Loyalty

Silver Herald stared up at the giant tree-like cottage that was now within a few yards of him, his hooves making soft shuffling noises as they hit the stone path beneath him. In his wing, he carried a small box wrapped with yellow ribbon and a pink bow. He adjusted the wing so that the box disappeared under it, making it invisible to the outside world.

Slowly, he approached the sizeable wooden door that marked the entrance to Fluttershy’s cottage. He knocked softly, knowing how much Fluttershy would appreciate it if he kept the noise down. A few seconds passed before the door opened, making a quiet squeaking noise. “Oh! Hi!” Fluttershy’s soft voice said from inside the doorway.

“Hi,” Silver responded, greeting her with a smile, making sure to keep the box concealed. “Happy birthday!”

“Oh my goodness! You remembered!” Fluttershy gasped, and she giggled. “I thought I’d be spending today with all of my animal friends, but I guess not!”

Silver felt his cheeks grow hot, “O-oh...if I’m interrupting something-”

Fluttershy was quick to cut him off, “No, no! If anything, I’m glad you came!” She invited him inside and told him to make himself comfortable. Silver did as he was told, and took a seat on the couch. The box was starting to get uncomfortable under his wing, but he kept still. His gift was supposed to be a surprise; he knew Fluttershy wasn’t expecting to receive anything. She was simple, and Silver knew that the fact that he showed up was enough for her.

But it wasn’t enough for him.

Fluttershy disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Silver to wait. He imagined the surprise on Fluttershy’s face when she saw what he got her...

Oh my, it’s-it’s WONDERFUL!

“Silver? Hello?” Fluttershy’s sweet voice snapped him out of his fantasy. He flinched, and took a few seconds to adjust to reality. “Come on into the kitchen, I have a little something for you!”

Silver stood up, shifted his wing, and followed her into the kitchen. Upon entering, he saw that the table had been covered in a white tablecloth and set in a professional manner. There were two seats, each set with plates and a glass filled with water. It took a few seconds for Silver’s brain to realize that this was his moment. He quickly jumped out and pulled one of the chairs back, allowing Fluttershy to sit down.

“Why, thank you,” she said, tilting her head down in an adorable sort of way. Silver took a seat, himself, and it wasn’t long before Angel brought them their lunch- a salad made with fresh, green lettuce and a wide assortment of berries.

“Wow,” Silver exclaimed, “Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes- I mean- no- well- I had some help...” she glanced down at Angel, who was clearly not happy with his job as a waiter. “You see, that night at the Gala, I ordered a salad, and it was just delightful!” Fluttershy looked back up at him. “There were so many berries, and I didn’t recognize them all, so I came home and told Angel and-” She stopped, realizing how quickly she was speaking, “-and fortunately, Angel knew exactly what I was talking about!”

Silver smiled, and took his first bite. “This is amazing!”

Fluttershy simply smiled, and her cheeks grew red. “Really? I worked really hard in preparing it....”

The two ate and talked about the quality of the food, current events: just about your average Ponyville conversation. Eventually, the topic changed to the Gala- the night they first met.

“Oh, you never told me why you got your cutie mark,” Fluttershy said, motioning toward the blue heart on Silver’s flank.

“You’re right, I don’t think I did,” he replied. “Well, it’s not what you might think at first. It stands for-”

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Oh, I'll get that...” Fluttershy said, sounding a bit displeased that their meal was interrupted. She got up and trotted slowly through the open doorway that led into the living room. After a minute or two, he heard a soft scream that could only have come from Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy!” he called out, dashing into the living room. His eyes darted back and forth, searching every corner of the room to make sure that Fluttershy was alright.

But there was no Fluttershy to be found.

The door was wide open, and Silver rushed through it to get a look outside. He looked at the ground, and what he saw nearly gave him a heart attack.

Right there, imprinted in the dirt, were animal tracks.

Dog tracks.