A Skip and a Dash

It was 12 o’clock the next day when Fluttershy walked sleepily out of her cottage. She looked up at the sun, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. She had not meant to sleep for so long, but the party at Twilight’s house had lasted until the late afternoon, so Fluttershy had been very tired when she finally returned home. To add to that, she had animals to look after, and they had been particularly impatient when she had tried to put them to bed. It had been quite a long night for her.

She yawned loudly, all her muscles still feeling worn out. Then Fluttershy suddenly shook her head when she heard a familiar voice calling to her.

“Fluttershy!”

Applejack was cantering towards the house, pulling a small cart of apples behind her.

“There you are, Fluttershy,” she said, stepping up to the drowsy pony, “Been wondering where ya were. You all right?”

“Oh yes, I’m fine, Applejack. I’m just a little…” Fluttershy paused to let out another yawn, “tired. I had to get some extra sleep after being awake for so long yesterday.”

“Aww well, that’s all right then, sugarcube.” Applejack patted her friend on the shoulder. “I was just poppin’ by to tell you that the girls and I are gonna have a picnic down near the lake.”

She nodded at the cart of apples behind her.

“That’s why I’m preparing some food for us all. Don’t suppose you’re not too tired to come along and join us, are you?”

Applejack noted the exhaustion in Fluttershy’s face. There were vivid lines underneath her eyes. She obviously had a rough evening taking care of her restless animals.

“Oh, of course I’ll come!” Fluttershy said, perking up and looking excited. “I don’t want to miss out, and…well, I can’t let my friends down.”

She pawed the ground and drew her ears back timidly. Applejack couldn’t help chuckling at Fluttershy’s mannerisms.

“Okay then,” she said to her shy friend, “if you think you’ve rested enough.”

Just then, Applejack heard the sound of hooves behind her, and turned around to see a grey stallion trotting quickly along the path. She immediately recognized him to be Blazedart.

“Hey!” she called. “Blazedart!”

Blazedart stopped abruptly in his tracks to look at the two mares. His balance seemed more unsteady than usual, and there were was a clear sign of anxiety in his face.

“Oh, hi there, girls,” he said, giving them a small wave.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. Blazedart’s behaviour was odd: his voice seemed to tremble as he spoke, and the blueness of his eyes was clouded over by a fearful grey colour.

“You okay, Blaze?” Applejack asked him. “Pardon me fer sayin’, but you look a little panicky. Something wrong?”

“Wrong? No, of course not!” Blazedart shuffled around anxiously, flattening his mane with a hoof. “I’m perfectly fine.”

He forced a wide beam at Applejack, although he could not hide the visible tension in his legs.

“Well, then,” Applejack said, her voice sounding unconvinced, “you wanna come with Fluttershy and I to the lake? We’re meetin’ the others down there.”

“Oh, I… I don’t know…” he scraped his hoof awkwardly over the ground, “I wouldn’t want to get in the way…”

Applejack gave him a light-hearted laugh.

“Don’t be silly, Blaze,” she chuckled, “you don’t get in the way at all. We’re quite happy to have you join us.”

Blazedart still wore a look of discomfort on his face, but he managed to smile.

“All right then. Can’t do any harm, can it?”

The meet-up at the lake was scheduled for  half past 1, so it was up to Applejack to organize any food that they would need for the picnic. The first stop was Sugarcube Corner. After Fluttershy said goodbye to her animals, the three ponies made their way there.

Pinkie Pie was already busy, with help from the Cakes, baking plenty of cupcakes for the picnic food. The lovely, warm cooking smell came to Blazedart’s nose as soon as he walked in.

He remembered when he had been in Pinkie’s living room at the party not long ago, but he had never been in this room very much. There was a counter not far from the entrance, filled with shelves of sweets, cakes, and all kinds of yummy ingredients. As expected, there was also a large amount of pink all over the walls and ceilings. It gave Blaze a warm, fun feeling as he scoured the shelves for interesting treats.

“Hi, guys!” Pinkie Pie squealed, popping up from behind the counter.

She nestled her head in her outstretched forelegs, grinning widely.

“We’re gonna have a super-duper-cool hamper for the picnic! Cupcakes, sandwiches, punch, you name it!”

She suddenly leaned right over the counter to look into Fluttershy’s startled face. She wore the excited smile that her friends were so familiar with.

“Are you excited? Are you? Are you?”

The tired look still on her face, Fluttershy gave Pinkie a weak smile.

“Yes, very much,” she said sleepily, blinking her blue eyes.

“Sleepyhead!” Pinkie Pie giggled, patting Fluttershy’s head.

At the other side of the room, Blazedart was looking curiously at the array of snacks available on the shelves. It was a shock for him when Pinkie Pie sprung up in front of him.

“Hi, Blazedart! Can I interest you in a cherry cupcake?”

She held out a cupcake as an offer to him. It was pink, had a white swirl of cream, and a shiny red cherry on top. Blazedart straightened his mane again. He wasn’t used to ponies being this excited around him.

“Err, I haven’t got any money on me, Pinkie Pie,” he said, chuckling nervously.

“Don’t worry! Free sample!”

Pinkie Pie placed the cupcake on top of Blazedart’s head, before zooming away again. Blazedart was uncomfortable about her gestures, but he soon took the cupcake off his head and bit into its soft, crumbly texture. It tasted wonderful.

“So you’ll be ready with the food in about half an hour?” Applejack asked Pinkie Pie, as the she returned to her spot behind the counter.

“Yeah, ‘course! I’ll probably be ready waaaaay before then!”

“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said, her ears popping up , “I am quite hungry.”

When she realised what she had said, her ears drooped to the side of her head.

“But, I mean, err…” she murmured, “you don’t have to rush or anything.”

“I’m not gonna rush, silly!” Pinkie Pie laughed again. “I’m just gonna bake quickly!”

In the background, Blazedart was hardly paying attention to their conversation. His eyes swerved over to a clock that hung on the wall just above him. It was 1 o’clock.

An hour away? Already? he thought to himself. His blood was running through his veins so fast that he thought his body might burst. The clock seemed to loom against the wall like an eerie moon, and threatened him with every loud tick.

“Blaze? Blaze!”

“Huh? What?”

Blazedart shook his head and noticed Applejack standing there. She was staring at him, looking confused and concerned.

“Are you sure you’re all right, sugar?” she asked. “You seem like… maybe you’re late for something?”

She nodded at the clock he had been staring at.

“What? No!” Blazedart sounded breathless. “Why would you think that? I’m just fine.”

“Well, if you say so…”

“Love to stay and chat, girls, but I got something cooking!” Pinkie Pie gave her friends a big wave, grinning, before shooting into the back room and disappearing from sight.

“Guess we’d better get goin’ then,” Applejack said. She noticed Blazedart’s blank expression and draped a friendly hoof around him.

“We’re gonna have a great time, Blaze,” she smiled at him affectionately, “just like all the other times you’ve spent with us. So cheer up a little, yeah?”

She tickled Blazedart under the chin, which he found to be very reassuring. It even encouraged him to laugh out loud.

Everypony is so nice here, he thought, I wish I didn‘t have to leave.

*

It was a very refreshing afternoon: the sun was beating down on everypony’s backs, and the air was sweet and warm. Blazedart walked peacefully through the town with Fluttershy and Applejack by his sides, feeling a little more relaxed than before. The journey to the lake was quite a long one, since it was outside the borders of Ponyville, and Blazedart’s hooves began to ache with all the walking, dust and gravel getting into his fur. He longed to spread his wings and take flight so he could let off some steam, but he decided it was best to stay on the ground to keep in conversation with his two friends.

Friends.

The word whirled around in his head like a happy butterfly. His time in Ponyville had introduced him to some lovely ponies, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to leave all of that. Yet, he knew that he would have to very soon.

“Hey there, Rarity!” Applejack called, waving a hoof.

Rarity was emerging from her splendid-looking boutique, smiling at her friends, but looking quite restless at the same time.

“You still gonna come down to the lake at half 1?” Applejack asked.

“Why, of course I am!” Rarity exclaimed. “How could I possibly forget something like that?”

She swept one of her hooves through her curled mane. It was gleaming in the sunlight, which meant she had probably washed it recently.

“I’m just attending to a little something at the moment,” she continued. “Something important.”

“Really?” Applejack asked. “What’s that?”

“Well, I’m sure you’re aware of the new dress styles I’m using for my designs at the moment? Today I have a new outfit that I’m hoping to send to Canterlot! It will be judged by only the best fashion experts in Equestria!”

She raised a hoof over her forehead, looking overcome with excitement about the whole thing.

“So, as you can see,” she continued, calming her voice down, “this means a lot to me and I’m determined to get this design right before I send it off. Rainbow Dash helped me with modelling a few days ago, and she agreed to do the same today.”

“Rainbow Dash? Modelling?” Blazedart couldn’t help but chuckle with disbelief.

Rarity replied with a knowing smile. “Yes, she’s not entirely happy about helping me, but I told her I’d return the favour. IF she behaves.”

Blazedart laughed. He could clearly picture how Rainbow Dash would be feeling right now: reluctant, exasperated, wanting to be somewhere else.

“Ooh, Rarity,” Fluttershy piped up, “I’d love to see how the outfit looks. Could we…um…have a quick look at it? If that’s all right with you…”

“Of course, sweetie!” said Rarity. “I’d appreciate somepony’s opinion on it anyhow. Come on in!”

The main area inside Carousel Boutique was noticeably untidy: mannequins were standing all around the room, many kinds of felts, threads and clothing were littered across the floor.

“I apologize for the mess,” Rarity said, looking quite flustered in the face. “I’ve just been so busy trying all sorts of styles.”

“Doesn’t matter at all, Rarity,” said Applejack.

“Rainbow’s in the next room modelling the new dress.”

Rarity pointed towards a nearby lilac curtain that covered an opening in the wall.

“Feel free to go and take a look, while I make this room a little more presentable. Be careful, by the way!” she warned her friends, “Rainbow’s been here for more than an hour and she’s probably quite impatient.”

As Applejack and Fluttershy headed through the curtain, Blazedart held back. He looked at Rarity as she began to pick up the bits and pieces on the floor.

“Would you like some help with tidying up?” he blurted out.

“Oh, that is so sweet of you!” Rarity said, smiling at Blazedart adoringly. “I would like some assistance if you don’t mind.”

Carefully, Blazedart picked up a clump of ribbons in his mouth and set them on a nearby shelf. He found himself worrying about organizing Rarity’s things in the correct way, and was glad when she gave him some instructions on where to put everything.

During their work, Rarity broke into friendly conversation.

“So Blazedart, darling, I’ve hardly had a moment to speak with you since we first met. How are you at the moment?”

“Me? Oh. Never better, never better…” Blazedart tried to avoid eye contact with Rarity as he continued to pick up discarded ribbons.

“I am pleased to see you’ve made friends here. Do you like it here in Ponyville?”

“Err, yes, I do like it here a lot,” Blazedart said, looking up from the floor with a polite smile.

“Lovely place to live, isn’t it?” Rarity said, her eyes sparkling in thought. “I’m not surprised you, like so many others, decided to move here. Do tell me, Blazedart: what brought you to Ponyville? Where did you live before?”

It was this question that made Blazedart tense up and look extremely uncomfortable. He took an anxious gulp of air before saying, “It was quite a secluded town, you wouldn’t know it.”

“Oh.”

Rarity frowned at this answer, feeling sure she would know the name of any town in Equestria, but she didn’t ponder it.

“So, why did you decide to move to Ponyville?” she asked. “Have you got family here?”

“Um…”

Blazedart searched his head for answers to give, but he thought of nothing. All he wanted, desperately, was for Rarity to ask him about something else.

“It’s…it’s a bit complicated.” he finally said, hoping Rarity wouldn’t ask him any more.

Rarity looked at him, studying his uncomfortable face.

“Yes, I understand.” she said calmly, although Blazedart didn’t think she was being completely honest. “I’m sorry, Blazedart, I didn’t mean to be so nosy.”

“No no, that’s all right.” Blazedart said apologetically.

He didn’t like the awkwardness of the conversation, so he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“So um, this dress of yours. How long have you been working on it for?”

“Oh, quite a while actually,” said Rarity, a beam appearing on her face. “I’ve changed it so many times because I’m often not happy with it, but I think I’ve finally got the design sorted!”

Blazedart smiled at her politely. He wouldn’t be in Ponyville for much longer, and he wanted to treat his new friends nicely before he had to leave. “I’m glad to hear that. And I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

“Well, you’ll get to see it very shortly, won’t you?” Rarity winked at him, using her horn to levitate the last of the materials onto the appropriate shelves.

She looked around the room, pleased at how tidy and sparkly it now was.

“Also, may I ask,” Blazedart said, “is there any reason why you chose Rainbow Dash as the model? I’ve spent enough time with her to know that she isn’t overly keen on dressing up.”

“You’re most certainly right about that,” Rarity chuckled, rolling her eyes, as if a memory had popped into her head, “it’s just that Rainbow has such a lovely figure, perfect for outfits. I don’t think anypony could model my new design in the way she can.”

She lowered her voice.

“Even if she completely despises the idea.”

Blazedart chuckled. He had known Rainbow Dash long enough to understand what Rarity was talking about. It was very difficult to imagine her being enthusiastic about standing still in a pretty dress for hours on end. Although, Blazedart had to admit in his head, she was the perfect pony for a modelling career, despite her attitudes towards it. She did have a very pretty figure after all. What? Pretty figure? Why am I thinking all of this? Blazedart thought, almost laughing at himself.

“Rarity!”

Fluttershy’s voice rang into the room.

“We think the dress is just beautiful!” she exclaimed, trotting through the doorway with Applejack by her side.

“Oh, I’m so happy you think so!” A wave of relief showed all over Rarity’s face. “Oh, Rainbow! It does look gorgeous on you!”

Blazedart turned to see that Rainbow Dash was stepping through the door, looking irritable in her new attire. Blazedart, however, was not paying much attention to the angry look on her face. His eyes locked onto the dress that she wore: it was a beautiful navy colour, shining with the rows of crystals that lay arranged on the velvet material. A neat pattern of purple lines were woven into the fabric, rippling against the dark blue like ocean waves. The corners of the outfit were pristine and pointed, like the nib of a sharp pencil.

Blazedart turned his attention to Rainbow’s magnificently coloured mane. It had been twirled into a delicate style that wound around her neck, and it was decorated with three tiny jewel flowers that seemed to twinkle in the light. Her hair also seemed to be gleaming, or maybe that was just Blaze’s mind playing tricks on him. Maybe it was all an illusion, since he didn’t think he had ever seen a more beautiful sight in his life. Was that the dress he was thinking about? Or the pony wearing it? He had to confess to himself that Rainbow Dash looked more stunning than she had ever done. Her eyes seemed a brighter colour, and her eyelashes seemed more emphasized. Overall, she had become a pure beauty.

When he finally snapped out of his daydream, Blazedart rubbed his eyes to allow the room to come back into view. He noticed that his mouth had been hanging slightly open. He quickly snapped it shut before someone saw.

“So Blaze, what do you think?” Rarity asked.

“Oh!” Blazedart quickly realized that she was in fact talking to him. “I think you’ve done a great job, Rarity. A really great job.”

Blaze let himself have a moment to glance over the outfit one more time. Rainbow Dash was looking at him thoughtfully through those glittery eyes.

“Hey there, Blaze.” she said quietly, a shy smile appearing on her face.

Blazedart coughed nervously before addressing her. “H-hi, Dash.” he murmured, smiling back.

“So glad you like the outfit, Blaze!” Rarity exclaimed. “Thank you for your opinions, everypony! It was just what I needed.”

“Okay, great, can I get out of this thing now?” Rainbow piped up impatiently.

She stomped a hoof heavily on the floor, like an angry child, trying to shake the heavy material off.

“I’ve been here for hours, and I wanna get away to spread my wings!”

“All right, all right, sweetie,” Rarity said gently, but with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I’ll take it off now. But remember we all need to meet near the lake for our little get-together. You don’t want to miss that, do you?”

“I won’t! I haven’t forgotten!” Rainbow snapped.

Blazedart worried that Rarity would be quite offended at Rainbow Dash’s attitude, but she simply shrugged the retorts off.  Once the dress had been removed, Rainbow was clearly a lot more relaxed.

“Phew. At last.”

She risked a glance at Rarity, who was scowling crossly at her.

“But, err, that dress is really… um… pretty!” Rainbow said quickly, blinking innocently. Blazedart only just suppressed a giggle.

“Thank you, Rainbow. Nice to see some appreciation.” Rarity said with a grimace.

She gently hung up the dress on a rail of outfits near her. The diamonds on it still twinkled in the daylight.

“So, guys!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, suddenly changing the subject. “Shall we all go down to the lake now? I’m up for some swimming!”

She began jogging excitedly on the spot as if she were preparing for a race.

“I s’pose we better had,” said Applejack. “The others’ll be meetin’ us down there. Blazedart? You’re still tagging along, right?”

“Oh! Erm…yeah, of course I’m coming!” he said enthusiastically.

“Great! Come on then, y’all!” Applejack announced, leading Fluttershy and Rarity towards the door.

“Err, you guys go on ahead!” Rainbow Dash said.

Blazedart noticed she was impatiently fiddling with a jewel in her mane.

“I need to get this stuff out of my mane. I’ll catch up with you in a while.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you with that, darling?” Rarity asked, looking concerned.

Suddenly, Blazedart had a thought. Quickly, he said to Rarity, “Oh it’s okay! I’ll help sort her mane out. You girls can head off and we’ll meet you at the lake soon.”

Rarity thanked Blazedart, and once she and the others had left, Blaze went to Rainbow Dash and gently helped her unclip one of the jewel flowers from her mane, using his mouth and hooves to pry it from her strands of hair. Rainbow flinched a little when the first clip was pulled out, so Blazedart took extra care when removing the other two.

Neither of them spoke while Blazedart was doing this, although they exchanged a couple of timid smiles. For a reason he couldn’t explain, Blazedart felt particularly nervous around Rainbow Dash today. His mouth was very dry, and his heart was beating considerably fast. He also felt a rush of tingles surge through him when he accidentally brushed his hoof against her mane. And was he blushing? His cheeks felt quite warm. What’s wrong with me? he thought.

When he had removed all the clips and stretched the curls out of her mane, Rainbow Dash looked up to smile at him.

“Thanks for that, Blaze.” she said quietly.

“That’s all right.”

When they stood in silence for a moment, Blazedart spoke again. “Did you…um…get home okay last night?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I did, thanks.” Rainbow’s eyes went from Blazedart to the floor, and she scuffed her hoof shyly.

She did look very pretty today. Blazedart couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He started to wonder to himself: was Rainbow Dash thinking about the night before? Did she remember what had happened between them? Blazedart certainly hadn’t forgotten. In fact, he had woken up that morning thinking about the time he had spent with her, and how much he wanted to do it all over again.

Rainbow Dash kept her eyes away from Blazedart’s, and he felt sure he could see her smiling. Then he suddenly remembered what he had stayed behind for. He had an irrepressible urge to tell somepony about his plans, and he felt that Rainbow Dash was the only pony he could talk to comfortably. Nervously, he took in a breath.

“Listen, Dash. I…err…”

Rainbow looked up from the ground to gaze at him, curiosity flooding through her purple eyes.

“There’s something I’ve got to tell you about. Something important.”

Rainbow looked confused, but interested. “Okay. What is it?”

“Well, erm…”

Blazedart realised he hadn’t really thought of how he was going to tell her his news. He stuttered under his breath, wondering how he was going to put it. The last thing he wanted was to upset her.

“You see, the thing is…I’m not gonna be in Ponyville for much longer.”

He paused. Rainbow Dash’s eyebrow was raised, and her eyes began to look sad. “Wh-what do you mean?” she asked.

“I…err…I’ve gotta leave. For a little while. There’s something important that I have to do, and I can’t tell you what it is. It’s private business.”

Blazedart waited for Rainbow Dash to say something, but for a long moment, she didn’t. She just looked at him with those magenta eyes, looking quite sad and lost. Then she nodded her head in understanding.

“Okay, Blaze. That’s fine.” She gave him a small smile. Blazedart felt a bit better from her reaction.

“When are you going?”

“Probably… this afternoon.”

“That soon?” Rainbow exclaimed, looking quite aghast. It pained Blaze to see her so dismayed, but he forced himself to carry on.

“Yes, I have to go. Like I said, it’s important.”

“But…you’re sure you can’t tell me what it is? I mean - I am your friend, aren’t I?”

“Course you are!” Blazedart tried to encourage her with a smile. “It’s just…really private. And I wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t urgent.”

Rainbow Dash nodded at him, although her eyes didn’t look happy. “Okay. Whatever.”

Another moment of awkward silence. Until Rainbow Dash said, “You ready to go to the lake then?”

“Yeah, sure.”

As the two of them began to leave Carousel Boutique, Blazedart felt a wrenching urge in his stomach to run away right now. He wanted to get out of this predicament, and get to where he was supposed to be before he would get in trouble. Maybe he could find a moment during the picnic to quietly slip away. Yes. He could do that. No one would notice.

You’re a terrible pony, Blaze. A cruel voice nagged at him in his head. A lying deceitful pony who cares about nothing other than himself. How can you do this?

He desperately ignored the voice, and carried on walking as though nothing had ever happened.

“Do you think he’ll turn up, sir?”

Two Pegasus stallions were hovering above the clouds high in the sky. One was rather young, with a lime green mane and a pale blue body. The other was clearly a bit older, with a dark blue mane and silver-coloured fur. He was hovering around in impatient circles.

“He will if he knows what’s good for him.” the older stallion replied, rather sharply. The younger stallion shrank down next to his leader, and kept silent.

“And I hope he’s done his job well. If he has, we can get to where we want to be. Do you know what that’ll mean, Flex? The things we’ll be able to achieve? We’ll be invincible. It’s what we’ve been waiting for.”

The large Pegasus stared straight into his comrade’s eyes, a look of anticipation and desire all over his face. Flex was clearly nervous, but he showed a sign of excitement at his leader’s words.

“It will be wonderful, sir. It will.” he said, nodding his head up and down.

The blue maned stallion looked into the sky, watching the clouds floating nearby.

“It’s nearly time. He should be here soon.”

He turned away from Flex and began to hover around in slow circles again. Flex landed gently on a cloud and curled himself into a bundle. Hopefully there wouldn’t be long to wait now.

“Phewee!” Applejack exclaimed, wiping her brow and staring at the bright sun above. “It’s getting mighty hot out here! Didn’t know that was scheduled for today.”

She cast a curious look at Rainbow Dash, who was lying next to her with a Daring Do book laid out in her hooves. When Rainbow saw Applejack staring at her, she frowned.

“What?” she asked irritably. “Don’t look at ME! I didn’t plan any sunny weather! And if you want me to go up there and move the clouds around, you can forget it.”

“Well, I think it’s just lovely,” Rarity said happily. “This kind of weather always brightens up my day. Erm…most of the time, anyway. “

The ponies were all crowed around a patched picnic blanket, relaxing in the early afternoon sun. Twilight had joined them not long after they arrived, chatting about her day with Spike, when she had been organizing all her letters, books, and returned letters. For now, she was rather quiet, her nose in a book and her horn glowing.

Rainbow Dash was lying comfortably on her front, her Daring Do book laid out beneath her. Her mane was damp and ruffled from a swim she had taken in the lake a while ago.

Blazedart sat next to her. She gave him a comforting smile every now and then, but he would only reply with a slight curl in the corners of his mouth. Then he would look somewhere else, as if there was something interesting in the distance. Rainbow was quite annoyed on the inside, but she didn’t show it. She had grown very close to Blazedart, and wondered what on earth could be bothering him, let alone why he wouldn’t tell her anything. She also felt worried. She had to keep his secret safe, and that meant not saying a word to her friends. It was difficult not to say anything; it felt wrong.

Just then, the ponies felt a small rumble that came from the sky. Rainbow looked up from her book to see that grey clouds were now gathering, blocking the light from the sun.

“That’s strange,” Rarity said curiously. “It was so sunny a second ago.”

She suddenly gasped with horror.

“No, I don’t want my mane to get wet! I just washed it!” She desperately buried her face in her hooves and tucked her curls of hair in tightly, as if to shield herself from rain.

“Oh, don’t get your horn in a twist,” Applejack grumbled. “We can find some shelter under the trees. Besides, there isn’t even any rain yet.”

“And I hope there won’t be.” said Twilight, placing her books safely into her bag.

“There shouldn’t be.” Rainbow Dash said, puzzled. “The other Pegasi didn’t say anything about a thunderstorm today.”

She stared up at the sky, which was almost completely clouded over. There was definitely a threat of rain, but thankfully, no-one was getting soaked just yet. Rainbow suddenly felt Blaze fidget beside her, and looked over to see he was on his feet.

“I’ll…err… go and check the clouds, shall I?” he said awkwardly. “Just in case it does rain on us.”

“So thoughtful, aren’t you?” Rarity smiled widely at him, clearly showing off her eyelashes.

“You don’t need to go, Blaze,” Rainbow said quickly, feeling a bit frightened. She looked at him with apprehensive eyes. She knew he wasn’t leaving to go and sort out the clouds.

“I mean, erm…” she quietened her voice so she wouldn’t raise any suspicions, “you don’t have to do that. We’ll be all right.”

Blazedart stared back at her, a painful look in his eyes. It looked as though he were fighting back tears.

“I’d better go,” he stuttered, “I’ll be back soon, girls.”

He then turned away from the group and flew off, rather abruptly.

“What was that about?” Rarity asked, confusion on her face. “He seemed quite stressed to me.”

“Tell me ‘bout it.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “He’s been acting weird all day. I’ve asked him what’s botherin’ him, but he won’t let on.”

“I hate it when ponies leave like that!” Pinkie Pie protested. “Blaze is gonna miss out on everything! Just look at all the cakes I made!” She reached into her picnic basket to pull out a whole handful of cupcakes.

“Did Blaze say anything to you, Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, didn’t he talk to you yesterday? Or today?”

“Erm…” Rainbow fidgeted uncomfortably. “No. No, of course not. I don’t really know what’s wrong either.”

Twilight looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then said, “Okay, if you say so. I just wish we knew.”

Rainbow Dash nodded vaguely. Her mind was still distracted. She felt terrible for keeping a secret from her friends. A part of her was desperate to spill all her thoughts out, otherwise she would explode if she kept it in for much longer. However another part of her said that she needed to keep Blaze’s trust and stay quiet. For now.

“Wow, I didn’t know it was that late in the day,” Fluttershy suddenly said, knocking Rainbow Dash out of her daydream. “I must have slept for so long!”

Rainbow wondered what she meant for a moment, but then she heard two loud dings. She looked up and realised that the clock tower in the distance now read 2 o’clock in the afternoon.