I Would Give to You

Chapters

Chapter I: The Early Hour
Chapter II: Oddly Vulnerable
Chapter III: First Exam
Chapter IV: A Means to an End
Chapter V: "You Keep Your Goggles"
Chapter VI: “Sweet Celestia Above!"
Chapter VII: The Most Intense Pain
Chapter VIII: The Last Performance
Chapter IX: "Something Only You Can Answer."
Chapter X: The Platypus Stared
Chapter XI: A Bottle of Chilled Wine
Chapter XIII: More Than You Could Have Asked For
Chapter XIV: A Few More Minutes
Chapter XV: A Shooting Star
Epilogue I: A Letter
Art Corner
Dramatic Readings
Chapter XII: "Am I Forgetting Something?"
Author's Notes

Chapter I: The Early Hour

(I present to you I would Give to You. Rate, comment, and enjoy.)

The monotonous tone of the train lulled you into a fitful sleep. The early hour certainly didn’t help either. You’d left home less than twenty four hours ago, and already you missed the comforts offered there. Sure, you were going to be staying with your cousin, or so you hoped, but that didn’t make it easier to leave home. And the reason for leaving would make it all the harder to face her.

The scenery whipped past the train, reminding you of what you couldn’t have. Just a few months ago you had been the best flier in Fillydelphia. Then there was the accident, and everything changed. No longer could you soar the skies. No longer could you reach out and caress the clouds. All of your dreams had been built around your unparalleled expertise in the sky.

A soft jerking motion shattered your dozing introspection, and you knew the train was coming to a stop at Ponyville. You reached under the bench that had been your impromptu bed, and you grasped the single bag that held all your belongings. You didn’t need to look inside to know what was there, and the familiar weight was enough to settle your mind. You spotted the town well before coming to a stop, and the somewhat familiar buildings sparked half forgotten memories of time spent playing in the streets.

When the train finally ground to a halt, you made your way to the door, and you waited for most of the passengers to leave before you did, as you didn’t want to have to deal with being jostled. When the hall was mostly empty, you finally opened the door, and you entered the hallway. A single elderly mare was making her way down the hall, and you gave her a smile as she passed you by.

“Don’t look so glum, dear. I’m certain things will look up from here. A new beginning awaits us all, you just need to find, and open, the door to your new future.” You paused for a moment, digesting the elderly mare’s words, but when you turned to thank her, she was gone. You blinked several times as you looked down the empty hall, wondering where she had gone, but you dismissed it from your mind, knowing that it wasn’t really important. Her words were worth thinking about, though.

As you resumed walking, you caught glimpses of the platform through the windows, and you could make out a large number of ponies waiting to board. You finally stepped off the train, and you looked up to the sky above. Quickly, though, you averted your gaze, not wanting to be reminded of what you couldn’t have. As you began to walk away from the train you spotted a pair of earth ponies boarding the train, one of whom was wearing a Stetson hat, and the other had a grayish brown coat.

It didn’t take you long to get out of the station, and onto the streets of Ponyville. Already there were some shopkeepers heading to their stores, and stall, readying themselves for another day of business. You began weaving your way through the growing crowds, not quite sure where your cousin lived, but hoping that you’d find her somehow.

Most of the ponies you saw offered a friendly wave, and you always made sure to reciprocate the wave, knowing that a good first impression would make integration into the town immensely helpful. Based on the letters that you had received over the past few months you knew that your cousin was well known throughout the town, but you didn’t want to rely on that to find her.

Eventually you found yourself standing before a massive tree near the middle of town, but you knew that this was just one of the many landmarks throughout the town. Without a second thought you began walking down one of the streets, having chosen at random which one to take. It was a win-win, really. If you didn’t find your cousin’s home, at least you’d be able to know the layout of the town well enough. While walking along one such street you found yourself nose to nose with an energetic pink mare. Her eyes widened when she spotted you, and you took a hesitant step backwards, not quite sure how to react to the sudden change in the pink mare. Before she spotted you she had been quite happily hopping along the street, but now she was just looking at you, her eyes widening rapidly.

You opened your mouth to speak, but before you could get out a single word the mare dashed off, leaving a cloud of dust in the shape of her body. You couldn’t even begin to fathom what this would mean, and so you simply wrote it off as a dash of eccentricity in this otherwise peaceful town. Several minutes later and you came across one of the most peculiar buildings you’d ever seen. You’d read about it in letters, but no amount of literary description could ever do justice to the sugary dream that was Sugarcube Corner.

The entire building appeared to be made out of candy, and it even smelled like candy. You stood before it for several minutes, simply trying to rationalize the construction behind the building, as you were well aware of the fact that nothing about the building was sensible for construction. You gave a large shrug as you moved past it, content to leave it as it was. As you continued to explore the town you found more and more things that struck you as being odd, but you decided to ignore them, seeing as how all the ponies in the town seemed to go about business as normal.

Maybe this is normal, and Fillydelphia is the weird place. Eventually, you found yourself standing in front of a festive looking building, designed to look like a carousel of some sort. Your assumption proved correct, as you spotted a sign labeling the building as the Carousel Boutique. You’d heard about this place from your cousin, and so you figured that if the owner was as nice as the letters all led you to believe, it was worth a shot.

You raised a hoof to knock, but the door swung open just before your hoof could make contact. Unfortunately for you, the unexpected opening left your rapidly moving hoof nowhere to go, except for into the face of the mare that opened the door. You managed to slow your hoof some, so instead of punching her in the face, you ended up simply poking her on the nose. Unable to process just how stupid you looked, you left your hoof where it was.

The strikingly blue eyes of the mare narrowed quickly, and you realized that you hadn’t moved your hoof, so you quickly pulled it away, hoping that you hadn’t made too much of an ass out of yourself. A filly came up to the doorway and she looked at you with bloodshot eyes, and you suddenly figured out just how awkward this whole situation was.

“Um… Did I come at a bad time?” Your voice comes out shakily, unsure of just how bad things could go.

“No dear. I was just about to go and mail a letter. Were you hoping to purchase some clothing, perhaps?” Her accent reminded you of all the snobby ponies that you’d met in the past, but you wouldn’t let that get in the way of meeting a new pony. Before you could reply, though, the little filly began speaking.

“How could you be going out to mail one of those mushy love letters at a time like this? Scootaloo’s breaking down mentally, Taupe and Applejack are going to Manehattan to do Celestia-knows-what, and you’re here writing love letters to some stallion you’ve never met?”

“Sweetie, please calm down. I am aware of the situation, and I don’t need you yelling at me because of it. Taupe and Applejack are going to Manehattan with the intention of solving the problems here. Have some faith in those two.” The mare had sat down in her speech, and she embraced the filly who you could only assume was a sister, or a daughter. Given the way the filly spoke to the mare, you assumed sisters. After a few awkward moments, you finally cleared your throat.

“I hate to break up this moment, but I was actually hoping to ask a question of you.”

“Oh my!” The mare quickly stood up, blushing at the display she had unwittingly put on. “So, um. Yes, what was it that you needed? Clothing, fashion tips, or something else?”

“Yeah, I was hoping you knew how to get to my cousin’s house. She’s fairly well known, from what I’ve been told through her letters. Her name’s Fluttershy, if that helps.”

The mare let out a gasp, and she gave you a big smile. “So you’re that cousin that she talks about all the time. I’ll take you to her right away, she must be dying to see you!”

“Well, she doesn’t actually know I’m coming. It’s… Well, it’s a bit of a surprise. I’m here for a while, and I was hoping that she’d be willing to let me stay with her while I’m here.”

“If you even have to ask that, you don’t know Fluttershy very well at all. Now, come with me. We’ll stop at the post office quickly, then I’ll take you to Fluttershy’s cottage.” She turned to look back at her sister, and she spoke once more. “Now Sweetie, I know you’re worried about Scootaloo, but I’m certain that Taupe and Applejack will be more than capable of fixing what Taupe broke. Although I don’t really see how they will.”

You had no idea who Taupe was, but the name Applejack was familiar enough. She was a friend of Fluttershy’s, as well as an Element of Harmony. What they had to do with some filly named Scootaloo you could only begin to guess, but based on the condition of Sweetie Belle you figured that it was something bad.

“Right, Sweetie, you make sure that anypony that comes by knows I’ll be back soon. Short of a disaster, I’ll be back in less than an hour.” Sweetie simply frowned at her sister, but she also nodded. “Good. Now then, shall we go?” You nod, and the mare takes the lead, you following just a few steps behind her.

“Excuse me, miss? I don’t know your name, and I feel kind of foolish not knowing how to address you.” The mare stopped dead in her tracks, and she turned to look at you.

“That’s right, you’re new here in Ponyville. Well, my name is Rarity, and I am the purveyor of the Carousel Boutique. Perhaps you may also know me as the Element of Generosity, although I don’t much care for bandying about that title. I prefer to earn my fame through my work.”

“Well, miss Rarity, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Now that I’ve got a face to associate with your name, I’ll be more likely to remember it. Fluttershy does talk about you quite a bit in her letters. How you’re so generous, and the way you design clothes.”

“Fluttershy talks about me?” The two of you began walking once again, this time you stayed by Rarity’s side, rather than behind her. “Oh, do tell me what she says!”

“Well, she told me about how you bravely faced the Diamond Dogs when you were kidnapped. And then she told me some about the time you spent with Storm, and the whole fiasco regarding that. Honestly, the letters were never about you, or any of her friends specifically. They were just ways for us to keep in contact. After I moved away from Cloudsdale contact with her became harder and harder.” You sigh, thinking back to the fairly tense departure from Cloudsdale. “My father, and her father were brothers, and they had a massive falling out. That fight is what caused us to move to Fillydelphia. We stayed here for a few days while the move was settled, but I can only remember spending some time playing in the streets.”

“That’s awful. But did you like Fillydelphia? From what I’ve heard it’s not exactly a pleasant city.”

You grimace for a moment, before you bring a small smile to your face. “It’s not that bad. You just need to know what you’re doing, and how to do it. Besides, I was kept away from most of the worst the city had to offer due to the training program I was in.”

“What program was that?”

“It was some pre-Wonderbolts kind of thing. The best fliers get admitted, and then the top trainee of each class gets to audition for the Wonderbolts. I was set to be that trainee, but then I came here. I’d rather not elaborate on why, though.” You raise a hoof, knowing that Rarity was poised to ask questions. “Maybe later I can explain, but for now I’d just like to get to Fluttershy’s home. I’ve been traveling for a while, and I don’t sleep well on trains.”

She smiles back, and looks ahead. “I understand, dear. I won’t pry.” You smile back at her, content with the present. You’ll have to explain what happened eventually, but for now you were free to live without a care. Soon enough, you arrived at the post office, and just before you could open the door, a grey pegasus strode through the door. Her eyes were looking in two different directions, and you couldn’t stop yourself from staring.

After a moment you noticed that the two eyes were coming to focus on you, and you blushed fiercely. “My apologies. I have never seen something quite like that, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking.”

The glare that was forming on the mare’s face quickly vanished, and she smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ve gotten my fair share of looks, and there are only a few ponies who actually bother me when they do it. I’m just glad you apologized. Now, I have some mail to deliver, so I’ll talk with the two of you later.” Before she left, though, she leaned close to Rarity, and she whispered in her ear. You could see a blush run up the cheeks of the white unicorn, and then she gasped.

“Ditzy! This is not the stallion I’ve been sending letters to. That stallion is a refined, and elegant, unicorn. He’s the pinnacle of grace and elegance.” She quickly looked at you, and she blushed further. “Not that this fine gentlestallion is not any of those things.”

You raise a hoof, and chuckle. “Hey, don’t mind me. I’ve had worse insults thrown my way.” After a few more whispered words, the pegasus took the letter from Rarity, and she galloped a short distance, before taking flight. You watched her fly for a moment, before you looked back to Rarity. “Well, now that your letter is taken care of, would you lead the way to Fluttershy’s home? I’ve been through the whole town, and yet I can’t find the cottage she described.”

“Fluttershy doesn’t live in town, dear. She has a cottage near the Everfree Forest, where she takes care of all of her animal friends.” You nod, remembering the fact that Fluttershy was always going on about her animal friends. Especially her one bunny she adoringly referred to as ‘Angel Bunny.’

“Right. I always thought she lived in town, though.” Several minutes passed in silence, as you made your way out of town, and down the dirt path that led to Fluttershy’s home. The openness of the area around you gave you an unparalleled view of the lush forests, and rolling hills. This whole place was so different from Fillydelphia that it was hard to explain how this place, and Fillydelphia could exist on the same planet. As you continued, you eventually spotted a small rise in the distance, but it seemed to be emitting smoke.

“And there is Fluttershy’s home.” As you got closer, you began to make out some details, and then you could see some windows, and the door. Fluttershy had always described her home as being natural, but this was taking it to an extreme. The whole thing seemed to be part of the landscape around it.

And then you noticed all the woodland critters roaming about the house, and the grassy hills around it. There were more animals than you could ever hope to count, and the variety was just as staggering. The only time you had ever seen this much wildlife in one place was when you went to the zoo in Fillydelphia. And you had only done that once, as the animals all seemed so sad.

Finally, you crossed a small bridge, and you approached the door, prepared to try your hoof once again at knocking on a door. You stood before the door, poised to knock, and your hoof began its descent, only for it to open at the last moment. This better not be a thing for me…

You managed to slow your hoof down, again, and you wound up with your hoof resting on the mare’s nose, again. Fluttershy’s entire body went rigid, at your contact, and you could see that she was staring at your hoof, fear in her eyes.

“Hi, Fluttershy. It’s me. You remember good ol’-” Before you could finish, though, Fluttershy fell over to the side, her eyes rolling back into her head. You watched her do all this, with your hoof still up in the air, idiotically pressing against where Fluttershy’s nose was moments ago.

You turned to look at Rarity, but she wasn’t there. You quickly looked back to Fluttershy, and you saw Rarity crouching over the prone form of her friend. She looked at you, with an apologetic smile on her face.

“Was it something I said?”

(Well, here's the beginning of my next literary journey. Let me know how I do.)

Chapter II: Oddly Vulnerable

(Hivemind, so you know, it's not done. Enjoy anyway.)
(Chapter two, folks. Enjoy, rate, comment, and let me know of any mistakes I made.)

You just watched as Rarity tended to the unconscious form of Fluttershy. It was taking some time for Rarity to wake Fluttershy, so you took the time to wander about the exterior of her home, taking in the sights that were made available to you. You took a few steps back from the door, and then you turned to admire the vast emptiness. Back in Fillydelphia there was no open space quite like this. Off in the distance you could see mountains, slowly inching their way towards the vastness of the open sky.

You could also see Canterlot in the distance, framed elegantly on the side of the mountain. You had been looking forward to traveling there with the Wonderbolts, but, well, things didn’t go quite as planned. You could only just make out the towers of the castle against the mountain, and you took a moment to count them all. With that minute task done, you turned to look at the cottage Fluttershy called home.

From the outside it looked almost like part of nature. Every aspect of the small home cried out the fact that the inhabitant was one with nature. The many woodland critters that roamed about her home did so with such a sense of freedom that you could hardly believe it. These creatures moved about without a care in the world, as if they knew that their protector would never slack in her duties. From what Fluttershy had said in her letters, though, you knew that she didn’t often have to actually act as a protector. She acted more as a caretaker.

As you continued your trip around the house you could see some larger creatures in the back. There was a deer there, along with a few badgers, and even a platypus. They all looked at you as you came into view, but they quickly returned to what they were doing. You walked closer to them, expecting them to bolt, but none of them even seemed to care that you were there. As you approached the deer, you raised a hoof towards it, and it froze, looking right at you, and then your hoof.

You stopped raising your hoof, and you looked back at the deer. Its eyes weren’t filled with the same spark you saw in the eyes of ponies, but there was something there nevertheless. You began moving your hoof once again, not breaking eye contact with the deer. You bring your hoof to the top of its head, and you stroke it a few times, and somehow you notice a subtle change in the atmosphere. It almost feels like you were being tested somehow.

With your test complete, and apparently passed, you resumed your walk around the cottage, until you finally returned to the front door, where both mares were missing. You stare at the spot harder, somehow hoping that your intense glare would identify where the two mares had gone. A soft giggle from inside breaks your concentration, and you heave a sigh. You walk inside slowly, taking care not to make any sudden moves, lest you startle Fluttershy once again.

As you enter the room you hear the muted conversation abruptly stop as you spot the mares, and they spot you. Fluttershy is looking towards you, but most of her face is hidden behind her mane, while Rarity is looking between you and Fluttershy with an amused expression on her face. You meet Fluttershy’s gaze, and you take a few steps forward before you stop before her. “You remember me, right?”

Her mumbled words barely reach you, but you think you hear an affirmative answer in there. “And what’s my name?” Again, her muffled voice reaches you, and you nod. “And how do we greet family members in our family?” A mumbled response is all you get, and you frown. “I’m sorry, what was that?” The response comes out louder this time, but it is still too muffled for you to hear. “If you don’t take the initiative I’ll do what Grandpa did before he passed.”

This seems to shock Fluttershy enough to get her to react, and she gives you a warm hug, her mane tickling your cheek. “It’s been too long, Flutters.” You break the hug after a moment, and then you see that she’s still hiding behind her mane. “And you don’t need to hide from me. I may have taken my father’s side when our fathers fought, but I don’t hold it against you.” She smiles at this, and then she responds.

“I actually thought Uncle Swift was right. Dad, er, Father wasn’t always as level headed as he wanted to think. Um, I don’t mean to be rude, though.” You smile back, and you hug Fluttershy again. She lets out a soft squeak, and you can’t help but chuckle the tiniest bit.

“Well, I have to say that my dad is just as bad as yours, if not worse.” You pull back from the hug before you look at Fluttershy. “You see, he… Um… Well, he kicked me out just a couple days ago, and so I came here, hoping to stay with you until I could get back on my hooves.” A gasp escapes the pastel yellow mare, and you take a half step back, having never heard Fluttershy get quite that loud before.

“What happened that would make Uncle Swift kick you out? Does it have to do with Father in some way? I could talk to him, um, if you want.”

“No, Flutters, don’t worry. It’s nothing to do with you. It’s my fault.”

Through all of this Rarity maintained her silence, but she finally got up from the couch, and came over. “What did you do that would make your own father kick you out? What was so bad that he could no longer bear to house you?”

“Well, I was a member of the Wonderbolts Trainee Initiative, pretty much a camp for pegasi who want to join the Wonderbolts. I was lined up to be the next trainee to perform exclusively for a chance at being admitted. It was the best time of my life, to finally have a chance to join the Wonderbolts, but then there was a weather accident. For the most part the weather in Fillydelphia is taken care of days in advance, using some of the most advanced unicorn magic in combination with pegasi magic.

“Sadly, there was a fluke that nopony caught, and so there was a freak lightning storm that struck, and I was unlucky enough to be caught in it while doing some training work for the program.” You pause, thinking back to the panic and mayhem that occurred during those harrowing fifteen minutes. “There were about ten of us up in the air when the storm started, and so we all began diving towards the ground, but we were, admittedly, higher than we should’ve been. I was showing off as well, flying higher than any of the others.”

You look between the two mares, and you can see they are hanging off of your every word. “I’m not proud to admit it, but I was the one goading them all to try and beat me, and so I take responsibility for what happened. As we began diving, the storm thickened faster than we could’ve anticipated, and so we were cut off from a direct drop to the ground below. I reasoned that with enough speed we could punch through the cloud layer, and so the others trusted my judgment.” A soft laugh escapes you as you think back to the stupidity of your decision.

“It turns out that the clouds that make up lightning storms are a tad bit thicker, and stronger, than normal clouds. Still, I managed to punch through, but not before I was hit with several bolts of lightning. The pain was intense, and I lost consciousness several times as I plummeted to the ground. My wings refused to respond, and my friends were nowhere to be seen. I thought it was the end.

But then, through the clouds came two of my friends, their dives passing through the hole I had created. They caught up to me quickly, and then we landed. I was taken to the hospital, and after a few days the doctors finally delivered the grim news.” You sigh, trying once again to do something with your wings, but there was no response; just as you expected. “The wing itself is fine, as is the muscle. The damage was done to the nerve endings that allow me to control my wings. They no longer carry the signal, and so I can feel my wings, I just can’t control them.”

“And Uncle Swift…” Fluttershy didn't actually ask a question, but you could tell what she wanted to ask just by her voice.

“My father was distraught, to say the least. He was hoping that I’d be our family’s quick way to fame, but with my loss of flight that was a dream shattered. He spent tons of our money trying to find a procedure that could return my wings to me, but none of them were promising enough, and the ones that were we couldn’t afford.” The fights about the money were always the worst. “Things were tense for quite some time, and then, just a few days ago, my father finally snapped. He claimed that he had wasted all of his time and money on me, and then I blew it all with some stupid stunt.”

Rarity and Fluttershy were both watching you, Rarity nearly in tears, and Fluttershy’s face was frozen in a mask of dismay mixed with disgust. You couldn’t tell which of the two was the more dominant emotions, but it didn’t really matter either. With a sigh, you looked to the ceiling, not wanting to face either mare as you continued. “So, he just kicked me out. It wasn’t even a big scream fight like I was expecting. He just said that I had to leave. So, I grabbed the only possessions that I have, and I left. A few days later, and here I am.” Despite the nature of your tale, you found your voice lacking any real defining emotion.

“It’s not a happy tale, and it’s also one that I don’t want to have to recount many times.” You turned to look at Rarity, and you offered a faint smile. “I waited to explain earlier, because I didn’t want to explain it to you, and then again to Flutters, here.”

Both mares still seemed unable to speak, so you waited patiently for them to gather their wits about them. Fluttershy was the first to compose herself, and she began crying as she embraced you once again. “You lost your wings?” Her voice came out choked with emotion, and you did your best to console her. “But flying is who you are! How can you bear it?”

Before you can respond to Fluttershy’s question, Rarity throws her hooves around you as well, tears on her face. “Dear, that’s awful! And then to be kicked out because of it!”

“Girls, it’s okay. Despite the pressure from my father, I eventually accepted the fact that I’m grounded. I’m not happy about it, but there’s nothing I can reasonably do. The process involved in repairing the extensive nerve damage would take immense amounts of magic, and several days worth of work. All the ponies that offered the procedure charged more for the operations than I would’ve made as a Wonderbolt in a year.”

The embrace lasted for several minutes, and by the time it ended, the mares had both recovered. “Now then, if neither of you mind, I’d like to try to get some rest. I’ve had a long trip here, and I’d like to try to catch up on some lost sleep. I’d be more than happy to meet the rest of your friends later, Flutters, but for now I want to get some sleep. It’s still early, too, so just wake me sometime this afternoon.”

“Okay. I, um. I don’t have a guest bed made up, so if you want you can use mine. If that’s okay with you.” You nod, unwilling to be a burden on your cousin. Several minutes later, you were lying on Fluttershy’s bed as she walked out of the room. “I’ll come wake you sometime in the afternoon. Try to get some rest. Oh, and I’m glad that you’re here. It’s been too long.” She gently closed the door to the room, and within minutes you were in that place between wakefulness and sleep. And shortly after that sleep finally swept in and claimed your mind.

A gentle nudge brought your awareness back to the real world, and you cracked open an eye to see the soft yellow fur of Fluttershy. “It’s time for you to get up, sleepyhead. My other friends are all eager to meet you.” You sat up in bed slowly, not wanting to rush yourself. With a grunt, you fell out of bed, and onto your side.

“I’m going to need a few minutes to get ready, Fluttershy.” She gives a small smile, and she nods as well.

“Okay. The bathroom is across the hall. Just come down when you’re ready.” You do your best to get comfortable on the floor after Fluttershy left, but the unyielding nature of the hardwood flooring made comfort an unfortunate impossibility. With a heavy sigh, you got up, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. It took about half an hour, but by the time you exited the bathroom you actually thought that you looked pretty good. You ruffled your mane just a bit, to get it settled in a way you liked, and then you made your way downstairs.

Fluttershy was sitting on her couch, talking with the woodland critters that shared her home, and you approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her. She looked up at you as you approached, and she had a large smile on her face. “I’m ready to go Fluttershy.” She nodded at you, and then she got off the couch and the various critters fled to their respective homes, leaving just you and her in the room. She trotted over to the door, and then she opened it, gesturing for you to take the lead.

As you stood outside her home, she quickly closed the door before she stood next to you. “I hope that you read the letters I sent you. Some of my friends are a bit… quirky.” You gave Fluttershy a warm smile as you responded.

“I read all the letters you sent me. And I grew up, for the most part, in Fillydelphia. I think I can handle whatever quirks your friends have. But which ones am I going to be meeting? Based on your letters you have more friends here than there are ponies in Fillydelphia.” Fluttershy chuckled softly at your joke, and you were glad that she did.

“I don’t have that many friends. But we’re just going to meet up with a few of my closest friends. Twilight will be there, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Storm, and Rarity, who you already met.” The name Pinkie strikes you, and for a moment you struggle to remember just who that pony was.

“Pinkie, that name seems familiar.”

“Yeah, she’s the biggest party pony you could ever hope to meet. You may have seen her earlier, since she was talking about some new pony she had seen in town.”

“Yeah, I think I did see her. She’s all pink, with a poofy mane?” Fluttershy just nodded, and you smiled. “Yep, I met her while I was looking for your home. Although I didn’t really meet her, so much as she saw me, gasped, and ran off.” You fall silent for a short while, your mind slowly putting together snippets you recall from the letters you’d been getting. “She’s going to throw me a party, isn’t she?” A soft giggle comes from Fluttershy, and you just sigh and roll your eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

The rest of the trip to the town passes in silence, and your glad for it. Despite your normal confidence you found yourself feeling oddly vulnerable. From what you had read in Fluttershy’s letters, these parties were always thrown for newcomers to town. You weren’t really worried about the party, though. You’d been to your fair share of wild parties with the other trainees. Some a bit less legal than you’d ever admit. What had you worried was that pegasus mare by the name of Rainbow Dash.

From what you remembered she was just recently admitted to the team, and so you were fairly certain that she’d have heard at least a little about you from the team. That would lead to questions that you’d rather not have to answer. Hopefully she’d understand that you didn’t want to talk about it. Hopefully…

But the other friends that Fluttershy had. You were genuinely interested in getting to know them. According to the letters you had gotten, they were all attractive, and had great personalities. And what made the deal even better was the fact that they were all single. Hay, maybe you’d get lucky and hit it off with one of them.

With your thoughts distracting you, you didn’t notice that you had arrived at the treehouse that you had seen earlier. Fluttershy approached the door at a slow trot, and you matched her pace. She put one hoof on the door, and then she opened it. Inside it was dark, and you knew what was coming. You braced yourself against the coming onslaught of voices, but it never came. Instead, there was just the gentle sound of music, along with some chatting voices.

“What, no surprise party for me?”

“No, silly! You knew it was coming, so it wouldn’t be a surprise!” You fell over backwards as the pink mare from earlier seemingly appeared before you. “I’ll just have to throw you a surprise party later. But for now you can just enjoy a regular party.” As you waited for your heart to slow down a bit, you saw Fluttershy laugh, and Pinkie went back into the party.

“Flutters, you have some interesting friends. Really, really, interesting friends.”

(Sorry for how long this chapter took, but real life struck again. I'll try to get the others out a bit faster.)

Chapter III: First Exam

(As usual, let me know of any mistakes I may have made.)

As you entered, with Fluttershy following right behind you, you noticed all the ponies in the room turned to look at you. There was even a tiny purple dragon, who you recalled was named Spike. Your abrupt entrance brought the festivities to a halt, and you felt the awkwardness grow by the moment. You drew in a breath to get things started on the right hoof. Sadly, fate conspired against you.

“Hey, you’re that cousin of Fluttershy’s that’s going to be a Wonderbolt! I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” You watched as the cyan pegasus walked over to stand closer to you, and she had a fierce glint in her eye. “So, when do you want to race? I’m itching to race somepony who can keep up with me.”

The gray pegasus hangs his head while muttering, but you can’t quite make out what he says. “Actually, I wanted to get something out of the way first. It has to do with me, and it’s not the happiest news.” Rainbow Dash’s head tilted as you spoke, and you could see she was genuinely curious, the same as the other ponies who hadn’t heard. You explained, quickly and efficiently what had happened to you. You left out some of the more emotional bits, wanting to spare the ponies their emotions, but even without that there were few dry eyes.

After you finished an awkward silence descended upon the room, and you decided that this wouldn’t do, considering that this was supposed to be a party. “Come on everypony. I’ve moved on, and I’m okay with what’s happened to me. It sucks, that’s true, but I don’t let it rule my life. Now, Pinkie, would you mind getting some music going? This party is in dire need of some uplifting music.” The pink pony cheered up rapidly as you spoke, and by the time you finished speaking she was looking much as she did when you first saw her.

After a few more moments most of the tension had dissolved, and you began chatting with Fluttershy’s friends. They were remarkably easy to talk to, and that improved the environment drastically. You found yourself speaking more to Twilight than any of Fluttershy’s other friends, but you didn’t mind, since she was actually quite knowledgeable. Eventually your conversation did come back to your wings, and you explained to her what the doctors had all told you, and your family, and Twilight asked some questions that you couldn’t answer, and she just furrowed her brow when you were unable to answer her questions.

After a few hours the party began to wind down, and Rarity was the first to depart, claiming that she had quite a bit of work to catch up on, and that she had to make sure that the Crusaders, whom you had heard of through some letters from Fluttershy, didn’t demolish her boutique. Rainbow Dash and Storm were the next two to leave, and they did so with quite a few innuendos shot back and forth between you and Storm, leaving Fluttershy with a massive blush on her cheeks. Despite his odd mannerisms, you found that you got along with Storm quite well.

Pinkie was the next to leave, and she was by far the most reluctant to see the party end. She swore that the next party she’d throw would be bigger, and last longer, and that she’d be sure to show you her party cannon. After Pinkie was out the door, you looked to Fluttershy and Twilight, a questioning look plastered on your face.

“Party Cannon?” In response you just got a simple shake of Twilight’s head, and a similar response from Fluttershy. The three of you spoke for a short while longer and, then Fluttershy let out a yawn; and you couldn’t help but smile at the adorableness of your cousin. You weren’t feeling all that tired, mostly due to your nap earlier, and so when Fluttershy made her way to the door you didn’t join her. “I’m not really feeling all that tired, Flutters. And if Twilight doesn’t mind, I wouldn’t object to spending a bit more time with her.” As you finished you turned to look at Twilight, and you could swear you saw the tiniest blush on her cheeks. It faded quickly, though, and you weren’t entirely sure that it was even there.

“Oh, um. Okay. I mean, if Twilight doesn’t mind.”

“Not at all, Fluttershy. Your cousin seems to be quite verbose, and eloquent to boot. If he’d like to stay I’d be more than happy to entertain his company for a bit longer.”

“Oh. Well, okay then. Don’t stay out too late, though. I mean, unless you want to. It’s just that my home is a bit hard to find when it gets dark out.”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’ll stay safe. And if it gets too dark out, I’d like to think that Twilight has a couch I can call a bed for a night.” Again, you look to the mare, and she nods her assent. “See, we have a solution. Now you get home, Shy. If I don’t get back tonight I’ll be there tomorrow.”

With a gentle latching sound, the door closes behind Fluttershy, leaving you sitting across from Twilight at the table she had put out in the main room of the library. It wasn’t a particularly large table, and so it made a good position for conversation. However, Twilight stood up from the table, and she motioned for you to follow her. You did so, slightly confused as to why she wanted to leave the comfort of the seats you had already been in.

You soon discovered why, as she led you into a cozier private study. It was a fairly small room, large enough for only a few ponies to comfortably occupy. The most attractive features of the room, though, were the twin armchairs in the room, and the fireplace they were both facing. There was no fire at present, but you were certain that lighting it would be no problem at all for Twilight. She moved to the fireplace as you entered, and within moments there was a sizable blaze in the hearth, warming the room. It wasn’t an uncomfortable heat, despite the season.

She then settled down in one of the armchairs, and you did the same in the other one. The leather of the chair, faux-leather you assumed, was well worn, and had the smell of books about it. It wasn’t at all unpleasant, and it actually made the room even more comfortable. With the main items of interest in the room accounted for, you allowed your gaze to roam the rest of the room. The walls were, unsurprisingly, covered in countless tomes. But what got your interest was the fact that there were many repeats. They weren’t repeated in this room, but there were identical copies out in the main room of the library.

“Twilight, I’ve noticed that you seem to have repeat copies of some books that I recall seeing in the main room.”

“Oh, yes. I have some first edition copies in this room, as well as some with original author’s notes. I even have a few autographed copies of some books that are out of print in this room. I’ve always had a great love for the written word, and due to my relationship with the Princess I have unrivaled access to some more obscure pieces of literature. I even have some books that were written by Starswirl himself.”

Your mind races with the mention of that name, and you find yourself trying to recall what you can about the long dead unicorn. “Wasn’t Starswirl known for his work with teleportation magic?” The unicorn’s eyes widen at your recollection, and a smile quickly joins her widened eyes.

“Yes, actually. He was one of the early pioneers of the magical field. His work paved the way for the final development of the spell. He even did a measure of work in other fields, ranging from elemental manipulation to healing.” The mare fell silent as she spoke those last few words, and then you noticed that she was looking at you with a look in her eyes that you couldn’t quite place. A faint glow surrounded her horn, and then a book floated over to her, and she quickly began flipping though it. You sat in silence, unsure about what she was doing. You could guess what she was going to say, but you didn’t want to get your hopes up.

After several minutes of her search, she finally let out a short laugh of triumph. However, it was short lived, and her brow furrowed as she continued reading. The silence, other than her outburst, was calming, though. Several more minutes passed and then you heard the soft sound of a book being closed. You looked over to the mare, and she had a faint smile on her face. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a moment to examine your wings. If what I’ve read is to be believed, there may be a way to heal the damage that’s been done to your wings.”

The unicorn was about to continue, but you raised a hoof, cutting her off. “Yes, there are several different methods available to repair the damage that’s been done, if the doctors are to be trusted. But they all require absurdly large amounts of magic to work, and the time it takes is also fairly large. The best estimates I’ve heard ranged from ten to twelve days, and that’s assuming that I had a different unicorn for each procedure. It’s just not a doable thing, Twilight.” Her ears drooped as you spoke, and you felt bad for crushing her idea so quickly. “I suppose you can take a look, if you like. Just nothing overly invasive.”

Her ears perked up again, and she had a larger smile on her face. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything too bad. I’m just going to use my magic to examine the inner pathways of your nerves. I’ll also do a cursory examination of the exterior, to see if there’s anything outwardly visible.” She climbs from the chair, and she moves over to you, waiting for you to extract yourself from the comfortable embrace of the seat. With a small sigh you relent, and a moment later you are standing before the curious mare.

She quickly uses her magic to stretch out both your wings, and for a fleeting moment you feel the tug of your memories, but you squash them before they can develop, knowing that nothing would ever come from what this mare does. She’s not a miracle worker, and I doubt she has the magical reserves to do what would need to be done to cure what ails my body. The magical pulsations that run the length of your wing bring odd sensations with them, and you have to struggle not to pull away from the grip that encases them.

As you watch the mare work her attention to detail begins to work against you, as her gentle touches take on a less than chaste feeling. You bite your tongue to keep from saying anything, knowing that she was doing this for your benefit. Soon enough, though, the sensations begin to escalate, as the mare subconsciously begins working along your wing in time with the magical pulsations.

“Um, Twilight?”

“Yes?” Her response is one that you would hear from somepony who was responding only to the noise, not the intent behind it.

“You do realize what you’re doing, right? I mean, this is a bit fast, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we get to know each other a bit better first?” The mare pauses for several long seconds. Finally, she looks at you, and notices the blush present on your cheeks. Her own cheeks quickly flush deep crimson, and the magical hold on your wings drops away rapidly, allowing them to fall limply at your side. You had been hoping that they’d stay extended, despite the awkwardness that would’ve come from that situation. Even if they’d only do what they’re supposed to in situations like that, they’d still be your wings. They’d work, even if only a little.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t even paying attention to that. I was just examining, and…” Her blush deepens as she fully comprehends just what she was doing.

You laugh at her reaction, hoping to ease the tension. She joins you a moment later, although her laugh seems a bit more forced. “Twilight, it’s fine, trust me. I could feel what you were doing, and that has to count for something. Even if I can’t use them for flight I can still use them for… Well, I’ll still be able to get some use out of them.”

“I didn’t mean to… do what I was doing. If you want to go, I understand.”

You reach out a hoof to the mare’s cheek, and she lets you. “Twilight, if you’re intent on trying to do something about my wings, than this is something that’ll come up from time to time. Despite what Fluttershy may have told you about me, I’m not actually that great with the mares, and that’s the most I’ve gotten in quite some time.” You feel a blush come to your cheeks, and you offer up a weak smile.

“Actually, Fluttershy told us all that you had lousy luck with the mares you wanted to go out with. Something about the way you deliver your pick up lines.” Your cheeks feel as if they are on fire, and you can only guess just how great your blush is.

“Oh… It seems that I need to have a chat with Fluttershy, then.” You pause for a moment, and then sigh. “But she’s right. Sadly.” You stew in your misery for a moment, but you quickly pick yourself back up. “But we’re not here to talk about my luck with getting a date. We’re here to… Well, we were just going to socialize, but now we’re doing something far more constructive. If you’re willing to try again, Twi, I’m willing to deal with the sensations involved with you examining my wings.”

She looked at you hesitantly, and you saw a glow begin to form around her horn. “If you’re sure.” You nod in response, and she gives you a smile. The glow around her horn intensifies for a moment, and then your wings stretch out once again. This time, though, she spends more time near where the wing meets your side, and you do everything in your power to think of this as a doctor visit, rather than an attractive mare touching your wings.

A dissatisfied grunt came from Twilight, and you turned your head to see her staring intently at a small patch of fur that you’d never really paid attention to before. She brought her horn close to it, and a tiny spark leapt from her horn to your body, and for the tiniest moment, a span of time so short you could’ve imagined it, you felt your flight muscles move. But that moment was enough for you, and a tear ran down your cheek. Another spark leapt from her horn, and you were looking forward to the sensation of motion once again, but it didn’t come.

This repeated several more times, but the motion never came again. She repeated the process with your other wing, but the motion never came. As the auras surrounding your wings dissipated the mare let out a sigh. You waited for the magic to fade completely before you began the laborious task of refolding your wings. It took several minutes to do, and by the time you finished all you had was a fading memory of the sensations provided by Twilight’s touch. You took your previous place in the armchair back, and Twilight approached you tentatively.

“That twitch. It’s the best sign we have. I think I’ll be able to help, but it’ll take time. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I am pretty sure that you’ll be able to fly again.” You just looked at the mare for a moment, and then you got off the chair, and you embraced her.

“I’d long since given up hope of flying again, but you’ve reignited the fire within me. I don’t know how I can hope to repay you for this.” You broke the hug, and you looked at her, at a loss for words.

“You don’t need to pay me for this. I’m just trying to help a friend in need.” She smiled at you, and then she glanced past you, and her jaw dropped. “Oh my. It’s nearly midnight. Perhaps it’d be good to get to bed.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’d be a good idea. But I’m not going to just let you do this for me without me paying you back, somehow. And if you can’t think of something, than I’ll just have to get creative.” You felt the tiniest spark of an idea forming in your head, and you began formulating just how you’d repay Twilight for her kindness. “But for now, I agree. It’ll be good to get some rest.”

You took the lead, holding the door open for Twilight, and soon the two of you were in the main room, looking at the couch you’d be calling a bed for the night. “I have a guest room you can use, if you like. The couch isn’t exactly the most comfortable place to spend the night.”

“That’d be much better. Thank you.” As Twilight took the lead towards the guest room you spotted an ice cream container under the table you had been at earlier. You prod Twilight, and point with your hoof, and she gets a cross expression on her face. “I think a certain dragon had a bit of a sweet tooth while we were busy.”

“That’s certainly how it seems. Anyway, the guest room is just down this hall,” she points towards a short hall, and you nod. “There’s a bathroom right across from the bedroom, so you don’t have to worry about getting lost. And I’ll come by tomorrow morning to wake you for breakfast.”

“Thank you, once again. It seems that I’ll have quite a bit to repay before we’re done with my wings.” Twilight just giggles in response, and then she levitates the empty ice cream carton to the kitchen, and a moment later she comes out of the kitchen. She begins making her way up the stairs, and you watch her go. “Good night, Twi.”

“Good night. Pleasant dreams.” You smile as you turn and head down the short hallway. It only takes you a few minutes to get ready for bed, and soon enough you’re curled up beneath the blankets waiting for sleep to claim your conscious mind. When sleep finally does take you, you enjoy the first flying dream since you lost your wings.

(And there it is, another chapter done. Rate and comment, if you will.)

Chapter IV: A Means to an End

(Here you go. Let me know if you spot any mistakes I may have made.)

With more elegance than any one pony should ever be able to display you swept through the clouds, pushing yourself to the furthest limits you could. The giant billowy clouds taunted you with their incredible softness, but you were having too much fun soaring through the skies to bother resting, even in the welcoming softness of a cloud. You grazed the edge of the clouds with your wingtips, catching small plumes of the clouds in the ends of your wings, leaving trails of cloud behind you.

With a grin, you spotted a hole in the cloud cover far above, and you pumped your wings mightily, clawing for every bit of altitude you could get. As you grew closer to the hole in the clouds you felt yourself grow more and more tired with every pump of your wings. As you grew closer to the gap the fatigue you felt began to manifest itself as a slowly growing pain in your wings. Each flap brought you closer, and each flap caused the pain to grow.

As you finally managed to reach the hole your wings simply gave out, letting you plummet towards the ground so far below. You flipped over, end for end, as you raced towards the ground. You tried to extend your wings to stabilize your descent, but they wouldn’t obey your commands, instead they simply flopped about in the gale. And to make matters worse, the clouds below you were a dark gray color. And every so often you caught a flash coming from the cloud.

As you grew closer to the storm brewing below you, you closed your eyes, knowing that entering that maelstrom would spell your end. Despite yourself, you felt a shout of terror break from your lips…

And as you screamed you sat up in the guest room of Twilight’s library. Your fur was drenched in a cold sweat, and your heart was pounding in your chest. With your heart still racing, you heard the sound of hooves outside the door, followed by a gentle knocking sound. You stayed silent for a moment, and then the knock sounded once again, this time with a measure of hesitation between the knocks.

“Come in.” Your voice was hoarse from your shout, and it was shakier than you thought it should be. The door opened slowly, revealing the lavender mare that called the library her home. Her face was one of concern, and you could see a trace of fear there as well. When she saw you on the bed, the fear quickly vanished, and was replaced by still more concern. She approached you slowly, as if worried that her presence might worsen your condition.

When she was just a few feet from the foot of the bed she stopped. You patted the bed beside you, and she offered you a small smile before she obliged you, and moved around to the side of the bed you had indicated. She seated herself beside you, and she laid a hoof on your side, but she quickly withdrew it.

“You’re shivering. And wet too.” You just nod, and the mare’s horn glows softly for a moment. The glow intensifies for a moment, and then you spot a towel floating towards you, from the bathroom you assume. The towel grows nearer to you, and you grab it with a hoof, and then you drape it about your shoulders. It stays in place for a moment, but then Twilight changes her position slightly, and she begins to rub it along your back, working to get the moisture out of your coat.

Her touch is gentle, and you find the treatment much to your liking. Were the situation different, and you weren’t in such a sorry state you’d find yourself truly enjoying this moment. Instead, you felt your mind reeling with the memories of the dream you had just experienced. Other than some minor differences, it was startlingly similar to the day you flew through that storm cloud; the day you lost your wings.

As Twilight finished with the towel, you noticed that your hooves had stopped shaking. Having finished with the towel, Twilight cast it aside, letting it fall to the floor beside the bed. You watched as it fell to the floor, and you couldn’t help but notice a number embroidered on the towel. You felt Twilight’s hooves wrap around your shoulders, and faster than you thought you could, your attention shifted from the piece of cloth to the mare holding you.

You had heard of this level of concern before from the letters you had received, but to actually experience it was a whole new thing to you. Back in Fillydelphia this kind of treatment was unheard of. Sure, from truly close friends you’d get a measure of sympathy, but never anything quite like this. You didn’t quite know how to react to the embrace, so you simply sat there and enjoyed it. After several moments she released you, and you brought your head around to look at her. She met your gaze, and you could make out the tiniest blush on her cheeks.

“Are you feeling any better?” Her voice had a small measure of hesitance to it, and you were unsure about why. She’d done nothing worth being nervous about, so you just smiled as you responded.

“Yeah, much. It was a bad dream that caused that entire hullabaloo.” As your thoughts returned to the dream, though, your smile quickly disappeared. “A dream.” The mare got up from the bed after an awkward silence lingered in the air for a few moments. She made her way to the door, her horn levitating the towel beside her.

“Morning will be here in just a few hours, so try to get some more sleep.” She closed the door as she left, the latch settling in place with a soft rattle. Just before she exited you felt a small pang in your chest, one that wanted you to call out to her, but you stopped that before it could manifest itself as an actual cry. You had felt these feelings before, and that had only led to more grief than you could handle. Your ineptitude with mares only made things far more difficult than they had any right to be.

She was just a pony here to help you, and her compassion was that of one friend to another. And you couldn’t let yourself fall for her, either. She was just a source of hope to you, right now, and that wouldn’t make for a lasting relationship. Once she finished helping you, your affection would begin to peter out, and then you’d be left with nothing.

A relationship built on the kind of basis that this one was being built on would be a strong friendship, of that there was no doubt. But it wouldn’t be able to grow beyond that.

Or, to be more accurate, you wouldn’t let it grow beyond that. She would get you your wings back, and then you’d be able to audition for the Wonderbolts, and your father would take you back in. You’d be able to live out your dreams, and then you’d be the stallion your father wanted. Even when he acted like an ass, he was still your father. And he’d no doubt disapprove of you being with a unicorn, even one as powerful as Twilight. She was, sadly, a means to an end.

You concluded your thought process, but even still it kept coming back. Your own line of reasoning didn’t mesh with the way you wanted to live your life. Your father kicked you out because you lost your ability to fly. You were still his son, and yet he just kicked you out. Why should you have to go back to him and try to earn his favor again? You had it, and then a single mistake, albeit a costly one, lost it all for you. You didn’t need his approval. All you needed was your own. And… And maybe Twilight’s.

“No. Dammit, no. I can’t let myself fall for her. She’s just helping me to get my wings back, nothing more.” She kept worming her way back into your thoughts, despite your desire to push her out. Maybe you could try. Maybe you could give it a shot, if only to get to know one of Fluttershy’s friends a bit better. Celestia knows that you could do with making some new friends here in Ponyville.

You laid back down, careful not to let your wings unfurl accidentally. The ceiling drew your eyes as you reclined, and thoughts of Twilight pervaded your mind. Surely this was a simple crush, and nothing more than that. Sleep was long in coming to you, and when it finally came knocking you allowed it in without a moment of hesitation.

A photon of light traveling to your eye from the sun takes just about eight minutes to travel the massive distance. Eight minutes traveling at almost two hundred thousand miles every second. Do some rough math, and you’ll get a figure around ninety-three million miles. No small distance, to be sure. Now, the small gap in the curtain that covered the window was just a couple inches across. A small target when standing just a few feet away, but from a distance of ninety-three million miles? But even with all of those figures, the sun still managed to put a beam of light right into your opening eyes.

You blearily raised a hoof to stave off the beam of light, but it wasn’t enough to thwart the light now filling the room, and so you gave up on your hopes of getting more rest. It felt like you had only been asleep for a few minutes, but you knew that it was more like a few hours. Still, your early morning soiree with Twilight had left your mind racing, and so you had spent the better part of an hour rationalizing your thoughts and feelings.

You threw the covers off your body as you climbed out of bed, and you did a series of stretches that sent a chorus of popping joints through the air. After a few minutes of stretching, you made your way out of the guest room, and into the bathroom. It took you only a short time to shower, and soon you were back in the guest room, looking at the messy pile of sheets that was once nicely arranged on the mattress. You approached it slowly, not sure how you’d go about making the bed. It’d been months since you last took the time to actually make your bed, but you felt compelled to do so, since this wasn’t your room.

After several minutes of internal debate, you finally settled on making the bed. Or, that’s what you tried to do. Instead you found yourself reminded as to why you had long since stopped making the bed. Not only was it an annoying task, it was also one you were remarkably terrible at. You found yourself wrapped in a cocoon of sheets as a knocking came from the door. You looked at the door with a mixed pot of emotion. Finally, though, humility won through, beating out pride. “Uh. Come in.” The door opened, revealing not Twilight, as you expected, but Spike.

He just looked at you for a moment, an expressionless face on his visage. You looked back at him with a sheepish smile on your face, and he just continued to stare at you. He reached out to the door handle, and then he closed it, and you heard the sound of footsteps receding from the door, and you sighed. A minute later and a knocking came from the door once more. “Yes, come in.” This time you were rewarded with both Twilight and Spike standing in the doorway. Spike’s formerly expressionless face was replaced with one of barely concealed mirth.

“Yes, I am trapped.” You shot a glare at the dragon before you continued. “No, it’s not funny.” Then, much to your surprise, Twilight was the first one to start laughing. Her laughter prompted Spike to begin, and then you found yourself the target of all the merriment, and you couldn’t keep the smile from forming on your face. Soon all three of you were laughing together. You were the first to stop, and Spike was the last.

“How, exactly, did you manage to get into this position?” Twilight approached you slowly, her horn glowing as she began unraveling the sheets.

“I… I don’t know.” You tried to recall just how you wound up in this conundrum, but it was all a vague haze of sheets and the mattress.

“Well, next time try to fight back. This is embarrassing.” Soon enough you were liberated from the cloth prison, and the bed was made quickly by the lavender mare, who seemed to have the art of bed making mastered. The glow of her horn cast a faint purple light through the room as the sheets seemed to leap upon the bed. “There. Now let’s go get some breakfast. Today is going to be a long day, since we’ll be going to the farm to help out.”

Breakfast was a short affair at the library, and just fifteen minutes later you and Twilight were headed to Sweet Apple Acres, if only for a short while. Preparations for the coming celebration were taking place across the entire town, and Twilight had been given the responsibility of organizing the whole thing. She seemed to take to the task quite well, and it made you feel good to see her so happy, even if you hadn’t contributed to her feeling of satisfaction.

Arriving at the farm, you saw a massive red stallion working his way through the trees as Rainbow Dash, and Storm flitted about the trees, plucking apples off them at a surprising pace. It took only a short while for Twilight to get the information she needed about their pace, and whether they thought they’d make the deadline. The news was good, and so Twilight proudly put a checkmark next to the farm on her list. Next up was the decorations that were going up around the town, and for that you were headed to the boutique you had visited yesterday.

The trip there took place in silence, but you didn’t really mind. It allowed you time to just enjoy the scenery some more. Compared to Fillydelphia, everything about Ponyville seemed quaint. The buildings, Twilight explained, were almost all built by hoof, and there was little that was made outside of Ponyville in the town. Other than things that couldn’t be realistically built in the town everything was built here. As the two of you wandered through the town, heading from one shop, or stall, to the next, you saw many ponies that were helping out with the preparations.

Twilight greeted most of them by name, and nearly all of them responded in kind. Some even introduced themselves to you, and you were happy to reciprocate. It was amazing, to you, that all of these ponies were so kind to each other, and to you. You saw many ponies stop what they were doing to help one another. A few times you even loaned a hoof to help out. By the time noon rolled around you were standing outside Sugarcube corner, every item on the list taken care of, save the visit to the very shop you stood outside. As you neared the door you put a bit of spring into your step, and you held open the door for Twilight. She gave you a warm smile as she entered, and you felt your cheeks grow a bit warmer at the attention.

Inside the shop was a storm of activity as the owners tried to get everything in order for the celebration. They only spared a quick glance in your direction as you entered, and soon Pinkie came bouncing out from the back of the shop.

“Oh, hi Twilight. What brings you by today? Are you here for some delicious cakes? Or maybe some muffins?”

“No, Pinkie, we’re just here to make sure that everything is being readied for the Summer Sun celebration.” Before Pinkie could respond, one of the two older ponies responded.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. We may be frantic right now, but we’ll have everything ready in time for the celebration. We wouldn’t dream of messing this up, considering that the Princesses will be there.” Twilight smiled warmly at that answer, and with a small flourish Twilight checked off the last item on the list.

“That’s great, Mr. Cake. I’ll be coming by again the day before to do a final check, but everything is looking good here, so I’ll let you get back to work.” With that said, the unicorn turned about and headed for the door. You followed her out, and with that done, she simply stood in front of the shop. “So, is there anything you’d like to do, now that we’re done with the checklist? We have some time before I have to meet up with my friends to take care of a few problems.”

You raise an eyebrow at that, but you leave it alone for now. “Maybe we could grab some lunch? I’m feeling a bit hungry.”

“Sure, we can go to the café in town. They serve some of the best hay fries around.” She turned to head towards the café you had passed earlier, and you followed her, already trying to puzzle out the problem she had mentioned, and whether it had anything to do with what you remembered that unicorn filly talking about yesterday.

(Well, there it was. A certain issue is going to be coming up next chapter, and those of you who read Apples will know what it is.)

Chapter V: "You Keep Your Goggles"

(Rate, comment, and enjoy.)

The small café offered a wide variety of vittles to choose from, and you made a mental note to come here often, so you could sample all of the choices offered. The one item that caught your eye, though, was the Fillydelphia Cheese ‘n’ shroom sandwich. While you weren’t a native to Fillydelphia you had developed a sense of pride in the city, and so you wanted to try the sandwich here, to see if it could compare to what was offered back… Well, home wasn’t the right word anymore.

Regardless, you placed your order when the waitress came over, and that left you sitting across from Twilight, an awkward silence having descended upon the two of you. You allowed you gaze to wander, and so you looked at the town around you, as you had chosen to eat outside. Ponyville was a beautiful place, of that you were certain. And you could also say, without tribulation that it was better than Fillydelphia in nearly every way. Sure, it was far smaller, and less advanced, but it had a level of charm that Fillydelphia never had.

The ponies as well, made the town a nice place to stay. Often a pony would pass by the café, see another pony they knew, and they’d just pop in to chat, or share a quick bite to eat. The kindness these ponies displayed was baffling. Some even approached Twilight, seeing as she was well known, and they’d introduce themselves to you without a bit of hesitation. You couldn’t keep track of all the names they told you, but you were good with faces, so that’d have to do.

Your examination of the town was cut short, though, as the food arrived. The sandwich looked nearly perfect, but you wouldn’t be able to give an accurate assessment until you ate some. The first bite told you that it was, in fact, perfect. The tastes blended together perfectly, creating the ideal flavor. For quite some time, or so it seemed, you just enjoyed the taste of the food. It had been a while since you enjoyed anything this good, and you wanted to relish the taste.

“So, do you want to know what we’ll be getting into once we finish here?” Twilight’s voice broke into your enjoyment of the vittles, but you didn’t mind. You tried to dredge up the conversation you shared with Rarity and her sister yesterday, but it wasn’t coming up very clear.

“Yeah, refresh my memory. I know that I heard about it briefly from Rarity and her sister, but I can’t recall any of the specifics.”

Twilight’s features drooped slightly and she began. “Well, it turns out that Taupe is Scootaloo’s uncle.” You raise an eyebrow, and Twilight quickly understands why. “Taupe is Applejack’s coltfriend. He moved here several months ago, and just a couple days ago he finally managed to confess his love, and his past. I haven’t heard his past for myself, but Applejack swears that he’ll come around and tell the rest of us sooner or later. And Scootaloo is a member of the Crusaders, who I’m sure you’ve heard about from Fluttershy.” You nod in agreement, and she continues.

“Well, Scootaloo found a letter that Taupe had received from his sister. One in which she talks about her relationship with Taupe, and her relationship with Scootaloo. Scootaloo didn’t know anything about this, and so she is understandably upset that nopony told her the truth about any of this.” You leaned back in your seat as you digested the information presented. You didn’t really know enough about any of the ponies involved to pass judgment on them, but you did have some ideas about what you could say to the distraught filly.

The rest of the meal passed quickly, your enjoyment of the meal lessened by the thoughts racing through your head. As you both finished Twilight pulled a pile of bits out of her coin pouch, and a few minutes later the waitress returned, taking the bits along with the plates. She also wished us a nice day, and hoped that we’d come back soon. You smiled in response, and soon you were following Twilight through the town once again. Eventually she arrived in front of a fairly new looking home, and she knocked on the door.

Just a few seconds passed before the door was opened. Standing there was Storm. You could hear some voices coming from within the room behind him. He offered a sad smile as the two of you entered. Inside the living room was Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity’s sister, and a filly you hadn’t seen before. And sitting on the couch, between the two fillies, was an orange pegasus filly who you could only assume was Scootaloo. She barely glanced over as the two of you entered.

“Scoots, you need to forgive Taupe and your mother for what they did. They were only trying to protect you.” Rainbow’s voice lacked the same edge that you remembered from yesterday, but you could understand why it would be like that. Twilight quickly moved over to the group of mares, leaving you and Storm by the door. You made a move to stand by the mares, but Storm raised a hoof, stopping you. You looked at him, and he just shook his head.

The mares tried every tactic they could think of to get through to the pegasus filly, but none of it seemed to change the way she felt about the whole situation. Luckily, you managed to piece together what had happened from what they were all saying. You thought you saw a way to get through to the filly, but you didn’t know if she’d listen to you, considering that you were a stranger. While most of the mares and stallions you’d seen were ready and willing to meet a new pony, you weren’t sure if the fillies and colts were the same way.

After what felt like an eternity of pleading with the filly, you saw Rarity slump her shoulders in defeat. Twilight followed suit minutes later, and after just a few more minutes the only ones still trying were Fluttershy and Pinkie. To your dismay, you saw Fluttershy showing signs of lost hope. Soon afterwards, she sat down where she was, and she lowered her gaze to the floor. You had long since sat down where you were, but when you saw Fluttershy sink to the floor you stood up.

You turned around, and placed a hoof on the door, ready to open it. Storm shot you an inquisitive look, but he didn’t stop you. You exited his home, and you could see that the sun was nearing the horizon. It had been several hours since you were last outside, and a plan was beginning to form inside your head. You’d need to move fast, though. You began running to Fluttershy’s home, desperate to get your bag, or, more importantly, the contents of that bag.

When you finally skidded to a halt in front of her small cottage you were greeted by a platypus sitting in front of the door, along with Angel bunny. The platypus looked at you for a moment before it walked off. Angel, though, held your gaze. You stared back at him, knowing that you were wasting precious time. “Angel, I need to get in.” The rabbit simply shook his head in response. “You know who I am, and you know who I am to Flutters, so I think it’s okay for me to go in.” Once more the rabbit just shook his head. “I’m bigger than you, so if I need to I’ll just force my way in.”

When you got the response you were expecting, you just stepped past the, now outraged, rabbit. The door was unlocked, as you expected, and you made your way to Fluttershy’s room, where you had dropped your small bag when you went to bed for a nap yesterday. You looked inside, and you gave a small sigh of relief as you saw the contents inside were the way you had left them. You put the bag on your back and you then went back outside the house where an angry Angel bunny had arrayed several of his woodland friends in a semicircle. As you exited the house they all looked at you.

Were they larger creatures the formation would’ve been intimidating, but as it was, you had to struggle to suppress the grin that threatened to take over your face. You took a tentative step forward, and you saw that none of the creatures moved from your path. “I can jump, you know?” And with that startling revelation, you did just that. You cleared them with plenty of room to spare, and you kept your momentum going as you landed. You arrived at Storm’s house just as the sun was halfway set.

The door opened quickly when you knocked. Hey, I didn’t end up with my hoof on somepony’s nose this time. Progress! Storm was there when the door opened, and you smiled at him. He returned the smile, albeit less enthusiastically. You walked past the stallion, and over to the filly. Pinkie was still trying to cheer up the filly, but it wasn’t having any effect. When you approached, though, Pinkie fell silent. The filly looked up when Pinkie’s silence reached her, and she met your gaze with one of her own.

“Hello, Scootaloo. I’m new in town, and my name is-”

“Are you just here to try and cheer me up?” You shook your head in response.

“No, actually, I’m not. I don’t think there’s anything anypony can say that will make you happy. That can only come from within you. If you don’t want to be happy, you won’t be. Instead, I’m going to offer you something that none of these mares thought to offer. They only thought to give you the comfort of their words, but I will give you something better.” You sat down in front of her, and she followed your movements, keeping her eyes locked on yours.

“You see, you’re thinking about what’s changed in your life. Out of all the things you do every day, how many of them will be altered by what you’ve learned? How will this affect your relationships with your friends, and fellow crusaders?” You paused for a moment to let your words sink in. “How will you let it change who you are?” You stood again, and you reached out a hoof to the filly. She took it, tentatively, and you gave it a gentle pull.

She didn’t resist as you led her outside. Just a minute later and you were atop a small rise near Storm’s home. It offered a view of the setting sun, and that’s just what you wanted. “You see, Scootaloo, the sun sets everyday in the West. Everyday, no matter what happens, the sun rises in the East, and sets in the West. Were I to cover myself in feathers, and pretend to be a chicken, or just stay who I am, the sun will still rise in the East, and set in the west.”

“What does this have to do with me? I’m not a chicken, and I don’t see how the sun relates to chickens.”

You chuckle softly, and you pull Scootaloo a bit closer to your side. “It’s not about the sun, Scootaloo. It’s about the constants in your life. Even if something changes you’ll still be you, and the world will keep moving. When I lost my wings I thought that I had lost everything that I was. But I realized that I only change as much as I let myself.” You pull out of your bag the only possession you had brought from home. Your old flight goggles. They were worn with age, since they had belonged to your grandfather, but they still did the job perfectly.

“These goggles belonged to my grandfather when he was a member of the Royal Guard in Canterlot. He used them every single day he flew, and they never failed him. The magic that prevents them from getting wet hasn’t faded, and the tiny inscription he made on the side has never faded. He gave them to me when I started my training for the Wonderbolts, and I wore them every day I trained.” You turned the goggles over, looking at the inscription on the side. “They were always there, reminding me of who I was, and where I came from. The day I lost my ability to fly I was certain that it was over for me, and to a certain degree, I was right. I learned from the doctors that I’d never fly again, save for intensive magical intervention.”

You put the goggles down in front of the filly, and you pointed at them. “Those goggles helped me to get through it. Even though I’d never be able to use them for their true purpose again, they still held a part of me. They were given to me before I was the best flier in the program, and I had them afterwards too. They didn’t change, even though I had.” You grabbed the goggles, and after at small adjustment, you put them on the filly’s head. “You need to accept that things have changed for you, but that you shouldn’t let it affect you this much. Things will always be changing in your life, but you can’t let it change who you are.”

Several minutes passed, and the two of you just watched as the sun finally sank below the horizon, plunging the world into night. You picked up the filly, carefully, and you put her on your back. You turned to face the East, and you watched as the Moon rose from the horizon. “I don’t know if this helps, Scootaloo. But I have a good idea of what you’re going through. Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is nopony alive, who is you-er than you. It’s been years since I read the book that line comes from, but it’s still true. Don’t let the world change you, Scootaloo. You should be the one to change the world.” (Author’s Note: Dr. Seuss like a bawss.)

The filly on your back embraced your neck, and you felt a few tears run down your back. You walked back to Storm’s home, careful not to be rough with the filly. When you entered every head looked over to you, and you let a small smile show on your face. Everypony in the room visibly relaxed as you smiled, and you then moved next to the couch, and the filly climbed off your back. Before you could move away, though, she pulled you into a big hug. As you moved away you saw she had a smile on her face. However, you didn’t stand all the way up before she pulled the goggles off of her head, and she placed them on your head.

“I’ve got my friends to be there for me. You keep your goggles.” You finally stood up, and you stepped back from Scootaloo, and she was quickly embraced by her fellow crusaders, and the mares joined in just moments later. Storm abstained, though, choosing instead to stand back and watch.

“I’m glad you could help her. I just wish that one of the girls had thought of that sooner. Would’ve saved us quite a bit of stress.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in easy?” Storm chuckled at that, and he raised a hoof. “Thanks for your help. Really. Thanks.” You smiled back at Storm, and then you retook the position you were in earlier. The mares all talked with Scootaloo for a bit longer before the mares began heading home. Rarity consented to letting the fillies all stay at her place, so that they wouldn’t have to break up again so soon after they resolved the problem. Both Twilight and Fluttershy left at the same time, and you followed them out the door.

“So, Twilight, do you have any tests that you’d like to run tonight?” The mare sank into thought at your inquiry, and then she shook her head.

“Not tonight. I want to do some reading on the subject before we go any further. Although I have a few quick questions for you, so if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. Fluttershy, you go on ahead, I’ll catch up.” Fluttershy smiled at you, and then she turned to go. “Oh, before you go. I may have bothered Angel bunny a bit, so if he’s upset, it’s probably my fault.” You smile a sheepish smile at her stern gaze. “Sorry.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll just talk to him about it, and I’m certain that it’s nothing too bad.” The yellow pegasus then turned about, and began making her way towards her cottage. You turned back towards the unicorn, and she just watched Fluttershy trot down the road. She didn’t turn to look back at you until you could only barely make Fluttershy out.

“So, how’d you know what would work on Scootaloo?” She began walking towards the same hill that you spoke to Scootaloo on. You pondered your answer for a time, and by the time you answered the two of you were sitting atop the hill, looking at the Moon as it made its way across the night sky.

“Well, I figured that all of you were trying to make her think it was okay that you hid her past from her. Or that you were doing it for the best, or any number of possibilities. Am I right?”

“Yes, actually. We were trying to explain why the things that were done by her foster parents were done.”

“See, that won’t work. If something goes wrong, like this whole problem with Scootaloo’s past, you can’t just explain it away. A solution to a problem like this has to come from within. No amount of explanation will ease the acceptance that has to come. That’s why I didn’t tell her it was okay, I simply gave her some tools to use to aid her in coming to terms with it all.” Silence fell as you finished your explanation.

You glanced over at the mare next to you, and you smiled a bit as you looked at her. She looked over at you as you were looking at her, and you quickly averted your gaze. “Well, I’d better get back to Fluttershy’s place. Don’t want her to get worried, or think-”

A quick peck on the cheek cut off your words, and by the time you recovered you felt a burning heat in your cheeks. You looked at Twilight, and you could see that she was blushing almost as much as you were. “Thank you for helping with Scootaloo.” Before you could formulate a response the lavender mare trotted away from you, but not before she gave you another smile.

Maybe there is room for a certain mare in my life…

(Development of the relationship? No way! Anyway, things are moving along quite nicely. And at a reasonable pace too.)

Chapter VI: “Sweet Celestia Above!"

(Another chapter? Yes. Another chapter. Read it, rate it, and let me know of any glaring mistakes.)

You stood atop that hill for several minutes, simply looking at where Twilight had been. You felt the smile on your lips grow by the second, and soon enough you had a massive goofy grin plastered on your face. You had quite a bit of spring in your step as you made your way through the empty streets of Ponyville towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Everything seemed better as you trotted along, and yet very little had just changed.

She gave you a kiss on the cheek, no more than that, but at the same time it seemed like it signified something more. You barely paid attention to your surroundings as you made your way through the town, and you only barely noticed as you exited the town, and began making your way along the road that led to Fluttershy’s home. Mere minutes passed before you found yourself standing outside the door. You raised a hoof to knock, before pausing for a moment.

Instead of knocking high on the door, as you usually did, you knocked lower. Three solid impacts created a loud enough noise that you were certain Fluttershy must have heard. And, as you suspected, she came to the door just seconds after you knocked, and she opened it. She gave you a smile as you entered, and the first thing you noticed was Angel bunny sitting in the middle of the living room, his head drooping. He looked up as you entered, though, and when he saw you he averted his gaze quickly.

“So, Flutters, did you have a chat with Angel?” The rabbit looked over at you once again, this time with a barely concealed anger burning within his eyes. You just stuck your tongue out at him for a moment, before turning back to look at the pegasus. She had a small frown on her face, and she nodded.

“Yes. I also talked to the other animals who tried to stop you, and they’ve all apologized for what they did. They were just trying to protect my home, and I suppose that they forget that you’d be staying here for some time. I made sure to let them know that they were to let you come and go as you please.” You smiled at the mare, and her own frown slowly changed to a smile. “So, what did Twilight want to know?”

You blushed fiercely at the mention of Twilight, and you quickly turned your head to hide the blush, but you were certain that Fluttershy had spotted it. “Oh, she just wanted to know how I figured out what to do for Scootaloo. So, I just told her that I explained that the world moves on. I didn’t really explain much, though. Some other matters came up. Before she left, though, she made sure to thank me for what I did.”

The mare let out a gentle laugh, and you looked over at her. There was a tiny blush present on her cheeks, and that only caused your own blush to intensify. “I think there may be more to it than that.” She doesn’t pursue the topic, though, and you were thankful for that. You moved over to the couch in the silence that followed, and you took a seat on it. “Well, you can stay in the guest bedroom. I prepared it while you were asleep yesterday.” She motions for you to follow, and so you heave yourself off the couch, and you follow Fluttershy down a short hall, and into a relatively small bedroom.

Compared to Twilight’s guest room this one was far smaller. However, it didn’t seem cramped, so much as it seemed cozy. There was a large window dominating the outer wall, and the bed was arranged directly beneath it. To your left was a small desk, and to your right was a dresser, and a small closet. For a long stay the room would be impractical, but since you had just one item with you, it was far larger than you needed. You placed the goggles on the dresser carefully, not wanting to risk damaging them. You knew that it was a baseless concern, given the enchantments placed on the frames and lenses, but you were careful anyway.

“I didn’t know that Grandpa gave you his flight goggles.” Fluttershy reached out a hoof for them, and you picked them up and handed them to her. She turned them over in her hooves, being incredibly careful with them. She looked at the inscription on the side, much as you had done yesterday. A small sigh escaped her as she looked at the inscription, and then she gave the goggles back to you. “It’s been years since I last spoke to him.”

“Grandpa and Grandma both live in Canterlot, you know. It’s not like they’re really that far away.” You put a hoof around Fluttershy, and you pulled her close. She welcomed the embrace, and you both enjoyed the silence for a moment.

“Yes, but he always had such high hopes for both of us. I never had a chance at doing what he wanted, but you? You were poised to achieve what he sought for our family.”

“Yeah, I was. But now I’m not. I didn’t ask to lose my wings, but now I have. He gave me those goggles when I started the training, and he never asked for them back, even after the accident. I like to think he’s changed some. Probably grandma talked him out of his stubborn ways.” You stopped talking as you reminisced about some of the time you’d spent with your grandparents. “But now I think he’s too embarrassed to apologize to you.”

“Why would he be embarrassed?” You smiled at Fluttershy as you placed the goggles on the dresser once more.

“He spent years expecting the world from one of us. We’re his only connection back to what he once was. He’s too old to really fly the skies like we… Like you can, so he wanted us to do what he couldn’t. When you failed to perform like he wanted you to, he turned to me. He just gave up on you when you didn’t follow the path he wanted you to.”

“Oh…”

“But don’t worry, Flutters. Maybe we can go to Canterlot at some point, and talk to them about all of this.” When Fluttershy didn’t really perk up at that, you frowned. “It’ll be fine, Flutters. If he’s still upset with you, which he isn’t, at least you won’t be the only target of his ire.”

“Well… I guess we can go. But not anytime soon. I want to be ready when we go.” You put a hoof around Fluttershy, and she finally smiles.

“We’ll go when you’re ready, and not a minute sooner. Now then, you head to bed. We’ve still got some work to do to get ready for the Summer Sun celebration.” Fluttershy left your room, closing the door behind her as she went, leaving you with your thoughts, the bed, and the goggles. You grabbed the goggles once again, and you rubbed a hoof along the inscription on the side. Maybe you could get the enchantment lifted so you could add your own little inscription to them.

You let your mind race as you put the goggles back down, and you climbed into bed. There was no need to rush the goggle project, since you didn’t even know if they’d be needed. You couldn’t afford to rush your relationship with Twilight, if it even existed. Sleep came quickly to you, and it was a dreamless sleep.

Morning came, and with it the sun, and the smell of breakfast. You were still groggy from your sleep when you finally managed to stagger out of the guest room, and towards the kitchen. When you arrived you saw Fluttershy floating about the kitchen, along with almost a dozen birds, preparing breakfast. You just watched her for a time, absorbed by the precision with which she worked. Every bird that was there was working in nearly perfect unison with the yellow mare who was clearly leading the group. You watched in awe as several birds lifted a bowl of eggs, and brought them over to the stove.

You couldn’t help but chuckle as the birds began cracking the eggs, and dumping the contents into a pan. Fluttershy’s voice cut into the silence, and made you realize that you were staring. “Good morning, sleepyhead. I tried to wake you a while ago, but you didn’t stir. I figured that you’d wake when the smell of breakfast made it to you. Now then, you go get washed up, since it’ll still be a bit until everything is ready.” You just nodded in response, since you were too busy yawning to properly speak.

Your time in the bathroom was brief, and so you expected that it’d still be a short wait before you’d eat, but you were wrong. Just as you finished in the bathroom you heard the sound of dishes being placed on the table. When you entered the kitchen you were surprised to see Fluttershy had already placed an omelet at the place where you’d be sitting, along with a tall glass of orange juice, and an apple was beside the plate, resting on a napkin.

Fluttershy didn’t say a word as you took your seat; instead she just waited to start eating until you had the first bite. You grabbed your fork gently, and you brought the first bite to your mouth, wondering about how good this meal would be. Your fears were groundless, though. Not only was the omelet good, it was probably the best one you’d ever had. And we’re not just talking homemade food, we’re talking all food. The texture was perfect, and the diced up peppers and mushrooms complemented the flavor perfectly. It was light and airy, but had a measure of spice and flavor as well.

“Sweet Celestia above! Fluttershy, this is phenomenal! I… I don’t even know how to describe it. Where did you learn to cook like this?” The mare just giggled in response, and you asked again, this time getting a response from the blushing mare.

“Well, Storm taught me how to cook. He’s really good at it, even though he’d never admit it.” The mare took a bite of her own food, savoring it much like you had before she continued. “When I asked him the same question he just shrugged it off, claiming that he was just improvising. I don’t think that’s true, though. But I would never pressure him to get an answer.” You nodded in response, your mouth too full of food to speak a word.

Soon enough, you finished the omelet, and then you moved on to the apple. After such a fantastic meal you suspected that the apple would be just an ordinary apple, but you were mistaken. Not only was the apple delicious, it was the best apple you’d ever eaten. “Man, Fluttershy, you Ponyville ponies don’t know how good you’ve got it. Everything here is fantastic, and yet you are the only one who I’ve seen actually acknowledge just how good it is.”

“Well, the apple came straight from the farm. Every other day I pick up a dozen or so from the farm. Most of them are for the animals, but every so often I save one to have for myself. I decided to give that one I saved to you, so you could enjoy an Apple Family apple.” You looked at the apple in your hoof, and then back at the mare across from you.

“You gave me this apple, knowing how good it tastes?”

“Well… Yes. I didn’t think it would be a problem.” Her voice got smaller as she spoke, and you paused for a moment. Then, when you realized what was happening, you started laughing.

“Flutters, I’m not mad at you. I’m just amazed that you would give something like this up for me. I haven’t seen you in years, and yet you’re giving me a place to stay, and you’re feeding me as well.” You shake your head in astonishment. “It’s just hard to take all this in after living in Fillydelphia for so long.”

Fluttershy visibly relaxed as you explained, and by the time you finished she had a smile on her face. “Well don’t you worry. This is just to get you reeled in. Once you’re nice and settled we’ll start treating you badly.” You paused in mid bite at Fluttershy’s words, and then you lowered the apple. When she saw your reaction the mare laughed softly. “It was a joke. Not a very good one, though.”

“It was fine, Flutters. It’s just that I’ve never heard you try to tell a joke.” The mare’s faced turned a shade of crimson at that, and you both shared a laugh. As the two of you had finished your meal, you began clearing the table, while Fluttershy started taking care of the dishes. It took only a short while for everything to be taken care of, and when you finished you went to the living room. You sat down on the couch, and Fluttershy came in a few minutes later.

“So, what actually happened between you and Twilight last night? I’ve known her for a few years, now, and I’ve never seen her act bashful about asking anypony a question.” You felt your cheeks grow warm once again at the mare’s question, and you quickly looked away from her.

“Oh. Yeah, um… There was more to it than just a question. See, when she examined my wing for the first time she… well.” You found yourself stumbling over your words, and so you took a deep breath. “Were it not for the fact that I can’t physically move my wings I would’ve displayed my appreciation for what she was doing. As it was, I told her what she was doing, and her reaction was one of dismay, but I passed it off as being a joke.” You heave a sigh as you recount that night. “I don’t know what happened, but something changed that night. All I know is that she’s given me a measure of hope that I’d lost when I lost my wings.”

“What are you going to do if she does like you?” You mulled Fluttershy’s question for some time, trying to figure out what you would do if your suspicions were correct. You could just say that you’d reciprocate, but that was a weak answer.

“I don’t really know, Fluttershy. I need to know, first, if she’s really attracted to me, or if I’m just a way for her to practice a complex magical procedure. While I doubt the latter is the case, it’s a possibility. For now, I’ll spend some time with her, and see if something develops. If something does develop, well… Improvisation got me into the Wonderbolts training program, it’ll get me through this as well.”

Fluttershy smiled in response, and then walked over to the door of the cottage, and she opened it. “I’m glad to hear it. Now then, let’s head into town, I need to get some feed for the animals. I used up the last of it this morning.” You quickly moved from your spot on the couch, and you followed Fluttershy down the path that led to town.

The walk was filled with a pleasant quietude that you didn’t feel like breaking. It wasn’t because you enjoyed the silence, but because you had plenty on your mental plate to dig through. Fluttershy’s question about what you’d do if Twilight’s affection was genuine was a valid one. One that you were going to fully explore. There was only so much that you could do to reciprocate, and that irritated you. You’d heard all sorts of tales of pegasi wooing their interests with displays of flying prowess, or even taking their prospective mates on flights, wherein they would demonstrate the level of trust between them, and their partners. Neither of those was available to you, and you couldn’t perform the feats that earth ponies could, since you lacked their characteristic strength and durability. And unicorns? Well, that was fairly obvious.

A gift, or trinket, always came across as tacky in your opinion, but it was your best bet. You liked to think of yourself as being fairly well read, so maybe you could do something along the lines of a good book. But with an entire library of books at her disposal there was little chance that you could ever give her something that she hadn’t read yet. Maybe something truly obscure, or a first edition copy of something she doesn’t have. The only book you could think of that you had that was first edition was a book you had left at home.

The town loomed ahead of you, finally close enough for you to hear the sounds usually associated with civilization. The marketplace was your destination, and soon you were deep in the throng of ponies milling about the markets, each one looking for a particular item, or set of items. Fluttershy stopped at many stalls, but she only bought very little. She spent quite a bit of time socializing with the ponies that she knew well, and when you got to a stall where she’d buy something you’d spend even more time there. She’s certainly grown a lot more assertive since that time she spent with that minotaur.

The two of you spent quite some time in the markets, and by the time you had finished your back was covered in several dozen bags of feed and assorted food products. Your legs were shaking with the effort of supporting it all, but you didn’t want to complain, since you knew that Fluttershy would gladly take the entire burden to make it easier for you. The two of you began heading out of the market when you heard your voice called out from a distance. You laboriously turned in place, searching for the source when Fluttershy pointed.

You followed her hoof to see Twilight walking towards you, a smile on her face. You felt the tiniest tremor run through you as you saw her slow to a stop before you, her smile still in place. “I’m glad I found you, I was about to head to Fluttershy’s home. I think I may have found a spell that’ll help me with your wings. If you’d come with me, I’m eager to give it a try!” You offer the mare a smile, and then you make a point of shifting the pile of consumables on your back.

“I’d love to, Twi, but I’m a bit busy at the moment. Perhaps after I drop all of this off I can come by the library, and we can give it a shot.” The mare looked down for a moment, clearly disappointed at the prospect of waiting, but she quickly perked back up as you finished.

“Sure, that’ll work. And maybe afterwards we could get some lunch, if you’d like.” Despite yourself you found a blush coming to your cheeks as she asked her question.

“Sure, Twi. I should be at the library in under an hour. Just make sure that you’ve got the spell right.” The mare nodded an affirmative, and then she walked off, clearly eager to get started.

“She just asked you out, you know?”

“Yeah, thanks, Flutters. I didn’t notice.” Your sarcasm wasn’t lost on the pegasus, and you heard her begin laughing as the two of you started making your way back to her cottage.

(There it is, another chapter. I hope you enjoyed.)

Chapter VII: The Most Intense Pain

(Yes, comrades, another chapter! Rate, comment, and enjoy.)

You had just departed from Fluttershy’s cottage, after dropping off all the feed bags in their respective locations, and now you were heading back to the library for your next exam with Twilight. You had high hopes for this meeting, not just because it would put you a step closer to regaining your wings, but because it would also lead into your first date with a mare since flight camp. You felt a spring come to your step as you made your way towards the library in the town. You let yourself fall into a rhythm as you walked, so you were free to let your mind wander freely.

The first thing your mind latched on to was the most expected, that being the mare you were on your way to see. And, with that train of thought, came memories of the kiss you received yesterday. It hadn’t been a long one, or even filled with any real level of passion, but it was a kiss. Perhaps it meant nothing, and was really just a sign of thanks? But if that was the case, a hug would’ve served the same purpose, and it could’ve been done without having to send Fluttershy away. There had to be more behind the action than simple thanks.

You gave your head a shake, not wanting to over think what you’d been given. Things like romance were best left to chance, and fate. A kiss was a good thing, and you wouldn’t look deeper than what you saw. With that line of thought ended, you began observing your surroundings. You saw the same gray pegasus that you saw a few days ago, and you waved to her. She waved back, before trotting over.

“Ditzy, was it?” The mare nods in response, a smile forming on her lips. “So, how are you today? Any good mail to deliver?”

“Yeah, actually. I have a letter for Rarity from her dream stallion. Those two have been going at it for weeks, now. It’s kind of funny, really. There’s so much Rarity doesn’t know. But that stallion of hers swore me to secrecy, and so I won’t spill the beans. Anyway, I’m off to get out the last of the mail. Have a good day! And be sure not to miss the celebration! It’ll be here before you know it!”

You nodded and thanked to the mail mare before she headed off on her way to deliver the last of the mail for the day. You continued your trip into town, and soon enough you were standing outside the library. You took several deep breaths before you raised a hoof to the door. However, you hesitated for a moment before knocking. Knowing my luck…

You brought your hoof down to knock, and you actually managed to knock on the door three times, rather than hitting the face of a pony. A brief mental cheer ran through your mind before you regained your composure as you waited for either Spike, or Twilight, to open the door and let you in. Just a few moments passed before the door opened, revealing the purple dragon. He looked up at you for a moment, before he stepped back and motioned for you to enter. You gave him a small smile, which he returned, and soon you were standing in the main room.

However, the room looked different from how it did the last time you were here, and you quickly realized that all the shelves had been moved up against the walls. Twilight wasn’t present, and so you opted to just wait for her to come, knowing that Spike wouldn’t have just let you in if she wasn’t here. True to your suspicions, Twilight showed herself just a few minutes after you entered the room. She gave you a smile, and then she began walking over.

“Alright, today I’d like to try a spell that I found this morning. It’s not going to heal your wings yet, but it will accomplish something that needs to be covered anyway. Spike, if you like you can go spend some time around town, since I won’t need your help with this.” The dragon simply shrugged, before a smile found its way to his face, and then he left the library. You gave him a wave as he left, and then you turned back to the lavender unicorn.

“So, what exactly is this spell going to accomplish? If it’s not going to heal my wings, what’s the point?” The mare shook her head, and then she moved closer, her horn beginning to glow.

“Well, for one thing, we need to know if the damage is in a single point, or if it’s spread across your wing. From what I’ve read there are many muscles throughout the wing that enable you to make dozens of minute adjustments.” You nod, impressed with the mare’s knowledge of wing anatomy.

“Yeah, there are. But how will we see if those all work, if we can’t get a message to them from my brain?” The mare’s smile widened in response.

“That’s where this spell comes into play. You see, it allows for me to act as a bridge between your brain and the muscles. Or, to be more accurate, my magic will act as a bridge. This spell will let us go around the damaged nerve clusters. It’ll take some time to fine tune the connections, though, so we’ll just start with one wing, and only the muscles that control extension.”

You turned your body to allow Twilight access to your right side, and then she used her magic to extend the wing to full extension. The sensation stirred memories of flight, and for just a tiny moment you had to hold back tears, but the sensation passed quickly. Soon the mare was focusing intently on the joint between your back and the wing, and then you felt the strangest sensation creep along your back, followed by a moment of the most intense pain you’d ever felt.

You nearly blacked out from the sensation, and your legs failed beneath you as the sensation began to fade. The pain itself lasted for mere moments, but the memory was slow to fade. You looked at Twilight, and you could see she was appalled at what she did.

“That was surprisingly unpleasant.” You spoke through gritted teeth, and the mare’s frown intensified, and she grew closer to tears. “Hey, don’t cry, Twi.” You struggled to your feet, and then you moved next to the mare, your limp wing dragging behind you. “I’m glad that you’re trying, and if this is a part of the process I’m willing to go through with it.”

“But I could feel your response, if not the pain itself. How can you want to go through that again?” Her voice was shaking as she spoke, and you wrapped a hoof around her.

“Because I trust you, Twi.” The mare stayed silent for a moment, and the she turned and embraced you quickly. She let go before you could really enjoy the hug, but the sentiment was not lost on you. “Now, I want you to try again, but let me know what you’re doing. Before you try to do anything, let me know what to expect.” The mare nods, and takes a few deep breaths before her horn glows once more.

Your wing rises once more, stretching to full extension. You looked at the mare as she moved close, and the glow around her horn began to intensify. “I accidentally created a loop in your nervous system before, and when I realized what I did the signal hit you all at once, resulting in a massive burst of pain. This time I’m not going to try to bridge any gaps, instead I’m going to find a stable pathway, and reroute signals.” The glow grows a bit brighter once more, and then you feel a tug on a muscle you hadn’t used in months.

“Twi, what did you do?” The mare remains silent for a moment, and then you try to move your right wing, and you get a measure of success. It obeys your mental commands, but only with jerky responses, and even those are delayed between when you want them to happen and when they actually happen. But it’s your wing. And it’s moving. A tear makes its way down your face, matting your fur slightly.

“Stop moving it.” The mare’s words are strained, and you immediately cease your motions. The glow brightens even more, becoming hard to look at, before it suddenly drops to a dull glow, barely brighter than when she was simply holding your wing aloft. “I’ve got it. Or, I’ve got something. Try to do your stretches from flight camp.” You nod, and then you try to retract your wing, and to your amazement, it obeys. There’s no delay, and it moves smoothly. The tear you had shed earlier was joined by several others as you began to cry from joy.

The happiness you felt was marred by the fact that you didn’t have complete control over the intricate contours of your wing, but that would come with time, you hoped. The wing obeyed your every command without delay, and it felt like there was never any damage done. It moved perfectly, and for just a moment you wanted to leap into flight.

“Twi. I… I don’t know what to say.” You really didn’t know what to say, but you knew what you wanted to do. You took a few steps around the mare, and she watched you move, a curious expression on her face. When you were next to her, you lowered your wing around her, pulling her into a hug. “I never thought I’d be able to do this.” The mare beside you was blushing furiously, her cheeks a magnificent shade of crimson. Then, an idea struck you, and you felt compelled to ask. “Can you do what you did with the other wing?”

The mare nodded, and her horn glowed fiercely for a moment. You averted your gaze as the glow intensified and then you felt a sensation similar to the one you felt earlier, save for the fact that it was on your left this time. After a moment you heard Twilight let out a sigh, and then you tried to move your left wing, and just like with your right wing, it responded flawlessly, save the same issues as the right wing. You broke your embrace with the unicorn, and you took a couple steps back from her, until you had room enough to fully extend your wings.

The sensation of moving your wings once again was pure bliss. You had tears running down your face, and you knew they were ones of happiness. You pumped your wings a few times, using what little control you had over the finer nuances to angle them to provide lift. With a few powerful strokes you felt yourself growing lighter on your hooves. You felt a giddiness that you recalled feeling the first time you ever flew, and it only grew as the weight on your hooves grew less and less.

Then, with a final surge of strength, you broke free from the bounds of terrestrial limitation, taking to the air once again. You were hovering over the ground, mere feet above it, but it was enough to elicit a laugh from you. The laugh was quickly followed by a look of utter bliss as you felt your wings slice through the air once again. You glanced at the unicorn mare, and an idea leaped to the forefront of your mind, and so you decided to act upon it. The words of your first lesson came to mind, and you tilted your wings slightly, providing forward momentum.

You gave a powerful flap of your wings one last time, and using the burst of speed, you swept into Twilight, wrapping her in your wings as you rolled expertly onto your back, the mare cushioned from the impact. You looked up at her, and she looked down to you, a blush forming on her cheeks. Your own cheeks began to burn with the increased blood flow, but you didn’t care. The list of things that mattered to you at the moment was frighteningly short, and was topped by a certain lavender mare.

“Twilight, you’ve given me so much, and you’ve asked so little in return. In fact, you’ve asked for nothing.” You brought a hoof to the mare’s cheek, and she actually leaned into the contact just a tiny bit. Not as much as you would’ve liked, but it was still something. “For quite some time I had no hope of flying ever again, and I had come to accept that. But now you’ve rekindled that hope.” You smiled at the mare, and she returned the smile. “And yesterday you gave me a different kind of hope.”

The unicorn atop you leaned down slowly, her breath warm against your face, her blush growing just a bit brighter as she grew closer to you. She hesitated for just a moment when she grew just a hairsbreadth from you, and you raised your head to make the contact. Her hesitance was clear, but it quickly vanished as she began to enjoy the kiss. It lasted mere moments, but in those moments you knew that this was something more.

“No matter what happens, Twi, I’d like to spend quite some time with you, assuming you’d like that.” The mare nodded slightly in response, before she kissed you once again. This one was far shorter than the one before it, but you didn’t care. You had two things now that you didn’t have before. Now that you knew there was something here for you, something more than just Fluttershy, you knew that you’d have to find something to do for a place to stay. But that was a concern for another time.

The two of you simply enjoyed the embrace for a time, but then you began to lose some level of control in your wings. You looked to Twilight’s horn, and you saw that the glow was beginning to fade, slightly. The mare’s face showed signs of some fatigue, and you realized that there must be some heavy requirements on her for this spell, considering how much she was doing. You unwrapped her from your feathery embrace, and she finally allowed the spell to end. A tiny pinch accompanied the end of the spell, and you flinched slightly in response.

“Thank you.” You realized with a start that those were the first words the mare had uttered in quite some time. You looked at her, and you noticed that she had a single tear running down her cheek. You raised a hoof to the tear, and with the utmost care you wiped it away, leaving behind only the smallest of trails in its wake. “Since Storm no stallion has ever made me feel like you have, but not even he made me feel like you do. I’ve always known that I’m special, but with you, with what you said, it’s even better.”

You let the mare stay where she was for a moment, and then she climbed off of you, allowing you to sit up and begin folding your wings against your side. “It seems that today was far more productive than I could’ve hoped for. Not only did we see firsthand that your muscles are fine, we also saw that the nerve damage is concentrated.” The mare’s blush had diminished since she had gotten off you, but it returned as she continued. “And we’ve started a relationship.”

“If I could choose only one of those things to have happened today I’d choose the latter. Now, let’s go get some lunch, and maybe we can get to know each other a bit better while we eat?” The mare nodded, and you finished folding your wings. You made your way to the door, and you held it open, allowing Twilight to go through first. You looked back into the library for a moment, before you left. As you closed the door, you looked up to the sky, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before you flew through its limitless bounds once again.

The trip to the small café didn’t take long, and soon the two of you were seated at the same table as last time, and you decided to play it safe this time, and so you resolved to order the same thing. Twilight took a bit longer to decide, and the waitress arrived just in time to take your orders as Twilight made her decision.

“So, Twi, tell me some about how you came to Ponyville. Fluttershy told me that you came here from Canterlot, but I never got the whole story.” Twilight quickly jumped into an elaborate explanation of her first ever adventure with her friends, and the results of the whole adventure left you amazed at how much she managed to accomplish in so short a time. The next hour was spent in a timeless enjoyment of memories of all the best and worst times of your life, and hers. The time flew by, and before you knew it, you had both recounted most of the highlights of your lives.

The check had been on the table for quite some time when you finally got around to looking at it. Twilight pulled out her bag of bits, and she nearly emptied it on the table. “I may not be Rarity, but I can be generous nonetheless.” Her comment came in response to your raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, but that’s still a lot of money.” Twilight just smiled back at you, and so you shrugged it off. The two of you soon left the café. You had no destination in mind, and your pace clearly indicated that you were in no rush to get there. You walked beside the unicorn, occasionally glancing at her as you walked. Maybe there’s something better than flying…

(For those counting, this is the third day. And Taupe took three days for his adventures in Manehattan. Ooh! Foreshadowing!)

Chapter VIII: The Last Performance

(Well, three versions of this chapter later, and I'm still not totally happy with it. Ahh, well. It'll do. Rate, comment, and enjoy.)

As the two of you left the café, you turned Twilight towards the small hill where you got your first kiss. It only took a few minutes to get there, and soon the two of you were simply enjoying the view afforded to you. Twilight leaned into you slightly, and you let her, enjoying the comforting presence she offered. Your mind began to wander, though, and you lost focus on where you were.

You needed to get something for Twilight so you could show her what she meant to you. You weren’t going to go back to Fillydelphia to get any of your belongings, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t ask someone to send you something. Surely one of your friends would be willing to make the trip to your house to get you something. And if they weren’t willing to do that, well then you’d just have to try to find a new copy of the book.

Or, maybe, if she could get your wings working, you could fall back on traditional pegasi displays of affection. But that just seemed so clichéd. That’s how all pegasi made their affection known. You wanted to do something better than that. Something truly memorable, something that would show just how much you really cared. Your thoughts were interrupted, though, when you heard the Twilight’s name being called.

You looked around to try and find the source of the voice, and you knew you found it when you saw Spike running towards the two of you, a piece of parchment grasped firmly in one of his claws. His face gave you pause, though, as it was one of fright. When he finally got close to the two of you he was too exhausted to speak, so he simply held the letter out towards Twilight. Her horn glowed softly, and the letter floated nearer to her. Her eyes widened as she read, and soon her face was nearly as bad as Spike’s.

“Twilight, what’s the problem?” The mare didn’t respond at first, her eyes racing the length of the parchment once more, as if to confirm what she had just read. When she finished, the parchment just dropped to the ground, the magic Twilight had been using to keep it aloft simply cutting out.

“Taupe and Applejack were in an accident just a few miles from Canterlot. Applejack is fine, for the most part, but Taupe is in pretty bad shape. Princess Celestia has dispatched a carriage to come here to pick us up to take us to Canterlot.” You took a moment to process what Twilight had said. You didn’t really know who Taupe was, but the name Applejack was incredibly familiar to you, given that she was one of Fluttershy’s close friends. And given Twilight’s reaction, you were certain that things were probably more serious than you thought.

Without waiting a moment longer than she needed to, Twilight began making her way down the hill, and towards the library. Both you and Spike followed in her wake, neither of you sure of what to say or do. Twilight entered her home without hesitation, and in a flash of light she vanished from where she was standing. You looked around for a moment, confused as to where she had gone, but before you could voice your confusion she reappeared in much the same way as she had left.

Several quills were suspended around her, along with an equal number of pieces of parchment. Twilight’s gaze flitted between the sheets quickly, and after a moment she rolled them all up. “Spike, send one of these to each of the other elements. We’re all going to Canterlot.” The dragon sent each scroll on its way, and soon the three of you were waiting for the others to arrive. Storm and Rainbow Dash were the first to arrive, and Pinkie arrived moments later. Rarity and Fluttershy both arrived near the same time, and so Twilight quickly explained to all of them what the issue was.

Just as Twilight finished, though, the carriage arrived. While you were expecting it to be empty, an oddly tall pegasus, clad in ornate armor, surprised you by emerging from it. His body was proportioned similarly to yours, save for the fact that he was taller than you were. Storm approached the pegasus with a grin on his face, and he held out a hoof towards the taller pegasus, and he held out his own. The hoofbump was small, but its significance was not lost on you. The other ponies all boarded the carriage quickly, and you followed.

The pegasus, who introduced himself as Knight Watch, quickly started explaining what they did, and didn’t know. “A few hours ago a train departed from Manehattan, nearly leveling a stallion’s club in the process. Between then, and an hour ago, we aren’t sure what happened. All we know is that the engine of the train exploded, killing two passengers, and injuring Applejack, and the earth pony with her, whom she identified as Taupe. The first responders who made it to the scene before myself claimed that they found the wreckage, but no survivors.” The stallion glanced at the faces in the carriage, judging the reactions of the ponies present.

“Further investigation revealed that both Applejack and Taupe were still alive, but that soon changed for Taupe. As soon as I got to the scene of the accident I sent you the letter, Twilight. Now we are heading to the hospital, where not even I know what awaits us.” The stallion descended into silence, and nopony wanted to be the one to break that silence. Soon after, you glanced out the window to see Canterlot rapidly approaching.

The landing came soon after you looked out the window, and when the carriage door opened you saw that you were directly in front of the hospital. Knight was the first to exit, followed by all the mares, and you were the last to exit, looking up at the hospital with a grim expression on your face. You remembered this hospital. They’d told you the same thing as every other hospital. You dutifully followed the mares through the hospital, and soon you found your group stopped at a door. You looked past the group to see an uncertain looking nurse fumbling with her nametag with one hoof. Clearly she wasn’t quite certain how to react to a fully armored guardspony approaching.

“I’m sorry, but nopony is allowed past this point. The ICU can’t have this many visitors all at once. Short of a direct order from one of the Princesses, that is.” The tall stallion pulled out a small badge from his armor, and the nurse at the door visibly paled. “Oh. Sorry to hold you up, Captain.” As the door opened up, you saw that it opened to a long hallway.

The group began making its way down the hall, and as you rounded a corner you saw a bandaged mare rush into a room. The others rushed down the hall, clearly recognizing the mare. You followed at a more sedate pace, though. You just didn’t feel comfortable in hospitals, and so you saw no reason to rush to go further in. By the time you made it to the room you saw the whole group of mares surrounding the pony who was reclining on the bed. Most of his belly was wrapped in gauze, and he had a large amount of bandages wrapped around his head as well.

As you entered the stallion on the bed raised a hoof in greeting, but he didn’t seem coherent enough to really react to your presence. You stayed for a few hours, and in that time several unicorn doctors came and went, each one working some magic to help heal the wounds that they could. However, after just a few hours of watching, you left, unwilling to wait for the doctors to finish. You were certain that at least Twilight noticed your disappearance, but she didn’t say anything to you as you left.

After several minutes you finally managed to escape the sterile facility. The sun had set only recently, as evidenced by the color of the sky. You looked up and down the street, marveling at just how empty it had become. When you had arrived the streets had been filled to the brink with ponies going about their business, but now the streets had less than a dozen ponies within sight. You turned to your left, and you began walking down the streets, following directions you could only half remember. The turns you took began to blur together, forming an incomprehensible smudge in your memory. Before long you found yourself standing outside the stadium.

With nopony around, you quickly climbed over the fence, making your way towards the service entrance. The door was unlocked, thankfully, and you quickly entered, making sure to leave the door open a crack. Without the lights on you had to rely on your memory, but that proved to be enough, as soon you found the hall that led to the stadium floor. Flashbacks of your training days here came unbidden to your mind. You’d only been here a few times, but each of those times had been a milestone in your training regiment.

You stopped when you reached the end of the tunnel, and the stadium stretched out before you, its every facet identical to the last time you looked at it. You heaved a sigh as you began walking towards the center of the arena. Your mind painted in the crowds of ponies that had been present for the displays of aerial acrobatics, and with those memories came the faint sound of cheers. You raised a hoof at the imagined crowds, and the cheers grew in intensity, brining a sad smile to your face. You soon found yourself standing just a few steps away from the center, and you stopped. With exaggerated slowness you turned a full circle, basking in the immensity of the arena.

When you finally stopped you rotation you could just make out the small stand where the Wonderbolts had been seated for your performances. While it hadn’t been just you, you had been the star of the show. None of the other pegasi in your class were as good as you, and they all knew it too. A good number of them had been jealous, and some were even spiteful. But most of them were happy for you, glad to see you succeed, and excel at flight. The last performance you had done here had been the biggest one of them all, drawing in enough ponies to fill nearly the entire first tier of seats.

You felt a tingle in the back of your mind, and you shook your head in response, hoping to dislodge the feeling. No amount of shaking rid the tingle, though, and after a moment it seemed to vanish of its own accord. You dropped into a sitting position as you continued to reminisce about the glory days of your time in training. It led back to that particular flight, though, and you forced the train of thought to stop before you recounted the events that led to the storm.

A faint popping sound echoed through the stadium, and you looked over your shoulder to see a lavender unicorn making her way over to you, a look of worry painted on her face. When she saw you looking at her, she relaxed some, but the worry remained. You resumed looking ahead as the mare grew closer, and soon enough you felt her presence by your side. You could feel her gaze upon you, but you stared ahead resolutely, not willing to face the mare. After a moment, she took a seat next to you, and then she leaned into you slightly. Not as much as you would’ve liked, but it was better than nothing.

“What happened here?” He question came suddenly, and the words were nearly swallowed by the immensity of the stadium, the echo only barely returning to you.

“A lot.” Your answer was brief, and even you felt it was unsatisfactory. “The training program occasionally took us on trips so that we could display our abilities for wider audiences. We came here a few times, and when we did come here we were always watched by the Wonderbolts. They’d judge our every move, and a good number of the other trainees would buckle under the scrutiny. I always did spectacularly, though. Not because I was so great, but because I simply took away the crowds in my mind. When I flew here, it was amazing.” You pointed up towards the upper level of the stadium, where a large overhand sheltered the upper level from the sun. “Beneath that canopy they suspended massive rings that we had to navigate. It wasn’t really that hard to do, but it took a measure of concentration to pull off the tight turns.”

You let your gaze wander once again, looking nearly straight up, you find smile has come to your face. “But the best part of any performance was the finale.” Silence fell upon the two of you, and you let it linger.

“Rainbow Dash always goes on about the Wonderbolts, and their amazing finales. I imagine yours was much the same?”

“Not quite. The Wonderbolts never have as many pegasi as we did. We decided to use our numbers to our advantage. The starburst is what we called it. We’d cluster together, with a single pegasus flying well above the formation. When that pegasus reached the cluster, it’d break into several groups, and each of those would splinter moments later. The display of our trails is what gave the performance its appeal. It also displayed our group talents, rather than putting one trainee over the others.” The unicorn beside you leaned into you a bit more, and you wrapped a hoof around her.

“But why did you come here, and leave the hospital? Taupe would’ve liked to meet you. And Applejack too.”

You let out a rueful chuckle as you start to respond. “Can’t stand hospitals, really. Spending so much time in them, with nothing positive ever being said, I grew to associate them with my flightlessness. I had assumed that my acceptance of my inability to fly would set me at ease with the setting, but I suppose that some things take more time. I’m sorry for leaving, though. I just didn’t want to force myself to stay, since I wouldn’t make for good company.”

“Well, it’s okay. If you’re really so uncomfortable I’m certain the others will understand.” The mare pauses, for a moment, before she lets out a small gasp. “When was your last performance here?”

“It was a month before my accident. It was the last qualifying performance for advancing to the next level of training. So, that makes it about seven months ago. Eight, tops.”

“I saw you perform.” You turned to look at the mare beside you, and she smiled. “I was here to visit Princess Celestia about some new books she had gotten, limited edition spell books, and so she invited me to come watch this with her. I remember your performance, it was expertly done.”

Your mouth worked for several moments before you could actually start speaking. “Wait, you, and the Princess watched us? As in, Princess Celestia?”

“Well, yes. They didn’t tell you?”

“They told us that we’d have some special observers, but we just figured that it was some silly nobles, or something like that. None of us even speculated that it could be the princess.”

“Well, we were both there, and we both enjoyed it.” The mare suddenly fell quiet, and her expression grew more somber. “That was your last show. That was your last performance. I remember watching you fly. You came so close to the stands at one point that I could’ve reached out and touched you.” The mare paused for a moment, and then a sad smile appeared on her face. “You had a look of such confidence on your face. It was as if the whole world couldn’t work to stop you.”

You stand and walk away from the mare. You don’t go far, but your separation from her speaks volumes. “When I flew I felt so right. I…” You stop and shake your head. “No, I can’t talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it.” You look back at the mare with sadness written in your face. “If I fly again, Twilight, I’ll take you with me. But until that happens, if that happens, I don’t want to talk about flying.” The mare stood up and approached you.

“I understand. And I promise that I’ll get you flying again. Even if I have to make the spell myself, I’ll see you airborne again.” The unicorn darted in quickly, planting a kiss, and then pulling back before you could reciprocate. You felt your cheeks flush with heat as you watched the mare turn and begin trotting away, her tail swaying just a bit more than usual. “Now come on, the others will be leaving soon, and we wouldn’t want to be left behind.”

You follow the mare, your cheeks still burning from the kiss, and then from the way Twilight had departed. You needed to find a way to show her what she meant to you, but you still couldn’t think of something that would work. It was all either too corny, or too overdone to really have any significance. Still, the goggles kept coming to mind. Even if they weren’t useful to her, their significance to you wouldn’t be lost on her. You’d have to talk with Rarity, to see if she could aid you in adding an inscription. As you reached the tunnel you noticed that Twilight had stopped and that she was watching you approach. She had a smile on her face, and her cheeks were flushed nearly as much as yours were.

“Come on, Twi. Let’s go home.”

(Yep, not much about Taupe. This isn't his story, so what did you expect?)

Chapter IX: "Something Only You Can Answer."

(Another chapter? So soon? Yes, comrades, another chapter. Enjoy.)

The trip back to Ponyville had taken only a bit longer than the trip to Canterlot, and you were glad to finally be back in the peaceful town. You’d gotten a few curious glances from the others, but they left you alone for the most part. Nopony had been really interested in conversation, given how late it was, so you opted to simply head back to Fluttershy’s place, knowing that you needed to get some rest.

Before you left the group, though, Twilight came over and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek, bringing a massive blush to your cheek. You sincerely doubted that Twilight’s actions went unnoticed, but nopony commented on it, and you were grateful for that. Fluttershy soon began walking to her cottage, and you fell into step beside her, careful to maintain an even pace with her. Most of the trip was silent, but once you breached the border of the town Fluttershy finally spoke up.

“So, I see you and Twilight are getting along quite well.” Your blush, which had only faded slightly, came back in full force as Fluttershy spoke. “Not that it’s a problem. I’m actually really happy for the both of you.” You glanced at her, and you could see the tiniest flicker of uncertainty on her face. It was so brief, though, that you weren’t even sure if you actually saw it.

“Well, Flutters, it’s really nice to know that there’s somepony out there who cares for me without being a part of the family.” You exhale explosively, and then you continue. “Just wish I had some way of expressing my feelings to the mare. Most pegasi resort to displays of aerial proficiency, but I can’t.”

“Well, you could give her a part of you. Those goggles, for instance.”

“Yeah, I’d thought of that. But I’d need to get an inscription made. So I’ll be making a trip to Rarity’s boutique soon to see if she can help.” You trail off, and several minutes pass in silence. “Do you think the goggles will be enough, though?”

“I don’t know, honestly. But I think it’s more important whether you think it will work. A poor gift given with the best of intentions means far more than a wonderful gift given out of requirement. If you feel so strongly for Twilight I don’t think she’ll mind getting a small gift from you. In fact, I don’t think you’d even need to get her a gift. Your words would be more than enough.”

You had just reached the small bridge before Fluttershy’s home when she finished speaking, and you stopped in your tracks, watching as the mare continued towards her home just a few yards away. She’d given you a measure to think about with her brief speech. Without even knowing it, Fluttershy had spoken some incredibly wise words. When you saw that she had just made it to the door to her home, though, you quickly made your way to the door. You got next to her just as she made her way inside, and you were greeted by the face of an upset looking Angel bunny.

Fluttershy quickly gave him some dinner, and you made your way to your small room, your head filled with all manner of thoughts. Simple words could do more for you than the goggles could, but you still wanted to give them to her. They held a place of significance in your life, and surely that wouldn’t be lost on the unicorn. You leapt upon your bed with a fair amount of grace, and then you looked to the goggles sitting on the drawers.

You were still looking at them when a gentle knock sounded on the door to your small bedroom. With a grunt of acknowledgment from you, it opened, and Fluttershy gave you a warm smile. “Tomorrow is the last day before the Summer Sun festival. Were I you, I’d plan to do something then. Princess Celestia will likely be there to make a speech, and afterwards there is always a magnificent fireworks display. Do something with her during that.”

“Yeah, that could work. But what should I do, exactly?”

“That’s something only you can answer.”

Fluttershy gave you a quick hug before she slowly closed the door as she exited. You continued to look at the door long after the mare had left, your mind filled with questions that you couldn’t answer. Eventually, you reclined on the bed, your busy mind filling your sleep with dreams.

The wind whipped past you as you flew amongst the clouds once more. Massive billowy clouds gave you a vague reference for your speed, but that was something that your mind did without you even thinking about it. You could hear the faint voices of your friends over the whistling winds, but they were soon forgotten as you flew onward. The entire scene was familiar to you, but at the same time it was different. As you maneuvered your way through the clouds you soon found yourself gliding through a massive open area in the clouds.

You did a few simple maneuvers, but then you spotted a new cloud layer moving in above you. With a grin, you accepted the challenge presented. You wanted to have naught but the blue skies above you, and this cloud layer was threatening your desires. You began climbing through the air, your powerful wings giving you all the lift you needed, and more. But you didn’t notice that your breathing was growing harder with each beat of your wings. Not because of the strain, since you could do this for hours without exertion, but because of the thinning air.

Just as you reached the gap in the clouds that you sought to pass through your body failed you, the oxygen deprivation forcing you to yield to the will of gravity. You blacked out for a moment as you began to fall, but soon enough you felt the tug of consciousness bring you back mere moments later. However, in that brief moment, everything had changed.

Far below you was a boiling mass of deep gray storm clouds, their wispy tendrils crackling with lightning just waiting to be released. You glanced up, once again, at the gap in the clouds, and you knew that you couldn’t reach it even if you tried. A pang of anguish passed through you at that revelation, and at the same time your body failed you once again. The plummet to the storm below felt like it took mere seconds, and soon you were falling through the dense clouds.

A bright flash appeared before you, and with a shout that was lost to the wind you felt a searing pain lance across your back.

Despite your eyes opening to see the sun, and the firm grip of reality asserting itself, the pain in your back continued, even growing in intensity. You’d never felt anything quite like this before, and you found yourself unable to put words to the pain you felt. It lasted for several minutes before you found that you could move or speak once again. A gentle knock came at the door, and your suddenly hoarse voice croaked out.

“Yeah…” The door opened slowly, revealing a smiling Fluttershy. As soon as she saw your face, though, her smile disappeared instantly, being replaced with a look of intense concern. She rushed to your side, and a hoof was soon pressed gently against your forehead. It remained there for several minutes, and not a word passed between the two of you. When she finally removed it the concern on her face had been alleviated, if only slightly.

“What’s wrong? You don’t have a fever, but your nearly soaked in sweat.” You swallowed before answering, finding the dryness of your throat to be incredibly distracting.

“Bad dream.” The mare didn’t look satisfied with the answer, and she continued to look at you. “Really bad. Sort of reminded me of when I lost my wings.” The look on her face softened at that, and she gave you a hug.

“That was a long time ago. You’ve got a bright new future ahead of you, and you shouldn’t let your past hold you back.”

“Fluttershy, I felt the pain again. When I was hit by the bolt of lightning, I felt the pain it caused. I woke up because I felt it again.” The concern returned, and she stood up from the bed.

“We’ll head to the hospital, if you like. Or perhaps Twilight has an explanation for it.” You nod, and the mare begins walking out of the room. “I have some breakfast ready, if you’d like something to eat.” You watch as she leaves the room, and soon after you pull yourself out of bed, careful not to let your wings come unfurled from your sides. As you exited your room you sighed as the pain that had raced through your body sent another brief pang through you.

You gently lowered yourself into the seat at the table where Fluttershy had already put down a plate of scrambled eggs, along with another apple. You felt a tiny smile come to your face as you looked at the apple and the plate of eggs. You didn’t know which to look forward to more, the known taste of the apple, or the potential greatness of the eggs. Deciding to be adventurous, you took a bite of the eggs, and you weren’t disappointed. While not quite as good as the omelet, it still offered up a diverse arrangement of flavors, each one working to compliment the others.

You quickly finished the meal, looking to Fluttershy’s plate to see if she had anything left over. Sadly, she, too, had eaten her share. With the tiniest sigh of disappointment you turned to your apple, glad to still have that to eat. It was just as good as the one from yesterday, and you savored the whole thing. By the time you had finished, Fluttershy had already finished clearing the table, and so you just sat there for a moment.

Fluttershy’s voice stirred you out of your reflection, though, as you listened to her. “Come on, let’s go see if Twilight has an explanation for what happened. And if she can’t explain, we can go to see the hospital. Maybe even visit Taupe and his sister.” You nodded in response, and soon enough the two of you were headed into town once again. The trip took only a short while, and neither you, nor Fluttershy, said anything during the trip. You spotted Taupe walking slowly towards the medical clinic, too lost in his own thoughts to even glance your way.

You soon found yourself before the library, and you raised a hoof to knock. As you brought it down to make contact with the door you saw that it began opening. Sweet mother of Celestia, really? The lavender mare that opened the door stared at the hoof resting on her face, and then her gaze shifter slowly to you, seeing as how you were the pony attached to that hoof. You offered her a sheepish smile in response to her staring, and you quickly dropped your hoof back to the ground. She just smiled in response, and then welcomed the two of you into her home.

“So, what brings you two by at this early hour?” She led the two of you to the kitchen where Spike was finishing up his breakfast. He shot Twilight a curious glance at her presence, but he turned back to his breakfast after just a moment. “Seems like I’ll be going out later, Spike. Unexpected guests take a bit of a priority over your favorite cereal.” You saw the dragon’s eyes roll in his head, and you felt the tiniest smile come to your face.

“Actually, Twi, we’re here for…” Fluttershy grew incredibly quiet as she spoke, clearly uncertain about what she was saying. You decided to jump in, though, since you were feeling a bit more confident.

“My wings hurt this morning. A lot.” The mare’s eyes went wide at that, and her demeanor shifted rapidly. “I was dreaming about flying, and after several minutes in the dream I woke up with an intense pain running though my wings. Although it felt like it was my entire body, not just my wings.” You pause, recalling the last time you had felt like that. “It was just like when you first tried to work with the nerves in my wings.”

The mare’s ears drooped visibly, and she actually started to frown. “Yesterday, when I helped you get airborne for a bit, I also tried to see if I could forge any lasting nerve bonds. Clearly it worked, but not in the way I had hoped.” She moved over to the table where Spike was eating, and she took a seat. “When you were dreaming your body must have sent a signal along one of the nerve pathways I created, and it caused a feedback loop.”

“So, what does this mean for me?” Your voice was tinged with doubt, and that wasn’t lost on any of the beings present. Even Spike looked up from his meal at your query.

“It means that this might be a lot harder than I thought. The repair I made seemed perfectly in synch with the pathways that I saw in the flow of magic. I figured that I could start small, and return to you the minor control over your wings that I couldn’t mimic properly.” The mare let out a deep sigh, and she shook her head. “It seems that it won’t be that easy. And that my mistake caused you a great level of pain.”

“Twi, don’t worry. It’s over now, and I know that you only meant well. But why didn’t anything happen during the day? Wouldn’t it be likely that something would’ve triggered it before this morning?”

“Well, how often do you think about using your wings during the day?”

A soft chuckle escapes you as you answer. “More often than I’d like.”

“No, what I mean is, how often do you try to move them?”

“Oh. Well, never. I know they won’t respond, so I don’t even try. I don’t need my body to remind me that I can’t fly.”

The mare nods as you respond. “And that’s why you didn’t trigger the pain earlier. Your conscious mind knows that the attempt at flight won’t work, so you never even try to fly. Your subconscious, though, seems to still give you dreams of flight, and some of the dream leeched over into your body, and so the attack was triggered.” Spike lowers his spoon as Twilight speaks, and then he looks over to you.

“Wow. That sucks. Dreaming about flying is just going to make it hurt all the time?” The unicorn shot Spike a glare, and he quickly fell silent.

“If you like I can undo what I did, so you don’t have to worry about the pain.” You frown at the mare, and she raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t want to undo what you’ve done. Instead, how about we try to fix the mistake you made?” The mare perks up at that, and she climbs down from her chair and she motions for you to follow. Fluttershy, who had remained silent throughout all of this followed close behind you. Soon enough you were standing in Twilight’s study once more. A large tome floated down from a shelf, and it landed on the table. Twilight opened it to a page near the middle, and you approached her to take a look at what she was reading.

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy’s voice, despite its softness, seemed unnaturally loud in the silence of the study.

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

“I need to go and take care of all my animal friends, so can I trust you to be careful?” The mare nodded, and a smile found its way to her face.

“You can trust me, Fluttershy. I won’t let anything happen. I Pinkie Promise.” Twilight quickly performed the ritual you had only read about, and you had to put a hoof to your mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to burst forth. It was such a silly little thing, but from what you remembered from the letters they were a big deal for Fluttershy and her friends. The pegasus nodded with a smile on her face, and soon after she had left the study, telling you to come by the cottage when you were done here.

Twilight read over the tome for several minutes before she finally turned the page. You had been lost amongst the plethora of medical terms on the last page, and this new page finally had something you vaguely recognized. The diagram of a pegasus with wings outstretched was easy enough to understand, but the hundreds of lines confused you. You pointed a hoof at it, and Twilight looked at the diagram for a moment.

“It’s a representation of the most major veins, arteries, and nerves in the pegasus body. The red lines represent arteries, the blue lines are veins, and the black lines are nerves.”

“Oh. Can you approximate where the damage to my body is?” The mare nods, before she points to a point where several dozen different black lines merge, before shooting several off down your body, and quite a few off to each wing. “So, it’s a big nerve cluster?”

“Yes, one of the largest, actually.” The mare continued reading the book, and you decided to take a few steps back, to give her room. You busied yourself by looking through the books lining the shelves, and pulling the occasional one out. Before long you heard Twilight let out a small cry of success. “I think I’ve found something that may help. Just come over here, and I’ll see what I can do.”

You approached her cautiously, still slightly nervous about what was happening. The mare’s horn began glowing softly, and you felt your wings both stretch out. The mare had the book levitating next to her, and she was still reading it as her horn began to glow. As the glow increased in intensity you closed your eyes. She Pinkie Promised… She Pinkie Promised…

(Well, looks like something's about to happen. I'll just go ahead and leave this cliffhanger here.)

Chapter X: The Platypus Stared

(Another chapter? Yes, good readers, another chapter. This one's for you, Platypus.)

With a shudder you felt Twilight’s magic begin to flow through your wings. Every few moments the tingle that pulsed along your wings would intensify for a moment, and a sharp spike of pain would rush through your mind. You felt sweat run down your brow, and you had to fight to remain still through the process. After what seemed an inordinate amount of time the mare’s horn finally stopped glowing. You looked to the mare with eyes wide, as she was shaking on her hooves. You dashed forward as she began to fall, and you winced as your body protested the sudden burst of motion.

You reached her just before she hit the ground, and you gently lowered her to the ground. She was shaking in your grasp some, and she felt a bit warm to the touch. She smiled at you, though, and you smiled back at her. For several minutes you simply gazed at her, content for the moment to bask in her happiness. The moment couldn’t last, though, as your body started to ache. The lances of pain that had flown through you mere minutes ago were taking their toll on you, and you found your smile growing harder to maintain.

A particularly painful jolt shattered your smile completely, and it was only by the grace of Celestia that you managed not to shout out in agony. However, as the pain flew through you, you felt a strange sense of happiness pass through you. You glanced over your shoulder to see that your wings were both standing outstretched, without Twilight’s aura surrounding them. The pain, you now recognized, was one of an intense cramp. You could remember these from when you first started the long distance exercises from training.

You felt a laugh escape your lips, and you attempted to move your wings, eliciting another pang of pain, but the reward of seeing your wings move was worth it. You flapped several more times, the pulse of pain diminishing with each pulse of your outstretched wings. You picked up speed in your flaps, the adrenaline flowing through you pushing the pain from your awareness. Soon you felt the familiar sensation of lightness reach your hooves.

With a triumphant shout you lifted off of the ground, hovering just above the wooden floor of Twilight’s home. The finer degree of control that you remembered escaped you, but you knew that that would come with time. You allowed your pace to slow some, and with elegance you touched down. The mare, through all this, had moved into a sitting position, and she was smiling at you. You lunged at her with laughter echoing through her home. You had her pinned in a massive hug, and for several minutes you just embraced her.

“Twilight, what you’ve given to me… I don’t know how I can repay you.” The mare pushed you back some, and she looked into your eyes. Within her eyes you could see a small spark. As you looked at her you felt lost within her gaze. Her lips brushed against yours, and they retreated a moment later. You wanted more from the mare, but you also didn’t want to force her into anything, so you contented yourself with just looking at her.

“My books told me that a teasing kiss like that would make you take the initiative, and then you’d kiss me.” Twilight’s lips were curved down just slightly as she continued. “Did I do something wrong?” You stared at the mare for several moments, trying to process what she had just said.

“No, Twilight, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just figured that if you wanted to kiss you’d just have at it, rather than taunt me with feather light kisses.” You gave her a quick kiss, and then you pulled back. “Besides, books are only right some of the time. In something like this you have to let instinct control where you go, and what you do.” Without another word, you planted a long, passionate, kiss on the mare’s lips. She reciprocated in time, and soon the two of you were dueling in your mouths.

However, the mare soon pressed a hoof into your chest, and you reluctantly backed off. Her breathing was rapid, and her cheeks were flushed. You even thought you saw a faint glow about her horn. “Please, not yet.” You smiled down at her, and with a large degree of reluctance you moved off of her. She stayed there for a few minutes as her breathing slowed to a normal pace, and you did the same in that period of time. “Maybe in a few days, but… Just, not yet. I’m not ready.” You nodded in assent, and you offered a hoof to help the mare to rise to her hooves.

She stood slowly, her hooves still shaking somewhat beneath her. You folded your wings back to your sides slowly, fearing a stab of pain or a creak of joints, but there was nothing. It wasn’t resting quite right at your side, and you quickly put it back in place properly. While you had been messing with your wing Twilight had put away the massive tome she had pulled out, and then she looked at you. When you finally finished with your wings you began walking to the door. The mare looked at you with a trace of doubt in her eyes, and you paused when you noticed it. “Is something wrong, Twi?”

“You aren’t upset with me, are you?” The question seemed a bit off, at first, but the context clues quickly came together, and you realized just what she was asking.

“No, Twilight, I’m not upset. I would’ve liked to go further with you, but if you aren’t ready, that’s fine by me. I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” A chuckle escapes you as you begin putting together the pieces in your head. “I mean, we are moving a bit fast, now that you mention it. Some more time to get to know each other would be a good thing. Anyway, I need to get back to Flutters.”

“Right. Well, I need to go and make sure that the town is fully prepared for the arrival of the Princess tomorrow.” Her voice seemed to trail off, and you could tell that there were things she hadn’t said.

“How about we get some dinner together tonight? Spend some more quality time together, and just mingle some.” The mare nodded quickly in response, and her cheeks flushed a bit.

“I’d like that. Quite a bit, actually. How does seven o’clock sound?” This time you are the one to nod, and within minutes you were making your way back to Fluttershy’s cottage. You had a noticeable spring in your step, and the only thing that kept you from taking to the skies was the lack of knowledge about just how damaged your wings still were. It’d been months since your last flight, you figured that you could wait a few more days. Still, the excitement came out in every step, and you didn’t care who saw.

Soon enough you had cleared the edge of town, and you were happily bouncing along the road towards Fluttershy’s cottage. As you neared it you spotted Fluttershy moving amongst the trees, her motions indicating that she was likely speaking with several birds. As you crossed the small bridge before Fluttershy’s home you had to stop while the platypus stared at you for a moment. He met your eyes, and for just a moment there seemed to be far more to that platypus than you could ever hope to know. You gently reached out a hoof, and you prodded the creature along.

With that obstacle cleared, you headed towards Fluttershy. She was elegantly hovering near the tree, and as you grew closer you could see the birds she was speaking to. Her voice was too quiet for you to make out, but you didn’t really think it all that important. You sat down on the warm grass and you waited for Fluttershy to finish with the birds. After several minutes the mare finally lowered to the ground, and she turned to face you. As she spotted you she froze for a moment, before she relaxed.

“Oh, you startled me for a moment. How was your visit with Twilight?” Rather than answer her with words, you opted to show her. With a rustling noise your wings quickly stretched out to either side of you, their impressive span casting a large shadow. Fluttershy gasped in surprise, and then she jumped forward giving you a large hug. “I’m so happy for you! You can finally fly again.”

You let the hug linger for a moment, before you gently broke the embrace. “Well, actually, I can’t fly just yet. Or, I don’t think I can. I don’t know how much Twilight managed to get done with my wings, and I still can’t control them fully. So, I don’t want to risk it until I know just how much control I have over them.” Fluttershy nodded, but her smile didn’t fade at all.

“But still, this is a huge improvement. You can move them, and that’s the biggest obstacle.”

“Yeah, and I even managed to advance my relationship with Twilight. I’m certain that there’s something there, now. She practically said so. And now I’ve got a date with her for tonight.”

“That’s great! But, um… How will you pay for it? You still don’t have any bits.” You just look at the mare for a moment, and then you bring your hoof to your forehead slowly, and you close your eyes.

“Wow. Way to go me.”

“Um, if you need some money, I could loan you some. I don’t really need that much, and so if you need some, I could let you have some.” Despite her ability to speak to you without her shyness showing through, this offer was still a bit off for her, and her shyness manifested itself once again.

“That’d be great, actually. But I won’t accept it as a gift, I’ll pay you back.” Fluttershy smiled back at you.

“I know you will. Now, how much do you think you’ll need? And where will you be taking her?” Again, you stared at her dumbly, not having an answer to either question. The yellow pegasus chuckled softly, and she shook her head. “That’s kind of what I thought. I’ll get some bits ready for you, but since it’s not even noon yet why don’t you find something useful to do with your time. Go and help some of the others with what they’re doing to prepare for the celebration. I’m all done here, so you’ll have to spend some time around Ponyville.”

“I guess I can do that. I’ll be staying here for a while, anyway, so I might as well get used to it.”

“That’s the spirit!”

You grunted with effort as you balanced the massive cake on your back, its immense weight threatening to crush you. The pink mare had enthusiastically accepted your help, claiming that with your help things would be ‘Super-duper-extra-easy-peesy.’ Now that you realized what helping her entailed, you felt like you should’ve gone with helping Rarity with her frilly designs. Would’ve been easier than this…

“Pinkie, I really hate to rush you, but this cake is exceptionally heavy, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep it up for much longer.”

“Oh, don’t worry, silly. We’re almost to our destination. Just a few more blocks to go, and then it’s just right up Mane Street!” You fight the urge to drop the cake, and you simply plaster a smile on your face. Better to just grin and bear it than to try and explain just how hard this was. Despite your complaints, it didn’t actually take that long to get the cake to the town hall, and soon after you arrived the massive confectionary creation was taken off your back, and placed atop a massive pedestal. Even with your newfound hatred of the cake, and heavy things, you had to admire its immense beauty. Apparently the Cakes had been working on it for several days now, and it paid off.

“Thanks so much for your help.” You turned at the voice, and you saw Mr. Cake approaching you, a smile on his face. “Pinkie would’ve been able to get it here on her own, but we’re still quite appreciative of your efforts.” You were about to respond, when the stallion produced a small pouch from his saddlebags. “This is for you, as a thank you from our family.” You took the proffered bag, and you smiled as you felt the coins within the bag.

“Thank you, Mr. Cake. If you ever need some help, let me know. I’m always happy to lend a hoof.” A few pleasantries later, and you began making your way through town once again. This time you resolved not to pass up any job offered, since it didn’t turn out so well last time. Sadly, there didn’t seem to be much that you could help with, so you simply roamed the town.

The streets were bustling with ponies rushing to and fro, each one offering a smile or a greeting as they went about their business. You soon found yourself near a park in the town, and you decided to cut through it, and head to the Carousel Boutique, to see if there was something you could do for the fashionista. You walked through the park happily, but a chilling tune caught your attention, and you searched for the source for several minutes before you found the source. Standing before you, in the midst of a small clearing, was a mint green unicorn, a lyre suspended before her. But that wasn’t what caught your attention. What really caught your eye was the lithe white dragon curled up in the clearing, watching the mare.

You froze in place as the creature shifted its head to look at you, before it snorted once and rested its head on the ground once again. The mare stopped playing as the dragon snorted, and then she looked around, before she noticed you. She simply smiled and waved, before she resumed her playing. You backed away from the dragon slowly, not quite trusting it not to do anything. When you were well away from the dragon you resumed your trip to the boutique, hoping to avoid any more strangeness along the way.

As you reached the edge of the park you spotted Twilight walking down the path, a piece of parchment floating before her. You pause as you wait for her to reach you, and then you fall into step beside her. She doesn’t notice you, as she is too busy with her list, and so you glance at what she still has to do, and you notice that you’re both headed to the same place.

She begins muttering to herself, and you get an idea. “Make sure Fluttershy has the birds ready to sing when the Princess arrives: Check. Snacks, cakes, and other pastries supplied by the Cakes: Check. Make sure that decorations are both tasteful, and prepared: Not check.” She continues down her list for several more items, before you see that she is on the last item. “Make sure that weather for tomorrow is properly planned and prepared: Not check.”

“Do your hair nice for the date tonight: Not check.” The mare frowns at her paper for a moment, and then she pulls out a quill and she begins writing on the parchment, before she stops writing, and walking.

“Wait, that’s not supposed to be on this list.” Her confusion is apparent, and you burst into laughter. This snaps her out of her stupor, and soon after she is laughing with you. “What brings you around? I thought for sure you’d be helping Fluttershy with something.”

You allow your laughter to die down before you respond. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too, but she told me that she was already done with that, so she sent me into town to help out where I could. Now I’m here, having helped the Cakes to move that monster of a cake to the town hall.”

“Well that was nice of you. I’m certain they appreciated the help. Where are you off to now?”

“I thought I’d see about helping Rarity, since I don’t think I want to lift any more cakes of that size. Honestly, I was opposed to the idea initially, but now I think that working with some fabric will be far easier than lifting cakes.”

Twilight shook her head and she chuckled as the two of you began making your way towards the boutique. “If that’s what you think, then you don’t know Rarity that well at all.”

The mare was right. More right than you could imagine. When you got to the boutique the alabaster unicorn was storming about as the ponies helping her were operating at a rate that was clearly not fast enough for her. Everything was the worst possible thing, and nothing ever seemed to go the right way where this mare was concerned. You stood back in silent awe as Twilight approached, and spoke with Rarity. When she finally came back she had a small smile on her face, and you watched as she put a small note next to the decorations on her checklist.

“So, how about we go and see about that weather. Storm and Rainbow are pretty relaxed when it comes to the weather, and I could certainly do with something relaxing after talking with Rarity.”

You nod, and the two of you head off towards Storm’s home, since, Twilight reasoned, they were both incredibly lazy, and they’d simply rush the job last minute. Still, it was on the list, so it needed to be checked.

(Now then, you can fly (Sort of) once again. Where will this take you? Read on to find out!)

Chapter XI: A Bottle of Chilled Wine

(Well, here you go.)

It turned out that both Storm and Rainbow Dash were asleep when you arrived at their home, and Storm was quite irritated when the two of you knocked on his door. With a short barrage of promises, he swore that both he, and Rainbow Dash, would see to the weather for tomorrow, and the Twilight had nothing to worry about. The slamming of the door in your faces served as an unmistakable sign of the end of the conversation. You heard, through the door, the sound of hooves running up the stairs, and you chuckled softly. Sleep, he says.

The rest of the stops you had to make were relatively brief, as most of the ponies around town were busily preparing for the celebration, and the arrival of Princess Celestia. Near where you had brought the cake the two of you made your final stop. A large stage was being constructed, with Applejack giving out instructions. Her injuries weren’t as severe as Taupe’s and so she was out and about.

“Well, howdy Twi. What brings you by?” She looked to the parchment suspended just behind the unicorn, and her eyes widened, and a smile appeared on her face. “Checking the checklist, I see. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that everything here is under control. Short of an accident, we’ll have the stage done by nightfall.” She glanced at you for a moment, and you felt slightly uncomfortable beneath her scrutiny. It didn’t last long, though, and when she looked away you felt relieved.

“That’s great, AJ. Well, save for the things that can’t be done until tomorrow, everything is checked off.” The scroll levitated before her as she spoke, and her hoof quickly ran along the list, pausing every so often as she noted the things that had to be done before the celebration began. When she finished with the list she turned to you, and smiled. “Now, how about you walk me home, and then come back when it’s time for our date?”

You blushed at her words, and you noticed a blush appeared on her own face as well. You nodded slowly, and then you began walking the unicorn back to her home. It wasn’t going to be a short walk, given where you were, but that didn’t phase you in the slightest. The two of you enjoyed the companionable silence for most of the trip, and only every so often did one of you break it. As the library came into view you realized that the trip was coming to an end, and that you’d soon be out of Twilight’s company. This bothered you quite a bit, but you knew that it’d be worth it when you came back for your date.

When you reached the door it began to glow with Twilight’s usual purple aura of magic, and then it opened slightly. It didn’t open all the way, and after a moment the glow faded. Twilight turned to you, and she smiled. “So, it’s just a few hours till seven. I expect you to be on time, and I trust that you’ve decided where we’re going?”

You nod, suddenly tongue tied. In all honesty, you didn’t know exactly where to take her. Hopefully Flutters will be able to help me out here. “Yeah, I know where we’ll be going. It’s a bit fancy, so you might need to do your hair up some. Not that it doesn’t look good now, it’s just that... Um… I’ll just go, and trust that you know how to make yourself look better than you already do.” The mare laughed lightly at your antics, and then she turned to the door. Before she could fully turn, you lunged in for a quick kiss. It wasn’t the most passionate kiss, but the emotions were there, and you certainly could’ve stayed for quite some time. Instead, you broke the kiss, and dashed off to Fluttershy’s cottage, a massive smile on your face.

You only ran for a few moments, and soon your pace slowed to a walking speed. As you walked along the road you spotted Storm heading your direction, a smile on his face. As he approached you felt the stirrings of an idea, and you stopped him before he could pass.

“Hey, Storm. Could I ask a couple questions?”

“That’s one, but sure, go ahead.”

“Funny. Anyway, do you know of any moderately fancy restaurants in town? I’ve got a date with Twilight, and I don’t actually know where we’re going.”

“Oh, so you’re like me. Yeah, I know a good place. It’s actually a place I took Twilight to one time before. It’s not too fancy, but getting a bit dressed up wouldn’t look out of place.” He quickly explains how to get there, and what it’s called.

“Thanks. Now, do you have a suit that I could borrow? We’re about the same size, and it’d be easier for me to just borrow something, than for me to get something made.”

“Wow, you’re really good at planning things, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, forethought is my special talent.” The sarcasm in your words isn’t lost on the gray pegasus, and he chuckles.

“Funny. What time is your date?”

“Seven o’clock.”

“Good, come by my place at half past six, and I’ll have my suit ready for you. Don’t be late, though, since we’re going to make sure you look good for your mare.” He flashed you a genuine smile as you thanked him once again, and then he continued on his way past you. You smiled as you resumed your trip to Fluttershy’s cottage, the time you spent with Twilight still running through your mind. As the cottage came into view you noted an absence of the mare outside, so you figured that she was probably inside, tending to her other friends.

You opened the door to her home slowly, not sure if you were welcome to just come and go as you please. Luckily, Fluttershy was there, and she opened the door the rest of the way as you entered. “Oh, you’re back. How was your day in town?”

“Not that bad, actually. I helped out with the Cakes, and then I spent some time helping Twilight out with her checklist. Oh, and Storm told me that I could borrow his suit, and he told me a place where I could take Twilight for dinner. I’ll still need to borrow some bits, but not as many, since the Cakes paid me for my help.”

And so Fluttershy immediately got to work with helping you to mentally prepare for the date. She asked you questions about your past, and all sorts of things that may come up. She even asked you to come up with some questions that you could ask Twilight. Most of your questions weren’t broad enough, and so Twilight would be able to answer them in just a sentence or two. You needed to ask broad questions, so that Twilight could give longer answers. That way you’d be able to ask questions about parts of her responses.

After spending nearly an hour and a half with the mare, your head was spinning with questions, answers, and little rules of etiquette. You never knew that she knew so much about this kind of thing, and she had been happy to explain that Rarity knew far more about this than she did, and that if you had any further questions, Rarity was the mare to ask.

The trip to Storm’s home took you just a few minutes, and you arrived almost exactly on time. The door opened while you were still approaching the door, and you silently thanked Celestia that you wouldn’t have to try to knock on the door. However, rather than Storm opening the door you saw that it was Rainbow Dash. As she saw you approach she smiled broadly at you, and then she let you in.

“Well, I’d love to stay and watch you two have your stallion talk, I’m off to go and have a chat with Twilight. Us mares have to stick together.” She quickly took to the skies as she finished speaking, and then you heard Storm come up behind you.

“We’ve got no time for watching my mare fly through the skies. I’ve got to get you gussied up for your date with Twilight.”

And so you began yet another barrage of questions as Storm quizzed you on some aspects of Twilight, and what you did and didn’t know about her. Through it all, though, Storm was being remarkably serious, and he was actually making you think about some of these things. By the time you finished with him, you were feeling far more confident than before, and you looked damn fine too. The suit fit you almost perfectly, and its colors didn’t clash with yours too much.

“Just remember to be yourself, and Twilight won’t be able to resist you. If she doesn’t like the real you, then she’s not the mare for you. But I know her, and I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on who you are.”

“Thanks, Storm. For the outfit, and the tips.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Just go and show that mare a good time. Celestia knows she deserves it.” You quickly made your way to the library, a good number of ponies stopping to compliment you on the way you look. You even noticed a few mares stopping to look as you passed by. Soon, though, the library came into view, and when it did you could juts make out the form of a pegasus taking flight from the balcony.

You reached the door mere moments later, and you took a deep breath before you brought your hoof down on the door three times in succession. You marveled at the fact that you successfully knocked on the door, but your surprise at that is short lived, as the door opens to reveal a stunning mare. (Approximately how she looks. I deviated some, but based it off of that.)

You just stared at her for a moment, as you took her in. She had on a beautiful pink dress, with a gold trim running along the bottom. Inlaid in that gold trim were several round cut sapphires. Around her neck she had a gorgeous necklace, the pendant of which was a series of diamonds arranged in the shape of her cutie mark, with an amethyst forming the center piece. Her forelegs had golden straps wound around them, with elaborate sandals at the ends of her hooves.

Her hair was also done wonderfully, with just a slight curl added to it. It wasn’t all that different from what her hair normally looked like, but the change was noticeable all the same.

“Twilight, you look amazing.” The mare blushed at your compliment, and you reached out a hoof and took hers in it, and you gently raised it to your face, where you laid a single gentle kiss. “May I have the honor, and privilege, of taking you to dinner tonight?” The mare’s blush deepened rapidly at your gesture, and she could only nod in response. The trip to the restaurant was made in silence, and you were certain that it was because you had left the unicorn beside you speechless.

You had Storm run ahead to make a reservation for the two of you, and so it was only a few minutes for them to get you a table on the balcony, as you had requested. The table up here would cost you quite a bit, but it was worth it, in your opinion. It offered a magnificent view of the town, as well as the horizon where the sun would be setting in just over an hour. You hoped that you’d be here that long, since the sunset was one of your favorite times of day.

Just as you were about to dive into conversation with the lavender unicorn, the waiter came by, offering up a bottle of the restaurant’s finest wine, and small salad for the two of you to share. You looked over to Twilight, to see if she wanted to get the wine, but when you didn’t see a reaction you decided that you would have the bottle. He smiled as you told him your decision, and he returned a few moments later with two glasses, and a bottle of chilled wine.

“So, Twi, I know a good deal about what you’ve done since you came to Ponyville, but I’ve never really heard much about what you did before you came here.”

Twilight smiled at your choice of conversation, and before long the two of you were deep in conversation, talking about all manner of things, with the words flowing nearly all the time. The meal was more of a distraction than you thought it would be, and before you knew it the sun was nearly touching the horizon. You broke off the conversation for just long enough to watch it set.

“It’s always been my favorite time of day. It marks the end of day, so that we can enjoy the beginning of the next one. Because, what is the day without the night to divide it?”

“Sunset is also more beautiful, in my opinion. More ponies are awake for it, and so I think that Celestia always strives to add more color to it.” You move your chair around the table some, so that you and Twilight are closer together. You fight with your body for a moment, and then you manage to wrap a wing around Twilight, pulling her close for a bit. She pulled herself closer to you, and you both enjoyed the sunset together.

As the sky changed from blue, to red, to purple, and then to dark blue, the two of you simply enjoyed each others company, occasionally having a sip or two of wine. When the sun was finally set, the two of you shifted your gaze to the skies above, where Luna would soon cast her numberless stars.

The display was breathtaking to say the least. The stars seemed to multiply in droves, having started with a single pin point of light.

“Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“How long do you think it’ll be before you’ll be able to work out the finer details on my wings?”

“Probably a few days. I don’t want to rush things, and wind up making them worse.” She snuggled just a bit closer to your side, and you pulled your wing in just a bit more, holding her tightly. After quite some time, and quite a bit of conversation, the waiter finally appeared once more, a bit of a blush on his face, likely due to walking in on the moment you were sharing with Twilight.

“I hate to break up this moment, but the two of you have been here for almost an hour past closing time.” You pull out the fancy pocket watch that Storm had foisted upon you, and you could see that the waiter was correct.

“My apologies, sir. If you could bring us the check, I’d be more than happy to get out of your hair.” The waiter bowed quickly, before heading back inside. “I think we’ve overstayed our welcome, Twi. It’s nearly midnight.”

“Really? It’s that late? It felt like no time at all. We were just chatting away, and yet all that time passed?”

“Clearly. It’s not like we just jumped forward in time, right?” The mare blushed a bit at your reference to her exploits with time travel.

“That was a long time ago. I don’t mess with time anymore. It’s too… timey wimey.” You laugh at her terminology, and she laughs too. The waiter soon returns, and you quickly count out the bits for the meal, silencing Twilight’s protests about how you should split the bill with a quick kiss. The mare’s blush brought a smile to your face, and you made sure to give the waiter a hefty tip for his time and effort. The two of you walked out of the restaurant side by side, your wing still wrapped around the mare.

You walked back to her home slowly, still talking about whatever the topic required, with no real pauses between the topics. When you finally reached Twilight’s home, you hesitated for just a moment. The mare noticed, since she opened the door with her magic, and she walked in smoothly, without asking you to stop, or even making some sort of indication that you shouldn’t follow. The two of you walked up to her room without even a single pause, and you couldn’t tell who was really leading who.

When you did reach her room you finally removed your wing from around her. She turned to look at you as you did so, and she gave you a quick kiss. However, calling it a kiss was unfair to you, since it was more of a tease than a kiss. Remembering what she said last time, you quickly took the initiative, sweeping her off of her hooves and depositing her on her bed. You looked into her eyes for a moment, before you dove in for a kiss.

This continued for a few minutes, with the kisses growing in passion until finally you stopped of your own volition. The mare’s eyes opened, and she mouthed a silent thank you. In your passion you had messed up Storm’s suit, as well as Twilight’s dress and hair, but neither of you really cared much.

“I’m going to go freshen up, and then we’ll see what to do next, okay?” The mare just nodded, and you quickly went to the bathroom, where you splashed some water in your face, and then you removed the suit you were wearing. You took the time to make sure it was folded up nicely, and you hoped that Storm didn’t mind the sweat stains all over it.

When you got back to Twilight’s room you were pleasantly surprised to see her lying back on her bed, her eyes beckoning you to approach. You did so, and she quickly wrapped her hooves around you, pulling you close. “Even if we don’t do anything, I’d like you to spend the night with me.”

“Twilight, when I’m with you, doing nothing is better than doing something anywhere else.”

(Hope you enjoyed it. Was hard to write, for some reason. Things will be wrapping up here, soon. Not too many more chapters, methinks.)

Chapter XIII: More Than You Could Have Asked For

(Another chapter down, probably not many more to go.)

You saw the princess’ chariot coming from quite a distance away, and almost as soon as you saw it many others did as well. Shortly after spotting it, the town was abuzz with activity, as the final last minute preparations were completed, and the remaining ponies began to gather to greet the first of the two royal sisters. It’d been only an hour since you had spoken to Rarity about the inscription, and so you were surprised when she gave you a small package, promising you that the contents were what you had asked for. You put the package inside of your saddlebags after she gave it to you, not wanting to risk it to some chance mistake.

As the chariot grew closer the crowd grew thicker, and noticeably louder, too. The Elements stepped forward out of the group, and soon they were surrounded by the ponies of Ponyville, as the cheering reached higher and higher levels. The chariot touched down a short distance away from the crowd, and the two pegasi, clad in royal armor, slowed the chariot to a stop just before the Eements. The door to the chariot opened quickly, and the first thing you saw of the Princess was a pure white hoof. The rest of her followed quickly, and the cheering reached a crushing level of loudness.

All six Elements quickly bowed to their leader, and you followed suit, along with the other ponies. However, you noted a unicorn stallion following behind the Princess. He didn’t seem to quite fit in with the Princess’ usual assortment of lackeys, given what Twilight had told you. You resolved to talk to him, though, since you suspected that he was the pony that Twilight had been talking about. At a motion from the Princess all of the ponies present stood up once again. Twilight and her friends quickly moved forward, giving the Princess a big hug. You knew about the less than formal relationship they had with the Princess, but you thought that even this was pushing it.

The Princess was quickly swept up in the crowd, as they wished to show her all that had changed since she had last come to visit, and also so that she might enjoy the celebration that they had thrown in her honor. You followed the crowd slowly, not wanting to be swept up in the commotion that seemed to follow after the Princess now that she had arrived.

The celebration lasted for hours, with every moment filled with the sounds of laughter, and every face had a smile upon it. You walked about the town going from activity to activity without a care. You passed the stallion from the hospital several times, and each time you did he was deflecting the thanks from the ponies of the town, claiming that he was just doing what was right. As the day continued, you eventually found Twilight, and she began trying to explain the origins of the holiday.

The large stage that you had seen being set up yesterday now played host to a small congregation of ponies, the most notable of which was the Princess. The attention of the crowd slowly shifted to the stage, and with a single word the Princess claimed the attention of every pony present.

“Taupe.” You knew the name, and the pony who went by that name. A good number of faces turned to look at the pony the color of his name. He made his way to the stage slowly, his injuries slowing his pace, if only slightly. When he finally made it to the foot of the stage the Princess motioned for him to come up, and he did so. He looked about awkwardly for a moment, before the Princess spoke once more. “My little ponies, this stallion has gone above and beyond what we normally expect from a coltfriend. He braved the corruption of Manehattan to save Applejack, the Element of Honesty. And for this, we all owe him our thanks. Without his efforts we would’ve lost something very dear.”

You, along with the rest of the crowd, began stomping your hooves. Despite the distance between you and the stage you could still make out a blush on the earth pony’s features. He raised a hoof in a small wave, and that simply prompted another round of stomping. He lowered his hoof immediately after he finished waving, and his blush grew slightly. After a moment, the stallion approached the podium, and he looked out over the crowd for a moment as he clearly tried to think of something meaningful to say. Instead of something meaningful, though, he started with a greeting. “Um… Hello, everypony.” The silence that followed his greeting begged him to continue.

“I’d just like to say that… Well, I’m not really that special. I just did what I thought was right. I’ve made, and will continue to make, my share of mistakes.” The stallion looked back at Applejack, who was up on the stage with him. You took the momentary pause to look around, and you saw Storm, Rainbow Dash, and the other Elements gathered together. You began worming your way through the crowd while the stallion on stage continued. “But, you should never be afraid to try. Embrace the mistakes you’ve made, and let them guide you to a better future. Nopony is perfect…” His voice trailed off just as you made it to Twilight and the others, and then you shifted your gaze back towards the stage.

“I hope Taupe doesn’t act like a foal.” You looked at Storm, who had a big grin on his face. He noticed you looking at him, and he just winked before returning his gaze to the stage.

“Nopony is perfect, and in that imperfection lies a special kind of beauty. The kind of beauty that only that certain special somepony will be able to see.” Taupe then stepped back from the podium, before looking at Applejack. The earth pony took a step forward, before sweeping Applejack’s hooves out from beneath her, before catching her while balancing on his remaining three hooves. After a moment of looking into each others eyes, Taupe dove in for a kiss. It lasted for a moment before a single voice cut through the near silence.

“Hey, Taupe, I knew you could do it!” And following Storm’s shout, every head turned to look at the gray pegasus beside you. Despite none of the focus being on you, you couldn’t help but feel like some of the ponies were scrutinizing you simply for being beside the offending pegasus. “What, we were all thinking it. I just put it into words.” When the crowd seemed unmoved by his words the grey pegasus just continued smiling. “Hey, I calls it how I sees it.”

Following Storm’s rather blunt interruption the celebration resumed with the same level of energy and excitement, if not more. While you enjoyed all that the town had to offer you couldn’t help but allow the gift for Twilight to infiltrate your thoughts from time to time. The nervousness that you felt about your gift grew as time passed. As the sun began to dip closer to the horizon you knew that not only was the celebration soon going to reach its climax, it was also growing closer to the time when you’d finally confront the lavender unicorn.

Even with your mental distractions you still managed to enjoy yourself. The various games that you had played were all immensely fun, and you even won a few small prizes. Your latest conquest was a game where players were forced to lob bags of sand at small caricatures of various monsters from the Everfree forest. Despite the competition given by some unicorns you managed to knock down your targets just before anypony else could. You were about to leave the stand, when you spotted Princess Celestia approaching. She looked at the game for a moment, before she approached the space next to you.

“Tell me, my little pony, what seems to be the game here?” You look at her for a moment, and then you shift your gaze to the targets.

“Well, you take the small sandbags, and then you have to throw them at the targets. The first pony to knock all of their targets down wins.”

“I see. And you won the last round?”

“I did, Princess.” You look down at the poster that you had claimed for your prize. It was a poster for a band that you were a big fan of, The Whooves. It was from one of their best albums, Who’s Next.

“Well, then I challenge you to a match. First one to miss a target looses.” You accept her challenge, and you put up quite the fight for the solar Princess. You manage to knock a target down each time, matching her each time. The crowd that had started out as a sparse gathering of ponies had quickly grown to more than twice its size, and you began to feel the pressure of the competition.

The Princess didn’t seem at all nervous under the scrutiny, and you knew that if you didn’t calm yourself down you’d miss. She casually threw her bag, knocking down the center target, and then she smiled at you. “It is your turn.” You put your hoof on the bag of sand, before you looked at the stall owner.

“Push down all the targets, save for the middle one.” A series of ‘ooh’s’ emerged from the crowd, and you pushed them from your mind, remembering your time in the arena. I’ve performed in front of the Princess, and a crowd ten times this size. Just zone them out, and focus. The stall owner obliged your request, before he looked back at you.

The weight of the bag had become a familiar presence in your hoof, and you tossed it into the air a few times as you stared down the target. The previously noisy crowd had descended into hushed whispers, and the calmness of the crowd gave you better focus. With a flick of your hoof, the bag sailed through the air before knocking the target down perfectly. The crowd began cheering as they saw your success, and then you looked to the princess, who had adopted a mildly amused look. She also requested all but one of her targets be knocked over, and she managed to repeat your feat.

“I must say that you are quite the opponent. However, I must wrap up the celebration so I must bring this to an end.” She used her magic to stand up two adjacent targets, and then she brought over a new bag of sand for her to throw. “And since I don’t much care for loosing, I’ll just ensure my victory.” She tossed the bag casually towards the targets, before her horn flashed and the bag duplicated into two bags, which knocked over both targets.

“I…” You just look at the two targets that are now standing before you, and you frown. “You…” The bag weighs down in your hoof, and you look between it, and the two targets standing before you, taunting you. “Fine. I admit defeat.” The Princess’ smile widened, and then she gave you a quick smile before she trotted off towards the stage she had been on earlier. The crowd parted around her as she went, and soon enough it began to disperse. As the last of the ponies depart you toss the sandbag at the targets. You watch it sail through the air gracefully, and then it glances the first target before it then spins into the other one, knocking both ones down.

“Nice throw.” You turn to see who was behind you, and you are only slightly surprised to see Twilight. It’d been a few hours since you had last seen her, and you’d been wondering how you’d find her. Luckily, that question answered itself. “Now, let’s go watch the closing ceremony, and you can make a foal of yourself again later.” She grabbed one of your hooves with her own, and she started a leisurely pace back towards the stage.

The contact was so minimal, but at the same time it felt like more than you could have asked for. She led you to the stage, and then she stopped when she reached the stairs that led up to the stage she let go of your hoof as she ascended the stage. You glanced to the setting sun, and you felt the tiniest pang of regret. You had hoped to give her the gift when the sun set. Instead, you’d have to hope for the moon rise. Celestia approached the podium once again, and the noisy crowd quickly settled down.

“My little ponies. So much has changed since I was last here, and so many of you have grown up. From the valiant crusaders, to the Elements of Harmony. It seems like just days ago I was here for our own Storm Runner. Now, though, as is dictated by the turning of time, the day must yield to the night. But that is no reason for the festivities to come to an end.” You watched as the Princess’ horn began to glow, and the end of the day grew nearer as the sun began to vanish behind the horizon. Soon enough, only the tiniest of slivers remained of the sun, and then, that too, vanished.

Despite the lack of the sun, the glow from Princess Celestia’s horn cast a substantial glow through the town square. With a flick of her horn, the glow broke into many separate floating orbs of light, each one a tiny sun in its own right. Each of the dozen orbs then raced across the square, coming to a stop a fair distance away. The resulting dispersion of the orbs lent the square a decent amount of light, without taking away from the notion of night time.

You just watched the crowd disperse, and begin to mingle in the town square. A pink blur rushed past you and soon enough you heard the tell tale sounds of music coming from a short distance away. “Pinkie Pie managed to convince Vinyl Scratch, A.K.A. DJ Pon3 to play.” Once again Twilight was beside you. “I suppose it’s not a bad thing, given that Vinyl is a Ponyville native.” The mare just stands beside you as the beat from the DJ’s music begins to pick up in speed, and shortly after you heard the ‘drop’ and the ponies in the square begin to dance in time with the music.

You decide that now is as good a time as any, and so you grab Twilight’s hoof in your own, and you begin walking with her. She follows you as you lead her through the town, and soon enough you are a short distance from the town, sitting on a hill with a single tree atop it. You sit yourself facing to the East, and Twilight takes a seat beside you. You enjoy the view, and you can only hope that Twilight does as well. Soon enough, she begins to lean into you, and you wrap a hoof around her. However, as you sit an idea comes to you.

You quickly adjust your positions until you have your back against the tree, and Twilight is resting against your belly. You wrap your forelegs around her, and she quickly settles herself into your grasp. After sitting there for a few minutes you spot the telltale glow of the moon as it begins its ponderous trip across the night sky. You let out a content sigh as you pull one hoof off of Twilight, and it then drops into your saddlebag. The package slowly makes its way out of the bag as your grasp around it lifts it. Soon it is within your sight, but just out of Twilight’s field of vision.

“It’s usually customary for a stallion to give something to a mare he wishes to become more involved with.” The mare beneath you tried to adjust her position, but you managed to keep her in place. “Relax, Twi. I’ll let you go in a moment. Let me finish, and then you can move.” She stopped her struggles after a moment, and then you continued. “A pegasus usually has little problem thinking of something to give, since they can perform a series of acrobatic tricks sure to impress anypony. A unicorn also has little difficulty with the question, since they have their full arsenal of magic at their disposal. Earth ponies often resort to bequeathing a product of their labors to the pony they adore. Whether it be an impressive display of grown product, or something hoof-crafted.” You pause for a moment as you allow the information to digest.

“For somepony like me, though, it is a far more difficult question. I lack the fabled strength of the earth ponies, and their ability to tend the earth as well. I can’t work magic, for obvious reasons. And despite being a pegasus, my wings don’t work nearly well enough for me to trust them to put on a worthy display.”

“You don’t need to give me anything…”

“No, Twi, I do. You’ve already given me so much, and yet I’ve given you nothing.” You placed the box on your wing, and then you moved it before her. “It’s nothing much, but it has meaning beyond the physical.” Her magic quickly enveloped the box, and you retracted your wing as the wrapping paper slowly peeled away, revealing the box it had been placed in. The simple wooden box Rarity had put it in belied the meaning behind it, but somehow you felt that it was appropriate.

The lid to the box opened slowly, and then you watched as the goggles within slowly floated out, their lenses reflecting the moonlight. Twilight slowly brought them close to her face, and then she started looking at it from all sides. She paused when she read the inscription made by your grandfather, and then she continued her examination. She stopped once again when she read the inscription you had asked Rarity to make.

You waited for the mare to respond in any way, and yet she did nothing. You had loosened your grip on the mare while she had been opening the box, and only now did she seem to notice. She slowly turned to look at you, and in her eyes were some tears, but her smile told you that they were tears of happiness. She gave you a kiss, but she pulled back before it could really develop. “The inscription…”

“It’s not the whole sentence, clearly. There wasn’t enough room for that, but I think that once I tell you the whole thing, it’ll be memorable enough.” You give her a quick kiss before you elaborate. “’I would give to you’ all that I was, all that I am, and all that I will be.” The mare smiled at you, her tears of happiness continuing to flow down her face. A bright flash of light came from her horn, and you found yourself on her bed.

She quickly rolled the two of you over, putting you on top of her, and then she smiled at you. “Not yet, but soon.” And with that, she pulled you into a passionate kiss, one you were all too happy to reciprocate.

(Look at that, I used the title! I'm so special.)

Chapter XIV: A Few More Minutes

(Here you go. Do enjoy, and let me know what you think.)

Consciousness comes to you slowly, practically teasing the edges of your awareness. The warmth pulled tight to your chest was the first sensation to assault your slowly waking mind, and with that warmth came the comfort of companionship. You noted with only half formed thoughts that the mare’s hooves were wrapped around you, and that minor revelation brought a smile to your face. Sadly, though, with the return to the land of wakefulness came the responsibilities of living.

You slowly wriggled out of Twilight’s grasp, but before you could escape you saw one of her eyes crack open. She met your gaze for a full minute before either of you did anything. During that minute you could see the blush on Twilight’s cheeks grow by the second, and when she finally looks away she simply pulls you closer and she buries her muzzle in the soft fur of your chest. A content sigh escapes the mare, and you figure that a few more minutes won’t hurt anypony.

As the minutes dragged on you felt the familiar pull of sleep tugging at your mind, and it was only through pure force of will that you managed to stave off the semiconscious state that is sleep. With a groan you finally come to the conclusion that you do need to get up, and so you begin extricating yourself from Twilight’s grasp once again. This time, you meet with success, and you crawled out of bed. Twilight opened one eye as you turned to give her a quick kiss before you went to the bathroom, and when you saw her eye open you stopped.

She smiled at you before she gave you a quick kiss. After the kiss she pulled the covers up to cover the spot where you had been and she let out a content sigh. Your trip to the bathroom was much like any other, and after you finished you ran a hoof through your mane quickly, getting it to look just right. When you returned to the bedroom you noticed the Twilight shaped lump beneath the covers hadn’t moved at all, and so you felt a tiny smile crawl onto your face.

You slowly crept up beside the bed where the mare was still softly slumbering, and then you gently climbed onto the bed, making sure to distribute your weight evenly so that the mare wouldn’t feel something moving. With your hooves now placed around her, you lowered your face to hers, and you planted a quick kiss, just soft enough to be felt, but not enough to wake her. You waited for a moment to see if she would wake, and when she didn’t you repeated the process once again, in a different spot.

Just like last time, she didn’t wake, but a smile began forming on her lips. After planting a few more kisses in the same fashion you finally placed a hoof on her cheek, before you turned her head to look at you. The contact was enough to rouse her, and she slowly opened her eyes to finally welcome the new day, and the small smile on her lips widened as she saw you were the first thing she saw.

After staring into your eyes for a minute, the mare finally pulled you into an embrace. You welcomed it, and after a moment she released you before she crawled out of bed. As she headed to the bathroom to freshen up you decided that you’d make some breakfast for the two of you. Oddly enough, Spike never showed up last night, and so you had no idea where he was. You figured that there wasn’t likely anything amiss, since Ponyville was a pleasant enough place that he’d probably ended up staying the night with some other pony.

You settled on simple fare for breakfast, opting to just fry a few of eggs for you and Twilight to split, along with some toast. Just a couple minutes before you finish Twilight enters the kitchen, her appearance having improved drastically from how she looked when she had climbed out of bed. She came over to the counter to help, but you simply pointed at the table you had prepared, and she sat down at the place you pointed to, a small pout on her face.

“Twi, don’t give me that look. It won’t work.” The pout only intensifies in response, and you roll your eyes. “Seriously, it won’t work.” When you finally finish the food, and set it down before her you note with a casual glance that she’d stopped with the look. The meal was done with quickly, and before you had a chance to get up and help Twilight began taking care of it with her magic. Within a matter of minutes the table had been cleared, and all of the dishes had been cleaned.

After finishing the meal you and Twilight moved into the study, where each of you took a seat. Twilight grabbed the book relating to the pegasus nervous system, and so you decided that you’d browse her collection some, and see if she did have the book you thought you might give to her. It took you a few minutes to finally comprehend the ordering system that Twilight had implemented, but once you understood it you were able to quickly ascertain the fact that Twilight did not actually have the book you were thinking of, and you allowed yourself a small cry of success.

Although you were pleased to see that Twilight didn’t have the book back in the study, you still needed to find out if she had it in the library’s main room. While the mare was busy in her book you found that you had plenty of time to sneak out and examine the larger book shelves. This took a bit longer to do, not only because there were more shelves, but also because the books were arranged in a different manner. Luckily, this one was easier to understand, and so you soon found that she didn’t have the book here either.

You let out another cry of victory, but it was cut short when you heard a gentle knocking come from the front door. You trotted over slowly, and just as you opened the door you felt a fist land on your leg. You looked down to see Spike had landed his small fist on your leg, clearly having missed the door in his attempt to knock once again. You couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the situation. The purple dragon simply stared at you for a moment, before he rolled his eyes and walked past you, mumbling something about adults and their antics.

You don’t mind, though, as you’re busy recovering your breath. Once you finally manage to take a deep enough breath to stave off imminent asphyxiation you close the door to the library, and head back to the study. Twilight, were it not for the fact that you knew what page she had been on, and what page she was on now, looked as if she hadn’t moved a muscle. You glanced at the material presented on the page, and you found that only one in every ten words was one that you knew, and of those few words you knew, only half of them made sense in the context you assumed they were in.

The mare let out an exasperated sigh as she turned the page. You looked at this page as well, and thankfully there was a picture present that you not only understood, but had seen before. It was a diagram of a pegasus wing, with each of the major muscle groups laid out, named, and their point in flying described. You had spent quite some time learning that picture, since it had aided you greatly in your workouts for wing endurance.

A shrill cry of victory shattered the silence, and then Twilight looked at you with a huge smile plastered on her face. “Well, I think that I might be able to heal the rest of the damage that has been done to your wings. Although I am slightly hesitant to attempt this part, since the procedure requires a degree of precision that I’m not entirely sure I can pull off.”

“What do you mean? You’re Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic. Surely you of all ponies can do it.”

The mare smiles, but shakes her head. “It’s not that I lack the prowess to perform the process, it’s that I don’t think I can pinpoint exactly where I’ll need to focus my magic. In order to avoid damaging your nervous system any further, the spell I’m going to use requires immense precision.”

“So, it’s not a matter of power, so much as it is a matter of accuracy?”

“Exactly. And it just so happens that I know several other unicorns that would be perfectly suited for this process.” Twilight levitates the immense tome onto the table beside her chair, and then she moves out of the seat. “Rarity is one unicorn who I know would be able to help with the process. Lyra is also an option, and if neither of them can do it, I think that Colgate should be able to do it. But I suggest we go to Rarity first.”

You nod in agreement, and soon the two of you are at the front door, about to leave. You grab the handle to the door, and just as you are pushing it open you hear Twilight let out a sharp gasp. You quickly turn to look at her, and you notice that she’s looking over at Spike, who had just emerged from the kitchen. She rushes over to the baby dragon before she pulls him into an embrace.

“Spike, where were you? Normally you send a quick letter to me if you’re spending the night somewhere else!” The dragon struggles in the embrace for a moment before Twilight lets go of him.

“Jeez, Twi, I’m old enough to look after myself from time to time. Anyway, I did send a letter to you. A little while after the sun set I sent it to you.” Twilight looks at the dragon for a moment before you step in.

“Perhaps it arrived just as we teleported here. It could be sitting atop that hill we were on, having appeared just as we were leaving.” The mare thinks for a moment, before she shrugs.

“That must be it, since Spike’s dragon fire can’t miss the targeted pony.”

“Well, now that we’ve got that settled, shall we head out, Twi. I’m just a bit eager to finally have my wings in proper working order once again. Since, you know, without my wings neither my cutie mark nor my name, make much sense.”

“Alright, we’ll get going. Now Spike, just watch the library while I’m gone. I shouldn’t be too long, but if I am feel free to help yourself to some lunch if you like.” Twilight heads back to the door, and you follow. The door opens at your touch, and soon you have stepped through. Twilight follows behind you, and soon the two of you are heading down the road towards the Carousel Boutique. The conversation between you and Twilight flits from topic to topic, never lingering longer than was necessary.

As the boutique came into view you felt a small rise of nervousness in your gut, almost like it knew something you didn’t. You shook the feeling off, knowing that with Twilight’s magic, and Rarity’s precision, there was little chance of something going amiss. You allowed Twilight to knock upon the door, and moments later Rarity emerged from the depths of the building, her mane looking just as beautiful as always.

“Oh, Twilight, do come in. It’s so nice to have some visitors…” She trails off for a moment, before she looks at the two of you once again, a slightly different look in her eyes. “Unless, of course, you’re here to shop?”

“Not today, Rarity. I was actually hoping that you could help me with a magical procedure that I’m trying to do. You see, our flightless pegasus here has control over the primary flight muscles in his wings, but not the secondary muscles.” Through Twilight’s explanation Rarity had brought the two of you in, and into the back room, where you spotted an uncomfortable looking unicorn sporting a half completed tuxedo. You approached him slowly, and he just gave you a small smile.

“Your that unicorn who came with the Princess, right?” The stallion nods quickly, before he replies.

“Yeah, that was me. Although I’m going to be here for a while, so I suppose some introductions are in order?” You nod, and the unicorn holds out a hoof. “My name’s Quill. I used to live in a town not far from Canterlot, but a series of circumstances led me here.”

“Oh? What could’ve happened that would get the attention of the Princess?” You pause for a moment, before you realize that you hadn’t introduced yourself. “My name is-”

“Could you come here for a minute, I need to show Rarity something for your wing.” You look at the unicorn with an apologetic smile on your face, and he just smiles back.

“No worries. I’m sure we’ll have another chance. I’ll just stay here. And wait.” You quickly trot over to the two mares who had continued their conversation about you in your absence. You felt a familiar tug on your wing as you approached, and you did your best to fight it. That is, you fought it until you noticed Twilight’s horn glowing softly.

“I just need to show Rarity exactly what she’ll be doing, since it’s easier to show her than it is to explain it.” As your wing reaches full extension you watch as Twilight and Rarity both come closer to inspect. “So, I’ll need you to get a fix on the nerves here, here, and here.” Each ‘here’ was accompanied by a soft touch, and a tingle of magic. Rarity moved closer to your side as she began inspecting, and then you felt a familiar, but still different, tingle run through your body as Rarity’s horn began to glow.

Several minutes passed as Rarity examined the extent of the nerve damage, and when she finally finished she had a small frown on her face. “Twilight, you do realize just how much I’ll have to do, yes? That’s quite a bit to do, and I’m concerned that I might accidentally hurt this fine stallion.”

“I’ll be here to help, Rarity. And it’s not quite as bad as it seems. Once you get into the rhythm fixing the nerves is quite a bit like weaving. You just need to weave the nerves close enough together for the healing spell to join them back together.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” Despite Twilight’s comforting words the white unicorn still didn’t sound entirely confident in her abilities. You decided that you’d offer some advice as well, since she would be working with your body.

“Don’t worry, Rarity. I have confidence in you. And besides, if you do something wrong I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“You’re so… encouraging.”

“I like to do my best.” You let out a soft chuckle, and soon the mood returns to one of less jovial nature. Soon enough you are led to the center of the room, and Rarity turns on several other lights so that she might be able to see better. Through all of this you were a bit perturbed to see that the unicorn atop the small pedestal hadn’t moved an inch, and were it not for the gentle motion of his chest you’d have assumed he was dead. Your attention is quickly brought back to the two mares, though, as you feel the magic begin to intensify along your side.

Rarity had closed the distance to your wing quite a bit, and her horn now rested mere inches from your wing. The glow about her horn had increased in intensity, and it was now difficult to look at for more than a few moments at a stretch. You begin to feel a different kind of tingling run through your body, and every few moments the tingle peaks, reaching a nearly painful intensity. You keep yourself from moving, though, and after what feels like hours the white unicorn’s horn stops glowing. She moves a hoof across her brow, and she looks at it with just the slightest hint of disgust.

She only pauses for a minute, though, and soon enough she’s at it once again. This process is repeated several times, and after nearly an hour she finally moves away from the side opposite the one she started on, her breathing coming in gasps. Even with Twilight’s immense reserves of magic to supplement what Rarity already had it proved to be an immense undertaking. Still, she backed away from your side with a smile on her face.

“I do believe that that’s the last of the damage that you pointed out Twilight. Now, if you don’t mind I have a suit to finish.” Rarity moves back over to the unicorn with the beginnings of a suit. You, however, have your attention focused on your wings. Twilight’s magic still surrounds them, and so you are unable to move them. The two of you move outside, and once you go through the door to the exterior Twilight finally releases your wings from her magical hold.

The first sensation to reach you from your wings, as you move them, is that of biting pain, as the muscles had cramped up some due to their positions. You simply stretched them out, though, and soon they were moving without any pain. You quickly made the adjustments to them that would let you hover effortlessly, and to your delight they curved just as you desired.

As you beat them several times you were rewarded with prompt lift, and your hooves left the ground. However, you didn’t celebrate just yet, as you needed to see if you had full control, or if this was just another stepping stone. You increased your flapping pace some, and then you began adjusting as much as you could in the finer muscles, adjusting your wings several dozen times per flap, keeping yourself perfectly in place, despite the breeze, and at the exact same altitude.

After about a dozen flaps you picked up the pace on your flaps, and you took to the skies, appearing as a blur to all the earthbound ponies that cared to look in your direction. You could fly again, and there was no sensation that could ever hope to compare. At least, that’s what you thought for a few moments, before you flipped over before entering a steep dive. You knew something that could compare to the joy of flight. Something better, even.

You landed beside the mare, her smile almost big enough to match yours. Without hesitation, you scooped the mare onto your back, and you snapped either wing out to the side. “Twilight, I’d like you to join me on my first real flight. It’s already a special flight, I want you here to make it unforgettable.”

(I nearly revealed your name in this chapter, believe it or not. Next chapter, though, you can expect to finally learn your name.)

Chapter XV: A Shooting Star

(Well, here you go.)

You glided down to the ground as the mare on your back slowly eased her grip around your neck. She had relaxed as you flew through the skies, and at a few points she had been so caught up in the thrill of flight that she had loosened her grip nearly all the way. She had never let go of you, but she had come close a few times. As the ground rushed up to meet you, you spread your wings out to their fullest extent, killing your forward momentum, and easing you to the ground on a gentle cushion of air. As your hooves made contact with the hard packed earth once again the mare on your back quickly climbed from your back.

As you were turning to face her she quickly gave you a kiss before she embraced you. The lavender mare held you tightly for a few moments before she backed up enough to allow you to breathe once again. She had a fearsome blush on her cheeks, and you suspected that you had something similar adorning your own cheeks, given the heat radiating off of them. The unicorn’s blush grew just a bit as she took your hoof in her own, and the two of you began heading towards the familiar café.

You found yourself eager to talk about flight once again, since you were no longer the grounded pegasus of Ponyville. Twilight proved to be quite knowledgeable on the topic, despite her noticeable lack of wings. The trip to the café passed in a blur of shared knowledge, and before long you were deep in the details of wind currents, and how they could be used to drastically improve endurance training exercises. The two of you were quickly seated at the café, and before long the waitress came over to take your orders.

Storm and Rainbow Dash happened upon the two of you as you ate, and they quickly decided to join you for lunch. The conversation carried on in the same field as before, except that it had far more bragging than it had when it was just you and Twilight. The waitress returned shortly after Storm and Dash had taken their seats, and after that the topic of conversation began to flit from topic to topic, each pony being able to contribute something to conversation. The food came, eventually, and was eaten more as a side note, rather than the main reason for coming to the café.

After nearly an hour spent at the café, Storm and Rainbow Dash had to get going to set up the weather for the rain storm that would be taking place tomorrow morning. Before they left you asked to join the weather team, and they both agreed that if you were half as good as you claimed to be you’d make a great addition to the team. Rainbow Dash explained that you’d need to make sure it was okay with the mayor, but she didn’t see any reason why she’d say no.

With their departure, you and Twilight dove back into conversation. As the two of you talked with each other, you eventually decided that you’d take the conversation on the road, so as to free up the table. You managed to surprise Twilight a few times with your wide variety of interests, and you simply enjoyed learning all the new things that the lavender unicorn had picked up through her intensive reading.

Twilight, as you walked along, eventually came up with a suggestion for something to do, other than walk around swapping information. “How about we go pay a visit to Sweet Apple Acres? I don’t think you’ve been there very much, and Applejack is a good friend of mine.”

“Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to go and see a part of town I haven’t been to yet. She won’t make us work, will she?” Twilight laughs at that, and the two of you set course for the apple farm. It doesn’t take long for the two of you to make it to the edge of town, and shortly afterwards you can make out the edge of their property, signified by both the fence, and the orderly apple trees. The gate is open, as usual, and the two of you begin walking down the road, heading for the farm house located near the center of the property. As the farm house came into view you spotted Big Mac having a fairly animated conversation with Storm. And by animated, you mean that Storm was doing nearly all of the talking and gesturing, while Big Mac simply nodded every so often.

You weren’t close enough to make any of it out, but that didn’t bother you all that much. You’d managed to catch one word out of what was being said, and it had to do with Taupe, Applejack’s unofficial coltfriend. Both Storm and Big Mac offered casual waves as you passed by, and soon you were under the shelter of the porch’s ceiling. Twilight knocked on the door a few times, and moments later an elderly mare approached the door with a small frown on her face.

“Banknote? We already took care of our debt to you!” The mare’s voice was full of anger, and you took a small step back at her outburst. “Storm gave you all the bits that we couldn’t and you greedily snatched it all up. So get off’a my property before I have Big Mac make you leave.”

“Granny Smith, I’m afraid that you have me confused with another pony. I’ve never even heard of this Banknote pony.” The elderly mare opens the door slowly, and then she takes a close look at you before her frown fades and turns to a smile.

“Too true! My apologies, stranger. I’ll just get back to my baking now. AJ’s upstairs, if you’re looking for her, Twilight.” The mare just walks back in, acting like she had never even accused you of anything, and you give your head a quick shake before you look at Twilight with a questioning expression on your face. She just offers a smile before she shakes her head.

“She’s the oldest pony in Ponyville, and it sometimes shows through in the way she acts. But, despite her eccentricity, she’s one of the most loved ponies in town. Nopony around can bake an apple pie quite as well as Granny Smith.” As the unicorn finishes you find yourself at the top of the staircase heading towards the room at the end of the hall. You saw the markings on the door, and they stirred up memories of Applejack’s cutie mark. Twilight knocked on the door a few times as you reached the door, and you heard a quick bout of frantic scrambling, followed by the sound of a slamming drawer.

The door flew open, revealing a flustered looking Applejack. She looked like she was about to say something less than polite, but when she noticed who was at the door her angered expression faded nearly instantly, instead being replaced with a happier expression. While you had heard her speak before, you still found her accent to be a pleasure to listen to. It was for that reason alone that you could understand how, and why, Taupe had fallen for her.

“Well, hey there Twilight. What brings you by?” As she asked her question she opened the door all the way, allowing you and Twilight to enter her room.

“Nothing really, AJ. I’m just showing our now air worthy pegasus here the farm, since he’s only been here once. And I figured that you’d be the perfect pony to give him that tour.”

“Well, I suppose I can give him a brief run through the farm. I have a date with Taupe this evening, and I don’t want to get all dirty before we go.” The cowpony grabs her Stetson from the small hook it was on before she heads to the door. “Well, let’s get going. The farm isn’t going to tour itself.” The two mares head out the door, and just as you’re about to follow you notice something sticking out of a drawer. While normally you wouldn’t think of snooping, you feel overcome this one time, and so you give in to your momentary weakness.

You pull the paper out of the drawer, and you just barely manage to keep yourself from laughing as you see that it is a picture of Taupe and Applejack standing in front of an almost overfilled cart of apples. What makes you want to laugh, though, is the lipstick smudge that was over Taupe’s face. It was clearly quite old, given that it had faded almost all the way, but the notion wasn’t lost on you. You quickly put the picture back where it was, and then you hurry after the mares.

“… And that’s how we wound up saving the farm with Storm’s help. I still think we should pay him back for those four thousand bits, but he refuses to accept them, calling it an investment.” As Applejack finishes recounting the latest tale of the farm you turn back onto the dirt road that led from the gate to the farm house, having made a quick tour of most of the farm. You had listened attentively for the whole trip, finding the stories that came with many of the places on the farm to be quite amusing. As the farm house came into sight once again you spotted Storm taking off from in front of Big Mac, who turned to head back into the house, a small wooden board balanced on his back.

When you reached the farm house once again, Applejack turned to face you and Twilight, a smile on her face. “And so, that’s the farm. There’s quite a bit more history here, but I’m certain that you’ll be back some other time, and I’ll be more than happy to share with you when the time comes.”

“Thanks, AJ. It was quite an enjoyable experience, and I have to say that Storm is quite an interesting pony. I never thought him to be the type to just give up four thousand bits.”

“Yeah, Storm’s quite the character. Full of surprises, and with a history that would make your head spin. But for now, I want to finish getting ready for my date, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Alright, AJ. You enjoy your date with Taupe, and we’ll talk to you more later.” Twilight and you both turned away from the door as it closed, and then you began the walk back into town. The trip was mostly quiet, and so you got to enjoy the blissful quietude of the small town. It still gave you pause to think that less than a week ago you were a flightless pegasus, stuck in Fillydelphia without anypony to share your life with.

Twilight must have noticed your pensive outlook, and so she just leaned into you a bit, not forcing you out of your thoughts, but also reminding you that she was there. You slowly wrapped a wing around the mare, and that gesture was enough to shift your thoughts away from your old home, and back to your new home. With that small shift, you realized that this place was your new home. You didn’t feel a need, or a want, to head back to Fillydelphia, and somehow that brought a small frown to your face.

You had been forced to go there because of your parents, and so you had abandoned your life in Cloudsdale for them. Then, you had joined the Wonderbolts training camp because your father wanted you to carry him into the spotlight, since he’d never been anything more than average. Following your enrollment in the program you’d been forced to avoid all measure of enjoyable activities at your fathers request. It was at that point that you’d started to rebel against his wishes, doing what you wanted to do for the sake of doing what you wanted to with your life. Granted, many of the decisions you made were stupid ones, but they were your choices. You didn’t regret any of them.

Now, you reached the point in your life where things took a turn for the worse. You recalled the storm, and everything that followed it, and your frown intensified for a moment, before you reached the point in your history where you finally came back to Ponyville. A small revelation made itself known to you, and your frown quickly shifted into a smile. Every decision that you’d made had led to happiness, while every decision that had been made for you had ultimately led to unhappiness.

“Twilight, do you ever have moments of deep introspection where a whole lot of things suddenly make sense?”

The mare beside you nods slightly before she answers. “Yeah, from time to time. Why?”

“Well, I just realized something about my life. Something a bit interesting, in my opinion.” The mare looks at you as you continue walking, and you spot the library off in the distance. “Well, I realized that there have been tons of choices in my life, and a good number of them were made for me. And nearly every choice that was made for me led to unhappiness on my part. The choices that I made, though, have almost always led to happiness in the end. I know that it’s a long shot, but maybe I’ve got some weird ability to know what choices are the right ones.” As you finish you reach the door to the library, and Twilight uses her magic to open it as she responds.

“Well, I’ve heard of things far more bizarre than that, so it could be possible.” She closes the door behind you as you walk in, and then she begins heading for the kitchen, you following just a few steps behind. As you enter the kitchen you see that Twilight is already gathering some materials for dinner, and so you follow her lead in preparing the meal.

It’s nothing overly elaborate, but it’s a meal made with company, and so it is far more fun than you thought it would be. You find yourself laughing at the small jokes that you swap with the unicorn, and she finds your puns to be so bad they’re funny. She casually references a silly story she’d read about books and puns, but you only stay on a given joke for a couple minutes before one of you cracks the next one.

As the meal is served you both stop with the jokes long enough to eat without worrying about choking on your meal. Once it is done, though, the jokes resume in full force, and much to your pleasure Twilight runs out of material far before you do. Despite the usual calmness and tranquility of Twilight’s study, it is filled with the sound of laughter as you regale Twilight with the last few jokes you know by heart.

As the laughter finally dies down you glance at the clock in the room to see that it isn’t quite as late as you thought it was. Still, with the sun having set an hour ago, it was a good time to go to the balcony and watch the stars some. You climbed out of the chair you were in, and you moved over to the chair Twilight was in as she finally managed to calm down from her laughing fit. When she saw you standing before her she raised an eyebrow for a moment before you pulled her out of the chair and onto your back.

She protested against the treatment for a moment, before you silenced her with a quick kiss. The blush seemed to keep her from speaking, and so you quickly made your way to the balcony Twilight had on the second floor. Once you got there you let Twilight off your back, and then you went back in for a moment to grab a blanket and some pillows. Once you had the blanket spread out on the floor you laid down atop it, resting your head on some pillows. Twilight chose to use you as her pillow, though, and so you began to run a hoof through her mane as the two of you enjoyed the tranquility of the night, and the beauty of the stars.

A single streak flashed across the sky, and both you and Twilight let out a small gasp at the beauty of the shooting star. A half remembered memory bubbled to the surface of your mind and you decided to act upon it.

“Make a wish, Twi. A shooting star is said to grant wishes.” You knew it was just a tale told to enrapture colts and fillies before they went to bed, but you couldn’t keep yourself from saying it. It was a cute little tradition, and so you saw no harm in it.

“I’ve made my wish. Did you make yours?” You pause in running your hoof through the unicorn’s mane for a moment, as you think about what you would wish for if given the chance. It was at that moment that you realized that you wouldn’t wish for anything.

“I haven’t actually. I can fly again, so I wouldn’t have to wish for that. I’m surrounded by ponies who care for me, so that’s another possibility gone.” You shift your position a bit, and soon you’re looking down on Twilight, a sparkle in your eye. “The only thing I could think to wish for is love, but I’ve already got that too.” You give Twilight a quick kiss, and she reaches her hooves up around your neck, pulling you deeper into the kiss. It doesn’t last long, but the passion behind the kiss was more than enough to make up for the brevity.

The mare looks at you for several long minutes, no words passing between the two of you. Finally, after the time seems to drag into eternity, the mare gives you another kiss, this one fleeting.

The moment feels so right, that you can’t stop yourself from speaking one last time that evening. “I love you, Twilight.”

“And I, you, Aerial Ace.” The mare’s lips pressed against your own once more, and with a bright flash of light the two of you departed the balcony for the privacy of the bedroom.

The mare beneath you smiled up at you as you kissed her once more. After several more kisses, and a healthy dose of cuddling you found yourself with your wings wrapped around the mare as she fell asleep. She let out a content sigh as you pulled her closer, and your own rest followed mere moments later, a big smile on your face.

(Yes, this is the last chapter. All good things end. Now, this will be followed by an epilogue, or two, and then author's notes. Maybe this time I'll do a better job with them.)

Epilogue I: A Letter

(Epilogue I, for your reading pleasure.)

“To my dearest father,

Hard to believe that it’s been a week since I last saw you, and even longer since I’ve been able to tell you just what I’m feeling and thinking. When you kicked me out of the house, I’m not going to lie, I felt betrayed, in a way. You simply decided that I was no longer worth the trouble, and so you removed me from your life. It hurt to think that you’d abandon me, but at the same time I could understand your reasoning, despite its twisted nature.

But, to be fair, I think that you did me a favor in the end. You see, in my life I’ve had many choices to make, and so many of them were made for me. I’m not, of course, talking about the small things, like what to have for dinner, but the larger things. Things that change the way a pony lives their life. You, and mother, chose to enroll me in the Wonderbolts training program, and I thank you for that. It was probably one of the few things in life that you did for me that had a positive outcome, although not in the way you would think.

I certainly appreciate the chances that you afforded me through the program. Don’t think that I’m ungrateful. It’s simply that I didn’t really want to spend my whole life training, and then being a member of the Wonderbolts. For many colts and fillies that’s a dream, but for me it wasn’t what I wanted. And that wasn’t even the first choice you foisted upon me. It started all the way back in Cloudsdale. You see, when you and your brother fought it became clear quite quickly that mom and I would bear the brunt of your hotheadedness.

You forced both of us away from what we knew and loved so that you wouldn’t have to admit to your brother that you were wrong. Sure, he was wrong too, but you’re the older brother, and so you should’ve been the responsible one. But, I digress.

When you moved us from Cloudsdale to Fillydelphia you did more than just upset our family life. You also hurt my cousin, your niece, Fluttershy. She and I were quite close to each other, spending quite a bit of time together. But then you moved us away, and Fluttershy grew even less outgoing, if that was at all possible. I was trying to get her to live her life in a more outgoing fashion, but your actions kept me from helping her. Now she’s barely able to meet new ponies, choosing instead to isolate herself from the world by living purely amongst the woodland creatures.

Now, I said that you kicking me out was a good thing. Allow me to explain. Before I came here, to Ponyville, I was spending all my time training with the program, up till I lost my wings, and after that I was spending all my time trying to save money to get back my flight. I had no time to actually live my life, or make friends, or really do anything that I wanted to do. I’d wake up, spend my day doing what you wanted, and every so often I’d sneak out to try and spend some time with my friends.

Those nights, when I snuck out, I got to live my life my way. Now, though, I’m amongst my peers, rather than my superiors. They don’t judge the way I act and live. They even encourage me to do what I like to do with my time. I was lonely back home, with you. Sure, I had some attempts at romance, but we both know that I was never any good with the mares. I either tried too hard, or I didn’t try hard enough, or I’d mess it up in some way. But now I’ve actually done something right.

I’ve got a marefriend now, dad. And I know that you always wanted me to become famous so that you’d be able to ride my coattails into the spotlight, so it might please you to know that the mare whom I’m dating is none other than Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and the faithful student of Princess Celestia herself. But I’m not going to use her fame to boost my own. I don’t want to do that. If I become known throughout the land I want it to be because of my own greatness, not because I know someone great.

And, for some reason, I’m okay with not being famous. It seems like an awful lot of trouble for not as much gain as one might think.

So, this is it. My formal, and final, good bye. I don’t want to cut you out of my life, but I can see that in the one week that I’ve been away from you my life has changed for the better in every aspect. Even the one that I never thought I would see improvement. That’s right, dad. I got my wings back, and this time I’m going to use them how I want to.

So long, dad, and thanks for all the lessons.

Your son,

Aerial Ace”

The scrabbling of the quill on the paper lasted just a few moments longer than you had spoken, and when you looked towards the purple dragon he had a determined look on his face as he finished writing. He began rolling it up after you had looked it over, and he then affixed a small ribbon around it, before he melted a small amount of wax over the seal, assuring that it would reach its destination unopened.

“Ace, do you want me to send it through dragon flame, or through the pegasus mail system?” Spike held the scroll in one hand, ready to send it off in a moment should you say the word.

“No, I want this to go through the regular mail. Give it some time to sink in.” The dragon shrugged before he put it on top of the small pile of accumulated letters and packages that Twilight needed to send out. She’d left a short while ago to pick up some groceries, and so you had decided to write a letter to your parents, to let them know what was up, and how things were going with you. As well as finally tell them that you were done with them.

You looked at the rolled up scroll now sitting atop the pile of mail, and you know that that letter is going to permanently change your relationship with your parents, and probably not for the better. But you know that it’s something that has to be done, and so you let out an explosive sigh, and then you turn away from the pile, ready to move on with your life.

The door opens behind you as you begin to walk away, and so you turn to see who it is. You feel a smile come to your face as Twilight enters, a small bag of groceries levitating beside her along with a small box that you suspect is from Sugarcube Corner. She gives you a quick smile as she closes the door behind her, and then as she walks past you and towards the kitchen she gives you a quick peck on the cheek.

You follow her to the kitchen, not only because you wish to help with the groceries, but also because you wouldn’t mind another kiss or two. With your help it only takes a short while to help put away all the groceries, and its while your doing that that you realize just how happy you are here. As you put away the last of the groceries, you look at the lavender unicorn as she places the box she got from Sugarcube corner in the fridge. Without a thought, you move over to her, and you give her a quick kiss.

She backs up for a moment as you kiss her, and then you break the kiss as she looks at you. A smile quickly forms on her face, and then she pulls you into a deeper kiss. As you get deeper into the kiss a few final thoughts pass through your mind.

There really is more to life than flying.

A suited stallion slowly approached the desk, a small smile written across his face. The sound of his hooves echoed through the empty room, and he could just make out glowing eyes at the edges of the shadows. Even with the menacing stares of countless monsters bearing down upon him he felt confident in what he had accomplished. As he reached the desk he stopped, and lowered himself into a deep bow. He rose at a sound from the seated figure, and then he waited for the first words to be spoken.

“You’ve returned to me, but I wonder. Is the news you bear good enough for me to spare your life?”

“Yes, my lord. Despite his earlier failures the red unicorn is proving most useful in death. Perhaps more so than he could have been in life.” The suited stallion knew that he couldn’t display a measure of sympathy for the red unicorn, since his lord would take that as a display of weakness. “Some of your other minions aided me in casting his consciousness into one of the ponies of Ponyville.”

“I see.” Despite only two words being spoken, the suited stallion couldn’t help but feel like what he had done was insufficient.

“This will be good for us, as we can use the red unicorn’s consciousness to-”

“I know what it will let us do, fool. I’m far wiser, and far more powerful than you might think. As is the Element of Magic. Do you honestly think that she will miss the signs of a shared body? Even now I can sense something brewing in that small town.” The seated figure slowly rotated his chair as he came face to face with the suited stallion. “It seems that the late Changeling queen was more fruitful than I was led to believe. A new piece enters the game, and this is one we can bend to our plans far easier than any other pony. A natural fear of his kind, along with still bitter memories of a failed attack.” He paused for a moment, and the suited stallion felt a tingle as a wave of magic radiated away from the seated figure. “And he’s still bitter. Oh yes, he will work. He will work far better than any pawn I could hope to control.”

(Oh my.... It seems our mysterious 'Lord' has plans for Quill. MYSTERY! INTRIGUE! WAFFLES!)

Art Corner

Well, I've gotten my first solid piece of artwork done. And it's a picture of Aerial Ace, too.

This first one comes from the talented hands of Izzyguy. Be sure to give him a rousing round of applause, and be sure to gawk at the artz.

Without further ado, the artz.

Dramatic Readings

Good news everyone! I've got a fan who has volunteered their services as a reader to do a Dramatic Reading of this story, and probably some of my others as well. We'll be seeing it come up in four sections, and the first one has been given a tentative date of this Saturday. Once it has been made public it will be going up here, in this chapter, along with all of the other parts. Should it go well, I aim to get a reading for each of my stories. Maybe I'll even be bold enough to do some readings.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know what was up. And no, I couldn't put this in a blog post. Deal with it.

Secondary Link attempt.

Oh, and shameless self promotion:

Opportunity

Check that out. One hour of writing.

Chapter XII: "Am I Forgetting Something?"

(Longest chapter so far for this story! What an accomplishment!)

You trotted down the road, its emptiness coming across as odd. You knew that today was the Summer Sun celebration, but it seemed odd that there wouldn’t be ponies anywhere except for the town hall, where the princesses were. You had quickly broken off from the crowd, determined to get your goggles from Fluttershy’s cottage. As you made your way towards the cottage you began to feel lightheaded. Abruptly, the ground beneath your hooves turned to empty sky.

Despite being a pegasus, and used to the open skies, you felt yourself plummet for a moment before the idea of opening your wings came to you. As they snapped open, you felt the strain of the muscles as they protested the sudden opening. You looked from left to right, hoping to make sense of where you were, but there was nothing but empty sky around you.

You came to a stop in the sky, simply holding your position, when a glow appeared in the distance. As it grew closer, you began to make out some distinctions in the glow. The first thing that became clear was the color, which was blood red. Shortly after, the shape began to grow clearer, and it became clear that it was pony shaped. When it was just a dozen yards away, it stopped moving. You could see a pony floating in the center of the red glow, but there was something off about the way it looked.

Despite nearly every part of your brain telling you not to approach it, you did anyway, throwing every scrap of caution into the proverbial wind. When you were just a few yards away you came to a stop once again. The head of the pony followed your gentle drifting, and it was then that you noticed that the pony’s eyes were both closed, and there was a scar running the circumference of its neck, along with a few chips missing from its horn. You eventually completed a full lap around the pony, and then you came to a stop before it once again.

Just as you were about to move a bit closer once more, the eyes of the pony opened, revealing empty sockets.

You let out a shrill cry as you sat upright abruptly, nearly tossing Twilight out of her own bed in your burst of movement. Your chest was heaving, and there was an ache behind your eyes that you couldn’t explain. As you felt your breathing begin to show signs of slowing you felt a hoof come into contact with your side, and you recoiled from the contact, all measure of calmness that had started to come vanishing in an instant. Your eyes dart from side to side as you realize where you are, and what you were doing.

You finally let your gaze rest on the lavender unicorn, and there is fear written plainly on her face. Whether it was for her own safety, based on your reaction, or for your safety for the same reason, you couldn’t tell. She just watched you as you slowly allowed your body to recover from the stress that it had just endured. It took the better part of ten minutes for your body to stop releasing adrenaline, and when it did you could feel the weariness seep into your limbs, weighing them down. It was only then that you noticed that your wings had snapped into an upraised, but curled position, something that only happened when a pegasus had to fend off a predator.

When you felt your wings go limp, you knew that the worst of your panic had passed, and clearly the mare did too, since then she climbed onto the bed. She sat beside you, and then she wrapped a hoof around your shoulders, pulling you into an embrace. You could feel your body shaking in her grasp, and despite your desire to make it stop, it persisted for nearly an hour. Twilight had started stroking your unkempt mane at some point, and the rhythmic motion slowly eased you into a passive state.

“What happened? You just sat up screaming.” You try to answer, but your throat is raw from the force of your earlier cry. After several attempts at answering, you finally manage to croak out a response.

“Nightmare. Except it seemed… Different.” After your answer Twilight kept stroking your mane, and after a few minutes she eventually lowered you back into a lying position, and then she curled up next to you, bringing you into a tight embrace. Her horn glowed briefly, and then you felt a soothing pulse of energy run through your body, and with that pulse came a sudden intensified weariness.

“Just sleep, we can share our dreams.”

Your second awakening on the day of the Summer Sun celebration was far more sedate than the last one, and with it came a sense of warmth across your body. You cracked open one eye, noting with relief that the pain that had been present earlier had faded. You looked down, and you were rewarded with the adorable sight of Twilight clutching tightly to your chest. Your own hooves were wrapped around her, and you pulled her tighter just a bit, and the sigh of contentment that escaped her threatened to turn this adorable situation into something far more adult rated.

You resolved not to repeat your action, for fear of losing control over your body. Instead, you opted to simply enjoy her presence. As the light of the sun began to pierce the thick curtains, you slowly made attempts at escaping the mare’s clutches. When you finally managed to get free you noted the mare’s wide smile faded into a tiny frown. You planted a quick kiss on her nose, and her frown, much to your satisfaction, turned into a smile wider than the one she had on previously.

You made your way to the bathroom, and the first thing you did was look at yourself in the mirror. The eyes that stared back at you seemed different than they were before. A closer examination revealed that they had in fact changed slightly, shifting from their old green to have a slight red tint around the iris. When you backed up some the red was next to impossible to detect. Without knowing that it was there it was impossible to see.

You frowned at this change, upset with the disruption to your physiology. You resolve to take a trip to the clinic within the next few days, to get it checked out. Although you seem to recall that changes in eye color weren’t unheard of, simply rare at your age. You banish the thought from your mind, confident that if there was something wrong you’d be able to get it fixed. Hay, the doctors had told you that you’d never fly again without their help, and you’d certainly shown them. Or, to be more accurate, Twilight had shown them.

Several minutes later, and you emerge from the bathroom, your coat now lustrous and clean. You crack open the door to Twilight’s room once again, and thankfully she is still in bed. You close the door quietly behind yourself as you turn to head downstairs. You eventually make your way into the kitchen, and you glance at the clock quickly, noting that it’s just a bit before eight, meaning that you had about fifteen minutes to get everything ready for Twilight’s breakfast.

While you’d never count yourself as a good chef, you could make a pretty good omelet when you had the right ingredients on hoof. At the thought of omelets, though, you frowned, realizing that your cooking paled in comparison to that of Fluttershy’s. Hopefully it would suffice. As eight rolled around, you heard the sound of hooves on the second floor, and minutes later a groggy Twilight entered the kitchen, a look of concern coming through her grogginess. You smiled at her as she entered, and when she saw you her concern faded, but only slightly.

“What happened last night? I know you had a nightmare, but the way you jumped at my touch. It was almost like my touch hurt you…” You frown in response, before you turn back to the breakfast you were making.

“It was a nightmare, Twi. I was walking through Ponyville, when suddenly the road disappeared from below me, forcing me to take flight. After a short time of simply hovering, a red glow appeared, and then approached me. It was a unicorn being held aloft by its own magic. It had a chipped horn, and a scar running around its entire neck. But when it opened its eyes, there was nothing in the sockets.” You didn’t turn to see the mare’s reaction, instead opting to focus on the meal you were preparing. You briefly considered mentioning the change in eye color, but you decided against it, not wanting to bother the unicorn with something that wasn’t likely a problem.

As you finished preparing the omelets you had to take your time with the pan, since you didn’t have quite enough coordination to use your wings to aid you. After nearly dropping the pans several times, you managed to get the omelets onto their plates, and over to the table. The unicorn ate silently, occasionally glancing at you as you ate. By the time you finished eating, the mare’s disposition had improved, but only marginally. Even though you often thought yourself unobservant, even this minimal change wasn’t lost on you.

“Is everything okay, Twi?” The mare looked up from her bare plate at you, her frown clear to see. “Really, if this is about my nightmare, don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I’ve had one.”

“That’s only a part of it, really. I mean, I am concerned about you, and how you feel, but I’m more worried about the princess coming by today. While I was getting ready to go out with you I got a letter from Princess Celestia. She’s bringing along a new pony who she’d like to move here. I’m worried about that pony, and what they mean. I was the last pony whom Celestia personally moved here.” As the pieces clicked into place, you finally managed to understand.

“Are you worried about being replaced, Twi?” You allow a brief chuckle to escape you, and then you continue. “Twi, I don’t think that the princess is going to replace you with a new star pupil. You’re the most talented unicorn I know, and I think we’d have heard of this before now if he was as good as you are.” The mare looks up at you with a small smile on her face. Let’s see if we can widen that smile just a bit. “Besides, no matter what I doubt that this new pony will look half as good as you.” Much to your satisfaction, this did widen the unicorn’s smile, as well as bring a delightful blush to her cheeks.

She used her magic to quickly clear the table, and you just remained seated for a moment. When the mare finished putting the dishes in the sink, she turned to face you, and her smile had reached a size that was acceptable. “You really think I’m that pretty?”

“I do, actually. Prettier than I can put into words. And your beauty goes so much deeper than your skin.” You get out of the chair and you move to the mare, bringing a hoof to her cheek and bringing her eyes to meet yours. “There are countless pretty mares, Twilight. You’re one of them. But what makes you better than them is that you’re beautiful.” The mare just giggles softly, but you continue. “Back in Fillydelphia there were hundreds of pretty mares vying for the attention of all the trainees, hoping to ride our coattails to fame. But they were all shallow, seeking nothing but the spotlight.” You give her a quick peck on the lips before you continue. “You, mon amour trump them all.”

The mare’s blush grew even deeper as you finished, and she smiled back at you before she gave you a longer kiss than you gave her. “Je ne savais pas que vous parlait français.”

You can’t stop yourself from laughing just a bit. “Only a few phrases and words, honestly. There were a pair of twins that one of the other trainees got with, and he decided to… Share. It’s hard to spend time with a mare when you don’t speak her language, so I tried to learn.” You finally lower your hoof from her chin, and she moves her head with your hoof for just a moment, seeking to preserve the contact. You just continue to look at the mare for a moment, and then she suddenly looks at the clock, her look of happiness showing signs of disappearing.

“We need to get going. The last minute preparation work needs to get underway, and I’m the mare to get things going at a decent pace.” She quickly makes her way from the kitchen, utterly focused on what she had to do. “I’ll get my list, and get started. If you could go run to Fluttershy’s and make sure that she’s ready to bring her birds to town. And then swing by the boutique, since it’s the only other place that I don’t think I’ll be able to get to in an acceptable amount of time.”

“Alright, Twi. I’ll meet up with you later.” You start heading to the door, when you hear an exasperated grunt come from behind you. The lavender mare is glaring at you, an amused expression on her face. “Am I forgetting something?”

The mare rolls her eyes, before her horn glows and you feel yourself lift off the floor. You flail for a moment, before you regain control of yourself. You notice that you’re being moved closer to Twilight, and then you are released from her magical hold, and she gives you a kiss. “You’re forgetting your goodbye kiss.” You smile at her, before you give her another quick kiss before you turn and head out the door.

You paused as you stood outside of the library, suddenly recalling the dream you had gone through the night before. You gave your head a quick shake, banishing the memory from your mind. It was a dream, and nothing more. Dreams had no impact on what happened in real life. You started making your way towards the home of the Element of Kindness, a small spring in your step making the trip seem shorter.

It didn’t take you long to reach the cottage, and you were greeted by the sight of Fluttershy flitting between the branches of the trees, her sweet voice carrying on the wind. As you grew nearer you allowed your pace to slow, so you could hear all of her song before you got there. Even with the rush that Twilight had seemed to be in, you knew that hearing Fluttershy sing was a treat. Even when she was a tiny filly she had been able to carry a melody with relative ease. Now, though, it seemed that singing came with effortless ease to the pastel yellow pegasus.

The final note seemed to last for almost a full minute, and when she did bring the song to a close you heard the faint sound of applause coming from the animals that had gathered below her while she sang. You finally covered the last bit of distance, noting with a smile the platypus that had seemingly grown attached to you was watching you. You pause for a moment as the platypus’ gaze follows your every move. You crouch down to its level, and then you let out a loud snort. The creature recoils from this, before scampering into the thin stream in front of Fluttershy’s cottage.

You then turned your attention back to the mare, and as you did you saw that she was looking back at you as well. “Good morning, cousin. What brings you by?”

“Well, Twilight sent me here to make sure that you had your birds ready to head into town.” The mare looked over her shoulder at the tree, and when she looked back at you she had a smile on her face.

“I think we’re ready to go. I’ll have them in town within an hour.”

“That’s perfect. Thanks, Flutters.” As you were about to turn to leave you were suddenly struck by an idea. It was probably a bit too late to work, but it was better than nothing. “I’m actually going to pop inside for a moment. I’m going to Rarity’s place next, and I want to bring the goggles with me. It’s a long shot, but maybe she’ll be able to get them done for me by tonight.”

“I’m sure that if you explain why you need them Rarity will be more than happy to make some time for you. She’s really quite interested in all things romance.” The mare’s cheeks flush a bit, and her voice drops off a bit as she continues. “She’s even writing some fairly romantic letters to a pen-pal. She really wants to meet him, too.”

“Well, I got my wings back; I don’t see why Rarity shouldn’t get her dream too.” You quickly make your way inside the home as you needed to get going. The goggles were sitting atop the dresser you had put them on top of, and you also grabbed your saddlebags, knowing that if Rarity couldn’t get them done you wouldn’t want to have to wear them the whole time you had them. You quickly made your way out of Fluttershy’s home, and then you began walking down the road back to Ponyville after saying your goodbyes.

The trip towards the town was uneventful, but as you reached the edge of town you picked up on the rising levels of emotions running throughout the town. You felt a weird sort of energy thrumming through the town, and as you grew closer to the center the strange energy grew stronger and stronger. You paused for a moment, as you recognized the energy for what it was. There was a musical number going on somewhere in town. You heard the chorus of the song carried through the air, and you had to fight the urge to join in as well.

“I don’t sing.” You turn to make a detour around the center of town, determined to avoid the festivities going on near the center of town. With your new diverted course it took you twice as long as planned to get to the boutique, but it was worth it in your books. As the boutique came into view, you spotted Rarity standing near the center of a small group of other ponies. They were all in high spirits, as indicated by their laughter, and so you waited for them to finish up before you got involved. It only took a couple minutes, and soon Rarity had given each of the ponies a large crate full of decorations.

“Oh, what brings you by?” The white unicorn had noticed you standing a short distance away, and she had started walking over.

“Ah, right. Twilight asked me to come by to make sure that you had everything under control, and I can see that you do.”

“But of course I do! I know that Twilight does this to make sure that everything gets done, but I would expect her to know that I can get done what I say I can get done.” The mare’s tone didn’t indicate that she was really bragging, simply stating a fact.

“Well, I was just doing what I was asked to do, and I’m glad to know that you’re all set to go.” You hesitate for a moment, before you reach a hoof back into your bag. “Um, Rarity, I was actually hoping to ask for a small favor.”

“What do you need?” Her tone had a slight edge to it, but you couldn’t quite identify it.

“Well…” You pull out the goggles, before holding them out towards the purple maned unicorn. “I was hoping that you’d be able to help me with these.”

The mare couldn’t quite hide her disdain for the goggles, but she looked them over nonetheless. “Dear, I don’t think there’s a thing I can do for these. I’d suggest getting a new pair if you want something fashionable.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” You point to the small inscription on the side, and then Rarity’s eyes widen. “I want to give them as a gift to Twilight, since they’re really special to me, I was hoping that she’d understand the sentiment behind the gesture.”

The mare’s posture changed incredibly quickly, going from politely distant to overly interested in mere moments. “Of course I’ll help you with that! Just tell me what you’d like it to say, and I’ll have it to you before the celebration starts.”

You raise a hoof to the mare, and she tilts her head. “I don’t need it that soon. Just… Well, preferably before sunset. I don’t need, or want you to rush. So, take your time.” You pause for a moment, as you finalize what you want the inscription to say. Finally, it comes together in your mind, and you smile as you speak the words to the fashionista.

(You just finished 3600 words! Aren't you pleased with yourself? Anyway, that's all for now. Probably nothing else new till the weekend. Next chapter might be another longer chapter, but I don't know for sure just yet.)

Author's Notes

And yet another story of mine comes to a glorious conclusion. This one was longer than the last, and yet it only covered a few days. I like to think that I did a better job on this story than I did on The Color of Apples, but that’s just my opinion. Maybe some of you agree, maybe some of you think that I’m full of it. Either way, that’s what I think.

This story changed quite a bit from what I had originally planned for it, and I like to think that this ending was a bit better than what I had originally planned. For those interested, I had originally planned on Ace not getting his wings back, and that somehow his body would reject any attempts at healing. I eventually discarded that idea, since it seemed a bit too contrived.

As for the romance, and the main character. I like to think that I paced the relationship fairly well. I didn’t force any interactions between the characters, and it took some time before they even did anything. While it could’ve been a bit longer before they did anything, I didn’t want to have to drag the story out.

Ace, for me, is a pretty good character. He has his shortcomings, and I don’t think that he was too good at too many things. I like to think he was a fair character with his fair share of problems, but I may just be optimistic.

The resolution for Scootaloo was actually one of my best points in this story, even if it doesn’t seem like it. The way that Ace solved the problem was actually one of the best problem solutions I can think of. It’s totally true that others can’t solve her problem, since they were in the wrong to hide her past from her. And so, Ace realized this, and gave her the tools needed to find her own resolution. Also it acted as a totally solid way of linking this story, and The Color of Apples.

The sequel is already out, for those of you who don’t know, so I suggest you take a look at it. There will likely be an Epilogue II, but I can’t say for certain yet. Mostly because I don’t know what I’d have happen in a second Epilogue.

And now I open the floor to questions. I’ll answer any questions that you might have that don’t pertain to the plot of Faux Pas, since those questions will be answered in that story.

Oh, and before I forget, the whole nightmare thing wasn’t just for show. I’m going to be using that. I don’t do anything by mistake.

AVANTE!
-Jet Howitzer