A Dash of Stardust

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

“Ugh... Now I gotta get ready, go to the market, get more food... I can’t believe I forgot to get some last time...”

Of course I did. I’m so scatterbrained sometimes... I crawled out of bed and cracked my joints, put on my glasses, and headed the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror. Messy brown mane, matching tail, pale grey coat, green eyes, a pen and quill Cutie Mark.

“I l-look t-t-terrible...”

Oh. I also have an awful stutter. My name is Quick Wits, by the way. Strange name, I know, but I have always been one to know what to do in many situations. I’m generally a pretty quick thinker, but I’m also a bit absent-minded. Sometimes I’ll forget why I walked into a room, or what I was doing, or where I am.

After I finished fixing my hair and brushing my teeth, I went through all my cupboards and refrigerator, like I had the night before, and confirmed that I really did need to buy more food. I sighed in frustration, and grabbed my coat, pulling it on while I trotted out the door. I turned and looked at my house. It was old, and I only ever took care of the inside. The outside had cracks in the stone foundation, the wood was splintering, and vines were growing up the side. But, that was a good thing, since ponies would just think it was abandoned. I like my solitude.

“OK... T-Time to g-g-go, then.”

I trotted down the stairs and threw on my jacket, a pale brown, and my dark green scarf since it was late Autumn, and headed off to Ponyville. I lived about a half a mile out of town, for the sake of my own personal desire to be away from ponies. And that crazy pink mare that chased me down when I first came to town. I had half a mind to alert the local authorities that she was stalking me and chasing me around.

“Ponies... I swear...”

I let out a small yawn, and hopped out of my cloud bed, not forgetting to put on my glasses, stretching my wings. I felt at my mane, feeling how messy my bedhead was. It was around noon, and I felt like shopping. So shop I did. I had to get ready, of course. I trotted to my kitchen to grab some quick breakfast, then went to the bathroom, and looked myself over in the mirror. White coat with grey ears, white streaks through the grey, matching hooves and feathers on my wings. Long, black, somewhat messy mane, and a tail the same color and just as messy. My Cutie Mark, a musical note and a pencil, And my multi-colored eyes, the left one was sky blue, the right hot pink. I got down to business, and brushed my teeth and mane. I’d like to go shopping not looking like I’d just rolled out of bed. Even though I did... Shut up. My name? Evangeline Stardust. Just call me Evangeline, all my friends do.

“Brushie brushie!~”

I giggled to myself as I gently tugged the last knot out of my hair, shaking out my mane to give it a more “free” look, just the way I liked it. I went back to my room and grabbed my grey hoodie out of the closet, since it was cold out.

“I don’t even know what I wanna buy... Maybe some paint, more canvas... Maybe some new sheet music. I guess I’ll find out when I get there.”

I trotted out my door, and dove through the clouds to race towards the ground below.

“Brrr... It’s even colder than I anticipated...”

I buried my head deeper into my scarf, shivering a bit, a few flakes of snow falling here and there. It was definitely a lot colder than I had expected, but I decided to deal with it instead of head home with empty hooves. I looked around a bit for anything I might like, and picked up a few sacks of apples and pears, the owners of both stands in heated verbal battles. I also grabbed some hay, which I would probably just fashion into hay fries or maybe make a sandwich. I kept my head down the entire time, not making eye contact with nor speaking to anypony. Asides from a few curious glances from merchants, I gained no attention whatsoever.

“This is going so much better than the first time... Pink menace...”

“Oi, you there!” I froze dead in my tracks as a brown earth pony with strange hair and a Canterlot accent yelled for me. “Yeah, you!”

I turned to look at him, feeling myself grow shy. I lifted a hoof and leaned back slightly, in case I felt the urge to run.

“Yes, um... Would you have happened to see a mare about, oh... My height, pale coat, red and white mane? She’s a friend of mine, and she’s buggered off... I told her to wait in the TARDIS...”

I cocked my eyebrow at his strange mumble, but decided to just tell him what he wanted to hear and be done with it. “Uh... I s-s-saw a p-pony like that g-gawking at a st-tand just d-down the street...”

He smiled, and gave me a friendly smack on the back. “Thanks, chap! You’re a lifesaver. Possibly literally. Well, maybe. Anyways, I’ll be off then!”

He dashed off down the street, where I’d told him to go. I had no idea of what had happened there, but paid it no mind and kept on my merry way, until I was again interrupted.

THUD

I was knocked to the ground by somepony who hadn’t seen me coming. I dropped by bags of food, and my glasses fell off, leaving me virtually blind. I felt around frantically, trying to find them so I could grab my things and leave as soon as possible.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Here, let me help...”

I heard the pony, judging by the voice to be a mare, start rifling around with my things, which made me only pick up the pace. The sound of rifling eventually stopped, and the mare pulled me up to my hooves, swiping some snow off of my shoulders.

“There you go... Oh! And, here.” She slid my glasses back onto my face, which made me blush a little bit. Physical contact of any kind was a bit... Much to me, at the time. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing. “Again, I’m sorry... I picked all your stuff up.”

I took a moment to look her over. White coat, with some grey, consisting of her ears and hooves, and wings, considering she was a Pegasus. There were small lines of white in the grey, accentuating the areas. Her mane was black and a bit messy, as was her tail, and she had glasses, just like me. Her Cutie Mark was a musical note and a pencil, so I assumed music and the general arts were her talents. But what really caught my attention was her eyes. One sky blue, and one hot pink, I felt entranced by her gaze, and couldn’t help but stare into her eyes, as if some power was drawing my vision to them.

“Uh... Are you OK?”

I was happily trotting down the street, quickly looking between stalls and stores, enjoying my time on the ground. I loved Ponyville, it was a quaint change from the hustle and bustle of Cloudsdale. It was nice to just get away from it all and take a nice walk in a small town. I wasn’t even looking around, really: I was more enjoying the music coming from my headphones. The latest release by DJ-P0N3: Scratches and Strings. It was a great mix of classical and modern electronica music. I was so into it, that I wasn’t really paying attention, until some brown stallion almost knocked me over after kicking snow in my face.

“Sorry, love! I’m in a bit of a hurry, in case you can’t tell!”

I wiped the snow from my face, a bit disgruntled. ”Yeah, well watch where you’re going...”

Honestly, I need to learn to listen to my own advice, because almost right after he said that, I slammed right into some poor stallion, and knocked him right over. He dropped all his bags, and I saw his glasses fly off too. I fell over, sure, but I felt like it was my fault, since I wasn’t paying attention. After a second, he started feeling around like crazy, probably for his bags and glasses.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Here, let me help...” I started picking up all the stuff he’d dropped and putting it back into bags, but that made him freak out a bit for some reason. He started crawling around like crazy, looking for his glasses like it was the end of the world. I finished putting everything back in bags, and helped him up, brushing some snow off of his jacket.

“Again, I’m sorry... I picked all your stuff up.”

I grabbed his glasses, and slid them back on him. He blushed a little bit, but I didn’t pay it any mind. He started looking at me, and staring at me like he was dazed. I thought I might have knocked the sense out of him.

“Uh... Are you OK?”

He kept staring, and I took a good look at him. He had a sickly grey coat, and a messy, greasy brown mane, matching tail. He was wearing a black turtleneck, and a brown jacket over top, covering his Cutie Mark. His eyes were dark green, and even behind his glasses, really deep, and sad. They were somewhat shut, like he was really tired. His whole appearance in general came off as very... Lonely. After a minute or two, he shook his head, and blinked a few times, then took a few steps back, raising a hoof, like he was scared of me.

“Oh, did I do something wrong? I’m sorry...” I took a step forward, which resulted in him taking another few steps back. “Come on, I’m only being friendly.”

He started looking around like a crazy pony. I had no idea what I did, but he seemed really scared of me.

"I don't want to scare you... My name's Evangeline. Evangeline Stardust. What's yours?"

He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes really wide. "M-My n-n-name is... Is Q-Quick W-W-Wits..."

I got the conversation going, now I had to keep it rolling. "So you're really sharp?"

"I... I g-g-guess. I st-tudy a l-l-lot..."

Yeesh. Difficult conversationalist. "Like what?"

"A-Anything I c-c-can get my h-hooves on. M-Medical t-t-textbooks, m-magic, history, things l-l-like that..."

There we go. A topic to hold. "Wow. I couldn't do all that reading, I'd go crazy."

"W-Well... Wh-What do y-y-you like t-to do?"

"Oh, I play music, write here and there, but the main thing I do is art."

"A-All of th-th-that is art, to b-be honest. I'm a-an author m-m-myself. Art i-is what s-s-separates us from c-common animals. It is a s-symbol of our i-i-intelligence, and i-ingenuity."

I giggled, even though I tried to hold it back. "You're sure talkative when you warm up to somepony, huh?"

His face went beet red, and I couldn't help but giggle again.

I felt my face warm up a bit. I felt a bit stupid, but she was right, I guess.

"U-Uh... I g-g-guess..."

I rubbed the back of my head, looking away to break eye contact. She giggled at my antics, which made my face even warmer.

"You know, I've never seen you around before. Do you live here?"

"Uh... S-Sorta. J-J-Just about a h-half a m-m-mile out of t-town."

“Really? Why do you live so far away?”

“I w-w-want to be l-left alone. I l-like keeping myself t-to myself.”

"So... You'd rather be alone than have friends?"

I didn't understand why she was pressing me so much about the whole thing. I thought it best to just go with it. "Y-Yes. Being al-lone lets me th-th-think. I like b-being left to m-m-my thoughts."

"But... What about having somepony to talk to? Or to spend the holidays with? I mean, Hearth's Warming is just around the corner... Are you having family over?"

"I h-haven't seen m-m-my parents in a-almost three y-y-years. They n-never spoke to m-me when I was a ch-child anyways. I k-k-kept my m-mouth shut, th-they did the s-same... I d-don't think I've e-ever even celeb-brated a h-holiday before..."

That seemed perfectly normal to me, but she looked like she'd just seen a ghost or something. It was like she was about to turn tail and run away or something. "Wait... They never talked to you? What about kids in Flight School?"

That struck a chord with me. You see...

"I n-never went to f-flight sch-ch-chool."

I stared at him for a few seconds, expecting him to tell me he was kidding or something, but he kept that tired, serious look. He wasn't kidding.

"You... Don't know how to fly?"

He shook his head casually, as if this wasn't a big deal. "N-No. I was n-n-never inter-rested in flight. I w-was more d-d-drawn to books than the sk-kys."

"B-But all pegasi know how to fly! I mean, it's what we do! Uh, here, I'll teach you! Just try getting your wings moving."

I stretched my wings, but he got a more pained expression on his face. I stared at his wings, and he seemed to be straining himself a lot, and all his wings did was a very small twitch.

"What's wrong...?"

"I... I s-suffer from i-irreversable m-m-muscle atrophy in m-my wings. I n-never used them as a ch-child, so the m-muscles never d-d-developed, and have w-withered into almost n-nothing over the y-years... All the d-doctors have s-said the same th-th-thing. I'll n-never fly."

I wanted to hug him so badly. I just couldn't imagine how awful it must be to be a flightless Pegasus. I've never heard of a Pegasus that can't fly, asides from Quick. The fact made me pity him.

"That's... Terrible... You mean nopony can fix it? Not even Unicorn magic?"

He shook his head again. The fact that he was so calm about this was unbeleivably strange to me. "The m-medical e-e-expenses would be w-way too m-much for m-m-me to afford. They'd n-need to put m-me under h-h-heavy sedation, the k-kind o-only medicine c-c-can do, o-otherwise it'd feel l-like I was h-having my w-w-wings torn off. I'd r-rather just n-n-not fly."

"I don't understand... You're a Pegasus who wants to stay on the ground?"

"W-Well, I a-always have m-m-my head in the c-clouds anyways. I'm a r-real scatterb-b-brain. It's wh-why I ran into y-you today."

"Oh! No no, that was my fault! I was so involved in my own thoughts and my music that I wasn't paying any attention! Uh... Sorry." I felt a faint blush on my face. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my head on impulse. I heard a dry chuckle from him, and that just made it even worse.

"Eheh... How ab-bout we j-j-just chalk it u-up to it b-being both our f-faults?"

"That sounds fine to me. Otherwise we'd be here all day apoligizing back and forth."

He let out another dry little laugh, and deftly used his hooves to toss his bags on his back. "W-Well, I'd b-b-best be going... Uh... Um..."

He dug at the ground with his hoof and stared at the ground. It seemed like he had something to say, but he just couldn't get the words out. "Go ahead, it's OK."

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "W-Well... Maybe y-y-you could st-top by my p-place one d-day. It g-gets a little lonely th-there... Uh, I m-mean, well, if it's n-not gonna i-i-interfere..."

"Heh, alright. Old house outside of town, right?"

"R-Right."

"I'll stop by tomorrow."

I flew off, happy that I'd made a new friend that day. I was hoping that I might be able to brighten up his days in the future.

I watched her fly off, and I felt a faint feeling of satisfaction inside of me. I didn't really understand it at the time, but it was because I'd finally come out of my shell and made a friend.

"She was nice... I guess ponies aren't all that bad. Evanegline Stardust... Pretty name."

I shook my head, and scoffed at myself.

"Pretty? Really? She could be some con artist or something. I hope not, but... Better safe than sorry."

Yeah, I know that kinda thought process sounds crazy, but considering my circumstances and childhood, having that kind of mentality made sense. I decided to head home and make myself some dinner, then get off to bed.

"Tomorrow's certainly going to be different... I hope she doesn't steal anything."

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Hm. Do I need to brush my mane? I look kinda... Ugh."

Yeah, I'm not the most fashionable stallion ever. I didn't wanna look like a bum. I didn't totally trust Evangeline yet, but if she was trustworthy, I didn't want her thinking I was a raggedy loser... What's with that look? Feelings for her...? Shut up and listen.

"Eh... I guess I look good enough. I just gotta, uh... Hm... Yeah, that'll work." I quickly ran a comb through my mane, managing to make it less messier than usual. I even put on some cologne. I only had it for if I had a special occasion, and this seemed special to me. I thought I stank, too. I'm pretty sure I didn't, but whatever.

"Th-This is g-g-gonna be awkw-ward..."

I wasn't too confident, surprisingly enough. Heck, I was more worried about her thinking I was a loser or a slob or something than about her stabbing me in the back. Whilst I thought she was gonna do that, I was trying to convince myself otherwise. There was just something about her that got through to me and made me want to like her and trust her. I dunno, she just had that effect on ponies I guess. Anyways, where was I...? Oh, right, I was waiting for Evangeline, so I curled up on my couch with a good book. "Starswirl's Selection of Special Spells." I'm not a Unicorn, but I still love reading spellbooks. A lot of spells are really interesting, actually. Like, there's this one- Hm? Back on track- Oh right! Uh... Ah, right, well, after about... A half an hour? Yes, after about a half an hour, Evangeline was knocking on my door...

I went through my daily morning routine, and prepped myself up a bit. No good to look messy when visiting a friend! I cleaned up my mane a bit, and even put on perfume. I dunno, I just felt like it'd be a nice touch.

"Hm. I wonder what his house'll be like? Oh, I bet it'll be all empty and stuff, he seems the kind to keep it simple. Or maybe it'll be a bunch of books and stuff, like Twilight's Library."

I shook my head and snapped out of my deep thought. I usually don't get lost in my thoughts, but that was an exception. I looked at the clock, and of course...

"Oh gosh, it's been twenty minutes!"

I almost blasted my door of it's hinges with how fast I flew out the door. We didn't set a time, but I thought he might have been waiting for me, and I felt bad that I might have kept him waiting. I flew right to the outskirts of town, and sure enough, there was an old, run-down house out there. I landed, and knocked on the door. Quick answered almost immediately.

"H-Hey." He stared at me for a minute, then cleared his throat and stepped back. "Uh, p-p-please come i-in."

"Oooh, a real gentlecolt. Thank you." I did a little mock bow, and put my hoodie next to the door, shaking my mane out after I got it off. I looked around to see that Quick's house was pretty old.

The whole first floor was open, no doors but the front door. I saw the living room to my right, with just a couch, table and lamp, and small bookshelf, and the kitchen in the corner of the building, adjacent to the living room. To my left was the dining room, with nothing but a ceiling light, a plain table, and two chairs. There was a room adjacent to that as well, but it had a door. In-between all these rooms was a small hallway leading from the foyer to a staircase upstairs, ending at a door which I assumed opened to another hall or something.

"Nice house."

"Th-Thanks..."

He seemed like he was being very cautious. I couldn't see why, but I didn't pay it any mind. He was probably just trying to adjust to having a friend over or even just having a friend. I dunno.

"U-Um... Is th-there anything y-y-you'd l-like? M-Maybe a d-d-drink?"

"Well, I am a little thirsty. Just a glass of water."

He trotted off to the kitchen in a hurry. I looked around a bit more, and saw a book sitting on his couch.

"'Starswirl's Selection of Special Spells.' Huh. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd read whatever he could get his hooves on."

I opened it to the page Quick had bookmarked. There was a picture of a Unicorn shooting a huge fireball out of his horn on the left. On the right, it had the name of the spell, "Enflamus Maximus," and a very complicated set of instructions and details.

"Sheesh. I doubt I could read this even if I wanted to..."

I heard a glass hit the table next to the couch, so I shut the book and put it down. Quick picked the book up and looked over it, a small smile on his face.

"It's a g-good b-b-book. I've been r-reading this for about t-two m-m-months. I'm not a U-Unicorn, b-but spells inter-rest me. The w-way Unicorns cast sp-pells by the use of m-mental p-p-power and f-focus. It's f-fascinating."

I'd never even thought of how Unicorns cast spells. I was impressed with all the knowledge Quick had. I always thought those kinds of things were kind of boring, but they actually seem kind of cool.

"And you study these things on a daily basis?"

"M-More or l-l-less. Some days I read a nice fiction novel, like "Daring Do" or "The Scepter of Stalliongrad."
"Ooooh, I love Daring Do. How far are you in the series? I'm on 'Daring Do and the Temple of Ahuizotl.'"

"I'm p-past that o-one. I'm on 'D-Daring Do and the G-Griffon's Goblet.'"

"Oh yeah, that one came out just a few months ago."

"Mhm. I'm on th-the l-l-last ch-chapter."

Woah. Speedreader. "And... How long do you read it every day?"

"Hm. I g-got it the d-d-day it came out, and I've b-been taking my ti-ti-time with it... I'd s-say about twent-ty to thirty m-minutes every day or s-so."

"Jeez. Quick, you read too much. It's official, I'm getting yout outta this house."

"Wh-What?"

"You heard me. I have some tickets to a Wonderbolts show in Cloudsdale this weekend- Oh, wait, right..."

He let out a surprisingly genuine laugh. A dry one, of course. "I c-can get to C-C-Cloudsdale."

"I c-can get to C-C-Cloudsdale."

She looked surprised when I told her that. Of course, my way of getting there is a bit... Difficult.

"How?"

"W-Well, I c-c-can't fly, b-but I can st-till move and m-morph clouds. I can t-take some of the f-fog cloud from the out-ter Everfree and use it a-a-as a m-makeshift elevator."

"How'll you do that without your wings?"

"I'll m-measure the w-w-wind patterns and r-ride the upd-draft."

"That's... Really clever."

I couldn't help but crack a grin. She was right, I guess. I dunno, it seems stupid to me... It is clever? Oh be quiet and listen.

"Th-Thank you. I'll m-m-meet you on Th-Thunderclap R-R-Road."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you on Saturday then?"

"S-See you on S-S-Saturday."

We said our goodbyes, she put her hoodie back on, and went out the door and blasted off into the air. I looked over my house; Nothing was missing. I felt bad for not trusting her, but also relieved that she wasn't just some conmare. Having a friend felt good. I used to always think friends would just get in the way. But, I was wrong. But hey, sometimes it's good to be wrong.

"That was actually kinda fun. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I like this. I like it a lot... Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something...? Oh, right, I have more work to do."

Oh, right. My job. I'm a small-time author. It doesn't pay the best, but it pays my bills and buys my food. And I enjoy it, anyways. The feeling of a pencil flying across a page... It's amazing. That's why my Cutie Mark is a quill and ink. I know being an author isn't glamerous, especially in a small town like Ponyville, but hey, I enjoy it. I use a pen name of course. Even less attention. It's not really the attention that matters, I just like entertaining my readers. Making them happy, you know? It's contradictory to be antisocial but enjoy making ponies happy, but it's how I am.

Anyways, I slowly made my way up the stairs to a small hallway running in the opposite direction to the staircase, with three doors. The one at the end of the hall is my room, the one on the left the W.C., er, the bathroom, and the one on the right was my workroom. In my workroom, a lightbulb in the ceiling, some paper, quills, and inkwells.

"Hm... I g-gotta get s-s-some decor for this r-room."

I laughed at myself, and sat down to go to work... I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep a wink that night. Just writing and writing... I gotta stop doing that.

"That was fun. I didn't expect him to be so... Calm."

I really didn't. I thought he'd be freaking out, and all worried he wasn't being a good host and all that. But, as you can tell, he was really calm. A bit cautious at first, but calm.

Pomf

Soft landing on a soft cloud. I love that sound. Living ok a cloud beats living on the ground any day. It wouldn't be fun if you were afraid of heights. But yeah, I went home, and relaxed a bit, and decided to think about Quick and his place a bit.

"Quiet stallion, simple house... Makes sense. I wonder what was upstairs, though? He didn't seem all protective of it, and I doubt he's some psycho. It's probably his bedroom and bathroom or something. I feel kinda weird thinking about this. Is it normal to think about these things?"

I see you holding back that laugh. I couldn't help it, he was my new friend, and he was pretty... Different. Anypony would think about him, and being in his house.

GROWL

"... I'm hungry..."

I probably should've asked for something to eat at Quick's, but I thought it would've been rude. I should've risked it, because that flight home really built up my appetite. I practically tore the door off of my fridge, which was fully stocked, thankfully.

"It's chow time."

"'... And then, as he slowly came to...' Gah, mysteries are hard to write..."

I leaned back in my chair a bit, and took my glasses of to rub my eyes. I'd been at my desk, scribbling away for hours. It really takes a toll on your eyes. I even felt a headache coming on.

"G-Gotta start t-t-taking care of m-myself..."

That I did. Didin't eat much, skipped showers, sometimes didn't brush my teeth... Gross, I know. I never left the house, so I never really cared about hygene, but hygene is part of heath, so... Yeah. Not being able to move your wings makes it difficult to wash under them, too. I don't like being crippled, but, I made a decision and need to face the consequences. So anyways, while I was sitting there resting my eyes, my mind drifted to my little meeting with Evangeline.

"So. She's not some conmare. Not surprising. She seems to well-meaning and good-spirited for that. I guess she really does just wanna be my friend... I can't imagine why. I'm lazy, unattractive, and, well, weird. I can't really say no to a friend, though..."

It felt good knowing I wasn't alone anymore. I enjoy solitiude, but everypony needs a friend. I guess I just didn't think I was worthy of friends or something. I can't really explain it. But, that feeling has been replaced with friendship. Corny, I know, but I can't figure out another way to explain it.

"Maybe I'll set up some Hearth's Warming decorations... She could be planning on coming over. Don't wanna seem like a Scrooge."

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"And... Done."

I put up the last of the Hearth's Warming decor I had bought. I swear I had some lights in the basement, but I couldn't find them. But the point is, I decorated my house, and cleaned up the outside a bit. I mainly just tore down some of the vines growing up the side. I stepped back and looked at my work. My house was glowing with lights along the roof, and a wreath on the door.

"That w-was surp-prisingly f-fun."

"I bet it was! Isn't decorating super-DUPER fun?"

I felt like my heart was in my throat, and I practically jumped a mile. Somepony had snuck up on me, obviously. And of course, when I look to see who it was...

"P-Pink menace..."

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I had hoped I'd never see her again. I don't care what you say, I can't stand her.

"Hi! I haven't seen you in forever! Remember me? I wanted to say hi, but then you ran away, so I started chasing you and then you got sll crazy and went through alleyways so I thought we were playing a game..."

I tuned her out at that point. Her voice was grating at my nerves. No, her very PRESENCE was grating at my nerves. Her voice just intensified that effect.

"... But now I'm here and I just said hi! And nice Hearth's Warming decorations, by the way. Oh! I totally forgot! I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name?"

I rolled my eyes, and turned to go back inside. I was aggrivated, cold, and didn't have time for nonsense.

"Hey! Don't be a sourpuss! I wanna be friends!"

"I d-don't n-n-need-" I stopped, and realized that I couldn't say that anymore. I felt something in my gut. Something telling me I do need friends. "I... Ugh, wh-why are y-you even o-out here?"

"Well, I never saw you after that game we played, and I wanted to talk to you, but you're never around. Why are you never around town?"

"That's n-none of y-y-your b-business."

"Oh, uh, OK. Um... What about your welcome party? I got a big ultra fun mega Pinkie party ready and you never showed up! I left an invitation here for you."

"So that's what that envelope was. I just tossed it. I could've sworn it was just junk mail."

"I th-thought it w-was junk m-m-mail. I h-hate parties a-anyways."

"What?! How can you not like parties? They're fun and you get to see all your friends!"

I was getting rather impatient. I didn't want to be talking to her, but I obviously couldn't just walk away. "I d-don't h-h-have any f-friends in P-Ponyville."

"But-"

"I'm d-done talking, Ms. P-Pie. I'm v-v-very cold, and h-have no t-time for this. G-Good day."

"Oh... OK... I'll see you later then, I guess..."

I felt a little bad for being so harsh, but I didn't want anything to do with anypony who was clinically insane. I assumed the only reason she wasn't locked up in a straightjacket was because everypony in town was used to her.

"Ugh... I can't believe this place sometimes..."

"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts, as long as it burns we cannot drift apart...~"

"Oh man I love that song... Hey, what's that light over there? That's Quick's house..."

I was flying to go see Pinkie about getting some snacks, but I'd never seen Quick's house lit up around this time of year. I'd never seen it lit up at all, really... I'd never even seen it. I decided to drop in and see what was up. I was pretty surprised when I saw he'd decorated his house. I knocked on his door, and he answered practically in seconds.

"Oh, h-hey. What's u-up?"

"You decorated! I thought you didn't celebrate holidays."

I just barely noticed the blush on his face. I couldn't help but think it was cute. Stop looking at me like that. Anyways, we'd been hanging out here and there over the week, just talking and stuff. Quick is a treasure chest of fun facts. Like, that nopony knows what the original flag was when the three pony tribes came together, so everypony assumes it's the flag we use now. Quick has pieced together history and has found that isn't true. He doesn't know exactly what the flag looked like, but he knows it was green with a bunch of patterns relating to the tribes.

...

Uh, sorry, back on track...

"I, u-uh... I j-just thought y-you might c-come over on H-Hearth's W-W-Warming, so I a-assumed it'd be r-rude to not d-decorate..."

"Heh. That's sweet. I saw the lights from the sky and wondered what was up... Actually, I was on my way to grab some snacks. Maybe we could grab a bite to eat? I'm feeling a bit hungry, how 'bout you?"

"U-Uh, l-l-lunch? I, uh, I d-dunno... I don't w-wanna i-i-intrude..."

"It's not intruding when I invite you, goofball. C'mon, my treat."

"Uh... A-Alright..."

She somehow picked my favorite restaurant. I'd hardly ever eaten there, but when I did, it was delicious.

"The Ponyville branch of 'Che Clover.' I don't remember it being TOO expensive, but..."

"Uh, E-Evangeline, we d-don't n-n-need to eat h-here..."

"Eh, it's not that bad. I can pay for it."

"O-Okay... If y-y-you say s-so."

The inside was, of course, very classy. Canterlot style windows, matching tables and chairs, a red carpet pathing through the restaurant, and small chandeliers laid symmetrically across the building.

"Woah. I've never been in a restaurant like this before."

"I've b-been in here a c-c-couple times. The f-food is d-delicious, and I l-like the a-a-atmosphere."

She looked mesmerized by the magnitude of decoration and the posh atmosphere. "I had no idea this place was even here. It seems like something you'd only see in Canterlot."

"A-Actually, it w-was only in C-Canterlot at f-f-first, but the o-owner decided to open m-more in different t-towns and c-c-cities and make it a ch-chain."

"... What don't you know?"

"U-Uh, what d-do you m-m-mean?"

"It seems like you know almost everything. Like, you study medicine, magic, history, and you know all these little things... You're practically a genius."

I felt my face heating up. I don't like being complimented, it makes me feel very shy and I start blushing... I don't like it. "I, u-uh... I'm n-n-not THAT sm-mart."

"Yeah, you are. Don't talk yourself down, you're a really smart stallion."

You have no idea how awkward I felt. Not only was this the first time I'd ever really gone out somewhere with somepony, she's mare, too. I have a hard enough time with talking to stallions, but mares? I'm... Well, I'm afraid of them... Wow, you're not laughing. Anyways, I know it was friendly, but everypony around us was looking, and the ponies only a table away were whispering about how we're such a cute couple. So... Yeah. You can see why I was feeling awkward.

"C'mon, st-t-top it... I'm n-no geni-ius..."

"OK, if you say so."

A waiter delivered our menues, and we both silently searched for what we wanted to eat.

I watched him read his menu, and of course, he was skimming through it lightning fast, and put it down only a few seconds after he picked it up.

"... Well. He sure doesn't struggle with decisions... Uh... What do I want...?"

I don't remember what we ordered, but it took me a couple minutes to decide. We waited for our food to come, and we were both completely quiet. He seemed really uncomfortable, but I couldn't really tell why.

"Hey... You OK...?"

He looked at me and quickly shook his head. That really didn't help reassure me.

"I-I'm fine... J-Just hung-g-gry."

"If you don't wanna eat here, we can go somewhere else."

"... It's n-n-not th-that."

"Then what is it?"

He took a deep breath, probably to calm his nerves, and rubbed his temples a bit. "E-Everypony keeps l-l-looking at us. The p-ponies behind u-us said... W-We're a cute c-couple."

"... Oh... OH... OK, now I see why you're all uncomfortable. Want me to go talk to them?"

"No...! N-No, that's O-OK... I c-can ignore it... D-Don't trouble yourself w-w-with my p-problems..."

"That's what friends do, Quick. They help each other. I'll go talk to them. Gimme a second."

I went over to one of the tables who'd been looking at us, and asked them to stop. They did, and apologized for staring. Everypony else stopped as well, and the table behind us stopped talking about us too.

"There. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"N-No... Th-Thank you, Evangel-l-line."

"Heh. No problem. Anything for a friend." I noticed the waiter coming with our food on a platter. "Welp, here comes our food."

I absolutely love that restaurant.

"Ohh... That w-was- *burp* -Oh, exc-cuse me... That was d-d-delicious."

"Yeah... I feel like I'll never get up again... I already paid the bill, wanna just get outta here?"

"Y-Yeah... I think I'm g-going to t-take a n-nice nap when I g-g-get home."

Evangeline decided to walk back home with me, talking about this and that on the way. We mainly discussed our sources of income. She sells paintings and does odd-jobs here and there, I get checks from publishers. It was very interesting, really. She doesn't sell them to any particular pony, just whoever wants the paintings. When I asked her why, she said it's because she doesn't care about the money, she just likes making ponies happy with her art.

I was very impressed, really. I don't have very high standards, it's not that hard to impress me, but still. Anyways, when we got back to my house, Evangeline and I sat in silence for a little while, until she decided to strike up a conversation.

"Hey... I had fun today."

I put the book I was reading down, and felt a smile on my face. "M-Me too... Thanks f-for dealing with th-that misunderst-t-tanding in the r-restaurant."

"Aw, that's no problem. I care about you, I don't want you feeling all uncomfortable and stuff. You're my friend, after all!"

"Eheh, y-yeah... But, th-thanks. N-Nopony's ever st-tood up f-for me before. It's v-very k-k-kind."

I just barely noticed the red on her cheeks. I think she was just being shy, I don't really know.

"Hey... It's only about a week until Hearth's Warming... I'm having a little party at my house, wanna come? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"... S-Sure."

"Really?"

"H-How can I s-s-say n-no? You've b-been very k-kind to me, and I e-enjoy your company."

"Awesome! The party'll be a few days after that Wonderbolt's show. I just planned it last night, actually. Wanna just stay with me until the party?"

That sounded pretty much perfect. Show, stay over, then a little party. I don't like parties, but I'll have somepony to hang out with.

"S-Sure. I was a-actually just about t-to ask about the sh-show."

"Well it's settled now. Hey, I gotta go home, but... I'll see you this weekend then?"

"Y-Yeah. Bye E-Evangeline."

"Bye Quick. And hey, try to get out and make more friends than just me. I know it sounds hard, and a little mean, but I'm sure you'll love it."

She flew off before I could give a rebuttle. I didn't really want to make any other friends, but I was enjoying hanging out with Evangeline, so maybe she was right. I still don't know, really.

"... I guess I could try... I don't know... Maybe one day...

"That was fun... I'm glad I made him happy."

I felt a warmth in my chest. Not just the kind you get from hanging out with a friend, but something more. I didn't really understand what it was at the time. Yes, it's what you think.

"He's all alone... Nopony to really make him happy..." I shook my head, snapping myself out of my inner thoughts. "Sheesh. Poor guy. I'm just glad to be his friend."

I sighed. I was tired, and I didn't know how I felt. But I didn't feel like going to sleep, if that makes sense. I seriously don't know.

"Ugh. What is my problem? I can't be hungry... Maybe it's heartburn? Maybe I should take some medicine... Quick would know what's wrong. Maybe I should ask him."

I stopped, and dwelled on that thought for a minute.

"... Why would I go to Quick? He's smart, but I don't think he has a degree. I think. What is my brain doing?"

Yeah, in case you can't tell, this was bothering me a bit. I wasn't freaking out, but I just couldn't stop thinking about the smile I'd put om his face. I decided to just sit down and play guitar a little bit. That would help clear my mind. And it did. I strummed some songs, and I managed to clear my mind very well as the night went on.

"It's probably just because I've been hanging out with him a lot lately. Nothing to worry about. Just thinking about somepony I've made happy."

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"Ahh... The weekend... My personal break from working late into the night, and just relaxing..."

And this weekend, I was going to go to Cloudsdale for the first time in years. I was wondering how different it would be. The last time I was there, they had small weather factories dotted all over the place, instead of the one big one you see now. It's not that hard to build with clouds, obviously enough, so it must not've taken that long to disassemble the small ones and put them all together.

"Maybe I'll go outside, get some fresh air. Wake myself up a bit."

I did just that, but when I opened my door, I was greeted with the sight of a Winter wonderland. A blanket of snow covered the plaines ahead of me, and the trees in the distance.

"... Well. It would seem the Weather Team finally got around to bringing Winter along. I'm gonna need to break out the heavy outfit."

I tossed on my black peacoat and matching black and grey scarf. Classy, I know. Anyways, I went out for a walk, and decided to just go to Cloudsdale so I wouldn't have to rush myself later. The fog around the Everfree was rather thick due to the cold, making my job easier.

"I h-hope this w-w-works a s-second time."

I clumped the fog together into a small, thick cloud, and climbed on, waiting to be pulled into an updraft.

I waited at the street corner Quick and I had agreed to meet on. I was a little early, but the show started in twenty minutes, so I wanted to get to our seats before the stadium was flooded with crazy fans.

"W-W-Wooooah!"

I recognized Quick's voice, but I had no idea where he was. Until he landed face-first in the cloud in front of me.

"I r-really need to f-f-find a b-better way up h-here..." He picked himself up, and brushed a few cloud particles off. "Hi E-Evangeline."

"... Are you OK?"

"Of c-course. I l-landed in c-c-cloud."

I couldn't help but stare at him like a madstallion. He was too chill about falling off of a cloud when he can't fly.

"... Uh... Are you sure you're OK?"

"Y-Yeah. A l-little shaken u-u-up, but o-otherwise, I'm f-fine."

"Alright... Well, come on. The show starts in fifteen minutes."

I walked him to the stadium, showing him the sights of the city. It seemed like he hadn't been to Cloudsdale in years. He would point out spots where newer stores or restaurants and things like that and tell me about the old weather factories there, even though those were removed almost eight or nine years ago.

"You haven't been here in a long, long time, have you?"

"N-No. I w-w-was first here when I c-came up with the c-cloud elevat-t-tor trick."

"... You came up with that when you were nine?"

"T-Ten. My p-parents left me h-home to c-come here, but I w-w-wanted to know wh-what they w-were up t-to."

And that's when I realized Quick wasn't exactly sane. He was cool and collected most of the time, but some of the stuff he does or thinks of is... Crazy. I like that.

"... You're nuts."

"I p-prefer to th-think I'm 'i-innovative.'"

"I guess that works too. But seriously, you think of some wacky stuff."

"E-Everything n-new or differ-r-rent is considered 'w-wacky' or 'w-weird' by t-today's rather xenophob-bic society. I r-remember the entire t-t-town locked themselves u-up just because a z-zebra came to t-town. They were sc-cared by her vastly d-different culture and a-a-apparel."

"... Really?"

"Y-Yeah. P-Ponies seem to b-be horrif-fied by a-anything n-n-new or adv-vanced. As an i-intellectual, that a-angers me. Do y-y-you have any id-dea how adv-vanced our s-society would be if p-ponies would o-open their m-m-minds?"

"Uh... No?"

"I c-can't even i-imagine the t-technology we w-w-would have. Transport f-faster than t-trains and c-carriages, dev-vices that c-could cook food in s-seconds, the p-possibilities are e-endless!"

"You're crazy. That's not possible."

"Am I? Sc-Science allows for i-infinite p-p-possibilities. I just w-wish I could c-convince ponies of th-that..."

"Write a book. That'll probably help get your word around."

"... I d-dunno... Hmmm... I c-c-could do th-that..."

"Hey, we're here."

I'd already drifted into thought on what I was going to base my argument around if I were to write a book on the subjects of science and society, but Evangeline snapped me out of my stupor. I gave the ticketmaster my ticket, as did Evangeline, and we went into the stadium. It was an incredible sight. Pegasus architecture, masterfully crafted pillars and viewer stands, and the view to the ground below... It was breathtaking.

"Woah... B-Beautiful..."

"Yeah. It's a great work of art, this place."

We took our seats, and waited for the show to start. Other ponies started to fill the seats, and I felt myself growing more and more uncomfortable. I can't stand crowds. They make me panic.

"Quick, are you OK?"

I felt myself shaking a bit, and Evangeline must've noticed. I was hoping I'd be able to control myself, but I was obviously failing.

"I- I'm f-f-fine. Don't w-worry about m-m-me."

"Alright... Just tell me if something's wrong."

I could feel myself starting to lose it. You know, shakes getting a bit worse, dry mouth, a little sweat... I was managing to keep it together, but I had the faintest inkling this was a very, very bad idea.

"OK, pull it together Quick. They're just ponies. None of them are out to get you. They're all here for the same reason you are: To watch the show..."

The show finally began, and The Wonderbolts all trotted out together, waving to the crowd. Focusing on them helped ease my mind a bit, albeit temporarily. The performance began simply: Laps, barrel rolls, things I assumed normal pegasi could do. But, after a few minutes of what I assumed was a "warm up" they began to do more extreme and intricate stunts. I can't remember the whole thing, but I know there was synchronized stunts, like spinning divebombs and such. All I remember is being captured by the spectacular display of aerial acrobatics and skill. I even started cheering here and there, and I felt the massive smile I had on my face the entire time. I never knew I'd been missing all this while I kept myself locked away. I felt alive, like I'd been born again in a new world. I know that sounds silly, but hey, you try living inside with nothing but books and your thoughts all your life, then doing something like this. It's rather... Invigorating, I guess is a good word to use.

"Heh. Having fun?"

Evangeline was giving me a kind, almost loving smile. I can only imagine what I looked like.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks for b-b-bringing me a-along. I'm h-having a b-blast."

"You have no idea of what's going on around you, do you?"

"Wh-What do you m-m-mean?"

She motioned to the arms of out seats, and I almost fainted right there: I'd absent-mindedly started holding Evangeline's hoof. Ever feel a ton of blood rush to your face at once? Like, not just a reglar blush, but a stark red one? It feels strange. Very strange.

"Uh- I m-mean- Er- I d-didn't..."

He started stammering, and his face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. I felt kinda bad for giggling at him, but I couldn't help it.

"Quick, it's OK. You weren't paying attention."

"B-B-But I- I j-just... I'm s-s-sorry..."

"Awww, I already said it's OK. Don't worry about it."

Quick paused for a moment, then shakily nodded his head. But then, he started looking all around, like he'd just noticed everypony in the stadium with us, and started shaking in... Fear? I don't really know. I put a hoof on his shoulder, hoping that'd help get his attention on me.

"Quick, are you OK?"

He didn't even look at me. He just kept looking all around, and I heard him start to hyperventalate. I had no idea what to do, so I started to lose my grip a bit.

"Quick, please, calm down..."

He turned to me, but it looked like he couldn't see me, or something like that. His pupils were dialated, and he was starting to sweat.

"What do I do? What do I do?! I can't just ignore this! He looks like he's about to pass out!"

I felt like my mind was going a million miles a minute. All I kept thinking was that Quick was going to faint, or freak out. I tried tapping his shoulder, jabbing his leg, and I even smacked him. Lightly, but still. None of it worked. He kept panicking more and more, and all I could do was watch. He kept looking around, breathing like he'd just nearly been choked to death, and sweating as if he'd run a marathon.

"I think... I think he's having a panic attack...!

Suddenly, he stopped. He wasn't breathing heavy, or looking all over, but the sweat kept rolling. He slowly looked to me, and I screamed when his eyes rolled back and he fell over.

I felt my head pounding. I could tell I was in bed, but I didn't remember how I got there. But when I opened my eyes, I wasn't greeted with my familiar ceiling. Instead, I was met with a blinding white light, and the steady beeping of a heart rate monitor.

"I'm... In th-the h-h-hospital...?"

I couldn't see anything, just blurry shapes. I didn't have my glasses, but I felt somepony put them on for me.

"Hey, you're awake."

It was Evangeline. She looked happy to see me awake, but also very solemn, with pity in her eyes. I suddenly felt a rush of memory. Cloudsdale, the performance, and my panic attack.

"... I'm s-so sorr-rr-rry..."

I felt myself start to cry a bit. I felt awful for ruining the show for her, and causing so much trouble. But she grabbed a tissue and wiped my face off.

"It's not your fault. I should've thought about you and crowds before taking you along with me..."

"B-But I caused a sc-scene..."

"Quick." She got out of the seat she was in and sat on my bed, right next to me. "It's nothing to be sorry for. You have problems with crowds, you can't help that." She gave me that same warm smile she gave at the stadium. It made me feel calm. "I'm just glad you're OK. I was worried about you..."

"Y-You were, huh...?"

I looked at the wall in front of me. I felt the bond between the two of us deepening. Even though we'd only known each other for a few weeks, I felt like she was my best friend ever. And of course, she was, and still is.

"Yeah." She brushed my bangs out of my eyes. My hair was an absolute mess, as was the rest of me. "Your hair is really cute, you know that?"

I felt the blood rushing to my face like a lightning bolt. "Sh-Shut up..."

"It's true. I've always found shy stallions cute. And I think your whole 'shy, tortured artist' look is cute too."

"I j-j-just wear what s-suits me..."

"Well, it suits you well. You're the only pony I know who regularly wears clothes."

"I e-enjoy the f-f-feeling of being c-covered."

"Yeah, that makes sense... Hey, I gotta go."

She hopped off the bed, but turned back to me and gave me a hug.

"I'm glad you're OK..."

My face was practically on fire. I didn't understad why she was being so... Close. I assumed it was because we were very good friends. She let go, and hurried for the door.

"Bye Quick."

"B-B-Bye, Evangeline."

I left Quick's room in a bit of a hurry. I leaned on the wall outside and stared off into space.

"Poor Quick... I can't believe that happened... I hope he'll be OK..."

I felt a fluttering feeling in my chest. I kept thinking about how Quick passed out, and when the medical staff rushed him out on a stretcher. It wasn't exactly fun. I was worried sick all day. After I was allowed in, I just sat in his room, watching his chest rise and fall slowly, listening to the steady beep of his heart rate. I felt like it was my fault for dragging him out there.

"Ma'am?"

I snapped back to reality, and jumped a bit. I shook my head and blinked a few times.

"U-Uh, yes?"

The doctor looked at the room number, then at a clipboard she had on her tray. She smiled caringly, as if to reassure me.

"Ah, Mr. Wits. Poor guy. He suffered from a severe panic attack... He mumbles in his sleep a lot. Something about an 'Evangeline...' I think he was saying he's sorry. I'm assuming you're Evangeline?"

"Uh... Yeah. How'd you guess?"

"Well, I assumed it was a name, and he didn't have any other visitors asides from you... He's a catch, that one. Handsome, and cute. How long have you two been together?"

I did a double take, and felt my face heat up. I should've seen that coming, to be honest.

"W-Woah, hold on! We've only been friends for a few weeks."

"Well, his mumbling says otherwise."

"... What?"

"Oh yes, he wasn't just mumbling about being sorry."

"Really?"

She just giggled. And I don't mean an innovent giggle, I mean a "oh you know" kind of giggle. And that's when I atarted thinking about how strange Quick's feelings were.

"We've only known each other for a few weeks for Celestia's sake... Why's he gotta like me ?

"You seem a bit freaked out. I'll just say that there are a lot of stallions who are a bit quick to fall for other ponies, you know? I don't mean to be intrusive with all this, I just like to help other mares out with these kinds of things. I'm not so lucky in love, you see."

I decided to not ask what she meant. "Oh. Well, thanks, I guess. I've, uh, gotta go. I have things to set up."

"OK. Again, I hope I wasn't intrusive."

"Oh no, that's fine. I'm glad you told me. Thanks."

"It's no problem. He'll be out in a day or two. He just needs to relax and calm his nerves. It's actually rather rare to faint from the panic attack itself. Was he hyperventalating?"

"Yeah. Really badly."

She quickly jotted a few notes down on her clipboard, and sighed. "Thought so. Hyperventilation causes oxygen levels in the body to become unbalanced, so the brain takes control of the breathing, and shuts you down so that it can regulate the oxygen."

"Yikes..."

"Yeah, and the emotional or mental stress caused by a panic attack can also be very debilitating. Did he seem... Distressed, or anything like that? He doesn't speak to me asides from answers to my questions, and those are incredibly short."

"No, he seems fine. A little shaken up, but nothing really bad."

She seemed a little relieved, and jotted that down. "Good, good... Yeah, he should be out tomorrow. No need to worry about him."

"Alright. Thanks Doc."

"No problem. Have a Happy Hearth's Warming!"

"Same to you."

”I hope he’s not just holding anything that may be wrong back...

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Cloudsdale. It made me feel... At home. Like I belonged there. But also like I wasn't supposed to be there at all. Like it was forbidden to those without the ability of flight. But most importantly...

"Evangeline never told me where she lives. Cripes."

I forgot to ask her before she left that day. So I went all the way to Cloudsdale just to be absolutely lost. I'm brilliant, aren't I?

"D-Dang it all..."

Yep. Totally brilliant. All those cloud buildings look the same, I swear. I was hoping I'd get lucky and find Evangeline out and about, but no luck. I wandered around for at least a half an hour and only managed to get myself more lost.

"Uh, sir? Need any directions?"

"Oh thank Luna... OK, just breath, stay calm, don't stammer..."

"Y-Yes... Uh, I'm l-l-looking for my f-friend's house... E-Evangeline."

"Oh yeah. Her. You just head down the road a bit further and take the second left. It's the two story, you can't miss it."

"Th-Thanks."

I followed his directions, and of course, I was led to the only two story building in the immediate area. I knock on the door, and nopony answers for a couple minutes. I knocked again.

"Hold on for a second! I'm coming!"

She came to the door and let me in. She had a nice house. Small little staircase leading from the door to the actual home. At the top, a small foyer with a small stand and a coat rack, with open doorways leading to a small kitchen with a dining table, and the living room, which was littered with papers, crumpled or otherwise, a few instruments and an easel.

"N-Nice place. Using y-your living room as a st-t-tudio I s-see."

"I don't have a whole lot of room. All that's upstairs is a small bathroom, and the closet I call my bedroom. Heck, I don't even own this place. I'm renting it."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, that party is gonna start in a little while. I just gotta lay out some snacks and stuff. Wanna help?"

"S-Sure."

I hardly even did any of the work. Quick just kept playing the “I’ve got it” card and did everything for me. I was grateful, but still, he was my guest, not the other way around. I should have been the one doing most of it. Eh, no harm no foul I guess. Anyways, after we got all that set up, Quick started to look a little concerned.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Uh... H-How many p-p-ponies are gonna b-be here?”

“Oh, not very many. I’d only say around... 10, if that.”

He let out the breath I didn’t even notice he’d been holding. The relief on his face was like he’d just gotten tested for a deadly disease and it came out false two days later, or something dramatic like that. Stop looking at me like that. I’m not good with words like Quick is.

“S-So... Uh... Wh-What exactly g-g-goes on at a p-party?”

And then, my jaw hit the floor like a ton of lead. I wasn’t really THAT surprised, but still. I thought he would at least know the basics of a party. Then again, considering his absolutely massive social life, that also wasn’t too surprising.

“So you never studied the Theory of Partitudity, then.”

“Ha. V-Very funny. No, I u-understand the b-b-basis of a p-party, but I d-don’t know what to d-do when at one.”

“OK, that makes sense I guess. Well... You just, kinda... Mingle. You know, do whatever you feel would be fun.”

“So... Sit around and read?”

“You kn-know me s-s-so well.”

And cue the facehoof.

"Quick, you're such a nerd, I swear. You would get along so well with Twilight if she wasn't out with her friends 24/7."

"I c-could im-m-magine. And I w-was just k-k-kidding about sitting ar-round. I'll t-try to h-have some f-fun outside of books."

"Awesome."

We stood there in silence for a few minutes. He was looking at me like he was waiting for me to strike up another conversation, but I didn't know what. Then, when he took off his glasses to wipe them off, I got an idea.

"Hey, why do you need glasses? Were you born like that?"

He let out a signature dry laugh, and pushed said glasses up his nose.

"F-Funny story, actuall-ll-lly. It's my f-fault. I would c-constantly r-r-read in the d-dark, and everyp-pony knows what that d-does to the eyes. I could even s-see my eyes g-g-going bad. Every d-day my vision would get b-blurrier and d-doubled, until my v-visibility was flat z-z-zero. So I g-got glasses. I like them th-though. I always thought I'd l-l-look good with th-them."

"Huh. Well you do look nice with glasses. But..."

I took his glasses off. He was really handsome even with them, but the glasses gave off a more "cute nerd" vibe. Without them, he looked like a noblestallion who was just a little underdressed.

"Woah. You look completely different. Like... Wow."

"Uh, th-thanks... C-Can I have them b-b-back now? I r-rather enjoy having my v-vision."

"OK. But really, without your glasses, you go from looking nerdy to looking really refined."

"R-Really? I g-grew up in B-BBaltimare, so if a-anything, I'm a c-country boy."

"Well you don't have an accent or anything. You sound like you're from around here."

"I'm s-something of a w-w-wall flower. Ph-Photogenic, if you w-will. I f-fit in almost a-a-anywhere."

“I can tell. It’s definitely an interesting quality about you. That and the fact that you always wear clothes.”

“Yeah, I g-guess that’s n-not normal.”

“Well when you say it that way, it makes you sound weird.”

“You d-d-don’t think I’m w-weird?”

“No. Just different. And that’s not always a bad thing.”

I wanted to respond, but before I could, we heard some knocks on the door. The first guests had arrived, and the party was getting started... But what concerned me is that they brought a keg.

”This... This isn’t a good sign.”

And next thing you know, my house is packed, and all of my friends are getting themselves drunk. I’m not surprised, but I would’ve appreciated it if they’d have warned me before bringing the cider. I eventually joined the drinking, but I didn’t get completely wasted. Just tipsy. A bit. Everything was spinning. Quick was just sorta shuffling in the corner uncomfortably, sitting on the floor and trying to read a book.

”Sheesh. He really DOES just read 24/7... Not a surprise. Maybe I can get him to have some fun!~”

I head over to him, and he takes one look at me and rolls his eyes.

“Y-You’re drunk.”

“Whaaaat? No I’m nooooot... Just a little buzzed, that’s all...”

“... Y-Yeah. Drunk. I’ll j-just keep r-r-reading my book until y-you sober up a b-bit.”

“You’re no fun!~ Come on, get up and live a little!~”

“I’m p-perfectly comfortable h-here on the f-f-floor, thank y-you very m-m-much.”

I grabbed his hoof and yanked him up. I wasn’t having any of his guff. He was gonna enjoy himself, whether he wanted to or not.

“H-Hey! Hold on a s-s-second!”

“Nope. Now come on, let’s dance!~”

I tried to get him to dance, but all he did was shuffle his hooves here and there. All of the songs were pretty fast though, so he probably would’ve had a hard time keeping up even if he tried. The whole “shy” thing didn’t help either I guess. I really don’t remember all that much. OK, so I was kinda drunk.

“E-Evangeline, I really d-d-don’t want to d-do this.”

“Aaaaaawwww, fiiiiiine. You’re such a party pooper.”

“A st-tallion has his w-ways. I’m g-gonna go g-grab some f-f-food.”

“Okaaayyy. Try to have some fun, will yaaaaa?~”

All he did was roll his eyes and walk away. I couldn’t blame him, I’m totally goofy when I’m drunk. I think it’s fun and all, but I think Quick just finds it annoying. I can never really tell, he generally avoids me if I ever get drunk... Which really isn’t all that often. Usually only at a party here and there, and even then. So anyways, I just decided to mingle, talk with some guests, dance a bit, you know, the usual party stuff. Quick just hung out in the kitchen for a while I guess. I didn’t see him come back out at least.

You have no idea how much I wanted to just pound my head off of the refrigerator. I was incredibly annoyed that I’d just been dragged into the center of attention by a mare in a drunken craze, then subjected to embarrassment. I knew she meant well, but the alcohol had her judgement clouded, bagged, and battered with a baseball bat, then dumped in the river... What, too much? It’s not an overstatement, I assure you. I got over it rather quickly, and decided to just stay in the kitchen. Hardly anypony was going in, and I wanted some solace. The amount of ponies there was nowhere near as bad as the stadium, but it still made me feel very unsettled and exposed.

“Hey, awesome party, huh?”

”Why me?”

In my state of deep thought, I hadn’t noticed anypony come into the kitchen. It was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. I assumed she had a “colorful” personality... I am so sorry.

“I’ve never seen you around before. You must be new in Cloudsdale. Name’s Rainbow Dash. What’s yours?”

”I have no idea of whether to tell her or not. For all I know, she could be a psychopath.”

“U-Uh... I’d r-rather not say.”

“Oh, a mystery pony, huh? Alright, sure. So, you new to Cloudsdale?”

“Uh... I d-don’t l-live here.”

“Oh. I just assumed you lived here, since most Pegasi around these parts live here. So you’re from Ponyville?”

“Y-Yeah. How’d you g-g-guess?”

“Closest place. Just a lucky guess... Hey, now that I think about it, you look kinda familiar... Maybe I have seen you. Eh, whatever. I’m gonna just go back to the party, because, no offense, you’re not exactly exciting conversation.”

“Believe m-me, I kn-kn-know.”

She left, and I felt like that wasn’t the last time I was going to hear from her. She seemed like the kinda pony you’d run into a lot. Anyways, I was getting bored of hanging around in the kitchen, so I thought I’d look around a bit out of boredom. But, as soon as I get upstairs, I run into Evangeline again.

”Just my luck.”

“Oh heyyyy.”

“For th-the love o-of...”

“Oh, whaaaaat?~ Come on, stop being so upseeeet!”

“I’m n-not upset. I s-s-simply don’t want to d-deal with a drunk E-E-Evangeline.”

“Awwwww, but I’m not that baaaaaad!”

“Oh y-you have n-n-no id-dea.”

She really wasn’t, though. I just wasn’t really in the mood for any shenanigans. I was already stressed out from the crowd of the party, and I had no energy left to deal with her in the state she was in. That, and she was talking in that annoying stretched kind of way and it was grating at my nerves too.

“Ah fine. You’re no fun. I’m just gonna go back to the partyyyy!~”

“A-Alright. Just try n-not to do a-anything that could get y-you or somepony e-e-else hurt.”

“I won’t. I don’t see why you’re being such a stick in the mud. But whateverrrr.~”

”She’s going to end up doing something stupid anyways. I’d best stay with her and make sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.”

So, I followed her. But, at the bottom of the stairs, trouble was waiting for us. I see Evangeline staring up at the ceiling, and when I follow her gaze, I froze.

”Mistletoe.”

And then there was the look Evangeline was giving me. Oh Luna, that look made me want to dash right out the front door, but also stay put. Time seemed to slow down, and I couldn’t think straight. I knew what was going to happen when she closed her eyes and started leaning towards me. It was like some sort of magic had taken over my entire body, and wouldn’t allow me to move. But what sold the whole experience was the feeling of her lips on mine.

It sent a warm feeling through my entire body, followed by quick jolts of a cold chill. It was euphoric, but also terrifying. I knew this wasn’t actually Evangeline, it was the alcohol, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I’m pretty sure the pony who owned the pink hoof holding the mistletoe through a hole in the ceiling enjoyed it too.