A Frantic Meetup

The nighttime air’s gentle breeze blew through the cool night air as it swept through the towns and streets of Ponyville. The flock of snowflakes falling through the sky went in motion with the wind, their crystalline color gleaming in the pale light of the full moon. They continued onto their slow descent towards the ground, meeting either it or the white blanket of snow that was covering random parts of the streets. Their beautiful color was eventually dimmed out by the hooves of the many ponies that walked across the street. Mares and stallions, young and old, from all three tribes could be seen roaming around random parts of the street. Couples could be seen holding hooves or wings and nuzzling against one another, taking joy in each other’s company and warmth. Colts and fillies could be seen running around, laughing and squealing as they frolicked in the snow, with some helping others with what they needed. Those that were not relaxing, were making last-minute deliveries and runs to ponies that urgently needed it, eagerly anticipating their own relaxation time. It seemed like many of the Ponyville residents were having a wonderful time. Even if it was as active for some.

For one teenage thestral colt, it was anything but such a thing at the moment.

The sound of frantic flying could be heard from up close as Sheton Nightstalker Shenron made his way down the street. The cold wind blew in his stormy grey muzzle as he gave powerful beats of his large feathered bat wings. Their emerald blue membranes shined as brightly as his slitted cat-like blue eyes, both of which were wide and frantic. His fangs glinted in the shine of nearby lights and the Moon itself as his lips curled back in a panicked expression. Sheton’s hindlegs were clenched together as his jet-black mane and tail billowed in the wind, his light grey fedora shaking with it. To the casual eye, it looked like the poor colt needed to go to the bathroom, and, in a way, that was true. Though the reason for that and his frantic flying was far more embarrassing and private than the usual one.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” He cursed quietly, repeating the same word as if it was a mantra as he continued to soar through the houses and stores. The small present that was currently resting on his back shook slightly under his fast pace flying, coming dangerously close to falling off a couple of times. Luckily, he managed to keep the gift on his back, and continued to speed over to the one destination that was on his mind.

‘Make that two destinations actually!’ Sheton thought to himself as he took a sharp left. ‘I can’t believe I overslept and lost track of when Ms. Derpy was supposed to get my gift for Scootaloo in! Oh, I know that I shouldn’t have eaten so much of my Mom’s family dinner before going to take that nap! Now I have to go to the bathroom! And I’m still a long way away from Scootaloo’s cottage! I really hope that she’s not mad at me for not getting her gift in early enough!’

The day started off as one would expect for a young foal such as Sheton, even though the colt was now practically a teenager. He woke up bright and early to the sun beaming down through his window before he took in the beauty of the snow that blanketed his beautiful town. Then, he practically bounded down the stairs where his parents and three sisters were waiting, greeting him with endless affection before sitting him down for breakfast. Afterward, he went and played with his best friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, one of which he was currently dating, before heading back home to open presents. After marveling at the gifts that he got and stuffing himself full of the food that was cooked, Sheton decided to take a quick nap before heading over to his fillyfriend’s place.

Around sometime during his nap, he had overslept, and it was only thanks to his mother waking up him that he remembered what he needed to do. After giving her a quick kiss goodbye, he practically flew out of the house and over to the post office. Thankfully, he was able to make it there just as it was going to close, and the post mare happily gave him his gift, after he apologized profusely for being late. The mare was very understanding, and even gave him a muffin to go, to which he happily took, after apologizing one last time. Around some point during his flight, he realized that he really needed to pee… badly. Unfortunately for him, most of the stores were closed, and those that weren’t were much too far away from Scootaloo’s home. With those options out, Sheton opted for the closest and most private area he could to take a whizz. Least he peed himself right in the middle of the streets.

‘Faustdammit! I knew I should not have drunken so much of that soft cider and grape juice, but noooo, I just had to keep on drinking!’ Sheton thought, silently berating himself for giving into his beastie desires. ‘Why does Mom always have to make and buy the best tasting juice and cider that there is?!’

Somewhere along his panicked thinking and flying, Sheton almost failed to notice that he was about to run right into another pony. He screamed out and came screeching to a halt, just as the pony in front of him suddenly fell, dropping the gifts they were carrying. Upon closer exception, Sheton’s eyes widened as he saw who it was; their crossed eyes helping him recognize them instantly.

“M-M-Ms. Derpy?!” Sheton gasped, landing on the ground as he rushed over to help the silvery grey mare. “Oh, sweet Lauren Holy Faust! Are you alright?! Did I hit you or anything?! Did I make you trip and drop your boxes?!”

Derpy shook her head from side to side in a vigorous manner, snorting out the dust that had gotten in her nose before looking at the colt. With an amused chuckle, she replied, “Yes, no, and absolutely not. I had actually tripped over a stone as I was walking, and I was using my wings to carry these boxes.”

“Oh, thank goodness…” Sheton sighed, nearly falling onto his rump. That would’ve really been very bad timing on my part.” He coughed as he adjusted the fedora atop his head. “S-so, are you taking those gifts home with you?”

“I sure am! My little Dinky has been waiting so long for hearths warming eve to come, and I’ve managed to finally save enough to get the presents she wanted!” Derpy chirped putting a hoof to her chest proudly. “So, I’m just heading home to surprise my little muffin. Well, after we have dinner of course.”

“Oh, that was nice of you. I know that she’ll love them.” Sheton said with a sweet smile. “Just like how I know that she loves your muffins!”

“Yep! That too!” Derpy giggled. “So where are you off to this time of night Tony? Shouldn’t you be at home with the rest of your family?”

Sheton, blushing at his signature nickname, bashfully replied, “W-well, I was, but then I remembered that I needed to see you for the gift that you gave me.” He gestured to the present that was currently rested on his back. “I was actually planning on having a sleepover at Scootaloo’s house. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Firestreak, Melon Cake, and Crescent Shield are all busy tonight with their families.”

“Oh! So that’s why you came over to the post office all frantic like you had a manticore chasing you!” Derpy exclaimed, her mind going back to when Sheton practically barged into the post office and begged her for the gift. After she composed herself, she giggled again. “Well, I think that it's sweet that you’re choosing today of all days to spend with your fillyfriend. What better time to be with your special somepony than during Hearth’s Warming? Other than Hearts and Hooves Day?”

“No other time other than those days. That’s what.” Sheton giggled, flicking his tail. “Which makes it all the more special for us when we do!”

“Exactly baby.” Derpy nodded, brushing her mane away from her face. “So, what’s the special little gift that you have for her?”

At this question, the blush on Sheton’s face deepened, and he looked off to the side, pawing at the ground with a hoof. “W-well, just a little something that I made with the help of Ms. Rarity at her boutique. Along with…s-s-something else.”

Derpy tilted her head slightly and was about to ask what he meant, but then took a good look at his body language. She looked closely at the blush decorating his cheeks, along with the way he seemed to paw at the ground. The mailmare then noticed the way his wings seemed to ruffle as if they were ready to pop out at any moment, and finally down to his hind legs. The very same legs that were currently squeezed tougher, as if to keep something from popping out.

Something…popping out…

Derpy gasped silently, one of her hooves coming to her mouth as her cross-eyes widened in realization as to what Sheton was implying. Then, slowly, almost like a snail slithering across the ground, a grin made its way to her face. One that clearly told Sheton that she immediately knew what he was getting at. The bat-winged colt did not like it one bit. And he made it outwardly known.

“W-w-why the hell are you smiling at me like that?” Sheton asked, stepping away from Derpy as if she was going to jump him.

“Smiling at you like what?” Derpy asked innocently; a little too innocently for Sheton’s liking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about~.”

“Uh, yes you do! You liar!” Sheton said accusingly, pointing a hoof at the grinning mailmare. “You know exactly what I mean! The way you’re smiling, the way your eyes are blinking like that, and the way you’re resting your fight foreleg on your left! You know something! I just know it! And it involves me in some way!”

‘He catches on quick, doesn’t he?’ Derpy thought to herself, holding back another laugh at Sheton’s adorable little pout. Reaching out with a hoof, she gently patted the colt on his head, making his glare sharpen to a razor edge. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. You just worry about getting that present of yours to your fillyfriend as quickly as possible. I know without a doubt that she’ll love every single nook and cranny of it~.”

Sheton, seeing that Derpy wasn’t going to let up, gave a sigh of defeat. “Alright, fine. Don’t tell me. Just don’t act like you don’t know something when you do okay? I really don’t like it when ponies do that around me…”

Derpy’s expression softened, wrapping a wing around the colt and pulling him close. “I’m sorry baby. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I was just teasing you a little is all. No harm done.” She leaned in and kissed him on his forehead, making him smile a bit. “I’ll see you later okay sweetheart? Say hi to Scootaloo and Fluttershy at their cottage for me, will you?”

“I will.” Sheton nodded, spreading his wings and flapping into the air. “Thank you for the muffin by the way! It was really tasty!”

“No problem honey~. Nopony can resist the power that is my muffins~.” Derpy nodded, giving the stormy grey colt a salute. “Oh, and one more thing Sheton?”

The colt stopped in midair, his large wings helping him hover in place. “Yeah?”

With a small, yet devious smile, Derpy slowly walked over to Sheton leaning in close enough so that her lips were next to his ear. With sweet, motherly, yet playful tone, she whispered, “Make sure you give sweet little Scootaloo the rutting of her life~.”

If Derpy wasn’t carrying so many gifts, she would’ve fallen over in a laughing fit at Sheton’s gob-smacked face, unhinged jaw, and burning red cheeks. Choosing instead to laugh in the inside, she gave the colt one last peck on the nose before trotting away, smiling smugly as she did so. Even after she had gone, Sheton still remained in that same spot, nothing except for his wings moving. It began to catch the looks of some concerned folks that were passing through, but before they could do anything, somepony else beat them to it.

“Um…Sheton?”

With a scream that was the very definition of girly, Sheton shot up twenty feet into the air and spun around to the pony who addressed him. When he saw who it was, his slitted eyes widened in both shock and elation.

“F-F-Fluttershy!” He gasped, quickly getting over his scare. “What’re you doing here?”

“I…just came back from shopping at the market for Scootaloo’s gifts,” Fluttershy replied slowly, gesturing to the bags she had on her back. “What’re you doing out here in the cold all by yourself?”

“W-well, I had just returned to the post office after getting this gift from Derpy to Scootaloo,” Sheton replied, shifting the present on his back. “After that, I was going to head over to your cottage for our sleepover.”

“Sleepover?” Fluttershy looked at the colt in confusion for a few seconds, before she gasped out loud. “Oh, right! The sleepover you and Scootaloo were going to have tonight! Oh, dear! I can’t believe that I almost forgot about that!”

“Don’t worry about it Fluttershy. It’s fine.” Sheton said waving a hoof dismissively. “Now that you’re here with me, do you wanna go back there together then?”

Fluttershy smiled sweetly at the colt, her teal eyes shining as bright as the rosary around her neck. “Well of course honey! It’s always a pleasure to be around a colt as wonderful as you~! I do want to get you out of this cold anyway.”

“Uh, Fluttershy, you do realize that I’m a thestral, right?” Sheton asked, indicating to his feathered bat wings, tufted ears, slitted eyes, and glistening fangs. “We’re built for cold climate and especially chilly weather no matter where it is! Why do you think we have such fluffy ears and a coat? For these particular days like Hearth’s Warming!”

“That’s true. But, it can also backfire for you on warmer days like spring.” Fluttershy countered as the colt landed beside her. “It may protect you from the cold, but your coat can also make it hotter than usual for you during hotter months. Plus, even adaptable equines like you can suffer if you stay out in the cold for too long, wouldn’t you agree?”

Sheton’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, before shutting it a second time. “Y…y-yeah, I can…”

“Of course you could,” Fluttershy nodded, patting the colt on his head. “Now, why don’t we get out of this cold and get you to my cottage? The sooner we get there, the sooner you can cuddle with my little Loo-Loo in front of a nice cozy fire.”

“U-uh-huh…” Sheton nodded, his blush returning as images of his fillyfriend entered his young teenage mind. “That too.”

“Mhm, and the sooner we get there...” Fluttershy continued, her smile gaining a devious edge to it. “…the sooner you can have my sweet little sister for desert~.”

Sheton flinched, his heart skipping a beat as he locked eyes with the larger flyer. With an inaudible gulp, he stammered out, “W-w-what did you just s-say F-Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy leaned down and planted a motherly kiss on his cheek, winking in a way that was far too innocent in the colt’s feline eyes. “Nothing love~. Nothing at all~.”

Author's Note

Well, I'm doing it everypony...I'm writing another brand new clopfic, and just days after I had written the one about Milky Way and the Chaotic Trio!!! I honestly don't know what compelled me to do it but I did. Probably because I've been surprising so many ideas in my head and I could no longer contain them. So I'm finally deciding to let those other ideas lose, if not for the sake of keeping myself from going crazy. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because there will be more on the way! I was thinking about just making this one chapter, but then decided against it, probably because I figured you guys wouldn't want this new clopfic in one massive chapter, so I'm gonna split it up to save you guys the headaches. Also, for those of you who're wondering, this Scootaloo will be the same alternate version as in my other story, The Knights of Equestria, with my OC of Sheton being in that same story as well, so if you hadn't read that story yet, do so so you can somewhat understand why I made Scootaloo the way she will be in this story and why Sheton is in there, or else you won't quite get it.