Long ago in the land of Equestria…

Before even the princesses' time of ruling…

There existed a powerful demon, of whom, threatened the safety of this world.

This demon was immensely powerful, strong enough to wipe out the entire world from existence, should it so choose.

However…

Through the use of a secret technique, this demon was sealed within an object, and hidden to never be seen again.

This was not the end of the demon's story.

There were two demons. At a time, one and the same, but now, two.

The unsealed demon had left the face of the world, unseen as its counterpart. Though, not without a parting gift.

A set of magical relics, known by many names. Wishing orbs. Magic spheres. Dragon Balls. Regardless of the name, the story was the same…

“…Gather all seven, and utter an incantation to summon the powerful dragon Shenron, to grant a single wish.” A young male's voice read the worn out book in his grip aloud. A smile fell onto his face, as he clutched a strange, orange sphere. “This definitely ain't a different version of the Elements of Harmony.”

The sphere seemed to glow, the four stars speckling its surface glowing a darker orange. Seeing it sparkle appeared to excite the owner of said sphere.

“This thing even matches the description…! If this thing's real, all seven must be, too! I'll find them all!” With a declaration that pierced the world around him, an adventure was set into place.

Chapter 1

An Adventure… Begins to Begin.

“Canterlot, you say?” Aspiring fashionista Rarity repeated after an inquiry from someone she knew well. The unicorn sat at her work table, following the one who asked's form with her eyes. “Why ever would you need to know where Canterlot is?”

One would imagine the sight of something unknown would shock and disgust a pony, but the sight of this young man was doing no such thing to Rarity. She was already familiar with the fair skinned, raven haired boy that paced the room, grabbing a few things as he walked. This was Kai, her roommate since she was a filly. The boy had been taken in by her parents after finding him all on his own.

Story for another time—Rarity was too curious about the current situation.

Kai adjusted his black long coat, his brown pants moving in sight as his coat swayed. White boots tapped powerfully on the floor as he paced.

“I'm goin' on an adventure. But I kinda can't do that without something to actually help me find them all.” Kai being vague was nothing new. He usually answered like this—unintentionally, but still.

“Find what, Kai?” Rarity asked in an obvious tone. Although used to the vagueness, it was still mildly annoying.

Kai scratched his head sheepishly, realising his fault.

“Sorry. I read this book of old, OLD legends, and found something called ‘Dragon Balls’.” A light blush fell onto Rarity's face, her eyebrows raising.

“How very vulgar of you, Kai. Subtlety is your best friend, you know?”

“Ah, not THOSE balls!” The boy clarified quickly, sighing when the mare only gave him a skeptical look. “Ugh…! I'll just show you.” Kai reached into his coat's pocket, rustling around for a moment, before pulling out the aforementioned orange sphere. “This.”

As he held it up, the item in question shined in the light of the sun's rays, which seeped through the opened blinds of their home. Rarity stared, mesmerized by the beauty of this supposed ‘legendary item’. It was so very clear, yet, at the same time, she could see her own reflection without seeing through it.

“Ooh…” Was all she could say. Until she noticed the stars. “Oh my! These stars compliment it very well! As vulgar as the name is, this truly is a beautiful item!” The unicorn gave a half-lidded stare to Kai. “What is it exactly?”

“It's a magical relic.” Kai answered as he pocketed the ball, ignoring the short sound of disappointment from Rarity. His steeled onyx eyes met with the mare's deep blue. “Collect all seven, and you get a wish—any one wish!”

Rarity was far less excited about this. A wish after collecting some suggestively named relics just sounded too good to be true. Not only that, but an adventure for a mere legend was dangerous.

“Um… Kai, wouldn't you rather stay home and… uh…” She thought fast, glancing to her latest project—a simple dress, which she planned tweak a bit. Clothing was a good choice, so… “Help me knit a nice sweater for this upcoming winter?”

Rarity held her breath, hoping for the answer she expected.

“Sorry Rarity, but I can feel this calling to me right now.” Kai raised his right hand to his chest, and clenched his fist. He gave an even yet determined look to Rarity. “I can feel my saiyan blood pushing me to do this for the action, and my pony blood pushing me to find my destiny on this quest!”

Indeed, Kai was half-saiyan, half-pony—Earth Pony, to be specific. A saiyan for a father, a pony for a mother; both gone for different reasons. The former left the planet, apparantly. That was still a hard thing to believe… His mother, however, had passed of an illness when he was very young. His physical features took after his father, and the only thing he actually took after his mother was the calling for a destiny—a cutie mark.

Moving on, Rarity gave a reluctant nod of understanding. She recalled how lost she felt when she was trying to uncover her own cutie mark. The mare felt the tri-diamond art upon her flank tingle very slightly at the thought of being without her special talent, and knew right then that, although she didn't like it, she had to accept Kai leaving.

“…O…okay.” Just saying that took alot of power from the unicorn, her eyes lowering to focus on nothing in particular. “I suppose… since you'll be gone, I'll have more time to design dresses. We'll have more money, since we won't spend it on your insane apetite…”

“Rarity…” Kai tried to stop her, only now realising how much his decision had upset his closest friend.

“Sweetie Belle can learn to stand on her own, instead of being spoiled by you all of the time.” Tears began forming in Rarity's eyes. She lowered her head, sobbing quietly. “We'll be okay without you, Kai… So don't worry about a thing.”

Kai stared, feeling strange about his quest now. He felt guilty about leaving his friends… no, family. Yet, at the same time, he felt so perturbed about his lack of combat and destiny, he could rip out his own hair. Already an adult, Kai was still without a special talent, and his only fights were against those who couldn't have hoped to match him. He had a good start as a mid-class half-saiyan warrior, and he trained hard on top of it.

Yes, Kai needed this journey… but seeing Rarity cry hurt him.

“Rarity, I didn't say I'd leave right now…!” At his sudden attempt of comfort, Rarity slowly lifted her head to look at Kai. The half-saiyan waved his arms enthusiastically. “I can leave in a few days or something! A-and it won't be forever!”

“Kai, it's okay. You don't have to delay your destiny for me.” Rarity stopped him solemnly.

“I'll only delay my destiny for you!” Argued Kai, not quite realising how that sounded. Or rather, how Rarity would take it. The mare blushed, her eyebrows rising. “I'll stay for another week—”

“Absolutely not! You will leave tomorrow morning and no later!” Now, the unicorn stood from the table, picking something up as she stood. Walking to the saiyan, Rarity glared through teary eyes. “I refuse to hold you back from discovering what makes you who you are! So, take today to prepare…” She used her telekinesis to float a bag of bits to the young man's chest, which he caught in both hands. “And stay away from here!” Rarity smiled, nearly blinding Kai with how bright and happy it was. “I won't let you leave if I spend the day with you, knowing it would be our last.”

Kai just couldn't help himself. He knelt, and grabbed Rarity close in a tight hug.

“Thank you… Rarity.” Releasing her—and not noticing the large breath Rarity sucked in as a result of being squeezed—Kai smiled with determination. “I'll go pick up supplies now. Don't wait up!”

With the bag of bits in hand, Kai turned and ran out of the door, planning to do exactly as he said.

Rarity watched him, somehow just noticing a difference in his stride. Then, she realised she had seen this stride from Kai for quite some time. A short laugh passed her lips, realisation striking her like a train.

“I see… This wasn't random at all… It's been a long time coming.” Shaking this off, Rarity turned with a goal in mind. ‘I should tell mom, dad and Sweetie Belle. It wouldn't do if they found out right when he was going to leave.’

At the market district Kai seldom visited, he dashed in front of several stands before anypony could scatter from the unfamiliar sight of himself. He was quite different, after all…

Kai bought all of the supplies he would need in no time, most of which being food. However, in his rush, he accidentally bumped into somepony, nearly falling over himself. That much meant he had likely toppled over whomever he bumped.

The saiyan turned, kneeling in a fluid motion to see who he knocked over. He helped the yellow pegasus to her hooves, and brushed her coat free of dirt. Giving the mare an apologetic look, he went to do as his look implied.

“Sorry about that.” Although he tried to look the mare in her eyes, she hid behind her pink mane and looked down. “Uh…” Kai never was good with silence. He remembered when he first started living with Rarity's family, things were super quiet and a bit tense. How did that end up mellowing itself out…? ‘Oh, yeah!’

Common interests. At the time, Kai had wanted new clothing, while at the same time, Rarity had just started taking up sewing and such. He had complimented a simple fix, which led to Rarity offering to teach him what she knew about sewing, which led to them conversing about fashion. Through that one compliment, Kai eventually bonded with everyone in the family, until he was part of the family.

So, Kai looked the mare over quickly, seeing if she had anything he could relate with. Though, looking her over, he could see how troubled she seemed. Her body-language was screaming ‘depression’. Often fussing about others more than himself, he was immediately worried.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Now, Fluttershy was never quite used to anypony stopping to talk to her for more than a moment, sometimes for directions, but mostly to tell her to watch where she was going, even when they bumped into her. So somepony stopping, not only to apologise, but to ask her state of being with concern? That was a shock that felt way too good to be true.

The pegasus simply nodded, offering nothing more than that. This was a tactic bullies used before, after all. Rope you in with concern, then remind you how nopony gives a flying feather about your existence. Always the same…

“No, you're lying. You even hesitated.” Kai knelt down, trying as hard as he could to put himself in the mare's sight, but the height difference was too great. She would have to look up at him, so the effort had to come from her, not him. “You seem depressed. Wanna talk about it?”

Fluttershy blinked twice, her eyebrows rising as she contemplated the saiyan's words. He seemed… awfully sincere. Sincerity was difficult to fake, and nopony ever pushed this hard just to bully her. Perhaps… perhaps he truly was serious. And if that was the case, did she really want to talk about it?

Raising her head, the pegasus met Kai's onyx eyes with her blue, and gave a very small nod.

Kai was thrilled.

“Good! It's always good to talk about your problems.” Kai glanced around, seeing the residents had mostly scattered already. Being different was difficult, but right now, it made things convenient. Besides, the Ponyvillians would come to accept the strange and learn not to judge a book by the cover one day, right? “Tell me about your problems, miss.”

“…Fluttershy…” Being so close, Kai just barely heard her whisper, and made an educated guess. Therefore, he returned the favor.

“I'm Kai! Nice to meet ya.” Kai shifted to a seated position, crossing his legs and listening intently to the quiet mare.

Fluttershy sat, as well, but she was unsure how to approach this matter. She never talked about her problems, not even to her family. Well, when she lived with them, that is. The mare finally decided to attack this bluntly.

“…Um… I… feel like I'm nothing but a bother to everypony. I'm so… useless. I don't even know what to do with my life anymore.” Fluttershy's blunt admission made Kai become completely serious immediately. “Everything I do is just wrong.” The mare sighed tiredly. “…Maybe it would be better if I wasn't around…”

“That's not true!” Fluttershy jumped in surprise, Kai's sudden exclaimation startling her. “What about the butterflies?”

“The… butterflies?” She repeated, confused.

To that, Kai pointed to her flank, specifically, her cutie mark.

“That mark is your talent. If the world was better off without you, your talent would be dying.” Kai was just throwing out a line here, hoping his bait was good enough to catch a fish. After all, he knew nothing about this mare or what her talent even was. “This world needs you, okay?” Fluttershy appeared to think greatly on what was just told to her. Understandable. It was a big deal, choosing life or death. “Here, follow me.”

Kai stood up, and reached out his hand to Fluttershy. Still contemplating, Fluttershy slowly raised her hoof, but stopped just short of the saiyan's hand. Almost hesitantly, she finally rested her hoof in his hand, and felt a wave of something akin to relief wash over her when the saiyan gripped her hoof gently. Then, a gasp left her lips when she was pulled to stand, and then pulled to walk.

Fluttershy looked up at Kai, her eyes filled with curiousity.

“Where are you taking me?” She asked in a whisper, grabbing the saiyan's attention. Kai glanced back, shifting his eyes to the pegasus. Then, he smiled.

“I'll be gone tomorrow, but I don't want to leave you alone.” The mare had hoped for more of an answer, but Kai turning to face forward told her that that was all she would get for now.

Though she didn't ask, Fluttershy felt quite curious about where Kai would be going. Too timid to ask, the mare settled for being led by Kai.

Head buried on her worktable, Rarity wiped away a stray tear from her eye, sniffling quietly. She was no closer to being finished with her project than she was nearly an hour ago. Her family was shocked, to say the very least. Rarity's tears had nothing on Sweetie Belle's…

“Come now, Rarity… A lady doesn't let somepony's temporary absence affect them greatly. Surely not enough to harry your work.” The unicorn chided herself, for the fifth time. No matter how she said it, the answer was always the same, and always made her start crying again. “But Kai isn't just ‘somepony’. He's family…”

Before she could start crying again, she heard the door begin to open, so in one fluid movement, Rarity pulled herself from her table, wiped her tears with a hoof, and claimed both a piece of fabric and a needle with thread already on it in her magic aura. She assumed a foccussed expression, and pretended to work hard, knowing who would be entering. She wanted him to feel that he wouldn't be too badly missed, so he wouldn't feel bad.

True to assumption, Kai's voice rang out, breaking Rarity from her ‘focus’.

“I'm home!” Rarity popped her head up, and groaned intentionally loudly.

“Must you be so loud, Kai?” Her ‘irritated’ inquiry only recieved a small chuckle, before Kai eventually came into view.

“Rarity, I have a favor to ask.”

“Hmm? On your final day here?” It was then that Rarity noticed another pony with Kai. Knowing that Kai was not well accepted with the residents of Ponyville, she raised an eyebrow at the pair, dropping her work.

“This is Fluttershy.” Kai knelt, gesturing to Fluttershy with a hand. Fluttershy shrunk at being noticed. “You were gonna go to the spa soon, right, Rarity?”

“Yes…?”

“Could you take Fluttershy along, too? She could use a stress reliever, and the company of another pony.” Both mares looked to each other, shocked at the request. Neither mare even knew each other, so how sudden was this?

But… seeing a familiar look on Kai's face, Rarity was instantly on board. Kai wore his emotion on his sleeves, because his face couldn't completely convey everything properly. Essentially, Kai was terrible at concealing how he felt, so the look of poorly surpressed worry for Fluttershy was far too obvious. Rarity only wondered what the concern was for exactly.

At the same time, Fluttershy just realised the intentions of the saiyan. This was what he meant, and since he would be gone wherever tomorrow, he planned to get her and Rarity close today, so Fluttershy would feel she could at least have someone around to confide in. Fluttershy was amazed that anypony could think so far ahead, so quickly. Or perhaps she had taken more time considering life or death than she had thought. Well, with somepony—or whatever one would adress Kai as—who cared this much for a stranger, Fluttershy was already decided.

“I'm sure I can get Fluttershy squeezed in for this appointment.” Rarity spoke. She knew the owners of the spa personally, so she wasn't worried about requesting a last-minute addition. After all, the timeslots she requests are usually when other ponies are very scarce, so there should be a spare pair of hooves. Smiling at the surprised pegasus, Rarity offered her hoof in greeting. “I hope to see you at the spa in an hour, Fluttershy.”

A bit flustered at suddenly meeting two nice ponies—er, a pony and a half—Fluttershy shrunk a bit, her face gaining a slight tinge of red. But, sure enough, the mare moved closer to Rarity, and accepted the hoof into her own. Just feeling such a contact from another pony made her feel better, and a smile fell upon Fluttershy's face.

“L…likewise.” She whispered back, releasing Rarity's hoof. Fluttershy looked up at Kai, seeing his bright expression from the happy pair's interaction. “Thank you, Kai. I feel a little better already.” After seeing Kai's face light up more after hearing that, Fluttershy felt her own smile grow. Someone truly did care about her.

“Good!”

Kai and Rarity escorted Fluttershy to the door, waving as she walked away with far less depression in her form. Alone again, Kai looked to Rarity, as she did the same.

“It will be fantastic having somepony joining me for some pampering.” Rarity started, getting a chuckle from Kai. Then the mare gave a practiced older sibling look to him. “You did get everything you needed, right?”

The fact he had to give a moment of thought didn't bode well in Rarity's eyes. However, Kai nodded a moment after thinking.

“Yeah, I think I got everything. Wasn't much, and I thought I'd need the spare cash on the trip.” To that, Rarity furrowed her brows.

“You didn't think THAT was your traveling fund, did you?” Kai's nod made her laugh. “Ahaha! No, no. Don't worry about the money, darling. Everything is taken care of.” The unicorn assured.

“Darling?” The saiyan pointed out the new pet name, getting an embarrassed look from Rarity.

“Ah, um…! It's something you call those who are loved dearly, or very close.” She rubbed her foreleg with her other hoof. “I just thought… saying ‘Goodbye, Kai’ would sound too playful for the situation...”

Kai appeared to think about it for a few seconds, finger to his chin. Then, with a smile, he nodded.

“I like it. Makes you sound all fancy. You should say that more often.” Fancy, and Kai likes it. There was no better reason Rarity could see for saying it more. If Kai liked it, then mark her words, ‘Darling’ would basically become her catchphrase.

An accidental glance back outside had Rarity gasping dramatically.

“You should continue packing necessities before it becomes too late.” Kai nodded, but Rarity still had more to say. “Since ponies are still intimidated by your presence, perhaps bringing a book would be best. Golden Oak Library hasn't seen business for quite some time, so you shouldn't run into anypony.”

“Golden Oaks is… that huge treehouse, right?” Rarity hummed in affirmation. “Tree library, huh…?” Grinning, Kai pointed to where he recalled the library being. “Alright! To the Treebrary!”

“…The… ‘Treebrary’… is that way.” Rarity corrected, pointing in the complete opposite direction as Kai.

Sheepishly, Kai scratched his head.

“Haha… Right.” Shaking his head, the saiyan grabbed his travel bag, and started out of the door. “Dunno when I'll be back, but have fun with Fluttershy if I'm not back by then!”

“Worry about yourself for once, Ka—darling!” It could take a little while to get used to that switch, but Rarity was glad to try. Regardless, her words were more meant as a goodbye, considering she knew well that Kai was much too caring for his own good.

Indeed, Kai only chuckled and waved, off to the library.

Rarity was happy to recieve such. She and Kai were close. She recalled first meeting Kai long ago. His scary expression… well, scared her. It was odd. Sure, Kai was a fighter by blood, and seemed to enjoy it when he managed to get into a fight—rare as it may be—but he was a gentle soul. His face was etched into a permanent scowl when he was neutral or by himself, but it was never intentional. That much could be seen clearly when he interacted with others.

The unicorn shook her head, realising she picked the wrong spot for a trip down memory lane. The middle of the main entranceway was a bad place to freeze up. Focussing, Rarity exited her home, and began walking in a direction.

“I should check to be completely sure that Aloe and Lotus can fit Fluttershy in the schedule.” She can't quite recall how she ended up meeting Aloe Vera and Lotus Blossom—the owners of the Ponyville Day Spa. She kind of just remembers knowing them. From how they react with her, the feeling seems mutual, so they became close, quick.

Rarity mused for a bit, seeing if she actually could recall where they met, humming to herself as she walked briskly.

Everything was settled, just about. Early in the morning, Rarity stood next to Sweetie Belle, here to see Kai off at the train station. The saiyan stood tall as they awaited the train, a black bag on his shoulder with all of his things. He kept his Dragon Ball on his person, though, in a smaller yellow satchel around his hip.

Unfortunately, Rarity's parents couldn't make it, having to leave to work. However, they already gave their regards, and told him to be careful. Now at the station, Rarity held Sweetie Belle close, the filly not wanting to miss this for the world. The young unicorn sobbed, clearly not wanting her older brother-figure leave.

“D-do you really have to go?” Sweetie Belle asked for about the tenth time.

Kai knelt down and placed his hand upon Sweetie Belle's head, ruffling her mane ever so slightly. Just that small contact caused her tears to lessen.

“I'm sorry. But hey!” Kai gave a toothy grin. “At least without me, you'll probably be able to be more reckless when finding your cutie mark!” Though still sad, the filly couldn't resist a small giggle, with only served to widen Kai's grin. “There's that smile I love! I don't wanna leave remembering sad faces—I wanna see you smile!”

In response, Sweetie Belle gave a huge, cute grin. Just smiling so largely had her tears finally ending.

“Dun't 'orget 'ee, Kai!” The filly pleaded through her grin. Kai laughed at her attempt at speech, but still nodded.

“As long as you don't grow too much! You're gonna be a mare before I know it, and I don't wanna miss the ‘Beautiful-popular’ phase!”

“But boys are gross!” Sweetie Belle protested, expecting Kai to know she didn't mean him.

Again, Kai laughed loudly.

“Yeah, I hear ya! But by then, you'll probably think a bit more like a grown-up.” Kai's words had the filly shivering in displeasure. “No rush, though. You'll know when you're ready for that kind of thing.”

“Yeah…” Her smile dimming a bit, Sweetie Belle moved to embrace the saiyan tightly. “I'll miss you, Kai.”

Of course, Kai hugged her back, just as tightly.

“I'll miss you, too, Sweetie.” Disconnecting, the duo smiled at each other, before Kai looked to Rarity, who was wiping a tear from watching them interact. “Thanks for everything, Rarity. Alot of the time, I felt like you were the older sibling!”

Rarity rolled her eyes with amusement.

“Well, three years isn't too much of an age difference. But still, I feel the same could be said to you.” She gave a sincere look to Kai. “I recall looking to you for alot of advice, and ways to move forward in both life, and fashion. So, thank you.” Kai's smile grew, and he tried to hug Rarity, only for her to raise a hoof. “Ah, ah! I must stay strong. Hugging you would make me too emotional right now.”

“True.” Interrupting the trio was the sudden appearance of the train, chugging along before screeching to a stop in front of the station. A small ‘hiss’ sounded from the train as it stopped completely.

A nearby conductor grabbed their attention.

“All aboard the train for Canterlot! Repeat, all aboard the train for Canterlot!” Attention rolling back on each other, the family shared a final happy look between themselves.

“Guess that's me.” Kai turned, and took a few steps towards the train. “See you la—”

“Wait!” Hurried hoofsteps followed the exclaimation, causing the trio to turn back in confusion. When they did, Kai and Rarity were pleasantly surprised.

“Fluttershy!” Indeed, Fluttershy stopped in front of them a moment after. The pink maned pegasus didn't even bother catching her breath.

“I was worried I might have been—” She took a sharp breath. “—too late to say goodbye.” Taking another breath, Fluttershy simply smiled brightly at the saiyan. “Take care… Kai.”

Seeing the previously depressed girl smile was very rewarding to Kai, and his grin was a testimate to such.

“Thanks. You take care, too. Take care of Rarity, and Rarity, take care of Fluttershy.” The two mares looked to each other, and nodded decisively. “Sweetie, look after both of them. You know how Rarity is.” Sweetie Belle saluted.

“What's that supposed to—”

“Last call! All aboard the train to Canterlot!”

“Ahh!! I'm gonna miss it!” Kai nearly panicked, before adjusting his things and running to the train. “See you all later!”

“Goodbye, Darling!”

“Bye bye!”

“Take care!”

In just a few steps, the saiyan was on the train and out of sight. A moment later, he became visible again through the train window, but by then, the train was already in motion again. As they heard the loud departing message from the conductor, the three girls waved to Kai as he waved back. They waved for as long as possible, but soon, the train was gone.

Finally out of sight, Rarity looked after the train with a look of sad joy, a smile on her face as tears formed at her eyes.

“Pony… or saiyan…” She hummed contently. “Either one… he is suited for greatness.”

What greatness, nopony knew. However, Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle agreed readily to the statement.

Kai sat on the train, his gaze on the rising sun's horizon. He would certainly miss his family and friend, but this journey would more than make up for it.

Now, it was time to begin his quest. But to do so, he'd need a way to find those Dragon Balls. He guessed that, since they were a magical relic, those with heightened magic senses could locate them somehow. He wasn't sure how, but he'd either need that pony to join him, or make him something to find the relics on his own. A sort of... Dragon Ball locator, if you will.

Where better to start than the capital of Equestria, and where the most powerful magic wielder existed?

“Princess Celestia, here I come.”

Extra

The depressed caretaker and the dependent fashionista.

At the Ponyville Spa, things were as awkward as awkward could be between Fluttershy and Rarity. The two mares were silent, sitting in the waiting room as they tried to think about how to open up a conversation. Five minutes yielded nothing, and neither spa attendants wanted to interrupt the tension.

Finally, Rarity spoke up.

“So, Fluttershy…” Being adressed so abruptly made the pegasus flinch, shifting her eyes to Rarity. “What procedure did you plan to get?”

“Um… I didn't know there were more than one…” This was the first time Fluttershy had stepped hoof inside of a spa of any sort. She always assumed there was a massage, and then that strange mud face and cucumber eye thing. “I guess I'll have what you're having.”

With words finally being traded, Rarity decided to keep the ball rolling.

“It's very relaxing, I assure you. The steam room just burns away all of your stress, and the massage? To die for!” Rarity grabbed Fluttershy's hoof, and led her along to actually begin the appointment.

Fluttershy simply nodded, not quite knowing how else to respond.

There was a pattern starting here… Awkwardness inside of the steam room. As the spa pony, Aloe Vera, poured water over the hot rocks to produce steam, no such stress was fading from either Fluttershy nor Rarity. A sigh from Rarity gained Fluttershy's attention, forcing a saddened look onto the pegasus' face.

“I'm being a bother again, aren't I…?” Rarity looked to her.

“No, not at all! I'm just unsure what to speak about with you.” Then, Rarity caught the phrasing of Fluttershy's question. “Wait, what did you mean by ‘again’?”

Fluttershy looked down, feeling the saddness from earlier return.

“I feel like I only ever bother everypony. Like I have no real purpose but bothering others…” A strange look crossed her face. It was similar to contemplation, but also confusion. “But…” Then, a smile crossed a face. “I suppose I'm not to everypony. Kai was kind enough to care, and you even let me join you, Rarity.”

“Well, Kai has always been concerned about others.” Rarity agreed reminiscingly. “Though I must say, I'm surprised you were so accepting of Kai. Others are not as kind.”

“Oh, well… That was a mix of being at a low point, and thinking that someone else held my own mentality.” Fluttershy looked to Rarity, and spoke her life's mantra. “You never know who needs a little bit of kindness.” She let out an uncharacteristically happy giggle. “Even myself, it seems!”

Her happiness made Rarity happy, hence her own giggle.

“I certainly will miss Kai, but I'm glad he could impact somepony's life.” Sensing the undertone of sadness to Rarity's comment, Fluttershy gave her a concerned look.

“Where is Kai going?” The pegasus wondered.

Rarity looked forward, sighing softly as she did.

“He plans to leave on a search for ancient relics, and his first stop is Canterlot. After that?” She shook her head. “Who knows?” Fluttershy gave the mare a look of sympathy, as she continued. “I suppose the trip was not so sudden. When I think about it, Kai had been eager to find his destiny for a long time. Finding a journey must have been the final sign for him.”

“Rarity…” The fashionista buried her face in her hooves.

“Kai has been my inspiration for all of my life! I would never be at the level of skill I am now, if not for him! It feels like I'm not just losing a family member, but a part of myself…!” Seeing how distraught Rarity was, Fluttershy gave a short second of thought about something, before nodding decisively.

Without another thought, Fluttershy embraced Rarity tightly, craddling her close. Welcomely surprised, Rarity gasped, but quickly ended up sinking into the embrace.

“It's okay, Rarity. Even though Kai will be gone, I'll still be here.” Realising what Fluttershy was saying, Rarity smiled happily.

“And I'll be here for you, Fluttershy.”

Having settled their problems, a plume of steam flowed through the room, symbolically allowing their problems and stress to fade away.

“So, what do you enjoy, Fluttershy?” Awkward silence begone, for Rarity and Fluttershy were closer now!

Donning white robes and towels for their manes, the pair was now getting one of the only thing Fluttershy knew a spa had: the ‘mud face cucumber eye’ treatment. Fluttershy wasn't much of a fan of having her face covered, so she had previously requested a simple dab of the mud cream on her cheeks. Rarity, however, had the full facial, cucumbers included.

“Me? I don't really do too much outside of taking care of my animal friends.” Fluttershy responded quietly, watching as Aloe Vera zipped by Rarity to place pillows under her for her comfort.

“Animals, you say?” Fluttershy hummed her affirmation. “I don't know too much about animals. I was thinking of maybe getting a nice kitten sometime soon, but…” Rarity trailed off, just as she felt what had to be a file on her horn. The hornicure treatment was great, truly great!

Fluttershy didn't protest to Lotus Blossom beginning to file her hooves. This was her first hooficure, and she wasn't quite sure what it would be like.

“I could help you with that. If you'd like, that is.”

“I would LOVE your help! But I want to hear more about your own animals.” To that, Fluttershy was about to wave her hooves in negative, but recalled being in the midst of a hooficure, and that her friend was blind via cucumber at the moment.

“Oh, no. They're not MY animals. I just take care of them when they come by. From the birds, to the squirrels, even a bear. The bear doesn't visit too often. I guess he's a little shy.” The pegasus giggled. “Just like me.”

Rarity smiled, happy to note how much the shy mare could actually open up. All they needed was a topic they both could enjoy.

“My goodness! I thought bears were dangerous?”

“No, no. Ponies just think that because they never get to know one. They're very gentle creatures, just misunderstood.” Fluttershy felt so good to be able to speak to another pony freely. Speaking to animals was great, and she would never take that for granted. However, there was a certain feeling talking to another pony gave her, one she hadn't felt in some time.

“Gentle and misunderstood?” Rarity laughed. “Sounds familiar, wouldn't you say?”

“Huh?” Fluttershy didn't quite connect the dots, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing.” The unicorn simply laughed it off, much to Fluttershy's confusion.

She shook it off, and pushed the conversation forward.

“Well, anyway…”

“What do YOU enjoy, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked through a slight drool.

The pair was now subject to massages, with a stronger stallion giving Rarity a heavy massage, and Lotus giving Fluttershy a much softer and relaxing one.

“Me-e-e-e? I-I enj-j-jo-o-y p-u-u-utt-i-ing to-o—”

“Um, on second thought, maybe we should wait until after the massages.” Fluttershy suggested, having a hard time understanding a word Rarity was trying to say.

“F-f-fabulo-ous ide-e-e-ea!” Both mares relaxed through the massage.

“Now then! Where were we?” Rarity asked after the massage.

Now inside of mud baths—obviously without their robes now—the mares could continue their conversation.

“What do you enjoy?” Fluttershy repeated calmly.

“Ah, yes. I enjoy putting together works of fashionable art! I try to put together the greatest dresses I possibly can!” Rarity replied enthusiastically.

Fluttershy gasped in surprise.

“You're a fashionista?”

“Why, yes I am!” The unicorn was proud of her work, and was thusly proud to speak about it.

“I've never really known anything about fashion. I can't believe you can actually make clothes!” Fluttershy never liked being noticed, so fashion went over her head. That didn't mean she didn't admire it. In fact, a part of her envied how extravagant the fashion that models wore could be. To realise that her newest friend was somepony who made such fashion was wowing!

“I can educate you in all of the greatest fashions of all time! Just say the word.” Rarity nearly dared her.

“Um… I would actually like to hear about making clothes from your perspective, Rarity.”

“My perspective? Really?” At Fluttershy's affirming hum, Rarity grinned widely. “Well, there's always the drafting to start with—without it, there can be no dress! Of course, I need a suitable model in mind. After drafting and sketching what I want, I always gather the materials I'll be using.”

“Is it okay to use any materials?” Fluttershy asked, taking care to ensure this was not a one-way conversation.

“Absolutely not!” Rarity was quick to deny. “The difference of quality material and cheap materials is like night and day! When you use quality materials, you can make any old outfit shine!” Rarity's coat seemed to sparkle as she said that. “After everything is there, then begins the fun! Cutting and sewing, stitching and knotting—there are errors occassionally, of course. But…” Rarity smiled happily. “If you don't mess up a few times, how can you learn from your mistakes, right?”

“Right.” Fluttershy agreed, smiling back.

“In the end, even if what I made wasn't exactly what I had intended… it is a masterpiece to me, and as I was taught… that's all that matters.”

“You're absolutely right, Rarity.” The remainder of their time inside of the mud baths was filled with smiles and silence.

Ending off the treatment was a hoof-dip in bubbly water, their robes back on, and their masks gone. Fluttershy and Rarity looked to each other, each calmed by the other's presence.

“Fluttershy, I—”

“Rarity, I—” Both spoke at the same time. Giggling this off, Fluttershy made a gesture. “You go first.”

Rarity nodded, and took a breath.

“Fluttershy, I wanted to thank you. For everything here.” The unicorn looked down, pausing for a moment. “I never had too many friends. Anything at all would get my coat dirty, and I hated that. So the foals hated me. In truth, Kai was my only friend, and very soon, he became a brother. Now, my only friend, and best friend…” She looked to Fluttershy with a smile. “…is you.”

Fluttershy was glad to hear that from Rarity. It made her eyes water, but she resisted the urge to cry. Instead, she took a breath as well, and spoke her part.

“Me, too. Everypony always bullied me when I was young. I had trouble flying, so… it was too easy for them.” Fluttershy wanted to turn away, but she remained looking to Rarity. “I only ever knew one pony to stick up for me, but we don't talk much…” She smiled brightly. “I'm glad to have you as a friend, Rarity. Thank you.”

Now, it was Rarity's turn to resist the urge to cry.

Both mares remained quiet, simply enjoying the presence of a good friend. Truly, all of their stress simply burned away.

Author's Note

Yo! It seems obligatory, so I'll join the party in saying that this is my first story ever. I plan to take this all the way to the end. Feel free to add criticism, suggestions, concerns, anything... except for spoilers. I'm not telling... Thanks for reading, and here's hoping you'll continue reading. Out!