The Heat

Chapter 8: Holes in the Plan (Part 1)

“Ugh, can you open up the window, Pinkie? I’m roasting in here!” Rainbow Dash complained as she flopped against the train.

“Okay dokey lokey!” Pinkie reached to grab the window but Twilight spoke out.

“Pinkie! Don’t open it too much! The wind may blow away all my lists!” Twilight protested, clutching her precious parchment close to her.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Well, open the window at least 20% more?” Pinkie paused to do some mental calculations and then started unlocking the window.

“Rarity, ah can’t thank ya enough for springing for the private cart,” Applejack thanked Rarity who sat across from her, fanning herself with a laced lily, delicate fan.

“Oh really, it was nothing. I’ve been dying for a girls’ trip and what better way to start it than to have our very own room on the train! Oh! Pinkie darling, do hurry up with that window. I can feel myself blushing.”

“I’m trying!” Pinkie giggled, jiggling the locking mechanism.

Fluttershy listened in on our friends’ conversation but said nothing. Applejack was right when she said Rarity would be able to arrange everything so quickly. She was even able to secure a private coach for them on the train to try to give them some privacy. Or at least that’s what she claimed. Fluttershy was aware that private coach travelers were allowed more baggage space and judging by the number of bags Rarity had packed, Rarity was definitely making good use of this rule.

All six friends filled up the seats of the private cart. It was by no means large, but it was roomy enough for them to have to stretch their hooves out completely before they would bump into each other. Twilight sat in the middle of one of the 2 large seats, holding her papers closely together. Twilight was having difficulty hanging on to the parchment while being jostled by her friends and was having to resort to using magic to balance the ink and feather pen. Twilight looked like she definitely missed the assistance of Spike, but there was no helping that now.

Fluttershy’s mind drifted to thoughts of Discord. I wonder what he’s doing now. I hope he’s not too sad...or at least I hope he’s not getting into trouble. She watched the landscape whiz by in a blur and a small part of her hoped that somehow maybe Discord would appear by the window. He does have a habit of showing up unexpectedly. She felt her cheeks warm at the thought of him popping into existence and touching her shoulders again.

Fluttershy caught a glimpse of Applejack watching her and remembered her friend’s words. I can’t think about him right now. Her friends’ voices were faint and Fluttershy forced herself to come back to reality with a shake of her silky mane. Twilight’s voice rang out.

“Girls! We can’t keep shouting ideas! We need a plan! So let’s start over so I can write everything down so we can do everything we want in the most efficient and time saving manner possible!” Twilight shouted, her face red from the warmth of six ponies in a tiny cart.

Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. “Plans smlans. We don’t need a plan. We can wing it!” Rainbow called over her shoulder at Pinkie. “How’s it going Pinkie?”

Pinkie was almost sweat drenched and beating the lock with her rubber pink inflatable mallet. “Almost got it!” she sang out happily.

Twilight huffed. “Well I want a plan. It would be even better if we have a back up plan, but I will settle for a plan with some alternatives if we need it.”

Rainbow Dash was about to protest but Applejack gave her a stern look. Rainbow Dash groaned and flopped back into her chair. “Alright, alright.”

Twilight beamed. She cleared her throat and began to read out loud. “At 12:00, we will arrive at the Canterlot station. We will meet Pinkie’s friend who will give us tickets. The event starts at 5pm so this gives us only 5 hours to decide what to do.”

“Only?” Rainbow Dash snickered before Applejack elbowed her in the side.

Rarity, however, took this news much more seriously. “Oh dear. Only 5 hours? We’ll never make it to the royal sightseeing tours!” The rest of the ponies exchanged looks but none of them knew what she was talking about.

Twilight gave her a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry, Rarity. If we make a plan now, we should hopefully have enough time.” Twilight glanced over at Applejack who motioned toward Fluttershy silently. Twilight understood and nodded. “Fluttershy?”

“Do you have anything you want to do when you get there?”

Fluttershy paused and thought about this. What do I want to do? Fluttershy wondered. She wasn’t that familiar with Canterlot as Rarity and Twilight although she had gone several times. This was usually though at the invitation of the Princesses so she didn’t really add anything to the plan in that case.

The sound of her stomach grumbling quickly decided for her. “Um, if it’s alright by you Twilight, I would like to get something to eat, if that’s okay?”

Twilight rubbed her stomach too. “Actually that’s a really good idea. My stomach has been hurting since we got on this train.”

“Mine too!” Pinkie squeaked, smashing her hammer against the stubborn lock, “I need something to fill me up! Otherwise I won’t have enough energy for tonight!” She looked over at Rainbow Dash, “Hey Dashy! I think it’s stuck from the outside!”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Seriously? All your talking about food is making my stomach hurt too.” She stood up. “I’m going to fly outside and fix it myself!”

Rarity fanned herself, “Do be careful, Rainbow Dash. I’d like us all to have at least lunch together without somepony suffering some form of bodily injury before tonight!”

“Are you kidding? This train is way slower than me. I might just decide to fly to Canterlot once I’m out there and meet you slowpokes there!” Rainbow Dash boasted. She trotted over to the door and let herself out, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Twilight returned to the list. “So lunch after tickets. I’m sure Pinkie’s friend will be able to show us a good place for lunch for our group.”

Pinkie bounced at the mention of her friend back on to her seat and gave a gigantic smile. “Of course! Cheese has been everywhere! I’m sure he would know a whole lotta places-!”

“Um, Pinkie, did ya just say Cheese?” Applejack interrupted quickly, a shot of concern striking her already tender stomach, “As in Cheese Sandwich?”

“Um yeahhh!” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically, “How do ya think I got tickets so fast? I don’t know that many ponies!”

Pinkie’s words conjured up images in her friends’ minds of entire village parties and celebrations in other towns all hosted by Pinkie Pie. In Pinkie’s mind Applejack thought bemusedly, that’s not a lot of ponies. I can’t even imagine that many ponies!

“Um, Pinkie,” Twilight ventured, “This is supposed to be a girls only trip.”

Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy. “Of course! I know that!” Realization dawned on her. “Ohhhh. Cheese isn’t a girl!” She scratched her fluffy mane, “Well I didn’t think Cheese was going to be a problem. I mean, he’s like my bestie party pony. He’s like you guys but a guy.”

The girls exchanged glances. They never had a problem with Cheese in the past. He was a nice enough pony. And he hadn’t been interested in other ponies like that as far as they could tell.

Pinkie’s sense tingled and she gave a big smile. “Ohhh noo! No don’t worry about Cheese! Cheese has a marefriend!” The faces turned from worried exchanges to shock. “What? I mean, I think he does. Why is that weird?”

Rarity coughed, “Uh nothing. We just didn’t expect Cheese would have the um..time to have a marefriend?” Rarity attempted.

Pinkie Pie hesitated. “Oh well, he’s always super busy but he’s a really really nice colt. He just doesn’t really have time for me anyway. He’s been talking a lot about planning events with a mare named Jelly Bean. “ Applejack could have sworn that Pinkie’s gigantic smile faltered a little bit at the end of this sentence but it was hard to tell for sure. Pinkie often shook and her smile changed when she was excited. Which was pretty much all the time.

“Well,” Applejack began slowly, “In that case, I reckon that’d be alright if everypony else is okay with it?”

Everypony nodded. Fluttershy was smiling. “That’s really sweet,” she said softly, almost a whisper.

Pinkie Pie blushed, “Yeah, I guess maybe. He’s pretty cool.”

The room was quiet for a moment. Rarity glanced out the window. “Should one of us go check on Rainbow Dash? She should have reached the window by now.”

A knock at the door caught their attention. “Rainbow Dash?” Twilight called out hesitantly. Nobody answered.

Applejack looked over at Fluttershy. Fluttershy was almost perspiring. Without the ventilation, Fluttershy doesn’t look very comfortable Applejack noted. Fact, I’m not feeling too cool mahself Applejack noted, feeling herself empathizing with the sweating Fluttershy. Her own body felt unbelievably hot and her mind was muddled. Applejack observed the other girls and noted with some confusion that they were equally sweating and looking uncomfortable. A streak of suspicion tried to burrow into her brain but she dismissed it lazily.

“Flutters, would you mind seeing if that’s Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked, hoping to offer some form of relief to her pegasus friend.

“Oh um, sure,” Fluttershy agreed. She quietly got up and unsteadily made her way to the door. The rattling of the train had closed the door after Rainbow Dash had left and made it difficult for a heat suffering Fluttershy to keep her balance. Finally she reached the door and with an unsure tug, yanked the door open with a force that surprised herself. She immediately gasped in shock, startling the pony on the other side enough to cause them to stumble and trip over themselves.

Fluttershy looked down in wonder at a light brown pegasus sprawled in front of her hooves. The pegasus had soft feathered dark hair that ran past the ears and a similarly soft tail. Even though it had a slender build, there was a certain amount of muscle tone that distinguished it from other female pegasi that she knew. Fluttershy was about to ask if she was alright when the groaning pegasus looked up at her. Fluttershy’s voice caught in her throat.

The most gorgeous, sparkling emerald eyes shone through the tusseled mane. Fluttershy had never seen eyes like these before. They shine brighter than emeralds! Fluttershy wondered internally. The influx of cool air was making it easier to think.

“Ow…” At the sound of the voice, Fluttershy froze.

It’s a colt?! Fluttershy studied him again quickly. The square jaw, the muscular build. It was a male pegasus, despite the feathery mane and eyes. Are you going to leave him lying there?

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, remembering herself, “Are you alright?” She bent toward him and froze again. I’m in heat! I shouldn’t even get close to him. Fluttershy was about to step backwards back into her cabin when her kind nature spoke up. You can at least see how he is? You don’t have to touch him. Fluttershy stepped forward carefully to look at him more closely.

The train suddenly lurched forward as it hit another rough patch of rail, slamming the cabin door shut. The handle of the door smacked Fluttershy in the tush quickly and with a startled shriek, she fell forward into the male pegasus.

Yellow and brown feathers flew into the air as the two pegasi collided with each other. The cool air that Fluttershy so desperately craved was sucked away and replaced by a suffocating warmth. She scrunched her eyes shut as they tumbled, not wanting to add even more sensations to the shots of warmth that shot through her limbs. They finally stopped moving and she opened her eyes carefully, afraid to see what had occurred.

She was inches away from the other pegasus’s face. His eyes were equally squinted shut but he opened them slowly and stared back at her. Blushes painted both ponies’ faces.

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” They both apologized quickly, trying to pull back away from each other simultaneously but kept slipping on their wings and tails. The door opened up behind her.

“Fluttershy, darling, I heard a scream. Are you alright-oh my!” Rarity froze and stared at the entwined pegasi.

Pinkie Pie bust right out next to Rarity. “Hey, I heard shouting are you guys having a party?” She looked over at the two pegasi for a moment and broke into a big grin. “Oh hey Fluttershy! I didn’t know you had a coltfriend you were bringing!”

The male pegasus quickly broke away from underneath Fluttershy and stammered awkwardly. “Oh no no no!” he stuttered, “I’m not her coltfriend!”

Pinkie Pie’s face fell, “Aw, you’re not?”

The male scratched his head and looked over at Fluttershy. “I mean. I wouldn’t mind being her coltfriend! I mean, we’re not. You’re really pretty! Why can’t I stop talking?!” The pegasus was really flustered. Rarity and Pinkie exchanged glances. The pegasus looked even more awkward than Fluttershy.

The confusion of the colt elicited even more pity from Fluttershy. The poor pony. She placed aside her discomfort and stepped forward. “It’s alright. I’m sorry I crashed into you,” She spoke up.

The pegasus blinked in surprise. “Oh no! I’m the one who knocked on your cabin! I should be saying sorry!” The pegasus rubbed the back of his head, “I’m super sorry about this.”

“Fluttershy, what’s going on?” Applejack’s voice called from inside the cabin.

Pinkie called back, “Fluttershy found a coltfriend!” Fluttershy blushed.

“He’s not my coltfriend!” She began. Her throat felt awfully dry next to the disheveled male pegasus. “I mean, I’m sure you would be a good coltfriend and you’re really handsome - oh dear I mean…” She let her voice die in her throat as both pegasi averted eye contact and rubbed their hooves against themselves.

Finally the male pegasus spoke up, laughing awkwardly, “Um, heheh, it seems neither of us are really good at speaking right now, huh?”

Fluttershy let out a small smile and nodded quietly. The male pegasus looked at her for a moment in a way that made her heart skip a beat before he suddenly jumped up.

“Oh! Oh! I remember. The reason I’m here. I mean, I don’t just go knocking on pretty pony’s doors for no reason.” Fluttershy blushed again at the description and her smile got a little bigger. “Do any of you know a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane?” he asked.

Rarity nodded. “Oh yes. That sounds like Rainbow Dash. Why?”

The pony’s smile faltered a bit. “Ah, well, you see, there’s been an incident a cart back and she’s there right now and well, um, you may just want to come and see for yourself?” The girls exchanged worried expressions which the pegasus immediately picked up on. “Oh no! She’s alright! Everything is okay! I mean, she just isn’t letting me back into my own cabin.”

Twilight Sparkle pushed past Rarity and Pinkie Pie and sighed. “Oh, that’s just great. I hope Rainbow Dash isn’t getting into any trouble. Can you lead the way?” The male pegasus nodded but paused in front of Fluttershy.

“Your name is Fluttershy?” He asked curiously.

“Oh, yes. That’s me,” Fluttershy paused too. “Oh, I don’t even know your name.”

The male pegasus bowed slightly, eliciting an “quiet aw” from Rarity. “That’s a really nice name. My name is Brock.”