Loyalty

Silver burst through a large group of trees, landing outside of the Everfree forest. Finally, he thought, I’m out!

He got up and surveyed his surroundings. The terrain around him was a bit rocky, giving him the hint that there were mountains up ahead. He turned his head, and what he saw made his heart jump.

“Fluttershy!” The yellow pony was curled up in the center of a large circle of diamond dogs, who all appeared to be sleeping. Fluttershy, however, was not. He looked up, and her eyes grew wide when she saw Silver.

“Silver!” she gasped as she got up and began to run toward him, “You came!”

“Of course I did,” he replied, “that’s why I have a heart as my cutie mark. It stands for loyalty.” Fluttershy made her way to Silver and threw her arms around his neck. Silver stood there, not sure of what to do. He sat there quietly, letting Fluttershy enjoy the moment. He was sure his face was more red than one of Applejack’s apples.

She let go, and the two stood there, face to face. After a long silence, Silver asked, “How did you manage to handle yourself around those diamond dogs?”

Fluttershy smiled, “I kind of- um- used ‘The Stare...’”

Silver returned her smile, and asked another question, something that he was dying to know, “Did they tell you why they were after you in the first place?”

“Well, they said something about a stolen diamond, then something about Rarity, and then something about revenge...” she looked down and began to dig at the ground with her hoof, “But I’m not sure why they took me...”

At the mention of Rarity’s name, Silver remembered the small white box that he had tucked underneath his wing. He brought it out, and said to her, “It might have something to do with this...”

He handed the box to Fluttershy, who untied the ribbon that kept the box concealed with her mouth. She popped off the lid and exclaimed, “Oh my, is this...for me?”

“Y-yeah,” Silver stuttered, “I got it for you as a birthday present...”

“It’s wonderful!” Fluttershy pulled out a pink, butterfly-shaped diamond out of the box. It reflected the sunlight, giving it a shiny appearance. “How did you ever find something like this?”

“Rarity sold it to me. She said she found it while on one of her normal gem-hunting trips. I saw it, and thought it would be perfect for you...”

“It is!” She hugged him again, and this time Silver returned it. He wished this moment could last forever. “So you’re saying that the diamond dogs weren’t happy about Rarity stealing their diamonds, so they captured me in retaliation?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Silver answered, letting Fluttershy go so she could stand on all fours.

From behind Silver, there was yet another rustle in the bushes. From what he had just gone through, Silver knew that whatever was about to happen wouldn’t be fun. As expected, the ugly head of the diamond dog from earlier poked out and began to speak, “I gave you two chances to turn back, offered you gifts in return, and yet you still continued on. Now, you will pay the price. Dogs! Attack!”

But nothing happened. The dogs kept sleeping, unknowingly under Fluttershy’s control.

“N-no matter. I’ll just have to deal with you myself. You should’ve taken the money while you had the chance-”

“Money?” a voice said from within the bushes. Out came the beautiful pink pony that Silver had been tempted with earlier. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t very happy. “You mean MY money?”

“Yes- I mean- no- I mean...” the dog struggled to find something to say. When he couldn’t think of anything, the pink pony continued.

“The money that you promised ME in return for assisting you?” Her voice boomed across the area, loud enough to be heard all the way from Ponyville.

The dog gulped, and the pink pony pounced forward, trying to attack. The dog swiftly stepped to the side, and began to sprint back into the Everfree Forest. The other pony followed him, close on his tail. They dove through the bushes, and Silver and Fluttershy were left alone yet again.

“Chances to turn back, money...” Fluttershy said softly, “Silver, what happened in there?”

“It’s kinda a long story...” Silver began. “I’ll tell you on the way home.”

“You mean...we have to go back through the Everfree Forest?” Fluttershy asked, shaking slightly.

Silver hadn’t thought of that. How WOULD they get home safely? “I guess we could fly,” he suggested.

This made Fluttershy shake even more. “Fly?” she said, panic present in her voice. “We have to...fly?”

Silver walked next to her and wrapped one of his wings around her torso. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

She tilted her head down and blushed, then gave the diamond back to Silver. He took the string that passed through the gem and extended it. Fluttershy bent her head down, and Silver brought the string down over her head and rested it on her neck. Fluttershy brought her head back up, the diamond now resting on her chest. She stared down at it, unable to take the smile off her face.

“It’s...it’s beautiful!”

Silver only nodded in reply and began to slowly walk forward, preparing himself for the flight home. Fluttershy did the same, and they were soon off of the ground, soaring through the air.

“Wow, look at that sunset...” Fluttershy said after they had taken off. Silver looked, and the beauty of the sky instantly overtook him. The sun sunk halfway down below the treeline of the Everfree, leaving a soft orange glow that spread across the sky. He flew a little closer to Fluttershy.

“Perfect flying conditions.”

Fluttershy smiled in reply and the two flew forward, illuminated by the soft glow from the sun.

You did it, Silver, he thought to himself. Today, you are the bravest pony in all of Equestria.

Fluttershy looked at him and nodded, almost like she had read his mind. After a quick silence, Fluttershy said, “Race you home?”

“You’re on,” Silver answered. The two zoomed forward, laughing and enjoying themselves as they disappeared into the golden sunset.