Dylan trudged through the snow, his teeth chattering, body shivering. It was his turn to travel out to the shed in the orchard and grab the firewood. Luckily, it was already cut, and he had been given a cart to put the wood in.

"So how've you been, lately?" Amber asked. She had been visiting Dylan at the time, and, when given the chance, had offered to help him.

"C-C-Cold," he replied.

Amber snickered to herself and noticed an old wooden shed up ahead. "I'm guessing that's it?"

"Yeah." Dylan made his way to the pile of firewood that rested against the side. "This is where we store the extra wood. This winter has been especially cold, and we were running low, so here we are."

Dylan stomped his rear leg, the sudden vibrations launcing a piece of wood into the air. He then kicked the piece midair and into the cart. It was a trick that had taken him many months to perfect. Thankfully, Applejack had been teaching him.

"Wow, you've really got the hang of it!" Amber complimented as she carried a bundle of wood on her back. She didn't seem to be bothered by all the weight.

Dylan blushed at all the strength she exhibited. There was something about her that always gave him butterflies in his stomach. He knew he was in love, but he could never really get around to telling her. He had always been too embarrassed, thinking that maybe she'd just reject him.

Applejack had told him there wasn't any shame in being scared, but she had also said that if he really liked her, he should go for it. If only it were that easy. Every time Dylan wanted to say something remotely like asking for a date, his jaw would clench and his body would feel shaky.

Dylan started to think of ways to fight his fear, ways to get her to go on at least one date with him. Nothing seemed possible at the moment. He just kept imagining her laughing at him. Sure, there was that one kiss during the holidays, but that was under a mistletoe, and that was a traditional thing.

Suddenly, Dylan's thoughts were interrupted by the howling wind and the rumbling ground. He felt the icy chill blowing against him from behind and turned to see a large wave of snow rushing closer and closer.

"An avalanche?! But we're not near any mountains!" Amber shouted over the winds.

Dylan had to think, and fast. He looked to the shed and opened the door. "Get in! Hurry!"

Soon, they were both inside. Dylan kicked the door shut and pushed a few barrels full of heavy branches in front of the doorway with Amber's help. They pressed their bodies up against the barrels with all their might, bracing for impact.

One... Two... Three seconds passed, and then a large thud sounded. Silence filled the room soon after. Dylan couldn't see a thing, the light from the cracks having been blocked by the snow. "Is... Is it over?" he asked, hoping for an answer.

"I think so," she replied, giving Dylan peace of mind. Amber pushed at the door, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge an inch. "It's stuck!"

"Stuck?!" Dylan's eyes widened and he started to panic. He moved the barrels out of the way and started kicking with all his might, but to no avail. "Nonononono!"

"Dylan?! Dylan, calm down!" Amber wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders, trying to keep him still. Dylan kept kicking, however.

"Lemme out! Lemme out! Not the closet! Not the closet!" Dylan cried, tears streaming down his face. "Pa! Lemme out! I didn't mean to!"

Amber turned Dylan's head so he looked her in the eyes. "Dylan! You're not with you pa! It's me, Amber!"

"Amber?!" Dylan came to a realization, swallowing hard. He had broken down in front of her. "I-I didn't mean that..."

"Dylan... Applejack told me everything," she said to him. "It's okay."

Applejack had told Amber? Even about his mother? When was this? Dylan stared into Amber's eyes, which seemed to still hold some luminescence in the dark. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You shouldn't have seen that..."

Amber put a hoof to his lips and shushed him. "It's fine... We need to find a way out of here first though. Think you can help me?" Dylan nodded, not daring to say another word for fear of losing all respect, if he hadn't lost it already. "Good," she said. "We need to look for weak spots in the wood."

Dylan shook his head. "That's not possible. Once Big Mac builds something, it lasts for a long time."

"There has to be some kinda weak point," Amber argued. She began to kick along the edges of the door, listening for some kind of creakiness that would indicated structural weakness. Unfortunately, none could be heard. After hours of trying, and of Dylan keeping silent and also helping, there was nothing to be found.

"I told you. Big Mac is an expert when it comes to building things. He's done it all his life." Dylan idly dragged his hoof across the floor. "Hm... Do you think Applejack'll come looking for us?"

"I sure hope so..." Amber sat down and sighed. "I just hope we don't freeze before that happens."

Silence had filled the room for two hours, both Dylan and Amber shivering. Even in the dark, Dylan swore he could see his breath. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out Amber's silhouette. Finally, Dylan broke the silence. "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry?" Amber tilted her head slightly. "What for?"

"For everything. Letting you come with me, freaking out. It wasn't right," Dylan said.

Amber just smiled. "First off, I came on my own free will. Secondly, I don't think any less of you for flipping. I know you've had a rough time. It's understandable."

Dylan blushed. He didn't want Amber to know any of that. Why would Applejack tell her? He was going to confront her when he got home. That is, IF he got home. The whole honesty thing was getting old. He turned to a barrel in the back. "We're going to freeze. Let's try looking for blankets."

As they rummaged through the barrel, they found all manner of items that seemed to be useless for their situation, all until they reached the bottom, where they found one big blanket.

"Just one," Amber stated. "We're gonna have to share."

Dylan suddenly became flustered at the thought. "Um... Y-You should have it. You need it more!"

Amber, expecting this reply, grinned. "Don't be shy, Dylan. It'll be fine. It's not like we're gonna do anything rash."

"R-Rash? I wasn't thinkin' that!" Dylan tried to defend himself. He wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to defend though.

Amber, without warning, tackled Dylan to the ground and quickly wrapped the blanket around both of them. Dylan flailed uselessly, unable to keep her from doing whatever it was she was doing. Before he knew it, he was bundled up tight, his sides pressing against Amber's. This caused him to feel nervous.

"See? That wasn't so bad. Now we're both warm!" She giggled and looked at him in the eyes. "You okay?"

"Um... I..." Dylan couldn't look away. He was captivated by her.

"I'm not gonna just stand by while you freeze to death, ya know," she whispered.

Dylan's breathing slowed. Her voice was literally right in his ear, and it was calming to him. "Th-Thank you..."

"What was that?" she asked, pretending not to have heard him.

"Thank you," he repeated louder.

"That's what I thought you said," she stated. "You know, you feel pretty warm to me. Maybe I should keep this blanket to myself. You don't need it."

"N-No, wait!" Dylan stuttered.

"Oh?" Amber giggled and snuggled into Dylan's side. "I know what you're all about."

"Y-You do?" Dylan was now confused. What was he all about?

"You knew there was only one blanket in that barrel, and you used that to your advantage," she said to him, looking deep into his eyes. "Oh! Let's find a blanket!" she exclaimed, pretending to be Dylan. "Uh oh! Looks like there's only one! We have to share!"

"B-But sharing was y-your idea!" Dylan defended. He became even more nervous, if that was possible.

"Was it, really?" Amber asked him. "Or did you use reverse psychology to get me to say we needed to share?"

Dylan stuttered, not even making words at this point. He was a blubbering mess.

Amber's grin got wider. "I bet I know what you're going to say next," she said softly in his ear.

"Wh-What?" Dylan asked, shaking under the blanket.

She lowered her voice back to a seductive whisper. "If we kiss, our body heat will rise, keeping us both nice and toasty."

Dylan's eyes went wide. He was certain his heart was going to burst from his chest. Amber moved her her face closer to his, and soon their lips pressed against each other, setting off fireworks in Dylan's head. This kiss was different from the Hearth's Warming one, for this kiss had something extra. A wet something.

Amber's tongue slipped past Dylan's lips, and both their muscles collided, dancing together in romantic gesture. It took Dylan a few moments to figure out what was happening, but in the end, he gave in and returned the passionate action. The bout of kissing lasted for well over the course of an hour, Dylan having been lost in pure bliss.

Amber pulled away and looked into his eyes, breathing heavily, her breath fogging up the air. "Did you get the hint yet? I'm pretty sure the mistletoe was a good enough one, but... I had to make sure I got my point across."

Dylan felt stunned. He had missed a hint? Embarrassment suddenly washed over him as he stammered. "I d-didn't know..."

Amber grinned and caressed Dylan's face with her hoof. "You're pretty cute when you're nervous."

Dylan's face turned beet red as he felt her touch his cheek. "I've always thought you were cute, too," he managed to choke out. He slowly reached out his foreleg to touch hooves. The feeling of both their hooves pressing against each other made him feel a fuzzyness inside. "I've been wanting to tell you from the first moment I saw you, but I could never find the words."

"Good thing I made the first move then, huh?" Amber kept her smile and ran her hoof through Dylan's mane.

Dylan opened his mouth to speak, but he was suddenly interrupted when somepony pounded on the door.

"Dylan! Amber! Ya'll in there?!" Applejack shouted. Slowly, but surely, the cracks in the door allowed the sunlight to shine through, the snow having been removed.

Amber gave Dylan an almost sad look as she replied. "We're in here!" She sloughed off the blanket and walked up to the door, opening it and greeting Applejack with a smile. "Thank you so much for saving us!"

Dylan walked up to Applejack and simply looked at her. She had told Amber about everything. What right did she have to share that? "Thank you for rescuing us," Dylan said with a fake smile. Of course, he didn't want to start a fight over it. He'd just talk to her calmly about it later, ask her not to tell any more ponies about it.

"What I don't understand is how y'all got caught in here?" Applejack asked herself, looking around. "This is a flat land."

"I know, it's really weird!" Amber agreed. "Well... I should probably get home now. Listen, thanks for saving us!" She turned to Dylan and gave him a smile. "Meet me in Sugarcube Corner tomorrow, okay?"

Dylan, smiling back with a blush on his face, replied, "Sure! I'll b-be there!"

Applejack looked at Dylan, then to Amber, then back to Dylan, and she couldn't help but grin, feeling a sense of pride. "Is this what I think it is?"

"H-Huh?" Dylan looked to Applejack with a puzzled expression on his face.

"It is! It's your first date!" Applejack exclaimed.

Amber grinned while Dylan blushed. He couldn't help but stammer. "Wh-What? Wait! I..."

Applejack pulled him in close and hugged him tight. "Oh my golly, this is so excitin'! You can go on home, Amber. I need to talk to Dylan alone right now!"

Amber couldn't help but giggle at Dylan's situation. "I guess I'll leave you two alone then," she said with a smile as she walked off, leaving the two alone.

Applejack paced back and forth in Dylan's room, rambling on about Dylan's first date. "I can't believe yer goin' on yer first date! We gotta get ya some flowers, one of them fancy suits from Rarity's place, a manecut, maybe some mints! No, not mints! Apples will do!"

Dylan sat upon his bed, patiently waiting for Applejack to finish speaking. He had never seen her this excited before. Finally, as Applejack finished speaking, Dylan commented, "I think maybe I should just wing it for this."

Applejack turned to him and stared as if she had been slapped in the face. "Dylan! Ya don't get it! This is your FIRST date! It needs to be special! Why, I remember Big Mac's first prom date. He was so nervous! We dressed him up in pa's old tuxedo and he looked very dapper!"

The thought of wearing a suit as a pony seemed odd to Dylan. Did ponies normally wear clothes to special events? It seemed unnecessary. The only time he could think of for a pony to wear clothing was for winter, where the extra layers were actually needed. "I suppose I could look for somethin' fancy. I got some bits saved up."

"No need to spend 'em," Applejack interjected. "Rarity owes me for helping her out on our adventures together."

"And the flowers?" Dylan asked, flopping down on his back and looking up at the ceiling.

"Hm... I'll give you the bits for those. Roseluck sells 'em pretty cheap." Applejack ruffled up Dylan's mane and laughed. "I knew she liked ya!" She walked over to the door and looked back before stepping out. "Y'all better get some sleep. I'll take ya to Rarity's after breakfast."

As Applejack stepped out, Dylan couldn't help but think to himself how the whole ordeal would go. Amber had kissed him. And it was one of those grown-up kisses, too. That meant she obviously liked him, right? Dylan shook his head and smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Yeah, she did. There was no question about it. Still, he did kinda kick himself over not getting the first hint, and one that was so obvious now that he thought back to it.

There wasn't any use for thinking about it now. Right now, he had to rest. He turned to face the wall and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

The next morning...

Getting the suit and flowers were easy. The only thing Dylan had to pay for were the flowers, and that was with bits from Applejack. The only thing that had been a problem was getting him to Sugarcube Corner. There had been some odd commotion happening on the way there: a crowd gathered around a strange red and yellow cart. It didn't matter though, as Applejack had been able to help him find a way around.

Dylan's suit was similar to a regular old tuxedo. It fit snugly around his chest and forelegs, and was somehow also comfortable at the same time. Rarity really knew how to make something both fashionable and practical. What a time to be alive. Or... dead. He looked up at Applejack and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's alright," she encouraged. "You go on and have fun. Don't spend too much, and be home afterwards to tell me all about it."

Dylan swallowed and began his approach to the entrance. Would Amber be there, waiting for him? Or would she ditch him? Maybe he was overthinking things. Why did it feel like it took him forever to reach the door? Finally, when he did reach it, he opened it and walked it, making the bell ring, announcing his presence.

A familiar face looked up from the table at the far end. It was Amber, and she seemed to be happy to see him. "Dylan! Over here!" she waved.

Dylan trotted over, a bouquet of thornless roses in his mouth. His body shook with excitement as he sat down across from her. "Vvffhh godd deese vvrr you," he muffled around the flowers. Amber tilted her head in confusion. Dylan, seeing the look, put down the bouquet in front of her and blushed. "I got these for you."

"Aww, that's sweet!" Amber said with a smile on her face. "You don't have to act so formal though."

"Applejack suggested I act proper, like Big Mac did at prom with his first date," Dylan explained.

Amber looked at the flowers and then to Dylan. "Really, you didn't need to. I mean..." she reached down below the table and pulled out a bouquet of thornless roses, just like Dylan's. "I got you one, too."

Dylan looked at the bouquet before him and blushed, confused. "Um... I dunno what to say." Dylan thought back to the days when his uncle would come over and tell him how to charm girls at school. It was always the guy who would get the flowers, or that's what his uncle had said, so in this instance, it was a bit confusing for Dylan.

Amber nudged the flowers to Dylan and grinned. "Looks like we both had the same idea."

"Yeah..." Dylan thought hard for a moment. This was a mare who liked to make the first move, to ask the stallion out on a date. She even got him flowers! She was strong, independent, and above all: inspiring. She had always made Dylan feel queasy, and he liked it.

"I'm supposin' that weird cart outside got in yer way on the way here?" Amber asked as she looked out the window next to them.

"Yeah. It's strange. There's so many ponies gathered 'round it," Dylan said, still keeping his mind on recent events with Amber.

Suddenly, a certain pink pony came out of nowhere with a tray in her mouth. Upon the tray were two milkshakes, both of them being vanilla. Pinkie quickly placed the tray down and giggled. "Here ya go! On the house!"

This brought Dylan out of his trance. Shaking his head clear of any thoughts, he responded with a "Thank you," and looked at his milkshake. Amber was already sipping upon her straw with a content aura and a smile. Pinkie was always the pony to go to when it came to making the perfect milkshake. It wasn't too hard to suck it up through the straw. It wasn't too soft, either.

Dylan sucked on his straw and he was met with cold bliss, a smile meeting his lips. He enjoyed this time with Amber. Did this mean they were dating now, he wondered? His eyes met Amber's, and they both blushed, faces turning red. Amber seemed to have a smug look, though.

"What is it?" Dylan asked, wondering if he'd done something wrong.

"Oh, nothing," Amber said, continuing her smug stare. "You're just really cute when you're happy."

Dylan wasn't sure if his face could get any redder from blushing. He could feel his ears heating up. She seemed to like teasing him. Something about that just made him like her even more. The fact that she could remain cool under pressure, especially in the shed, was admirable.

"Come one! Come all! We've got plenty of merchandise for everypony!" a voice shouted from outside. Dylan looked out the window to see a rather strange sight. The cart from before had gotten closer, now having been parked right outside of Sugarcube Corner.

"What's going on?" Dylan asked, staring at the cart. It was a rather small box with two handles on it to allow a pony to strap onto it, but other than that, it had no other purpose. There weren't even any openings in it to put things in.

"Let's go see!" Amber hopped off her seat and dragged Dylan by the shirt collar away from his precious milkshake.

The crowd was tightly packed together, making it difficult for Dylan and Amber to get through. It had taken both of them a full minute to reach the front, and they were both taken aback by what they saw.

The cart had somehow been unfolded into a large stand, with a variety of what appeared to be snow globes. Behind the stands were two pale, light grayish olive ponies. They both looked identical to each other, both wearing barber shop style hats, both sporting the same build, the same striped white and blue shirts, and both having the same red and white manes. There was only one difference: one had a mustache while the other didn't.

The one without the mustache had been shouting to the crowd. "Step right up! Step right up! Come get your limited edition snow globes! With real snow! How is it possible, you ask? Why, with magic, of course! Being naturally gifted unicorns, my brother and I stumbled upon a special refrigeration spell that keeps the snowflakes from melting! Keep winter with you all year 'round!"

Dylan looked at one of the globes on the counter, and sure enough, the flakes in the sphere did indeed sparkle like snow, and they were all in their special little patterns. Amber picked up one of the globes and shook it, creating a flurry inside.

"How much is it?!" a mare's voice called out.

"Well, for a fabulous knick knack such as this, we're willing to go the low low price of one hundred bits!" replied the mustached stallion. "You won't get an offer like this anywhere else!" One hundred bits? Dylan looked at his just-as-skeptical marefriend, who was about to call out their bluff when someone else beat her to the punch.

"You frauds are back?!" Applejack shouted as she hopped up onto the stand. "Listen up, everypony! Go on home! These two will trick ya out of every bit ya have! Don't y'all remember the cider incident? Or that healin' tonic trick? Don't let 'em do it again!"

"She's right. I remember," a familiar stallion said as he stepped forward. It was the same sandy blonde maned pony from Dylan's birthday party. He spoke with the same accent as Dylan or Applejack. "They ain't even in disguises this time. You told me that tonic would cure my depression!" He shook his hoof at the two brothers.

The duo tugged on their collars nervously. "Well, Flim," the mustached stallion said. "Time to take our business elsewhere!" In almost a flash, the twins packed up their cart, the stand folding back into the small box from before. "Very nice seeing you, Applejack!" Soon they had run off, leaving a confused crowd.

Applejack walked over to Dylan and Amber, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. Those two aren't normally out here without their disguises ever since the cider incident."

"Cider incident?" Dylan tilted his head in confusion.

Applejack placed a hoof on Dylan's head and ruffled up his mane. "Ain't nuthin to be worried about. I'll tell ya later. Yer just lucky I happened to stick around a bit longer. They would've taken every last bit from ya."

The sandy blonde stallion stepped forward. "Them Flim Flam brothers are nuthin' but a bunch of crooks. Said they could cure me of the blues." He brought a hoof to his chin. "Something's suspicious though. They were caught TOO easily..."

Dylan looked at the stallion and nodded slowly. "Yeah... Um, forgive me for asking," he started, "But who are you? I saw you at my birthday party and never really got to meet you properly."

"Oh, I'm just a friend of the Apple family," he explained. "Had been a long time since I was in Ponyville, and I thought it would be nice to drop by." He looked Dylan in the eyes. "When I found out there was a birthday party, I thought I'd come see who's party it was. But I ain't never seen you around before."

Dylan looked to Amber, who also had a confused look. "I'm sorta new, I guess," Dylan replied. "I'm uh... I'm Applejack's adopted brother."

"Adopted?" The stallion grinned. "Well, congrats. What's your name? I'm Oak. Oak Tree."

"Dylan." Dylan could feed a very familiar aura from Oak, and he wasn't sure if he was uncomfortable with it or not.

"Well, I'll be on my way," Oak said as he turned to leave. "By the way... Keep an eye on yer friend there. Used to have a mare of my own. At least, until the incident..."

"Um... okay?" Dylan was very confused by the strange warning.

Applejack looked at Oak as he walked away. "Strange. I ain't never heard of an Oak Tree visitin' the family. Maybe he's Granny's friend?"

"Yeah, maybe..." Dylan shook his head to clear his thoughts.

After everything was over, Dylan and Amber spent the rest of their day together. They talked on and on about their newfound relationship, and Dylan loved it. Everything she said had made him feel warm inside. It was always a welcome feeling, and when he came home, he shared everything about the date with Applejack like she asked, and she felt pride in him. It had been a near perfect day.

Later that night...

Dylan hid in his room back in the human world, still in his pony form. A pounding on the door indicated that his father was on the other side.

"Open up, boy! I SAID OPEN UP!" His father sounded furious, and it was a fury that just could not be matched by anything else, not even a raging bull. "I'm gonna give ya the count of three!"

Dylan stayed silent, quietly crying on his old bed. He didn't want another bad dream, but it just kept happening. Luna wasn't here to save him. He knew he was in a dream, and that was the worst part. He couldn't control it. He was trapped, and no one could save him.

"One... two... THREE!" The door burst open, and there was Dylan's father, shotgun in hand. Both their eyes met, and the father raised up his gun, pointing it at Dylan. "You fuckin' sinner..."

Author's Note

Looks like I posted a little early! I hope you enjoyed this. I'll be uploading the next chapter soon. Get ready for more mystery!