The Surprise

Ding, ding! The sound of bells filled the main room of Rarity’s boutique, signaling the arrival of a customer. Rarity, who was working on her latest line of dresses, looked up from her work to greet the guest.

“Oh, hello Silver!” she said in a cheery voice.

“Hey Rarity,” spoke a quiet voice, only a bit louder than Fluttershy’s. It had come from Silver Herald, who happened to be a frequent visitor from Cloudsdale. He had a light silver coat, complete with a deep blue mane and a heart-shaped cutie mark. Unfortunately, this gave him trouble when he was just a young colt. The others used to laugh and tease him, for he was the only male pony they had ever seen who had a heart imprinted on his flank. Only Silver’s friends knew what it stood for.

Loyalty.

He had proven himself worthy of his cutie mark only last week, when he had saved Fluttershy from the captivity of the diamond dogs. After the rescue, Silver had given Fluttershy a pink, butterfly-shaped diamond. It had been her birthday, after all.

Silver cleared his throat and continued, “I just came to thank you for selling me that diamond the other week.”

“Oh, it was no problem, darling. Did she like it?” Rarity had paused her work and was now facing Silver, looking eager to hear an answer.

“Oh, she- wait. How did you know-”

“Oh please, dear, it looked like a butterfly! Who else in Equestria would you have given that to?” Rarity half smiled. It was obvious that she was proud of herself for taking a good guess.

Silver could feel his face growing red as he replied, “Oh- well- she loved it....”

“That’s great!” Rarity’s face lit up. There was a hint of amusement in her voice when she continued to question him, “So is it official?”

“I-is what official?”

“Are you two...you know....”

Silver drew circles in the carpet with his hoof. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he decided that it would be easier to play stupid. “A-are we...”

“Oh, for heaven’s sakes, are you two together?”

Her last word hung in the air, beginning a lengthy silence. Rarity extended her neck forward, begging for Silver to answer. He took his time, however, stalling for time to gather his thoughts. He could feel his cheeks growing hotter as he replied:

“N-no....”

To Silver’s relief, Rarity backed down. “Oh, well, that’s a shame. I heard she was planning something rather big to repay you for your deeds-”

“She’s what?” This time, Silver was the one extended forward. Planning something? For him? Did he hear Rarity correctly?

“Well, I don’t know what it is she’s planning, but I do know that it’s just going to be simply wonderful!”

It came to Silver’s attention that his jaw had dropped, and he quickly brought it back to it’s normal position. “For-for me?”

“Well of course, dear, you saved her from those-” Rarity cringed as she spat her next words, “those filthy ruffians!”

But Silver was hardly listening. It was true that he had gone to great lengths for her, but he didn’t expect anything in return! Seeing her happy was a reward enough...

By this time, Rarity had taken up her work again. Silver turned to leave, and said behind his shoulder, “Well, thanks again for that great deal on the diamond.”

“Oh, you’re quite welcome,” Rarity replied. “Anything to spark up a little romance!”

Silver thought about Rarity’s last words as he walked toward the exit. He turned around as if to say something, but was interrupted when Rarity caught his eye and winked. Silver turned back around and walked outside of the boutique. He took a few steps before taking off towards Cloudsdale. On his way up, he couldn’t help but glance down at Fluttershy’s cabin. He smiled, remembering their dinner from a week before. This thought remained with him until he reached his home back in Cloudsdale.