Dash. In comparison to Rarity's mass of packing, Dash was carrying hardly anything at all. The luggage cases were sloppily closed over overstuffed packing, in a clear attempt to fit as much into one bag as possible.

Having no capacity to respond, Spike stood frozen in his spot, staring at nothing in particular.

“Okay, Rarity, is everything ready?” Twilight asked. Rarity looked towards her friends enthusiastically.

“Oh yes, absolutely.” Noticing the lack of luggage on her stronger friend, Rarity smiled. “Dash, could you be a darling and help me carry some of these bags? I'm not strong enough to carry them all.”

“Seriously?!” Dash yelped, setting her bag down. “Why did you even pack more than you can carry?!”

“Now really, Rainbow Dash, I'm going to be designing dresses while I am there. Did you expect me to pack light?”

Rainbow groaned, “no way, I'm not carrying all those bags.”

Seeing the oncoming conflict, Twilight briskly rolled her eyes and used her magic to heave some of Rarity's massive bags into the air. While the two ponies bickered without noticing the bags were already covered, Twilight looked to spike. “Spike, are you coming with to see Rarity and Rainbow off?”

“U-um...” Spike said, still half-way within a trance. “N-no, I think I'm gonna stay here. Some of the books upstairs... need reorganizing...”

Lost in the chaotic atmosphere, Twilight was eager to leave, and in doing so disregarded the strange behavior of her assistant. She broke up the useless banter between the bickering friends among her and urged them to go. Rarity, now noticing that Twilight had some of her things, refreshingly thanked her and grabbed her two lightest bags. The three ponies, one after the other, evacuated the building, leaving Spike in his silence.

A worried glance back from Rarity before the door closed sealed the deal. His chance with Rarity was really gone. For real. This wasn't a lie.

He sat down against the ground again, moving slowly, almost as if moving fast would rattle him more than he needed. Now upon the hardwood itself, he glanced at his open palm. The sight of his hand inches from his face brought upon the memory of that day months ago.

The sight of his massive footprint. The distant imprint memory of ripping Rarity from her room and climbing a mountain. The gift of the delicious fire ruby. The kiss.

He was suddenly pushed too far into his realization. As the physical memory of her soft lips against his cheeks crested his flesh, a droplet of salty tears slid from his bottom eyelid. Placing his hand over what once was his most favorite memory, he felt a deep, uninviting moan escape from the base of his throat. Memories flashing before his eyes of all the times he thought he stood a chance with Rarity, he pulled his legs to his chest and sobbed loudly, unafraid of being heard. Nopony would be coming home for him anytime soon.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of the tapping against the wooden library door startled Spike. The shock distracted him from his tears long enough for his heart beat to lower to a slower pace. His jaw was slightly ajar as he stared at the door.

“Hello? Twi, it's me.” There was an unmistakable southern slur in the voice. In response, Spike fumbled to his feet and sputtered the best response he could manage.

“O-oh, uh, coming!” As he rushed towards the door, he rubs his scaly arms under his eyes, scraping away any evidence of tears that was readily available. The door opened with a creak and on the other side of the door stood a very under slept earth pony.

Applejack's usual tied back style was frazzled, her eyes sunken and dark. She smiled earnestly down at Spike.

“'Mornin' Spike. Have ya'll seen Twilight around?”

“Oh, no. Um... Twilight took, you know – they left this morning.”

“Oh, shoot! Y'know where I could find them? I need their help for some stuff around the farm.” She put a hoof up against her face in thought, rubbing the sweat from her brow while it was there. After a moment she looked down to Spike as he was hesitant to respond. “You alright sugarcube?”

“What? Oh, uh, Twilight's going shopping at the square.” He responded, looking at the ground intently. He kicked a rock hesitantly.

The rock bounced off the ground once and hit Applejack in the knee. She looked at it, and then back at Spike. “Right. Okay, thank ya kindly. If ya see her before me, can ya ask her to stop by my farm? Thanks!”

As Applejack left the library, she noticed the door slam relatively hard behind her. Not bothering to turn around and look, she continued her journey to find her various friends. In her mind she reeled through her options. First, Sugarcube Corner. Then, Twilight if she appears to be in the area. After that, Carousel Boutique. Then Rainbow Dash's house until finally last, Fluttershy's cottage.

The journey from the library to the town square was a short one. Ponyville was always lively with scenery and bright with smiles at every turn. Because of this, Applejack found most walks around town refreshing, even if she enjoyed the high she got from hard work at home.

At the moment, however, any high from working that would usually bless her with adrenaline and sweat was replaced with the sweeping tiredness from working all night. Her back hooves were sore and her eyes were tired, but she got a decent sized bite out of the farm work. Enough so for her to feel comfortable enough to enlist her friends.

Upon her arrival of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie had opened the door before Applejack could even knock.

“Hi there AJ! I knew somepony was at the door! What are you here for?” She chirped excitedly. Her legs appeared to hover above the ground as she hopped up.

“Aw, nothin' much. I just wanted to ask a favor of ya, if ya'd let me.” Restraining from making a shocked face from the erratic behavior of her pink friend, Applejack simply smiled and laughed at the welcoming antics.

“Sure! What do you need? A party? How about a cupcake? I have cupcakes! But you'll have to pay me a bit for one. Sorry, if I don't make you pay I might get fired and that would be really, really bad because I'm pretty sure working in a bakery is the only thing that I could do that I would be really good at, you know what I mean?”

“Uh, no thanks. I don't need a cupcake or a party. I was just wonderin' if ya would be willing to come by the farm sometime and give me a hoof with some of the work.” Applejack made a nervous chuckle and shook her tired head to bring her senses back into check. “Big Mac has gone and hurt himself again and I need to get ready for the farmer's market that's comin' up.”

“Sure! Okie dokie lokie! Have you asked Twilight yet?”

“I don't know where she is, sugarcube. Do you have any good ideas?”

“Easy! She's right behind you!”

Applejack readily turned around and much to her delight, Pinkie was right. She was trotting by on the other side of the square, a bag strapped onto her back.

“Thank ya kindly, Pinkie. Could ya stop by tomorrow mornin'?”

“Posalutely, absotively AJ!”

Choosing not to think too hard about the conversation she just had, Applejack hurried over to where her lavender friend was before she was out of sight. It was an easy feat to manage when Applejack's eyesight was so strained.

“Twi!” She called, now choosing to slow her pace and call for Twilight's attention instead. It appeared to work, because as she was called, Twilight was startled and stopped in her place. She looked every which way before noticing Applejack standing where she was.

Twilight happily approached her caller, a warm smile on her face. “Hello, Applejack. What brings you here?”

“Well actually, Twi, I came to ask ya if ya'll would help me with some of my work. Big Mac has gone and hurt himself again, and I could really use the help. Have ya seen Rarity around? She's next on my list.”

“Actually, Rarity and Rainbow Dash have gone on a little vacation to Canterlot.” Twilight said with a slight chuckle. “I guess they needed a change of scenery.”

“Well shoot, I guess I won't ask them for help.” Applejack sighed in disappointment. “I suppose I'm gonna hafta ask some of Big Mac's friends to help. They offered but I turned them down because I had you guys.”

“I'm very sorry, Applejack. I didn't know.”

“Aw, don't worry Twi. I don't mind askin' them either. So you'll help?”

“Of course. When do you need me?”

“Tomorrow mornin' would be great, if ya don't mind.”

“Okay. Well, I'll see you then!”

“See ya, Twi!”

As the two ponies separated ways, Applejack began to head towards Fluttershy's cottage.

It was no secret that Fluttershy's cottage was the farthest out of the way, but the travel seemed especially hard today. It wasn't long before Applejack was forced to walk around large tree that seems to have fallen on the path.

Fluttershy just so happened to be outside near the path that Applejack was taking. The earth pony called and waved her friend over, where Fluttershy quickly responded with a startled squee!

As she noticed who called her, she opened up her shell a little and smiled. “Oh, hello Applejack...”

“Hi there Fluttershy. I was wonderin' if ya could offer me some help with farm work tomorrow mornin'.”

“Absolutely. I saw Big Mac a few days ago. He had a nasty limp... is that why you need help?”

The concern in Fluttershy's voice was clear.

“Actually, yeah. But he'll be okay. We are forcing him to get some bedrest.”

“Okay, that is good. He needs it.”

After a conversation littered with small talk, Applejack decided to ascend back to her farm for some well deserved rest. Making her way around the downed tree, she cast a concerned look at it and decided to try and push it off the path. Somepony could get hurt with a fallen tree around.

Chapter 6: Music

The sun rose it's usual time. The morning ritual came through one more time. Fluttershy ignored Angel Bunny's temper and swept over to her boudoir. There she brushed through her mane carefully before clipping a cute blue flower accessory into it. After she felt satisfied, she walked casually over to her door.

It had become something she expected and, admittedly, something she looked forward to. The small gift box was wrapped in yellow today. The wrapping paper was decorative and cute, and the little white polka-dots that covered the sheen was inviting. As she picked it up, she returned back to her bed to sit on its comfortable warmth and pulled the paper off of the box gently.

Instead of a nicknack or a cute hair accessory, inside was a folding piece of paper. Fluttershy was not disappointed as much as she was purely surprised.

“I wonder what this is.” She muttered aloud, bumping the box with her hoof. Angel glared up at her impatiently, flopping his ears against the sides of his head, only to lift them high again. His desperate attempt to grasp at Fluttershy's attention was in vain as her eyes were plastered to the neatly folded paper. An odd aroma drifted from the box. Not exactly unpleasant but bitter. It was strong enough to singe at her nostrils but familiar enough for her not to notice.

The paper unfolded almost on it's own.

Fluttershy,

I'm more of a stallion of few words, so I'll try to make this brief...

Angel's impatience has hit its peak. The small fuzzy creature sprung forward, his long feet thrusting him from his stationary stance on the ground. His ears whipped behind him in his speed, and he took hold of the paper from Fluttershy. Taking of towards the door, he slammed his foot down multiple times, pointing towards the ground.

“Angel!” Fluttershy scolded. She firmly approached her little pet. However, she was defeated when Angel pointed accusingly at the wall clock. She was, in fact, late for her date with Applejack and the others. She weighed her consequences, glancing back and forth between Angel and the clock.

Forgetting briefly about the mysterious note, Fluttershy scattered out the door.

Yes, a manticore. Twilight remembered that thing.

Erinyes? Those sound terrifying.

Oh my, how long do they live?

That also sounds terrifying.

BONK!

When the apple smashed into the top of Twilight's head, she was left dazed until two more followed shortly afterwards.

BONK, BONK!

Her Rare Creatures of Equestria book flopped on the ground as her levitation gave way. The shock of impact brought Twilight down to her knees, and left her eyes spinning in a haze. She rattled her head in an attempt to set her eyesight straight and then looked around her.

She was walking by the apple trees at Sweet Apple Acres. She looked back down at her open book as it lay spread upon the soil. Pouting, she used her magic to pick it up and set it back down properly.

She refused to learn her lesson about reading while walking to places.

“I'm sorry! Hey, you alright?” A voice called out to Twilight as she gathered her awareness.

“What? Oh, yes, I'm absolutely fine.” She responded promptly. A hoof was held out to her, and she took hold of it without looking at the face behind it. As she was pulled to a stance, she lifted her book into the air and slipped it into her saddle-bag. She's was already at the farm. No more time to read.

“Oh good. I can buck the tree pretty hard sometimes.”

As Twilight looked, she recognized the face of the stallion in which she was conversing. He had familiar light brown eyes. His blue mane and fur were slightly variant in shade and his cutie mark was graced with backwards musical notes. Eighth notes to be exact.

The blue earth pony gathered the three apples that had interrupted Twilight's peaceful reading and flung them over into a barrel. Afterwords, he smiled and looked over to the victim of his applebucking. “Twilight Sparkle, was it?”

“Yes, that's correct. And your name is Noteworthy, right?”

“Yes, ma'am. That's me.” He answered, not making eye contact but instead examine the branches of the tree, counting the apples that remain.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

With a thrust of magic, Twilight shot a levitation spell from the base of her horn. The apples remaining on the tree and the apples on the tree next to it plucked from the branches and leaves. Motioning her magic with the movement of her head, she led the apples up into the air, and then downwards. They drifted delicately, floating down in unison. They rested in two separate barrels without bruising, and Twilight let go of her grip on them.

Noteworthy was clearly impressed. He laughed proudly as she started eyeing the other trees.

“No wonder Applejack didn't think she needed us!” He made his way to another tree. Luckily, Applejack did the liberty of arranging barrels around the farm so he didn't have to grab any himself. He looked carefully at the trunk and readied to kick. “But I don't think anything can beat nice – hard – BUCK!” Kicking back during each pause, he thrust his back legs as hard as he could against the bark covered trunk on the last word.

“Not so fast!” Twilight joked, sending another wave of magic. As his hooves smashed against the bark, not only did his bragging ways cause him to tense up last minute causing his hooves to scrape against the bark and slip, but Twilight's magic swept through and caught any apples that managed to fall.

He grinned sheepishly, raising his eyebrows modestly. Twilight chuckled and dropped all of the apples into a barrel besides one, which she plopped on Noteworthy's head hard enough to thud yet delicate enough not to bruise the apple. Pulling a foreleg up in front of her mouth, she hid her laugh in vain.

“I'm going to go find Applejack now. Nice talking to you, Noteworthy.” Twilight said, still finishing her laughter before finishing her sentence.

Picking the apple off the ground, the blue earth pony looked at his company leave. He pouted pridefully, plopping the apple on top of a stack of apples in the nearest barrel.

“Thas right, Caramel, just like that. Now, don't go forgettin' anythin', ya hear?” Applejack snipped at the light brown earth pony known as Caramel as he traced the trunks of the apple trees around him carefully.

“Applejack! I'm sorry that I'm late!” The sound of Fluttershy's voice called softly, hard to hear through the beating of her wings as she appeared over the treetops.

“Oh there ya are! Nah, don't worry 'bout it too much. It ain't nothin' big.”

The timing seemed to fall together perfectly. As Fluttershy hovered down onto the ground, Applejack managed to catch sight of Twilight galloping steadily towards her. The three ponies met in the middle, resulting in both Applejack and Twilight meeting where Fluttershy landed.

After some small talk, a light bouncing sound arose from behind the trees. As the heads turned towards the sound, the distinct mane style and color of Pinkie Pie started to hop in and out of view. The three sets of eyes watched carefully as Pinkie frolicked carelessly into the scene.

“Okie Dokie Lokie Applejack! I'm here for some working-ness!”

“Well, it looks like that's everypony. Do ya'll need introducin'?” Applejack asked after a brief laugh from Pinkie's entrance. She motioned towards Caramel as he bucked unaware of their attention.

All of them shook their head and smiled, pleased to be there to help their dear friend.

“Alright, everypony. Let's meet back here in two hours!”

It was difficult to explain to an earth pony or a pegasus how magic could feel tiring. It was subtle; like a constant buzzing in your ear that kept you wondering when the sound was going to eventually get overbearing. It was tingly, and felt a little warm. However, it felt multiplied by double digits when used in mass. The weight of 30 apples is much more than somepony would expect, and the heaving mass felt like too much to handle at times. In one fluid motion, Twilight lifted a few trees worth of red and green apples. They drifted as if they were weightless.

As she split them up accordingly and slipped them all into barrels, she sat back, letting a few drips of sweat drip from her nose.

“You alright there, Miss Show-off?”

As Twilight's head followed the source of the sound, her eyes laid on Noteworthy again. A sly smile slid across her lips and she nodded to him.

“I'm fine. Are you sure you're okay? Had any unfortunate slips?”

“Not enough to matter.”

The last comment had a slur of sarcasm in it, but still sounded silly enough to laugh at. Noteworthy joined her in her laughter and took a seat next to her.

The sun had drifted farther in the sky, signaling that Twilight had been working for an hour straight. A rest wasn't out of the question.

As she glanced over to the earth pony next to her, she noticed he was tapping his hoof ever so slightly. She watched carefully. Tap, tap, tap-a-tap, tap. It was clearly a rhythm in his head. He repeated the pattern again, looping it seamlessly and flawlessly.

As he tapped, his head swayed back and forth slightly and his eyes were in a daze. He was clearly singing along in his mind.

As Twilight watched, she was captivated by the sheer simplicity of the pattern, but the mesmerizing beauty of the look in his eyes. As she looked at him carefully, she noticed the shagged fur, coated with sweat. His mane looked messy and his hooves chapped. Considering he was here before Twilight arrived, how much longer than her had he worked?

Tap, tap, tap-a-tap, tap.

The pattern looped once more. How many times has it been? It was melodic in its own way, even though it lacked the melody line itself. She looked away, leaning back into a more comfortable position. She swayed her head with the beat, taking in the rhythm. Subtly, she began to hum the first song that matched that she could think of.

She couldn't see it, but she could feel his eyes burn into her once she hummed along. She dared not look, lest she embarrass herself. She enjoyed music and all it brought to her. If she knew Noteworthy better, she'd probably sing. She wasn't ashamed of singing.

They continued their unplanned muse. Noteworthy began to hum with her, laughing lightly every now and then, as if he didn't know why he was feeding into it. As about 5 minutes passed, the song seemed to reach its end. Twilight almost found herself tempted to start humming again, as if she were sad it had ended.

After their song ended, there was silence. Neither party was brave enough to look at each other after the event drew to a close. Slowly, however, the silence ebbed into Noteworthy's humble laugh. The warm sound felt unexpected, drawing Twilight's attention.

“What?” She yelped, feeling her face become hot with blush.

“Nothing!” Noteworthy answered, laughing steadily. He looked in Twilight's direction and nudged at her. “It was just a fun way to pass time. But we probably should get back to work.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight agreed, smiling before taking a stand. “We've almost cleared this whole side of the farm though. We'll be done soon.”

“Hey, Twilight Sparkle?” Noteworthy asked. Twilight looked at him wordlessly, still a little embarrassed. As she didn't vocally respond, Noteworthy looked nervous. “Th-that is your name right?”

Twilight let out a small laugh. “Yeah, but you can just call me Twilight. What did you need?”

“Well, I didn't need anything. But I was thinking, maybe we can keep each other company as we finish. It would make it go by a lot faster.”

With a small smile, Twilight nodded.

“Good job, everypony!” Applejack yelled over her friends. They all looked back with beaming grins. “We finished with enough time 'til the market to do a more in depth quality check!” She stomped a hoof down triumphantly. The friends talked amongst themselves and took a seat to rest, leaving Applejack to walk back to her home in order to gather some celebratory apple juice.

“Um...” Fluttershy approached her friend slowly, her head low. “Applejack?”

Applejack looked back at the yellow pegasus and paused in her steps. “Yeah, sugarcube?”

“Um, if you don't mind... I was wondering if I could come in with you and check on Big Mac's wounds. Oh, uh, if that's okay with you.”

“'Course! If you hadn't come last time he gone and hurt himself, we wouldn't have learned how to get him better faster.”

“Oh wonderful. Because, you know, I saw him limping before and I thought I could give him a few hints on how to recover.”

“Thas right, I've been meanin' to ask.” Applejack said, almost as if she were disconnected to Fluttershy's last statement. “That there flower in your mane. Where did ya get it?”

“Oh this?”

Putting a hoof up to the flower in her pink mane, she had almost forgot she was wearing it. “It was a gift. I didn't see who gave it to me... but it was on my doorstep. There's been this pony, somepony I haven't seen. They've been leaving gifts at my door every morning.”

“Oh?” Applejack said, suddenly growing a sleek smirk. “I see. Well then, ya'll better get in there and talk to Big Mac. I think that you should mention that to him while you're at it. He's real interested in stuff like that.”

“He is? I don't think he's the kind of pony – ”

“Just trust me. I think ya will be awfully surprised about what he says when you do.”

With that, the two ponies entered Applejack's home, taking different turns at the front door.

Chapter 7: Friends

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, isn't it just lovely at Canterlot?”

The poor bag boy that Rarity drug along plopped all her bags on the floor of a humble hotel room. With his knobby knees and his acne ridden face, the boy hardly looked strong enough to carry them in the first place. Rarity, however, hadn't noticed this and simply insisted that she couldn't carry them herself.

The sun sat in the middle of the sky, hardly held back by any cloud coverage. Rainbow Dash found herself tracing the horizon with her wavering eyes, wondering if her choice to come along was the smartest. Rarity, however, appeared to be beaming with pride in her decision.

“Lovely, er, yeah, you could say that.” Dash said, wrinkling her nose at the word 'lovely.' She outstretched her wings, wiggling the feathers that were collecting dust from the ride here. As she flexed them outward, she felt the urge to fly hit her with massive force.

With discipline she decides to unpack her bags first, slipping her Wonderbolts picture on the stand next to her bed. She looked at it carefully, her body quivering slightly in anticipation of the show Rarity promised admission to. As her imagination went wild, she found herself grinning widely without noticing.

Unpacking the rest of her bag went quick, what with her minimalistic needs, and she unwound by shaking her head and messing up her mane. Stretching her wings in and out again in excitement she began trotting towards the door.

“I'm going out for a fly.” Rainbow Dash said with a spark in her tone. Rarity hardly noticed, as she lifted dress material and held it to the light.

“Uh-huh.”

Rarity laid the magenta fabric down, stroking her hoof over the texture, memorizing the hues. She opened the window and allowed the light to affect the shade, tilting her head slightly. With a pout, she sighed and let her muscles relax in disappointment.

With her focus where it was, the pale unicorn failed to notice her roommate’s absence fully. She paced over to another opened suitcase, peeling more untouched fabric from its opening and elevating it. She put it next to the previous magenta fabric, observing the two colors and their harmony together. Once again, the feeling of defeat crept over her. Maybe inspiration couldn't be expected to hit so rapidly.

She proceeded to open up another suitcase, neatly labeled “mannequin,” and revealed her pony mannequin pieced apart and looking depressed. She pulled the several body parts of it out one at a time, and began piecing them together to repair it's disheveled appearance. As the body came together, Rarity sat it down on it's stand in an open area in the middle of the room. She gave the mannequin a frown and laid her fabric upon its back appropriately.

She let out an unappreciative groan. “These colors simply do not go together.”

Her head slumped down and her shoulders went slack. Glancing out of the window, she noticed Rainbow Dash buzzing to and fro. She pouted humbly, leaning against the leg of her bed.

“Just how am I going to make this work? I have...” She shuddered slightly, feeling a sort of hormonal emotional breeze brush through her. “I have simply never had artists' block this severely.”

The distant sound of Rainbow's laughter and the buzz of her feathers slicing through the air left Rarity feeling breathless. She felt her mane tickle the tip of her nose, and hurriedly brushed it off. “Oh, what am I going to do?”

She returned to one of her opened bags, lifting her sketching journal out of it. Flipping through her pages, she felt her lips contort further and further into a frown when she decided to place it on the bed and look away. The ideas were awful. The art was awful. The color palette was awful. She was simply awful.

“No, I came here for a change of scenery.” She whispered quietly. “So that's what I am going to get. I need to get out, and I need to socialize with other ponies. Maybe they can help me.”

The day was still young enough, and the hour was ripe. Although her voice shook with disappointment, her determination drove her to the front door. Taking a scarf, she loosely decorated her neckline and with one last glance at her mane to assure perfection, she left the room for her fresh air.

“Fluttershy?”

Big Mac's tone sounded confused as the pale pegasus entered his quarters.

“Umm, a-are you feeling okay, Big Mac?”

A familiar bitter smell was adrift in the air. The bedroom was neat and humble, fully reflective of the pony who makes his home in it. Big Mac lay uncovered by his sheets, hiding from the heat. There was a tight wrap and splint on both of his legs, and his mane looks frazzled from lack of cleansing.

“Eeyup.”

“U-um...”

There was silence.

Fluttershy fidgeted uncomfortably. Applejack's and her conversation before she came inside left her reeling in possibility. She was no stupid filly, it was almost crystal clear what Applejack meant by what she said, but to believe that Big Mac had anything to do with the anonymous gifts meant that he was parading down to her cottage on his injuries. Her throat knotted at the thought, and that thought worsened as she saw his condition.

“I like the new hair clip.”

Big Mac spoke slow and soft enough for his voice not to startle her regardless how sudden it was and how clearly it broke the silence. Nevertheless, Fluttershy still shuddered in fear as he addressed her appearance.

“Th-thanks.” She said quietly.

As she peered over to him, an overwhelming awkwardness obsessed her mind. She put a hoof up to the new accessory and assured it was in her hair tight. Her eyes, however, stayed near Big Mac's general area, keeping an eye on him without the direct contact.

The silence dragged on, eventually becoming deafening. What kept Fluttershy in the room was her innate curiousity but her shyness to mention anything. She opened her mouth to speak but backed out too many times to count, and the situation began to become far too heavy. As she backed away and prepared to say goodbye, Big Mac interrupted her.

“I may not be the sharpest of nails, Fluttershy, but I reckon you're tryin' to ask me something.”

“O-oh, it's really nothing, I...”

Fluttershy withdrew from the accusation, turning her head in such a way that her mane covered her face.

Big Mac smiled patiently. “I'm fine waiting if you want to stay and gather the courage.”

“N-no, it's fine, really...”

“So be it. Goodnight, Fluttershy.”

As he chimed her queue for her exit, Fluttershy felt a ping of guilt. As she turned away, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and called upon what there was of her courage.

With a sudden rush of air, Fluttershy turned back to face Big Mac, exhaling her words one after the other.

“I-I wanted to know if you were the stallion leaving the gifts at my door!”

After she breathed a few more times and stepped backwards in embarrassment, Fluttershy refused to make eye contact. Her face burned with a passionate blush that drove her face to a deep red.

Big Mac patiently waited for her to feel brave enough to look at him again.

A few more moments of silence passed, and Fluttershy glanced at the injured stallion between strands of hair. He laughed softly, his deep voice bellowing affectionately.

“Fluttershy, Applejack told me about the extra tickets. I was just wonderin', if you ain't considerin' a better guy if you'd like taking me.”

“A-as friends?” Fluttershy stuttered uncontrollably as her blood rushed back into her face. She felt her muscles tremble in embarrassment and shock, as her wings clung nervously to her back.

“If that's what makes you comfortable, then we can go as friends.”

Fluttershy's dire silence clearly swelled up discomfort in Big Mac. He once again remained patient, awaiting her response.

“Uh...” She said at almost a whisper. “I suppose as friends would be fine, yes. B-but, d-do you, u-um, y-you know... is this...”

Big Mac shook his head. “I reckon it's high time you get some rest, Fluttershy. Feel free to come back and talk to me about this some other time.”

Chapter 8: Caramel Apple

The sound of the air hissing under Rainbow Dash’s feathers was luscious and anticipated by her ears. Her focus zoned in, dodging clouds in a stylized way. Her wings snapped vertically, halting her speed rapidly and allowing her to make a ninety degree turn towards the sun.

Her eyes dryly reddened by the whipping winds, as the sun drew nearer and nearer. She twisted her wings again, allowing her body to horizontally even out, and she zeroed in a singular cloud. The moist and fibrous looking cloud stared Rainbow Dash down as she approached at rapid speeds.

The moisture swallowed Dash and began to trail behind her at a distance, caught up in the aftermath of her speed. With a quick glance behind her, Rainbow smirked in anticipation. Intricately turning her wings, she looped up and over, now dropping rapidly towards the earth below. Her peripheral vision warped and blurred as her speed grew exponentially until, finally, in an adrenaline filled moment of sureness, Rainbow ripped her wings and feathers open wide, catching the air in their feathery grasp.

Crack!

The sound of the wind hitting her extremities numbed her mind, leaving her ears ringing loudly. As the water of the cloud splashed onto her, he body began to shake with wind chill and her wet fur froze her nerves. Tears streaming from her red eyes, Dash’s wing bent backwards, the force of the air too much for her to bear. The numbness of her cold joints couldn’t mask the pain, and her yelp echoed the streets below her as the wealthy unicorns all looked up into the sky.

She had no time to properly internalize the faces below, but they came closer rapidly. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.

1, 2, 3…

Nothing?

When her eyes opened, Dash saw a flexing and distorted array of color. Her eyes readjusted and watered as her mind attempted to understand what happened. It took a moment for Dash to think of looking down, because she didn’t feel the ground beneath her. As her sore eyes glanced downwards, the face of a terrified unicorn stallion peered up to her, as if pleading that his magic would keep and the pegasus above would stay suspended.

Stunned, Dash simply kicked mindlessly, still somehow expecting earth beneath her. The unicorn stepped back, his mouth slightly wedged ajar. Then, slowly, the magic descended and carried Dash along with it, taking her safely to the ground. As her hooves firmly touched the ground, she looked directly to the stallion that had caught her.

His face seemed so strikingly familiar that she was a little taken aback, and her mind reeled to remember.

However, her memory stunted as the pain from her sore wing finally ebbed back into her consciousness. She yelped but did not wince, determined to be tough enough to handle it. Unfortunately, her wing was stuck outright, too injured for Dash to pull it in towards the body heat of the rest of her body, and the combination of the cold and the pain left the wing tingly and searing.

“Oh, dear. Is that you Rainbow Dash? Are you… alright?” The stallion asked, approaching slowly. Although Dash’s eyes were tearing up, she refused to let this stranger see, so she looked back at her wing and made herself stand up straight as if nothing was wrong.

“Just a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.” Dash took a step back, avoiding the colt.

“Rubbish, this won’t do. We need to get you some care.”

Laughing, Dash shook her head. “No, I’ve gotten into worse accidents than this.” Her achy bones resilient, Dash used her strength to tug in her injured wing. The bones cried as the limb tucked against Dash’s side. She refused to allow this injury to ruin her vacation, and played it off as such.

The unicorn tilted his head in order to get a better view of the wing, but then smiled, almost smugly. “So be it. Are you here with that charmingly rustic group of friends you were last here with?”

“Charmingly… Wait a sec, you’re Fancypants!” Finally remembering, Dash met eyes with him. “I knew you looked familiar.”

“Why, yes. And you are Rainbow Dash, Equestria’s Best Young Flier, and, of course, entertainment for the recent royal wedding and envy of the Wonderbolts.”

“Yes, yes, it’s all tr – wait, what was that last part?”

The colt made a charming laugh. “You saved their lives, dear. You think they haven’t noticed you?”

The pain suddenly felt minimal as a welling sense of excitement washed over Rainbow Dash. Too excited for words, she simply shimmied slightly in her place. Fancypants picked up on her excitement and chuckled.

“Are you and your friends here to see the big Wonderbolts show?”

Still anxious and pleased, Rainbow Dash could hardly spit up a response. However, after a moment, she grinned and nodded. “Yeah, duh! Well, it’s just Rarity and me.”

“Rarity?” Fancypants said, with a small smirk that, although usually a malicious smile, on him seemed natural and benign. “Well, well, well! That’s good news indeed. Do you know where I may find her?”

“Uhh, she was in the hotel room last I checked, but that was almost an hour ago. But…”

“But?” Fancypants answered, awaiting the final comment.

“I don’t know how much fun she’ll be. She’s a little… stressed right now.”

Nighttime loomed over Ponyville. While Fluttershy sat awake in her cottage, staring down at another intricate hair piece she received at her doorstep, Twilight treated a guest at her library; none other than Noteworthy asking to check out a music book. The Apple family had already begun to get ready for bed, but there was still one figure moving in the shadows of the trees.

The shadow was Caramel, working overtime even after Applejack had told him it was okay to go home.

“I don’t know, I just,” he mumbled allowed to himself, his tone annoyed and bothered, “ugh, it isn’t funny.”

The sound of his hooves hitting the trees was dull, partly due to his strength already being drained from the long day’s work, but mostly because that simply wasn’t where his head was. He was previously helping Applejack do her daily chores because he had nothing better to do. The Apple family had been kind to him, although he was clumsy and sometimes awkward. They gave him a job and meals when he couldn’t take care of himself.

But while helping Applejack, his girlfriend so gratefully came to him to complain that he had been spending too much time at the farm, and not enough time with her. The fight escalated and he eventually heard her make a comment about leaving him. Naturally, his clumsy antics gave him no tactful ways to respond and he spat insults at her instead, chasing her away and inescapably breaking the two of them up.

Applejack was kind enough to tell him to go home, but to him, home would mean that it was time to clean up all the pictures of them together, all the knick-knacks he valued so highly. He’d much rather stay here and work, ineffectively taking his mind off of the break up.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of his hooves hitting the bark of the tree was just loud enough to echo through the trees towards the Apple family home. He slowly realized the volume of his blows against the silent backdrop of the wind gracing through the leaves and he stopped momentarily to listen for any other sounds that his hooves may have attracted.

There was silence.

Now surrounded in the silence, he sat down and allowed for sweat and, perhaps quite likely even tears, slid off of the curve of his jawbone. A few moments passed before he decided to stand again, but he was startled back to his feet when the sound of a voice calling for him echoed through the apples groves. The southern sling in the mare’s voice was unmistakable.

“Caramel, Caramel, ya’ll still out there?”

He was stubborn to respond. “Y-yeah.”

There was no response, but he had assumed she was working her way over to him. He stood, preparing to just look natural, and began bucking onto another, nearly barren tree. The tree shook and an apple fell, falling into a nearly full barrel. The thunk of the apple hitting the others in the barrel probably helped draw Applejack to Caramel’s location, but for some reason he did not find himself caring.

“There ya are, Sugarcube.” Applejack said as she approached. She yawned and brushed her disheveled mane out of her eyes, and it brought a slight shadow of guilt down on Caramel for keeping her awake. “Now, what are ya doing here still? I thought I told ya to go home after that incident with Sassaflash.”

“Nah.” Caramel shook his head. “I’d rather stay here and help out.”

Caramel expected Applejack to protest, to tell him he needed rest and that he was being stupid, but instead she smiled and it caught him off guard.

“Caramel, if you need time to vent, why didn’t you ask instead of killing my trees?”

She motioned a hoof to a tree that he had previously been kicking. The bark had fallen off and the bare yellow underbelly of the tree was visible. Caramel sheepishly looked away, embarrassed by the state of the tree.

Caramel refused to respond.

Applejack yawned once more, shaking her head. “Come inside, Sugarcube. You can stay over tonight if you don’t want to go home that much.”

The offer retrieved Caramel’s attention, and his ears perked up in interest. “Wait, really? You’d let me do that?”

“You’ve been a lot of help, despite your, er, mess-ups.” Applejack responded softly. “It’s the least I can do for tonight. It’s better than ya overworking yourself out here.”

For some reason, Caramel couldn’t help but smile at the offer. He stood and felt lighter from the weight of his depression and shook his head. “Thanks, but I can’t do that to you. I think I’ll go home now. I have,” he paused to breath, “I have a house to clean.”

Applejack watched as Caramel took a stand. He looked over to her and their eyes locked for a moment, but Applejack quickly looked away. “Okay, Sugarcube. Just be careful out. It is dark out and I know you have a tendency to, uh, trip.”

After the conversation came to a close, Caramel waved and made his leave.

Applejack went back to tuck herself into her bed. After closing the front door, she got a teasing jeer from Applebloom. Applejack laughed heartily and smirked. “Aw, jus’ leave me alone about it.”

She opened her bedroom door and turned on the light. A drawer was opened on her nightstand, and the golden tickets shimmered as the light danced across them. Applejack smiled and felt a blush on her cheeks.

Recalling the conversation with Twilight, she felt a little happy to hear that she had been given an extra ticket. Her fondness for her farmhand was long-lived, and developed at least a year ago but she withheld them on the account of his girlfriend. Although it may be cruel for her to feel the way she did, she was a little satisfied that they broke up, and the cruel aspects balance out with her guilt and feelings of regret that he was so upset about it. However, she was aware that the odds of him going with her to the gala was slim, but she still had a week or two, perhaps she could convince him to go as a friend.

Applejack turned off the light in her room. Shutting the door and the drawers, she pulled the sheets over her and said goodnight to herself.

Chapter 9: Happy Birthday

Today was the day.

Pokey had been waiting for his little sister’s birthday for months, hoping to bring a smile to her face. The kitchen, the living room, even her bedroom had been secretly prepared for this day, and all of her schoolyard friends have been invited with the help of Pinkie, who knew all of their parents.

Knock, knock.

The knock at the door was loud and sudden, causing Pokey to jump with a start. His horn hit one of the various balloons he had attempted to put up and popped it. He frowned and let the corpse of a balloon lie limp as he turned to open the door.

He was overwhelmingly relieved to see Pinkie smiling on the other side. She grinned and hugged him, carefully avoiding his horn on the way in.

“Are you excited, Pokey-wokey?!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing off her hooves as if they were inflatable. “Today’s the day and I bet little Tootsie is going to be so happy too!”

With a shy smile, Pokey avoided Pinkie’s eyes, unsure of how to display his excitement. Whenever Pinkie was around, his emotions became even more jumbled than usual, but there was an overlying happiness that he couldn’t explain. So instead of voicing his opinion, he just continued to smile and welcomed her into the house.

“Ohhh, I see you tried hanging balloons again.” Pinkie observed, although still sounding as enthusiastic as usual. “Good job! Looks like you got one to stay together!” She motioned her hoof to one balloon amongst the dead, floating proudly over the others.

“Heh… Heh, yeah. I’m not good at decorating.”

“No problem, I never leave home without my–”

“Party cannon?" Pokey guessed, smiling but still averting his eyes. He had heard Pinkie say it before, and he remembered almost everything weird that she’d ever said.

“Yeah!”

However, he was still stunned when he lifted his eyes back to her and she was wielding said cannon proudly. “Wh-where…” He started, but before he could finish there was a loud POP and the room filled with colorful confetti and balloons.

He held a hoof over his horn and closed his eyes, hoping to salvage any balloons that would unfortunately land near him. Luckily, he didn’t pop any and when he opened his eyes again, he was pleased with the results. He also noticed that somehow the cannon had vanished.

“You should be set ‘til Tootsie gets out of school now!”

“I-I see that.”

“Hey, hey, do you wanna follow me somewhere for a bit?”

The invitation was really out of nowhere, leaving Pokey flustered. After looking the room over one last time, he nodded slowly. After a toothy grin, Pinkie hopped out the door, looking back at Pokey and urging him to follow. He followed suit, anxious to see what she meant.

“No cheating! You have to blindly follow me!”

Normally, he’d be intimidated by a statement as open as that, but he didn’t know what Pinkie meant since she wasn’t guiding him, simply expecting him to walk behind her. He had to keep his eyes open in order to follow, so he ignored her statement and laughed quietly rather than dwelling on it.

Pinkie was enthusiastically pacing three or four paces ahead of him, a slight bounce in her step that intrigued Pokey. His brow bent curiously and he looked closer at her hooves. He was undeniably curious of the art of her gait. He examined closely, watching her hooves hit the ground and snap up happily, imitating the hopping motion of a deer, or maybe a rabbit. He honestly couldn’t tell. Some of Pinkie’s carefree mannerisms would often leave him without a way to comprehend anything. Sometimes, she was all he could think about.

Sometimes, he found himself wondering if she thought about him too.

He felt his cheeks get hot and he snapped into reality, looking up to see Pinkie standing eagerly in one spot, staring at him. He took a step back in surprise, noticing where they were.

“Ta-da!! I already scheduled an appointment!”

The soapy scent should have been enough for him to realize where Pinkie was leading him, but for a moment his thoughts took over and his senses were all blocked. But never in a million years would he have thought Pinkie was leading him here.

“The… spa?”

“Yep!” Pinkie responded with such enthusiastic vigor that Pokie was left even more confused. However, she remained oblivious to his feelings and continued grinning.

“O-oh, thank you, Pinkie, I, uh…” He paused, mulling his thoughts over in his mind. “I appreciate it?”

“It’s for your horn, silly.”

A wall of embarrassment slammed into Pokey, causing his knees to buckle ever so slightly and tremble. “M-my horn…?”

“I know you’re embarrassed, and afraid you’ll hurt somepony,” Pinkie responded with an unexpected calmness, “I want this day to be fun for you so you can smile more. It just so happens that this spa is having a special on horn-filing and will shape your horn for free with a full purchase of a mud bath! Which in hindsight doesn’t make much sense. I mean, what if you’re not a unicorn? What would they offer then?”

Pokie was lost for words, embarrassed and flattered at the same time. He took a step back as Pinkie came closer and smiled again.

“Just give it a try?”

He took a hesitant breath, looking at the spa building, then around him for anypony who might see him enter. He bit his lip, and then looked at Pinkie’s eager face.

Suddenly, the weight of his embarrassment went away.

However, as he tried to speak, he choked on nothing and fumbled on his words, eventually averting his eyes. Reluctantly, he looked back at Pinkie and settled with a nod.

Overjoyed, Pinkie’s eyes lit up and she wrapped a foreleg around the nape of Pokey’s neck and tugged him towards her before embracing him in a tight hug. Instinctively, his magic gripped Pinkie and pushed her away slightly, alarmed by the sudden closeness. However, Pinkie made no reaction and skipped ahead towards the building.

He hesitated to step forward still, poking ever so slightly at the ground with his hoof. After a moment of thought, he glanced side-by-side, wary of any possibly onlookers.

“Come on!”

Pinkie’s voice called out to him from in front of him, drawing his attention.

She was standing at the entrance, the door slightly ajar, smiling back at him widely. She looked so charmingly happy that he felt prompted to approach and follow her. He nodded in response, finally pushing himself to enter the dreaded and feminine salon.

The first thing that he noticed was the strong and pleasant scent of the many creams and lotions (or whatever it was they used) in the air. He wrinkled his nose and glanced once more over to Pinkie. She was oblivious to his attention.

The mare at the desk seemed delighted to see Pinkie. As they set off conversation with each other, Pokey’s eyes wandered around the scenery. His eyes slowly scanned around, taking in all the information at once. He murmured his disbelief to himself quietly; he never imagined he’d be in a salon. The flowery smell of perfumes and lotions mixed with the pastel décor and paintings on the wall gave him a slightly uncomfortable vibe. Shifting in his spot, he watched as Pinkie flawlessly conversed with the prim looking pony behind the desk. Despite the strange situation, he found himself smiling ever so slightly watching his friend socialize with such ease. If only it could be so simple for him.

Suddenly, Pinkie grabbed him by the hoof and pulled him closer.

“Pokey, are you ready?” She said with a grin. “This will be super fun, I promise!”

“Right, yeah, sure.” Pokey responded, his smile quickly vanishing again.

With a small laugh, Pokey was dragged away, barely willingly, into another room with a large tub in the center. The two attendants giggled at the two of them as they entered, looking briefly at each other. He blushed fiercely, unsure of the reason for their amusement.

“Pokey Pierce?” One of the girls called out. “Pinkie Pie? Your bath is ready.”

“Wa-wait, what?!” Pokey exclaimed, his body jolting away from Pinkie. “W-we’re taking the bath together?!”

The outburst startled Pinkie, and the two other ponies in the room almost stumbled into the large mud bath themselves. The pink mare next to him looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What’s the problem? It’s just a mud bath. Besides, I wanted to see what they’d offer if an Earth pony wanted to buy a mud bath for the horn shaping. Turns out they’ll give me a hoofacure, isn’t that great?!”

Still taken aback, Pokey shook with embarrassment. He looked at the tub, the attendants, and then to Pinkie, whose endearing smile left him feeling strangely shaken. After a hesitant breath, he relaxed. “Fine,” he muttered, “I suppose it’s alright.”

As he stepped into the bath, the first thing he noticed was the thickness and warmth of the mud. As his face flushed with pure embarrassment, he looked over at Pinkie, who was shimmying backwards at the edge of the tub. He watched in shock, slowly realizing what she was planning.

“N-no, wait – ”

SPLASH!

The onslaught of splattering mud flung itself at Pokey. In sheer surprise, he thrust himself down into the pool of mud below him. When he rose out of the soil once more, his ears cleared to the sound of Pinkie’s cheerful laughter.

The warm sound of her giggling and the warm touch of the mud left Pokey feeling blissful. The two girls attending the room looked at him and then back at Pinkie before taking their leave of the room, laughing amongst themselves. His face red, he reeled on mentally about what they may have been laughing about.

“You need to stop being so embarrassed, you silly filly!” Pinkie spoke cheerfully, as if reading Pokey’s mind. As expected, he blushed in response. Pinkie once more laughed, distracting him briefly. “This spa is here for problems just like yours!”

She squirmed closer to him in the mud and nuzzled up under his chin. “It’s my pleasure to help a friend smile!”

Pokey’s face grew to the shade of a tomato and his knees grew weak. As if scared of buckling over, he pulled away and sat himself down. Laughing nervously, he watched Pinkie’s endearing grin from the safe distance he had put himself in and smiled back.

Wow, this spa room is really quite warm…

The balloons were still sparkling at Pokey with the same excitement he had wished to see. If her schedule was as it usually was, Tootsie would be home any minute now.

Many young fillies were scattered amongst the room. Their small bodies shimmied into corners, behind furniture, under tables, and their enthusiasm was beginning to rub off on the ever calm Pokey. He tapped his hooves in a sporadic rhythm, keeping his nerves down. Pinkie was shaking with excitement in a very adorable, yet blatantly obvious, hiding spot; behind the birthday cake.

Hearing the front door click open, Pokey squirmed under a table, got a magical grasp on the light switch, and waited…

“Uh… Pokey?” A frail voice called from the darkness.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

As if perfectly rehearsed, everybody in the room leapt into action. Some young classmates went up and swarmed Tootsie, others danced in their spots eagerly awaiting her reaction.

The air was silent. Silent, but also thick.

While her usual face was blank and border lining emotionlessness, her face now almost made Pokey cry. Her violet eyes were welling up and her small lips curled into a faint smile. Her frail body was shivering and her ears were tucked back, hiding from the loud sounds. She chose not to speak, but she was clearly moved from her strictly depressed state.

She pushed a couple fillies aside gently, so as not to upset them. Slowly, her small hooves took her across the room where Pokey had been eagerly waiting. She pressed her body against his in a hug. Lowering his head, he nuzzled up to her. Not a sound was heard for a moment.

“Thank you so much, Pokey…”

Her voice was so quiet, yet it filled the room with so much joy that Pokey could almost clearly hear the tears forming in many eyes. As Tootsie turned to face the rest of the group, she grinned earnestly. “Th-thank you, everyone…”

Pinkie was the first to move, swiftly pacing to the record player. She slammed her hoof down on the machine, moving the needle to the disk, and a fast paced party song began to play. She looked to Pokey and grinned. He resisted the urge to cry further.

As the house emptied, the stars seemed to twinkle down their congratulations. The moon was bright, and he whispered a silent thank you to the ever kind princess of the night who gave him this crisp air. He was so happy that the party was a success and best of all, he didn’t hurt anyone or pop her balloons on accident like usual. He remembered her last birthday party, and how the uninvited nurse came into the room, not realizing how her presence and sad face or even her dark news had scarred a terrified little girl. The death of their parents had taken an earth shattering toll on his beloved little sister.

Tootsie had already fallen asleep. Pokey finished tucking her in and sat out in the moonlight, basking in the subtle nip in the air. The breeze sang him a sweet lullaby, the crickets singing measure after measure of a serenade he couldn’t place.

The sky was creamy and pale, brightened by the glow of the moon. He appeared to blend in with the night as he sat alone in the grass outside of his house. He looked back on his day. It came out so perfectly. There was only one pony he could thank.

“Aww, you don’t need to thank me.”

“Pinkie? How did you -- ?” He quickly turned towards the voice. Pinkie was standing in his doorway, silhouetted by the glow of his living room light.

She giggled at him again. He never tired of the sound.

“You’re easy-peasy to read, silly!” She approached him, leaving the front door ajar. Seating beside him, she looked up to the sky and aligned to where he appeared to have been looking before she distracted him. “Ohh, that moon is really pretty. Luna outdid herself.”

“Yeah, she did.”

“I asked Twilight to write her a letter and ask if she could make the moon extra super duper pretty tonight. It kinda makes me think of an apple.”

“An apple? Why is that?” Pokey asked, before suddenly realizing what he had heard. “Wait, you did what?”

“Yep! An apple! It’s pale and delicious looking, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Pinkie, y-you didn’t have to do that!”

He was tearing up and his voice was shuddering.

“See an apple? Okay, then how about a cookie! A sugar cookie, of course, chocolate chips and oatmeals don’t look quite like the moon.” She continued on, smiling widely. She leaned her head towards him before finishing, “I would definitely have to say it’s a sugar cookie.”

Water dripped onto Pokey’s hoof. He looked up to the sky. Not a single cloud. He glanced back over to Pinkie, and was appalled to see her eyes sparkle and glisten. The water glaze over her eyes reflected the stars, eventually darting back and forth and blinking, as if the stars were dust that had landed onto her bare eyes. Why was Pinkie crying?

Sure Pinkie cried a lot. But when she did, it was almost comical. Forced. As if it was just another part of her comedy routine. But now her tears were soft and heavy, falling one by one down off of her face. Despite the solemnity, she was still smiling. She was always smiling.

“Pinkie, why are you crying?”

“Can I ask you something?”

The change of subjects made him uneasy. “Yeah?”

“Have you ever liked someone?”

The question confused him. Of course he has. He liked the Cakes, all of the guests at his party, he liked all of Ponyville. He liked Pinkie. He answered hesitantly, but surely. “Yes, I have.”

“Not as friends, though. As, like, I-want-to-take-you-to-the-grand-galloping-gala friends?”

Once again she left him flustered. “Y-yeah, I think I have.”

She looked at him sorrowfully. “I don’t want to lose my friends because of a boy.”

The conversation took another complicated turn. He chose not to speak, and instead he puzzled over that last phrase.

“Boys, liking them, loving them, whatever you call it, friends have broken up over it before. Boyfriends can drive wedges into everything. I don’t want my friends to think I like you more than them!”

“H-hold on, what?”

Suddenly, she turned to him. All of a sudden, the sweet lullaby that was musing the air turned solemn and dark. The crickets’ notes fell flat. The breeze sputtered to an end. Even the stars’ beautiful twinkling seemed to be on pause.

“Do you like me, Pokey?”

“H-hold on, P-Pinkie, I’m r-really confused here.”

“You like my friends, right?”

“Y-you mean, like, like-like? O-or like, friend-like? I-I really would l-like for you to, um, clarify. About you I m-mean.”

“Will you go with me to the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“W-wait, what?”

The crickets were gone. The breeze was gone. The stars were gone.

“But if you start driving a wedge between me and my friends, I will take away your ticket.”

Pinkie stood up and quietly walked back to the house. Pokey was still lost for words.

He heard the door creak as it was shutting. His window of opportunity closing, he turned around to face his house.

“I would l-love to go with you.”

The door’s movement stopped, and an eager head came into view in front of the glowing light.

“I would never do that, Pinkie, break up your friendships, I mean. Y-your happiness is so rare and so genuine that,” he paused for a breath, “I want to learn about it. Your friends, they taught you that, didn’t they? Happiness?”

The light silhouetted her face completely. Not knowing the kind of face she was making, he gambled that he was choosing the right words.

“I am excited to spend more time with you and your friends, i-if you’d let me!”

Before he knew it, he was wrapped up in a tight hug. Pinkie’s tears were dry, but he could feel her cheeks pinned up into a grin. The smile took the heavy weight from his chest, and he found himself able to hear the beautiful music again.

Prologue : My Faithful Student...

My faithful student Twilight,

I very much enjoyed your lesson on friendship today. It was so nice hearing that you learned how to be delicate when it is so easy to hurt somepony's feelings. I'm also glad to hear that Fluttershy and you are on better terms from the lesson. It's a very precious lesson to learn with your friends. Funny story, actually, Fluttershy sent me a letter briefly before yours about her lesson in friendship. Apparently, you have taught her that being sensitive is important, but not to a point where you get offended by simple comments.

However, this is not the only reason I have decided to write a response today. You see, in a couple weeks, the Grand Galloping Gala is coming around again. I have inclosed seven tickets for you and your friends, like last time. I've been thinking, though, Twilight, that I feel it would be appropriate this time that you should all invite dates. Due to the recent royal wedding for your brother, I thought it would be only appropriate. For this reason, I have provided a spare six tickets.

Of course, you are not pressured to bring dates if you don't feel it necessary, but the option is always there and it would make the night much more gratifying.

Your teacher, Celestia.

P.S.

It might be worth mentioning to your friend Rarity that Prince Blueblood has asked me to inform her that he is not going to be attending this year's gala and she should really consider another stallion.