It was around the evening time in Mount Aris as the sun was setting. Feather Bangs was sitting by the seaside while wearing a pink bow tie and his mane was nicely combed. He looked around to see if any creature is nearby. Feather was doing this as he was waiting for his date for the evening. He couldn't believe that he was able to score a date because of him getting into an accident.
Earlier Today
Feather and a few other ponies were on a hiking trail in the Harmonizing Heights. Ever since the Storm King's defeat, the hippogriffs no longer felt fear and came out of hiding. Ponies started to visit Mount Aris to see what the hippogriff kingdom was like. Feather would definitely agree that it was breathtaking when he first saw it. It was taller than any building that was in Equestria. Feather also couldn't help but admire the ocean view that came with the large kingdom. As he was about to continue with the trail, he accidentally tripped and he fell down from the cliff. Feather watched helplessly as the other ponies reacted to him falling into the water. It took about a few seconds before Feather splashed into the water. Feather tried to swim back up to the surface for air, but he was pushed around by the large ocean waves. What made things worse was that he was also running out of breath and he felt like his whole face was about to turn purple from lack of oxygen. Feather felt terrified as this could be the end of his life. As Feather felt like he was about to faint, a shadowy figure swam towards Feather and grabbed him by the hooves. Feather couldn't see what the figure was as his vision was extremely blurry in the water. The figure hoisted Feather up towards the surface until his head was finally splashed out from the water. Feather quickly took in some deep breaths from holding his breath for too long.
"Thank goodness you're alive!" A female voice said to Feather. He looked up to see what was the shadowy figure he saw in the ocean. It was a yellow fishlike creature with light blue fins and red, wing-like fins on its back. The creature also had light blue eyes that were similar to those of ponies. Feather thought the creature looked majestic as it led him towards the sandy shores. Feather sat down on the wet sand to allow himself to catch his breath while the creature sat next to him.
"You were lucky that I was just nearby when you fell into the water. What made you want to jump in the first place?" The creature asked.
"I accidentally fell down here while following a nature trail. I was caught up on watching the ocean that I tripped." Feather replied.
"Well, all that matters is that you're safe." The creature said as she smiled. Feather once again felt enchanted by the creature's appearance, especially her smile. "I'm Skystar, if you were wondering."
"I'm Feather Bangs. A-are you some kind of fish?" Feather asked as he took a good look at his rescuer.
"Actually....I'm a seapony. You can say that I'm half fish." Skystar replied.
"S-Seapony?" Feather said in confusion.
"Yeah, I'm a seapony. And sometimes, I'm a hippogriff." Skystar said.
"Wait, a hippogriff?" Feather said in more confusion. Skystar reached towards her neck that had a necklace with a small, pink shard at the center. She touched it and it caused her entire body to glow. Feather watched as Skystar changed her shape until she became more birdlike.
"Ta-da!" Skystar announced as if she was showing off a magic trick.
"Whoa!" Feather said in shock.
"Surprised, huh? All of the hippogriffs could do this." Skystar said as she flew up and flapped her wings. Feather remembered that these hippogriffs have the ability to change into seaponies and that was how they were able to hide from the Storm King. Feather felt like he was more attracted to this hippogriff. He quickly turned his head to show off his stylish mane.
"I never seen such a beautiful hippogriff before." Feather said with lidded eyes and a smile. Skystar suddenly blushed from hearing Feather's comment.
"I wouldn't say that I'm that beautiful." Skystar said as she rubbed her arm in modesty.
"Oh please, you're like a shining pearl in the ocean. You shine even in the water's darkness." Feather said.
"Oh, you're too nice!" Skystar cooed.
"Say, how about you and I spend some time together. Consider it as a token for you saving me back there." Feather offered. Skystar gasped.
"You mean...like a date! I never been on one of those, especially with a pony! I have to get ready! I got to wear something pretty! I need to get a seaweed wrap! When and where do you want meet?" Skystar said all at once. Feather thought about a good response.
"How about at sunset on this same spot?" Feather suggested.
"That's perfect! I could show you more of Mount Aris and we can get to know each other more!" Skystar said as she transformed back into a seapony and splashed into the water. "See you soon!" Skystar said as she dived into the ocean, leaving a confused and yet satisfied Feather on the beach.
Present
Feather continued to wait until he noticed something bubbling in the ocean. It emerged to reveal Skystar landing slowly on the beachside while wearing a pink silk-like dress.
"Hey! I'm so glad you made it!" Feather said as he made his way to Skystar.
"Same here!" Skystar said back. Feather pulled out a bouquet of pink flowers.
"I got these for you for our first date." Feather said as he gave the flowers to Skystar.
"Why thank you, Feather!" Skystar said as she sniffed the bouquet. "My mom can bring these back home when she gets here." Feather lifted a brow from hearing what Skystar just said.
"Your mom?" Feather said.
"Oh yeah! My mom is coming to meet you to see what you're like. I hope you don't mind." Skystar said sheepishly. Feather thought about the situation for a moment.
"It's no problem, it would be nice to meet your mom." Feather said before he noticed more bubbles coming from the ocean floor. Three figures emerged from the water and they landed near the couple. Feather felt surprised when he saw a pearly white female hippogriff with pinkish hair and tail. On the female hippogriff's head was a gold headpiece with some blue feathers on top. Surrounding the female hippogriff were two male hippogriffs who wore armor. Feather was stunned when he saw the three hippogriffs approaching him and Skystar.
"Hey Mom!" Skystar said. "I want you to meet Feather Bangs."
"Uh...Hello." Feather said nervously.
"Greetings, I am Queen Novo, ruler of the hippogriffs." Feather's blood went cold from what he heard.
"Q-Queen Novo." Feather blurted before he turned to Skystar. "T-then that would make you a-"
"A princess? Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Skystar said in embarrassment.
"I-it's fine," Feather said with a nervous grin. "I was sort of shocked to actually meet a princess and then a queen."
"First time for everything, Mr. Feather Bangs." Queen Novo said as she got closer to Feather. "All I ask from you is to make sure that Skystar gets the best treatment from this date and bring her back here when the date is done. Don't forget this is my daughter you're dating and I will do anything to those who do her wrong." Queen Novo said with a serious look that almost made Feather wet himself.
"Mom!" Skystar groaned. "Don't worry! Feather looks like the kind of pony who treats his dates right." Queen Novo just looked at her daughter before she turned back to Feather.
"Alright, you two take care during your date." Queen Novo said as she took Skystar's bouquet and returned to the ocean along with her guards. Feather stayed silent as he tried to process what happened to him.
"So, shall we get started?" Skystar said as she took Feather's hoof and led him towards Mount Aris. Feather felt uncertainty as this could be the most important date of his life.
Feather stayed silent as he and Skystar made their way up to the hippogriff village. He couldn't believe that he was going on a date with an actual princess. Feather thought he had nothing to worry about due to his experience with dating mares, but dating a princess was a whole new level. There were times during the walk where Feather looked around his environment in case if Queen Novo sent some of her guards to keep surveillance on her daughter.
"Um, are you alright Feather?" Skystar asked curiously. This made Feather startled for a bit.
"Oh! Um...I'm fine!" Feather said with a fake smile. "It's just hard to believe that you were a princess. Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Feather assured.
"Yeah, I didn't want to get that much attention while I was outside of my home." Skystar said.
"I guess that makes sense." Feather said. He then noticed that he and Skystar finally arrived to the top of Mount Aris where he saw more hippogriffs in the area. Some of the hippogriffs greeted Skystar and sometimes bowed to her as she and Feather passed by.
'It would make sense that they all know Skystar. She is a princess after all.' Feather thought as he continued to follow Skystar.
"So, where should we go first?" Feather asked.
"I do feel a little hungry. How about a place to eat? I know this really great place that serves the best meals!" Skystar said as she took Feather's hoof and led him further into the town. It was a few minutes before Skystar and Feather arrived to a small cafe where ponies and hippogriffs were eating at.
"Princess Skystar!" A male hippogriff said as he approached the couple. "What brings you back to Mount Aris?"
"I'm just here on a little outing while showing this pony what Mount Aris is like." Skystar said as she lean to Feather.
"Then allow me to show you to a table." The male hippogriff said as he led the couple him to a small table. Once Feather and Skystar were seated and told the waiter their orders, they stayed silent for a long time. It wasn't until Feather broke the ice in desperation.
"So, it seems that most of the hippogriffs here are happier now that they returned here." Feather said.
"I know, most of the hippogriffs really wanted to return to Mount Aris way before Princess Twilight and her friends came here. But they were too afraid of getting caught by the Storm King." Skystar said.
"I don't really blame you guys, the Storm King really was a bad guy." Feather said. He recalled from various stories that the Storm King and his army were able to capture all four alicorn princesses and stole their magic.
"I felt glad that I came with Princess Twilight's friends to fight back against the Storm King." Skystar said.
"Really?!" Feather said in surprise.
"Yeah, I couldn't just stay in Seaquestria. Princess Twilight's friends showed me that I could make some differences for doing a few things. Thanks to that, the Storm King was defeated and the hippogriffs got to return to their homes." Feather felt amazed from Skystar's act of bravery.
"Wow, that is impressive. I was with all the other ponies who got captured during the Storm King's invasion." Feather said as he remembered being in one of those black cages while surrounded by the Storm King's monsters.
"I felt so sorry for you guys when I saw what the Storm King did. That was what exactly my mom was afraid of when she hid us in the sea. She was able to keep the hippogriffs safe, but she didn't care much about those who were already attacked by the Storm King." Skystar looked down in sadness. Feather quickly thought of a way to cheer the princess up.
"But it's like you said, it was thanks to your efforts that the hippogriffs were able to enjoy living on the surface again." Skystar smiled.
"Yeah, you do have a point." Skystar said before the waiter returned with the couple's meals. Feather had a troubled look on his face when he saw his dish. It was made up of what looked like rolled up seaweed filled with rice. At the center of the rolls were colorful corals and some strange green paste on the side of the food.
"So, what is this?" Feather asked.
"You'll love this! This is what we call a coral wrap. It's a fried coral wrapped in salty seaweed. It's absolutely delicious!" Skystar said as she began eating her coral wrap. Feather slowly picked up his coral wrap to take a closer look at it. He wasn't exactly familiar with different kinds of cuisines outside of Equestria. Feather took a small bite from the coral wrap and took his time to chew on it. The coral was strange to taste but Feather was able to swallow it with satisfaction.
"This is really good!" Feather said while taking another bite.
"What did I tell you!" Skystar nodded as both of them continued to eat their meals.
"Cous!" A female voice said from nearby. Feather turned to see a female, light pink hippogriff coming towards his table. She was shorter than Skystar and she also had light blue hair.
"Silver!" Skystar said as she stood up to give the light pink hippogriff a hug. "What brings you back to Mount Aris?"
"It was spring break at the School of Friendship, so I came back here to see how our family has been doing." The pink hippogriff said as she pointed to her table which was made up of what looked like her family.
"That's so great to hear!" Skystar said before she realized that Feather was also here. "Oh right! Feather, this is Silverstream. She is one of my cousins."
"Umm...it's nice to meet you." Feather said sheepishly.
"Silver, this is Feather Bangs. I'm showing him around Mount Aris since this is his first time here." Skystar said.
"Wait, are you two...on a date?!" Silverstream gasped. "I feel so excited for Skystar! I can't believe you're on your first date, especially with a stallion!"
"I'm just showing him around the area. It's more like a hangout." Skystar corrected.
"Any date is a date if you ask me! Good luck, Skystar!" Silverstream then turned to Feather to give him a wink. "And you too, Mr. Feather Bangs." Silverstream then returned to her table.
"Your cousin seems to be nice." Feather said.
"Yeah, that's family for ya." Skystar said as she sat down so they could continue with enjoying their meals.
When Skystar and Feather were done eating, they left to continue exploring the village. Feather saw that the street was also made up of booths where hippogriffs could play different games and activities.
"How about we play some games here? There are a lot of fun things to do!" Skystar suggested.
"Sure!" Feather agreed as both of them went to a booth that was filled with bottles.
"Come and toss the rings into the bottles! You'll win a prize if you're able to toss at least one ring into at least one bottle!" A male hippogriff behind the booth said as he offered three rings to Feather.
"I got this one." Feather said to Skystar as he began to toss one ring to the table full of bottles. Unfortunately, he missed the ring toss after two tries and got really frustrated.
"Is it alright that I give it a shot?" Skystar said as she tossed the last ring into one of the bottles. Feather was stunned from Skystar's good aim.
"Congratulations, your majesty! Here's a prize for getting one ring into one of the bottles!" The male hippogriff said as he gave Skystar a small teddy bear.
"Thank you!" Skystar said as she cuddled with her teddy bear. "Let's go to another booth, Feather!" Skystar said as she led a shocked Feather.
'Okay, my first try to impress Skystar wasn't so good. Maybe the next time will work!' Feather thought with determination.
Feather had some bad luck during the next two booths as he kept losing or missing during the games. It made Feather feel more frustrated from each loss from the booths. What's worse was that Skystar gave it a try and she kept winning prizes. Skystar noticed Feather's struggles and she decided to led Feather to a small cart where cotton candy was being served.
"Ta da!" Skystar said as she presented a cone of cotton candy to Feather. "Consider it a treat for showing me a fun time!" Feather said nothing as he took the cone and took some bites from the cotton candy.
"It's good." Feather said as his eyes lit up from how tasty it was.
"I know," Skystar said as she also took a bite from her cotton candy. As the couple continued to eat their fluffy goodness, Skystar noticed the entrance to the Harmonizing Heights and came up with an idea.
"I bet you haven't seen what the Harmonizing Heights are like during the nighttime!" Skystar said as she took Feather's hoof and they made their way to the forested area. Skystar stopped until she and Feather were in a good amount of the forest where it was completely dark.
"Umm, Skystar, Are you sure it's a good idea to be this far into the woods?" Feather said in a bit of fear.
"Don't worry, it will be all worth it in about a few seconds." Skystar pointed to an area in the woods where some small lights appeared. Feather took a closer look to see that the small lights were fireflies and they flew closer to him and Skystar.
"Whoa!" Feather said in surprise as the fireflies flew up in the air to show off more of their bright lights.
"Amazing, huh?" Skystar said while also looking at the lights. "That was how I felt when I first saw them when I was younger." The fireflies continued to fly around Feather and Skystar. Feather couldn't help but feel like this scenario was very romantic. It almost made him want to write poems about the shining lights giving off from the fireflies and how it brightens the dark woods. Feather's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a booming sound from the sky. He looked up to notice that dark clouds were forming from the sky and the fireflies were leaving the area.
"Bummer, there's a storm coming." Feather said as he turned to Skystar. He noticed something was wrong as Skystar was shaking in fear from watching the sky.
"Sky?" Feather asked in concern.
"No...no...not again!" Skystar said as she trembled. She began running deeper in the woods while Feather galloped in pursuit.
"Sky! What's wrong!?" Feather shouted. He then noticed that Skystar was about to reach a large lake.
"Sky, stop! You're about to reach some water!" Feather yelled. It was too late as Skystar took a big leap towards the lake. Feather quickly jumped after her. As he was about to reach Skystar, she suddenly glowed that almost blinded Feather. Both of them splashed into the water and Feather tried to recover from his temporary blindness. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was in the water. Feather thought something was weird as he noticed that he saw things more clearly in the water and he isn't drowning because he was breathing as if the water was air. It was then Feather looked down to see that his hind hooves were replaced with a large fish tail that had light brown fins on the side. He continued to look all over himself until he realized that he had become a seapony just like Skystar.
'I must've transformed along with Skystar when we fell into the lake.' Feather thought before he remembered why he was in the lake in the first place. He began trying to swim around the water to find Skystar. It was difficult for Feather to swim with a tail since it was his first time as a seapony. He continued to swim around until he noticed an underwater rock formation.
'It would make sense that she could hide there.' Feather thought as he looked up to see the surface as light flashed to indicate lightning. Feather swam around the rock formation until he noticed a small opening on the side. He thought Skystar could've been in there since it was big enough. Feather entered the hole to find a crying Skystar curled up like a ball.
"Sky." Feather said as he approached her. Skystar got startled until she recognized Feather.
"Feather? How did you get here and how did you become a seapony?" Skystar asked.
"I was behind you when you jumped into the lake." Feather said. After another thunder hit, Skystar screamed in fear and continued to curl up in fear.
"Are you afraid of storms?" Feather asked. Skystar looked up to Feather with a sad look on her face.
"Yes, I'm terrified of them." Skystar admitted. "They remind me of when the Storm King tried to invade Mount Aris. He was so fierce when he and his army came with those dark clouds and lightning. Any dark storm reminds me of that horrible day. It makes me think that he or any of his minions might return and try to take away my home." Skystar then resumed crying. Feather made his way towards Skystar to wrap a hoof around her shoulder.
"It's okay, I'm here." Feather assured as he comforted Skystar while the storm raged on.
It was about an hour when Feather popped his head outside of the water. He noticed that the storm had passed.
"It's all clear." Feather said as he and Skystar got out from the water and transformed again.
"Woo, I'm glad I'm back as a pony." Feather said as he fixed his mane.
"I'm sorry if I ruined our date with my little scare back there." Skystar said sheepishly.
"It's no problem. I used to have a fear of talking to girls." Feather said.
"You did?" Skystar said in surprise.
"Yeah, I used to believe that talking to a mare was more scary than loneliness." Feather replied. "It was thanks to some good friends and practice that I was able to get over my fears."
"I got to admit, I was actually impressed when you told me you jumped into the lake with me." Skystar said. "What made you do that?" Feather looked at Skystar in confusion as he didn't know why.
"I honestly, don't know. You were acting scared and I wanted to make sure you were alright." Feather said before he noticed Skystar giving him a tender hug.
"Whatever what's worth, thank you for keeping me company." Skystar whispered. Feather blushed a deep red from not only hearing such a praise but from being extremely close to Skystar.
"It's...it's no problem!" Feather said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We should probably head back to the beach so your mom could pick you up." Skystar nodded in agreement. The couple made their way down Mount Aris until they reached the seashore.
"Thanks for the date, Feather." Skystar said.
"I should be thanking you, you were the guide of this date." Feather replied.
"You have a point," Skystar said with a giggle. "Oh yeah! I forgot to give you one last gift!"
"A gift?" Feather asked.
"Yeah, but you have to close your eyes so you won't ruin the surprise!" Skystar demanded.
"Okay." Feather said as he closed his eyes shut. He waited for a few seconds until he felt Skystar's beak kissing his cheek. Feather's eyes shot open from Skystar's sudden move.
When Skystar was done with the kiss, she leaned to Feather's eyes and whispered "We should definitely do this again." Skystar then made her way to the beach where Queen Novo and her guards were waiting. As Skystar transformed and dived into the water, Queen Novo gave a small smile and a nod to Feather as a sign that she approves of him. Once the queen and her guards also dived into the ocean, Feather was by himself at the beach. He smiled with joy and turned to leave the beach.
'Way to go, Feather!' Feather praised himself as he couldn't wait for his next date with Skystar.
