“But what if she says no?” asked Terramar as he lie on the couch in the Crusaders' clubhouse. Sweating slightly, the young hippogriff stared at the far wall and nibbled the talons on his right claw so much that one might think they'd be reduced to stubs. His left claw, which dangled over the edge of the couch, squeezed the couch cushion over and over, making tiny little puncture marks in the fabric.
Apple Bloom patted Terramar's left claw and pressed hard. “Would y'all calm down? One: you're goin' to give yourself a heart attack, and two: you'll ruin our couch by doin' that.”
“Calm? How do I stay calm when she and I have only said 'hi' in passing a few times at the dance club? How did I go straight from that to wanting to ask her out on a date so much it's all I can think about?! I am such a fool!” Terramar let out a groan and rubbed his head so vigorously that he started to slide off the couch.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo caught the hippogriff and helped him back onto his seat.
“Careful there, Mr. Griff!” said Scootaloo with a chuckle. “Don't want to get all bruised up before you pop the question now do you? But seriously, take a few moments and chill.”
Terramar gave each of the fillies a nervous look.
“Close your eyes, and breathe deep. It's no different than what I do to prepare myself for a wicked stunt on my scooter.”
“Okay...” Terramar closed his eyes and inhaled deep.
“That's it,” said Sweetie Belle soothingly. “Nice and slow.”
After a few breaths, Terramar's racing heart slowed and he stopped sweating.
“One last one. Inhale, hold it for a few seconds, then exhale.”
Terramar did exactly as Sweetie instructed, then opened his eyes.
The fillies smiled up at him.
“Feelin' chill?” asked Apple Bloom. “Like y'all are ready to take on the world? If not I could always splash some cold cider on your face just for good measure.”
Terramar nodded, but kept a slight frown on his demeanor. “Yeah. I'm better now.”
“Just use water,” said Scootaloo. “Don't waste perfectly good cider.”
Sweetie Belle sat down on her hindquarters and kept her gaze on Terramar. “Anyway... Now we can get to the reason you're here. Or at least, what we surmised based on the way you kind of just burst in and were rambling like a nut.”
“I was?” inquired Terramar. His memory of the last ten minutes were a complete blur.
Apple Bloom nodded. “Eeyup. I admit it was kind of entertainin' for a few minutes then it just got real awkward.”
Terramar blinked a few times then blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry. I really don't even remember that.”
“You're just very nervous,” said Scootaloo. “And that's perfectly normal. You should have seen how nervous Big Mac was to talk to Sugar Bell.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Uh huh! Or how nervous Feather Bangs was with talking to any girl.”
Terramar kept quiet as he listened to the fillies.
“The point is,” said Apple Bloom, “is that you're just nervous and that's okay. And what if she says no? At least you tried right?”
“But you're a cool guy, Terramar,” stated Scootaloo. “And from what we hear, Autumn Blaze is really easy to talk to... if maybe a little eccentric.”
Terramar thought back to the first time several weeks prior when he saw the white-furred, green-scaled, amber-maned kirin in Ponyville. She had been having tea and cakes with Applejack, Fluttershy and the rest of their friends. The way she spoke with such lively energy, and seeing her prance around and dance inside the club a couple days later, it was clear she was the life of the party. That day, he'd felt a spark inside him that he'd never felt before. Curious, he had gone to the dance club several times since then just to see her again, and every time, the spark grew until he just couldn't stop thinking about her. He didn't want to think about anything else.
“Yeah...” he said, smiling ever so slightly. “She does seem the type you could easily spark up a conversation with.”
“There you go!” beamed Sweetie Bell. “Just start with that and see where the day takes you!”
“Shouldn't we become friends first before I think about asking her out?”
“Like I said, start by just talking with her. And you said it yourself: 'she does seem the type you could easily spark up a conversation with.' Sometimes that's all it takes to make a new friend!”
“So... found your confidence yet?” asked Scootaloo.
Terramar was silent for a moment then his smile grew brighter. “Yeah...” he muttered.
Scootaloo grinned and playfully tapped the hippogriff's claw. “Really? You don't sound too sure.”
Terramar let out a chuckle. “Yeah. I do feel better.” He crawled off the couch, gently shook himself off, then beamed down at the fillies. “I'm going to go over to the club and talk to her. Thanks!”
“That's what friends are for!” said Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waved as Terramar moved toward the door. “Good luck!”
Terramar looked back, returned the wave, then exited the clubhouse.
Thank Celestia it's a clear and sunny day today... Terramar thought as he flew above the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. Any other kind of weather and I think I might not have the courage to do this.
Passing by, Terramar glanced at the Apple family's home, barn, pens and various chicken coops that dotted the farm. Ponyville proper entered his vision, and his heartbeat became just a little bit quicker. By the time he reached the outer line of buildings just beyond the Apple farm, he was sweating again. He landed in the shadow of a tree behind a home and quickly wiped his brow.
“Come on, Terramar,” he muttered to himself. “You just got an encouraging pep talk from the Crusaders and left there feeling confident. Don't tell me you've already lost it.”
He stood still as a statue for a few minutes.
“No, I haven't lost it. It's just... saying you'll do something is easier than doing it. I can do this. I just need to do exactly as they said.”
And remember, she seems easy to talk to, he thought.
The hippogriff was silent for another brief moment then he grinned.
“Well... Thanks for that reminder, voice in my head.”
No worries, Terramar. Now get over there!
Terramar chuckled and shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he came out from behind the house and began to make his way down the street with a bright smile that matched the warmth of the sun. As he went, ponies smiled and waved to him which he returned, but his focus remained sharp. After a brisk stroll through the heart of Ponyville, the place he sought came into his view.
His stride didn't falter as he approached the club. He spotted the usual beige earth pony stallion greeting patrons at the door and walked up to him. “Hey!” he said brightly.
The stallion smiled. “Hello again, Terramar. You're practically a regular here now it seems. Glad to see our establishment is on your A-list!”
Terramar chuckled. “Guess so. It's not quite the same as being back on Mt. Aris or in Seaquestria, but whenever I'm in Ponyville this is the place.”
“Well, come on in!”
Terramar gave the stallion a friendly nod and stepped inside. Immediately he glanced around. The club looked like it was having a bit of a slow day with fewer guests than normal, but that only made it easier for Terramar to spot the one he was looking for.
Autumn Blaze pranced and spun around in the middle of the dance floor like every time Terramar had seen previously. The mere sight of her and the sound of her voice made his heart skip a beat and he blushed. He quickly composed himself however, recalling what the Crusaders told him about not being too forward too quick. He took a seat at a nearby empty table and just enjoyed watching the kirin mare dance.
Several minutes later, Autumn stopped and took a bow while the small crowd of ponies cheered and stomped their hooves in approval. Terramar himself joined in the applause by getting out of his seat and stomping his claws. He glanced around again, and realized that Applejack and Fluttershy weren't present nor were any of their other friends.
Guess they're all busy elsewhere today, thought Terramar. Keeping his gaze on Autumn as she took a seat at the bar and started talking with the blue unicorn mare working there, the hippogriff's breathing quickened as did his heart rate. He started to sweat again and his thoughts clashed with each other. Autumn and the barkeep chuckled about something that Terramar couldn't discern through the chatter in the air, but Autumn's laughter broke through and filled the young hippogriff's ears. His breathing and heart rate slowed to a steady pace and he stopped sweating.
“Guess it's now or never...” he uttered under his breath.
Taking another deep breath, Terramar approached the bar and sat down a couple seats away from Autumn.
The barkeep mare smiled at him and walked up. “Hello again, Terramar! Would you like your usual kelp chips and fish oil tea today?”
Terramar smiled back and nodded. “Please.”
“You know... thanks to you and your sister we have guests asking about those now.”
“Really? I thought only hippogriffs who've spent time in Seaquestria would have a taste for those.”
“Learn something new everyday I guess!”
Both of them let out a hearty laugh.
“Small, medium or large order?” asked the barkeep cheerfully.
“Medium please.”
“I'll have those ready for you in a jiffy!”
Instantly, another voice reached Terramar's ears from his right side.
“So I have you and your sister to thank for this amazing stuff!”
Terramar's eyes lit up and he looked over.
The voice belonged to none other than Autumn Blaze. From her seat a couple of spots away, she beamed at Terramar, and she had a large plate of kelp chips and a mug of fish oil tea in front of her. She snickered and the arrow pattern on her horn lit up, levitating a chip into her mouth. “This is probably my new favorite dish when visiting Ponyville!” she said through her bites. “And hey, I've seen you in here several times before but we've never talked or anything!”
Terramar's thoughts raced. Part of him screamed that now was his chance to break the ice with the kirin who had come to dominate his thoughts, while another part of him wanted to vanish in a puff of smoke. But deep down he felt that spark again, more powerful than ever before. The spark grew and grew until there was no room left for cowardice. After a couple moments, his strength returned.
“Yeah,” he said. “These things are a common eat back in Seaquestria. I never thought they'd gain a liking outside of that place though. And I've seen you as well. I'm Terramar!”
“I'm Autumn Blaze and I'm super glad to meet you!”
Autumn held her hoof out to Terramar. Smiling, Terramar reached up and gently shook Autumn's hoof. Even that was enough to get the hippogriff's heart fluttering.
“I've heard a little smidge about hippogriffs slash seaponies from my friends Applejack and Fluttershy,” stated Autumn, maintaining her bright demeanor. “You can really shift between hippogriff and seapony at will?”
Terramar nodded. “Yes. As long as I have my necklace. I'm one that drifts between our two homes, while others prefer to live at one exclusively. For example, my dad stays high up in Mt. Aris and my mother stays down in Seaquestria. I don't mind it really. It means I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. And sometimes both kinds of our people will have gatherings on the beach for parties and such.”
“That's certainly a good way to look at it!”
“My sister Silverstream lives at Princess Twilight's school though so she isn't able to visit all the time. But we write to each other every week to keep in touch.”
“I know a couple of things about isolation and separation. Soon after we kirin accidentally destroyed our village by turning into niriks, we all agreed to literally never speak again. At first I was like, 'eh', but then it drove me up the wall!”
Terramar blinked several times and stared in confusion. “What are niriks, and how did your village accidentally get destroyed by turning into them?”
“Oh. A nirik is when a kirin gets so angry that they change forms into something really nasty that literally incinerates things around it in frustration. A while back some of us got into a bad fight and yada yada yada.” Autumn didn't seem to lose any of her excitability as she was describing that, which only worsened Terramar's confusion. He remained attentive nonetheless.
“So anyway. I grew tired of not being able to talk super quick and did the thing to get my voice back! But I couldn't convince the others to get their voices back until Applejack and Fluttershy showed up. It's all good now though and we couldn't be happier!”
This gal sure does love to chatter, thought Terramar. No wonder she wanted the rest of her village to get their voices back. She probably really missed hearing her family and friends' voices.
“That's great to hear!” he said, giving Autumn another bright smile.
“Here's your order!” beamed the barkeep as she presented Terramar with a medium-sized plate of kelp chips and mug of the fish oil tea. “Enjoy! What am I saying? Of course you will.”
Terramar chuckled again along with the barkeep. “Of course I will. This place hasn't disappointed yet.” He took a sip of the tea and ate a chip. “As good as ever.”
“Oh, hey!” cried Autumn cheerfully. “How about after you're finished eating you join me on the dance floor? I love to dance just as much as I love to talk, especially with a new friend!”
Terramar was silent for a moment and just stared at Autumn, meeting her hopeful gaze. “N-new friend?” he stuttered. “D-dance with you?” In that moment, the young hippogriff felt another wave of warmth shoot through himself, and he smiled brighter than he ever had before. He nodded enthusiastically. “Sure! I-I'm not really much of a dancer, but I'll try!”
“Ah, no worries. It's all about just having fun! Not like it's a competition or show or anything. Speaking of... could you watch my grub for me? I feel another boogie coming on!” With a great laugh, Autumn gave Terramar another bright smile and then proceeded out to the dance floor.
Seated at the bar and casually nibbling his lunch, Terramar watched as Autumn burst into another number. Part of him was still having difficulty realizing it, but just as before, that feeling was quickly wiped away. The first step had been taken, due in part to Autumn herself being so outgoing and friendly, and the young hippogriff hoped that he would someday have the courage to ask Autumn if she would like to be a little more than just friends.
Maintaining his cheery demeanor, Terramar quickly finished his lunch and joined Autumn on the dance floor.
Author's Note
My first attempt at a very short fic (less than 3k) and shipfic. The May 2020 Unusual Pairing Contest seemed like the perfect opportunity to ship #cutestcanonkirin Autumn Blaze with my leading MLP husbando Terramar.
