Shadow's Six Elements

Chapters

Enter Twilight, AJ, and Rarity.
Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy
Another normal day
The best date ever (so far)
ShadowJack
ShadowLight

Enter Twilight, AJ, and Rarity.

What the hell kind of shipfic is this?

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Shadow Foot was the new pony town, and several mares noticed him. He was tall, roguishly handsome, and well built. His coat was quite exotic as well, being a brilliant shade of red, with black stripes. Some gossiped that he was a zebra half-breed, or one of Zecora’a lackeys (if she had any).Others thought he was just a drifter, who moved into ponyville, running away from some sort of unwanted trouble. His piercing green-blue eyes seemed to pick apart everypony’s souls. Even the almighty elements of harmony noticed him. Other stallions regarded him as a suspicious troublemaker, even though he had yet to make any trouble.

Shadow often wondered why everypony would stare at him. He wasn’t apt to make himself known, and preferred to live out his humble life in his small cottage on the edge of the Everfree. He wasn’t particularly poor, for He lived off of the inheritance his parents had left him. He also sold his family farm, for he was one pony, and could not do all the work himself. He refused to make other ponies work for him, as it was family tradition to not hold servants or workers. Besides, his siblings had already left off for their own lives, and it was about time for him to move on as well. He lived here and there for a number of years, but finally settled in ponyville. It reminded him very much of home. He was a fairly young stallion, only about 25 years of age, give or take a year (he was born on an awkward date).

Shadow trotted through ponyville, feeling the hungry eyes of the scant few passerby. Offering smiles and waves, he tried to be friendly. He understood that he looked out of place in such a town, but he never made any trouble for anypony. He stopped in at the library today, for he had books to return.

**********************************************************************Twilight’s Library********************************************

Twilight Sparkle heard a knock at her door. She wondered aloud who may have been awake at this time of morning. It was rare to see anypony out of bed before 9am, but Twilight was always up with the first light of dawn. Apparently somepony else shared her same philosophy of “Early to bed, Early to rise”. As she answered the huge oak door, she stared, mouth agape, at the pony who had visited her. Possibly one of the most intellectually interesting ponies in ponyville had come to see her. Shadow Foot. She liked him quite a bit, for he was one of the few ponies in town who could converse with her on nearly even ground on the topics of science, philosophy, and history. She thought she even felt remotely attracted to him.

“Good morning, Miss Sparkle. I’ve got some books for you. Spike hadn’t come by yet this week, so I thought I’d cut the little guy a break. May I come in?” Shadow said, smiling at her.

“Oh…of course, Mr. Shadow.” Twilight said. She was attracted to his accent also. It was refined, yet rough, like the upper class barponies from Manehatten. He spoke with the words of a professor and the voice of a laborer. As he trotted inside, Twilight caught herself staring at him in such naughty ways she didn’t think possible of a mare like her. She looked away quickly as he turned to face her, levitating said literature onto the table next to the card catalog.

“Miss Sparkle, we’re on the same level. No need to be so formal. Just Shadow will be fine” he said, laughing lightly. “Could I perhaps borrow some other books? I find equestrian history fascinating and can’t get enough.”

“Certainly, right this way.” She said, leading him towards some bookshelves at the far end of the humble library. “Take your time, and come see me when you’re ready.”

“Same as always.” Shadow said nonchalantly, levitating a few unfamiliar titles onto a nearby table.

Twilight was watching the strange pony from across the room, and couldn’t help but notice how focused he was, another attractive trait. She desperately wanted to “ask him out” as Pinkie abruptly put it, but she just couldn’t find it in herself, Instead she just watched him like a lovesick school filly.

After Shadow had found some interesting titles, he turned toward Twilight at her carry out desk. He noticed she had a funny, daydreamy look about her. “Twilight, are you alright?” He asked her, snapping her out of her reverie.

“Yes, I’m fine Shadow.” She said, a little too brightly. “Are these all the books you’d like?” She asked him, trying to assume a pleasantly light tone.

“That’s it. I’ve read just about everything else.” He said, laughing. “It’s no fun being bored.” He said with a slight tone of dismay. “If I had a job, l wouldn’t have as much time to read” He laughed off his previous disheartening tone. “I just wonder why nopony will hire me. But I guess that’s life.” Collecting his new material, he dropped a few bits into a small wooden box next to the registry. “Always a pleasure,Twilight.” He said as he trotted out the door. “Next stop, the aesthetically-built Carousel Boutique.” Shadow said to himself, as he made his way down the road.

###############################>-Carousel Boutique<

Shadow found the Carousel Boutique to be one of the most well designed buildings in ponyville. It was bright and flashy, without being an eyesore, much like the seamsmare that ran the humble shop. He always found Rarity’s company quite enjoyable. Even though Shadow was nowhere near fashionable or flashy, he knew there was no place better to find some new curtains for his bedroom.

An errant bird had simply flown into his bedroom window one night, and had gotten caught in the massive one-piece curtains that he had personally picked out for his home. The furious fowl had then proceeded to rip and shred the dark purple fabric into ribbons in its haste to escape its purple prison. Shadow was quite corss at this, but let the poor animal go with a warning. He didn’t know if they understood him, but he loved animals of all sorts, and couldn’t bear to see them hurt.

A small jingle announced a new arrival to Rarity’s boutique. Trotting out of her hideaway kitchenette, she began her famous line “Welcome to carousel boutique, where-“ Rarity stopped midsentence, staring at one of the most handsome stallions she’d ever seen. Tall, with piercing eyes of a nearly unique color, and well built. He carried himself like royalty, but he had the mannerisms of a gentlecolt. This particular stallion was a rare sight indeed, for he stood out from every other pony in ponyville.

“Hello, Rarity. How are you this fine day?” Shadow asked the young mare. “It appears I caught you at a bad time.” He said dejectedly, noticing the faraway look in the mare’s eyes. “I’ll come back later.” He turned to leave.

“No, no, please stay. It’s never a bad time for my customers, Shadow” The mare said brightly. “How can I help you this morning?” She said, flitting her eyelashes at him.

“It appears that a certain feathered visitor thought it would be fun to shred my bedroom curtains. Perhaps you could craft some new ones for me” Shadow asked, his spirits obviously restored. He didn’t like having glass windows in his home, so he instead left heavy curtains over them. Glass felt too unnatural to the stallion. Being raised on a farm had made him quite the nature-pony.

“Feathered…visitor?” Rarity asked, pulling a bolt of cloth from one of the many seemingly chaotic shelves that dotted her boutique. “It wasn’t one of Fluttershy’s dreadful critters, was it?” She said, not taking her eyes off of the forest-green fabric.

“No, no.” Shadow laughed. “They’re too well mannered to barge into somepony’s home unannounced. It was a wild raven who didn’t pay attention to where he was flying. Poor thing was scared out of his wits. I was able to extricate him from my curtains, but not without him doing a number on them.” Shadow said, pulling some scraps out of his saddlebags.

Rarity chanced a look up, and instead of being met with fabric scraps, she was met with his piercing gaze that made her heart flutter. He was obviously handsome, but he was also articulated, much like the royalty was. She found herself wanting to ask him to lunch or something like that, but he was always on the move, running some errand or another.

She then realized that was her moment, as he was sitting in her shop, waiting for his curtains. “Shadow, would you like to-“

“Oh horseapples! I’m late!” Shadow shouted, spooking Rarity as he jumped out of his chair. “I promised AJ I would help her finish the new fence she installed! Miss Rarity, please bear with me. I love the color, I’ll be back later to pick them up. Farewell!” Shadow said, darting out of the shop door. The only sounds coming from the shop were the jammed sewing machine, the jingle of bells, and grating teeth. Rarity mentally chastised herself for not asking him sooner.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Sweet Apple Acres^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Applejack was thoroughly ticked off at a certain red unicorn, and a certain big brother. They both had promised her that they would help install the new fences before autumn set in and the ground started to harden. But Big Mac was sleeping off a gallon of special cider, and Shadow had not yet arrived at the farm. She vowed she would buck the first one of the two she saw right in the first body part she could reach. Even though the day was still early, the fence wasn’t even halfway complete, and she had other things to get working on yet. Just then, she heard somepony approaching at a hard gallop. Spinning around, she spied Shadow, who was making the racket she was hearing. Her face flushed at the sight of the hapless red unicorn, and she was fit and ready to give him a muzzleful.

“Shadow, ya knucklehead! You were s’pose to be here half a’ hour ago! We got work to do an’ sunlight’s burnin’ !” Now c’mere so I can give you your well-earned punishment!” She trotted towards the breathless unicorn, deciding which part of him she was going to punish. She weren’t no liar, especially not to herself.

Shadow knew an angry farm pony when he saw them, and Applejack was no exception. She had the meanest streak in her when prompted. Even Big Mac feared his sister’s temper.

Raising a forehoof, Applejack punched Shadow as hard as she could in his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Shadow grunted, rolling with the hit that he had just received. “hey! What was that for?!” He demanded, after catching his breath finally.

“For makin’ me wait so long for yer blockheaded self. You knew we had work to get done, and you were still late!” Applejack said, finally calming down.

“Long story short, I had some business to attend to this morning.” Shadow said with a grunt.

I’ll forgive yah this time, knucklehead. But next time you’re getting it right in the apple seeds.” Applejack said with a laugh. “And you know that weren’t no lie.” To be honest, Shadow was one of the stronger stallions in town, rivaling Big Mac sometimes. Applejack always asked for his help cause Mac wouldn’t let any other stallions near her. He was ridiculously overprotective of his sisters, but he saw Shadow to be on the same level as them, being as they were all farm ponies and shared some of the same virtues and beliefs.

“Thanks, AJ.” Shadow said, levitating a pair of fence planks into place as Applejack nailed them to the support posts.

Applejack found Shadow to be a down to earth, honest pony. He knew a good day’s work was worth every bit of sweat, and Applejack shared the same ideal. She wasn’t really attracted to his size and looks, or brains, as other mares may have been. She found his work ethic incredible, and his determination even more so. He would happily drop anything to help another pony, but most other ponies never gave him a chance because he looked so out of place here. How often did you see a Unicorn with stripes, with a coat such as his? That shade of red was rare in ponies, especially such a dark shade. Most ponies’ coats were faded due to age and sunlight, but his hadn’t faded at all.

Applejack often found herself staring at his humble house, which she could easily see from the barn loft. She always felt the farm had to come before her personal life, and as such, never got out much, except to save equestria once in a while, or to participate in some contest. She never had even given thought to finding a coltfriend, even though granny often teased her about it. She thought she might like to have Shadow as a coltfriend, but never bothered with it.

“That there should be it, knucklehead.” Applejack commented as she nailed the last planks of the fence into place. “Wouldja like some cold apple juice or somethin’, Shadow?” She asked her sweating assistant.

“No, thank you.” Shadow said as he broke his magical aura. “I’ve got somewhere to be in about an hour.”

“You know you ain’t leavin’ here without something cold to drink…or a spray down.” Applejack said, covering her nose.

“Celestia above, did you roll in a pile of cattle chips or somethin’ while I wasn’t lookin’?”

“you do realize I galloped hard and fast from Carousel Boutique, right, AJ?” Shadow asked, slightly offended, but his tone remained light.

“Not particularly, no. All I knew is you ran here like Nightmare Moon incarnate was chasin’ your flank” Applejack laughed, remembering his face after she hoofed him one earlier.

“Well, I did.” Shadow grunted “ and helped you. So please extricate your hoof from your snoutholes” Shadow grumped.

“Aww, is Mr. Grumpyfoot angry at little ol’ me?” Applejack said, putting on her cutest face she could muster. She knew he couldn’t resist that face. Being a talented performer had its perks.

“No, I’m not. Just be nicer next time.” Shadow pouted, deflated.

“Well, yer sure as sugar about ta’ be.” Applejack said, a sly smile crossing her muzzle as she cranked the watering hose to full pressure, dousing the disgruntled and stinky unicorn.

“Serves yeh right for makin’ me wait!” Applejack hollered, turning off the hose as she had completely soaked the poor stallion.

“Again, AJ? Really?” Shadow shouted, then his gaze softened, as he realized he was indeed quite cooled off and didn’t smell like the compost barn.

“You win this time, Applejack.” Shadow smiled at her.

That grin always made AJ blush. He did have a certain charm about him.

“Git yerself outta here, ya big lug.” Applejack told him, turning away to hide her blush. When she recovered, she turned back to him. “Same time, same place, tomorrow, or right in the apple seeds!” she yelled as he trotted off.

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End of part one

(A/N) It was 530am and I was bored. nuff said.

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy

What the hell kind of shipfic is this?

Part 2

Author: Southpawfighter614

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SugarcubeCorner++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shadow was in such a rush to get things done this morning, he hadn’t taken a moment yet to eat something. He didn’t realize this until his stomach let out a particularly loud growl of discontent at not being filled yet.

“Hehe, guess I should get something to eat finally, huh stomach?” Shadow said, chuckling. His stomach gurgled in agreement. Just then, he saw the biggest gingerbread house ever, or at least it would have been if it was real gingerbread, but it wouldn’t have lasted long with one particular mare that happened to work there. As Shadow trotted to the front door, pleasantly light and sweet smells danced about his nostrils, making his stomach growl so loud that it made a nearby pony look at him in disgust. “Sorry, Madam” Shadow said with a sheepish grin as he entered the building.

Shadow saw the telltale pink blur of a mare named Pinkie Pie, who was busy making sure all her customers were satisfied with their various treats and drinks. Sugarcube corner was largely a sweets store, but was well known for its muffins, also.

No sooner did Shadow trot up to the counter, then the pink mare was greeting him with a beaming smile and bubbly tone, as was custom of Pinkie Pie.

“Hi Shadow, what would you like today? The usual?” Pinkie asked him, getting ready to tap out his usual order of two extra-blueberry muffins and a cinnamon bun. She usually threw in some sweet tea for the handsome pony, but they’d run out. Shadow was known amongst the usuals of sugarcube corner for his ravenous sweet tooth, and he’d also nearly beaten Pinkie in a cupcake-eating contest a few weeks back. Pinkie liked a stallion that could eat like that and still appear so trim. She was always daydreaming about him and her in the kitchen, getting messy in more ways than one. Pinkie knew she wasn’t an unattractive mare but she could never seem to get his attention, because he was never around after-hours. She was pulled back out of her naughty daydreams by his voice, which was surprisingly light for a pony his size.

“Pinkie? Hullo?” Shadow asked the distracted pink mare. She had that faraway look in her eyes again. Why did mares always get that look around him?

“hello, and wel-“ Pinkie started.

“I’ll just have two apple-cinnamon muffins and a slice of apple pie, Pinkie.” Shadow said. He had the weirdest craving for apples all of a sudden. “And some Apple Juice or Apple Cider, if you’ve got it.”

“Okey Dokey Lokey!” Pinkie said, disappearing into the kitchen in a pink blur that smelled faintly of cotton candy. About twenty minutes or so later, Pinkie returned to Shadow’s table balancing a tray on her flank, which Shadow noticed was kind of shapely. He immediately banished those thoughts. He looked like an outcast and felt that no mare would ever go for him, so he never bothered asking. As long as he had his books and odd jobs around town, he was a happy pony.

While Shadow sat munching happily on his apple-themed buffet, he though about other business he had to attend to. It was only about noon now, so he had plenty of time. He needed to go help Fluttershy with rebuilding some of her birdhouses that had gotten knocked apart in a recent storm, and he also needed to go see Rainbow Dash about some storm damage that the townspeople missed. Shadow was going to take the time out to repair the damage since most everypony else was busy.

Shadow paid his tab as Pinkie was finishing serving up some customers, and before she noticed, he was out the door, on his way to whatever errand he had left to run. Frowning, Pinkie glared at the door, sort of wishing it would turn into cake so she could eat it and chase Shadow.

“Pinkie!” Miss Cake shouted “We’re getting a rush, I need you at the front counter pronto!” Pinkie Glanced at the clock, then at the door, where ponies were beginning to line up for the 12pm rush.

“There goes that idea.” Pinkie said, banishing the thoughts of chasing her unicorn.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Rainbow Dash’s House++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shadow was trotting toward’s Rainbow’s cloud house, deep in thought. He’d always felt he was an outcast here in ponyville, even if everypony was immensely friendly. He liked being alone sometimes, and never really paid much thought to dating. But still, mares seemed to stare at him with that certain faraway look. He then bumped into Rainbow’s mailbox with an audible grunt.

Looking up, he saw a certain blue pegasus peering down at him, partially hidden in a tuft of cloud she seemed to be napping on.

“Oi, Rainbow, we’ve got work to do!” He shouted up to her. “Only you can see the damage from the sky! And I’ve still got other stuff to do!”

“Yeah, yeah, keep your horseshoes on, ya big palooka!” Rainbow waved a hoof at him. “Don’t get your stripes all ruffled and stuff.” She drifted down lazily next to him, putting on an air of indifference. She wondered how long she could keep it up.

“You’re the one that sleeps all day, Miss Dash.” Shadow said matter of factly.

“Only because I’m up with the crack of dawn every day to keep you groundwalkers happy” She retorted, a little huffy.

“I’ll give you that, but its bad practice to sleep past noon.” Shadow continued, goading her. He knew Rainbow loved few things more than sleep and the wonderbolts, so he enjoyed picking at her about it.

“And who are you, Twilight Sparkle?” Rainbow continued. “We both know I’m not lazy.”

“Never said you were.” Shadow said with a grin. He could feel her getting cross.

“Well then shut your stinkin’ trap!” Rainbow shouted.

“You know you still like me” Shadow said, hugging her, at which she visibly flushed red.

“Get offa me, ya clown” Rainbow pushed him away. She had a reputation to uphold. She couldn’t go around hugging random strange stallions, even though she enjoyed it, especially coming from Shadow. He was tall, strong, and handsome, like a stallion version of Applejack. But she wasn’t a fillyfooler, so she couldn’t very well go that route. But she never had time to ask Shadow out cuz anything they did together was usually work.

“Where to first, Rainbow?” Shadow asked her nonchalantly.

“We should go to the fairgrounds, before the kids get out of school. There’s a lot of broken or loose branches around the playground. I don’t want anypony getting hurt. After that is just shaking loose stuff down from the trees. Nothing big, they just make it look horrible.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Shadow said.

They went back and forth all through the park, collecting loose branches and twigs, and piling them up in a firewood pile for the Summer Sun celebration bonfires. They were taking turns firing insults at each other, which kept the conversation (if you could call it that) constant.

After the work was said and done, Shadow was invited to the bar to sate their thirst. Rainbow got notoriously cheeky when she was drinking, and Shadow wanted none of that. He saw this mare walk up to some strange stallion and start hitting on him one night. That was the first and last night he ever drank with Rainbow, because he ended up having to pull her away from the stallion who was obviously too young to be there. She was a good mare, but she couldn't hold her alcohol very well.

As Shadow trotted off, Rainbow was staring at him with hunger in her eyes. If she could get five minutes with him, she was sure she could make him hers.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Fluttershy’s Cottage+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shadow still had some sunlight left, which made him immensely happy. This means he could help Fluttershy and actually take his time, since there was no running around to be done for the rest of the day. He liked the meek Pegasus quite a bit, because she was the only one who didn’t drool over him like the rest of the mares in town. If she did, she hid it really well.

He knocked gently on the yellow pegasus’s door, and she answered, partly hidden behind her long pink mane.

“H…Hello, Shadow.” She said softly, afraid to wake her animals.

“Hello there, Fluttershy. How are you this evening?” Shadow asked in the same gentle tone, which completely took Fluttershy by surprise. She didn’t know any stallion could have that soft a voice.

“Oh, I’m fine. Angel Bunny’s been a bit grumpy today.” She said meekly.

“When is he not grumpy?” Shadow asked her, a light chuckle escaping his muzzle.

“That’s true.” Fluttershy smiled at him, turning slightly pink.

“Well, where would you like me to start?” He asked her, eager to get to work. He hated not being busy at times.

“I’ve already had the families temporarily lodged inside here. The birdhouses are all in the shed out back. You’ll find everything you need in there too. Thank you so very much for helping me. I’m not any good with tools. I can barely even control my own wings.” She said with a small smile, happy she was mostly hidden behind her door. Her wings were painfully stiff.

“Any time, Fluttershy. I only live a few feet away so it’s no problem. I’ll hang them back in the trees when I finish.” Shadow said, going around the side of the house.

As Shadow disappeared, Fluttershy let the heat in her wings and face fully rise before she calmed herself down. She wasn’t nearly as promiscuous as Rarity or Rainbow seemed to be, but she had the same urges and needs as any other grown mare. And Shadow was so kind and gentle around her and her animals, Fluttershy would easily let him take her. But she never asked or showed any interest in him, and he seemed always too busy to show interest in her. With a disgruntled huff, she moved on into the kitchen to try and calm a raging Angel Bunny.

“Angel Bunny, stop throwing carrots at the squirrels, if you don’t mind” Fluttershy pleaded with him. With a scowl, he sprayed a mouthful of carrot at one of the squirrel babies. Fluttershy thought to herself “Always the same with him.”

Shadow could hear commotion coming from inside Fluttershy’s kitchen. He hadn’t had yet to interfere with her and her animals, but he might have to if this kept up. Fluttershy didn’t deserve any of the attitude she got from Angel Bunny. His special talent involved calming people down and talking things out, so for some odd reason, his cutie mark manifested as a golden scale with a heart on one side. But that didn’t stop him from helping out with several other things around ponyville.

He fixed three birdhouses out of the 10, before he heard a crash inside. He barged in through the back door and saw a metal colander on Fluttershy’s head, being stomped on by Angel Bunny. Fluttershy was nearly in tears, and if there’s one thing you didn’t do around Shadow, was make Fluttershy cry.

“ANGEL BUNNY.” Shadow bellowed at the small white rabbit. The sheer force of his voice made Fluttershy shriek as she dived under a table, dislodging Angel and the colander. Shadow then grabbed up Angel in a red magical field, and stared him dead in the eyes.

“Why are you being so difficult, today, Angel?” he asked the little white critter.

Some chattering and nose wiggling followed, then vigorous pointing in the direction of his sleeping basket. A hole had been chewed into it by one of the baby squirrels.

“Now, you know I can easily fix that. Why didn’t you just ask me?” Shadow asked Angel. “All you had to do was get my attention. Look.”

Shadow lifted the small basket in a red aura, and the reeds and wicker were fusing back together as if there had been no damage whatsoever. Repairing small plants was easy. Wood couldn’t just be magicked into place. Hence, Shadow had to literally rebuild the birdhouses, instead of fusing them.

“See, that wasn’t that hard, was it?” Shadow gave the somewhat happier quadruped a serene smile.

Angel darted over to his basket, thoroughly examining it before giving his approval.

Glad that’s settled.” Shadow said. “Fluttershy, you can come out. I promise I’m not going to hurt you, and I’m not mad at you.”

Fluttershy peeked out from below the table, and crept out, standing up but hanging her head slightly. “I didn’t know the babies had chewed up his basket. I thought he was mad at them because he might have been jealous.” Fluttershy said sadly.

“That’s fine, Fluttershy. But maybe pay a little more attention next time?” Shadow smiled at her.

“I will Shadow, I promise.” She said softly.

“I’m gonna finish up outside. I’ll be back to say goodbye before I go home.” Shadow went back out through the door he entered, and got back to his work.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shadow finished up, and he went back to see Fluttershy, and show her the houses he’d fixed. After that was done, Shadow bid Fluttershy and Angel bunny goodnight, and trotted back home to his waiting cottage. A light dinner followed, and he retreated to his bedroom study, to read before he went to sleep. He fell asleep with visions of the day floating about in his head.

Another normal day

Shadow grumbled as he heard a loud knock on his door, resounding through his quiet cottage. Trotting lazily to his door, he opened it to find a certain lavender pony at his door.

“Miss Sparkle, what brings you out here?” He asked Twilight as he made way for her to enter. Closing the door lightly behind him, He trotted off to the kitchen. “If you’ll be staying a while, let me scrounge up some refreshments!” He yelled from his small kitchenette.

“That would be lovely Shadow, thank you.” Twilight said as she made herself comfortable on one of the practical furnishings that adorned the Unicorn’s cottage. She looked around idly, noticing that his style reflected somewhat of her own. There was nothing particularly flashy or expensive about his home, yet it still felt warm and inviting to anypony that stopped by.

“I’m sorry it’s not much, but I’ve been rather short on jobs lately, so I’ve had to cut back on groceries.” Shadow announced, levitating his tea tray onto the small wooden table in the centre of the sitting room. A radio chattered on in a far corner, barely audible.

“That’s fine, Shadow. Don’t worry about it.” Twilight said, taking a cup of the warm beverage and pressing it to her lips. It was delightfully smooth, with a hint of citrus flavor, possibly a combination of vanilla and orange.

“So what brings you to my humble cottage, Miss Sparkle?” Shadow asked her, sipping from his own cup.

“Well, I just recently got a new shipment of reprints of some of the old history books from the royal archives. I know you enjoy history immensely, so I figured I’d let you know. They’re not even catalogued yet, so you and I are the only ponies that know about them.

Shadow smiled to himself. “And do you go around telling all ponies about new books at the library?” He inquired, chuckling lightly. This was the first time Twilight had ever done anything like this, and personally, he didn’t mind. He felt more connected to Twilight than most other ponies because of their intellectual similarities.

Twilight felt a warmth rise in her cheeks. “Well, n…no, not exactly…” Twilight muttered, hoping Shadow couldn’t see the blush across her muzzle. “I only go to such lengths for ponies I know will appreciate it, like Rainbow Dash and her Daring-Do books.” Twilight said a little defensively.

“Okay, Miss Twilight. I’m sorry if I offended you,” Shadow apologized.

“That’s fine, just don’t be so presumptuous, you old codger.” She smiled at him, laughing.

“Old? Hardly!” Shadow scoffed. “I’m barely a couple years older than yourself, Miss Sparkle.”

“Fair Enough.” Twilight said, finishing her tea. “Anyway, I hope you come by soon before I catalog these books. I didn’t give you a heads-up for no reason.” Twilight got up and made her way to the door.

“I’ll be by a little bit later this afternoon. Promise.” Shadow said, escorting his guest to the door.

“I’ll be waiting, Shadow.” Twilight said, leaving. Shadow noticed something odd about her walk. Was she strutting? “No, can’t be.” Shadow muttered to himself as he closed his door.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

About an hour later, as Shadow was beginning to set out upon his journeys for the day, a barely audible knock was once again, at his door. Answering, he found a teary-eyed Fluttershy. Forgetting all his business at the moment, he had to find out what was wrong.

“Fluttershy, are you ok?” he asked her, even though Shadow knew she wasn’t.

“Shadow, I didn’t expect to find you home. Normally you’re out and about by now.” she sniffled. “I hope I’m not stopping you from anything important.” She gazed down at the ground, not wanting to meet his gaze for some reason.

“I’ve always got time, Fluttershy.” He smiled at her softly. “Please come in and tell me what’s wrong.” He guided her inside, slowly. The curtains were finally open, bright sunlight streaming into all corners of the room. “would you like some tea or something?” He asked the distraught mare.

“No, thank you. I just wanted someone to talk to. Today has been pretty bad for me.” Fluttershy sniffled, almost bursting into tears again.

“Is it Angel Bunny again?” Shadow asked her.

“No, not at all. He’s been really well behaved all day, actually.” She smiled wanly. “But, one of my animals were attacked last night and left for dead. It died this morning in my arms.” Fluttershy burst into heavy tears again, trying, unsuccessfully, to push the image out of her mind.

“Oh dear.” Shadow brought Fluttershy closer, holding her so she could cry into his shoulder. “hush now, it’ll be okay. You’ll be ok” Shadow rocked her gently just as his mother used to do to him when he was little. “Your animal is in a better place now, I promise.” Shadow said, trying to comfort her.

Still sobbing, but quieter now, Fluttershy looked up at him with her wet, blue eyes. “I know, but It was so awful, that feeling. Feeling the warmth leave it’s body…was just so bad.”

“I’d imagine so, but at least it was in your loving hooves and not in some monster’s stomach.” Shadow added, saying only what he thought of firsthoof. “It’s still horrible, no less.” Shadow finished, wiping some tears from her eyes.

“Sometimes, I wish I could move closer into town like Twilight and the others, but I would only be allowed to keep Angel Bunny, and I can’t let all my other animals suffer.” Fluttershy said sadly.

“How about if I build you a security fence?” Shadow ventured. “It won’t be much better than what you’ve already got, but if I can build it slightly taller and more enclosed, it may help out with those Everfree monsters.”

“Shadow, I couldn’t ask you to go through all that trouble just to protect my animals. I should be prepared for things like this, living as close to the Everfree as we do.” Fluttershy said, a subtle hint of remorse in her voice.

“What else have I got to do? I don’t have an official job in ponyville, and I’ve got nothing but time to kill.” Shadow said, a slight smile dancing across his muzzle.

“What about your daily errands and things? Doesn’t that usually take up most of the daylight hours?” Fluttershy asked the unicorn.

“Nopony said it would be easy. Obviously it will be a couple days to build it, but I can start on it today, and at least lock off the area where the animal got in first of all. That should buy you some time.”

“Really Shadow, you’d do that for me?” Fluttershy asked, amazement in her voice.

“Why not.” Shadow smiled down at her. He couldn’t resist that adorable face if he tried.

“Oh, thank you so much Shadow!” Fluttershy was barely able to contain her glee, and she fluttered into the air slightly, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek which elicited a blush from the unicorn.

“Sure, anytime, Fluttershy.” Shadow said, rubbing the spot where she kissed.

“And thank you, also, for being a friend, and for listening to me.” Fluttershy alighted silently. She was as graceful as Miss Rarity, Shadow noted.

“What am I here for?” Shadow laughed.

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After leading Fluttershy back home, Shadow set off to Ponyville. He still had to go check out those books Twilight had mentioned, and collect supplies for the security fence. He enlisted the help of Applejack to haul the stuff to Fluttershy’s cottage. Applejack was busy with barn repairs, so she couldn’t help Shadow build the thing even though she would have loved to.

“Hey Applejack, what do you know about the Everfree?” Shadow asked the orange country mare.

“Nothin’ really. I know that the only critter to ever wander from the everfree is timbers. They’re pretty fierce too. Gave Big Mac a run for his apples last time they tried getting into the farm.” She said, speech laced with her telltale country drawl.

“Timbers are awful clever too, especially in numbers. This fence your building better be into the ground too, otherwise they’ll just dig under.”

“Uh, have you guys needed any help on the farm lately?” Shadow ventured, He knew if he didn’t find some paying work soon, he would be short on rent for the first time.

“Come to think of it, Mac needs some help in the fields, and with cider season fast comin’, we could use an extra pair of hooves to haul a better harvest than last year’s. Why you askin’?” Applejack quizzed the gaunt stallion.

“Well, my rent is gonna come kinda short this month if I don’t find some paying work soon.” Shadow mentioned, somewhat sadly.

“And yer’ thinkin’ of askin’ to give us a hoof in exchange for a few bits?” Applejack cornered the unicorn.

“Yeah, sort of.” Shadow added sheepishly. “But if you don’t have it, I’ll understand.” An awkward moment of silence followed. He knew the Apple Family barely made ends meet as is, so he never really asked for payment from them if he helped them.

“Tell you what, let me talk it over with Mac. If we oblige y’all, y’all better show up early squirrely and work your flank off. Our earnings barely keep us afloat, but I’m sure we can arrange something after cider season passes. How’s that sound to you?”

“After cider season…” Shadow trailed off. Usually, he always paid his rent early or on time, and his landlord was usually flexible. He would have to find a real job soon anyway, as his accumulated fortune from his family farm was slowly draining. He would run out eventually, but he had to secure steady income before it did. Even right now, he didn’t need the money, but he was trying to learn how to work for real instead of always volunteering.

“Shadow, you there, big guy?” Applejack pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Huh wha?” Shadow forgot what he was talking about initially.

“Well, do we have a deal? You harvest with us, and we pay you after cider season ends. Sound fair?” Applejack asked the

clueless pony. He was kinda cute when he had that clueless look.

“Yeah, definitely, AJ.” Shadow smiled at her.

“Then it’s settled. Starting a week from now, you work for the apples.” Applejack laughed at him.

After they arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage and unloaded, Shadow threw applejack a few bits for her services.

“Thank ya kindly, Shadow. I could use this towards supper tonight.” Applejack said, clanking the small sack into her bags.

“I’ll consider it even because I’ll be working for you soon enough, AJ. See you in a week.” Shadow said, sending her off with a hug.

Shadow got started immediately on his fence project, while Fluttershy watched from her kitchen window. She couldn’t believe he would actually go through such lengths for her.

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(A/N) I’ve decided to turn off into a slightly different direction with this fic. Some of the mane six will develop feelings for our unwitting pony, while he will develop feelings for others. I’m not gonna give details on who just yet, but you guys are free to place your bets.

The best date ever (so far)

Shipfic Chapter 4

Shadow stepped out of the steamy shower, and looked at himself in the mirror. Face fungus? Nope. Blemishes? Nope. Hair? He gave it a quick glide with his hoof, slicking it back, and after a second, it popped back into place like a toaster. Hair? Check. He was finally ready for his date with Rarity!

It had taken him almost an hour of agonizing and pacing on how to ask such an attractive mare to go on a date with him. He’d always been an awkward sort, and didn’t rightly know how to ask anypony out on a date. But he’d done it, and she accepted! Checking himself over once more, He donned his tie and gentlepony’s collar. He’d only ever worn it once, and that was at the Gala last year. He made it a point to not be seen, though. He was never one for fancy gatherings, and just happened to buy a ticket off of somepony.

Levitating a bouquet of purple lilac and white lilies, he left his domicile, a silly grin plastered upon his face. The sun was just setting, tinting the horizon a brilliant purple and orange. He made his way to Rarity’s, and when he arrived, gently rapped on the door with a hoof. The door was encased in a sky blue aura, and swung inward to reveal an astonishing in a brilliant satin dress, midnight blue, with silver thread embroidery upon the skirt, in the shape of her cutie mark. Shadow’s mouth was agape.

“Judging by your face, good sir, you like the dress?” she asked with a small, ladylike chuckle. “It took me hours to perfect it, you know. I started working on it right after you left, and only just finished it. I hope it’s not too formal. I would look simply appalling.

Oh my Celestia, are those for me, Shadow?” She asked him. All he could do was nod. She gently lifted the flowers from his magical aura, and placed them into a sterling silver vase on one of the decorative tables within the Boutique’s walls.

“We’d better get a move on, Shadow. Your reservation is for 8, right?” Rarity asked the beauty-struck Stallion.

“Eight?” He checked the clock on the wall. It was nearly 7:30. “Shall we go?” Shadow finally popped out of his stupor.

“I’d be delighted.” The pair left, walking closely, laughing and discussing the day’s events when they finally arrived at “Le Petit Filly”, one of the newer, nicer restaurants in town.

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Silver Flatware and Crystal Wine and Drinking glasses dotted the two dozen or so tables of the small, luxurious restaurant. Brass doorknobs, handles, and rails were about, inset with brilliant black gemstones the size of a golf ball. Marble countertops were where most of the elegance came from, but there were polished granite tables the color of gray smoke, flecked with bits of quartz and some sort of black specks. The tables were set upon brass legs, and ornate wooden chairs were set about, two and four to a table. The chairs were pleasantly stuffed, but not overmuch, and they were upholstered in red satin.

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Here and there, formally dressed couples were eating or conversing, and there appeared to be a late dinner meeting for some of the bank’s upper hierarchy.

The pair approached a marble pedestal whereupon a brass lamp was sitting. A Radiant white greeting colt smiled at them warmly.

“Reservation name, Sir and Lady?” He asked the couple in a posh Manehattan accent.

“Mr. Shadow Foot, party of two, private booth.” Shadow announced confidently. It took him almost a week’s pay to reserve the table, but with a mare of such good standings, you simply had to go all out.

Making small grunts as the colt consulted the book in front of him, he found their reservation.

“Ah, yes. Table Eighteen. A very private table, I assure you.” The colt tipped Shadow a wink and led the pair to their seats.

After they’d settled into their overstuffed chairs, the pair was greeted by a young colt, maybe only eighteen years of age, in a white button down shirt, wearing black slacks and a black vest.

“Care to order, Sir and Madam?” He asked, tipping his head in a nod of respect.

“Just a pair of menus, please. And bring some water and bread if you don’t mind.” Shadow asked of the young stallion.

“Certainly, sir. I’ll be back shortly.” The Waitcolt slid away from the table, nearly gliding.

“Oh, Shadow. You’ve certainly outdone yourself. I hope this didn’t set you back too much. I’m not below a common restaurant, I’ll have you know.” Rarity said with her typical grace and elegance. At the thought of the cost, Shadow blushed profusely, and thanked Luna his coat was red.

“No, not at all, Miss Rarity. I understand you’re a mare of refined taste, so I felt this would be the perfect setting for a nice evening.”

“Please, Shadow. Just Rarity.” She chuckled at him warmly. He noticed how her bright blue eyes sparkled under the dim lighting of the restaurant, and almost got lost in them.

“I’m sorry. It’s the first time I’ve been in such a formal place. I grew up as a farm pony. This kind of thing wasn’t common in my homeland. I learned most of my manners and etiquette from books.” Shadow said with a slight chuckle, which eased up his nerves.

“Really now? I wouldn’t be able to tell. They’re so very polished.” Rarity complimented him, and he felt the warmth in his cheeks again.

“There was a nice old mare that used to invite us over for dinner sometimes. She was of the refined sort, so she made sure at least the colts and fillies in my family knew how to behave properly in a formal setting. She taught my sisters how to be proper ladies, also, but it never really stuck. They liked mud wrestling and applebucking more than any mare should. But that’s why I loved them. They turned me tough since I’m the youngest of 6. Growing up with two older brothers made them as tough as anypony.”

“Really? They sound like they might enjoy some time with Applejack and her brother, Big Mac.” She continued the conversation, for she didn’t want it to end, it was surprisingly rustic for such a setting. Talking about wrestling and applebucking where you usually discussed politics, laws, and other such things. Rarity wasn’t above getting a little dirty sometimes. She even enjoyed it once in a while, but she would never tell her friends so. She had a reputation to uphold.

“How about you? What type of family did you come from?” Shadow asked, interested to know a little more about Rarity. At this prompt, she thought for a moment.

“Well, my mother was a seamstress just like me. She began teaching me all I know since I was Sweetie’s age. My father was a Jeweler, who crafted many beautiful things. He even had a hoof in designing the Princesses’ respective regalia. I had always liked beautiful things that shone or glinted, but I could also see the potential in a bolt of fabric or spool of thread.” At this, she took a sip of the spring water that had since been served to their table.

“Once I earned my cutie mark for gem hunting, I began to incorporate the natural beauty of those gems into my fabrics, and hence, my shop was born. I also draw inspiration from the personalities of my clientele. You’ve seen my work in the girls’ gala dresses.” She finished with a satisfied hum.

“Yes I have, and they’re simply amazing. Each one of them is a work of art. I would be honored to possess something of that magnificence, though less dressy and more stallion-esque” He chuckled at his bad joke.

“Well, why don’t you stop into the shop sometime? It’s rare to have a male model besides Spike, and even rarer to find one with such a great form, if you don’t mind my saying. You seem to have everything where it belongs. Some stallions are too tall, or too short, or fidgety. That makes getting anything done quite difficult. Even though you’re of a larger Draft Stallion body type, I’m sure I can work out something for you, dear.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” Shadow chuckled. By this time, almost 30 minutes had passed, and it was time to order.

“Ready to order, Sir or Madam?” A tawny colored stallion with black hair asked them.

“I’d like a Garden Salad, please. No radishes, extra carrots.” Shadow foot answered. “With a glass of cider, please. Light on the dressing.”

“Certainly Sir. And for Madam?” The stallion asked, turning to Rarity, now.

“Oh, that sounds lovely. I’ll have the same, but add a few daisy stems and tomatoes. With a glass of red wine, if that’s alright?” Rarity finished her order.

“Very well, then. I’ll be back with your orders shortly.” The stallion then swept off, moving along to the next table.

“Well, wasn’t he a pleasant sort?” Rarity spoke up. “It’s rare to find such gracious waiters. Many of them are of a less than friendly disposition.”

“That’s for certain. The other afternoon, a waiter nearly spilled pineapple juice on me because he was in a hurry to serve his last table and go home. How horrible is that?” Shadow continued.

“That stuff doesn’t come out of the fur easily, either. I’ve been covered in mud before, and that comes cleaner than most fruit juices. Surely that’s something. A water and sugar based beverage being harder to clean than mud?” Rarity laughed.

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The conversation continued pleasantly along, and before they knew it, it was close to 10pm. The candles upon their table had all but sputtered out. Just then, another, different waiter approached their table.

“Sir and Madam, I’m afraid we’ll be closing shortly. Please pay your check and be on your way. I really hate to chase such kind and gracious guests away, but it is rather late.” The waiter finished his statement and waited.

“Late you say? What exact time is it, good sir?” Shadow asked.

“A quarter to ten, sir.” Shadow blinked. Where had the night gone?

“Thank you kindly. I guess we’ll be on our way, Rarity?”

Stifling a yawn, Rarity silently agreed. After Shadow had paid and properly tipped their waiter, they left, barely awake, but content.

The night didn’t set Shadow back as far as he thought. As he walked Rarity back home, the two reminisced over how well the night had gone. Too soon, they arrived at the door of Rarity’s boutique. Standing upon the moonlit threshold, Shadow once again got lost in Rarity’s eyes, and before they knew it, they were kissing, slowly and gently, on the doorstep. Their lips parted with a small *pop* noise.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, Shadow. You are a true Gentlecolt among Stallions.” Rarity told him as their lips parted.

Shadow blinked, blushed, and then grinned in that order. “Thank you, Rarity, For accepting my invitation. The night went over a lot better than I feared it would. Maybe we’ll do it again, sometime?” Shadow half asked, half stated.

“Any time at all, good sir.” Rarity said, finally entering her domicile. With a last glance at her date for the evening, she closed and locked her door with a small click.

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Shadow grinned, even wider and stupider than before. His date had went over incredibly well, even without one of the best kisses he had ever received in his life. He trotted home, humming a silly, happy tune to himself, basking in the beauty of Luna’s night. Tomorrow, he had been given the day off from the farmwork. Having a unicorn around made the work a lot easier, and they were able to harvest a little over half of the acre they were working on.

Once he arrived home, Shadow laid down in his bed, and finally felt the day’s events hitting him. He was asleep almost instantly, lost in dreamland once more.

ShadowJack

Shadow awoke before dawn the next morning. Another night had come and passed, and it was back to the acres again to hold up his end of the bargain with Applejack. Today, there was a barn roof that needed urgent repairs, and while Shadow had his magic on his side, he was also pretty good with a hammer. As he made his way towards the countryside, he slammed down a stale muffin and some lukewarm Citrus Tea. He had made it to the acres just as Applejack and Big Mac were leaving the family homestead.

“Good morning, apples.” Shadow announced as he opened the front gates to the farm, greeting his employers with a friendly smile and a wave.

“morning, Shadow” Applejack retorted, still groggy. Big Mac, who wasn’t one for words, just greeted him with a simple nod.

“Where do we start, today?” Shadow asked as he followed closely behind Mac and his Sister.

“The barn needs that roof fixed as quick as can be” Mac said, in his deep southern tone. “Y’all should be able to handle that on yer own, right?”

“Course I can.” Shadow grinned proudly.

“and you know where the lumber, is right?” Applejack followed up, stifling a yawn.

“Yes ma’am. Where can I find you if I finish early?” Shadow asked.

“AJ’ll be in the southern field, I’ll be out near the zap apple orchard.” Mac chimed in.

“right then, see you in a few hours.” Shadow said, splitting apart from the siblings towards his assignment.

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In a matter of minutes, Shadow had traversed the empty orchard that surrounded the damaged barn, and found the lumber and other materials stacked haphazardly under the only dry part of the roof. The planks and boards would be easy enough to levitate, but the 25 sheets of plywood, and bundles of shingles and tar paper would be another story.

Looking about, he saw a rickety old pulley system, complete with a length of rope that used to run from the pulleys to the floor below. It was a bit tattered, and seemed to be split apart, but that would be easy enough to fix. Levitating the tattered bit of rope down to himself, he quickly mended and wound it between the pulleys. He then managed to rig up a sort of elevating platform to haul everything up to the loft.

This took the better part of two hours, and Shadow was starting to get hungry. Hunting around for his lunch bag, he found it and sat down for a bite. Examining the roof above, he saw that there were split timbers everywhere, and the hole seemed to have grown overnight. As he was formulating a plan of action in his mind, a familiar southern drawl greeted him.

“Shadow, you in here still?” Applejack asked from the barn doors as she entered.

“Up here, AJ!” Shadow shouted from the loft above.

Looking up, she saw the sweaty red and black unicorn munching on a tomato sandwich. She liked that look on him.

“Best not be slackin’ off up there!” She yelled up to him, starting to climb to the loft herself.

“Course not. What do you take me for, Rainbow Dash?” He yelled back to her as she finally made it into the loft where he was sitting.

“How long do you think it’s gonna take?” She asked him, sitting next to him for a much needed break. She had cleared a quarter of her field in record time.

“Four, maybe five hours at least. Maybe longer.” He said, noticing she sat unusually close to him.

“Why? I know the damage is bad, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“I think it may have fallen apart a bit more after we left last night. The hole seems bigger than it was. There’s also the fact that I have to work on a very thin catwalk, while repairing timbers, laying plywood, and then somehow finding my way onto the roof to make sure everything’s even. There are some things a unicorn can’t do with magic.”

“Oh. You better do a darn good job of it. I’m not paying you to halfway it.”

“I know, AJ. I would never dream of doing a less than spectacular job.” Then he notice AJ nearly leaning on him, a dazed look upon her features.

“You OK, AJ?” Shadow asked her, concern heavy in his voice.

“Yeah I’m fine.” She said, stifling a yawn. “It sounded like some timberwolves were having a howling party last night. I didn’t get much sleep.”

“And you were up with the sun again?”

“That’s part of a farm pony’s daily routine. The trees ain’t gonna harvest themselves.”

Shadow noticed her dreamy green eyes were staring directly into his, and she was leaning on him, getting closer and closer. Staring back, they got lost for a moment, and Applejack leaned in the last couple of inches, planting a sweet, gentle kiss on his muzzle.

After the brief contact, they parted and Shadow blinked. “what was that for?” Shadow asked, half amazed, half curious.

“Being a farm pony doesn’t give me much time for other things. Add that to being an element of harmony, and you have little time for dating, or free time in general. It’s kind of lonely. And Big Mac, well, he’s a bit overprotective and intimidating. He won’t let any stallions anywhere near me unless they show no interest. Like you. I just wanted to feel a kiss again.”

“Really? I knew Mac was protective, but not overbearing.” Shadow continued, still partly confused.

“He means well. Don’t get that wrong, now. He’s the only male figure Bloom and I have had in our lives since Ma died and Pa ran off. He’s just trying to keep us safe. Granny’s getting up in years. She can’t protect us as well as she used to.”

“That’s understandable. But wouldn’t Mac be furious if he just caught us…you?”

“That’s why he won’t find out as long as you keep your muzzle shut.” Applejack warned Shadow with a faint hint of malice.

“So what now? Is this going to be a constant thing or was that just a spur-of-the-moment type deal?” Shadow asked, genuinely curious. Sure, Mac was scary, but Shadow wasn’t small himself, and Applejack was cute.

“We’ll find out.” Applejack said, leaving Shadow to his work with a small wink.

Thoroughly confused now, Shadow decided to focus on his work and forget that he might possibly be sneaking around with Applejack. It made him feel dirty, but it felt so right at the same time.

After finally finishing the hole in the barn roof, Shadow made his way out of the loft and into the fields. He noticed that a good portion of the day had passed, and the sun was making its way to the horizon. After finding Big Mac, and being told there was nothing he could help with, he went to go find Applejack to see if he could help her in any way.

Wandering along, he came across Applejack’s field, which was nearly clear of all the apples in the trees. Levitating a forgotten apple off of a branch, he helped himself to a bite of the delicious red fruit, when he heard the steady thunk of hoof on wood. Jettisoning the now demolished apple, he found AJ hard at work, filling up the last few baskets that were strewn about. Watching her toned muscles pull back and spring forth, he got scared for a moment. A swift kick from either of her back legs was liable to be deadly, or at least extremely painful.

Approaching AJ as carefully as possible without startling her, he asked her if she needed any help.

After another swift kick against her tree, she answered.

“Did you finish that barn yet, Shadow?” She grunted, landing another hard kick against the tree, making the last few apples fall off.

“Certainly did. The whole thing will eventually need to be replaced, but it should hold until next season. If you can come up with supplies, I’ll fix it up for you next year” He offered.

“If we could come up with supplies, it wouldn’t need to be done” She snapped at him, somewhat unintentionally. There was a slight edge to her voice, that wasn’t particularly malicious. She just hated how stupid the exotic unicorn could be sometimes.

“Ok, I’m sorry. The offer still stands if you do manage it. I could even do a little at a time” He offered once again.

“We’ll see.” She grunted at him, bucking the tree that she had moved on to.

“Do you need any help over this way? I exhausted what supplies you had on that roof job, otherwise I’d still be working on it.”

“I’m just fine and dandy, thank’ee much. How about Big Mac? Can’t you see if he needs anything?” She ventured, not necessarily wanting to be rid of him. She just wanted to stop getting distracted. Daylight was burning and she was cutting it close as is. Lack of sleep was also eating at her patience.

“Already asked. How do you think I wound up over here?” He retorted, a playful, almost teasing tone in his voice.

“Then go on home. We’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.” A final thud of hoof on tree announced that she was done with the conversation.

“Fair enough. Goodnight AJ.” Shadow left, debating whether or not to remind her he used to be a farm pony. He decided not to. She seemed irritated as is, and that particular sentence wasn’t important enough to warrant a buck to the face, or a worse region of male pony anatomy.

ShadowLight

The sun was now approaching the horizon, painting the sky a mix of orange and pinkish-purple. There was still about half an hour of light left, so he decided to go visit Miss Sparkle at her library.

Even with being a farm pony, this did not mean Shadow couldn’t carry a conversation with somepony of Miss Sparkle’s intelligence. He often found much in common with the lavender mare, and found conversations with her to be more enriching than somepony like Rainbow Dash or Applejack, whom cared more about contests and work, respectively. He could talk at length about history and sciences with Twilight, and she wasn’t horribly unattractive either. A bit geeky, admittedly, but he found it cute. Adorkable, he believed the word was, which was often used to describe her.

Knocking three times on the library door, Twilight’s assistant, Spike, answered it.

“Oh, hey Shadow, got more books for us?” Spike asked the abnormally tall unicorn in front of him.

“No, Spike. Not tonight. I’m here to see Twilight on a more casual premise.” He told spike, who’s face went from moderate indifference to confusion in almost an instant.

“Casual-who-what, now?” Spike returned. He never knew what the word premise meant, though Twilight used it sometimes.

“A visit, Spike.” Twilight answered for him, opening the door a little wider to see who was standing at her door. She’d heard the word premise. She was the only pony who ever used that word.

“Oh, hello Shadow. Need a book tonight?” She finally noticed the exotic pony at her door.

“Maybe later, but I was wondering if you’d had some time free. I wanted to stop in for a little while, if you’re not busier than usual.”

“Visit…me…?” Twilight asked aloud, as it was finally dawning on her what had just happened. The one pony in town she was attracted to wanted to visit.

“Yes, visit.” Shadow said brightly.

“Oh, certainly Shadow. No problem!” Twilight responded brightly, then defaulted back to her order-giving tone.

“Spike, would you please put some tea on for the three of us? And grab some cookies from the box Pinkie brought over this afternoon, please.”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” Spike jogged off as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him.

“Not that I mind, but why the impromptu visit, Shadow?” Twilight asked the stallion, noticing he looked a bit rough around the edges.

“Oh, no particular reason. I was just on my way back from Sweet Apple Acres, and I don’t want to go home right away. The library was on the way.”

“The acres? Why?” Twilight asked him, mostly curious.

“I was helping AJ and Big Mac with some things. You know how stubborn AJ is about help on the farm. I’m lucky she even let me fix the barn roof for them” He laughed.

“Trust me, I know” Twilight chuckled, reflecting on last year’s applebuck season fiasco and Cider Pressing contest.

“Sounds difficult.” Twilight ventured, trying to prod the conversation away from physical labor and into her favor.

“Took me most of the afternoon. I’m lucky I finished when I did. But I did offer to stay a bit longer in case they needed other things done, but Mac had finished and AJ seemed rather irritated. Whether at her work or something else, I’ll never know.”

“She’s a good mare. She’s only trying to do right by her family. You can’t blame her really. She has a lot on her mind at once. Expenses, profits, harvests. I may be organized, but I can’t imagine what it would be like to run a farm. I find it difficult at times to deal with the comings and goings of library funds.” She admitted, blushing slightly.

“Everypony has their strengths and weaknesses, Twilight. How we embrace them is as different as one pony from the next.” Shadow intoned sagely.

“I suppose you could put it that way.” Twilight added. “Spike, are the tea and cookies ready yet?” She shouted in the direction of the kitchen.

“On the way, Twi!” Spike shouted, walking out of the kitchen carrying the silver tray, tea set, and cookies all at once.

“My, they look delicious.” Shadow said, eyeing the cookies so perfectly placed to display a variety of the crunchy baked morsels.

“Pinkie’s cookies are always amazing.” Twilight said, levitating a chocolate covered lemon bar towards her. “Spike ate about a half dozen before they made it to the cupboard.” She laughed.

“Can’t argue with that” Shadow said, munching happily on a classic chocolate chip.

The conversation went along pleasantly for an hour or so, when it was rudely interrupted by a pair of grumbling stomachs, belonging to Twilight and Shadow.

“Oh dear, I must have forgotten to eat supper again.” Twilight said, blushing a bright crimson.

“No worries, happens to me all the time. I get into a book or newspaper and time gets away from me” Shadow laughed.

“I know that feeling too well. Working a library is a boon as much as a curse. I personally read every bit of new material that comes in to be sure it’s safe for younger ponies, as well as adults.” Twilight stated, matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t want one of the younger ponies reading some steamy romance novel” Twilight chuckled nervously. She enjoyed those books as much as Rarity did.

“Well, since our favorite little dragon has fallen asleep, how about you go tuck him in and we’ll go out to dinner? My treat.” Shadow offered.

“Wait, what? Dinner? Like a date?” Twilight ventured, unsure of what she’d heard.

“I guess you could call it that. Nothing fancy, really. I was thinking that little family owned operation down the street, next to Sugarcube Corner, if you are going to go with me.”

“Oh, um, ok. Just give me a moment to clean up a little and take care of Spike.”

“At your leisure, Madam.” Shadow said, flashing her a grin.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After a few minutes, Twilight was refreshed and ready to go. This wasn’t her first date. Her past couple dates had been boring ponies, accountants and the like. But she enjoyed spending time with Shadow, and he was one of the few ponies who could keep up with her intellectually. She promised herself to have a good time and not worry about the details for once. That seemed easy enough.

“So Twilight, busy day today? Shadow asked, trying to make the short walk to the restaurant a bit more sociable. He knew Twilight wasn’t used to too many dates, and wanted to make the night enjoyable, or at least what was left of it.

“Surprisingly, yes. It seems like everypony decided to return their loaned books today. Adding to that, I got a new shipment of equestrian folklore and some educational magic books. There’s still a lot to catalogue and organize. But, Spike was begging me to take a break before you showed up, so here I am” She finished jovially. “I was hungrier than I thought.”

“I’m glad you decided to come. I hate eating alone. It’s so quiet, and somewhat unsettling listening to yourself digest.” Shadow continued without missing a beat. “Anything I might enjoy in the new shipment?”

“I haven’t really paid attention. I’m sure there’s something in there for you. You always manage to find something. I did see a few books that involved some more distant aspects of equestrian history. They didn’t fit with the rest of the shipment, so I put them aside. I’ll get them for you later tonight.”

“Oh, no, don’t trouble yourself. I’m sure there’s more important things for you to do than look for a couple of books. I’ll look them up after you get them catalogued and shelved.”

Before Twilight could stop herself, she said “It’s never a trouble when it comes to you, Shadow.” But she quickly managed to save face. “I always enjoy helping a fellow egghead, especially when they’re one of my most common patrons.” She finished, a victorious chant echoing in her head. This was going much easier than most other dates.

“Really? But I still haven’t returned my latest borrows. You sure you’d be willing to let me take them tonight, even before they’re in the system?”

“I trust you, Shadow. Besides, I can send Spike to retrieve the other books tomorrow afternoon. Just leave them in your mailbox if you won’t be home.”

“Oh my, Thank you!” Shadow said excitedly. “I can definitely use the material for my notes.”

“Notes? What do you need them for?” Twilight asked.

“It’s a bit of a pet project of mine. I’m writing a new history textbook for the middle school. I’m going to let the board look them over, and if they like what they see, they may give me a publishing grant or something of that nature. If that works out, I’ll write science and magic texts as well. It’s quite exciting, really.

“Wow Shadow, that really is amazing. How much have you gotten done?” Twilight asked, eager to learn more.

“Well, I’ve only completed about a fourth of the history book. A lot of material needs to be slimmed down and examined, to get straight to fact, as it were.”

“I hope you get that grant you’re looking for. I’ve seen some of the books at the school. They’re so tattered and worn out there’s barely anything left to learn from. These kids could really use it.

“That’s the whole reason I’m doing it. The new generation deserves new books, to pass on to their children and down the line. It’s gonna take a very long time to finish, but in the end, it’ll be worth every second.”

By now, they had arrived at the cozy little diner. The building was simple and sturdy, built of alternating dark and light red brick, with black window frames. Inside each frame sat a pony-sized window, so the passerby could see the cozy dining room, and those eating could watch the ponies pass by with little effort. Black, gas powered lamps lined the pathway leading in to the happy little eatery.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A young colt, probably no older than 7 or 8 years greeted the new arrivals as the door opened inward. A fork and knife adorned his flank, signaling he was probably fairly new to his talent.

“Hello, and welcome to the Corner Diner. My name’s Quick Serve, and I’ll help you find your table if you like.”

“Well, aren’t you a proper, polite little colt?” Shadow spoke to the young pony. “My name’s Shadow, and this is my friend Twilight. We’d like a nice table near the back if you have one.”

“We definitely have one of those. Follow me!” The young, chubby colt scampered off, Shadow and Twilight following behind. He moved a bit quicker than one would think.

“I found the perfect table for you and your marefriend!” The chubby colt slowed down, waiting for the pair.

“We’re not a couple.” The pair said in unison, equally surprised at each other.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Quick serve said, blushing profusely.

“Don’t worry about it, my good colt.” Shadow said. “Here’s a couple bits for you. Don’t spend it all at once, now.”

Shadow laughed, tipping three shiny bronze coins into the little colt’s bag.

“Wow! Three bits! Thank you, Shadow!” The little colt skittered off, narrowly avoiding a grown stallion with a husky build.

“Quick Serve! What did I tell you about running in the diner?” grunted the husky Stallion.

“Sorry, dad! I’ll slow down, promise.”

“You get away with it for now for being a good little helper. Go see if your mother needs you.” The stallion said, kindly.

“Okay dad. Bye Shadow, bye Twilight!”

“Goodbye, Quick Serve.” Twilight told him.

“Hey folks, I’m sorry about him. He just got his cutie mark last week. He’s still excited about helping us run the diner.”

“That’s fine. He’s really good at it already. If he keeps it up, he’ll make a fine worker.” Shadow said.

“Now what can I get you folks this evening?” The stallion asked.

“A pair of tomato and lettuce sandwiches, please. What about you, Twilight?” Shadow said

I’d really like a chef’s salad. Whatever veggies you’ve got back there, Light on the dressing, please.”

After scratching out the order on his notepad, the stallion looked back at the pair. “And for drinks?”

“Two sweet teas, please, unless you would like something different, Shadow?” Twilight asked her host.

“Sweet tea sounds good.” Shadow said brightly.

“If that’s it, folks, I’ll be back in a few minutes with those.” The stallion said lightly.

“Take your time, friend.” Shadow told the stallion.

“Just call me Joe the cook. Shadow, was it?” The stallion smiled widely.

“You’ve got it, Joe. And this is Twilight Sparkle, our local librarian.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Twilight said, inclining her head slightly.

“Okay Shadow and Twilight. I’ll be back soon. Enjoy your evening.” With a swish of his tail, Joe trotted off to the next order that needed to be taken.The next few minutes progressed rather nicely, with the conversation varying from one topic to the next, scarcely missing a beat. They found each other’s company, as mentioned before, suitable.

A ringing of doorbells announced a new arrival to the cozy little eatery. A familiar white coat and expertly styled mane greeted Shadow as he happened to look toward the door as a spare moment between conversations surfaced.

Brilliant blue eyes locked onto his emerald eyes, and the new arrival trotted up to the pair’s table.

“Oh, hello there Shadow. I didn’t expect to see you here this time of night” said Rarity, not noticing Twilight sitting in the next chair, at least not yet.

“Hi, uh…Rarity.” Shadow returned, somewhat sheepishly. He hadn’t expected to see her either. “This may cause some friction” he thought to himself, assuming the best friendly expression he could muster.

“Out for a bit of a midnight snack are you, you naughty unicorn. You know that’ll ruin your figure.” It was then that Rarity had finally noticed the lavender unicorn sitting in the other chair.

“Oh, Twilight. Hello. What an interesting coincidence, the three of us here.” Rarity said, somewhat haughtily. If anypony had noticed it, it wasn’t evident. “Are you two together this evening?”

Noticing his chance to try and save face, Shadow spoke up, a little too brightly.

“No, no. We just happened to er…meet up. Eheheh…You know how Twilight forgets to eat sometimes…and I was at the acres all day, helping with maintenance. You know how they could always use an extra pair of hooves to get dirty.” Shadow tried a halfway grin, hoping to hide his blatant lie. This night, he felt, was going to end up in heartbreak, for possibly more than one pony.

“Yes, hm. I imagine your hooves got quite dirty.” Rarity said icily. She knew there was something fishy going on, and it wasn’t the kitchen. “I guess I’ll leave you two alone. Three’s a crowd and all that” she huffed, turning away, feeling her usually calm and refined grace dissipating like fog on a warm morning.

Twilight knew she had to say anything to try and get Shadow out of the situation he put himself in. Whether it was out of Rarity’s sake, or Shadow’s, she never could quite figure out.

“No, Rarity. Please Stay. Shadow was just telling me about his day at the acres. We’re all friends, right? There’s nothing strange about a few friends sharing a late night meal.” She ventured, trying to save a rapidly spinning downward spiral that might end up with acidic words being spit forth. “That’s fine with you, right Shadow? Just call Joe over so she can order.”

Sighing at his stroke of luck, which he might have hell to pay for later, he smiled. “Sure. The more the merrier.”

As if on cue, Joe turned up just at that moment. “OK, folks, for the young mare, our freshest vegetable medley. And here are your sandwiches, gentlecolt. Oh, hello there, Miss Rarity. Will you be ordering this evening?”

Not wanting to seem rude, regardless of what she was witnessing, Rarity faked her best lady’s tone. “I most certainly

will. I’ll have the same as Miss Sparkle here. Thank you.” Joe bowed slightly and was off once again.

“So, Shadow, you were saying?” Twilight offered, trying to steer the failing conversation into cleaner waters.

“Yes, of course. Well, as I was telling Twilight, I’ve been a bit short on funds lately, so I offered my help to the Apple family. They gave me a part time position as a farmhand. What I’ll earn has yet to be determined. That depends on their profits after cider season this year. Jobs are somewhat few and far between, especially for a unicorn that used to be a farm pony.” Shadow started, trying to make it seem as if the conversation hadn’t missed a beat.

“Shadow, if you’re struggling for funds, you could always ask me, darling. My recent job paid more than enough for me to live on for the next couple weeks.” Rarity offered, jealousy somewhat overtaking her.

“No, I couldn’t possibly…” Shadow attempted, trying to avoid the topic of money. Rarity obviously had more than Twilight, and he didn’t want to harm their friendship because of his shortcomings.

“Nonsense.” Rarity cut him off, staring him daggers. “I make more than enough money for the both of us, and you’re more than welcome to whatever you need.”

“No, Rarity.” Shadow said, assuming a stern tone that was uncommon of him. “I’ll make my own money the way I was raised to. Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but I still have some money left from my inheritance. I’ll invest that into a scrap of land after I receive payment from the Apples. I’ll start the farm over again; it’s all I knew for most of my life. I’m sure I could make it work. The soil here is amazing. Just look at Sweet Apple Acres and the Carrot Mill, Not to mention Celery Seed’s farm. He’s doing well for himself, as are Carrot Top and the Apple Family.”

“Well, if you insist,” Rarity said, fully deflated. Was her money not good enough for him? Or was she not good enough for him? These thoughts and others swirled in her head, for the remainder of the time they were there. She scarcely paid attention to any of the conversation that had been brought up, giving small acknowledgements here and there where appropriate.

With the better part of two hours gone, the trio finally departed the restaurant right as they were closing for the night. Going their respective ways, they bade each other good night as pleasantly as possible, leaving Shadow alone with his thoughts. He decided to avoid ponyville for a few days to let things cool off. He wasn’t totally unaware of the mess he had gotten himself into. Here, he had possibly heartbroken Rarity, alienated Twilight, and was more or less “sneaking around” with Applejack, his employer, in the past twenty four hours.

“I’m going to pony hell for this.” He said to nopony in particular after he had finally worn out all manner of thought. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and needed to sleep.