Love is in Bloom

by MuddyWaters

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Soarin, Cheese Sandwich, Romance, Flim and Flam
Length: 11032

The mane six have adventures in love and romance. And there's a new enemy to defeat!

[Takes place about five years after season four]

The mane six have saved Equestria plenty of times, and with Twilight, who is the Princess of Friendship, in their midst, they have great magic in them. However, the six best friends are about to face a brand new threat: love and relationships. With some old friends (and a couple not-so-friends) from the past, and a couple new faces, will the six master this new hurdle, or will some pony get hurt along the way? And when a former enemy rises up to take down Equestria, will they be able to use the Magic of Friendship once again to save Equestria? Or will the blossoming romances cause hurt and pain to the friends?

[This is also being posted on Wattpad on my account on there]

Published 2015-06-10 21:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-08-03 03:56:10 UTC

Chapter One: Applejack

Today had been hectic at Sweet Apple Acres, as it had been the start of Apple Buck Season. We had Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and all my friends. Although, even with all the help, I figured it was going to take a couple more days, at least, to finish Apple Bucking. There was just so much to do!

But we were done for now, as the sun was setting. I had just sent my friends off to their homes, and I turned to Big Mac and Apple Bloom.

"This was an exhausting day," I commented casually.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.

"But at least we got a lot done!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "I think we'll get done tomorrow, with everypony helping!"

"Now, now, Sugarcube" I told my younger sister. "Even with everypony helping out, it does not guarantee success quicker."

"But you saw how Twilight cleared all those trees so quickly!"

"And you saw how taxing that was for her. She almost fainted."

"Eeyup," Big Mac added. "We have to be careful Apple Bloom."

She just simply rolled her eyes, and walked to the barn.

I turned to look at Big Mac, who simply shook his head. Ever since Apple Bloom got her cutie mark, she'd thought it made her more important, even though she was still just a young filly. Big Mac and I both tried our hardest to reel her in, but sometimes it was just so hard. I really wished we hadn't lost Granny a couple years ago. Now it fell onto mine and Big Mac's shoulders to run Sweet Apple Acres and to and to make sure Apple Bloom grew up into a fine mare. Although, both of us doubted she would stick around Sweet Apple Acres as she had discovered her talent had been making potions. She still loved working on the farm though, so who knew.

"Should we get going to bed?" I asked Big Mac.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied. He'd grown into saying more around other ponies, but he still preferred to use his two usual words whenever he could.

I chuckled at my brother as we headed into the barn to go to sleep. He headed to his room, and I headed to mine. When I crawled into bed, I could not easily find sleep at first, my mind turning with all my thoughts.

I had no idea how long Big Mac would be willing to stay at Sweet Apple Acres, and anyways, neither of us would stay young forever. Who would take care of Sweet Apple Acres then? Perhaps it was time for me to find a stallion to settle down with. The only question was who? It wasn't like I could just force myself to love somepony.

I finally drifted off to sleep after thinking of this for a very long time, my dreams littered with a mysterious Stallion who was the perfect one for me. He was covered in shadows, and it was impossible for me to make out anything about him. I just knew he was there, even though I wished I could make something out about him. Anything to let me know exactly who it was out there that was supposed to be the perfect stallion for me.

When I awoke, it was to soft knocking on my door. "Applejack!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "We need you downstairs now! This is important!"

I got out of bed, grabbing my hat from the post of the bed. I combed my hoof through my hair, polling both my mane and tail in a ponytail.

"What is it?" I asked, opening the door.

"It's Twilight," Apple Bloom replied. "She's unable to help today as Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna needed her in Canterlot, where she'll be staying for a couple days!"

I stared at Apple Bloom in amazement, blinking the tiredness from my eyes. "Is Equestria in trouble?" I asked.

"No idea. Perhaps it's just a princess thing. The thing is without Twilight here, Apple Buck Season will take much longer! And we just don't have the time."

"We can do it even without her," I told her calmly. "We've done it with just Big Mac and I, and now we have more ponies to help."

"But-" Apple Bloom started.

"No buts," I told her. "Let's just go downstairs. The others will be here soon."

Apple Bloom let out an exasperated sigh, and walked down the stairs. I stared at her with a bemused look on her face. She thought she knew everything and yet she had so much more to learn.

I was surprised when I came downstairs, and the only four ponies there were my two siblings and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Where had everypony else gone? Surely they'd be here by now, I was sure I'd said first thing in the morning.

"I tried to tell you," Apple Bloom spoke, obviously happy to be right. "Rarity had to go to Manehatten; she got a call last night for a fashion show thingy. And Fluttershy was needed in Canterlot by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with Twilight."

"What do we do without them?" I asked.

"We can still Apple Buck!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Even with just Rainbow and I, I'm sure we can still do it! Yup!"

I chuckled at Pinkie's enthusiasm. She was always this way. Even though there were times that she was sad, they were rather rare.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her purple eyes narrowed. "I'm up to the challenge."

I sighed. "Alright. Let's get to work."

We headed out into the orchard where we stopped yesterday, and started working. Even with the five of us working, it was slow-going. We made a much smaller dent then the day before. When the moon started to rise, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie left. And I knew so much was going to have to be done tomorrow if we wanted to be done anytime soon. Who knew how long the rest of our friends would be gone!
Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and I were exhausted as we made our way back to the barn, so much that none of us noticed anything strange. That was until we spotted two shadows by the door, and heard a voice speak.

"Lookie what we got here, brother of mine."

And that voice was too familiar to not recognize. Even though I didn't want to deal with the owner of the voice at the moment.

Author's Note

Just letting you know, I realize Apple Bloom is acting differently in here than she does on the show, but that's because it's fast forward five years and of course she's grown up a bit. That is all.

Chapter Two: Rarity

Manehatten, a city which was beautiful and just marvelous. I'd visited before on a couple separate occasions, but I had never gone alone. This was my first time going all by myself. I would've invited one of my friends, but I knew Applejack needed everypony else for Apple Buck Season.

I'd come to Manehatten for my dear friend, Coco Pommel, who was simply having problems with something she promised was super important. She asked me for my help, and of course I told her I'd be there. She promised to explain what the big emergency was when we saw each other face-to-face.

When I got off the train, I was met by Coco and she had a light red pegasus stallion with her.

"Rarity!" Coco exclaimed. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Of course I did," I replied smiling. "You're my friend, Coco. How could I not come at your request? You said it was urgent?"

"It is," Coco told me. She gestured to the red stallion next to her. "This is Blaze. We're going to be getting married in a few months! I was hoping you could help me come up with a wedding dress. You're one of the best fashion designers I know, and I was hoping you would help me. I seriously need it, I can't come up with anything that looks like a decent wedding dress. I've never made a good one before!"

"Why of course I'll help!" I told her, smiling.

"Thank you so much," Coco said, beaming. "C'mon. Let's get to my house. Blaze's family is waiting for us."

I followed her, as she walked through Manehatten, and I enjoyed the walk. I called 'hi' to some of the passing ponies, who mostly called 'hi' back. I'd been to Manehatten enough to be able to pick out familiar faces.

As we walked through the town, I decided to converse with Coco. "How did you and Blaze meet anyways?"

"His older brother, Spark, had been my client for his weeding. Him and his bride broke it off the day before the wedding, but one good thing came from it." She looked at Blaze with adoring eyes.

"How long ago did you two get together?" I asked. I couldn't remember reading anything about her having a coltfriend during her last letter, and that had only been a month ago.

"We've been together for almost a year. Oh, I'm sorry for not telling you, Rarity. I was waiting for you to come to Manehatten to meet him. It wasn't something I wanted to say over a letter."

"Of course," I told her, brushing up against her. "I completely understand."

"Oh thank you!" she exclaimed. "We're here though."

I looked up to see a fancy apartment complex. I'd visited Coco before in Manehatten, but had never seen her house, so this was new. She lead me inside and I found the inside was just as marvelous. She lived on the first floor, and she opened the door.

Inside were three more pegasi, two stallions and one mare. The one stallion looked a bit like Blaze, but he had a darker red coat, while his mane was a fiery-red. His eyes were the deepest purple, and he was majestic. The other stallion was a red-orange with a blue-white mane, and his eyes were dark green. The mare was white with a red mane and purple eyes.

"Is this who's making the dress?" the mare asked, searching me.

"Yes, Lightning," Coco spoke, sounding a bit annoyed. I wondered why. Weren't they going to be related soon? Well, if this mare was Blaze's mother as I assumed. Shouldn't they be getting along instead of fighting?

"She doesn't look like much," Lightning said, her nose up in the air.

"May I say that I made the dress for Princess Cadence's wedding?" I told the white pegasus.

Her violet eyes lit up. "Really now?" she asked.

"Yes," I said proudly. "And in the past couple years my line has sky rocketed in sales. I've made outfits for the likes of Sapphire Shores, and I've even won a few fashion shows here in Manehatten. That is how Coco and I met."

"Hrumph," Lightning snorted. She looked to Blaze and said, "Are you sure you want to go through with this weeding?"

"Yes, mother," Blaze said, sighing. "We've been over this before! I love Coco and no matter what you say will change that."

"At least you can pick a proper dress-maker," Lightning snorted. She gave me a respectful nod, and then stormed off.

"I am so sorry about her, Rarity," Blaze spoke. "She doesn't think Coco is good enough for me, even though I really love her." His green eyes bored into Coco's. "Anyways, this is my father, Thunder, and my brother Spark." He looked at his father and brother then. "And this is Rarity, she's a close friend of Coco's and she'll be making the dress."

"Hello, Rarity," Spark spoke, in a calm voice. It's voice was entrancing. "I'm glad you're helping with my brother's wedding. Especially if you've worked for a princess. I want his wedding to go off perfectly."

Of course, that didn't make me nervous at all.

Author's Note

Rariy! Yay. And yes, Coco is in it! :raritywink: She was one of my favorites from season four and you'll be seeing other ones from there as well eventually.

Chapter Three: Twilight Sparkle

"Oh, I don't know why Princess Celestia would've wanted me to come with you," Fluttershy murmured to me. She looked really frightened, and I wished I could've said something to calm her down. But I didn't even know what Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wanted with us!

But I had to try to calm the yellow pegasus down. After all, she was my friend. "I'm sure it's nothing bad," I told her. "Maybe they just need help with an animal that's injured or something."

Her teal eyes widened in fear. "Then we should hurry up! Oh, if an animal is in danger and I didn't do anything to help, I don't even want to think about it!"

I put my hoof around her neck reassuringly. "The train is almost there. Just relax Fluttershy."

She looked at me. "What if it's life-threatening? What will we do?"

"We'll do the right thing in the end," I told her calmly. "We always do."

"Oh, you always know just what to say, Twilight."

I tried to smile confidently at her, even though I didn't feel very confident. I was nervous myself, trying to figure out why in the world Luna and Celestia wanted me! It had been a while since a threat came to Equestria; it had been pretty quiet since Tirek, although there were a few times that my friends and I needed to band together. We'd spread the magic of friendship, and we still continued to when needed to be. Maybe another threat had come up though, maybe that's why Celestia and Luna wanted me!

We arrived in Canterlot, and for some odd reason, there were three royal guard ponies waiting for us. The one was orange-yellow and he looked oddly familiar, although I couldn't quite put my hoof on it. Another one was a black earth pony with a green mane. The last one was a white unicorn who I knew instantly.

"Shining Armor!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Cadence in the Crystal Empire?"

"Celestia and Luna called both of us here. It's really important. These are your guys' bodyguards while you're here-Flash Sentry and Dusk Light."

I gave the yellow-orange pegasus a quick look, before gasping. Now I remembered him! It was Flash Sentry, who I'd really met in a completely different world as a completely different species. But I'd never really gotten to know him as a pony.

Then my brother's words sank in. "Wait," I said slowly. "Why do we need bodyguards? We've been here before and never needed bodyguards."

"You'll understand in a bit. Celestia wants to explain it to you herself."

I nodded my head, and looked at Fluttershy, who seemed even more nervous than before. I couldn't blame her, after all, this proved that we were in some sort of trouble. Why else would we have to have bodyguards?

Shining Armor led us through Canterlot, with Flash Sentry next to me and Dusk Light next to Fluttershy. She was still cowering and I gently brushed against her. "It'll be okay, "I whispered to her. I just wished I could believe my own words.

While we walked, Flash tried speaking to me. "So, you're Princess Twilight Sparkle? I think I remember you from a couple times of meeting you."

Of course he wouldn't remember us meeting before at all. He would barely remember me. I couldn't help but sighing. Alternate dimension Flash and I really had a thing going on. I just wished I would've visited the other world more often.

"That's me," I said, forcing a smile.

He must've noticed my awkwardness, because he chose not to speak again. Instead, the walk to the castle was filled with complete silence. Even Shining Armor was silent, which I found odd. Normally he was ready to speak to me during the few chances we could actually see each other face-to-face.

When we arrived, we continued to walk into the castle in silence. A couple other Royal Guards on duty gave us a nod, and then went back to watching for some unseen danger.

Shining Armor lead us through the castle, until we got to the main room, where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence were waiting. Shining Armor went to stand by Cadence.

"Twilight," Celestia spoke, a grin forming. "And I'm glad to see you could make it as well, Fluttershy."

"But why do you need us?" I asked. "And why does it seem like Canterlot is in danger?"

"It's not in danger," Celestia said calmly, "all of Equestria is."

"And it's from a danger we've faced before," Luna spoke.

"It is?" I asked. "Who is it?"

"I think it might be best if we show you," Celestia replied. The three princesses got up off their seats, and started walking. Shining Armor followed, while Fluttershy and I gave each other an odd glance.

"Are we going to follow them, Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Dusk Light asked me.

"Y-yes," I stammered, not sure of what to think. What was so bad that they couldn't just tell us? Who could we of faced that had come back, and caused everypony to act like this? And why would we need Fluttershy and not the rest of my friends here? Unless it was-no. I didn't even want to think of that. And anyways, he was reformed, right?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't realized where we were heading. When I realized, I let out a gasp. Seven pairs of eyes looked at me cautiously.

"Are we in the dungeons?" I asked.

"Yes," Cadence replied. "The prisoner is down here."

I nodded, choosing not to say anything. Fluttershy was whimpering, so I pressed up against her to let her know I was here for her. She was so nervous, and I just wished I could reassure her that it would be okay. But how could I when I didn't believe it myself?

"And here we are," Celestia spoke. "Twilight, you and Fluttershy may go in. Dusk Light and Flash Sentry will be right behind you."

I walked into the small cell, and I let out a gasp when I was who was in it.

Author's Note

Before anyone comments on this chapter, please hear this warning: This is a story to write out the mane six on who I think best suits them, and for two of em it will be an OC. But please don't go saying you don't like a pairing. I'm keeping most of them a surprise because I can and I don't wanna ruin anything for anyone on here. But please don't be rude just because I ship somepony with a pony you don't like.

And just a warning: Next chapter will be AJ again because I can't do RD or Pinkie in this story until I do another AJ chapter. Sorry if you were looking forward to a new POV. Enjoy this chapter though!

Chapter Four: Applejack

I turned to the two shadows, and I frowned. "I know it's you," I told them.

"Who's you?" a deeper voice asked.

"The Flim Flam brothers," I responded, too tired to properly deal with them. It'd been a while since the two conponies had come to Ponyville, but considering how the last time they'd been here, I'd almost lost Granny Smith, I wasn't too pleased to see them now.

"Good guess," the first voice, Flim, spoke, as the two stepped out of the shadows. They looked just as they had the last time I'd saw them, tall, lanky, with their stupid straw hats, striped t-shirts, and bow-ties. Flam had his mustache, which, when they were being silent, was one of the only ways I could tell them apart. The only other way was that Flam had a touch more red in his mane and tail.

"What are y'all doing here?" Apple Bloom demanded. She looked angry that the two brothers would even dare show up now.

"Why, haven't you grown young Apple Bloom," Flam said, stepping up to get a closer look at my younger sister. "Why, you've even got your cutie mark!"

"Stay away from her," Big Mac said, his green eyes narrowed.

Flam backed up, surprised at the red stallion speaking. I remembered that Big Mac barely spoke around them, so of course they'd be shocked.

"So he can speak," Flim murmured to himself.

"Stop avoiding the question," I told the twins. "Why are you here?"

"Can't we just visit," Flim started.

"-our dear friends," Flam continued.

"-The Apples?" they both finished together.

"We're not friends," I snapped. "Last time you were here, your stupid cure-all-tonic almost killed Granny!"

They both flinched at that, their smiles wiped off their faces. I realized that I had struck a nerve. Was it possible that these two had finally grown remorseful of what had happened? But it was kind of too late for any remorse. Maybe if they'd shown up a few years ago.

"Ahh," Flim spoke slowly, "we're sorry about that."

"Yes," Flam responded, speaking as slow as his brother. "We'd like to apologize for that."

"Too late for that," I remarked.

"The pony you should be apologizing to isn't here," Big Mac told them.

"Where is Granny?" Flim asked. "We could come back when she's here and apologize then."

"You'll be waiting an awful long time then," Apple Bloom choked. Of course talking about Granny Smith would be harder for her. She'd been so young when our parents had passed, that she probably didn't remember them. Granny had been the only parent she knew.

Flim and Flam must've understood then, because they took their hats off with their magic, and lowered their heads apologetically.

"We're awfully sorry for your loss," Flam said. "Would you accept our apologies on behalf of Granny Smith?"

"No," I told them. "I'm sorry, but it's not up to us. You should've apologized the second it happened and not waited for nearly five years."

"There has to be a way to get you to accept our apology!" Flim exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Apple Bloom said, "but you heard Applejack. Now, if you don't mind, we have to get to bed. We have to get up early so we can get Apple Bucking over with."

The twins' eyes lit up. "Apple Bucking?" they chorused together.

"Just the three of you?" Flim asked.

"Eenope," Big Mac replied, causing their faces to fall again, and I was wondering what was going through their minds. Why would they care? I didn't trust them, why should they show up now to apologize. Why hadn't they just stayed away? Ponyville was better of without them here.

"Oh," Flam said, his voice downcast. Him and Flim shared a look. They both nodded quickly to each other.

"We understand," Flim spoke. "We'll leave you to go to bed, Apples. Good night, and good luck with Apple Bucking."

They both trotted down the path in the light of the moon, which had almost reached it peak in the sky. For some strange reason, I couldn't stop watching them retreat, until Apple Bloom knocked on my head with her hoof.

"You coming Applejack?" she asked.

"Yeah," I told her. I followed my siblings inside, but my mind wouldn't stop thinking about the brothers. I just had a bad feeling about them visiting. But why did I feel like their visit was also the best thing that could happen to me?

That night, my dreams were filled with another mystery stallion, still cloaked in shadows. But, tonight, the stallion's figure was more prominent, leaner, and skinnier than most. And it was almost like they were wearing a hat.

Author's Note

Hey! Sorry for the bit of a delay. My computer was acting up...but here's the new chapter, AJ as promised. Next one is Rainbow but just a warning, I have issues writing Rainbow. But I'll try my best!

Chapter Five: Rainbow Dash

I showed up at Sweet Apple Acres first thing in the morning. I was the first one there, and only AJ was awake, which I found just a little odd. Normally all three of the Apples liked to get up nice and early to get a head start on the days chores. And where was Pinkie Pie? She was always up early, and I was the one of us three who slept latest. So, why was I the second one here today?

"Hey, Applejack," I said, smiling. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept as good as I could, what with being worried we won't finish Apple Bucking season on time this year. It's tough when Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy are all gone." She stirred the pot of food on the stove that she was making. Whatever it was, it smelt good, even though I'd had a full breakfast at home before coming here.

"Surely they'll be back soon?" I asked.

"I don't know," Applejack replied, sighing. "Rarity left to do fashion, and who knows what Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wanted with Fluttershy and Twilight." She let out another sigh. "I'm just not sure how much more I can take right now." I could tell she was anxious, although I didn't quite understand why. Even with all of us, there was more than enough ponies to help. We could do it! I knew we could.

"Well you have Pinkie Pie and me," I told her. "And Big Mac, and Apple Bloom. We'll pull it off, I know it."

She didn't look like she believed me, and I wished I could say something to prove her otherwise. But, at that moment, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh came down the stairs. They both looked sleepy, and they just nodded to me before heading to the fridge.

"I made breakfast," Applejack told them. "It's maple oatmeal for the day." She served two bowls of the stuff from the pot she'd been stirring to her siblings, and then turned to me. "Would you like some, Rainbow?"

"Nah," I responded. "I ate at home. Say, do you know what's taking Pinkie so long? She should've been here by now." It was weird, she was normally the first up of any of us, except perhaps Twilight, and yet the pink mare was nowhere to be found.

"Haven't seen her," Applejack replied. "I hope she's okay."

We waited for about another five minutes, while Big Mac and Apple Bloom ate. I was growing impatient. We weren't going to get anywhere just sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. There was still plenty of orchard left, and it was wasn't going to be done anytime soon.

At that moment, Pinkie Pie came bouncing into the door. "Hi! Sorry I'm late, but I got distracted on the way here. Rose's birthday is today, and I wished her a happy birthday. And you know I like wishing everypony happy birthday in my own special way, so that they don't feel unspecial. And then I saw a tent by the edge of your orchard, Applejack, and I got curious but nopony was inside so I thought maybe it was just one of yours-"

"A tent?" Applejack asked, cutting Pinkie off.

"Yes! Isn't it weird?" Pinkie giggled.

I didn't get the big deal. It was a tent, maybe somepony had decided to get an early start on cider season. Who knew?

But apparently Applejack and her siblings thought otherwise. They all shared an uncertain glance, and then Applejack turned to us, and her green eyes seemed a bit sad. "I'm sorry y'all," she started, and I knew the rest wasn't going to be good. "I'm glad you could make it out here to help today, but it seems like we have an issue we need to deal with."

"What is it?" I demanded. "Pinkie Pie and I will be glad to help with it."

"It's not that kind of problem, Rainbow Dash," Applejack sighed. "it's just...Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and I need to deal with this on our own."

"Oh," I said flatly. Then I narrowed my eyes. "Why? Is it some kind of secret? Why can't you have your friends with you?"

"Rainbow Dash," Pinkie said, her blue eyes wide, and she almost seemed calm.

"What?" I demanded, sounding harsher than I'd intended.

She didn't seem phased. Instead, she said, 'Maybe they need to do this."

"Thank you Pinkie Pie for understanding," Applejack responded, sounding a bit surprised. She then looked at me, and let out a smile. "I'd be mighty happy if you'd understand, Rainbow. I promise I'll explain this tomorrow. All I'll say is this: something happened last night after you gals left, and it brought up unwanted memories. Can you understand?"

I nodded my head, after a second. "Do you Pinkie Promise to explain tomorrow?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She did the ridiculous motions that went with it.

I nodded my head again, approving. I turned to Pinkie Pie, who was sitting down, looking off into the distance. I shook my head, not sure if I wanted to know what was going through her mind. It would no doubtfully confuse me in the end.

"Let's go," I told the pink pony. "We'll just come back tomorrow."

She got up, her blue eyes sparkling, and started to bounce out of the barn, singing about something that oddly sounded like love. I shook my head again, not knowing if she was being random or if she was just being Pinkie Pie. Either one was possible.

I caught up to her, as she just finished singing.

"Did you notice Applejack?" Pinkie asked me. "She was acting differently."

"She was?" I asked. I hadn't noticed anything too different about her, besides her obvious lack of telling us whatever was going on, which I still couldn't understand. But, I knew I should respect her decision, even if it was a stupid one. Anyways, she Pinkie Promised to tell us about it tomorrow, and the last time she broke a Pinkie Promise, she had to deal with an angry Pinkie Pie. I doubted she wanted to deal with an angry Pinkie Pie again. The playful pink pony was scary when she was angry.

"Yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed, jumping up. When she got back on the earth, she looked at me questionably, tilting her head to the side. "Didn't you notice? I thought it was obvious."

Of course she did. It was Pinkie Pie after all.

"Well it wasn't. How was she acting differently?"

"Well duh, silly! She's acting like she's in love! I have a feeling she likes whoever's in that tent!"

I started laughing. AJ, in love with somepony? The idea just seemed so ridiculous. For some reason, I couldn't imagine the farm pony to be in love. It just seemed unfathomable.

Perhaps Pinkie was just being her crazy self. There was no need for me to go believe her, was there? Because Applejack couldn't be a pony in love. It wouldn't be fair! She couldn't be the first of us with a coltfriend!

Well if she was in love, that just meant I had to find a stallion to love. I'd have to get a coltfriend before her! And I would spend today finding one.

Author's Note

Rainbow's wanting to get a coltfriend first will be explained later. There is a reason behind it. And I hope I got Rainbow alright on here, although I can't be certain about it. Let me know if I got her alright, and I promise to try to get better at writing for her!

Chapter Six: Fluttershy

I let out a gasp when I saw the black bug-like pony-creature inside the small cell. I tried to back away, but I found myself running into Dusk Light. The black stallion looked at me, his green eyes full of concern.

"Are you alright, Miss Fluttershy?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine," I stammered.

"Is that what I think it is?" Twilight asked, cutting off Dusk Light from whatever he'd been about to say.

"If you think it's a Changeling, then yes it is, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Flash Sentry spoke.

I noticed Twilight seemed uncomfortable, and I wondered why. Perhaps it was because Flash Sentry had called her 'Princess'. Even after all this time, she still didn't care much for ponies calling her 'Princess'. Or of course, maybe it dealt with the creature that was laying in front of us. It was clearly asleep, although I couldn't be sure how it was sleeping. After all, it didn't look too comfortable, having it's poor hooves tied together, and it's muzzle bounded and gagged. I felt bad for the poor creature.

"Why is there a Changeling here?" Twilight asked, before her purple eyes went wide with understanding. "It's Chrysalis, isn't it?"

Flash Sentry and Dusk Light both nodded their heads.

"It's sleeping right now, we've been keeping it heavily sedated since we discovered it posing as one of the Royal Guards," Dusk Light spoke grimly.

I felt sick to my stomach at that. I didn't like the fact that they would do that to a poor creature, even if they had shown signs of aggression in the past.

We then exited the small dungeon, and I couldn't of been more happy to get out of the smallish room, and away from the Changeling. It wasn't even the fact that it was a Changeling. It was more because it was still a creature, and no creature should be treated as they were treating it!

We then returned to the throne room, which I was grateful for as well. I didn't like the thought of the dungeon, let alone being in it. When we settled back down, with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia on their thrones, and Princess Cadence and Shining Armor just sitting a little ways off, I was getting ready to say something to the princesses about how they were treating the Changeling, without sounding rude of course, when Celestia spoke.

"Fluttershy," she said, calmly. "I was hoping to have your help with the Changeling. You see, when I discovered it in my castle, I hadn't a clue what to do about it. But, after a day of thinking, our friend, Discord, showed up for a visit. It was just his monthly report on whether there were anomalies in the magical forces, but it got me thinking. I remembered how it had been you who reformed him, and you have an amazing talent for animals and creatures of all sorts. I was really hoping you would help try to understand the Changeling, and befriend it. See if we can figure out Chrysalis's plan before she can do anything."

I let her words settle for a bit. I couldn't really say no to her, after all, she was Princess Celestia. If she really needed me to do this, then I must. But I refused to help the Changeling while they treated it so horribly.

"I'll help," I finally spoke, after thinking carefully about what I was about to say. "But only if you stop treating the poor thing as you are. It's still a creature, even if it's a prisoner. Also, if it's okay with you, I'd rather not have to visit the poor thing in that awful dungeon. It's rather depressing and gloomy." I noticed all the shocked looks at me, and I found myself cowering down the ground, looking at everypony. "I-if that's alright with you," I added nervously.

Dusk Light spoke first. "You can't honestly expect-"

Princess Celestia cut him off. "I'm glad to see you take interest in this," she said softly. "Of course we'll do it. You can keep your meetings up in the room you'll be staying in while you're here."

I nodded my head, pleased as to where this came to. I didn't particularly like demanding things. I wasn't Rainbow Dash. But, I did it when the time called for it. And seeing that poor Changeling being treated the way it had been was just so awful! I was glad that Celestia so easily agreed to what I had asked.

"Perhaps you two should go to bed now," Princess Luna spoke. "Dusk Light and Flash Sentry will show the way."

The two Royal Guards stepped forward, saluted the Princess of Night, and then turned to Twilight and I.

"Let's go," Flash Sentry spoke, as he waited for Twilight and I to move. They fell into their places of Dusk Light being on my side, and Flash Sentry on the side of Twilight.

Twilight whispered to me, "Wow Fluttershy. I knew you liked creatures and everything, but that was amazing! I thought Princess Celestia was going to yell at you for demanding such a thing!"

I lowered my head in embarrassment, and whispered, "I only did what I thought was right. That creature may be a Changeling, but it's still a living, breathing, creature, and oh I wished we knew if it was a male or female. I hate referring to it as, well an it. It sounds rude."

"We'll figure it out tomorrow," Twilight whispered. "Just know I'm proud of you for sticking up for what you believe in." She let out a humongous yawn, and I followed pursuit, except mine was smaller.

I just hoped I knew what I getting into to as I followed the two Royal Guard ponies to what would be my bedroom while staying in Canterlot. What was going to happen if I didn't succeed with the Changeling and Chrysalis managed to attack Equestria this time? We weren't sure what her plan was, or why she would need to send a Changeling in when last time she'd been the one to risk it. Why would that change this time? Was it because she'd failed last time?

Oh, why was I worrying so much about this? I knew that I should be more concerned about being able to deal with the Changeling. What would happen if I couldn't figure out how it acted, or understand it's language? What if it didn't want to speak to me? Oh, everything was relying on me to understand this creature that I'd only ever dealt with as an enemy and not as a friend.

Oh what had I gotten myself into?

Author's Note

I hope I got Flutters right! I found her a bit difficult to write for at times. And by the way, that picture on the bottom there is what Dusk Light looks like. I'll be drawing a picture of every OC of mine in here because I've had to make up a few just for the stories purposes, but I hope you all don't mine. This way, you don't have to rely just on my crappy descriptions so you know what they look like!

Chapter Seven: Pinkie Pie

"What are we going to do Rainbow?" I asked, looking next to me at the pegasus. Now that Applejack didn't need us for Apple Bucking for the day, perhaps Rainbow Dash and I could do something super duper amazing!

"I'm going to do something important," Rainbow Dash said, as she started to fly away.

"Oooh!" I exclaimed. "Can I help? Can I? Can I?"

She turned to look at me, and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Pinkie Pie. Why don't you go see if the Cakes need you for something?" And with that, she took off into the sky.

I sat down, my mane and tail drooping, and loosing it's fluff. I already knew Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn't need me for anything. I'd cleared my schedule for the week to help out with Apple Bucking season. And I had had hoped Rainbow Dash would've wanted to hang out with me now that Applejack was busy. But now she had something important to do?

I wished none of my other bestest friends were out of town so that I could hang out with them, but they were. I needed something to do so that I could keep occupied.

Just then, a brilliant idea popped in my head. Maybe, if I was right and AJ really did love the pony who that tent belonged to, maybe they were new to Ponyville, because Applejack had never expressed interest in any of the stallions in town! Maybe he would want a Welcome-to-Ponyville party! Obviously it wouldn't happen now, or even today, but I could start baking the stuff I needed for it! This way, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to get it done, not that I couldn't get it done in a day anyways. But, this was just a precaution. Heehee.

And seeing how all my bestest friends were busy with other stuff, I decided to get a couple other friends of mine from around Ponyville to help.

I bounded over to a house that looked a lot like the other houses in Ponyville, but it had some distinctive touches to it. For one, the roof was a mint-green and the outside was littered with random small things. It was just two stories, and in all honesty, it was rather plain. But, there was a park bench in the front as well, which also gave other ponies a hint on who exactly who lived there.

I knocked on the door, and a mint-green unicorn who was the same shade of mint-green as the roof of the house, answered. Her golden-brown eyes widened in surprised when she saw me.

"Pinkie Pie!" she exclaimed. "I hadn't expected to see you today!" I thought you were helping the Apples with Apple Bucking Season!"

"I know, but Applejack and her siblings had an emergency that came up. So, I thought I'd ask you for a favor, Lyra. Is Bon Bon here too?"

Lyra chuckled, and then said, "Of course she is." She ducked inside, and I heard her call out, "Bon Bon! We have a guest who wants to see you!"

The creamy-white mare appeared after a couple heartbeats. She looked surprised to see me as well, which I found funny. It seemed like everypony was surprised to see me today, although seeing how I'd already told a lot of ponies that I'd be helping out with the Apples for a week, maybe it shouldn't be surprising. But it was. Then again though, surprises were fun, so I wasn't going to complain about anything there!

"Pinkie?" Bon Bon asked.

"Hi!" I exclaimed. "I have a favor to ask you."

"What do you want?" Bon Bon asked, smiling.

"Was wondering if you and Lyra would want to help me throw a party for a new pony in town!" I exclaimed.

They both looked at me, and then they chuckled.

"Of course we'll help," Lyra said, smiling. "What do you want us to do?"

"Just need help. I don't know where to throw the party. I'd do it at Sugarcube Corner, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake already have plans for it for the next week!"

They both stared at me oddly, before Bon Bon spoke. "Well, who's the new pony in town?"

"Don't know," I replied, smiling. "But there's a new pony in town and as Ponyville's supreme party thrower, it's up to me to throw them a proper welcoming party!"

I knew what I had to do. But Lyra and Bon Bon shared a look with each other, and I had a feeling they didn't think this party was a good idea. I couldn't figure out why though! Didn't they it was important to make this pony feel welcomed?

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," Bon Bon said quickly. "We'll help you, Pinkie."

Lyra shot Bon Bon a deadly glare, but Bon Bon must not have noticed because she didn't say anything about it. But I had a funny feeling that Lyra didn't want to help with the party.

I chose to ignore that though, and instead, bounced up and down the street a couple of times happily. Lyra would come around anyways, especially when she saw how supremely amazingly awesome the party was going to be, and when she saw that the pony that was living in the tent outside Sweet Apple Acres was happy as well. I knew I was doing the right thing right now. AJ would want any stallion who was worthy of her love to be welcomed in the grandest way possible! This was totally going to be the bestest party ever! It had to be.

Author's Note

Sorry for the few descriptions here. I thought it fit Pinkie, although I could be false here. This was just my first attempt at writing Pinkie and I honestly don't think I did that well until the last paragraph. If any of you have any tips, I would very much appreciate it! Thanks guys!

Chapter Eight: Rarity

A week had passed since I'd arrived in Manehattan and I could see why Coco Pommel had asked me to come. Apparently, Lightning demanded to be included on the dress choosing and she was being rather unreasonable about the entire thing. If Coco liked a design, Lightning hated it. Coco had told me it was because the white pegasus didn't want her son to marry an earth pony, and would probably like Coco a lot better if she was a pegasus instead.

I found the entire thing a lot more exhausting than it should've been. Of course, the whole ordeal really wasn't helped by Blaze's brother, Spark. The red pegasus kept trying to make sure everything was going perfect with the dress, and basically the whole wedding. Blaze tried to tell me that this was because Spark had been left at the alter, yet I had a feeling there was more to it than that.

However, no matter how crazy this wedding planning was getting, nopony in their right mind would deny the most important thing: it was obvious that Coco and Blaze loved each other a lot. It took me less than an hour to realize that. After Lightning had stormed out of the room on my first day here, Spark and Thunder must've decided to leave, because they left about twenty minutes after Lightning had. I didn't stay long after them though, because Coco and Blaze basically just stared into each others eyes for a long time, only really speaking a couple times. I stuck in the same room for about fifteen minutes after Thunder and Spark left, before leaving the happy couple to themselves.

But anyways, this day, I had come up with a bold design idea. I hoped that Lightning would approve of it, as it was clearly the best I'd come up with yet. Maybe I should've been more worried about Coco liking the dress, but truth be told, I knew that Coco would like my dress idea no matter what.

The kitchen had become the center of making the dress, and normally us three mares would sit in it, and try to find an idea that would work. A lot of the time, Lightning would storm out, as I was becoming accustomed to her doing, after Coco and I would both tell her that it was a lovely dress. Then Coco and I would try to plan a new dress, with her putting in her creative thoughts at points.

The three stallions would show up at random points, although I saw more of Spark than either Blaze or Thunder during the dress making. He'd come in, and make sure that everything was going really well, and offer his opinion on the dress. Thunder only came if Lightning started throwing a huge fit about the dress design, and neither Coco or I could calm her down. And whenever Blaze even tried to enter the kitchen while we were in it, Coco would tell him not to, and remind him that it was bad luck to see the bride's wedding dress before the wedding.

So, this day, I started to spread my stuff out on the table so that Coco and Lightning could see it. I was done in just a little while, and so I decided to wait for them to come in.

Of course Coco was the first to appear, as this was her apartment. I greeted her with a warm smile, the likes of which she returned. She took a look at my design, and approved of it instantly, declaring that it was the best design I'd come up with yet. About thirty minutes after Coco had come into the kitchen, the buzzer to enter the building went off. Coco let out a sigh, and went to let in Lightning, who brushed past Coco to enter the kitchen. She made no means of even acknowledging Coco or I. She just stormed right over to the dress design, gave it one look, and said, "This? You want a pony who's to be related to me wear this garbage at her wedding? You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

Coco looked Lightning in the eye, and she murmured rather quietly, "I think it looks lovely."

Lightning snorted. "Of course you would. You've got the poorest taste in fashion. However you became a fashion designer is beyond me." Coco looked about ready to cry, and I was about to say something to defend my friend when Lightning turned on me, her purple eyes slanted narrowly. "And how you managed to design a princess's wedding gown is well beyond me as well. You clearly can't come up with a dress well enough for my son's wedding. Although, I shouldn't of expected more from you, after all, you are a unicorn."

I was just about to make a retort when the kitchen door opened up. There stood Spark, his violet eyes searching the scene, finally landing on Lightning. Looking between mother and son, I realized, for the first time, that they shared the same eye color. It really was the only thing that looked similar between the two, as Lightning's red mane wad darker, and more wavy than Spark's fiery-red mane.

"What is going on here?" Spark demanded. "I heard shouting when I entered." He turned to Coco. "Your apartment manager let me in. And your door was unlocked, so that's how I got in. Just so you don't think I damaged anything in it." His purple eyes gleamed with just a touch of humor before they darkened again.

"The unicorn," Lightning sneered, the word unicorn as though it was some sort of disease, "that your brother hired to make a wedding dress is completely incapable of even making a decent dress."

Spark's eyes turned to me. "Can I see your design?"

I nodded my head, using my magic to move the dress design from the table to him, keeping it up while he looked it over. He stared at it for a while, and then turned back to his mother.

"It looks lovely, Mother. I don't know what your issue is. I'm sorry a mistake I made has made you so judgmental to other ponies, but don't let it cloud your sight to something so wonderful."

Lightning snorted again, something she loved to do apparently, and said, "Well, what do you know about fashion?" And then, once again, she stormed out of the room.

Spark turned his purple eyes to Coco, and then said, rather softly, "Do you mind giving Rarity and I some time alone? I think my brother would be interested in a stroll or something; we walked here together, and he's waiting outside the apartment building."

Coco smiled, and nodded, leaving the room. Spark then turned back to me, and he smiled softly.

"If you're sticking around, I think somepony should explain to you why Mother can get...well prejudiced. And I figured, since it's my fault, I should be the pony to do it."

I didn't know what he meant, by his fault. How could he have caused Lightning to do this? It really didn't make any sense.

"Did Coco tell you how she and Blaze met?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I responded. "She'd been the one who was supposed to create the wedding dress for the mare you were supposed to of married."

He nodded. "Did she tell you why the wedding got called off?" I shook my head, and he made a 'tsking' noise. "Trust her and Blaze to keep it from you. Well, you might want to sit back a bit. I won't tell you everything, just the gist.

"Night Sweep, my ex-fiancee, and I were high school sweet hearts. I proposed to her a year and a half ago, and we started to plan our wedding. There was only one problem: she was a unicorn. Even back then, Mother didn't really trust a pony unless they were pegasi. She wasn't approving of Night Sweep and I's relationship, but I didn't care. I was in love. However, Night Sweep did care. She told me that she didn't want to marry into a family where she wouldn't be trusted. I tried telling her it would be alright, and it was only Mother who didn't like her. She agreed to stay, and the wedding plans went on, like usual. But, the day before the wedding, Mother said that if we had any children, they better be pegasi, otherwise it wouldn't be very well loved. She made it clear that if any children born to Night Sweep and I were unicorns, it would be cut off from any of the family. Well, you can probably guess that Night Sweep didn't take that too kindly, and after proclaiming that that was the last straw, she up and left. And Mother has been worse since, saying how the whole incident proved how unicorns or earth ponies couldn't be trusted." He looked down at the ground, and I could see the tears already coming out of his purple eyes.

I wished I could do or say something to comfort him. But my mind was still trying to figure out how it was his fault that his mother was this way. From what he just told me, she'd been this way before Night Sweep had entered the picture, so why was this his fault? It just didn't make any sense to me, like at all.

His purple eyes turned to look at me, and he murmured, "I'm sorry Mother is acting rude to you. Maybe I could talk her into letting you make this design; it's truly wonderful. Coco will look lovely in it." With that, he walked away, leaving me slightly confused.

Author's Note

Rarity again! It's been too long since we've seen her. I actually have grown to love her! And we get to see more of Lightning! She's awesome. The picture is of Spark that I drew!

Chapter Nine: Twilight Sparkle

The day after we arrived and found the Changeling in the dungeon, all of us were eating breakfast together. I was in between Flash Sentry and Fluttershy, not that I particularly minded. I still had plenty of space, as the table was big enough for all of us to fit rather comfortably.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked Princess Celestia.

"Well, the Changeling awoke just a little while ago," she replied. "I had Dawn Streak and Silver Shade take it up to Fluttershy's bedchambers." She turned to Fluttershy. "You may dismiss them both when you get back upstairs. Dusk Light should be ample enough to protect you."

I was about to protest, after all, Dusk Light was just an earth pony, and surely, he couldn't do much against a Changeling, and then I remembered Applejack. She was an earth pony, and she was one of the strongest ponies I knew. Perhaps Dusk Light was just as strong, if not stronger than her.

"What would you like me to do?" I asked. "Would you like me to help Fluttershy out?"

"Only if she wants you to," Celestia spoke, looking at Fluttershy.

The yellow pegasus seemed to cower a little bit, before straightening back up, obviously trying to look a little confident. "I'm thinking today, I should deal with the Changeling on my own." She stopped for a second before flattening down her ears. "At least, at first. Maybe you could come by later on, perhaps around five or so tonight, Twilight."

I nodded my head, although I couldn't help but feel just a little bit disappointed. Why had Celestia and Luna wanted me to come with if all they seemingly needed was Fluttershy? What was the point of me coming all the way here?

"So, what should I do?" I asked. "Is there any important stuff I need to do?"

Celestia and Luna gave each other pitiful looks before they turned back to me.

"I am sorry, Twilight," Luna spoke softly. "But we don't have anything for you to do, today."

I wanted to ask why I was here then but I managed to bite my tongue. I didn't want to sound whiny after all.

"We could take a walk around town together," Cadence spoke, her soft purple eyes understanding.

Normally I would've jumped at the chance to hang out with my sister-in-law, but for some reason I just didn't feel up to it today.

"Maybe another time," I replied, softly. Suddenly I wasn't very hungry anymore. I pushed my plate away with my magic, and got off my chair. I left the room, and was only vaguely aware of Flash Sentry following me, which only made me more agitated. I wanted to be left alone. I didn't want Cadence's sympathies. I didn't want Luna or Celestia to feel bad for me. And I surely didn't want Flash following me, not when he wasn't the Flash I knew! I wished pony Flash knew about other Flash, and knew who I was.

I walked to my room, slamming the door shut with my magic, locking it in the process.

I needed to be alone, to gather my thoughts. I had hoped that being the Princess of Friendship meant I would have a more prominent role in helping befriend the Changeling. Apparently I was supposed to sit back and let Fluttershy take the reign again.

Why couldn't anypony see how bad I wanted to help out? It's not like I hadn't proved myself multiple times. I knew they thought they were acting for the best, but it still irked me.

"Princess?" came a voice from behind the door. "Are you alright?"

For the first time, I realized I was crying. I felt silly suddenly, crying over something so stupid when I was a princess. Everypony must be whispering about me, wondering why I left the breakfast table so soon. Maybe they were even laughing at me, calling me a baby behind my back. The thought hurt worse than I thought it would.

Flash must've heard me crying. Perhaps he was like the rest, thinking I was crazy.

"Go away!" I exclaimed, the tears falling even harder now, something I did not understand. After all, this Flash meant nothing to me. I barely even knew him. Why should the thought of him seeing me as a crazy mare make me cry even worse?

"I cannot," came the response. "I am a Pegasus of the Royal Guard, and have been given the task of safeguarding the one Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Leaving you alone would therefore break every oath I made when I was sworn to be a Royal Guard."

I let out a groan. He had a point. Then an idea struck my mind. Surely Flash couldn't get in trouble if I was the one to escape from him. I would take full responsibility for it later. I just needed to take a breather. And honestly, the only way I could do that was if I was all alone to think.

I opened the window with my magic again, and stretched my wings, getting ready to start flying. I launched myself out the window, only faintly hearing a "Princess?" coming from Flash.

I knew I didn't have long before he went to get Celestia or Luna or Cadence or somepony. Then they would come searching for me, and I knew I'd have to collect my thoughts by then.

I flew to a could that was just sitting all alone in the sky, and settled down on it. Since becoming an Alicorn, I'd grown accustomed to being in the sky, and even though I wasn't as good at Rainbow Dash, I did enjoy it. Sometimes I would take a book and sit on a cloud where the only other ponies who could bother me were pegasi. Hopefully none would bother me right now.

I wasn't sure why I was feeling how I was. Why was I so jealous that Fluttershy was playing a more important roll with the Changeling than I was? I should be happy for her. It was so childish of me. I really should go back to the castle before I caused a frenzy. After all, I was a princess who had just gone missing.

But, I couldn't go back just yet. I didn't want to yell at anypony, and I still couldn't help but feeling upset, I knew I needed to calm down first, so I settled down on the cloud until I could be certain that I wouldn't explode at Fluttershy when I got back. The yellow pegasus deserved so much more than that.

I must've dozed off at some point, because the next thing I knew, I was being prodded in the side, and I heard a distant, yet familiar, voice call, "Princess Twilight Sparkle, wake up."

The voice said the same thing a couple more times before I finally forced my eyes opened. There, flying in the air next to my cloud, was Flash Sentry.

"Finally," he said, his blue eyes looking a bit disapproving of me being here on a cloud. "Why did you just fly off like that? You've been gone almost all day! Princess Luna is about to raise the moon! We've had the entire guard looking for you when they shouldn't of had to! Don't you get that Queen Chrysalis must be up to something? Why else would we find a Changeling in our midst? We don't have the energy to waste to find a pouting princess!"

I glared at him. He really wasn't helping my sour mood at the moment. Actually, all he was doing was souring it even more.

"I never wanted any of you to come find me!" I exclaimed, louder than what I had intended. It seemed to of have the intended result though, as Flash's eyes widened in surprise. I continued shouting at the Royal Guard Pegasus. "Did anypony stop to think that maybe I had done what I thought was best? Perhaps I didn't want anypony following me here! Did you think about that?" I was the maddest I had been in a long time.

"I-I'm sorry," Flash Sentry murmured, obviously unsure of what to say. "But, there's a threat going on. Can't you understand why we were so worried?"

Yelling at Flash had actually made me feel a bit better, although I still wished I had something more to do. But, mot of the jealousy was gone for now. However, there was no need to let Flash to know that, otherwise he would assume that I could be easily swayed or something in the future. Anyways, I didn't like how he worded his question.

"Do you think I haven't proved myself?" I'm the one who knew about Nightmare Moon returning! I'm the one who discovered the elements of harmony, and how to use them! I'm the one who saved my friends from Discord's evil spell! Who was the only pony to realize that Cadence was actually Chrysalis in disguise? Me! Who was the one to find the Crystal Heart? Me! Who finished Star Swirl's spell to ascend to become a princess? Me!-" I was about to continue on to more, but Flash stopped me by placing his hoof on any shoulder gently.

"Calm down, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I didn't mean to offend you. And I didn't mean to doubt the fact you can handle yourself on your own. All I meant was that we cannot simply have a princess wandering around Canterlot freely. What if a pegasus should've seen you up here in a cloud? We can't be sure how many Changelings there are around, and we don't want the word that princesses are wandering to spread to wrong ears. Do you understand?"

I took in what he said, and realized that I did. He was actually making sense, and I could feel myself blush at embarrassment for yelling at him. I nodded my head to him, and he let out a sigh.

"Now that that's settled, do you mind coming back to the castle with me? The others will be happy to know that you're okay, and Miss Fluttershy would like to have you see how she was doing with the Changeling."

Fluttershy wanted me to help her? Or at least, she wanted me to see how she was doing! The thought made me much happier than it should've, and I found myself nodding my head in agreement to what Flash said.

"Yeah, let's get back to everypony," I replied, finding myself smiling widely at the orange-yellow pegasus just before we took off into the sky, back to the castle.

Author's Note

Whew. I almost forgot today was Sunday...which is odd because I don't work on Sundays and I'm used to updating on Sunday here BECAUSE of that...and a lot earlier than right now. But earlier, I was working on a completely non-MLP related story and forgot to update but I did it now! And you get a Twilight chapter! YAAAY! It's been a while since I've done her as well.

See you all next Sunday!