Ever Growing Friendship

Written By: Thunder-Dasher

Edited By: Bytestorm

Chapter Nine: White Surprise; part two

An icy wind slowly crept through the cottage as sunlight shown through the windows, forcing Trace to open his eyes and look at the source from which the wind was coming from. For some odd reason, Fluttershy's front door was opened slightly. He cursed slightly under his breath and threw off his blanket, his only source of heat; making especially sure not to throw it off of Lyra that was snuggled up at his side. He forced himself to his feet and walked over to the door, pushing it closed. Turning to retreat back to Lyra's side, Trace paused when he looked to the baby bunnies. His mind drawing a blank and muttered, “T-two Angels?”

Trace stepped closer to the towel and sure enough, there were now six little bunnies resting in a pile; two white adults and four little babies. His attention was snatched away when he heard Fluttershy awaken from her slumber, “Hey Fluttershy, come here and look at this...”

The tendrils of sleep refused to release their seductive grasp on the poor pegasi as she took to the air, hovering only an inch over the floor, and slowly over to Trace. Her eyes shot open as she looked at the two adult white bunnies. One looked weak and frail, which was apparently the one that had given birth, the night before. The second one looked almost identical to the first, except a lot healthier and a lot more like the Angel she knew and loved, “A-an-Angel?”

The healthier white bunny looked up, before it gave a small yawn. Trace watched the confusion on Fluttershy's face, and was glad he wasn't the only one that didn't know what was going on. Trace cleared his voice before asking, “So... uh... w-which one is Angel?”

Fluttershy was too baffled to say anything at the moment, her hoof pointing to the awake white bunny that was looking in between her and Trace, giving them a ‘what the hell is your problem’ look. Trace sighed as he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes, “Do you suppose the other bunny is like... Angel's sister or something? It would explain the almost identical resemblance... Not to mention labor obscures appearances; also your worry for Angel's safety.., probably affected you...”

“I-I” The butter colored pegasus stuttered, looking to Trace, her mind not quite catching up from waking up, only to be bombarded by shock, “I knew Angel had... siblings.., but I thought they were all taken by timberwolves... that was why I took Angel in, in the first place...”

“Maybe, Angel was hiding and protecting her. I know I would, if I had one sister left and the rest were gone.” stated Trace, trying desperately to rationalize it.

By this time, Angel was standing, looking between the two like he was following the conversation. Fluttershy lowered her head to meet the bunnies gaze, “Angel.., is she your sister?”

She was immediately greeted by a nod, a grin forming on Fluttershy's face, “So, that means you're an uncle, Angel!”

Trace chuckled and turned his attention to the now awake, sister bunny. She yawned faintly and Trace reached down to pull the blanket up and over the babies and her. Something like a growl came from Angel and before Trace could react, teeth sank into his left hand.

“Angel!” Fluttershy pleaded, “Let him go!”

Angel ignored Fluttershy's plea, the sister bunny stood and pulled at Angel's forepaw, chattering something in what one could consider bunny talk, which only came as cute, indistinguishable squeaks. Angel's jaw relaxed and pulled away from Trace, giving him a sorrowful look before backing off.

“I wonder what she said.” Trace inspected his hand to notice the skin wasn't broken, but it was enough to leave very tender red marks.

“She said that you were the one that took care of her, and for him to stop.”

A smile formed on Trace's face, “I knew you could connect with the animals on another level, but I didn't know you could understand what they said?”

Fluttershy blushed, her eyes averted, “I can sometimes, as long as they don't speak too quickly...”

Suddenly, another sound could be heard, but from behind them. Lyra raised her head, her eyes not wanting to open. Every time Lyra would crack open an eye, it would clench closed again. Trace snickered, “Morning sleepy head, don't want to wake up, do ya?”

Lyra mumbled incoherently as she laid her head back down. Trace and Fluttershy both gave faint giggles; Lyra would try to open an eye, only for it to snap closed again. Trace got up and stepped over in front of Lyra, bringing his hands to either side of her face and hiding the light from the window from her, “How is that? Better?”

Managing to slightly open her eyes open, she smiled as she now saw her first thing for the day, Trace's smiling face, “Much.”

Keeping his hands there for a moment, Trace noticed Angel's sister run up to Fluttershy and many squeaking sounds came from her as she “spoke” with Fluttershy. A faint smile formed on Fluttershy's face, turning to Trace to translate, “She wonders if you would be interested in taking care of one of her babies? Of course, the baby would need to stay with its mother for a while until it grows up enough so it doesn't need to nurse anymore. You should take your time in deciding, taking care of a pet is a big responsibility!”

Trace frowned, looking to Angel's sister and then over to Fluttershy, “I... I don't know... if I would be able to... I mean... What would I do.., while at work? I have to do some dangerous tasks and I wouldn't want to just leave it in the care of whomever I was working for.”

Angel's sister lowered her head, hurt apparent on her face. She was about to return to her babies, before Lyra spoke up, “I don't have any other job, not until summer that is; So, I could take care of the little bunny.”

Next it was Fluttershy's turn to add something, a smile upon her face, “Yes, Trace and when she does, I can always babysit!”

A sigh escaped Trace, bringing a hand up to rub his forehead, “You two drive a hard bargain...” Trace removed his hand from his head, glancing down to Angel's sister one more time, “Okay... I'll do it...”

Trace scratched his head, deciding to ask, “So… what should I know?”

“The little baby won’t be able to go home with you for a few weeks, it needs to breast fed. So the baby will stay here until spring.” Fluttershy smiled, her entire face was visible and her head was slightly tilted to the side. Her mane was pulled by gravity away from her face. Trace returned her smile, but blinked when he remembered from last night, “Say… do you still want to ask, um... you know?” Trace looked to Fluttershy, tilting his head, motioning at Lyra.

Finally able to open her eyes all the way, Lyra looked between the two, her ears sticking straight up in interest, “Want to ask, what?”

Fluttershy immediately knew what he was talking about, and a strong pink shade and very ruffled fur apparent on her face. Hopefully, she would be able to talk with Lyra, as she had with Trace the night before. Fluttershy walked over and sat in front of Lyra, trying to build the courage, “L-Lyra... I...”

Trace grinned, “It's okay, Shy; take your time.”

A blush was on her face, but she managed to look Trace directly in the eye and reply with a gentle nod. Lyra waited patiently, trying to watch Fluttershy for any indication for what she was going to say. Fluttershy finally broke the silence, her voice squeaking slightly as she spoke, “L-Lyra... Can I… be in your herd?”

“Eh.., excuse me? Didn't quite hear you?” Lyra turned her head to the side, her ear turning to face the pegasus.

The pink-maned mare whimpered as she looked to Trace, a begging look on her face. Trace couldn't help, but chuckle, “She wants to know, if she can be in the herd with us?”

“I-is that true?” Lyra went wide-eyed with happiness, surprised that her problem of finding a third had fixed itself.

Fluttershy scratched at the floor, her face most likely burning with a strong blush, but was successfully hidden by her pink mane, “I-I understand if you... don't want me... to be... or if... you have somepony better in mind, t-that's fine too...”

It took Lyra a minute to come out of her surprised state, but answered as quickly as she could, “Not that I don't, I was just... surprised. I mean... yesterday, while I was out, I asked Applejack if she wanted to be in our herd; I'm glad she said no, or I would have had to say no to you!”

Eyes from two others could be felt on Lyra. She looked from Fluttershy to Trace, who was currently giving her a questioning look, “You asked... Applejack?”

It was Lyra's turn to scratch at the floor and blush; shuffling her hooves underneath her as she replied, “Y-yeah... But she said she was a traditionalist and believes ponies should only be with other ponies... She said she was interested... in Bon Bon anyway...”

“Bon Bon? Nothing against Bon Bon; but why her? I didn't even think she knew Bon Bon, let alone would fall for her?” Trace asked, rubbing his neck; his mind sore from all the shocks that had happened during the past two days.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was just watching the two for a moment, before she finally intervened, “S-sorry for interrupting... but... w-what about... m-me being...”

“Sorry Shy, we didn't mean to get side tracked...” Trace frowned from slight embarrassment of getting sidetracked so easily. He turned his attention over to Lyra to ask, “So, what do you say, Lyra? Would you like for Fluttershy to be in our herd?”

Lyra paused, not entirely sure now that the question was now plastered in front over her, demanding an answer. Lyra froze as her mind raced, 'The real question is; would I want Fluttershy as a mate...' Lyra glanced over to Fluttershy, her eyes locking with hers, 'she sure is cute, amazingly so, but I don't know if I can picture her in... in that way...'

“Take a moment if you need too, Lyra.” Trace said with a soft smile, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“I should... really take care of my animals... I will go out and feed them while you think.” worry was clear in her voice, which made Lyra cringe a little.

“And with Fluttershy's permission, I will make us breakfast.” asked the now standing Trace, looking to Fluttershy for an answer. All she done to reply was to give a smile and a nod.

The unicorn watched as Fluttershy flew out the door into the snowy white environment outside and Trace left for the kitchen; leaving her with her thoughts, 'I suppose... if I tried to imagine her in that way... then maybe...' She then proceeded to close her eyes. First, Lyra pictured Fluttershy, just sitting in front of her with a blush on her face, 'simple enough... She has a soft and gentle face, so easy to picture. Now to see if...' In Lyra's mind she stepped forward to kiss the fake Fluttershy; in real life, a small goofy smirk crossed her lips, 'hmm, not bad, wonder if she is a good kisser in real life?' Lyra's mind wandered as the imaginary Fluttershy pulled her lips away, a blush crossing her face, but didn't avert her eyes like she had done so many times in real life; instead she had lust across her cheeks, which was making Lyra blush in real life as the imaginary Fluttershy started to speak to her, 'Lyra, please, I need you.' The fake Fluttershy suddenly pushed Lyra to her back, locking her lips with hers. A butter hoof reaching for Lyra's nether regions.

“You think Fluttershy would like pancakes?”

Lyra blushed when the delicious fantasy suddenly ended. She looked to where the interruption had emanated from, unsure of what was asked of her, “S-say again?”

Trace smiled as he waved a spatula in the air, “Do you think that Fluttershy would like pancakes?”

“I-I am pretty sure she would...” Lyra's blush refused to fade, so she quickly turned her head, trying to keep her face pointed away from him.

“Okay then!” Luckily Trace didn't notice and if he did, he didn't say anything.

A sigh of relief escaped Lyra, her mind quickly racing, 'oh wow... I guess I can picture Fluttershy that way... maybe I should ask Trace how he feels about her...' Lyra quickly got up to trot into the kitchen. Trace already had the pancakes in the pan and frying. He turned only for a moment to give her a smile, “You decide about Fluttershy yet?”

“I have, but I really think it is something we should both decide... I mean... what do you think about her?” Lyra's eyebrow was raised, her head tilting in that cute way it does, one Trace couldn't help but find adorable; he just wanted to hug her every time she did.

“I really like her, but I'm worried, since she is so frail. I love you, Lyra, but I am already afraid of hurting you if it doesn't work out... If we have a third, I would be afraid of hurting her too...” Trace had a frown on his face, slowly flipping a pancake. His eyes wandered upward to notice Fluttershy through the window; she was currently in the shed, pulling out the bag of seed he had opened yesterday. The skies were perfectly clear and the sun shining bright, but everything was coated with at least a foot of snow. The windows fogged from the heat inside and the cold outside, making it more and more difficult to see outside.

A giggle could be heard from behind him, Trace turned around to look at Lyra as she continued from the giggle, “You sound just like a mare; always worried of taking advantage of a stallion. It's actually pretty cute.”

Quickly averting his gaze, Trace blushed; he had forgotten about the role reversals again. He was starting to wonder if he would ever get used to it. Trace tried to look out the fogged window one more time, but failed to see anything, his own thoughts pestering him, 'Mares are dominant here... so if anything... Fluttershy is probably expecting Lyra to be the sole decider if she joins or not...' Trace sighed as he looked over his shoulder to his marefriend, “I just don't want... anyone to get hurt...”

The mint unicorn opened her maw, about to say something, before they heard the front door open and then close again; quickly followed by a cold gust of wind, causing a chill to run up both of their backs.

Turning to look at Fluttershy, Trace smiled, “Hey, Fluttershy, you like pancakes... right..?” Trace paused when he saw Fluttershy shivering, her hooves coated with snow and her wings clung to her body for warmth. Trace knew pegasi were resistant to the cold, but Fluttershy was frailer than other pegasi, and he figured she hadn't built up the resistance like most would, from flying around high in the clouds. Lyra got up from sitting next to Trace, to quickly walk to Fluttershy's side; running her right side against the poor shaking pegasus' left. Fluttershy blushed and averted her gaze, but her wing shakily draped over Lyra, stealing a fraction of her warmth; making Lyra shiver all the same, feeling the wet blanket like wing on her back. Trace smiled, removing the last pancake from the pan and onto a plate, turning off the stove before moving to Fluttershy's other side, and wrapping his arm around both mares.

Being so close to Lyra and the human she had a serious crush on, easily heated her up; the blush merely confirming that. Fluttershy couldn't seem to fight off her stuttering as she spoke, “T-thank y-you b-both...”

“No problem.” Lyra giggled first, but raised her head behind Fluttershy's to look at Trace. He noticed her mouth something that looked an awful lot like, “Are we letting her join?”

Assuming he had understood her right, he returned with a smile and a nod. Fluttershy jumped in surprise as the two bodies of warmth pulled away, but both of their attention was focused squarely on her. She was starting to grow self-conscious, but didn't dare move from the spot. Before too long, Lyra spoke, “Fluttershy; Trace and I talked it over, and we would like it if you would join our herd.”

“R-really?” Fluttershy blinked, her gaze jolting over to Trace for confirmation.

Trace chuckled, a smile upon his face, “Yeah, we would love having you in our herd!”

The butter pegasus' ears perked up, her hair appeared to become lighter than air, and her tail twitched happily behind her. Lyra and Trace jumped as Fluttershy suddenly jumped five feet into the air, gleefully screaming, “Yes yes yes YES!”

Lyra giggled and Trace quickly followed in the laughter. Fluttershy took notice of the laughter, and realizing her uncharacteristic outburst, dropped like a brick to the floor. Her face radiating heat from embarrassment, while her eyes were glued to the floor; but even through her embarrassed state, she still had a faint grin. She was too happy at the moment, she had had a crush on Trace for the longest time, and now she would have the chance to show him that love. Trace got up slowly, pulling two plates stacked with three pancakes each from the counter, and placing them on the table; then shortly returning for his plate to sit down at the table. Lyra followed suit and sat down at the table, and called for Fluttershy, “Come on Fluttershy, let's eat our first breakfast as a herd, together!”

“O-okay...” Was all Fluttershy could say, her small smile never leaving her face as she climbed to her own chair. She daringly looked up to notice Lyra sitting across from her, as Trace sat next to her, both smiling back.

“I'm glad you seem so happy.” Trace chuckled, grabbing his fork to dig into his pancakes. He must have already coated each pancake in syrup, because they all had a thick coat of the sweet smelling liquid, plus a little square of butter topping each one.

A loud knocking emanated from the front door. By now, all of them had finished their breakfast, and Fluttershy hovered from her chair, “I'll get it!” She hummed a happy tune that was unfamiliar to Trace; but he guessed Lyra knew it, since she had joined in as well. Deciding to clean up, Trace got up and grabbed the dishes, before an aura stopped him by the shoulder and Lyra saying, “You cooked, let me do that!”

Trace blushed and averted his eyes, “Back home, no one ever offered to help...”

“You better get used to it; you have two of the sweetest mares in Ponyville now!” Lyra giggled, sticking out her tongue and giving him a wink.

“We will have to test how sweet you really are one day!” Even though he meant it to be dirty, he still ended up blushing at his own comment. Though, in the end, it had the desired affect he was after. Lyra fumbled as she made her way to the sink, her face turning red and her eyes widened, not expecting that comment. She glanced over at him, not really looking fully at him as a question ran through her mind, 'D-did... he mean what... I think he meant?'

“Hello, darling!” a loud drawn out and ladylike chime sounded to the kitchen, breaking Lyra out of her embarrassment.

Soon it was followed by a second, “Fluttershy, I rushed over from the library as soon as I heard Angel was sick!”

Then a third, “Ah hope the critter is okay?”

A forth, which a little surprising, was Bon Bon, “C-can... w-we come... in? It's c-cold... out here...”

Fluttershy went wide eyed as she darted away from the door, “Of course! You poor things must be cold walking all the way here in the snow!”

Everypony walked in through the door, Fluttershy closed it afterward. Trace stepped from the kitchen and smiled in greeting, noticing six ponies and a small baby dragon had come to check on Angel; Applejack, stood a little close to Bon Bon, and her tail would sway and touch Bon Bon's affectionately. Trace smiled, remembering Lyra had mentioned they liked each other, so maybe they were a herd now too. Spike stood next to Rarity, breathing what Trace guessed was heated breath; keeping the white mare warm. Twilight had several books in her aura and trotted up to Fluttershy, “Where is the poor thing? I brought books to try and figure out his sickness!”

Fluttershy blushed and looked over to the little pile of bunnies, “Actually... he wasn't actually sick...”

Everypony followed her gaze and the room fell silent. Rainbow jolted to the air and hovered over the bunnies, “Wait... Angel is a girl?”

“N-not exactly...” Fluttershy hid half her face, still not believing she didn't see the bunny wasn't her pet, “I just mistook.., his sister for... him and she was just pregnant...”

“OOOOOOhhhhhh SOOOOO adorable!” Pinkie yelled in a happy glee that made the six bunnies jump at the sheer volume. Pinkie jumped over the entire group of ponied to land next to the bunnies, singing, “Happy birthday to you, and you, and you, and you...”

“PINKIE!” everypony yelled and everything fell to silence, followed by giggling. They all knew if they didn't stop her, she would scare the babies with her singing.

Everypony turned their attention to Lyra as she walked into the room. Rarity stepped forward with a knowing smile on her face, “So, How did you little hunt go, darling?”

A small smile formed on Lyra's lips as she scratched at the floor, “Very well, actually.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow, trying to contain her happiness for her, just in case she didn't want anypony else to know, “May I speak with you alone, so you can tell me?”

Trace spoke up, before Lyra got the chance to answer, “Lyra, you can just tell everypony if you want, that is if it is okay with you and Fluttershy?”

By now everypony had confusion on their faces, and Lyra giggled as she rolled her eyes, “After saying that, you expect us to be able to not tell them now?”

A sheepish look graced Trace's face, as he averted his gaze, “S-sorry... wasn't thinking...”

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, gliding over to face Lyra, “So, what's the news?”

“Well...” Lyra looked over to Fluttershy with concern, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, “We accepted Fluttershy into Trace's and my herd.”

The room fell silent as everypony looked over to Fluttershy with slight shock. Fluttershy glanced over her crowded living room, anxiety kicking in, forcing her collapse onto the floor with her face hidden in her hooves. Trace prodded his two forefingers together as he looked to Fluttershy, “Sorry Shy... We didn't mean to embarrass you...”

A hoof clopped three times onto the wood flooring, and everypony turned to look at Rarity, “I have to say, I am very proud of you Fluttershy! I know how hard it is for you to get out there, I am happy to see you with a herd that I won’t have to worry about breaking your heart!”

Trace's heart skipped and he swallowed, his worries intensifying and his mind racing, 'I-I d-didn't think about... what the others would think... if it didn't work out with Fluttershy... None of them knew Lyra all that much, but if I hurt Fluttershy... They could all hate me... couldn't they?' Trace shot out of his trance as he noticed a hoof around his waist. Rarity was on her hind legs with her eyes looking up at him, “I am sure these two mares will make you very happy! I am proud of you too, Trace!”

“He... hehe... yeah...” Trace forced a nervous laugh, rubbing his neck with his left hand; his right being squished between him and Rarity. Rarity jumped down, returning to all fours, before prancing back over to Spike, her as of now little living furnace, as he breathed heat once more onto her.

“Ah'm surprised Pinkie hasn't said anythin' yet, so ah will! Angel isn't sick, a new bushel of baby bunnies are alive and healthy, and three of our friends are happy in a new herd together; Ah think this calls for a--” Applejack was cut off by a pink pony jumping in front of her.

“A PARTY!” an enormous smile ear to ear was plastered on Pinkie's face as she continued, “I couldn't have said it better myself, Applejack!”

Bringing herself up from her hiding place in her hooves, Fluttershy stuttered, “A-a party? Here... now?”

Twilight interjected with a smile on her face, “I'll admit, there might not be the decorations and snacks a prepared party would have, but we are all here and we could have a good time.”

“No, absolutely not!” Everypony was shocked to hear Fluttershy raising her voice all of a sudden, “These babies were just born, and a party would just startle and scare them, keeping them up all night!”

“Awww...” Pinkie's mane drooped a bit, but suddenly sprang back to life, “How about TOMORROW?! We could have it at Sugarcube corner! All the pastries are fresh because of Ponyville's heat, and I could have it all ready by tonight!”

Applejack stepped in front of Pinkie, putting her hoof down, “Pinkie Pie, Ah know it was mah suggestion, but Fluttershy is right, her babies cannot be around such noise so early. Ah don't rightly know much ‘bout animals, but ah figure she can't just leave em alone either... Let's just wait till the Hearth Warming Eve party we decided to have; the whole town's gonna be preparing for Hearth Warming anyway, not to mention Mrs. Cake wouldn't take kindly to ya taking away from her preparation time!”

“Okie dokie lokie! That will just give me plenty of time to make the party super dooper FUN~!” Pinkie sang out in glee as she bounced around the room.

Twilight smiled as she pulled Spike up in her aura, placing him on her back, “I agree, let's just go for now, I suspect Trace, Lyra, and Fluttershy wish to be alone for a while anyway. Let's all go for now.” Twilight looked back to give Trace a knowing grin and winked at him; which just made Trace blush and look away. Everypony said their goodbyes and made a bee line for the door, except for Applejack and Bon Bon. Trace didn't say anything until everypony left; Applejack had a saddlebag on her back and guessed she had something for them. Fluttershy closed the door after everypony and then Applejack finally spoke up, “ah originally brought these for Fluttershy, to make sure she ate, but you three can share.”

Applejack reached her mouth into the saddlebag and pulled out a small package that was wrapped up in a soft fabric. Whatever it was, it filled the room with the delicious smell of sweet caramel and apples. Even though Trace and his herd had just eaten, his mouth watered from the aroma. Lyra took the parcel in her magic and returned Applejack a smile. Applejack blushed and scratched at the floor, “And Lyra... Thanks fer what you did yesterday... ah mean inviting Bon Bon into the barn and everythin'.”

Lyra giggled and replied, “So, you and Bon Bon are an item now?”

Bon Bon and Applejack looked to one another before darting their heads away from each other before Applejack replied, “Y-yeah... W-we decided ta give it'a go...”

Without much of a sound, Lyra stepped closer to Bon Bon and nuzzled her cheek for a moment, “I'm so glad you have a marefriend now, Bon Bon! You were so depressed after... oh, um... sorry.”

The candy earth mare lowered her head in a sulking manner, sadness filling her face, “I know, I'm sorry it didn't work out, I just figured since we were so close and all...”

Trace blinked, looking between the two mares and jumping to the first conclusion that popped into his head, “You two were in a herd together?”

Lyra nodded and blushed, as she was the first to reply, “Yeah... we have been friends since fillyhood, and we confused our friendship for love... we broke up... We just couldn't become intimate with one another... felt too much like... incest... if you know what I mean?”

“I suppose I can, it must of felt like she was more of a sister.” Trace smiled; trying to make sure the situation didn't become awkward. Trace grinned for real this time as an idea popped into his head, “Hey! Maybe we could all go on a double date one day?”

Lyra, Bon Bon and Applejack all looked at him at once and asked, “Double date?”

“What is a double date?” Fluttershy blushed, making the first comment since everypony had left.

“Hmm... I guess that’s a human thing; but I think it would be pretty nice. It's just all of us go on a picnic together, talk about our relationships and maybe play games.” Trace was smiling the entire time as he explained it, “To be honest though, I've never been on one before; it was just an idea, if none of you like it?”

The four mares looked at one another with worry on their muzzles, which made Trace worry. Lyra stepped forward, thinking she should probably explain something to him, “Well, we do have something like a double date, but it is called a ‘commingle’ here. It is where our herd goes on a date with another herd, to see if we get along enough to merge our herds together. Though, I honestly don't think anypony does that sort of thing anymore. Current day, it just seems to cause trouble. Mainly since if it didn't work out, it usually ended up separating both herds and all of them ended up single.”

Trace noticed that Fluttershy was looking at Lyra with interest, Fluttershy stepped forward as she intervened, “I never knew that. Up in Cloudsdale, Pegasi usually mated for life, and the upper class usually only had monogamous relationships. When I moved to Ponyville, I was actually a little shocked to see so many Polygamous relationships, and so openly too!”

It was Lyra's turn to appear interested, and a tad bit shocked too, “I never knew! I thought Cloudsdale was just like any other city. Then again… it is the only town that is still only one species... since earth ponies and unicorns can't permanently walk on clouds...”

Applejack tapped her chin, looking down as she added her own comment, “ah heard from Dash ‘bout Cloudsdale, but ah think she was from a lower class family. Prolly why ah never heard of the monogamous thing...”

“Normally the higher class Pegasi act much like unicorns in some ways; they think that they must keep their blood line pure, so they stick to monogamy, and only breed with other high class ponies...” Fluttershy spoke in a surprisingly loud tone, clearly she was deeply interested in the subject or so Trace assumed.

“So what makes them so pure... anyway?” asked a puzzled Trace, unsure how someone could be pure.

Fluttershy looked down in thought, her wings expanding before replying, “Uh... I don't honestly know... I suppose they don't have any Unicorn or Earth pony in their blood line...”

Trace rubbed his head, as if rubbing would keep the information in his head, “I suppose I could always ask Twilight...”

Everypony fell silent when Bon Bon nudged Applejack, looking at her when she spoke, “Applejack, I hate to rush.., but I need to open my store...”

“Ah should prolly be heading back to gather whatever apples may still be good... Thank you Trace, Lyra, Fluttershy.., ah'm not much for talking ‘bout other societies, but it was fun. Ah'll see ya next time!” Applejack smiled as she herded Bon Bon toward the door.

Fluttershy quickly took to the air and opened the front door, “It was so nice seeing you both!”

Everyone either waved or said their goodbyes as Applejack and Bon Bon exited the cottage. A sigh came from Trace; his mares both looked to him, and were about to ask what was wrong before he spoke, “I really need to get more jobs done. I don't know anything about Pony culture, but if it is anything like back home, everypony is going to want their homes repaired before the holiday. Which also means I will have to do enough to get me past the holidays, most humans didn't want repair men around while they have their families down for Christmas... or in your case... Hearth warming...”

“Hehe... yeah...” Lyra chuckled nervously before turning to Fluttershy, “Sorry Shy, he is right... We should probably get going...”

“B-before you both go... when is your next day off... Trace?” Fluttershy spoke up, but her eyes were glued to the floor and a blush on her face. Her voice was really shaky too, making Lyra and Trace wonder what she was getting at.

Trace looked up at the ceiling as he was mentally going through all the jobs he had planned, and how long they would take. Trace sighed in frustration, mainly from all the work he would have to do, “I have many jobs planned... I won’t get a day off for a week and a half... Ten days to be exact... at least that is what I figure...”

“D-do...” Fluttershy paused, her body clenching up and her wings folding to her sides, but could be seen shaking slightly, “D-do you think... we could go on a date?”

Lyra looked to Trace, nodding and letting him decide. Trace smiled, “Yeah, I would like that, where would we go?”

“Actually... I had something in mind...” Fluttershy was red as a beet now, her eyes staying focused on something away from Lyra and Trace.

Looking from Trace to Fluttershy, Lyra tried to meet her gaze, but failed, “What is it?”

“Could... c-could it be a surprise? I will just pick you both up... if t-that is... okay?” The butter pegasus stuttered, even she was surprised she could even speak at all, she was so embarrassed.

A chuckle came from Trace as he nodded, “Okay then... I guess we will see you then, unless we get a chance and we will come see you!”

“C-come by... anytime...” Fluttershy managed a smile and pointed her face toward Trace, but still not managing to look at him, her eyes clenched closed.

Trace turned for the door and Lyra quickly followed, “I will have to come check on the babies too, I would hate for us to become a herd, and then not see you for a week!”

A frown forced its way onto Lyra's face as she thought, 'a week... yeah... a week for Fluttershy... but two seasons for me... I will have to make sure they become as close as they possibly can... before I leave in the summer...' Lyra snapped herself out of her trance as she followed Trace out the door, turning only to look at Fluttershy and smile, “Bye Fluttershy!”

For some reason Fluttershy didn't reply, before Lyra found a pair of lips on her cheek. Lyra's features softened as Fluttershy pulled away and she flew up, placing a kiss on Trace's cheek also. Returning to the ground, “Good bye... t-to you both...”

They could tell Fluttershy didn't want them to go, but they had too... Trace had work to do; Lyra prevented herself from sighing as she followed Trace, who was now walking away from the cottage. Her mind was deep in thought as she glanced back at Fluttershy waving, 'Maybe... I can go visit... even if Trace can't come here...'

Author's Note

Okay, finally got these part one and two posted. I know it took me awhile for this white surprise, but I hope everypony likes it.

Special thanks to my editor Bytestorm!