-Hello, Everypony, And Welcome To The Next Chapter Of The Pursuit Of Happiness! I Don't Have Too Much To Say, But Here's This.

Ok, So A Ton Has Happened Since My Last Chapter, And I'm So Sorry It Took So Long To Update The Story. For Starters, My Laptop Broke Even Worse Than It Had, So I've Had To Work On The Story On The Family Desktop Whenever I Get A Chance. For Another, I Had An Awesome Family Reunion Down In L.A. That Was Incredible. We Had Dinner At The Original Bob's Big Boy Restaurant, And We Sat In The Beatles Booth, Where The Beatles Were Waited At For Dinner When They Were In L.A While Promoting Their Revolver Album. As A Fan Of The Beatles, I Swear That Was Like A Religious Experience For Me, Haha!

I Also Got To See The Getty Center, And Hollywood Walk Of Fame. That Was Truly So Incredible. Being A Boy Born And Raised In Eastern Washington, I Never Get To See Anything Like That. It Was Such An Incredible Experience. I Even Got To See The House My Father Grew Up In As A Child, His High School, And The Church He And My Mother Got Married At. It Was Amazing.

But The Most Important Thing That's Happened, And The One That Affects You, My Readers The Most, Is Your Author Has Finally Gotten A Job. That's Right! I Am Now An Employee Of Sonic Drive In, Working The Grill! I'm Excited To Be Working And Getting Job Experience, Even Though It's Super Stressful. This Means I Won't Have Quite The Same Schedule To Be Writing Anymore, But I'll Try Not To Abandon This Story. Oh, And Here's Another Important Note.

This Is The First Chapter To Ever Be Uploaded To Fanfiction And Fimfiction Simultaneously. Before We Get To The Chapter, I Need To Speak On Something Serious. When I First Uploaded This Story To Fim, It Was Not A Great Moment For Me. After A While, The Story Had Far More Dislikes Than Likes. Now, it's at a much higher rating, but a fact remains. For A Few Days, I Was Just So Confused. I Know This Story Isn't The Best Ever Written But, Dammit, I Really Do Pour My Heart And Soul Into This Story. It Made Me Sad, Because I Felt Like My Writing Just... Wasn't Good Enough. I Mean, People Told Me To Quit Writing, That This Story Was Unoriginal, Etc. It Took A Lot Of Encouragement From Friends To Get My Confidence Back, But I Am Back. And I'm Not Going To Allow ANYBODY To Bring Me Down Like That Again, Not Even If Lauren Faust Herself Told Me To Quit.

One More Thing. If You Have Any Questions About The Story At All, PLEASE Don't Hesitate To Ask Me! I Won't Reveal Any Major Story Plots, Though! STAY FOR IMPORTANT NOTES AT THE BOTTOM, TOO!

Let's Begin!-

I was rudely awakened suddenly one morning. I heard a loud “Thump thump thump!” knocking sound coming from the living room downstairs. I was far too tired to get up to answer the door.

That's when I heard a...soft voice. “Angel, sweetie, we should go. He's probably not awake.” A pony said. Soon, I heard the door open up, and I heard some scurrying noises up my staircase.

“Angel, we really should leave, we don't want to intrude on his privacy.” That same pony said. I then heard my bedroom door open.

“See, Angel bunny? He's asleep. Come on, we need to-” That pony, who I saw was Fluttershy, who for some reason also had Opal, started to say. But suddenly, Angel hopped up onto my bed. He then suddenly WALLOPED my face with a kick from one of his feet.

This awoke me fully. I cried out in pain and fell off the bed as I recoiled from the hit. As I hit the floor, I grabbed my face in pain.

“OW, WHAT THE...” I said a bit angrily, feeling a throbbing pain in my forehead. That's when I saw Angel. “You little menace! I'm gonna skin you alive and wear your coat for a sock!” I shouted as I leapt after him. He dodged me though, and blew a raspberry at me. Seeing him disrespect me in this way INFURIATED me, and I leapt again, this time catching him.

“HAHA, got you you little runt!” I said as I laughed. But he suddenly bit my hoof, causing me to drop him and cry out in pain. I brought my hoof to my mouth and sucked on it a bit as the pain from his bite coursed through me. I looked at the fluffy menace with a near death glare on my face.

“THAT DOES IT!” I said as I charged up my horn, and grabbed him with my magic. I laughed as he squirmed and struggled, as he had nowhere to go.

“Ha, not feeling so smug now, are you, you rat?!” I said to him. However, right as I was about to do some rat extermination, Fluttershy stopped me by walking right in front of me.

“Jordan, stop, leave Angel alone!” She practically begged me, as she grabbed me, trying to calm me down. I breathed heavily through my nose, powerful streams of air going directly into my lungs, trying to contain myself. I slowly lowered my eyes at Angel and shoved him to the ground, letting him scurry to Fluttershy's hooves and hide behind them.

“Why did he kick me, that really hurt!” I asked her in anger, as I rubbed my forehead with my uninjured hoof. She pet my mane softly, trying to calm me down.

“Well...see, Angel was wanting to see your new house, since he hasn't been here before. I think that was his way of trying to wake you up. I'm sure he didn't mean for it to hurt. Don't you worry, he and I will be having a talk about this back at home.” She told me as she glared down at Angel. I sighed.

“That stupid little rat is a menace I tell you. Whatever, let's go downstairs and grab something to eat, ok?” I said as I walked down the staircase to the kitchen. Fluttershy only nodded and trotted behind me softly, I guess she was dumbstruck at my anger and didn't know of how to say or react to it.

I hummed as I looked through my pantry and cabinets for food to eat. I grabbed some oats and some berries for us to all share, though I was a bit hesitant to give the rat any food. Anyway, I sat down at the table with it. I poured the oats and berried into a snack bowl and grabbed some to munch on. Fluttershy did the same, scooping up some in her hoof-grasp and munching softly. She then gasped.

“Oh, Jordan. I forgot to tell you. I'm going to Rarity's soon to return Opal to her. Poor little thing needed a makeover.” She said as she pet Opal, who purred and relaxed in Flutters's affection. I chuckled at the scene.

“Sure, I'll come with you.” I said, sensing why she was telling me this. I guess now it was no secret to the girls that I had a special friendship with Rarity. I was close with every single one of the girls, but ever since the fiasco with the dresses, and especially after the best young flier competition, Rarity and I just seem to click as friends really well. Anyway, she smiled and when we were done eating our snack, we told Angel to head back home, and walked with Opal to the boutique.

When we got there we walked up the stairs to Rarity's work room. We rung the doorbell to the room and waited.

“Oh, what now?!” Rarity cried out as she opened the door. Looking in the room, Rarity seemed to be trying to work on things, with Sweetie Belle perched on a table inside.

Fluttershy looked sad. “Oh, sorry. I thought the "open" sign meant you were open, but I must have been mistaken.” She said as she started to turn away, but I stopped her gently.

Rarity gasped when she realized it was Fluttershy and I. “Fluttershy! Jordan! Forgive me! I was so wrapped up in my work that I forgot you were bringing Opalescence back from her grooming!” She apologized for her unintended rudeness, and I waved my hoof dismissively, showing her I wasn't at all offended.

Fluttershy smiled. “No worries, Rarity. I've left her there in the basket.” Fluttershy said as she pointed to the wicker basket Opal was in. Opal purred when Fluttershy pet her, and again relaxed in the embrace of affection.

Rarity smiled. “Oh, she looks great! I just don't understand how you're able to do it! I can't get near her without getting a swipe from her claws.” She said as Opal indeed swiped at her and hissed, when Rarity got near her.

Rarity yelped in fright. “Ahh!” She then looked at Fluttershy. “Did you use... the Stare on her?” Rarity asked with a hint of fright. Fluttershy gasped and got into a stance, combined with a look on her face of... something, perhaps fright.

“Oh, no! I wouldn't! I couldn't! I-I don't really have any control over when that happens. I-It just happens. No, I'm just good with animals. It's my special gift, you know?” She said with a smile. I looked at her curiously.

“Well, you should have a picture of Opal as a cutie mark instead of those butterflies.” Rarity replied, still in wonder at the amazing work Flutters had done on Opal. I then spoke up, as I was very confused about something.

“Wait. I'm confused. What the heck is the-” I was cut off by Sweetie Belle, who spoke from the table.

“Ooh, ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Maybe I can be good with animals, too!” Sweetie said as she went to Opal. She just caused a bit of a problem though.

“Or not.” She said a little sadly and returned to her place in the room.

Rarity then sighed. “I'm sorry I can't invite you to stay and chat, Fluttershy. I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew with this order.” She said dejectedly

Sweetie Belle was confused. “But you're not eating anything.” She said as she observed that fact. I laughed a bit at her youthful innocence.

Rarity shook her head. “No, Sweetie, it's an expression. It means that I've taken on more work than I can handle. I've got twenty of these special robes to make tonight! They're due in Trottingham tomorrow morning.” She said in despair.

I then looked at her. “Do you need help Rarity? I'd be glad to, I know how stressful dress making can be ever since that whole gala dress nonsense a few weeks ago. I'd be glad to help.” I said with a smile, but Rarity shook her head at my offer.

“No thank darling. I greatly appreciate the offer, but I have to decline. You've done far too much for me lately, I simply couldn't ask that of you. Besides, this order is different than those gala dresses. There really is not much way you could help me anyway.” She informed me sadly. I knew she was right; this was a project I couldn't really help on that much. I nodded at her, then she pointed to some dresses very bright gold material on her desk.

“See? I've lined them in a special gold silk. It took so long to make, but I think it adds just the right touch, don't you?” She said kinda giddily, she was proud of her work and excited about how this fabric would look on the robes.

“These are lovely, but twenty by tonight? How will you get it all done?” Fluttershy asked. I had the same question. She has to make a couple dozen? These robes appear to be pretty labor intensive as well.

Rarity gulped. “Well, I, uh...” She never finished her sentence, as she was obviously distraught and unsure herself.

Sweetie Belle then spoke up. “Oh, oh, oh! Maybe I could... just... just stand over here and watch.” She said sadly at the end. I felt bad for her. She's a great little filly with a heart of gold, but she's just very...clumsy sometimes.

Rarity just nodded. “I'll manage.”

Fluttershy then looked at me, then Rarity. “Well, maybe we should get out of your mane so you can work.” She said with a smile at the white mare.

We were about to turn around to leave, but before we even could, the door burst open. It was Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, in a mad dash for whatever they were here for.

“Hi, Fluttershy! Hi Jordan! Hi, Rarity!” They greeted us. I shook my head a little and cracked a weak smile as they rushed into the room completely unannounced, and walked towards them.

Rarity gulped a bit. “Hello, uh, girls...” She said a bit nervously. I wasn't at all sure why she would be nervous though.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo went to Sweetie Belle. “Hey, Sweetie Belle!” They cheered together.

Sweetie Belle hadn't seen the girls, and when she noticed them she jumped in excitement. “Scootaloo! Apple Bloom!” She cheered happily, and they all hugged.

When they separated, Scootaloo smirked. “You ready for tonight?” She asked, and Sweetie nodded with a smile.

“Yup! Cutie mark planning session is a go!”

Apple Bloom then turned to me. “Jordan! Tonight is the night we each try to find our own special talent. Y'all have to join us, since you're a cutie mark crusader too!” She told me. I chuckled at her unbridled excitement and patted her head with my hoof.

“Sure Apple Bloom, I'll join you.” I said with a smile, also taking time to pat Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's heads.

Scootaloo smiled. “We're gonna get our cutie marks, even if it takes us all night!” She told the three of us excitedly.

Apple Bloom shouted. “I'm ready! You ready?”

Scootaloo shouted as well. “Very ready!”

Then the girls all cheered together. “Cutie Mark Crusader sleepover at Rarity's! Yay!” They cheer shouted in unison. I chuckled at their eagerness.

Sweetie Belle pulled out a neat looking cape. “And... look what I made us! Even Jordan!” She said as she presented the capes. They had an insignia that represented each of us, and it was very clear that the little filly had put a lot of work into them.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were in awe. “Oh, wow! That's so cool! Oooh!” They said together. I took my cape and slowly tied it around my neck, smiling as I looked in the mirror.

Fluttershy poked one of the girls on the shoulder. “What does that patch on your cape mean?” She asked the girls curiously.

The girls responded by shouting their answer in unison. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders! Yay!”

Scootaloo then elaborated. “We're on a crusade, a mission!”

Apple Bloom continued. “To find our cutie marks!”

Sweetie Belle added on. “Yup. And look. I lined them with this special gold silk. It took sooo long to make, but I think it adds just the right touch, don't you?”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo went “Oooooh!” in unison again.

I then looked over at Rarity, who was looking at a sheet of gold fabric. She ran to it and held it up. There were like ten holes in it, in the shape of the capes. I gulped, realizing the fabric Rarity needed was now completely useless.

“Sweetie Belle! What have you done?” Rarity cried out to her sister. “That was the last of the gold silk! Oh, now I'll have to make more! Oh, I hope I can make more. I'm gonna have to work all night! Which means...” Rarity sighed and looked at the girls. “Sorry, girls, I'm afraid the Crusaders sleepover is canceled.” She informed the girls with a tone filled with remorse. The crusaders gasped.

“What?!” Sweetie shrieked. Rarity looked at her with a look of sorrow and perhaps some remorse tacked onto it.

“I just won't have any time to watch you if I want to get these robes delivered on time.” Rarity informed them sadly.

Sweetie Belle was sad. “But—“ She started to interject, but she was cut off by Rarity.

“No buts this time. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. It's just the way it has to be.” She said with finality, resignation filled in her voice. I then spoke up.

“R...Rarity? Why don't I take care of the girls tonight? They can come over to my house. You know I have the guesthouse for them to stay in. I have games, food, blankets and pillows, everything they need. I'll take care of them.” I said with a confident smile. Rarity seem bewildered.

“I couldn't ask you to do that.” Rarity told me. I only smiled.

“Rarity, it would be no problem at all. I can handle it.” I said, but she shook her head.

“Darling, have you met my sister and her friends? A problem is all it would be.” She said with some resentment towards the girls.

I shook my head back. “You seem to forget that I'm a cutie mark crusader as well, Rare. You know how much the girls trust me, and look up to me. I can do this, and thanks to these capes you're even more behind!” I told her as I pointed to the sheet of fabric. Rarity shuddered a bit and sighed.

“I suppose that's true... and I do have a lot of work to do...” She said as she thought.

Fluttershy then stepped in. “I can help Jordan, if it makes you feel any better, Rarity. You know how good I am with animals, children should be no different.” She said with a smile. I on the other hand was quite... fuzzled at her statement. Children aren't even close to taking care of animals. “Come on, it'll be fun.” Fluttershy finished. Rarity looked at Fluttershy, then at me, seeming to ponder the situation.

“I assure you, they're quite a handful.” She informed both of us. Fluttershy shook her head and went to the girls.

“These sweet little angels?” She said as the crusaders gave Rarity an innocent, big smile.

Rarity gave in. “Well... all right.” The crusaders then cheered and hugged Fluttershy and I.

“Cutie Mark Crusader sleepover at Jordan's house! YAY!” They cheered and ran out of the door.

Fluttershy smiled. “So cute. W-wait for me!” She said as she started to fly to them. I held her shoulder, making her look at me, and smiled.

“Come on, they know the way to my house Fluttershy. Let them run, get their exercise, release their energy. Let's walk together.” I said as the both of us began to trot out of the boutique. She walked right beside me, stride in stride to my home. When we got there, the girls were crowding the door like savage animals. I chuckled and grabbed my keys, unlocking the front door and allowing them entry as I pushed the heavy, oak front door to my domicile open.

They ran inside excitedly and started inspecting everything, since they'd never been here before. I saw Scootaloo hop on my sofa to test it by hopping on it like a bed and laying on it, Apple Bloom ran to my kitchen to get some snacks, and Sweetie Belle was investigating my collection of memorabilia on my shelf.

I walked over to Sweetie Belle, and she pointed to my trophy from the Running Of The Leaves. “Hey Jordan, what's that trophy for?” She asked me curiously. I took the trophy, which had a running stallion cast in bronze atop a mantle at the bottom of the trophy, and gave it to Sweetie to hold.

“Well Sweetie Belle, I won this trophy a while back, for winning the Running Of The Leaves. I decided at the last minute to enter the race, and I somehow ended up winning. Even though I thought no chance of ever winning, not even in my wildest dreams, I still somehow won the race.”

She had looked at me with bright eyes of wonder as she listened to my tale, and even Scoots and Apple Bloom had come over to listen. Sweetie Belle looked at me with a curious face.

“I don't understand, Jordan. You're twice our age, you've been all over Equestria, and you've done so many things. How have you not gotten your cutie mark?” She asked me. I tossled her mane a little bit.

“I don't know, Sweetie. I guess none of the things that I've done were my special talent. For all we know, I could be fifty before I discover my talent.” The girls gasped at my words, and I could see in their eyes they were all starting to freak out at the possibility of being old mares by the time they found their talent. I sighed.

“Girls, I didn't mean it like that. Trust me, you'll find your special talent in no time. I'm probably just a very weird circumstance, not finding my talent. I'm more than sure you three will.” I said with a smile. We all shared a group hug together.

All of a sudden though, I felt a weird feeling in my chest. I held a hoof on my chest and grunted slightly. Fluttershy looked at me.

“What's wrong? Are you Ok?” She asked me. I rubbed my hoof a bit.

“I'm not sure. I...think I might be getting sick. Ooo, shoot.” I said as I sorta collapsed onto the couch. I sneezed suddenly and held my head.

I was feeling bad. My body was quickly succumbing to whatever sickness had grabbed it in its vile clutches.

“I... I don't understand! What illness comes on so strongly in such a short period of time?” I asked in disbelief. I heard Apple Bloom speak.

“The pony flu! I heard from Applejack it's been goin around lately! Y'all probably caught it from somepony.” She said, and then the girls gasped and looked at each other.

“Are y'all thinkin what I'm thinkin?” Apple Bloom asked the girls. Scootaloo grinned.

“I know I am!” The orange pegasus quickly remarked. Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Totally!” She said with a grin.

Apple Bloom grinned too. “Then let's do it! CUTIE MARK CRUSADER NURSES!” They cried out in unison. They then ran to me and grabbed one of my forehooves, leading me to my bed upstairs.

As I carefully traversed the staircase following their lead, I tried to ward them off. “Girls... girls... I'm ok. This whole nursing thing seems really unnecessary.” I said as Apple Bloom had me lay on my bed. The girls were scrambling back and forth for things.

“Scootaloo, y'all got the thermometer?!” Apple Bloom shouted to Scootaloo as she herself tried to find a stethoscope. I really didn't think I even owned one, though.

“Yeah, I found it in the bathroom!” Scootaloo replied as she walked to me. She pushed the thermometer in my mouth. I opened my eyes a bit wide from sheer surprise, and a few seconds later Scootaloo removed the thermometer.

“He's burning up!” Scootaloo declared as she looked at the thermometer. The red bar was high, if I had to guess I was running a fever of maybe 101.5, not too alarming, but they didn't care. Sweetie Belle laid an ice pack on my head.

“Oh no, that's not good! This should help.” She said as she laid it on my forehead.

I tried to sit up. “Girls, this isn't nece-” I started to say, until Apple Bloom then walked in with the stethoscope. She put it into each of her ears and placed it onto my chest, listening to my heart.

“Hmm. His heart sounds fine girls. That's good.” She said as she removed the stethoscope. I saw Fluttershy in the corner of the room, an unsure look on her face as she watched this happen.

“Girls...” She said softly, but they didn't hear her.

Scootaloo grinned. “Time for surgery!” Scootaloo smirked as she grabbed a big saw. I opened my eyes wide and tried to sit up.

“WHOA WHOA WHOA! Scootaloo, let's put that away!” I said in a panicked, ordering tone of voice. I felt bad for kinda yelling at her, but she got way out of hand there.

Sweetie Belle hugged me in a protective way. “He doesn't need surgery! What he needs is love and compassion!” She told the girls. Apple Bloom seemed to agree.

“Yeah Scoots, don't be silly!” Apple Bloom said. I sighed.

“Girls. Enough.” I said in a very authoritative tone. This made them look at me. I sighed again.

“Girls, I know you just want me to feel better, but this is too much. What I really need is rest.” I told them. I then sneezed hard, and rubbed my nose.

“AHHHHTOOOWEEEEII!” I shouted as I sneezed. I sniffled a bit. “And...maybe some tissues. And some tomato soup for strength.” I said as I laid back on the bed, letting my ice pack cool my fever. The girls grinned.

“Right away!” They happily exclaimed as they ran downstairs. When they left, Fluttershy walked to me and rubbed my cheek softly.

“Will you be ok?” She asked me in concern. I nodded.

“Yes. I'll be ok with some food and rest, Fluttershy. Can you go downstairs and make sure they don't burn my home down? It would mean a lot.” I said as I laid back into the bed, not smiling for once, frowning a little. Not at her, but at the current state I was in. She nodded.

“Of course. I'll bring it up to you when it's done cooking. You rest up, ok?” She said as she kissed my cheek softly. This made me feel lighter than air, like... I was resting on top of a cloud. As she walked away and I watched her, I even forgot that I was sick for a few moments, before the throbbing in my head returned and I pushed the ice pack into my forehead with my hoof.

I groaned as I looked up to the ceiling. My nose was stuffy, my head was on fire, my body ached, and my skin felt... tingly. I didn't realize how much time went by, but in what felt like no time at all the girls all came to the room with the soup and tissues, on a serving platter. The kind so you can have breakfast in bed.

Flutterhy sat next to me and smiled, getting a spoon of soup and blowing on it. “Here you go, Jordan. Here comes the train!” she said softly as she pushed the spoon to my mouth. I opened my mouth reluctantly, embarrassed she was feeding me like I was a little filly. I heard the fillies giggling a bit as they watched this. I closed my mouth around the spoon and swallowed, the smooth, tangy taste of the tomato soup making my taste buds sing.

Fluttershy fed me like this until I asked her to stop, once I got full. Suddenly, there was a knocking at the bedroom door.

“Jordan? Are you there?” the voice of Twilight asked me. “Yeah Twi, in here!” With that, she opened my bedroom door and gasped.

“Whoa, are you ok?” She asked in concern as she trotted to my bedside. Fluttershy looked at her.

“Poor thing seems to have gotten the pony flu. We got to his house about an hour ago and he nearly collapsed.” Fluttershy told Twilight a little solemnly.

Twilight looked sympathetic towards me. “Oh gee, that's too bad. I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me to Zecora's, Jordan. I'm going there to get some of my favorite tea.” She told me.

I sighed a bit. Is this going to be one of those things where I'm sick and everypony does things without me? Great, that's just what I need...

Fluttershy gulped nervously. “Th-The Everfree Forest? Ah, you'll be careful, won't you?” She asked Twilight, her soft voice filled with worry and concern for our dear friend.

Twilight nodded. “Of course! How about you? What are you doing with the girls?”

I spoke up. “Rarity has a big order to fill tonight, so I volunteered to take the girls over to my house for a sleepover. Fluttershy offered to help, since she's so good with animals. She figured taking care of the girls with me would be no problemo.” I informed her as I pushed the ice pack down onto my head more, because my forehead was getting sweaty and clammy.

Twilight smiled a bit. “Wow. Sounds like everypony has their hooves full today. Taking care of those three fillies all by yourselves? You sure you can handle it?” She asked Fluttershy and I with concern, and Fluttershy nodded as she pointed her hoof to the crusaders.

“What? These sweet little angels? They'll be no problem at all. Jordan can rest up, and I can watch the girls. Easy as pie.” Fluttershy said with a smile.

Twilight smiled back. “Well, ok then. I have full confidence in the both of you. Jordan, you be sure to rest up, ok? See you all later.” Twilight told the lot of us as she left the house, closing doors behind her. I sighed a bit and lay back down, my head throbbing slightly from pain. I was also feeling an immense pressure behind my eyes, which was a very strange sensation.

I then felt Fluttershy, rubbing my shoulder with her hoof. “Jordan... I um... I think it might be better if I take the girls to my cottage. You're too ill to get out of bed and take care of them.” She said with a sad tone of voice.

I shook my head. “Fluttershy, I couldn't ever put that burden on you. I'm ok, really! See?” I said as I tried to slowly stand up out of bed, only to almost fall down onto the floor. Fluttershy grabbed me and laid me back on the bed.

“No buts, mister. You need to rest and get yourself better. I'll take the girls to my house, it's really no problem at all.”

I sighed again and started to interject, but I stopped once I saw the look on Fluttershy's face. I knew that with those eyes, she was never going to change her mind on this. Feeling defeated, I just nodded at her and laid back down on the bed.

“Ok Fluttershy. I'll let you take the girls, but please take care of them. And if you need any help you'd better come back and get me, ok?” I told her with a very serious face, and she nodded at me. She then leaned down and kissed me on my forehead, and this made me blush a little bit.

She turned and walked out of my bedroom, leaving my door open. A few moments later, I heard the crusaders all go “Aw...” in unison sadly, a surefire sign they were a bit disappointed I was too sick to join them in their crusading.

Another few moments later, I heard the front door of my home open and then shut closed. I had a brief moment of sadness as I felt the quietness, the desolation of my home. After the events of the past few hours, this nothingness was just so... alien. It left me sad, and feeling alone.

The next thing I knew, my world turned black, and I woke up hours later. I was still alone, which shocked me. “Huh... Fluttershy said she would be here to check on me. It's been four hours...” This made me feel concerned, and I don't know why, but I got the strong feeling that I should go check on HER now.

Ignoring the fact that I was still sick, I tossed aside the covers, put on my scarf, locked up the house behind me and walked to Fluttershy's cottage. When I got there, I found that the place was entirely deserted! Lights were out, the door was open and not a voice was to be heard.

I sprinted inside the cottage, worried that something had happened to the girls, or Fluttershy. Once I reached the living room, I saw him...

“Oh great, it's you! Out of all the ponies who were here tonight, I had to be stuck with you?!” I spat my sentence in anger at Angel, still mad at him for what he did to me earlier. He gave me a glare back, and tapped his foot. Suddenly, he pointed to the back door to the cottage, and I took that as my cue. I ran outside the door, and saw the chicken coop. It was full, save one chicken! I saw a trail of feet/hoof marks going from the coop, into the everfree forest.

My eyes opened wide as I looked at the ominous trail in front of me, and I thought. “Oh no... did they go into the everfree, looking for the chicken, AT NIGHT?!” I screamed in my own mind in fear. I felt my knees start to wobble. Not out of fear for myself, but out of worry and fear of what might have happened to the girls. The everfree is filled with countless nightmares of creatures, the poor fillies and timid Fluttershy wouldn't stand a chance against any of them!

Not even giving my brain time to formulate some sort of a sensible plan, my legs all of a sudden took flight, galloping alongside the trail of combined chicken prints and hoof prints. They lead further, and further into the forest. I was so lost in thought as I walked, that I didn't even realize that I had gone off course from the tracks.

I slowed down to a slow walk, and looked around. Even though I'm a stallion, and I'm supposed to be tough and brave... I was genuinely scared. I kept hearing eerie, frightening noises, and it was so dark. I was horrified.

In the distance, I saw a silhouette of what appeared to be a... pony. At least, I thought it was. Was it? It was so hard to tell because of how sick I was. It was entirely possible I was hallucinating from my fever.

Deciding not to take any chances, I sprinted to the silhouette ahead, hoping it was either Twilight, Fluttershy, or the crusaders. When I got to the figure in front of me, I sighed in relief.

“Twilight, or Fluttershy, whoever you are, come on! We have to find the girls ASAP!” I said to the figure. However, the figure just slowly turned to me, and that's when it happened. That's when I saw those eyes. Those blood red, angry eyes.

A flash of lightning appeared, and with the little light the flash provided me, I could see this pony was nopony I knew. It was entirely black. Mane, tail coat, eyes, every detail of it was black. Even where its cutie mark was supposed to be, was nothing but black. It turned to me and I felt a stone cold shiver run up my entire spine, fear striking my brain like a club.

“Who...who are you?” I asked very cautiously, in as soft a voice as I could mutter. Whoever this being was just stared at me for a time, before it spoke in a very dark, blank tone of voice.

“Who I am does not matter. Why I am here is all that concerns you. I regret to inform you that you, my dear stallion, are in danger. I knew you would show up in this forsaken grove, and I bided my time waiting for you. Now I can inform you that you are in grave danger. It is best for you if you simply leave Equestria. If you agree, I can cast a spell right now that will return you to whence you came.” It said as it pointed to its horn. I looked at it confused.

“Whence I came? Look, I don't know who you are, or what you mean, but I live here in Ponyville. And I'm never leaving. So, you can go ahead and get out of my way.” I said kinda coldly, returning the dialect it used on me.

The being then started to disappear. “Suit yourself.” It said as it literally vanished. I started to feel very... off. I felt upset, confused, and shocked by what just happened. I basically went into a bit of a grumpy mood...

After it was gone, about a quarter mile away I saw Fluttershy, and the girls. The girls were all running around is circles, screaming in fear and fright. Suddenly, Fluttershy shouted, shielding her eyes from some...thing.

“Girls! Behind me, now!” She ordered the girls, and the girls immediately scrambled behind Fluttershy. After a few seconds, she opened up her eyes and jumped towards the chicken monster thing.

“You! Just who do you think you are, going around turning others into stone?” She asked the creature as she gave it a glare, and the creature just squawked at her. I ran to Fluttershy, so confused.

“Fluttershy?! What the hay is going-” I was cut off mid sentence as me and the creature stared at each other, and all of a sudden my body felt...cold. I felt rigid, and I couldn't move! The only thing I could move was my eyes, and even that was difficult. What the hay just happened to me?!

Fluttershy saw this happen, and she gasped and turned back to the monster, even more angry than before. “You should be ashamed of yourself! I have a mind to find your mother and tell her what you've been up to, young man!” Fluttershy said as her rear legs started transforming into... stone. Wait, is that what happened to me?! I'm nothing but stone?! “Now you go over there, and turn Elizabeak and my friend Twilight back to normal, and don't ever let me catch you doing this again. Do you understand me?” Fluttershy finished as her rear legs broke from their stone prison. The monster nodded, and ran away from us, and next thing I new I hit the ground like a ton of bricks.

“OW!” I said in pain, and looked up to Fluttershy, who had a concerned look on her face.

“Jordan, girls! Are you alright? I was so worried about you!” She said in a concerned tone of voice, and the girls nodded.

“Yeah, fine!” Scootaloo said.

“Thanks to that stare of yours.” Sweetie Belle added.

“You're like the queen of stares!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “You're the-” She continued, then stopped.

“Stare Master!” The three girls all finished, together.

“We're sorry we snuck out of the house and into the forest.” Sweetie Belle said with a sad look on her face. Ohhhh. So that's what happened. They probably went looking for the missing chicken.

“Yeah. We'll listen to you from now on.” Apple Bloom added on.

Scootaloo nodded. “We promise.”

Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. “Oh, you do, do you?” She walked to the girls. “Well, you better, or I'll give you...” She stopped and stared at them with one open eye. “The Stare!” She finished dramatically, and then she and all the girls busted out in laughter. I then heard Twilight's voice.

“What... what happened?” Twilight said tiredly, like she'd just woken up from a deep sleep.

I looked at the girls. “Yeah, what the heck was that thing, what just happened?” I asked them as I sat on the ground, wiping sweat from my head as I was still suffering from my fever.

“Well, that was a cockatrice. It's a creature with the body of a snake and the head of a chicken. If it stares at you, it turns you into stone!” Fluttershy informed us. “When I found out the girls had left my bedroom, I panicked, and went out to search for them.” Fluttershy saw the sick state I was still in and scooped me up in her hooves.

“There will be time to explain later, Twilight. Jordan needs to rest right now, so we should all go to my cottage.” Everypony nodded, but I got out of Fluttershy's hooves and stood on my own.

“Girls... I'm ok. I don't need your help. I can get to the cottage on my own.” I said as I stumbled forwards, step by step, clumsily. Fluttershy watched me walk carefully, with a look of concern in her eyes. The crusaders went forward with Twilight supervising them. Fluttershy made sure I could keep going on my own power.

Eventually, I got to the cottage, stumbling to the couch in the living room. I laid down on it and held my head. I groaned from pain.

“Fluttershy, do you have any ice water? I could really use some.” I asked her. She nodded and flew into the kitchen, coming back out with a glass of ice cold water moments later. I took it from her gratefully and gulped it all down in a few desperate sips. I sighed in relief as my throat no longer felt so dry and horrible.

Twilight and Fluttershy sat down in the living room with me. “Fluttershy, you've got some explaining to do, missy. You never came to check on me, like you said you would. You really worried me, Shy...” I said sadly.

“Oh my, I'm so sorry Jordan. See, I took the girls here like I said, but it was nearly impossible to get the girls to go to sleep. All they were concerned about was getting their cutie marks, not even caring about sleep.”

I nodded as she told her story. “Well, how did they end up going to the forest?” I asked curiously.

“Well, one of my chickens got loose from the pen outside, and the girls took it upon themselves to try and find it when I was sleeping. I woke up and noticed they were gone, and I knew I had to find them. You found us right when I found them.” She informed me, then went on. “You shouldn't have left your house, Jordan. You're very ill. I could have handled everything.”

I sighed and took a deep breath. “Fluttershy, can I tell you something?” I asked her, and she gave me a nervous nod.

“I know you're a very kind, gentle pony. That's one of the things everypony loves you for.” This made her blush a good bit. “But, that doesn't mean that sometimes you don't go overboard. I might be sick, but I'm not useless, Fluttershy. If I just stayed in bed ALL DAY, doing nothing, I would go crazy! This was an adventure for me, and I'm glad it happened, because now I know to stay away from that...cock-a-trice thingy. It was a learning experience!” I finished with a light smile. Fluttershy nodded and stroked my mane.

“Well, that may be true, but that adventure is over, and you do need to rest mister. Go to sleep, Twilight and I will take care of the girls, right Twilight?” She asked the purple mare as she looked at her, who gave her a nod. So with that, Fluttershy turned out the lights and went upstairs with Twilight, leaving me to sleep.

I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes, nodding off to the dream world.

-THE DREAMSCAPE-

I looked around the etheral plane which surrounded me, taking in all of the beautiful colors I could see. That's when suddenly, I felt a tapping on my shoulder.

It was none other than the pony I expected to see, Luna. She smiled at me, and pointed her wing to the bench she and I had sat on before. I took her offer up with a nod, and on the bench next to her.

She sat down with me, and was the first to speak. “It is plainly obvious that thou has plenty on thine mind.” She stated plainly, and I gave a nod.

“Yes, I very much do. I had a most strange encounter earlier tonight.” I informed Luna.

“We know, we were observing thou with our telescope and magic. Thou's experience certainly was intriguing.”

“You were spying on me? Well, you heard what happened Luna, what does it mean?” I asked her hopefully, thinking that she would have some sort of an answer.

“We truly do not know, dearest Jordan. All we can offer is to watch over thou, and try to make sure thou is protected from danger. If anything goes horribly wrong, please contact our sister. She can help far more than we can." She told me, and I nodded.

“Yes, I'll be sure to do that. Thank you Luna. I know you have thousands upon thousands of others to watch over, yet you always come to my rescue when I need it. I'm truly undeserving of such a friend.” I said to her, and this made her gasp from shock and surprise, actually scooting backwards on the bench a little.

“Thou...considers us a friend?” She asked me in surprise, and I nodded at her. “How could I not, Luna? As I said before, you always come to help me when I need it, and we've talked about some gnarly things. I'd consider us friends in full.” I said with a smile, then continued. “Though Luna, I do have one thing bugging me.” I told her, and this made her look turn curious.

“Well, you know all about me and my problems, but I hardly know ANYTHING about you. Is there any chance I could know more about you Luna?” I asked her, hoping for the response I wanted. But she just sat there, looking at me blankly for a few seconds, before suddenly, her horn charged up, and next thing I knew, I was awake.

I guess that was all the answer I needed...

-MORNING, FLUTTERSHY'S COTTAGE-

I awoke from the encounter in the dream realm to find it was late morning. Birds were chirping, the sun peeked through the window, and it was pleasantly warm. I smiled and slowly got off of the couch. I was still sick, but I felt worlds better this morning.

I heard chatter outside, and walked out the front door to find Twilight and Fluttershy sitting at a table, conversing with one another. I smiled at them and sat down alongside them in a chair.

“And that's when it brought you both back from stone.” Fluttershy finished the apparent story of last night's events, as Twilight wrote it all down to a scroll.

Twilight looked up from the scroll. “This is gonna make quite a letter to the princess. I was wrong about you both. You certainly do know how to handle those girls.”

“Oh, I wouldn't go that far.” Me and Fluttershy both said as the same time, making us giggle at the jinx.

“Hmm? How so?” Twilight asked us both.

I replied first. “Well, it was originally my idea to take the girls off of Rarity's hooves, and Fluttershy offered to tag along and help me out. I had figured I wouldn't need the help she offered, but Celestia was I wrong. I got pretty ill, and she ended up having to take the girls off my hands for me. Fluttershy knows how to take care of the girls in my eyes.” I gave Flutters a reassuring nod, but she shook her head.

“Oh no, Jordan. I assumed that I'd be just as good with kids as I am with animals. Boy, was I wrong. I really learned the hard way not to bite off more than I could chew.” She finished, and Twilight nodded.

“You and Rarity both. Good morning, Rarity.” Twilight greeted the white unicorn as she happened to right then trot up to the cottage.

“Did you finish all those capes?” Fluttershy inquired, and Rarity sighed.

“Just delivered them. I have to admit, if you two hadn't come along, I might not have. Thanks again.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Won't you stay for some tea?” Fluttershy offered, but Rarity shook her head.

“I really must get back to the shop and clean up. Girls! Get your things. Time to go. Girls!” She tried to get the girls attentions, but it was hopeless, they wouldn't listen to her. So, Fluttershy stepped in.

“Allow me.” She said as she cleared her throat. “Girls?”

The girls immediately stopped their playing and very respectfully lined up in front of us, waiting for Fluttershy to speak.

“Go and get your things. Rarity is here to see you home.”

“Of course, Fluttershy, right away!” Sweetie Belle said as the girls sprinted inside the cottage, leaving Rarity with a shock of utter disbelief on her face.

“Ah, huh, ah, how did you... how did you do that?” She asked Fluttershy in complete shock and awe.

“I guess I'm just as good with kids as I am with animals.” She said with a wink to me and Twilight. Right then, the girls ran out of the cottage back towards the road, thanking Fluttershy for the fun.

“Speaking of which, I could use your help with Opal.” Rarity told Fluttershy, who nodded.

“Of course. How about later today?” Fluttershy asked and offered, but Opal suddenly bit onto Rarity, who winced.

“How about now?” Rarity asked, and this made us all laugh.

In the next while, Fluttershy took Opalescence into her cottage and cleaned her up again, also giving her a tiny bit of stare treatment. I walked up to Fluttershy after Rarity went home, curious about something.

“Fluttershy, when did you discover the stare? I mean... it's just such a weird phenomenon, I'm surprised Twilight doesn't want to study all about it.” I said with a big of a giggle.

Fluttershy seemed to think for a few seconds before speaking. “Well, it happened when I was a younger mare. One of the bullies in flight school was being especially nasty to me one day. He was shoving me, called me bad names, and even insulted all of my friends. Finally, I had enough and it just...happened. The stare, I mean. It scared Dumb Bell to death, and it took him weeks to return to his normal self. Ever since then, I'm always careful about who I use it on.” She told me, and I nodded.

“I understand. Having such a great power like that can make it so easy for a pony to misuse it. I'm proud of you for having such strong self control, Fluttershy. And hey, just for what it's worth, if I had attended flight school, I would have showed those jerks what for. Nopony hurts my Fluttershy.” I said as I draped my foreleg around her, giving her a big hug. This made her eep and blush badly.

“Well, I gotta head home now, Fluttershy. I'm still kinda sick, and could use some more rest. Thanks for taking care of me, it means the world to me. I'll see you later, ok?” I very slowly pulled away from her, turning towards the dirt path leading away from the cottage back to Ponyville.

Halfway there though, I heard her voice. “Jordan!” She quietly hollered after me. “Jordan, please, wait!” Fluttershy begged me. I immediately stopped and turned around, seeing Fluttershy flying surprisingly fast to me.

She landed, and took some deep puffs of air. After that, she furled her wings and spoke. “Jordan, I just wanted to say that I, um... I'm glad you moved to Ponyville. You're um... such a good friend.” She then walked up to me and nuzzled into my side, making me gasp. I smiled and draped my foreleg around her like earlier, holding her closely.

I never wanted this moment to end. It was so perfect. But, she and I finally separated, much to our own dismay.

“I, um... I need to go back. S...see you later, Jordan.” She told me as she walked back to her cottage. After a few seconds of thought, I turned back onto the road and walked all the way home, my head swimming with thoughts.

I grabbed my key, and unlocked the front door. I re-locked it, and Elise pounced on me, giving me kisses.

“I'm glad to see yer feelin better! Y'all looked horrible yesterday. I can tell from the look on your face, somethin crazy happened.” She said as I put her down.

“Yeah, I had a very crazy night. Haha.” I went to the kitchen and made Elise some lunch, going into my room thereafter. There, I got in bed and went to sleep, for a nap. I did need to rest and get my strength back, after all.

So with that, I once again drifted peacefully to the dream world.

Author's Note

-And That Was Chapter 21, Everypony! I Hope You Enjoyed. If You Guys Have Time, I'd Like Some Feedback. Do You Enjoy Chapters Like These More, Where I Follow The Episode With Not Much Character Development? Or Do You Prefer It When I Put In Ideas Outside The Episode? Comment Below!

QOTC Time! Have You Ever Read A Clopfic? Or Are You Just A Pure Son/Daughter Of God? Hahaha! Comment In A Review Your Favorite Clopfic Too!

This Is Syren345, Blasting Off Again!-