One Date at a Timeby BrawnyBoldChaptersA Picnic with Swoon SongShopping with Fond FeatherSwimming with Dear DarlingEpilogueA Picnic with Swoon SongA small picnic was set up on the outskirts of Starlight's village. Feather Bangs sat on the blanket while checking things such as the picnic arrangements or his mane which was perfectly combed for such an occasion. He had to make sure everything was good since this will be his first date with a mare. He was quite surprised how it happened. One Day Ago Ever since the Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed in helping Feather Bangs talk to mares, he had followed every lesson those little fillies had to offer. From starting conversations to making compromises, Feather Bangs was able to understand everything that involved talking to mares. On the day when Feather completed all of his lessons, he lead the CMC back to Big Mac who was helping out his new mare-friend, Sugar Belle. "Alright Feather Bangs," Scootaloo spoke. "now that you learned everything you need to know about talking to mares, it's time for you to see how well you use your lessons." Feather Bangs gulped before he responded. "You mean like a test?" Feather asked nervously from the pressure of a final exam. "Not exactly," Sweetie Belle assured. "the next step is to actually spend time with a mare so you will feel more comfortable with talking to them." "Like a date?" Feather attempted to answer. "Exactly," Apple Bloom replied. Feather formed a small blush from embarrassment. "Wouldn't it be creepy for me to date one of you?" Feather asked. The CMC giggled from Feather's question. "You don't date us." Scootaloo responded. "Yeah," Sweetie Belle said. 'Although I would love that if I wasn't so young.' Sweetie thought. "It would be better for you test what you learned without any of us around." Feather knew that Sweetie had a point. He had to make his own efforts if he wants to talk to mares. "So which mare should I start with?" Feather asked. The CMC tapped their chins for a strategy. It wasn't until an idea came to Apple Bloom. "I think I might know some mares." Apple Bloom suggested. At an instant, Feather's three admirers popped out of nowhere and ran in front of Feather Bangs. Each of the mares showed excited facial expressions as if they were about to receive candy or an allowance from their parents. "I'll do it! Pick me!" Swoon Song hollered as she waved one of her hooves in the air. "No me! I'll go on a date with you!" Dear Darling said as put her hooves together in a begging position. "I'm the perfect candidate, Feather!" Fond Feather said while batting her eyelashes at the poet stallion. Feather gulped as he tried to figure out a response for them. It wasn't till the three mares glared at each other and began to argue amongst themselves. "I want to date Feather!" Dear Darling whined. "No! I want to!" Swoon Song shouted. "I'm way better with Feather Bangs than you two!" Fond Feather shouted back. Before the mares' argument spiraled out of control, Apple Bloom put a hoof to her mouth and whistled as hard as she could. The whistle was able to make the mares stop and give Apple Bloom their attention. "Alright," Apple Bloom assured. "Now that I have your attention, I think there may be a way to figure out the order you mares will date Feather." Feather's eyes widen from hearing that he was going to date all three of his admirers. He leaned closer to Apple Bloom and whispered: "I have to date all three of these mares?" Feather asked. "You'll get more practice if you date each of them." Apple Bloom replied. Feather sighed from hearing Apple Bloom's good point. Apple Bloom pulled out a hoof full of straws and presented it to the three mares. "All you have to do is pull out a straw with your hooves. Once you have your straw, you will open your hooves to see how long is your straw. The mare with the shortest straw will go first, then so on." The three mares looked at each other before they nodded and picked up one straw with their hooves. Once all of the mares got their straws, they opened their hooves to reveal the straws' lengths. "Woo Hoo! I go first!" Swoon Song cheered as she had the shortest straw. "Oh!" Fond Feather whined since she had the second shortest straw. Dear Darling just pouted as she threw her long straw to the ground. "It won't be that bad." Scootaloo said to Dear Darling and Fond Feather. "This might give you more time to come up with your perfect date with Feather!" The two mares thought about it before they smiled and ran off to start planning their dates. "S-so...what should we do for our date?" Feather asked. Swoon tapped her chin with her hoof as she tries to figure out what they should do for their date. "How about a picnic?" Swoon suggested. "We could have one outside of town." "That's sounds great!" Feather said in relief. "I'll have everything set up by that big tree tomorrow." Feather pointed at a big tree that Swoon thought was the perfect place for their picnic date. "It's perfect!" Swoon smiled. "I'll be sure to bring something great for our picnic. See you tomorrow!" As Swoon left, Feather breathed heavily from his built-up stress. "I can't believe I'll be dating all three of those mares!" Feather claimed. "Don't worry," Sweetie assured as she placed a hoof on Feather's shoulder. "Just use our lessons and you'll be fine!" As Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom left, Scootaloo walked up to Feather with a smirk on her face. "Good luck, you lover boy!" Scootaloo teased as she nudged Feather with her elbow. Scootaloo left with her friends while Feather just stood there while processing what had happened. "Oh boy," Feather whispered before he went home to prepare for his first date. Present Day Feather groaned as he waited with anxiety. He hopes that everything will be alright and this date won't turn out to be a disaster. "I'm here!" Swoon hollered as she made her way to the picnic spot. Swoon trotted towards Feather while she held a small picnic basket under one hoof. The reddish mare finally arrived and began putting out the content from her basket. Feather noticed something different about Swoon as she brought out a container of fruit. The mare wore sparkling red ribbons on her mane and tail instead of the plain red ribbons she usually wears. She also had on violet mascara that highlighted her eyes. "Sorry for being late." Swoon apologized as she sat down. "I was making some last minute decisions before I left." She continued with unpacking until Feather smelled something interesting from Swoon herself. "Is that honey flavored perfume you're wearing?" Feather asked the mare. Swoon turned to squeal in excitement. "Thanks for noticing!" Swoon said as she fluffed her mane. "I saved this special perfume in case you asked me out on a date. I know it's a fact that you love honey." Feather was confused if he should feel flattered or creeped out that Swoon knew he liked honey. 'I shouldn't judge,' Feather thought. 'it's nice for a mare to doll herself up for a stallion.' Once Swoon brought out the last container, she adjusted her ribbons and faced Feather. "Alright, let's dig in!" Swoon cheered. Feather was amazed at the spread of delicious food Swoon brought. "Whoa Swoon!" Feather said with surprise. "You made all of this?" Swoon nodded. "Yep, made completely from scratch." Swoon picked up a sliced half of a sandwich with its' crust completely cut off. "Open up and say 'ahh'!" Swoon suggested as she moved the sandwich half closer to Feather's mouth. Feather decided to roll with it by closing his eyes and took a bite from Swoon's sandwich. He could taste the softness of the bread along with the juiciness of the berries and hay from each bite. Feather kept taking bites from the sandwich half until it was all gone. "Wow, that was delicious!" Feather complimented. Swoon giggled from Feather's praise. "Thanks," Swoon replied. "The secret is my homemade jam that I put inside of the sandwich." Feather licked his lips to taste the leftover jam on his mouth. "No wonder the sandwich was so good," Feather said. "the jam makes it all better." "How do you think I got my cutie mark?" Swoon said as she raised her rump that showed an image of a slice of bread covered with jam and a loaf of bread on the side. "I got it when I was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Feather couldn't help but blush as he was staring at a mare's flank. He tried to change the topic by looking at the other food containers. "S-so what other stuff did you bring?" Feather asked with a weak smile. "Oh, I got plenty of food to offer." Swoon said as she picked up a tub of potato salad. Throughout the date, Swoon kept feeding Feather with all of her homemade cooking. Feather enjoyed every bite of Swoon's food. Swoon was also enjoying the date as Feather kept complimenting her cooking skills. It was later in the day when Feather and Swoon almost ate all of the food. "Time for dessert!" Swoon said as she brought out a box of two cupcakes. "Oh man, I don't think I could eat another bite." Feather said as he got up from resting. "Don't worry," Swoon offered Feather a cupcake. "It's just one small cupcake." Feather took a deep breath before he took a bite from his cupcake. "Whoa! This tastes really good!" Feather said before he took more bites from his cupcakes. "You are a really good baker too!" "Actually," Swoon said while Feather munched on his cupcake. "I didn't actually make those all by myself, I got help from Sugar Belle." Feather choked from what he heard from Swoon. "S-Sugar Belle?" Feather asked with concern. "Yeah," Swoon replied with a blush. "I asked her if she could help me make cupcakes for you since she was the expert baker in the town." "Huh," Feather said with surprise as he didn't expect one of his admirers to ask Sugar Belle for help. "Is something wrong?" Swoon asked with a raised brow. "No no! It's all fine." Feather said while waving his hooves. "I was just surprised that you asked Sugar Belle for help with since...I was after her first." Swoon couldn't help but giggle. "Don't worry," Swoon replied while waving a hoof. "The girls and I knew that you were going after Sugar Belle. It still didn't stop us from liking you." Feather tried his best to understand the three mares' intentions, but a part of him wanted to know more. "B-but what if Sugar Belle chose me?" Feather asked. Swoon thought about it for a moment until she gave her reply. "Yeah, it would've hurt if you dated Sugar Belle instead of us." Swoon then placed her hooves on Feather's. "But luckily for me and the girls, Sugar Belle went with that Big Mac instead of you." She picked up one of Feather's hooves and rubbed it on her cheek. "We thanked faith for bringing those two together. It gave us a chance to date you." Feather was lost for words from what Swoon said. Even when Feather was so busy flirting with Sugar Belle; those three mares continued to admire him. Swoon looked concerned when she saw tears flowing from Feather's eyes. "What's wrong, Feather?" Swoon asked. Feather attempted to wipe some tears from his eyes but he ended up breaking down crying. "I-I just feel so ashamed that I didn't give you girls a chance. I didn't even acknowledged your presence when I made my attempts on Sugar Belle." Feather sniffled. Swoon slowly gave Feather a comforting hug. "It's alright," Swoon whispered while stroking Feather's mane. "we understood that you were so focused on Sugar Belle. This could actually be an opportunity to get to know us more." Feather was able to calm down from his sudden breakdown. "Thank you." Feather said with a smile. "No problem." Swoon said as she patted a spot next to her. "So how about we seal this date by laying down and watch the clouds?" Feather shrugged as he laid next to Swoon so both of them could enjoy watching the clouds go by. The big tree next to them provided a great shade to block off Celestia's sun. The time passed until something came up in Feather's mind. It bothered him ever since he had first seen the three admirers. "Hey Swoon," Feather said. "Yeah?" Swoon said as her head turned. "Why do you and the other mares like me?" Feather asked. He assumes it's probably because he looks handsome or something. Feather watched as Swoon was thinking of a response. "I won't speak for my friends, but I will respond with my reason for liking you." Swoon moved closer to Feather and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Feather flinched from Swoon's sudden kiss. "I like you because you so adorable and the way you got upset makes you very caring for mares." Swoon smiled to show how genuine her answer was. Feather was baffled from Swoon's response. It was not often for Feather to be called adorable, except for his mom. "I hope the rest of the girls do their best to top my date with you." Swoon giggled as she snuggled with Feather as they looked up to the sky. Feather blushed as he was reminded that he had two more dates to deal with. Who knows what Fond Feather and Dear Darling were planning for their dates with Feather Bangs. Shopping with Fond FeatherFeather Bangs sat on a seat next to Fond Feather as they rode the train towards Rainbow Falls. Fond Feather wanted to have a shopping date at the annual Rainbow Falls Traders' Exchange. Feather could tell Fond was going to be really busy there judging by her saddle bag filled with lots of trinkets to trade with. It had been a while since Feather left Starlight's village to other parts of Equestria. He leaves the town for a few occasions such as a family matter or to explore new places for his poetry inspiration. This trip was different as he wasn't going to a new place alone. The train was approaching to the Rainbow Falls where all of the rainbows were pouring down like a waterfall. Feather was in awe as he saw the rainbows pouring from the sky. Just the sight of the falls inspired Feather to come up with various poems that involved rainbows or the location. "Enjoying the view?" Fond asked curiously. "Oh!" Feather flinched and quickly replied. "Yeah, I think it looks great." Fond giggled which caused confusion for Feather. Fond gave with a huff and turned to cross her hooves. "Keep staring and I might get jealous." Fond said in a grumpy tone. "I..uh," Feather said out of nervousness. Fond just laughed from Feather's reaction. "I'm kidding," Fond replied as she looked out the window. "this place still looks great though." The train slowly arrived to the train station where ponies from all around were carrying lots of items. Feather and Fond made their way to the main streets where the traders' exchange was taking place. It was almost if a pony could get anything from the trade exchange; from clocks to live animals, the Rainbow Falls Traders' Exchange had it all. Fond pulled out a map that showed the locations of the various booths. "Follow me, Feather!" Fond said as she made her way to one of the stalls. Feather took a deep breath before he followed his date. They made their way to a booth where dozens of candles and strange looking rocks were on display. The pony running the booth was a green mare with long red manes that was tied with a yellow bandana. "Tree Hugger!" Fond hollered as she hurried to the booth. "Ah, Fond Feather!" Tree Hugger said as she gave Fond a friendly hug. "It's so nice to see you again." "Same here!" Fond replied as she took a look at the various things on Tree Hugger's booth. "Looks like you're doing good with business." "Yep," Tree Hugger agreed. "many ponies have came to buy candles to soothe themselves with earthly aromas." Tree Hugger then noticed Feather standing behind her friend. "Who is this colt with the waving manes?" Tree Hugger asked. "Is he a friend of yours?" "This is Feather Bangs," Fond introduced the said stallion. "he's my date for today." "Um..hi, it's nice to meet you." Feather said sheepishly. "The pleasure is all mine!" Tree Hugger said as she placed a hoof on her chest. "It's so nice for younglings to start searching for their soul mates. There may be a chance that this Feather fellow could be your soul mate, Fond." Feather just blushed from Tree Hugger's statement. Fond just giggled from seeing Feather acting so embarrassed. "One can only dream." Fond replied before she looked around Tree Hugger's booth. A tall, green candle caught Fond's attention as she picked it up to give it a smell. "Ooh!" Fond said while lifting the candle to Tree Hugger. "What fragrance does this make? It smells great!" "That would be green tea," Tree Hugger replied. "it has a great aroma if you want have a spa day." "I'll take it!" Fond said as she opened her bag. "How much is it?" Fond asked. "It would cost five bits; unless you have something to trade for it?" Fond dug inside her bag until she pulled out a light purple candle. "Will this do?" Fond asked as she gave Tree Hugger the candle to smell. Tree Hugger took one whiff as it caused her face to light up in a delightful expression. "This smells wonderful!” Tree Hugger claimed. "I used tulip petals and grass leaves for this candle." Fond said. "I call it: Tulip Garden!" "The candle will do!" Tree Hugger said as she put away Fond's candle. "Good-bye Tree Hugger!" Fond said while she and Feather left the booth. "I'll enjoy the green tea aroma!" The hippie mare waved back before the couple was no longer seen. "She was an interesting mare." Feather said as he followed Fond. "Yes she is," Fond replied. "Tree Hugger is my main source for getting new scented candles. My scented candles are alright, but Tree Hugger's are made with ingredients from different parts of Equestria." "Maybe I should get to know her." Feather suggested. "A candle's scent could bring out more of my creativity." Fond stopped trotting to show her pouty lips and glassy eyes to Feather. "What about me?" Fond whined. "Aren't my candles good enough for you?" Fond's lips quivered in sadness. Feather felt terrible for accidentally upsetting a mare. "I didn't mean that!" Feather replied in desperation. "I-I just thought-" Fond suddenly laughed out loud which left Feather confused once again. "I-I can't believe you fell for that too!" Fond said while wiping a tear. "You're cute when you're gullible." Feather was confused on whether to be offended or flattered from Fond's comment. He then got a surprise boop from one of Fond's hooves. "And that is what I love about you." Fond said with lidded eyes. Feather couldn't help but blush after hearing what Fond said. "Shall we get going?" Fond asked before she turned and continued to trot through the traders' exchange. Feather stayed silent as he followed his date to wherever she was leading him. The next stop was at a clothing booth where Fond was busy holding up dresses to a mirror to see which would suit her better. Feather was trying on certain hats that would look good on him. He tried on a green fedora but it didn't look good on him. Feather then noticed a light purple cap with the word 'SWAG' written in gold writing. He put the cap on and took a look at a small mirror next to him. "Not bad," Feather said to himself. "I agree," Fond said from behind. Feather got startled as he turned to Fond. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Fond giggled as she took brought out some dresses. "I found some really good clothing and I was wondering if you would like to see how I look in some of them." Fond batted her eyes as an act of convincing Feather. "Sure," Feather responded with a nervous grin. He followed Fond until she went inside one of the changing stalls behind the booths. Feather waited patiently while Fond was changing. The curtains opened up to reveal Fond in a dark blue sailor dress that had a short blue skirt. The dress must've been for a pegasus as Feather could see Fond's wings poked out from her back. "What do you think?" Fond asked as she spun around to allow Feather to see every part of the dress. "It looks wonderful on you!" Feather replied as honestly as he could. Fond just smiled as she closed the curtains to try on another outfit. Fond showed herself off while wearing a light pink dress that would suit her nicely for a fancy party. "What about this one?" Fond asked once again while she struck a pose. "It's very good." Feather responded. "The color pink looks well on you." After a couple minutes of Fond trying on dresses, she made her payments for not only for her dresses but also for Feather's purple cap. "Here you go!" Fond said as she gave Feather his cap. "I'll pay you back." Feather said as he put the cap on his head. "Oh, don't worry." Fond replied. "Consider it as a gift from me." Fond was about to pick some her gift bags until Feather picked them up. "Allow me to get these." Feather said as he adjusted himself to carry all of Fond's bags. 'Such a gentlecolt' Fond thought before she got close to Feather. "Alright, but for one occasion." Fond said before she got two bags off of Feather. "I'll carry some bags to help you. Let's go!" Fond said as she lead Feather to another booth. The day went by with Feather and Fond going from one booth to the next to look for stuff that caught their eyes. After each stop, Feather got more bags to carry along with Fond carrying some as well. It was sunset when the traders' exchange was slowing down and Feather was resting on top of a haystack with a lot of bags by his side. Fond told Feather to stay where he was while she went somewhere to get something. Feather was especially impressed on how Fond was able to trade some of her stuff for some good deals. 'She must have years of shopping experience.' Feather thought. "I'm back!" Fond's voice interrupted Feather's thoughts as he saw his date trotted back while carrying a small blue, paper bag. "What did you get?" Feather asked, hoping that it isn't something very heavy. "Find out for yourself." Fond said as she gave the bag to Feather. "I got this special item for you!" Feather looked at the bag before he pulled out what was inside. "Whoa," It was the only word Feather could say from holding up a red portable lap desk. It had a small quill holder on the side with two clips on the board for holding paper in place. The quill feather was white with a golden tip that made the whole thing look luxurious. Feather could tell the lap desk was new judging by the lack of chip or scratches on it. Fond chuckled as she watched Feather admire her gift. "I'm glad you like it." Fond responded. "I saw it on a booth we passed by and I thought it could be something useful for you when you write poetry. I often see you struggle with writing your poems when you're outside." Feather was shocked to hear that Fond knew he had that kind of problem. "Oh, you see me write poetry?" Feather asked. "Yeah, I think it's a rare talent for a stallion." Fond said while blushing. "I especially love it when you use some of your poetry whenever you sing." "F-Fond, I don't know what to say or how I could repay you for this!" Feather said with gratitude. Fond just giggled as she trotted towards Feather. "I think I could might know something." Fond replied as she placed a hoof on Feather's chin. She slowly gave Feather a peak on the cheek, causing Feather to blush a bright red. "There! Now we're even." Fond giggled. Feather placed a hoof on his cheek as this was the second kiss on the cheek he had received. The train horn blew from the distance, signaling that the train will leave soon. "Let's head home, Feather." Fond suggested as the couple picked up their things and made their way to the train ride home. Swimming with Dear DarlingFeather stood in front of the local pond located outside of Starlight's village. When he asked Dear Darling about where will their date be, she told him to meet by the large pond where he usually writes poetry. Feather waited and wondered what kind of date Dear had planned for him. Maybe it will be a picnic date like what Swoon Song did? It could be a romantic boat ride, but Feather didn't see any boats floating by the docks. Feather continued to ponder the possibilities of Dear's date until the mare herself made her way towards the pond. "Thanks for coming!" Dear said from behind Feather. He turned to have his eyes almost popping out from what he saw. Dear Darling was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit that fitted perfectly on her body. She was also carrying a small beach bag along with an inflated, green inner-tube. Feather knew that swimsuits were sometimes pointless since ponies often swim with nothing on them. That still didn't stop Feather from admiring how well the swimsuit looked good on Dear. "What do you think of my swimsuit?" Dear asked as she moved her manes from her shoulders. Feather quickly calmed down to give Dear a reply. "I uh, I think it looks great!" Dear giggled from the compliment. "Thanks," Dear said. "I usually wear a swimsuit so I don't get cold when I enter the water." Dear then pulled out a beach blanket from her bag and placed it neatly on the ground by the pond. She dropped her bag and inner tube so she use her magic to pull out a bottle of sunscreen. "Can you please rub some sunscreen on my back?" Dear said as she removed the straps from her swimsuit and laid down on the blanket. "I don't want to get sunburn during our date." Feather's heart beat faster than usual as he was being asked to do something most stallions would have the honor of doing: rubbing lotion on a mare's back. Feather didn't want to be rude to Dear; so he decided to suck it up and made his way to Dear. He sat down on his flank and began squeezing the bottle of sunscreen on to Dear's bare back which caused her to shiver from the sunscreen's contact. Feather took some deep breaths before he started rubbing the sunscreen on Dear. He took his time to rub the sunscreen all over Dear's back so she won't get any sunburns. As Feather rubbed, Dear couldn't help to let out a giggle a few times from how ticklish Feather's hooves felt. "Alright, I'm done." Feather said as he wiped the rest of the lotion on a towel. Dear put her straps back on and got up to put some sunscreen on her hooves. "Now it's your turn, Feather." Dear said with her hooves covered with sunscreen. "W-what?!" Feather shot up from where he was sitting. "Well, you rubbed my back so I thought I could return the favor." Dear answered. "It's one thing I don't want is to get a sunburn, but it would make me feel really guilty if you're don't have enough sunscreen on your back." Dear then gave Feather a pleasing pout. Feather gulped before he sat down on the beach blanket while Dear began rubbing his back with sunscreen. Feather also let out some some snickers as Dear rubbed certain parts of his back that was ticklish. Feather didn't see it, but Dear was having the time of her life enjoying every touch she could make on to Feather's back. "Okay! All done!" Dear said as she and Feather got up from the ground. "Race you to the pond!" Dear hollered as she ran to jump and make a large splash into the water. Feather followed Dear as he splashed into the pond as well. Both of them emerged from the pond to get some air. Feather flipped his mane to clear most of the water dripping down his face. He stared at Dear she also flipped her manes which was beautiful from his point of view. "Ah! Much better." Dear sighed as she leaned back to let herself float on the water. She suddenly stood back up and turned to Feather in a mischievous look on her face. She moved one of her hooves to splash some water on to Feather, who's mane was wet yet again. Feather retaliated by splashing some water on Dear, which ended up causing a splash war between the pony couple. After exhaustion from all of the splashing, Feather and Dear decided to just swim along the pond and enjoying each others' company. Dear suddenly had an idea as she tapped on Feather's shoulder to get his attention. "How about a race?" Dear asked Feather. "First on to swim to the end of the pond and back wins!" Feather bit his lips from his conflicting thoughts. "I don't know, I'm not very fast when it comes to swimming." Feather admitted. "It will be fine," Dear assured, "I'm not much of a swimmer as well. This is just for fun!" Dear's words gave Feather some confidence. "Alright, one little race can't hurt." Feather answered as he and Dear got into their starting positions. "On your mark...get set...go!" Dear yelled as she and Feather began swimming to the end of the pond. Feather put all of his efforts into paddling his hooves as he swam to the pond's end. When Feather turned to check on Dear, he was surprised to see her swimming at a further length than he was. Despite Dear being ahead, Feather kept swimming until he had reached the end of the pond. Feather placed on hoof on it before he turned and swam back to the starting area. He finally arrived while panting from exhaustion. Only to see Dear made it first and cheering for her own victory. "I...thought...you weren't a good....swimmer." Feather panted while out of breath. "It's true," Dear responded, "but I started practicing since last week. Do you like my progress?" "I...barely caught up...with you." Feather said as he rested in the water. It wasn't till he saw Dear offered a hoof to him. "Come on, slowpoke." Dear said. "Let's dry off and rest for a bit." Feather took Dear by her hoof and got out of the pond. They sat down on the beach blanket while drying themselves off with their towels. Feather noticed Dear was once again removing the straps of her swimsuit. "W-what are you doing?" Feather asked. "My swimsuit still makes my coat wet when I'm out of the water; so I'm taking it off to dry off more." Ponies don't often have anything to hide underneath clothing, but seeing Dear striping down made Feather blush and turn his head to avoid staring. Dear placed her swimsuit on the ground so she could lay next to Feather who sighed in relief. "So," Dear said to get Feather's attention. "did you enjoy this date?" Feather was surprised to hear Dear ask that question. "I thought it was relaxing." Feather answered. "I was surprised from how well you could swim after one week of practice." Dear chuckled. "That's one fact you should know about mares," Dear replied. "we're full of surprises." Feather couldn't agree more from his two previous dates. "I know," Feather nodded. "Swoon is an excellent cook since she made me those delicious meals for our picnic and Fond has quite the eye for shopping for the best deals." Dear got up to look at Feather. "Yeah, we each have something special we're good at." Dear said. "You just got to spend time with us to find out." Feather thought Dear made an excellent point. A normal pony would see the three mares as a trio of swooning admirers who just go after Feather. But after Feather spent some time with each of the mares, he developed a newfound respect for each of his admirers. There was still one thing that Feather was curious about. "So why do you like me, Dear?" Feather asked. "I know I have this stylish mane and all but something tells me there is more to your reason for going out with me." Dear just smirked at Feather. "I really don't care about that silly mane of yours." Dear said as she ruffled up Feather's mane. "I liked you because you weren't afraid to show off to somepony you had an interest with." Feather raised a brow. "One example would be when you were juggling those balls for Sugar Belle. Although most ponies would think that's lame, I thought it was impressive. I was really head over hooves for you when you performed that little musical number for Sugar Belle. I envied Sugar Belle for getting a song written by you. I mean, how did you get those colorful lights and the stage inside of Sugar Belle's shop anyway?" Feather winced as he didn't want to explain the further details. "Anyway, that's what I like about you." Dear then got close to Feather to give him a peak on his cheek. "And I hope I could see more of that in the future." Feather smiled as he and Dear cuddled together as they enjoyed the rest of their date. EpilogueThe CMC and Big Mac arrived to Starlight's village to see some familiar faces. Big Mac rushed towards Sugar Belle to give her a big hug. The CMC made their separate way to find Feather Bangs walking down the street. "Hey Feather!" Scootaloo hollered to get his attention. "Oh, hey girls!" Feather said as he approached the three fillies. "Welcome back." "Thanks," Sweetie Belle responded. "So, how were your dates?" Sweetie ask curiously. "It went better than I thought!" Feather claimed. "I was able to talk to each of them and got to know them better." "We're very proud of you, Feather." Apple Bloom replied. "I should really thank you girls for helping me conquer my fear." Feather said with a smile. "You don't need to thank us." Scootaloo waved her hoof. "We just showed you the ropes. It was you who made the dates good for those mares." "Oh Feather!" The three admirers called from the distance as they gave winks and waved their hooves at Feather. "Speaking of which," Feather trotted towards the mares. "I got to go spend some time with them. See you fillies around!" The CMC waved as Feather left to be with his mares. "Oh great," Sweetie pouted. "now I know how those mares felt when Feather paid attention to Sugar Belle." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh from Sweetie's envy towards Feather's admirers.
A Picnic with Swoon SongA small picnic was set up on the outskirts of Starlight's village. Feather Bangs sat on the blanket while checking things such as the picnic arrangements or his mane which was perfectly combed for such an occasion. He had to make sure everything was good since this will be his first date with a mare. He was quite surprised how it happened. One Day Ago Ever since the Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed in helping Feather Bangs talk to mares, he had followed every lesson those little fillies had to offer. From starting conversations to making compromises, Feather Bangs was able to understand everything that involved talking to mares. On the day when Feather completed all of his lessons, he lead the CMC back to Big Mac who was helping out his new mare-friend, Sugar Belle. "Alright Feather Bangs," Scootaloo spoke. "now that you learned everything you need to know about talking to mares, it's time for you to see how well you use your lessons." Feather Bangs gulped before he responded. "You mean like a test?" Feather asked nervously from the pressure of a final exam. "Not exactly," Sweetie Belle assured. "the next step is to actually spend time with a mare so you will feel more comfortable with talking to them." "Like a date?" Feather attempted to answer. "Exactly," Apple Bloom replied. Feather formed a small blush from embarrassment. "Wouldn't it be creepy for me to date one of you?" Feather asked. The CMC giggled from Feather's question. "You don't date us." Scootaloo responded. "Yeah," Sweetie Belle said. 'Although I would love that if I wasn't so young.' Sweetie thought. "It would be better for you test what you learned without any of us around." Feather knew that Sweetie had a point. He had to make his own efforts if he wants to talk to mares. "So which mare should I start with?" Feather asked. The CMC tapped their chins for a strategy. It wasn't until an idea came to Apple Bloom. "I think I might know some mares." Apple Bloom suggested. At an instant, Feather's three admirers popped out of nowhere and ran in front of Feather Bangs. Each of the mares showed excited facial expressions as if they were about to receive candy or an allowance from their parents. "I'll do it! Pick me!" Swoon Song hollered as she waved one of her hooves in the air. "No me! I'll go on a date with you!" Dear Darling said as put her hooves together in a begging position. "I'm the perfect candidate, Feather!" Fond Feather said while batting her eyelashes at the poet stallion. Feather gulped as he tried to figure out a response for them. It wasn't till the three mares glared at each other and began to argue amongst themselves. "I want to date Feather!" Dear Darling whined. "No! I want to!" Swoon Song shouted. "I'm way better with Feather Bangs than you two!" Fond Feather shouted back. Before the mares' argument spiraled out of control, Apple Bloom put a hoof to her mouth and whistled as hard as she could. The whistle was able to make the mares stop and give Apple Bloom their attention. "Alright," Apple Bloom assured. "Now that I have your attention, I think there may be a way to figure out the order you mares will date Feather." Feather's eyes widen from hearing that he was going to date all three of his admirers. He leaned closer to Apple Bloom and whispered: "I have to date all three of these mares?" Feather asked. "You'll get more practice if you date each of them." Apple Bloom replied. Feather sighed from hearing Apple Bloom's good point. Apple Bloom pulled out a hoof full of straws and presented it to the three mares. "All you have to do is pull out a straw with your hooves. Once you have your straw, you will open your hooves to see how long is your straw. The mare with the shortest straw will go first, then so on." The three mares looked at each other before they nodded and picked up one straw with their hooves. Once all of the mares got their straws, they opened their hooves to reveal the straws' lengths. "Woo Hoo! I go first!" Swoon Song cheered as she had the shortest straw. "Oh!" Fond Feather whined since she had the second shortest straw. Dear Darling just pouted as she threw her long straw to the ground. "It won't be that bad." Scootaloo said to Dear Darling and Fond Feather. "This might give you more time to come up with your perfect date with Feather!" The two mares thought about it before they smiled and ran off to start planning their dates. "S-so...what should we do for our date?" Feather asked. Swoon tapped her chin with her hoof as she tries to figure out what they should do for their date. "How about a picnic?" Swoon suggested. "We could have one outside of town." "That's sounds great!" Feather said in relief. "I'll have everything set up by that big tree tomorrow." Feather pointed at a big tree that Swoon thought was the perfect place for their picnic date. "It's perfect!" Swoon smiled. "I'll be sure to bring something great for our picnic. See you tomorrow!" As Swoon left, Feather breathed heavily from his built-up stress. "I can't believe I'll be dating all three of those mares!" Feather claimed. "Don't worry," Sweetie assured as she placed a hoof on Feather's shoulder. "Just use our lessons and you'll be fine!" As Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom left, Scootaloo walked up to Feather with a smirk on her face. "Good luck, you lover boy!" Scootaloo teased as she nudged Feather with her elbow. Scootaloo left with her friends while Feather just stood there while processing what had happened. "Oh boy," Feather whispered before he went home to prepare for his first date. Present Day Feather groaned as he waited with anxiety. He hopes that everything will be alright and this date won't turn out to be a disaster. "I'm here!" Swoon hollered as she made her way to the picnic spot. Swoon trotted towards Feather while she held a small picnic basket under one hoof. The reddish mare finally arrived and began putting out the content from her basket. Feather noticed something different about Swoon as she brought out a container of fruit. The mare wore sparkling red ribbons on her mane and tail instead of the plain red ribbons she usually wears. She also had on violet mascara that highlighted her eyes. "Sorry for being late." Swoon apologized as she sat down. "I was making some last minute decisions before I left." She continued with unpacking until Feather smelled something interesting from Swoon herself. "Is that honey flavored perfume you're wearing?" Feather asked the mare. Swoon turned to squeal in excitement. "Thanks for noticing!" Swoon said as she fluffed her mane. "I saved this special perfume in case you asked me out on a date. I know it's a fact that you love honey." Feather was confused if he should feel flattered or creeped out that Swoon knew he liked honey. 'I shouldn't judge,' Feather thought. 'it's nice for a mare to doll herself up for a stallion.' Once Swoon brought out the last container, she adjusted her ribbons and faced Feather. "Alright, let's dig in!" Swoon cheered. Feather was amazed at the spread of delicious food Swoon brought. "Whoa Swoon!" Feather said with surprise. "You made all of this?" Swoon nodded. "Yep, made completely from scratch." Swoon picked up a sliced half of a sandwich with its' crust completely cut off. "Open up and say 'ahh'!" Swoon suggested as she moved the sandwich half closer to Feather's mouth. Feather decided to roll with it by closing his eyes and took a bite from Swoon's sandwich. He could taste the softness of the bread along with the juiciness of the berries and hay from each bite. Feather kept taking bites from the sandwich half until it was all gone. "Wow, that was delicious!" Feather complimented. Swoon giggled from Feather's praise. "Thanks," Swoon replied. "The secret is my homemade jam that I put inside of the sandwich." Feather licked his lips to taste the leftover jam on his mouth. "No wonder the sandwich was so good," Feather said. "the jam makes it all better." "How do you think I got my cutie mark?" Swoon said as she raised her rump that showed an image of a slice of bread covered with jam and a loaf of bread on the side. "I got it when I was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Feather couldn't help but blush as he was staring at a mare's flank. He tried to change the topic by looking at the other food containers. "S-so what other stuff did you bring?" Feather asked with a weak smile. "Oh, I got plenty of food to offer." Swoon said as she picked up a tub of potato salad. Throughout the date, Swoon kept feeding Feather with all of her homemade cooking. Feather enjoyed every bite of Swoon's food. Swoon was also enjoying the date as Feather kept complimenting her cooking skills. It was later in the day when Feather and Swoon almost ate all of the food. "Time for dessert!" Swoon said as she brought out a box of two cupcakes. "Oh man, I don't think I could eat another bite." Feather said as he got up from resting. "Don't worry," Swoon offered Feather a cupcake. "It's just one small cupcake." Feather took a deep breath before he took a bite from his cupcake. "Whoa! This tastes really good!" Feather said before he took more bites from his cupcakes. "You are a really good baker too!" "Actually," Swoon said while Feather munched on his cupcake. "I didn't actually make those all by myself, I got help from Sugar Belle." Feather choked from what he heard from Swoon. "S-Sugar Belle?" Feather asked with concern. "Yeah," Swoon replied with a blush. "I asked her if she could help me make cupcakes for you since she was the expert baker in the town." "Huh," Feather said with surprise as he didn't expect one of his admirers to ask Sugar Belle for help. "Is something wrong?" Swoon asked with a raised brow. "No no! It's all fine." Feather said while waving his hooves. "I was just surprised that you asked Sugar Belle for help with since...I was after her first." Swoon couldn't help but giggle. "Don't worry," Swoon replied while waving a hoof. "The girls and I knew that you were going after Sugar Belle. It still didn't stop us from liking you." Feather tried his best to understand the three mares' intentions, but a part of him wanted to know more. "B-but what if Sugar Belle chose me?" Feather asked. Swoon thought about it for a moment until she gave her reply. "Yeah, it would've hurt if you dated Sugar Belle instead of us." Swoon then placed her hooves on Feather's. "But luckily for me and the girls, Sugar Belle went with that Big Mac instead of you." She picked up one of Feather's hooves and rubbed it on her cheek. "We thanked faith for bringing those two together. It gave us a chance to date you." Feather was lost for words from what Swoon said. Even when Feather was so busy flirting with Sugar Belle; those three mares continued to admire him. Swoon looked concerned when she saw tears flowing from Feather's eyes. "What's wrong, Feather?" Swoon asked. Feather attempted to wipe some tears from his eyes but he ended up breaking down crying. "I-I just feel so ashamed that I didn't give you girls a chance. I didn't even acknowledged your presence when I made my attempts on Sugar Belle." Feather sniffled. Swoon slowly gave Feather a comforting hug. "It's alright," Swoon whispered while stroking Feather's mane. "we understood that you were so focused on Sugar Belle. This could actually be an opportunity to get to know us more." Feather was able to calm down from his sudden breakdown. "Thank you." Feather said with a smile. "No problem." Swoon said as she patted a spot next to her. "So how about we seal this date by laying down and watch the clouds?" Feather shrugged as he laid next to Swoon so both of them could enjoy watching the clouds go by. The big tree next to them provided a great shade to block off Celestia's sun. The time passed until something came up in Feather's mind. It bothered him ever since he had first seen the three admirers. "Hey Swoon," Feather said. "Yeah?" Swoon said as her head turned. "Why do you and the other mares like me?" Feather asked. He assumes it's probably because he looks handsome or something. Feather watched as Swoon was thinking of a response. "I won't speak for my friends, but I will respond with my reason for liking you." Swoon moved closer to Feather and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Feather flinched from Swoon's sudden kiss. "I like you because you so adorable and the way you got upset makes you very caring for mares." Swoon smiled to show how genuine her answer was. Feather was baffled from Swoon's response. It was not often for Feather to be called adorable, except for his mom. "I hope the rest of the girls do their best to top my date with you." Swoon giggled as she snuggled with Feather as they looked up to the sky. Feather blushed as he was reminded that he had two more dates to deal with. Who knows what Fond Feather and Dear Darling were planning for their dates with Feather Bangs.
Shopping with Fond FeatherFeather Bangs sat on a seat next to Fond Feather as they rode the train towards Rainbow Falls. Fond Feather wanted to have a shopping date at the annual Rainbow Falls Traders' Exchange. Feather could tell Fond was going to be really busy there judging by her saddle bag filled with lots of trinkets to trade with. It had been a while since Feather left Starlight's village to other parts of Equestria. He leaves the town for a few occasions such as a family matter or to explore new places for his poetry inspiration. This trip was different as he wasn't going to a new place alone. The train was approaching to the Rainbow Falls where all of the rainbows were pouring down like a waterfall. Feather was in awe as he saw the rainbows pouring from the sky. Just the sight of the falls inspired Feather to come up with various poems that involved rainbows or the location. "Enjoying the view?" Fond asked curiously. "Oh!" Feather flinched and quickly replied. "Yeah, I think it looks great." Fond giggled which caused confusion for Feather. Fond gave with a huff and turned to cross her hooves. "Keep staring and I might get jealous." Fond said in a grumpy tone. "I..uh," Feather said out of nervousness. Fond just laughed from Feather's reaction. "I'm kidding," Fond replied as she looked out the window. "this place still looks great though." The train slowly arrived to the train station where ponies from all around were carrying lots of items. Feather and Fond made their way to the main streets where the traders' exchange was taking place. It was almost if a pony could get anything from the trade exchange; from clocks to live animals, the Rainbow Falls Traders' Exchange had it all. Fond pulled out a map that showed the locations of the various booths. "Follow me, Feather!" Fond said as she made her way to one of the stalls. Feather took a deep breath before he followed his date. They made their way to a booth where dozens of candles and strange looking rocks were on display. The pony running the booth was a green mare with long red manes that was tied with a yellow bandana. "Tree Hugger!" Fond hollered as she hurried to the booth. "Ah, Fond Feather!" Tree Hugger said as she gave Fond a friendly hug. "It's so nice to see you again." "Same here!" Fond replied as she took a look at the various things on Tree Hugger's booth. "Looks like you're doing good with business." "Yep," Tree Hugger agreed. "many ponies have came to buy candles to soothe themselves with earthly aromas." Tree Hugger then noticed Feather standing behind her friend. "Who is this colt with the waving manes?" Tree Hugger asked. "Is he a friend of yours?" "This is Feather Bangs," Fond introduced the said stallion. "he's my date for today." "Um..hi, it's nice to meet you." Feather said sheepishly. "The pleasure is all mine!" Tree Hugger said as she placed a hoof on her chest. "It's so nice for younglings to start searching for their soul mates. There may be a chance that this Feather fellow could be your soul mate, Fond." Feather just blushed from Tree Hugger's statement. Fond just giggled from seeing Feather acting so embarrassed. "One can only dream." Fond replied before she looked around Tree Hugger's booth. A tall, green candle caught Fond's attention as she picked it up to give it a smell. "Ooh!" Fond said while lifting the candle to Tree Hugger. "What fragrance does this make? It smells great!" "That would be green tea," Tree Hugger replied. "it has a great aroma if you want have a spa day." "I'll take it!" Fond said as she opened her bag. "How much is it?" Fond asked. "It would cost five bits; unless you have something to trade for it?" Fond dug inside her bag until she pulled out a light purple candle. "Will this do?" Fond asked as she gave Tree Hugger the candle to smell. Tree Hugger took one whiff as it caused her face to light up in a delightful expression. "This smells wonderful!” Tree Hugger claimed. "I used tulip petals and grass leaves for this candle." Fond said. "I call it: Tulip Garden!" "The candle will do!" Tree Hugger said as she put away Fond's candle. "Good-bye Tree Hugger!" Fond said while she and Feather left the booth. "I'll enjoy the green tea aroma!" The hippie mare waved back before the couple was no longer seen. "She was an interesting mare." Feather said as he followed Fond. "Yes she is," Fond replied. "Tree Hugger is my main source for getting new scented candles. My scented candles are alright, but Tree Hugger's are made with ingredients from different parts of Equestria." "Maybe I should get to know her." Feather suggested. "A candle's scent could bring out more of my creativity." Fond stopped trotting to show her pouty lips and glassy eyes to Feather. "What about me?" Fond whined. "Aren't my candles good enough for you?" Fond's lips quivered in sadness. Feather felt terrible for accidentally upsetting a mare. "I didn't mean that!" Feather replied in desperation. "I-I just thought-" Fond suddenly laughed out loud which left Feather confused once again. "I-I can't believe you fell for that too!" Fond said while wiping a tear. "You're cute when you're gullible." Feather was confused on whether to be offended or flattered from Fond's comment. He then got a surprise boop from one of Fond's hooves. "And that is what I love about you." Fond said with lidded eyes. Feather couldn't help but blush after hearing what Fond said. "Shall we get going?" Fond asked before she turned and continued to trot through the traders' exchange. Feather stayed silent as he followed his date to wherever she was leading him. The next stop was at a clothing booth where Fond was busy holding up dresses to a mirror to see which would suit her better. Feather was trying on certain hats that would look good on him. He tried on a green fedora but it didn't look good on him. Feather then noticed a light purple cap with the word 'SWAG' written in gold writing. He put the cap on and took a look at a small mirror next to him. "Not bad," Feather said to himself. "I agree," Fond said from behind. Feather got startled as he turned to Fond. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Fond giggled as she took brought out some dresses. "I found some really good clothing and I was wondering if you would like to see how I look in some of them." Fond batted her eyes as an act of convincing Feather. "Sure," Feather responded with a nervous grin. He followed Fond until she went inside one of the changing stalls behind the booths. Feather waited patiently while Fond was changing. The curtains opened up to reveal Fond in a dark blue sailor dress that had a short blue skirt. The dress must've been for a pegasus as Feather could see Fond's wings poked out from her back. "What do you think?" Fond asked as she spun around to allow Feather to see every part of the dress. "It looks wonderful on you!" Feather replied as honestly as he could. Fond just smiled as she closed the curtains to try on another outfit. Fond showed herself off while wearing a light pink dress that would suit her nicely for a fancy party. "What about this one?" Fond asked once again while she struck a pose. "It's very good." Feather responded. "The color pink looks well on you." After a couple minutes of Fond trying on dresses, she made her payments for not only for her dresses but also for Feather's purple cap. "Here you go!" Fond said as she gave Feather his cap. "I'll pay you back." Feather said as he put the cap on his head. "Oh, don't worry." Fond replied. "Consider it as a gift from me." Fond was about to pick some her gift bags until Feather picked them up. "Allow me to get these." Feather said as he adjusted himself to carry all of Fond's bags. 'Such a gentlecolt' Fond thought before she got close to Feather. "Alright, but for one occasion." Fond said before she got two bags off of Feather. "I'll carry some bags to help you. Let's go!" Fond said as she lead Feather to another booth. The day went by with Feather and Fond going from one booth to the next to look for stuff that caught their eyes. After each stop, Feather got more bags to carry along with Fond carrying some as well. It was sunset when the traders' exchange was slowing down and Feather was resting on top of a haystack with a lot of bags by his side. Fond told Feather to stay where he was while she went somewhere to get something. Feather was especially impressed on how Fond was able to trade some of her stuff for some good deals. 'She must have years of shopping experience.' Feather thought. "I'm back!" Fond's voice interrupted Feather's thoughts as he saw his date trotted back while carrying a small blue, paper bag. "What did you get?" Feather asked, hoping that it isn't something very heavy. "Find out for yourself." Fond said as she gave the bag to Feather. "I got this special item for you!" Feather looked at the bag before he pulled out what was inside. "Whoa," It was the only word Feather could say from holding up a red portable lap desk. It had a small quill holder on the side with two clips on the board for holding paper in place. The quill feather was white with a golden tip that made the whole thing look luxurious. Feather could tell the lap desk was new judging by the lack of chip or scratches on it. Fond chuckled as she watched Feather admire her gift. "I'm glad you like it." Fond responded. "I saw it on a booth we passed by and I thought it could be something useful for you when you write poetry. I often see you struggle with writing your poems when you're outside." Feather was shocked to hear that Fond knew he had that kind of problem. "Oh, you see me write poetry?" Feather asked. "Yeah, I think it's a rare talent for a stallion." Fond said while blushing. "I especially love it when you use some of your poetry whenever you sing." "F-Fond, I don't know what to say or how I could repay you for this!" Feather said with gratitude. Fond just giggled as she trotted towards Feather. "I think I could might know something." Fond replied as she placed a hoof on Feather's chin. She slowly gave Feather a peak on the cheek, causing Feather to blush a bright red. "There! Now we're even." Fond giggled. Feather placed a hoof on his cheek as this was the second kiss on the cheek he had received. The train horn blew from the distance, signaling that the train will leave soon. "Let's head home, Feather." Fond suggested as the couple picked up their things and made their way to the train ride home.
Swimming with Dear DarlingFeather stood in front of the local pond located outside of Starlight's village. When he asked Dear Darling about where will their date be, she told him to meet by the large pond where he usually writes poetry. Feather waited and wondered what kind of date Dear had planned for him. Maybe it will be a picnic date like what Swoon Song did? It could be a romantic boat ride, but Feather didn't see any boats floating by the docks. Feather continued to ponder the possibilities of Dear's date until the mare herself made her way towards the pond. "Thanks for coming!" Dear said from behind Feather. He turned to have his eyes almost popping out from what he saw. Dear Darling was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit that fitted perfectly on her body. She was also carrying a small beach bag along with an inflated, green inner-tube. Feather knew that swimsuits were sometimes pointless since ponies often swim with nothing on them. That still didn't stop Feather from admiring how well the swimsuit looked good on Dear. "What do you think of my swimsuit?" Dear asked as she moved her manes from her shoulders. Feather quickly calmed down to give Dear a reply. "I uh, I think it looks great!" Dear giggled from the compliment. "Thanks," Dear said. "I usually wear a swimsuit so I don't get cold when I enter the water." Dear then pulled out a beach blanket from her bag and placed it neatly on the ground by the pond. She dropped her bag and inner tube so she use her magic to pull out a bottle of sunscreen. "Can you please rub some sunscreen on my back?" Dear said as she removed the straps from her swimsuit and laid down on the blanket. "I don't want to get sunburn during our date." Feather's heart beat faster than usual as he was being asked to do something most stallions would have the honor of doing: rubbing lotion on a mare's back. Feather didn't want to be rude to Dear; so he decided to suck it up and made his way to Dear. He sat down on his flank and began squeezing the bottle of sunscreen on to Dear's bare back which caused her to shiver from the sunscreen's contact. Feather took some deep breaths before he started rubbing the sunscreen on Dear. He took his time to rub the sunscreen all over Dear's back so she won't get any sunburns. As Feather rubbed, Dear couldn't help to let out a giggle a few times from how ticklish Feather's hooves felt. "Alright, I'm done." Feather said as he wiped the rest of the lotion on a towel. Dear put her straps back on and got up to put some sunscreen on her hooves. "Now it's your turn, Feather." Dear said with her hooves covered with sunscreen. "W-what?!" Feather shot up from where he was sitting. "Well, you rubbed my back so I thought I could return the favor." Dear answered. "It's one thing I don't want is to get a sunburn, but it would make me feel really guilty if you're don't have enough sunscreen on your back." Dear then gave Feather a pleasing pout. Feather gulped before he sat down on the beach blanket while Dear began rubbing his back with sunscreen. Feather also let out some some snickers as Dear rubbed certain parts of his back that was ticklish. Feather didn't see it, but Dear was having the time of her life enjoying every touch she could make on to Feather's back. "Okay! All done!" Dear said as she and Feather got up from the ground. "Race you to the pond!" Dear hollered as she ran to jump and make a large splash into the water. Feather followed Dear as he splashed into the pond as well. Both of them emerged from the pond to get some air. Feather flipped his mane to clear most of the water dripping down his face. He stared at Dear she also flipped her manes which was beautiful from his point of view. "Ah! Much better." Dear sighed as she leaned back to let herself float on the water. She suddenly stood back up and turned to Feather in a mischievous look on her face. She moved one of her hooves to splash some water on to Feather, who's mane was wet yet again. Feather retaliated by splashing some water on Dear, which ended up causing a splash war between the pony couple. After exhaustion from all of the splashing, Feather and Dear decided to just swim along the pond and enjoying each others' company. Dear suddenly had an idea as she tapped on Feather's shoulder to get his attention. "How about a race?" Dear asked Feather. "First on to swim to the end of the pond and back wins!" Feather bit his lips from his conflicting thoughts. "I don't know, I'm not very fast when it comes to swimming." Feather admitted. "It will be fine," Dear assured, "I'm not much of a swimmer as well. This is just for fun!" Dear's words gave Feather some confidence. "Alright, one little race can't hurt." Feather answered as he and Dear got into their starting positions. "On your mark...get set...go!" Dear yelled as she and Feather began swimming to the end of the pond. Feather put all of his efforts into paddling his hooves as he swam to the pond's end. When Feather turned to check on Dear, he was surprised to see her swimming at a further length than he was. Despite Dear being ahead, Feather kept swimming until he had reached the end of the pond. Feather placed on hoof on it before he turned and swam back to the starting area. He finally arrived while panting from exhaustion. Only to see Dear made it first and cheering for her own victory. "I...thought...you weren't a good....swimmer." Feather panted while out of breath. "It's true," Dear responded, "but I started practicing since last week. Do you like my progress?" "I...barely caught up...with you." Feather said as he rested in the water. It wasn't till he saw Dear offered a hoof to him. "Come on, slowpoke." Dear said. "Let's dry off and rest for a bit." Feather took Dear by her hoof and got out of the pond. They sat down on the beach blanket while drying themselves off with their towels. Feather noticed Dear was once again removing the straps of her swimsuit. "W-what are you doing?" Feather asked. "My swimsuit still makes my coat wet when I'm out of the water; so I'm taking it off to dry off more." Ponies don't often have anything to hide underneath clothing, but seeing Dear striping down made Feather blush and turn his head to avoid staring. Dear placed her swimsuit on the ground so she could lay next to Feather who sighed in relief. "So," Dear said to get Feather's attention. "did you enjoy this date?" Feather was surprised to hear Dear ask that question. "I thought it was relaxing." Feather answered. "I was surprised from how well you could swim after one week of practice." Dear chuckled. "That's one fact you should know about mares," Dear replied. "we're full of surprises." Feather couldn't agree more from his two previous dates. "I know," Feather nodded. "Swoon is an excellent cook since she made me those delicious meals for our picnic and Fond has quite the eye for shopping for the best deals." Dear got up to look at Feather. "Yeah, we each have something special we're good at." Dear said. "You just got to spend time with us to find out." Feather thought Dear made an excellent point. A normal pony would see the three mares as a trio of swooning admirers who just go after Feather. But after Feather spent some time with each of the mares, he developed a newfound respect for each of his admirers. There was still one thing that Feather was curious about. "So why do you like me, Dear?" Feather asked. "I know I have this stylish mane and all but something tells me there is more to your reason for going out with me." Dear just smirked at Feather. "I really don't care about that silly mane of yours." Dear said as she ruffled up Feather's mane. "I liked you because you weren't afraid to show off to somepony you had an interest with." Feather raised a brow. "One example would be when you were juggling those balls for Sugar Belle. Although most ponies would think that's lame, I thought it was impressive. I was really head over hooves for you when you performed that little musical number for Sugar Belle. I envied Sugar Belle for getting a song written by you. I mean, how did you get those colorful lights and the stage inside of Sugar Belle's shop anyway?" Feather winced as he didn't want to explain the further details. "Anyway, that's what I like about you." Dear then got close to Feather to give him a peak on his cheek. "And I hope I could see more of that in the future." Feather smiled as he and Dear cuddled together as they enjoyed the rest of their date.
EpilogueThe CMC and Big Mac arrived to Starlight's village to see some familiar faces. Big Mac rushed towards Sugar Belle to give her a big hug. The CMC made their separate way to find Feather Bangs walking down the street. "Hey Feather!" Scootaloo hollered to get his attention. "Oh, hey girls!" Feather said as he approached the three fillies. "Welcome back." "Thanks," Sweetie Belle responded. "So, how were your dates?" Sweetie ask curiously. "It went better than I thought!" Feather claimed. "I was able to talk to each of them and got to know them better." "We're very proud of you, Feather." Apple Bloom replied. "I should really thank you girls for helping me conquer my fear." Feather said with a smile. "You don't need to thank us." Scootaloo waved her hoof. "We just showed you the ropes. It was you who made the dates good for those mares." "Oh Feather!" The three admirers called from the distance as they gave winks and waved their hooves at Feather. "Speaking of which," Feather trotted towards the mares. "I got to go spend some time with them. See you fillies around!" The CMC waved as Feather left to be with his mares. "Oh great," Sweetie pouted. "now I know how those mares felt when Feather paid attention to Sugar Belle." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh from Sweetie's envy towards Feather's admirers.
